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Chapter 15 (210): Hikigaya, Your Harem Is on Fire Again!
Meili didn't eat the food Hikigaya handed her. Still sitting back-to-back with him, she said: "Aren't you curious about who sent us to kill you?"
Hikigaya shook his head expressionlessly: "It's not that I'm not curious. It's that I know no matter what I ask, you don't actually know anything."
'No one's stupid enough to directly contact the employer, and the same goes for the employer.'
"Looks like you've got some guts after all."
Meili let out a cold laugh, using nothing but her thin clothes to cover her body.
"How's your sister?"
"Thanks to you, she's still recovering."
"She was the one who try to assassinate…"
"You should have just stayed out of this. This whole thing had nothing to do with you in the first place."
"So I was just supposed to watch Emilia die? Watch the people beside me die? I can't do that."
"Tch… how hypocritical. When it comes to life and death, everyone only acts for themselves. You're no different."
"Maybe so… I guess most people really do act that way."
Thinking of how Emilia had once stepped in front of him without hesitation, Hikigaya smiled bitterly.
Hearing that laugh, Meili couldn't quite grasp its meaning, she only felt… irony.
"Why did you even come here? Aren't you afraid people will misunderstand?"
Even now, Hikigaya hadn't asked her a single question, and that made Meili, who is still just a child, feel strangely impatient.
Hikigaya finally stood up and dusted off his hands.
"I just wanted to calm myself down… and see how you were doing. Since you still have the energy to talk nonsense, I guess you're fine."
"Disgusting. I'm someone who tried to kill you."
"Whether I worry about you has nothing to do with you."
It was merely to quiet his own heart. After all, when it came to children, Hikigaya still felt a trace of instinctive pity.
Of course, there was another reason he came here.
He was waiting for someone who was guaranteed to appear.
The moment he stepped out of the dungeon, Hikigaya froze.
"Roswaal…"
"Yo, yo, Hikigaya-kun! What a coincidence! How's your recovery coming along?"
"A coincidence? I'd say you knew I'd be here."
"Hahahaha! Nothing really gets past you, Hikigaya-kun!"
Roswaal's smile stiffened instantly as he leaned close and whispered in a chilling tone: "So then… have you figured out why I came to see you?"
Unfazed, Hikigaya replied calmly, "Who knows? I'm not a mind reader. And as far as I know, even someone who 'can' read minds, like Sakayanagi, probably wouldn't be able to read the heart of something that isn't human."
"Hahahahaha! You're really cruel, Hikigaya-kun, insulting me like that. But I like it…"
"Why you're looking for me doesn't really interest me. But there 'is' something I want to confirm with you."
"Oh?"
"Roswaal… you can see the future, can't you?"
"Oho?"
"Judging by that reaction, I guess it's true."
"Who can say?"
"Your eyes don't lie. At least, they can't fool me."
"You really are a monster."
"Coming from a monster, that feels pretty strange."
From the very beginning, everything Hikigaya had done was to lure Roswaal into this trap.
He just hadn't expected Roswaal to acknowledge it so openly.
If that was the case… then Roswaal had probably already guessed the general nature of Hikigaya's ability to return by death.
---
[Yahiko: "What a heart-pounding game of wits. Katsuragi, what do you think?"]
[Katsuragi: "Just as Hikigaya predicted, he's been at a disadvantage the entire time. His lack of knowledge about this world, and about Roswaal himself, makes that obvious. If it were me, I'd need far more conditions to verify this… or experience Roswaal through multiple death loops before confronting him. But… Hikigaya is different."]
[Ryuen sneered: "Katsuragi, don't project your own lack of confidence onto him. His inferiority complex isn't something ordinary people can understand. Even someone as cautious as you, or even me, would act the same. But it's obvious that Hikigaya's approach is extremely dangerous."]
[Horikita Manabu: "I think I understand him. The more times he uses Return by Death, assuming the opponent can already see the future, the worse the situation becomes. That's why he confronted Roswaal with such limited evidence."]
[Sakayanagi Arisu: "An uncertain number of death loops, an unseen enemy, and no way to tell whether allies are enemies… The difficulty of such a predicament doesn't need further explanation."]
[This was a gamble, a gamble belonging solely to Hikigaya.]
---
"First, we can confirm one thing. You never intended to truly help Emilia, Roswaal. You only needed her royal candidacy for your own goals. As for what those goals are, I still don't know."
"On the surface, you walk the same path as Emilia and even provide her with support. But in truth, only someone like me, an outsider, can face the mask you wear."
"If our interests didn't conflict, I could have said nothing and done nothing. But Ram, Rem… and Meili all taught me the same lesson, never stop suspecting those around you. And among them, you're the one who deserves the most suspicion."
