I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

"Little Lan~, do you want something to eat?"

Just as Melusine was about to leave, Kondou-san's wife tried to keep her around with this excuse.

"I have no need for food," Melusine replied, her voice more mechanical than calm. "Ordinary sustenance does nothing to replenish my energy. It can barely support my operational mode."

"And besides," she added, "someone might still be waiting for my help."

"You really do love lending a hand, huh, Lancelot?"

Leaning against the counter, Kondou-san suddenly spoke up. "These past few days, I keep hearing people mention you. Like old Terai-san, who sells flowers across the street. Even the regulars who come by my place talk about you. Heck, even Akai-san — who usually looks like he just murdered someone — softens up a little when he talks about you."

"Akai-san's actually a good man," Kondou-san's wife chimed in. "You just have to spend a little time with him to see it."

"That Akai-san, huh...? Hard to imagine," Melusine said, tilting her head slightly.

"Say, Lan, why do you like helping people so much?" Kondou-san's wife asked, poking Melusine's soft, squishy cheek with a finger, her tone brimming with curiosity. "Could it be that you want to be a hero of justice?"

"...It's not anything that grand," Melusine murmured after a pause, her eyelids lowering slightly. "It's just... if Himmel were here, he wouldn't turn a blind eye to those who need help."

"Himmel, huh..."

Kondou-san's wife muttered the name to herself, wearing a face that practically screamed I'm so curious, I'm dying to know.

"What kind of person is he? Must be someone really important to you, right? Wait, don't tell me... is he your boyfriend?"

At that, Melusine simply smiled — a serene, cool smile, like moonlight on a summer night.

"Important... perhaps. He taught me many things. But he is not my boyfriend. After all, both he and I already have people we care for."

"What! Lan, you have someone you like? Who? Who is it?"

The stars in Kondou-san's wife's eyes seemed to sparkle even brighter.

"And what good would it do you to know?" Kondou-san interrupted with a strange look. "You don't even know them. What use is just having a name?"

But Kondou-san's wife only shot him an exasperated glare.

"You never know! What if — just what if — we do know the person Lan likes? And even if we don't, so what? Not knowing them now doesn't mean we won't meet them later! Besides, I'm sure I'm not the only one curious. Everyone who's been helped by Lan would be dying to know too! I bet if I casually brought it up, they'd jump right out of their chairs!"

"You really are something else..." Kondou-san sighed.

Laughing, Kondou-san's wife reached out and hugged Melusine around the neck, rubbing her cheek against Melusine's silky hair.

"Our Little Lan is such a sweet girl and so beloved. Of course we have to look out for you! Otherwise, how could we ever be at ease?"

"I don't believe I can be considered part of your family," Melusine said evenly. "We've only known each other for less than a week."

"Aiya, don't be so cold, Lan! As long as we think of you as family, that's all that matters, right? Sure, you haven't been here long, but we all really like you — and that's the honest truth. Besides... your hair is so soft and it smells so nice! Not a single split end. Tell me, what shampoo do you use?"

"..."

...

The sunset had long since faded, and a silver moon rose slowly into the sky.

With the moonlight came a strengthening chill on the wind.

"I really lost track of time..."

Leaning against a wall, Melusine passed one streetlight after another, her shadow stretching and shrinking beneath her feet. She spoke aloud to no one.

"Kondou-san's wife is... just too warm. I'm still not used to that kind of warmth..."

The thought made her want to sigh.

She had always been a little socially anxious, and after fusing with the Fairy Knight Lancelot's Saint Graph, it had only grown worse.

Though Fairy Knight Lancelot — or rather, Melusine — often boasted that she was the strongest, in truth, she was deeply insecure.

Fairy Knight Lancelot, the fairy of the Mirror Clan — no, Melusine herself — was born from the flesh of the Dragon of Albion, the dragon's left hand that fell into the Sea of Nothingness after its death, never making it back to the planet's inner sea.

A filthy lump of flesh, like clotted mud, that, upon glimpsing the breathtaking aurora — Aurora — miraculously formed a body, a will.

But she was painfully aware of just how ugly her existence was, how dangerous her mere being was.

