I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

31 years after the death of Himmel The Hero.

Northern Plateau, Kino Gorge.

Aesc and the others had arrived at the Empire's border checkpoint. Once they passed through, they would officially be on imperial soil.

Because of that, the entry inspection they faced here was far more stringent than anything they had encountered before.

Although the Empire was no longer the unified superpower it once had been, its military strength still stood head and shoulders above the rest. It remained the only country bold enough to openly oppose the Continental Magic Association, even with Serie presiding over it.

Once, every nation surrounding the Empire had fallen to the demons and become part of their territory. Yet even in such dire circumstances, the Empire had held out tenaciously against the invasion until humanity reclaimed those lands. That feat alone proved how formidable the Empire's military truly was.

"You three go on ahead into the Empire. I won't be coming with you. Let's part ways for now."

As soon as Aesc said this, Frieren, Fern, and Stark all turned to her in shock.

"Lady Aesc, what do you mean by that?"

Fern frowned slightly, her confusion evident. "Is there somewhere you need to go? If it doesn't take too long, we can come with you."

"Exactly," Stark chimed in. "As long as it's not like Frieren, saying something like 'just ten years' the moment she opens her mouth, we're not that impatient."

"…I've stopped doing that, okay?"

Frieren shot him a glare and grumbled, "You really need to stop clinging to the past like that, Stark. I haven't even brought up that time you called me an old hag."

"…You obviously haven't forgotten either!"

Ignoring the sulking Stark, Frieren studied Aesc's face, then asked tentatively, "Is it… because of the Empire?"

Aesc gave a small nod. "I probably wouldn't be very welcome there. If I just strolled in, I get the feeling I'd cause a national emergency."

Frieren turned around to find Fern and Stark both staring in bewilderment.

After a brief pause and some internal debate, Frieren chose to explain.

"Long story short… Aesc was once hunted by the Empire."

Fern & Stark: "!!?"

The Empire was the first nation to militarize magic. The founder of human magical theory, Flamme, had once served as the Empire's court magician. Coupled with its overwhelming national strength, this gave the Empire an air of superiority—they believed that all human mages should belong to them.

Only within the Empire could both children and adults use magic freely. Magic was woven into their daily lives, and their mages were the most adept at warfare.

They viewed all powerful non-imperial mages as threats and established numerous secret agencies to deal with them. These included groups like the Shadow Warriors, soldiers trained with extreme mana concealment, and the enigmatic Sacred Staff Tribunal, of which nothing was known beyond the name. There was also the Magus Special Operations Unit, designed to quell internal rebellions.

"Only the Magus Special Operations Unit is officially recognized," Frieren said quietly. "The others, I've only heard rumors—never seen them in person."

"The Shadow Warriors are real."

Aesc suddenly interjected. "They were the ones who ambushed me."

"But why?" Fern frowned. "Just because you're a powerful mage from outside the Empire?"

"That's part of it," Aesc replied. "Powerful outsiders always attract attention when they step onto imperial soil. But more specifically, there are four mages the Empire keeps a very close eye on—the only four great mages left in this era."

At those words, Frieren's expression shifted. She fell silent, deep in thought.

"I see… So even I'm one of their targets."

Since Fern and Stark likely didn't know who these four great mages were, Aesc elaborated.

"Elves live long lives. They can spend centuries honing their craft and achieving magical feats far beyond human capability. The four remaining great mages are all elven: myself, Frieren, Serie, and a mage called Minues."

"Minues was known as the Witch of Rebellion, and she incited countless uprisings across the southern countries," Frieren added. "Twenty years ago, a nameless warrior finally defeated her in a small border nation. Word is they died together."

Aesc shrugged. "That warrior was from the Empire."

"…That's honestly impressive," Frieren said—not sarcastically, but with genuine admiration.

As a great mage herself, she understood just how difficult it was to kill another of her kind. The fact that an ordinary human had succeeded spoke volumes.

"In that case…"

Fern latched onto a key point. "Doesn't that mean Lady Frieren can't enter the Empire either? You're probably on their wanted list too, right?"

Frieren glanced at Aesc, who shook her head.

"Frieren is… different."

Counting on her fingers, Aesc explained, "Minues sparked rebellions. Serie founded the Continental Magic Association, which openly opposes the Empire. And me? I'm the only known mage capable of vaporizing an entire city in a single instant. Technically, I top the Empire's threat list, so of course they won't let me just stroll in."

"But Frieren hasn't done anything wrong."

Aesc's tone grew serious. "She's a thousand-year-old mage, yes—but she's also the companion of Himmel The Hero, who saved the world from the Demon King. The Empire has no reason to move against her."

"After their attempt to kill me failed, relations between me and the Empire basically hit rock bottom. Serie is already treated as an enemy, and they're not confident they could defeat her. They don't have the capacity to take on both of us and Frieren. So as long as it's just you three, you should be fine."

"That said, you should still pass through as quickly as possible. You are on their turf, and if they lose their minds, it could get ugly."

One reason the Empire went after Aesc was because she was the youngest of the four great mages—presumed to be the weakest.

They assumed her overwhelming attack spells had severe limitations, and if she had excelled so much in that area, she must be lacking elsewhere. Human energy is finite, after all.

That assumption led to their defeat.