"Your thoughts seem scattered, yet bound by something unknown. You've done everything wrong, except one thing. All your actions look unstructured, yet through absurd coincidences, they've led you exactly to where you are now."
Listening to Hikigaya's orderly reasoning, Roswaal merely smiled in silence, as if his very existence was a riddle.
"No matter what you think, you don't have the right to accuse me, Hikigaya. What do you think about that?"
"Just as you said, I don't have absolute proof. Everything I said earlier was just a spur-of-the-moment joke. You're free to take it that way."
"Hahahahahahaha… Hikigaya-kun, you really are fascinating. So, have you figured out why I came to you?"
"Of course not. But regardless, since I helped save the villagers and Emilia, you'll at least give me a formal reward, right? Ideally, one I get to choose myself."
"Oh? Go on."
"I want to turn the young men of this village into a military force."
"May I hear your reasoning?"
'This incident made it painfully clear that without any means of self-defense, survival is impossible in this world. Someone half-baked like me can't master magic or swordsmanship overnight. The only way is to make use of abandoned resources, just like in this battle.'
'More importantly, Emilia, as a royal candidate, has no forces behind her at all. That alone makes her uncompetitive. The others have surely already built their own armies. Starting now is essential.'
'And lastly, the most important point. Emilia is still scorned by the villagers because of her appearance. This incident eased things somewhat. If we press the advantage now, strengthening ties between both sides, this village can become her first true power base.'
'As for the "why"… one sentence is enough.'
"Even if it sounds self-righteous, selfish, and arrogant… I'm doing this so everyone can survive. That's all."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
"A truly magnificent vision. In that case, I have no reason not to help. Starting tomorrow, I'll dispatch knights, mages, and healers to the village. Whether you can command them, that depends on your ability."
Every conversation with Roswaal left one feeling suffocated.
The only certainty was that he held endless secrets.
Those mysteries bound him like chains, controlling every action, like a puppet following a textbook script.
For some reason, Hikigaya hated that feeling.
---
The next day, Hikigaya, Emilia, and Ram began managing village affairs together.
With support from relevant personnel, and the villagers' enthusiasm, the process went surprisingly smoothly.
"Lord Hikigaya… how is Meili?" Petra asked.
"She tried to kill you. Don't you hate her?"
Petra squatted down and shook her head.
"This might sound selfish… but her past must have been terribly tragic. That's why she ended up like that. Even though I didn't know her long, I can tell… she's actually very kind."
Hikigaya gently patted Petra's head.
"She's confined in the mansion. That's all."
'You're the truly kind one here.'
Petra suddenly jumped up.
"Lord Hikigaya! I've decided, I want to grow up quickly and become strong too! So I can help you and Lady Emilia someday!"
"I'll be looking forward to it."
---
In the days that followed, Hikigaya experimented with various weapons.
A leader needed strength, but his life gate was severely damaged, and whether it could be repaired at all was uncertain.
If nothing changed, he would stagnate.
With his solid physical endurance, his progress was fast, but none of the weapons felt right.
A knight's sword was symbolic, yet his grip strength couldn't draw out its true potential.
Blades, spears, hammers, he tried them all.
In the end, none felt as practical as a short, finely balanced dagger.
Of course, a knight using daggers was… inappropriate.
So he changed his thinking.
He'd use them as throwing knives.
---
[Sudo: "Shadow and wind magic to boost agility and obscure the enemy… combined with Hikigaya's stamina and terrifying perception… and throwing knives? Damn, if he pulls it off, that's terrifying."]
[Horikita: "Against normal people, that's already beyond imagination. But Sudo, he'll be fighting monsters. Are throwing knives really enough?"]
[Ichinose: "It's still worrying… but learning another skill at all is good news."]
[Hirata: "Exactly. Don't worry so much, Horikita. With Hikigaya's mind, real combat will probably bring out even crazier results."]
[Some chose to believe in this world's power scale. Others remained skeptical. But everyone was encouraged by the fact that Hikigaya had finally found a weapon.]
---
"So you went from knight… to assassin?"
Separated by iron bars, Meili leaned against Hikigaya's back.
She'd grown used to his visits, and no longer rejected the food he brought.
Still, her sarcasm remained unchanged.
"Yeah. I wanted to be a proper knight, but it doesn't suit me."
"Is it because of your dead fish eyes? Or because you're gloomy by nature? But assassin suits you, maybe you'll scare people to death with your personality."
"Your mouth's vicious. You're just like Beatrice. But you're right, having someone who throws knives lead an army does feel strange."
"Tch. I thought you didn't notice!"
"I'm not that self-important."
"I think you are."
"I think you are."
Despite the age gap, conversation flowed easily.
