I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

"Hey, Nero, what's that blue-haired lady doing? It looks really interesting…"

"Shush, Iris. Just watch."

Megumin cut Alice off, her full attention fixed on Aqua's hands.

"I've got nothing up my sleeves, no tricks at all! I'll cover these bananas with this cloth, invoke my divine goddess powers, and… disappear, disappear… don't blink! One… two… three! Voila!"

"Wooooahhh!"

While Nero remained unimpressed, the reactions from Megumin on her back and Alice clutching her sleeve were in sync with the astonished crowd.

Because when Aqua lifted the cloth, the bananas underneath had vanished without a trace.

"Amazing!"

"Who is that woman? This is the first time I've seen such incredible sleight of hand!"

"Hey! I'll buy a bunch of bananas!"

"Me too! Three hundred Eris, right?"

"I'll take two bunches!"

In a flash, the spectators transformed into eager customers, swarming around Aqua.

"She's amazing! Hey, Nero! That beautiful lady is incredible!" Alice tugged excitedly at Nero's sleeve, her eyes sparkling. "How did she do that? Was it magic? Did she use a spell to teleport the bananas?"

"No… there's no trace of magic," Megumin muttered from Nero's back, her brows furrowed. Despite her efforts, she couldn't deduce how Aqua had made the bananas disappear under everyone's watchful eyes. "Interesting. A technique even I, the Crimson Magic Clan's greatest genius, cannot discern?"

"Thanks for the purchases! Ha, I can't believe you actually pulled it off!" Kazuma grinned, his mood soaring as he watched the bananas sell like hotcakes. "At this rate, we'll hit our sales target in no time. You're occasionally useful for a useless goddess… alright, now bring back those bananas you just made disappear so we can sell them."

But just as Kazuma basked in his rare triumph, Aqua's expression turned baffled.

"Huh? What are you talking about? When I make something disappear, it's gone! There's no way it can come back! Now, hurry up and give me more bananas to make vanish!"

"…Wait. What?!" Kazuma's smile evaporated. "What do you mean, gone? Bananas don't just vanish into thin air! Don't joke around—where did you hide them? Bring them out now!"

"Who's joking? I told you from the start—I don't use tricks or props! You heard me, shut-in NEET! Now give me more bananas to make disappear!"

"You're a walking disaster, you useless goddess!"

Kazuma grabbed Aqua by the collar, venting his frustration, just as the furious grocer appeared like a specter behind them. Without a word, he fired both Kazuma and Aqua on the spot.

Aqua burst into tears, while Kazuma frantically tried to explain—or, more accurately, shift all the blame onto Aqua.

There wasn't much point in watching further.

While Nero was keen on nudging Megumin toward joining Kazuma's team, this was something that couldn't be rushed. It had to happen naturally.

"Hmm! They're quite the amusing pair," Nero remarked as they walked toward the Adventurer's Guild.

Alice nodded in agreement. "I think so too. They look so happy… it's enviable, really."

"I see nothing enviable about them," Megumin muttered weakly from Nero's back. "To me, they're just a couple of weirdos."

Nero chuckled at Megumin's blunt observation, but said nothing.

Finally, the group arrived at the Adventurer's Guild.

At night, the guild was much livelier than during the day, serving as both a hub for adventurers and a bustling tavern.

Upon entering, Nero intended to head straight to the counter to submit their completed quest. But she immediately sensed a familiar presence and turned her head to look. Megumin, curious, followed her gaze.

"That person in the corner…"

Megumin's brow twitched as she let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"That atmosphere… it's so pitiful. What is she even doing…?"

Megumin's thoughts mirrored Nero's.

With a steady stride, Nero carried Megumin toward the corner, Alice following closely behind.

There, seated at the farthest table, was Yunyun, meticulously stacking playing cards into a tower.

Perhaps due to her solitary practice, Yunyun's technique at card-stacking was impressively refined.

But her intense concentration made it hard for anyone to interrupt her. Watching her so engrossed, Nero started to understand why Yunyun hadn't been able to find teammates in Axel.

While Nero and Alice hesitated to disturb her, Megumin showed no such restraint.

"Still playing that boring solo game, lonely little Yunyun?"

"Eek! M-Megumin?!"

Predictably, Yunyun's carefully built tower collapsed instantly, her hard work reduced to nothing.

But what caught Yunyun's attention most was the sight before her.

"Megumin… and Nero? And Al—"

"Iris."

Catching the slip just in time, Nero interjected to remind Yunyun, prompting her to quickly correct herself.

"Oh, right, Iris. Iris, of course!"

"Yunyun…" Megumin's gaze softened as she looked at her. "You've already joined a party, and yet you can't even remember your teammates' names? Has it been so long since you had normal social interaction that your brain's rusted over?"

"W-What?! That's not true!" Yunyun shot back indignantly, glaring at Megumin. "You're one to talk! I bet you've been off somewhere causing trouble with Explosion Magic again!"

"That's nonsense! I've been contributing to Axel's economy! Yes, that's it—by creating craters near town, I'm providing job opportunities for construction workers! I'm doing public service!"

"That's still causing trouble!"

Yunyun didn't buy Megumin's nonsense for a second. At least she wasn't completely gullible.

When Yunyun turned her attention to Nero, Nero explained, "Iris and I completed our quest for today. On the way back, we found Megumin collapsed from mana exhaustion, so we brought her here."

---

"..."

- Gardevoir

(End of Chapter—Support the translator at [patreon.com/WiseTL]!)