She even knew that Aurora's love for her was nothing but a lie — yet she clung to that single spider's thread dangling into Hell.

Her crumbling body was filth.

The love churning inside her dragon heart was void.

The beautiful aurora she worshipped was a lie.

And yet, for the sake of that love, she wrought endless tragedies, committed countless sins, and in the end — when there was no turning back — destroyed her own light with her own hands.

"I love you, Aurora..."

"I love you so much, Aurora..."

"Even if... I lose that love..."

The Mirror Clan — gentle fairies who lived for generations on the northern isles, guarding the remnants of Albion's corpse.

But because Aurora disliked how often the Mirror Clan was praised over her, she ordered Melusine to massacre them all.

Queen Morgan had bestowed the name Lancelot upon her, giving her a Saint Graph that stabilized her crumbling body. As long as the Saint Graph held, Melusine wouldn't fall apart. Morgan even welcomed her as a Fairy Knight, giving her trust.

Yet at Aurora's command, Melusine betrayed Morgan — turned her back on the queen who had taken her in.

When Fairy Country was on the verge of collapse, Aurora sought to flee with Chaldea to Proper Human History. But Melusine knew too well: once Aurora entered Proper Human History, she would lose her beauty, lose her light, and in endless despair deceive herself just to keep living — and every morning, upon seeing her reflection in the mirror, she would die miserably, only to revive and continue the cycle of lies and hopelessness.

Thus, Melusine chose to kill her love — her light — with her own hands.

Thus, the Melusine summoned to Chaldea carried her deep inferiority and fear.

Everything she had ever loved had died because of her.

Maybe that was why the Melusine of Chaldea clung so desperately to her Master — because without someone to anchor her, she couldn't survive.

Without someone, she would slip back into being nothing more than filthy flesh.

Before, it had been Aurora. Now, it was Master.

So from beginning to end, Melusine's way of living had never changed.

It was because of her deep insecurity that she clung so desperately, like a fledgling, needing constant reassurance, striving to be useful — so much so that a few seconds apart from Master would leave her trembling with anxiety.

At Chaldea, Melusine had once confessed:

"You think I'm cool and dignified, huh... I see... Then I have to live up to that. Honestly, even I... how should I put it... I'm scared of being alone. I have no confidence. I'd really love to spend all 24 hours just looking at your face. If you left me alone, I'd probably want to burn Chaldea to the ground... but, mm, I'm your proud Servant! So I'll endure it, and I'll always be your number one!"

...

"Hm? Isn't that Lancelot?"

The sudden call of her name snapped Melusine out of her daze.

"Takahara-san? Did you just finish shopping?"

"That's right. And what about you, Lancelot? What are you doing here?"

"Just wandering around, seeing if anyone needs help... Do you need me to carry your bags?"

"Oh no, that's quite alright. They're not heavy at all... But how about coming over to my house for a bit? You probably haven't had dinner yet, have you? Every time I see you, you're always helping someone, looking like you barely have time to eat."

"Thank you for your kindness, but there's no need."

Melusine shook her head, then added with a troubled expression, "Kondou-san's wife already insisted I stay and eat a little earlier..."

"Ah, Kondou-san... No wonder."

Judging by Takahara-san's knowing look, she was clearly familiar with Kondou-san's wife overenthusiastic nature.

"Are you alone?"

Melusine glanced at her side. "Even if you won't let me carry your bags, at least let me escort you home."

"My, my, how could I impose like that?"

"It's simply my duty. A knight would never leave a gentle lady to walk home alone."

And Melusine truly meant it.

After safely escorting Takahara-san home — and politely declining her offer to come in for some snacks — Melusine found herself alone once again.

Since arriving in this world, she had made it a habit to help others like this, which had quickly made her quite popular.

Wandering the streets aimlessly, Melusine suddenly came to a halt.

For a brief instant, her golden eyes shifted into the vertical, burning pupils of a dragon, and the calm expression on her face was replaced by grave seriousness.

"I can detect a ripple of mana... There's the scent of blood on the wind."