Hikigaya stood up and dusted himself off.
"You're leaving?"
"Yeah. Today's my knighting ceremony."
"You? A knight? Hypocrite. Disgusting."
"Sometimes, people have to move forward."
"I'm only ten! Don't lecture me!"
"You're ten. You've got a long road ahead."
With that, Hikigaya left, leaving Meili standing blankly in her cell.
"Tch… disgusting! Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting!"
---
That evening, the mansion was crowded for Hikigaya's ceremony.
He hated such occasions, so after the vows, he grabbed a glass of red wine and fled to the terrace.
He wasn't alone for long.
"Hikigaya-kun…"
"I'm sorry, I…"
"You don't need to explain. I understand."
"Thank you."
They leaned quietly against the railing, bathed in a gentle breeze.
Silver hair fluttered in the moonlight, and Emilia's flawless beauty shone even brighter.
Her serene smile made Hikigaya freeze.
When she noticed his gaze, her cheeks slowly turned red.
At last, they spoke at the same time, breaking the silence.
"Hikigaya-kun… I never imagined that meeting you would change my life so much. From the loot warehouse… to now… to you becoming my knight, it all feels unreal."
Hikigaya nodded.
"Life's full of drama. Who would've thought someone like me was once just a homeless foreigner, barely surviving on the streets, would became your knight."
'If Emilia hadn't stepped in front of that blade… perhaps none of this would have ever begun.'
Emilia gently took hold of Hikigaya's hand and slowly guided it to her chest, revealing a smile filled with pure sincerity.
"I really owe you so much. Without you, I might already be dead. I might have lost my eligibility for the Royal Selection… I might have lost many precious people. I never even imagined that one day I could live so happily alongside others. All of this, everything, was brought to me by you. You're like a gift sent to me from the heavens."
Once again, Hikigaya was shaken by Emilia's genuine feelings, his body stiffening slightly.
"I know, you'd never accept my gratitude. But I still want to thank you, because there's nothing else I can do."
'No… I'm the one who should be thanking you.'
The words were stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.
From the moment those terrifying hands had gripped his heart, Hikigaya understood that he could never tell anyone about his looping through death, otherwise, he would be strangled to death on the spot.
Even so, there 'were' ways to hint at his ability to foresee time's reversal. But this world was far too dangerous. After careful consideration, he decided to tell no one and bury the secret deep within his heart.
So this gratitude… it was enough for it to exist in his heart alone.
As he was thinking this, he suddenly felt something he hadn't experienced in a long time.
The silver-haired girl leaned gently against his chest. Though her breathing was soft, the tight embrace allowed him to clearly feel her heartbeat.
Warmth.
Long-lost warmth.
Since arriving in this world, there had only been endless fighting, thinking… and vomiting.
Now, goosebumps rose uncontrollably all over his body. This long-forgotten collision of hearts, he hadn't felt anything like it in far… far too long.
The emotions he had suppressed for so long seemed to finally break free. He gasped for breath as scenes from the past replayed before his eyes.
Just because he never expressed them didn't mean he lacked feelings. He had merely been missing a trigger. Otherwise, he wouldn't have kept going to the dungeon just to chat with Meili and find a moment of peace.
"Thank you…"
No tears. No moving words. Just a flat, emotionless expression as he thanked the girl before him.
Yet only Hikigaya knew that all his efforts had never been in vain.
"Hikigaya-kun, I just received word today. We'll need to head to the Royal Capital again. And… this time, it's also for your body."
Hikigaya nodded without hesitation.
In this world, he no longer had friends or family, only Emilia before him.
From the moment she took that blade for him, he had resolved to follow her forever, to support her without end. So now… he no longer needed a reason.
No matter where she was born, she was Emilia.
And no matter where he was, Hikigaya would be her believer, forever.
---
[Yukinoshita: "I can understand how you feel, but isn't this a little inappropriate, Hikigaya-kun?"]
[Hikigaya: "Uh… we just hugged."]
[Yukinoshita: "Who just casually hugs like that?! Friends, no, even family wouldn't! Unless you're 'that' kind of relationship!"]
[Hikigaya: "If possible, hugging Komachi wouldn't be bad either!"]
[Miura: "Tch. Damn siscon!"]
['That sounds familiar somehow.']
[Sakura: "I'm not really surprised anymore… In a world where he's completely alone, something like this was bound to happen. As long as he's safe, that's enough."]
[Ichinose: "I mostly feel the same as you, Sakura… but I'm still annoyed."]
[Kamuro: "Very annoyed."]
[Ichinose: "Annoyed, but I understand."]
[Karuizawa: "Annoyed, and I don't understand at all."]
[Sudo: "Uh… bro, your harem's on fire."]
(End of this chapter)