Chapter 23(218): Facing the White Whale, Hikigaya Who Commands Everything
"Although I apologize for coming uninvited, I know you've been looking for me for a long time."
Priscilla crossed her arms and sat upon her throne, her demeanor elegant and composed.
"So, are you throwing yourself onto a path to death?"
Al: "Uh, Princess... saying it like that will scare the guest away."
Priscilla: "I never considered him a guest. Rather... an enemy!"
Hikigaya: "Since you've already declared us enemies, then what I said during the royal selection, as your enemy, shouldn't be a problem at all, right?"
In an instant, the situation flipped. Priscilla and Al were momentarily left speechless.
Priscilla rose from the throne and walked toward him step by step.
Faced with this terrifying pressure, Hikigaya remained calm and unhurried. Instead, Al instinctively stepped in front of Hikigaya.
"Princess, this is..."
"Al, step aside."
Hikigaya: "Inside this castle, maybe it's your domain. But if you beat me up, will you really get what you want?"
"I know what you want, Priscilla. You want to trample me underfoot, make me willingly serve you, and force me to admit my mistakes, right?"
Burning particles gathered around Priscilla, yet stopped right before Hikigaya.
Hikigaya knew very well that although Priscilla was unreasonable and arrogant, she would never attack an unarmed ordinary person so casually. To her, it would be meaningless, worse, it would sully her own hands.
Priscilla: "You think I wouldn't dare lay a hand on you?"
Hikigaya chuckled softly: "No. It's just that although you appear more self-centered than anyone, you wouldn't do something so utterly meaningless to yourself."
Priscilla let out a cold laugh: "Then tell me, foolish mortal, what exactly is your purpose in coming here?"
Hikigaya: "Naturally, just to play a game with Miss Priscilla."
"A game?"
Both Al and Priscilla were momentarily confused, and then Priscilla burst into laughter.
Come to think of it, she had never lost at any game she played. Whether it was the blessing of the sun or the royal family that constantly favored her, she had never once tasted defeat.
Hikigaya: "That's right, a game. But also a gamble. If you win, I become your servant. If you lose, you lend me your strength. I want to subjugate the White Whale and the Sin Archbishop of Sloth."
Al's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: "What did you just say...?"
Priscilla: "Why should I agree? This gamble is inherently unfair. You want me to stake my army's strength in exchange for a completely worthless ordinary man? On what grounds?"
Hikigaya: "I don't know what grounds. But I believe you'll agree."
As Priscilla said, Hikigaya's life was far from enough to exchange for such manpower and resources. In her eyes, he was merely Emilia's knight, an utterly ordinary man.
But...
Hikigaya was equally certain that precisely because she had never experienced defeat, supported by the blessing of the sun and fueled by her resentment toward him, her pride would never allow her to refuse this proposal.
Sure enough, just as Hikigaya predicted, a confident smile quickly appeared on Priscilla's face.
"Foolish mortal, what game do you wish to play with this concubine?"
"Brother, this doesn't seem like a good idea..."
Hikigaya gave Al a reassuring look, then took out a coin.
That's right. Ordinary people wouldn't fall for the same trick twice, but these people were different. For them, everything was happening for the first time.
And at times like this, Priscilla trusted her own luck absolutely. Once the game depended on luck itself, her guard would drop even further.
"One round decides it. Coin toss."
Hearing this game, Al froze completely, while Priscilla revealed a deeply meaningful smile.
Of course, Hikigaya had seen that smile before.
[Priscilla: "This guy is really infuriating. Treating me like a dungeon to farm, using the same trick twice? I refuse to believe I'd fall at the same place again!"]
[Al: "Uh... Princess, even if you say that... we don't know what happened before."]
[Anastasia: "All I can say is that this guy truly understands human weakness. Whether it's me or Priscilla, he deliberately challenges what we're best at, then finds the cracks and leaves us speechless."]
[Mimi: "This big brother is really smart..."]
[Julius: "From a knight's perspective, this behavior may not be honorable, but... risking everything to protect one's lord is enough to earn my respect."]
[Reinhard: "It's just a shame that I can't participate in this battle..."]
