I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

Hand in hand, bathed in the golden light of dusk, Alice and Yunyun walked side by side.

The sound of their laughter, clear and melodious as silver bells, echoed in the fading sunlight.

For both Alice and Yunyun, today was bound to be unforgettable.

"This was my first time seeing a place where horses are raised! There were so many of them!" Alice exclaimed.

"Alice, haven't you ever ridden a horse or traveled in a carriage before?" Yunyun asked, surprised.

"No, not really. I usually use teleportation magic, and when I do ride in a carriage, it's usually pulled by running lizards instead of horses. Personally, I think horses are cuter, but Claire says running lizards are faster."

"Running lizards…? Aren't those monsters? Does your family really use monsters to pull carriages?" Yunyun gasped.

After spending the day together, the two had clearly grown much closer. Even their choice of words had become more casual, dropping the formal suffixes they had used at the start.

"That grilled skewer we had earlier was so delicious! I'd love to come back for more sometime," Alice said.

"Absolutely! The flavor of the meat and the seasoning went so well together. It was perfect! Though, when I asked the shopkeeper what kind of meat it was, he gave me this mysterious smile and said, 'That's a secret.' What a shame…"

"Right? The way he kept it secretive makes me think the meat itself might be the key to how delicious it was. If we could find out what it is, maybe Nero could make it too!"

"Eh? Miss Nero can cook?" Yunyun asked, surprised.

"Of course! Nero can do almost anything. She's so talented it's hard to believe," Alice said, her admiration clear.

Reminiscing about their day, the two finally returned to the inn where they were staying.

They parted briefly, each heading to their respective rooms. But when Alice opened her door, she found more than one figure waiting inside.

"Princess Alice!"

Darkness rushed forward, overcome with emotion, and pulled the stunned Alice into a tight embrace.

"Lalatina? Is that you, Lalatina? Why are you here?" Alice asked in bewilderment.

Darkness's full name was Dustiness Ford Lalatina. She had disguised herself as "Darkness" to avoid being discovered by her family. Kazuma and the others had even teased her about how ironic it was for a devout crusader to choose such a sinister-sounding name.

Still in Darkness's arms, Alice shot a startled, questioning glance at Nero. Nero, lounging casually on the bed, responded with a reassuring look before standing up.

"I'll leave you two to catch up," Nero said, her tone nonchalant. "I'll cast a barrier to block sound from leaving this room. That way, no matter what you say, no one outside will hear."

"You can do that?" Darkness asked, a mix of awe and doubt in her eyes.

Nero's response was a sly smile. "A silly question! As Emperor of Rome, is there anything I can't do?"

After confirming Alice's well-being, Darkness's initial relief gave way to a scolding tone.

"Princess Alice, you've been far too reckless this time. The royal capital is in complete chaos because of your disappearance…"

Nero recalled that Darkness had once trained Alice in combat, teaching her basic close-range techniques. What puzzled Nero, however, was how Alice had turned out to be such a competent fighter, considering Darkness's strikes almost never hit their targets.

"Alice, you don't have to listen to everything she says," Nero interrupted with a smirk. "The woman before you is even more reckless than you. She ran away from home because she didn't like the marriage her family arranged for her. In fact, her family's steward has put out a search request for her here in Axel."

"Nero, please don't interfere!" Darkness protested, her cheeks turning red.

Nero shrugged nonchalantly in response.

Alice looked at Darkness with wide, astonished eyes. "Lalatina, you ran away from home too?"

"Well, yes, but…" Darkness hesitated, then sighed, seeing the curiosity in Alice's gaze. "Yes, Princess Alice. I am just as impulsive as you."

"You ran away because of an arranged marriage, became an adventurer, and sought comrades you could entrust your life to… It's just like something out of a storybook." Alice's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Lalatina, you're so brave."

"No… I haven't actually found any comrades to adventure with yet," Darkness admitted.

Although she often worked alongside Chris, the two weren't officially part of a party. This made sense, given Chris's secret identity. Darkness saw Chris as a wandering thief, but in reality, Chris didn't need a permanent residence—she could simply return to the heavens when she wanted to rest.

"Then why not join our party?" Alice suddenly asked, catching both Nero and Darkness off guard.

"Lalatina, you're an advanced-class crusader, right? Our party has three members now, so there's still room for one more. You're so strong; I'm sure you'd be a great help!"

An invitation from the princess herself would have been a tremendous honor for someone like Darkness.

But Darkness didn't seem thrilled.

I ran away to live freely! If I join Princess Alice's party, I'll have even less freedom!

"Your Highness… oh, that's right!" Darkness's face lit up as she found an excuse. "Claire has been tirelessly searching for you these past few days. She's utterly worn out. Everyone in the capital is worried about you. Please, Princess Alice, return to the royal capital."

Darkness was right. Now that Alice had been found, the proper course of action was to return her to the capital as quickly as possible.

Alice knew this, but the reluctant look in her eyes betrayed her feelings. She glanced at Nero, silently pleading for help.

Darkness noticed Alice's hesitation and nervously bit her lip. After a moment's thought, she added, "Claire is furious. She blames Miss Nero entirely for your disappearance and has vowed to capture and execute her as a criminal…"

Darkness's words made Alice panic.