I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [312]

Knock, knock, knock!

A gentle knocking came from the door before it creaked open slightly. Alice shyly poked her head through the gap.

"Nero-nee… may I come in?"

"Of course."

With Nero's permission, Alice happily stepped inside and immediately threw her arms around Nero.

Alice's longing for Nero hadn't faded during their time apart. Instead, it had grown stronger, like a fine wine becoming richer with time.

"Hehe… it smells like Nero-nee," Alice murmured, rubbing her face against Nero's cheek affectionately.

Like a kitten seeking attention, Alice snuggled against Nero—a side of her she only showed when they were alone together.

During dinner earlier, Alice had mostly listened to Kazuma and his party's adventure stories. She knew that once the meal was over, she could come find Nero to hear more stories from her.

"Nero-nee… you still haven't finished the story you were telling me earlier."

"Alright, alright. Come sit here, and I'll continue. Now, where did I leave off?"

Unable to resist Alice's eagerness, Nero gave her a doting smile and resumed the tale.

A short while later, another knock came from the door.

This time, Yunyun's voice called from the other side.

"Nero-nee… may I come in?"

Yunyun, like Alice, had a shy and reserved personality.

"Nero… nee?"

For some reason, when Alice heard Yunyun address Nero that way, she turned to glare at Nero, her brows furrowed.

"Mhm?"

From Alice's gaze, Nero caught a hint of… displeasure?

What's there to be upset about? Did someone offend Alice?

Before Nero could delve further into the thought, Alice slid off the bed and opened the door to let Yunyun in.

When Yunyun saw Alice standing there, she looked surprised.

"Eh? Alice? What are you doing here?"

Before Yunyun could finish her sentence, she seemed to piece together the situation. Her eyes darted between Alice and Nero on the bed.

"Uh… am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all. You're just in time," Alice said warmly, taking Yunyun's hand and leading her into the room. Together, they sat in front of Nero.

"Nero-nee was just telling me about your adventure in the City of Water and Hot Springs," Alice explained. "I heard that's the headquarters of the Axis Cult, famous for its miraculous healing hot springs. From what I've gathered, you encountered one of the Demon King's generals there—a certain Venomous Slime named Hans. It must have been a tough battle, right?"

"Tough? Not exactly…"

Although Hans had been difficult to deal with due to his resistance to physical attacks, Nero had been more than capable of subduing him.

In Nero's opinion, the hardest part wasn't fighting Hans but dealing with the fanatical Axis Cultists.

When she went to buy an apple, the shopkeeper would shout, "We're running a promotion! Just sign this form to become a member of the Axis Cult, and all the fruit in the shop is yours for free!"

If she helped an elderly woman who had fallen, the old lady would cling to her arm and say, "Young people like you are so rare these days! I swear by the name of the goddess, I'll repay you. Just write your name and address on this 'Axis Cult Membership Application.' Be sure to fill out the name field—it's crucial for my family to thank you later!"

Even a thug with a scarred face stopped her in the streets, growling, "I'm the most evil criminal in this town! But the only people I don't mess with are Axis Cult members. If you want to avoid trouble, join the Axis Cult now! Don't have a form? No problem, I've got spares!"

That thug ended up getting knocked out by Nero and sent to jail.

The experience reminded Nero of her days ruling an empire. Back then, she had orchestrated mass purges of Christians, using their persecution to divert her people's frustrations. This was why the church branded her as an enemy of the faith, equating her to the "Beast of 666" or the "Whore of Babylon."

But her plan failed spectacularly. Instead of unifying her people, her brutal actions only deepened their resentment and fear of her.

Frankly, during her time in Arcanretia, Nero had been tempted to recreate her infamous punishments—crucifixions, feeding dissenters to wild beasts, or using them as human torches.

"Yes, Nero-nee was incredible," Yunyun said earnestly. "That was the first time I'd ever seen one of the Demon King's generals up close. It was terrifying… you couldn't help but wonder if such a creature was even beatable. When Hans revealed his true form, I had no idea what to do."

Yunyun was referring to the Venomous Slime Hans, whose mountain-sized body and immunity to physical attacks were overwhelmingly intimidating at first glance.

"The most annoying part was Kazuma and Aqua," Nero grumbled. "They kept shouting, 'We can't win! Let's run for it while we still can!' If they were my subordinates, I'd have them executed for disrupting morale!"

"Haha! That does sound like something Kazuma and Aqua would do," Alice said, laughing with a bell-like charm. She didn't seem to find their behavior problematic, only amusing.

Still, when Hans threatened the residents and hot springs of Arcanretia, Aqua had surprisingly stepped up. It seemed she had at least a shred of responsibility as a goddess.

"But in the end, Nero-nee was the most amazing one!" Alice declared.

"Mm-hmm! I think so too," Yunyun chimed in enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling like gems. "Standing at the front, facing down that terrifying general, Nero-nee was like the brightest star in the night sky. Just watching her gave us courage. Even now, thinking back on it fills me with awe. As long as I'm by Nero-nee's side, I feel like I can be brave too!"

"I feel the same! Nero-nee makes me feel so safe. With her around, nothing in this world feels scary!"

Alice and Yunyun seemed to connect on the same wavelength, chatting excitedly as if no one else were in the room.

Meanwhile, Nero—the topic of their discussion—found herself oddly sidelined.

"Mhm… so, am I popular or not?" Nero furrowed her brow, genuinely puzzled.