I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

"But... what kind of person is Master exactly…"

Melusine tilted her head slightly, tapping a finger against her crimson lips, a look of deep conflict clouding her face.

"If I have to say… Master is just... Master?"

"...What kind of answer is that?"

Shidou felt like Melusine had just spouted a bunch of nonsense.

"Ugh… But it's really hard to explain!"

Melusine wanted to sing Master's praises to the heavens—proclaim him the best, most powerful, most extraordinary existence under the sky—because she was, after all, the strongest dragon, and naturally, the one she loved had to be someone unparalleled across countless worlds.

Fenghuang, on the other hand, considered herself nothing more than an ordinary person. Yes, even after experiencing so many worlds and countless events, she still believed she was just an ordinary being—with ordinary strength, ordinary thoughts, ordinary resolve. Born an ordinary person, and someday, destined to die an ordinary death.

The clash between these two parts of herself left Melusine utterly tangled.

At that moment, as if something had occurred to him, Shidou asked tentatively,

"Wait... could it be... the person you like is... Himmel?"

"...No. Why would you even think that?! Didn't I already explain? There's nothing between me and Himmel! He's in love with Frieren."

Melusine shot him an exasperated side-eye, leaving Shidou momentarily awkward.

"Well… Himmel is a character from a story, right? In real life, it's pretty normal for people to call fictional characters their husband or wife..."

Back at the hospital, Melusine had once told Zino the story of the brave hero Himmel and the thousand-year-old elven mage Frieren. That was when Shidou first realized who the "Himmel" she often mentioned actually was.

And if he remembered correctly… Melusine had always said Himmel was a friend who taught her many things. If she could treat a fictional character as a friend, then treating one as a romantic partner wasn't exactly out of the realm of possibility, right?

But before Shidou could finish rationalizing, Melusine's gaze sharpened dramatically, as though golden flames were roaring to life within her pupils, radiating an almost crushing pressure.

"You... you weren't thinking that Master is just someone I made up, were you?"

"!!!"

It felt as if a monstrous dragon's fury had slammed onto his shoulders—Shidou froze, paralyzed by the weight of it.

Even though that was exactly what he had been thinking, his survival instincts kicked into overdrive. He immediately shook his head with such force it looked like it might fly off.

"..."

Melusine stared at him for a long while before slowly withdrawing her draconic aura.

"But, Master is an incredible person. That much is certain. After all, Master is the one I chose to love—and even holds the title of 'Her Majesty's Spouse.' There's no one else in this world—or in countless others—who could have such an honored position besides Master."

"...Wait, spouse?!"

Shidou had lost track of how many times he'd been left speechless today. "So... the person you like is a girl?"

"Hm? Whether Master is a boy or a girl doesn't really matter, right?"

Melusine said nonchalantly, "No matter what Master is, I will love them. It's the same for Her Majesty. If Master were a girl, she would be Her Majesty's wife. If Master were a boy, he would be Her Majesty's husband."

"Her Majesty... you mean King Arthur?"

Suddenly, Shidou had a flash of insight. Melusine called herself Lancelot. Lancelot had served King Arthur, hadn't he? Plus, in the Arthurian legends, there was the whole scandal of Lancelot and Queen Guinevere…

Maybe—just maybe—this was somehow linked?

However…

"King Arthur? Who's that?"

Melusine tilted her head in puzzlement. "The one who bestowed upon me the name 'Lancelot'—Her true name is Morgan. Morgan le Fay."

"Morgan..."

Wasn't that Arthur's older sister? Why would she be called "Her Majesty" by Lancelot?

Why would Morgan have a spouse? And why would Lancelot refer to that spouse as "Master"?

The more someone knew about Arthurian legends, the more chaotic this all seemed.

Shidou, who only had a surface-level understanding of those myths, found himself thoroughly confused.

Rubbing his throbbing temples, he hesitantly asked,

"So… your Master is already married to Morgan-sama... meaning they're already married, right? Then how can you still call them your lover?"

In response, Melusine simply tilted her head again, looking genuinely puzzled.

"Master being Her Majesty Morgan's spouse… does that prevent me from loving Master?"

"..."

Of course it does!!

Isn't that just... adultery?!

Isn't that... super illegal?!

Suddenly, a horrifying thought struck Shidou.

Could it be that Morgan gave her the name "Lancelot" exactly because of this kind of situation...?

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

Meanwhile, aboard Fraxinus, unbeknownst to Shidou and Melusine, the crew had already come to a unanimous and urgent decision.

"We absolutely have to get Shidou to conquer Lancelot!!"

Kotori declared with a fist pump, her voice brimming with fire—and in that instant, everyone's eyes seemed to ignite with burning resolve.

"There's no way such a pure, kind Lancelot would ever willingly be part of an affair!"

"Exactly! She must have been deceived!"

"Lancelot must have been tricked by that scumbag… I mean, that scumbag girl!"

"Fufufu... Don't worry, little Lan… Mama's coming to save you…"

On the ground below, Melusine suddenly shivered.

"Emmm… Strange, why do I suddenly feel a wave of hostility directed at me?"

What would happen if Melusine were to hear the conversation currently happening aboard Fraxinus?

Fenghuang—that part of her—would probably just feel complicated emotions. After all, she knew better than anyone that the number of people in Chaldea who had affection for her wasn't limited to Morgan and Melusine.

There were the notorious night raid trio who frequently snuck into her bed (Kiyohime, Hassan of Serenity, Minamoto no Raikou), not to mention the likes of Teno, Mashu, Kama, Jeanne Alter, Ereshkigal, Lilith... the list went on and on. If anyone deserved the title of serial heartbreaker, it was her.

