I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [355]

In the damp, narrow room, Nero stood face-to-face with Celestina, who had just revealed her true identity.

Nero didn't immediately draw her weapon. It seemed she wanted to see what the self-proclaimed "dark priestess" had to say.

"I serve Regina, the Goddess of Puppets and Vengeance, and I am her one and only priestess. I am the sole person in this world blessed by the Goddess of Puppets," Celestina began with pride in her voice.

"Because of this blessing, I can wield part of the goddess's divine authority—specifically, puppetry and vengeance."

Tilting her chin up, Celestina gave a smug smile. "You saw it for yourself earlier, didn't you? Those soldiers who followed my orders and attacked you—they would willingly sacrifice their lives at my command because they are already my puppets."

"As long as someone utters a word of thanks to me, I can turn them into my puppet."

"To make you say 'thank you,' I played my part in this little drama and brought you here. So yes, you've fallen right into my trap!"

"Though I didn't expect you to defeat the strongest general and make it all the way here, I am the strategist of the Demon King's army. From the start, I never planned to beat you through brute force."

Nero glanced toward the door behind her.

"So, you're saying everything you told me was a lie? This isn't a shortcut to the Demon King's room?"

"No. If you leave this room and walk straight ahead, you will indeed reach the Demon King's room. To earn your trust, at least that information is true."

"Is that so? Then that's all I needed."

Celestina's confident expression faltered. No matter how much she said, Nero's face betrayed no reaction.

Clicking her tongue, Celestina's voice turned venomous, her words dripping with resentment as she grit her teeth.

"That unshakable calm of yours is infuriating… You probably think you're safe just because you don't actually feel grateful to me, but you're wrong! Even a single word—just one 'thank you'—is enough to trigger my ability. I'm done explaining. You'll feel it for yourself soon enough!"

As her voice rang out, Nero felt a peculiar power begin to take hold of her.

"You can sense it, can't you? That's the power bestowed upon me by Lady Regina. It's not a curse, so it's impossible for anyone to resist it. The only way out is if I willingly release you or if I do something so repulsive that you reject me entirely."

"Granted, I likely can't use you to help attack human nations… but that doesn't matter. With your strength, there's so much I can achieve!"

As Celestina's voice echoed in her ears, Nero could feel the divine power pressing into her.

Deeper, deeper, ever deeper—

Until it touched the core of Nero's Saint Graph.

Snap!

The sound was faint, like a string snapping under too much tension.

Celestina's confident smile vanished, her expression giving way to confusion, and then shock.

"What… what did you do?! What's happening?!"

Celestina demanded answers, but Nero was in no state to respond.

Rage.

An inferno of fury seemed ready to erupt from within, threatening to consume her entirely.

And not just rage—there was also an overwhelming, murderous intent directed entirely at the woman before her.

The source of this anger and bloodlust wasn't Nero's own heart. It came from deep within her Saint Graph.

And there wasn't just one source.

As Nero stood, shaken, a melodic yet chilling voice reached her ears. The voice of a woman, haunting and serpentine, whispered to her.

"To think you dared to try and turn Lord Anchin into a puppet—a puppet that listens only to you! Such jealousy! Such blasphemy! I'll burn this filthy fox and her soul to ashes!"

The voice… it was the source of the killing intent, one of the strongest presences among them.

When Nero raised her head, her emerald eyes meeting Celestina's, the latter froze in terror.

The sheer fury blazing in Nero's gaze seemed ready to spill forth like molten fire.

"You…!"

Celestina barely had time to open her mouth before a pale hand wrapped around her throat.

A massive force slammed her into the wall, the impact jarring her entire body as if it were about to shatter.

Her feet dangled off the ground as Nero lifted her effortlessly.

The chilling aura of killing intent enveloped Celestina, prickling her skin as though needles were piercing every inch of her body.

"Y-you… you can't kill me…"

Her face drained of all color, and the crushing sensation of suffocation threatened to overwhelm her.

Summoning all her strength, Celestina forced herself to speak, knowing this was her last chance.

"If… if you kill me… my ability—[Vengeance]—will kill you too!"

"And?"

Nero's calm voice cut through the air, her response making Celestina's eyes widen in horror.

"An ending like a setting sun… I've experienced that three times already."

---

Exiting the room, Nero walked down the corridor toward its end, where the Demon King's chamber awaited—or so the last general, Celestina, had claimed.

But the reality was different. The moment Nero pushed open the door, she was greeted by a battalion of monsters that had been lying in wait.

As expected of the castle's top floor, the enemies here were nothing like the fodder she'd faced before. They prioritized quality over quantity.

Fully armored death knights, fire-breathing hellhounds, goat-headed demons with grotesque horns, magic-resistant wraiths, and shadowy assassins that moved unseen…

There wasn't a single goblin, kobold, or skeleton soldier in sight.

These were all high-tier monsters, far stronger than the lowly troops Nero had previously cut through with ease. Each one would require effort to bring down.

Perfect timing.

The fury raging deep within her Saint Graph hadn't been sated yet. These monsters would make fine outlets for her wrath.

She carved her way forward.

By the time she reached the hall at the end, Nero found herself facing an imposing set of double doors, unlike any she'd seen before.

In front of the massive doors stood another group of monsters, their menacing aura radiating strength on par with the headless knight Beldia—commanders, every last one of them.

And at the very back of the group, a girl stood tall. Her posture was proud, her hand resting on the hilt of a longsword at her waist.

Her eyes burned with determination as she gazed at Nero.

"I am the daughter of the Demon King! The one destined to inherit his throne—Yasaka!"

"Hero! Your journey ends here!"

---

...

If you're reading this, then you've wandered all the way to the end. I'm impressed. Stories are like wine—meant to be savored, not rushed. So if you took your time? Thank you.

Of course, the real thanks goes to WiseTL—the one who turned tangled words into something beautiful. I just got asked to wrap things up with a ribbon. Hopefully this counts!

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Go on. Be generous. They've earned it.

Until next time—read well, rest often, and maybe come visit me at the Hostess of Fertility sometime.

– Syr ✨