[Crusch: "If he gathers forces like this, perhaps we'll reach an unbelievable conclusion in the end..."]
[Karuizawa Kei: "Hikigaya, you're really sneaky."]
[Kushida: "From our standpoint, we should probably call that clever."]
[Kamuro: "You're all right... but from beginning to end, I never believed he would lose."]
[Sakayanagi: "That's just the kind of surprise Little Hiki always brings us."]
Five minutes later...
Priscilla drew the Yang Sword Vollachia from the void, ready to slash Hikigaya down in one strike.
"Princess... calm down, calm down!"
"Calm down?! How do you expect me to calm down?! This princess was completely and utterly played by this foolish mortal!"
Hikigaya: "A bet is a bet. You should accept the result, Miss Priscilla."
Priscilla: "No! You cheated!"
Hikigaya: "I only said we'd toss a coin. I never said I couldn't change the outcome using my own methods."
Rendered momentarily speechless, Priscilla gripped the Yang Sword Vollachia even tighter. Al genuinely believed she would swing it down at any second.
But in the end, the Yang Sword Vollachia vanished at some point. Priscilla walked up to Hikigaya and viciously kicked him in the stomach.
"Hikigaya! You're a born liar! A cunning liar! A damn liar!"
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Hikigaya clutched his abdomen. He hadn't expected her to actually kick him like that.
Failing just meant starting over. Death itself wasn't frightening, but getting kicked like that left Hikigaya unable to get back up.
Hikigaya: "I..."
Al couldn't bear to watch, covering his eyes with one hand: "Brother... that was way too underhanded. I can't help you with this..."
Priscilla turned and returned to her throne. Compared to earlier, her resentment was far more evident, her previous composure completely gone.
Hikigaya slowly crawled back up and rubbed his stomach.
'This woman really doesn't hold back at all...'
As he thought that, he remembered how Priscilla had looked on the verge of death during the second loop, right before his eyes.
And so...
He didn't resent the girl before him at all, instead maintaining a gentle smile.
"If you show that disgusting smile again, this princess will skin you alive!"
Hikigaya: "....."
"Foolish mortal, explain your plan."
Without unnecessary elaboration, he told Priscilla everything he knew about the White Whale's information and abilities, as well as the reason the Sin Archbishop of Sloth had to be defeated.
To save Emilia, he had no choice but to walk this path. Perhaps from the very beginning, there was never any other option.
Priscilla: "Subjugate the White Whale... defeat the Sin Archbishop of Sloth... heh, in that case..."
"This princess will help you once."
Hikigaya: "I don't recommend that you or Al accompany us to the battlefield, because I can't offer an equivalent exchange."
An annoyed smile appeared on Priscilla's face: "What? Do you think this princess is the type to send her army into battle carelessly? Or do you think I'm nothing more than a decorative vase?"
Hikigaya: "That's not what I mean... it's just that this battle is extremely dangerous. I don't think you need to stake your own life. You know that..."
Priscilla cut him off immediately: "This princess isn't someone who weasels out. Since I lost, I'll honor the bet. And besides..."
"I have one more condition."
"What condition?"
"After we finish the subjugation, you will compete with this princess once more. No matter what, I absolutely cannot lose to a foolish mortal like you."
"...You really are obsessively fixated on victory."
Hikigaya had already noticed it then. Priscilla possessed overwhelming combat power and luck, but it seemed that all of this only functioned during the day. Once night fell and the sun disappeared, she became powerless against the White Whale. Otherwise...
They might have had a chance to survive.
That was why Hikigaya had tried to persuade Priscilla to stay behind. But whether she was deliberately opposing him or for some other reason, his persuasion was completely ineffective.
Still, that was fine.
For this battle, Hikigaya had only one requirement, no casualties. Otherwise, he wouldn't have died eight consecutive times just to obtain the White Whale's information.
Leaving Priscilla's castle, Hikigaya immediately returned to Crusch's estate. Thanks to Rem returning early, everyone there had been waiting for him.
Maximizing the use of time was clearly the most advantageous approach.
With almost no time to rest, Hikigaya sat directly opposite Crusch the moment he returned, who was already sitting upright and waiting.