As for Melusine... well… she'd probably just blow up Fraxinus altogether. A dragon maiden who placed Master above everything else would never tolerate anyone speaking ill of Master. For the sake of Master, she had even been willing to betray Morgan, to whom she owed everything.

"Since you're unwilling to go on a date, Lancelot, we'll let that go for now. Let's propose a different condition."

Negotiations continued. Speaking through the earpiece, Kotori Itsuka calmly conversed with Melusine.

"In exchange, how about this—you'll spend a day hanging out with Shidou. How about it?"

"You really think I wouldn't notice? Isn't that just a roundabout way of calling it a 'date'?"

Melusine's expression shifted into a solemn, knightly seriousness as she spoke. Seeing this, Kotori muttered inwardly:

So... Lancelot only acts like a normal girl when she talks about that Master person, huh? Tch... that just proves how important that person is to her.

Suppressing her frustration with a small click of her tongue, Kotori pressed on.

"A date is a date, and hanging out is just hanging out, isn't it?"

She was totally playing dumb.

"I already told you, didn't I? I have someone I love."

There was a slight helplessness in Melusine's voice. "Why must you keep clinging to me?"

No, it's precisely because you have a "serial heartbreaker" for a lover that it's even more urgent we win you over...

Melusine touched her chin thoughtfully, her eyes drifting toward Shidou... and the earpiece he was wearing.

"Just spending a day with Shidou?"

"That's right."

"No restrictions on my actions?"

"...Correct."

"Then... if we go to the movies, can we each choose a different film, and just meet up again at the entrance afterward?"

"No... could you at least not go that far? That's way too painful for a pure-hearted guy, you know?"

"And you still claim it's not a date!"

Honestly, Melusine didn't mind wandering around with Shidou. After all, Melusine would only ever love Fenghuang. Even if this was a "date," in her heart it would be a date between Melusine and Fenghuang—with Shidou serving merely as a third wheel or background prop.

Besides... it was just walking around together. Hadn't she done the same with him that night? Nothing to fuss over.

The real issue was...

Their goal is to capture and seal me. I don't know if Shidou's sealing ability will work on me... but there's no way I'm letting him kiss me. My favorability toward him will never reach the threshold required for sealing. If I don't figure out a way to make them give up, this'll just drag on endlessly...

I thought showing that I already had someone I liked would make them retreat... but somehow it feels like it's only fired them up even more? I seriously don't get it...

...

Today was a bright, cloudless day.

Kotori had checked the weather forecast in advance—it would stay sunny all day.

"Let's begin! Our DATE (Operation)!"

At Kotori's declaration, Fraxinus immediately entered full operational mode. The ship's AI core ran at full capacity, analyzing and calculating to maintain control over every aspect of the mission.

This time, it wasn't just a routine Spirit capture operation. Every crew member aboard was filled with an intense passion—determined to "rescue" their beloved girl from the clutches of some "good-for-nothing scumbag."

On the way to Tenguu City's shopping district, Kotori continued briefing Shidou.

"Shidou, since Lancelot can overhear our communications, we won't be able to assist you via direct contact today. You'll have to rely on your own judgment most of the time. Still, we'll be supporting you from the sidelines, relaying updates on her emotional state."

"Understood."

However, when Shidou arrived at the designated meeting spot, Melusine was nowhere to be seen.

Weird... Wasn't Lancelot supposed to have arrived earlier than me?

Shidou frowned, puzzled.

It was almost an unspoken rule that the guy should show up before the girl, so Shidou had deliberately arrived a little early. Yet according to the reports, Melusine had supposedly arrived even earlier than him. That left him feeling a bit awkward.

But standing there, he couldn't find her anywhere.

Without his earpiece, he couldn't ask Fraxinus for her location either. He had no choice but to wait.

Lancelot's such a good girl… she wouldn't just ditch me, right...?

Even so, Shidou couldn't help but feel a little uncertain. After all, there was still so much he didn't know about Melusine.

After about two minutes of waiting, Melusine finally arrived, walking slowly toward him.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting."

"Ah, no, no, I just got here too…"

Melusine gave him a strange look.

Hm… that exchange really did feel a lot like the start of a date.

Still, she didn't consider it a "date" in the true sense.

A real date was a meeting between two people in love or moving toward a relationship. Melusine didn't believe there was any chance of that happening between her and Shidou.

She knew very well—though Shidou had gone on dates and even kissed multiple Spirits, the only one he had truly loved from beginning to end was Yatogami Tohka. His feelings for the others were more like a sense of responsibility—a desire to save them.

And Melusine herself could never harbor romantic feelings for him. She had come today partly because of her deal with Ratatoskr... and partly to scrounge for some benefits.

After all, she had no official identity in this world, and no money. If not for the dragon heart within her that could generate more energy than a nuclear fusion reactor, negating the need for food or sleep, she might have starved already.

Well... maybe not starved. She had plenty of friends in this world, people who would surely feed her or even offer her a place to stay out of gratitude.

But still—two people without any romantic intentions hanging out together wasn't a date.

It was just two freeloaders wandering around.

"Where were you just now, Lancelot?"

"Hm... I saw a little girl who got separated from her mother. So I helped her find her way back."

"I see..."

Shidou nodded in understanding, immediately convinced.

It was exactly the sort of thing Melusine would do—never turning a blind eye to someone in need.

Since Melusine had no particular destination in mind, it was up to Shidou to decide where to go next.

Meanwhile, inside a nearby shop, a white-haired girl who had blended into the background like a small roadside stone quietly poked her head out, narrowing her eyes to track Melusine and Shidou as they walked away.

With a subtle shift of expression, she steeled her gaze.

"...That's Shidou?"

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T/N: bro dont u have a harem...