I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

Another Beastly Rift Hound fell under Kiichi's blade.

Since it was inconvenient to use fire within the forest, she infused her blade with the power of the Anemo element. In an instant, a dozen razor-sharp wind blades slashed the yellow Rift Hound into neatly segmented pieces.

Upon its death, the Rift Hound dropped a claw. This one was larger and more potent than the claws Kiichi had collected earlier, radiating an even greater intensity of chaotic, volatile energy.

The ominous energy—so antithetical to this world—made her hesitant to discard the claw. Reluctantly, she picked it up to take along.

She had inquired about these creatures before, asking Sara for information, but to no avail.

Sara had confessed that despite living in this forest for many years, she had never encountered such monsters before.

It was highly unusual. Not only had these monsters suddenly appeared, but the frequency of their encounters was staggering. In just a short while, Kiichi had already faced a double-digit count of them.

As Kiichi suspected, these creatures bore hostility toward all living beings in this world. Beyond Sara, the forest was home to many other sentient creatures, all of which became targets for these monsters.

Moments earlier, Kiichi and Sara had witnessed three monsters—a large one and two smaller ones—chasing a group of fox cubs.

Kiichi handled the creatures, while Sara comforted the frightened animals. It seemed Sara had always been the forest's guardian; the animals trusted her implicitly.

The fox cubs, on the verge of becoming spirits themselves, could communicate and reason. However, they knew little about the monsters' origin, only sensing instinctively that they were extremely dangerous.

Dangerous indeed. That insidious, corrupting power...

Kiichi had noticed this when she treated Sara's wounds earlier. Even after sealing the visible injuries and stopping the bleeding, the residual power within Sara's body continued to erode her vitality.

Fortunately, the corrosive power left in Sara's body wasn't highly concentrated, and Kiichi quickly purified it.

"So that's what Bleeding Hounds feel like in real life, huh? Such a nuisance."

Now, Kiichi understood why she had felt such visceral rejection toward these creatures when she first encountered them—they were born of the Riftborn Bleeding Hounds!

Back when she first started playing Genshin Impact, Kiichi had been a technical player. But after pulling Zhongli, she became reliant on his shields. She had just begun enjoying her newfound ease when the Bleeding Hounds—designed specifically to counter shields—showed up.

Were the game developers trolling her or what?

Scanning the area and sensing no Rift Hounds nearby, Kiichi turned her gaze behind her.

"Really? Are you that scared of me?"

Sara, who had been gazing at her with awe and gratitude moments ago, now trailed behind timidly, maintaining a delicate distance from Kiichi.

"Um..." Sara lowered her head, her gaze darting nervously. She seemed almost afraid to meet Kiichi's eyes. "Are... are you... a deity?"

Ever since Sara learned that Kiichi had lived for over a thousand years, the tengu girl had been treating her with a mix of reverence and fear, even changing how she addressed her.

A thousand years... Such a span of time must have been unimaginable to most.

Hearing Sara's question, Kiichi offered a cryptic response.

"I'm not a shut-in."

"???"

Ah... How should she explain this?

Scratching the back of her head, Kiichi began to organize her thoughts.

"Hmm... I'm not a god, per se, but rather a Great Tengu. Unlike you and the rest of your tengu kin, I have no parents. I was born directly from nature—or you could say, this world itself. A child of the land and sky... From that perspective, my existence does resemble that of a deity."

Kiichi explained as thoroughly as she could, but the young Sara's expression remained full of confusion.

"...Never mind."

With a wry smile, Kiichi reached out and ruffled Sara's hair. The soft strands against her palm were surprisingly pleasant to the touch.

"Just know that I'm not a god, and that's enough."

"Alright..."

The sensation of Kiichi's hand on her head made Sara's cheeks flush slightly, leaving her in a dazed, almost drunken state.

Having cleared most of the Rift Hounds nearby, Kiichi deemed her task of stretching her legs complete. Together, they returned to the small courtyard where they had been staying.

The gate to the courtyard came into view, but before they arrived, Kiichi suddenly turned to Sara and asked a question.

"By the way, Sara, would you like to be my child? My adopted child, I mean."

Kiichi's abrupt and startling question left Sara stunned for quite some time.

"A...adopted child?"

Though... we've only known each other for a day... If it's her... it doesn't seem impossible to accept.

After all, she saved my life. Besides...

Just being near her brings me such peace...

As Sara seriously considered the proposition—on the verge of agreeing, even—Kiichi's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Ha! Just kidding!"

"A joke...?"

Sara's expression froze in an awkward grimace.

"Ha! Let me teach you something, little Sara. It's dangerous to take a tengu's words at face value... Oh, wait, you're a tengu too. Never mind, never mind. No big deal!"

Kiichi waved her hand dismissively before pausing for a moment.

"But," she added, "considering we've only known each other for less than a day, asking you to become my adopted child would be a bit much, wouldn't it?"

"N-no..."

Sara opened her mouth to protest but quickly closed it, uncertain of the feelings stirring within her chest.

"Well, hmm..." Kiichi pursed her lips thoughtfully, muttering, "If making you my child isn't an option, then how about... becoming my disciple? I could teach you my skills. I'm quite good at mentoring people, you know. My disciples... uh... well... Never mind. Forget I said anything."

The mention of disciples brought Ushiwakamaru to Kiichi's mind.

But thinking of Ushiwakamaru also brought a pained expression to her face.

Sara, however, didn't notice Kiichi's conflicted gaze.

Hearing the offer to become her disciple, Sara recalled Kiichi's effortless defeat of the monsters earlier. That strength and grace had captivated her entirely.

So...

"Master! Please take me as your disciple!"

Kiichi gazed at Sara's steadfast determination, her golden eyes shimmering with a light as bright as the moon.

Moved by Sara's unwavering resolve, Kiichi's heart stirred with admiration for her talent.

"Ha! Excellent, excellent! Such joy should be celebrated with the dance of butterflies in a blooming meadow. Well then..."

Laughing heartily, Kiichi looked at the girl before her.

"Let's make it official. My first disciple in this world... Please take care of me."

---

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