I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [313]

"Hey, Alice, that necklace around your neck... what exactly is it?"

Nero knew it wasn't polite to interrupt someone, but she couldn't help herself. Alice's necklace was clearly no ordinary trinket.

She could feel a strong magical power emanating from it. This wasn't just a magic item—it was something much more.

The aura reminded Nero of the cursed sword Gram, the magical weapon wielded by Yujin Hyōya.

"This? It's a necklace that was presented to my brother by a noble," Alice said softly, placing her hand over the necklace. "Since my brother is away on a campaign, I've been tasked with safeguarding it on behalf of the royal family."

A gift from a noble? That's odd.

Judging by the overwhelming magical power, this necklace was likely an artifact, akin to Gram.

Artifacts in this world were usually cheat tools granted to transmigrators by the gods—powerful aids for their survival. Each artifact had a unique ability, and some were so troublesome even Nero found them challenging to deal with.

"A noble presented... a magic item?" Yunyun's curiosity was piqued as she stared at the necklace. "I can feel an incredible amount of magic coming from it. It's far beyond what a normal magic item can hold. Could it be an artifact? Where did that noble even find something like this?"

The Crimson Demons were renowned for their skill in crafting magic tools. Wiz had once mentioned that most of her shop's inventory came from the Crimson Demon Village.

Yunyun's discerning eye quickly recognized the necklace for what it was—an artifact.

Alice herself already had artifacts: her holy sword and its scabbard. The sword boasted immense offensive power, while the scabbard could nullify curses and negative effects while providing healing. They were like weaker versions of Artoria's Excalibur and Avalon.

Though the necklace should have been an artifact, its plain and simple design seemed oddly unremarkable. If not for the immense magic radiating from it, it would have looked like an ordinary accessory you could find on any street corner.

"Alice, what does this magic item do?" Yunyun asked curiously.

"Well... to be honest, we haven't figured it out yet," Alice admitted. "It's said that its power can be activated by reciting specific keywords. There's an inscription on it that appears to be the key, but even the scholars in the royal city couldn't decipher it."

Alice flipped the necklace over to reveal the engraved text to Nero and Yunyun.

Wait… is this written in Japanese?

So it's another artifact from one of those Japanese transmigrators.

As a Servant, Nero could read Japanese, so she instinctively read the inscription aloud:

"What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours. Let's become one—!"

...Huh? Wait a second.

Nero suddenly remembered something—she'd seen a plot like this before.

Though the anime adaptation of Konosuba hadn't reached this point when she last watched it, she recalled a fanfiction she'd read where an artifact capable of swapping bodies made an appearance.

In that story, the artifact's power had been nullified by the protagonist's intervention, so Nero hadn't paid much attention to it at the time.

"Wait, is it just me, or is that necklace glowing?"

"This... this phenomenon... is it the artifact activating?!"

A blinding white light erupted from the necklace, enveloping everyone on the bed.

"...That's strange. It doesn't seem like anything happened," Yunyun remarked with a puzzled tone.

"Mhm! As soon as I saw that inscription, I had a bad feeling about this… Truly worthy of being called an artifact. Even I'm not sure how to describe such an absurd effect."

At those words, Yunyun froze.

That tone... it was unmistakably Nero's.

But the person speaking was clearly Alice.

And then, the girl beside her—who looked like Nero—timidly whispered, "Nero-nee…"

Yunyun was utterly dumbfounded.

"My shoulders feel so much lighter all of a sudden. It's a bit strange…"

Standing barefoot on the bed, "Alice" stretched her arms and marveled at her new body. "But the power contained in this body far exceeds my expectations. Perhaps I could even take on a dragon without needing the holy sword."

Having experienced multiple changes of form (and spirit origins), Nero quickly adapted to the body swap. She even had the composure to test the capabilities of Alice's body.

"So this is Nero-nee's body? I'm inside Nero-nee's body?"

The girl inside Nero's body was ecstatic, hopping up and down on the bed and occasionally making childlike, innocent expressions with Nero's face.

In contrast, the girl inside Alice's body carried herself with an air of maturity. The stark difference between their behaviors made the situation all the more jarring.

The person feeling the most conflicted, however, was Yunyun, the hapless observer.

"So... Nero-nee and Alice have swapped bodies?"

"Mhm! That seems to be the case."

Crossing her arms over her chest—though the flatness was a sudden adjustment for her—Nero frowned in contemplation.

"An artifact that swaps bodies... Why does such a thing even exist? What kind of twisted mind came up with this? Was it some hideous goblin-like creature hoping to trade for a more handsome face? If that's the case, wouldn't a straightforward artifact to enhance their looks be more efficient? Or maybe they just wanted to change genders?"

"Alice" murmured to herself in Nero's voice.

"No, wait… aren't artifacts supposed to help transmigrators defeat the Demon King? I fail to see how something like this could possibly aid in that endeavor. Swap bodies with the Demon King, perhaps?"

...That doesn't seem likely.

Body-swapping artifacts feel more like the stuff of niche doujinshi plots than serious storytelling.

"Nero-nee?"

"Mhm... It's nothing. Just something that caught my attention."

Looking down at the pristine white dress she now wore and the cascade of golden hair that framed her face, Nero idly twirled a strand around her finger. It was soft and silky, almost like satin.

Come to think of it, while Alice's appearance was a bit youthful, she was undeniably a stunning beauty. If a goddess of beauty truly existed, she probably wouldn't look much different from this.

Men often have two dreams: to have a beautiful girl by their side—or to become one themselves.

In the past, Nero might have been thrilled beyond measure to experience such a situation. But now, she felt nothing.

Ah, the power of acclimation truly is a terrifying thing.

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T/N: oop