Their biggest mistake was treating Aesc like a "normal mage." They never imagined she could surpass most warriors in close combat.

Magic is a realm of logic and imagination. If you can't even envision success, then success is impossible.

Even someone as powerful as Frieren cannot defeat Serie—simply because she can't picture herself doing so. But a warrior can. The odds may be slim, but they are never zero.

Aesc, however, broke even that rule.

The Empire's strategies for defeating powerful mages were completely ineffective against her.

---

Aesc had left the group.

But she said she'd catch up after Frieren exited the Empire.

She would find her own way across imperial land—without triggering any alarms.

"…It really feels strange, missing someone already."

Fern looked down, a touch of sadness in her eyes. Even though she knew they'd meet again soon, she couldn't help herself.

"We've been traveling together for so long," Stark said, sounding a little down himself.

Partings were common on journeys like these.

But this time felt different.

If Fern had been Frieren's caretaker, then Aesc had been the caretaker for all three of them—Frieren, Fern, and Stark.

Unlike Frieren and Fern's mutual dynamic—more like co-dependent mother and daughter—Aesc had truly looked after everyone.

Whenever someone was upset or things got tense, everyone turned to Aesc. That became an unspoken truth over time.

With her gone, it felt like kids setting out into the world without their mother's protection. A strange sensation.

"…Still, Lady Aesc didn't have to leave right away, did she?"

Fern mumbled, unsure of her own feelings. "We still have a few weeks before the checkpoint's done with their inspections. We could've stayed together until then…"

"Aesc always has her reasons."

Frieren said softly, "If there's one thing we've learned over the years, it's that she's the most decisive of us all. That's why we trust her."

Fern and Stark nodded silently in agreement.

"So… what do we do until the inspection's over?"

Stark glanced around. "Doesn't look like there's much to do here."

"No need to worry."

Frieren smiled as she turned back toward them. "There's somewhere I've been wanting to visit."

Under a blue sky dotted with white clouds, the three of them walked through the woods, led by Frieren.

"The Goddess's Stele?"

"That's right. You're familiar with the goddess, aren't you?"

"Of course," Fern replied, recalling what Heiter used to tell her. "According to the scriptures, the goddess created heaven and earth. Heiter-sama used to read them to me as a child."

"It's said she infused ten steles with her magic, scattering them across the continent."

Clearly, one of these ancient monuments was where Frieren was now headed.

"If I remember correctly, no one's ever been able to fully decipher them, right?" Fern asked.

"Which means it might take a while," Stark frowned. "Don't tell me we'll be waiting decades again…"

"I just want to redeem myself," Frieren muttered, a bit indignant. "But if I don't finish before the inspections are over, I'll stop."

"Redeem yourself?"

"Back when we were fighting the Demon King, we passed by here too," Frieren explained. "We got lost in the forest for three days and nights. Everyone was exhausted and cranky by the time we found the stele, so I couldn't study it properly."

Fern raised an eyebrow. "So we're going too? Are we allowed to get cranky as well?"

"…Also, I lost about a week of memory after I started examining the stele."

"…Why does this sound dangerous?" Stark muttered.

Surprisingly, their journey was smooth. It was as if someone had already cleared the forest of monsters.

At last, they arrived.

In the middle of a clearing stood a broken stone stele, its surface etched with time. To the untrained eye, it was just another weathered monument.

"…It's broken," Stark said flatly.

Frieren crouched before it. "But there's still magic residue."

She didn't begin her analysis right away. First, she examined the stone carefully. Last time, it had been intact.

"…Hmm?"

She frowned. Something was off.

"There's writing here… This wasn't here last time."

Fern knelt down to look as well. "It looks freshly carved…"

Frieren read the engraving aloud without thinking.

"Fiala… Thor…?"

"Those names are in the scriptures, right?" Fern murmured. "In the chapter on the bird's pilgrimage, near the middle…"

"I wouldn't know," Frieren said casually. "I've never been that familiar with the scriptures."

Fern didn't hold back. "And you're the one trying to decipher the stele? You're the one who made me study them nonstop…"

"They're boring, okay?" Frieren grumbled. "Besides, Ash knows them inside and out."

"…Are you sure you don't rely on Lady Ash too much?"

"Anyway—let's begin."

Ignoring Fern's scolding, Frieren raised her hand toward the stele.

The moment she did, her mind went blank.

When her senses returned, the world had changed.

The shattered stele was whole again.

Its weathering was gone.

The dusty earth was now blanketed in white flowers, gently swaying in the breeze.

Overwhelmed by this sudden flood of unfamiliar stimuli, Frieren's mind froze.

"…Huh?"

"Frieren? What's wrong? Did you figure something out?"

The voice behind her sent a shockwave through her entire being.

It was a voice she knew better than any other.

And one she had no business hearing again.

In her emerald eyes was only confusion. Slowly, she turned.

Ash stood behind her, wearing round-framed glasses.

And beside her… Himmel, the blue-haired hero. Heiter, the drunkard priest. Eisen, the dwarf warrior.

All gazing at her in mild confusion.

White petals danced like playful little fae in the breeze.

The scent of flowers drifted through the air, brushing gently against their cloaks.

It was a scene Frieren had witnessed countless times—yet never truly appreciated.

A scene she had longed for ever since it was lost.

For a moment, she forgot to breathe.