I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

Although the priests of the Eris Church initially mistook Nero for the perpetrator who had broken their stained-glass window, clearing up the misunderstanding turned out to be surprisingly easy.

"Umu… all I did was say, 'These stones were handed to me by a blue-haired girl who looks like an Axis Church member,' and they immediately believed me," Nero remarked.

She could still vividly recall the exhausted expressions the priests wore when she mentioned "Axis Church member."

It's probably not the first time something like this has happened…

The Axis Church and the Crimson Magic Clan—two groups said to cause more trouble for this world than the Demon King's army ever could.

In many worlds, there are stories told to frighten children into behaving, like monsters that come to take away disobedient kids.

In this world, the Axis Church had that role. Whether among humans or demons, the mere mention of the Axis Church could silence even the most restless children. Such was the reputation they had cultivated.

As Nero reminisced, her surroundings darkened.

She realized she had wandered out of town and was now standing face-to-face with a giant frog.

A giant frog was no real threat to Nero. This kind of low-level monster wouldn't last even a single strike against her. Most adventurers in Axel could handle them without much trouble.

"Move aside. I've already grown tired of dealing with your kind," Nero said lazily, gesturing for the frog to leave. "My goal is to gain more experience points and rewards, and you provide neither. Be grateful for my mercy—now scram."

Despite slaying countless monsters—ranging from high-level threats like the Killer Bear to swarms of Gray Wolves, Slimes, and Horned Rabbits—Nero's level was still only three.

In this world, the experience points required to level up were proportional to one's innate talent. For Nero, the requirements were so absurdly high that she was left speechless.

The only time her experience bar had visibly moved was when she defeated the Killer Bear. Giant frogs, on the other hand, didn't even register.

Still, despite Nero's apparent goodwill, the giant frog refused to back down.

With a sudden lunge, its long tongue lashed toward her like a whip.

But Nero effortlessly dodged, vanishing in an instant.

"Umu! So you've chosen to reject my kindness."

Calmly sidestepping another tongue strike, Nero added, "How unfortunate."

The giant frog's attacks were simple—using its size to crush, lashing out with its tongue to capture prey, or outright swallowing its opponent whole.

Fortunately, giant frogs detested the taste of metal. Wearing a suit of armor made one immune to being eaten, allowing even novice adventurers to defeat them.

"Umu, umu. Too slow, too slow. Come on, faster now," Nero teased, dodging the frog's strikes with ease, her movements so precise that it seemed as if she were dancing.

For a moment, Nero found amusement in toying with the frog. But her interest waned quickly.

"Ah, this is boring. Let's finish this."

Dodging the frog's tongue one last time, Nero closed the distance with a single step.

She struck a pose—an almost-forgotten Bajiquan stance—and lowered her voice, mimicking someone she had once seen.

"My Bajiquan needs no second strike—One-Hit Kill!"

With that declaration, Nero unleashed a devastating punch, hitting the frog square in its soft, white belly.

Maintaining her striking pose, Nero smirked and delivered a dramatic line:

"Omae wa mou shindeiru… Umu! I've always wanted to say that, but never found the right chance."

Confident in her victory, Nero looked up—only to meet the giant frog's unblinking gaze.

It even blinked twice, as if mocking her.

For a moment, silence filled the air.

"...Now that I think about it, aren't giant frogs immune to blunt attacks?"

The frog, of course, offered no response. Instead, it opened its mouth wide, preparing to swallow her whole.

But before it could act, crimson flames erupted from Nero's body, engulfing the creature. In mere seconds, the scent of roasted meat filled the air.

"Did you really think I'd act like Aqua?" Nero muttered, placing her hands on her hips as she kicked the now-charred frog. "'Let me show you the might of Rome! You dare block my path? You dare oppose Rome? Roman Fist! A concentrated strike of all Rome's strength! You're already dead!'—and then, after failing to deal any damage, I'd awkwardly say, 'O-on closer look, frogs are actually kind of cute!' just to save face, before being swallowed whole? Did you think it would end like that?!"

Smugly satisfied with her monologue, Nero gave the frog's burnt remains another kick—only to immediately pull her foot back, wincing from the heat.

The flames she had used weren't magical in nature but rather a product of her [Imperial Privilege EX], granting her temporary access to Mana Burst (Flame).

She had seen Karna use this skill before, even using it to propel himself through the air like a jet.

Nero had successfully recreated the skill, but its mana cost was astronomical. While Karna could freely wield it thanks to the Holy Grail, Nero had no such luxury.

"Umu! As Emperor, I should be able to use all the skills in the world… so why don't I have unlimited mana? Truly unfair, don't you think?"

Leaving the roasted frog behind, Nero turned her attention to the forest ahead. She had wasted enough time and was eager to press on.

Just as she began to move, a distant sound reached her ears.

It was faint but unmistakable—

"Help me—!"

---

"Gar~de! Voir voir."

- Gardevoir

(End of Bonus Chapter—If you like my work, consider supporting me at [patreon.com/WiseTL]!)