Wilhelm and Felix stood at her sides, clearly placing great importance on this discussion.
Crusch: " Sir Hikigaya, then I'll get straight to the point. According to Miss Rem, you wish to subjugate the White Whale, and you've already grasped most of its information. Is that correct?"
Hikigaya: "Correct. Whether I'm lying or not, Miss Crusch should be the clearest judge. My reason for subjugating the White Whale is also simple, to save Emilia, to save Emilia who has been driven into a corner."
Feeling a sincere breeze brush past her hair, Crusch looked at Hikigaya with disbelief, then asked in confusion: "What exactly do you intend to do, Sir Hikigaya?"
Hikigaya didn't waste words: "To avoid wasting time, allow me to explain the current situation all at once."
"The Sin Archbishop of Sloth will invade the mansion in the coming days. With the current combat power stationed there, resistance is impossible. This will inevitably turn into a massacre, countless civilians and children will die. I know I'm not qualified to ask an opponent for help, but... if I can provide information that allows you to kill the White Whale without losing a single person, gaining honor known throughout the kingdom, then I believe this is something you, who have long planned to subjugate the White Whale, would never refuse."
"My goal is simple. Lend me your strength!"
Hearing the boy's words, Felix, Wilhelm, and Crusch were left completely stunned. Everything they knew, everything they had planned, was fully understood by Hikigaya. And they didn't even know when they had been seen through.
From the very beginning, this was a one-sided negotiation.
Felix: "That's impossible... Hikigaya, you must be lying! How could you know so much? You even know the Witch Cult's attack timing?! That's impossible! Crusch-sama, he's lying, right?!"
Crusch instinctively shook her head.
Up until now, she had never experienced a negotiation like this. Even with the blessing of the wind, she had been completely suppressed from beginning to end. And the most terrifying part was, everything he said was true, without even a trace of falsehood.
"Felix... there are no lies within him..."
Felix: "That can't be... Rem, aren't you curious about Hikigaya's connection to the Witch Cult?"
Rem maintained a calm smile, reserving her gentleness solely for Hikigaya, who sat in the chair.
"Only Hikigaya-kun could never be a Witch Cultist."
Wilhelm: "It truly is a love that moves one to sigh with emotion… However, Hikigaya-dono, you just said that you could slay the White Whale without losing even a single ordinary soldier? Isn't that a bit too confident?"
Hikigaya shook his head, denying Wilhelm's view: "Since I already have a grasp of its appearance time and location, its methods of attack, and its abilities, then as long as we arrange our tactics properly, I don't think this is difficult to achieve."
Felix: "Then when and where will it appear?"
Hikigaya lightly clapped his hands, and Priscilla and Anastasia, who had been standing outside the door all this time, walked in at the same moment.
"After the allied forces have fully assembled, I will conduct an important discussion on this matter."
Crusch looked at the exceedingly arrogant Priscilla and her trading ally Anastasia, both of whom had already joined this assembly. At that moment, she finally let out a gentle sigh of relief.
After a long while, she revealed a relieved smile.
"It seems that from the very beginning, we never really had a choice, did we? Although it's called a negotiation in name, this feels no different from being forced without any alternatives."
"It wasn't Sir Hikigaya forcing me, but rather the situation itself. My house understands very clearly that if we were to give up on this opportunity, we would certainly fall behind in the coming competition."
"So… since your path and my house's path have converged, then I will entrust myself to you this once."
Hikigaya: "Then our alliance can be considered temporarily established."
At the moment their hands clasped together, Crusch once again looked at the man before her with newfound respect. No matter how one put it, this was the first time Crusch had ever been forced into such a desperate corner.
Wilhelm also bowed slightly: "Hikigaya-dono, my beloved wife died at the hands of the White Whale. I have waited far, far too long for this chance at revenge…"
Hikigaya: "Then… just this once, let us strike back."
…
[Ram: "Little Hachiman, this really is unbelievable."]
[Beatrice: "I don't know why, but maybe it's because of looping too many times that Betty has already grown numb, I suppose… Even as a spectator, Betty is already feeling drained. And yet, this guy can still maintain such perseverance and spirit, continuing to struggle against this world even after dying again and again. It honestly feels a bit terrifying."]