She hesitated for only a moment. In the next, she dashed away at a speed the human eye could barely track, locking onto a single direction.

A dark, empty alley — the breeding ground of crime.

Gunfire cracked through the air, and the wind carried the thick, metallic smell of blood.

"Aaaughhhhh—!!"

A hoarse, despairing scream tore through the alley, so desperate it was as if the man was trying to shred his own throat.

Such a cry of pure terror could only mean he had encountered some horrific, unnatural monster — perhaps a ghoul from Tokyo with a kagune, or a parasitic creature capable of splitting its own head into sickle-blades.

And yet, before the man trembling on the ground stood... a girl.

"Ahhh~... I wonder why?"

The petite, doll-like girl sighed as if mourning the man's misfortune, her expression full of pity.

"Why... do you run? Why... do you scream?"

An archaic-looking flintlock pistol brushed against her vivid red lips as she raised it, her black hair deep as the night. Underneath, one eye glowed blood-red while the other, gold shaped like a clock face, burned a brand into the man's mind.

Her lips curled into a twisted smile. The nightmare girl spoke in a voice so sweet it sent shivers down the spine.

"If you didn't run, I wouldn't have to hurt you, right? I could just... devour you without causing any pain."

"P-Please... don't... don't kill me..."

The man scooted backwards on the ground, not even knowing whether begging would do him any good. His mind was frozen by sheer terror, incapable of rational thought.

"Heeheehee~ How could I possibly kill you?"

Her alluring eyes narrowed slightly. The girl's shadow, at her feet, began to writhe like a living creature, spreading outward.

"After all... wasting food is such a terrible thing, even if you won't give me much nourishment — or time."

"Aaaaaaahhh—!"

The squirming shadow was utterly terrifying in the man's eyes, a formless, incomprehensible horror beyond naming.

The nightmare girl's voice was languid, almost lazy. To her, this was nothing more than a simple midnight snack — sneaking a bite from the fridge.

In another second, the shadow would morph into a ravenous beast and devour the man whole, leaving not even bones behind.

Unless something unexpected happened—

Tap.

Footsteps echoed sharply through the alley.

Closer — much closer than expected.

"!!!"

A short blade extended from the left — so fast it stunned the nightmare girl, Kurumi Tokisaki, filling her with a jolt of pure fear.

When—?!

"Please don't move," came a calm, mechanical voice. "I have no intention of taking your life. I merely seek to save him."

The speaker's tone was cold, and firm enough to cut stone. "If you act rashly, I will sever your limbs in an instant. I always keep my word."

"My, my... Whatever are you saying? I don't quite understand."

Kurumi smiled charmingly, her lips trembling in feigned innocence. "Could you please... move this thing away a little? I'm just so, so scared..."

To show her sincerity, Kurumi even raised both her hands, still holding the flintlock.

And yet — no response.

No breath, no sound.

If it weren't for the blade still cold against her throat, Kurumi might have thought her assailant had simply vanished.

For nearly ten seconds, the stalemate stretched, the air thick with silent tension.

Then — Kurumi moved.

"[First Bullet]!"

She pressed the gun against her own forehead and pulled the trigger.

A black bullet pierced her head — Kurumi's power, the manipulation of time, surged forth. The [First Bullet] accelerated her personal timeline.

With her speed magnified, she was confident she could break free from the blade's range — and finally see her attacker's face.

But in the very instant she turned—

A flash of silver light burst toward her.

"[Innocence Arondight!]"

"Know Not Now, Innocent Light of the Lake"

Everything in her vision was swallowed by the pure, moonlike glow of silver.

The next moment, something rock-hard smashed into her back.

Pain exploded through her gut — Kurumi couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood.

When her senses returned, she found herself lying prone on the ground, blood pooling warmly beneath her.

Instinctively, she tried to push herself up — only to realize...

She could no longer feel her hands or feet.

"I warned you, didn't I?"

The glimmering particles on the short blade slowly faded away. Melusine's golden dragon eyes burned with searing heat.

"If you moved, I would sever your limbs."

"I always keep my word."

"To doubt my strength is folly — because I am the strongest."