I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

In a dense, isolated forest, a group of people moved in a line.

Their attire was unusual, and a few of them even carried weapons.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man at the front came to an abrupt stop, looking up as if he sensed something.

"Hey, what's the holdup?"

A companion shot him an annoyed look, clearly frustrated by the unexpected pause.

Unperturbed, the man replied in a grave tone.

"…One of the spirits was eliminated." He thought for a moment, then added, "And a combat-class spirit at that. It was taken down in just a few hits."

"…"

The other man scratched his head, a nasty expression gradually forming on his face.

"A curse-user, maybe?"

"No idea. You know I can't share vision with shikigami."

"Tch!"

The look in the other's eyes grew disdainful, but the middle-aged man, having noticed, chose not to comment. In his line of work, he knew what to say and what to let slide, depending on the people involved.

"Taking down a combat-ready shikigami that quickly… What are we dealing with here? A top-tier curse-user? Or maybe they're not alone…"

Just like rats that sniff out cheese, right at the crucial moment…

The man turned his gaze to the rear of their group, where four brawny men were carrying something massive, covered by a thick drape. Six enormous, indistinct shadows loomed around them, making their faces difficult to discern.

With a sly, vicious grin, one of the younger men muttered, almost as if mocking someone who wasn't present.

"The so-called strongest of this generation, that infuriating brat… Once Grandpa's plan is complete, you'll all die!"

The middle-aged man pretended not to hear the younger man's words—he was just a hired hand.

"Should we send someone to check it out?"

"No. The bait is more important… Actually, let's send a few shikigami users to investigate."

The younger man's eyes glinted with a bloodthirsty light.

"Whoever it is, if they're interfering with our plan, they can die here."

"Well done! Looks like Baobhan Sith's Saint Graph has fused with you quite smoothly. How do you feel?"

"…Pretty awful… I think I'm gonna be sick…"

Good news: I'd survived. Somehow, I'd managed to tap into the power this body contained and wiped out that monster in one blow.

Bad news: the creature's dark, purplish blood had splattered all over my skirt. Ugh, so gross. Why did the creature's body dissolve into black smoke, but the blood stayed perfectly intact?

And then, there was a more concerning problem…

My heartbeat was racing, my blood felt like it was surging—I could feel this body's strange thrill over the sensation of tearing into flesh and spilling blood.

If I wasn't careful, I'd find myself savoring the memory of it all…

Come to think of it, I wonder how… cutting human flesh would compare to slicing through a monster?

"Da Vinci-chan, did you manage to analyze that creature? I'm guessing it's a native of this world?"

The most important thing right now was figuring out what kind of world I'd been transported into—and if it was one I recognized.

"Though it was brief, I managed to analyze it. To summarize, you could think of it as a curse with self-awareness. It's primarily made up of human malice—a lot of it. We could call it an artificial creation, born from the negative emotions of humans."

A curse?

"Like the Evil of Humanity?"

"Oh, that's far beyond its league. That thing transcends mere curses—it's practically a concept. So? Any guesses on where you might be?"

"I think I have an idea."

The best way to confirm my hunch was to ask around. If I could gather some intel on key figures, that would be ideal.

"It seems Master already has a plan. It's wonderful to see you acting so decisively!"

Originally, Baobhan Sith had been ready to just pick a random direction and hope she ran into someone. But after learning Da Vinci could scan for nearby life, she ditched her earlier plan without a second thought.

No way was she leaving it to luck—not with her D-Rank Luck. She'd probably end up lost before meeting a soul.

"There are several human presences at your two o'clock, though each of them carries a similar aura to the creature you encountered. It's hard to say if this is normal for everyone in this world, or if these people are just special. They may even be spellcasters. Be cautious, Master, though I don't think the average mage could harm a Heroic Spirit."

"Thanks for the heads-up, Da Vinci-chan. I'll take care of myself."

With a simple flick of her fingers, Baobhan Sith sliced cleanly through a giant tree nearby. The thick trunk split in two from an invisible slash.

Baobhan Sith could feel the power of her new body becoming more natural to control, filling her with confidence.

"Confidence is good! In that case, I trust even if you encounter a whole crowd of creatures, you'll be able to handle them with ease."

"…That?"

It's one thing to have the power to squash a cockroach; it's another to stomach actually doing it.

So, to avoid running into any more nauseating horrors, Baobhan Sith followed Da Vinci's instructions to learn Spiritronization.

Surprise! I can Spiritronize now too!

Most people would probably use it to sneak a peek at girls' bathhouses, but not me! My first thought was to spy on the teachers making test papers and memorize the questions for later.

While moving in Spiritronized form, Baobhan Sith spotted several creatures exuding that same dark energy. Though they looked slightly different from the first monster and seemed a bit weaker, they were still unspeakably grotesque.

They didn't seem to detect her in Spiritronized form, but if she got too close, they'd react slightly.

Better to keep a safe distance.

With Da Vinci pointing her in the right direction—and Spiritronized movement allowing her to pass through obstacles—Baobhan Sith soon began to hear noises.

There were people. Quite a few people, in fact.

Not wanting to scare them or get blasted with their spells, Baobhan Sith didn't appear directly in the middle of their group. Instead, she ended her Spiritronization behind a tree and approached the front of their formation.

"You there!"

The group: "!!!"

Where had she come from?!

Were the scouts they sent out asleep?!

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T/N: Is Spiritronization the right word for it...?