[Puck: "On the path of pursuing something genuine, he truly does things this way. He allows no lies to exist, and allows no lies to touch that girl who is filled with genuineness."]
[Emilia: "Even after dying so many times, he hasn't lost himself… Hikigaya-kun… that's amazing."]
[Crusch: "Perhaps… if the me inside the video were to see this man's past, I might even fall in love with him. Unfortunately… I have already given everything to this country and its future."]
[Anastasia: "With Hikigaya's brain, if the two of us got married, we'd definitely control ninety-nine percent of this country's commerce. Ara ara, what a shame, if only Hikigaya were on our side."]
[Priscilla: "If that's the case, then I alone truly wish to defeat him. Hmph."]
[Yukinoshita: "In any case, Hikigaya-kun, you've become the object of everyone's desire again."]
[Iroha: "Senpai, sometimes people need to learn to be satisfied."]
[Hikigaya: "Are you an idiot? This is a matter of life and death."]
When he brought the three factions together, Hikigaya could clearly feel just how pressing this thirst for victory truly was.
Because assembling everyone had already taken half a day, and the latest possible departure time was tomorrow night. If they missed that timing, then putting aside whether the White Whale would even appear, the most important thing was that… the devastation that would befall the mansion would certainly happen again.
Therefore, time was extremely tight.
After a brief rest, Hikigaya quickly found Anastasia, who had already fully armed Chen and others.
Although she hadn't received any professional training, at this moment she at least looked the part.
As the vanguard unit, they had to be brought back to the mansion by Rem first. After Hikigaya finished subjugating the White Whale, they would notify the villagers in advance and gather the troops to form a pincer attack against Sloth.
However, strangely enough, when she heard that Hikigaya was going to confront the White Whale, Rem absolutely refused to return to the mansion with them.
In the end… with no other choice, Hikigaya could only leave behind a note, and also have Rem leave a note as well, hoping that with the coordination of these notes, Emilia would be able to quickly take command of the entire force.
This was a test for her, and after the previous mabeast incident, Emilia had already earned the villagers' trust. With Ram's help, this shouldn't be difficult. And at worst, there was still Petra, that child, to help mediate.
After giving Chen some brief instructions, they quickly set off toward the mansion.
Of course, in order to maintain constant communication, Hikigaya kept a very swift little delinquent by his side. Naturally, he was also one of the three people who had once tried to rob him. Because his appearance really did resemble a monkey far too much, calling him "Monkey" was only natural.
The reason for keeping him was simple. Hikigaya hoped that the moment the White Whale was defeated, when the army inevitably needed to reorganize, Monkey could rush back to the village first to deliver the news.
Anastasia: "You really have prepared everything thoroughly, Hikigaya-kun. If you became a merchant, you'd definitely be incredible."
Hikigaya: "When facing matters of life and death, it's hard not to think things through. As for being a merchant… there's no way I'd be able to carve out a path in an industry you've already monopolized."
Anastasia revealed a sweet smile: "It feels like you're saying nice things, even though Hikigaya-kun is clearly very capable."
Hikigaya: "No… I'm just an ordinary person."
Anastasia raised a finger: "I've never seen an ordinary person who could command three factions. In other words, Hikigaya-kun, they all trust you to some extent, don't they?"
"It's a shame that I won't be able to see your battle. After all, unlike them, I'm completely clueless when it comes to fighting. But… they've already been waiting for you for quite some time, so…"
"Let's begin. Our plan."
Hikigaya gently pushed open the door. At that moment, all the lights converged onto him. Despite his extremely plain outfit, he became the most eye-catching presence in the room.
After a brief silence came thunderous applause and shouts.
This was the unyielding voice of warriors who had suffered under the oppression of the White Whale for many years.
Hikigaya: "Then there's only one thing I need to say…"
"Unlike what you might imagine, death may allow one to return home with honor, but fighting the White Whale is a battle where only one side survives."
"Because… once you die by its mouth, everything about your existence will completely disappear from this world."
(End of this chapter)