Confronting Yuki, Hinata felt
a strange sense of Intimidation.
She had believed her plans were meticulously and carefully executed, leaving no opening for detection.
"How did you figure it out?"
"My, my? Skipping the pleasantries and jumping straight to questions? How cold, Hinata."
"Shut up. You used the children as bait? You had the trap set from the very beginning?"
At that question, Yuki gave a casual shrug
and replied with a smile, as though stating something perfectly obvious.
"Of course. Those children had stabilized, so they couldn't be used for resummoning anymore."
"Resummoning, you say?"
"Yeah. You know that summoning requires an enormous amount of magical power and a long recovery period before it can be used again, right?
As long as you keep rolling for a good summon, you can keep trying — and if you get children, that's not a bad result, you know.
But then Rimuru goes and stabilizes them, so now I can't resummon...
My usual trading partners cancel the deal, and I take a huge loss."
You know what I mean? Right? Yuki approached with that easygoing tone.
His gestures were casual enough to seem approachable, yet Hinata felt as though she had been told something unspeakably horrifying.
And then, directed at Hinata:
"Huh? Could it be... you didn't know?
When children fail to stabilize and collapse under that energy, the conditions align perfectly for resummoning.
Exploit that, and you get a new summon out of it.
That way, even a failed summon doesn't go to waste.
The worst case is when you pull a useless summoner like Masayuki."
— Oh, and Masayuki, he's called a Hero or whatever and has plenty of popularity, but he's
total trash
, you know —
Hearing those words from afar, Hinata seethed with rage.
What did this man think human lives were? That would be putting it mildly.
For Hinata, the unforgivable thing was that Yuki casually performed summonings and sold off summoners who met his criteria to his trading partners.
"Yuki... you didn't save us to help us, did you?"
At Alice's trembling question,
"Ahaha, you found out? I only kept you alive because you might be useful.
Alice, making that sad face isn't going to change anything.
Once you've outlived your usefulness, I'll kill you — and conversely, as long as you're still useful, I'll keep you around."
Yuki replied with a smile, every word dripping with cruelty.
Within Hinata, her cold and calculating side awakened, and it demanded the man before her be killed.
This man must not be left alive.
"You... you didn't just manipulate me — the children too!
And there was another girl.
Chloe Obert — what did you do with her?
Did you erase her memories from the children?"
At Hinata's shout,
"Such a shame. The parasite was just getting well-established, and you were working so nicely as my pawn, Hinata.
Besides...
I 'froze your emotions' while you were drowning in the despair of being abandoned by your mother, and you had such a good expression on your face.
Truly a shame. You were shaping up into that cold, overthinking Hinata, and now look at you — just another ordinary hero of justice. Boring.
By the way, who's Chloe Obert?"
That remark sent Hinata into a fury.
However, the calm part of Hinata's mind could detect no inconsistency in Yuki's claim of not knowing who Chloe Obert was. He genuinely seemed unaware.
What did this mean? Hinata wrestled her anger under control and pressed on with her thoughts.
In her field of vision, Alice looked about to burst into tears.
She decided she would not let this man keep running his mouth any longer. Drawing a sword from the Holy Spirit Armament shaped like a bracelet on her wrist, she pulled it free.
At the same time, the armament dissolved into particles of light that enveloped Hinata's body. When the swirling radiance settled, Hinata stood in full combat gear.
"Yuki, for old times' sake, I will spare your life if you confess your sins now.
Swear you will offer immediate apology. And to atone for your crimes, reveal everything."
"Ahaha, why? There's no reason for me to apologize, is there?
This world is dog-eat-dog, isn't it? The weak, the gullible, the ones who get used — they're the ones in the wrong."
"Enough of your nonsense!"
Infusing her sword flash with fury like raging fire, Hinata's blade shot toward Yuki.
The primary weapon of the new Holy Spirit Armament took the form of a katana. Slightly thicker than the slender cutting sword Hinata had previously wielded, it did not differ significantly in weight.
The difference meant nothing to Hinata, who employed weight control and inertia control, but measured against her own swordsmanship style, it handled better than a greatsword.
Its performance was equal or superior.
The new Holy Spirit Armament — which the Demon Lord had analyzed, replicated, and improved — handled better than its predecessor.
Hinata swung the blade as though it were a weapon she had wielded for years.
Yuki dodged the flash with a playful expression, but a thin cutting line appeared on his cheek.
A red line. Then, a single droplet of blood trickled down.
The expression vanished from Yuki's face. Yet his attitude of looking down on and mocking his opponent remained unchanged.
"Huh... I'm impressed. I thought I'd dodged that completely.
Hinata, what happened to you? In such a short time, your skills have improved dramatically.
You're like a completely different person from when the parasite was on you — your strength has skyrocketed."
It was a natural suspicion, but Yuki had already confessed to having a complete understanding of his target's abilities while the parasite was attached.
That was within Hinata's expectations. The question was: how far beyond Yuki's predictions could she push, using the power she had gained as an "Egg of the Hero"?
The person called the Commander of the Free Guild naturally possessed formidable strength — well above S-rank adventurers.
When Hinata had fought alongside the Western Holy Church and the Free Guild in their joint campaign against the Evil Dragon, she had glimpsed a portion of Yuki's power.
Without relying on any skills, he had delivered the finishing blow to the Evil Dragon through pure physical ability alone. He himself had claimed that those extraordinary physical abilities were the aptitude he had acquired in this world, but...
Trusting that claim would be dangerous. It was virtually certain he had other hidden abilities.
And the question Hinata had initially considered — whether he was being controlled by the Demon Lord Kazalim — given Yuki's current reactions, it did not feel like he was being manipulated.
He had undoubtedly obtained the domination ability that the Demon Lord Kazalim once possessed, but Hinata determined she needed to verify his relationship with Kazalim.
If Yuki was being controlled by the Demon Lord known as the "Sorcerer King," she wanted to save him. That was what she had believed, but his demeanor did not suggest that was the case.
Still, for the sake of certainty, Hinata decided to make one final check.
"Yuki — are you being controlled by Kazalim?
Or... are you, the one speaking to me right now, the 'Sorcerer King' Kazalim?"
At that question, Yuki placed a cold smirk on his lips and gave an evil nod.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, ahaha. Sure, sure — maybe that's it? That I'm — no, that I AM Kazalim! Just kidding.
Ahahaha, really, Hinata, you say the funniest things."
For a while, Yuki continued to laugh uproariously, as though he had heard something utterly hilarious.
Though his posture was riddled with openings, his aura made it impossible to summon the will to attack. Hinata felt a deeply distorted, repulsive presence radiating from him.
While watching Yuki keep laughing, Hinata sent a signal to
Fritz had also activated his Spirit Armament and completed combat preparations. Receiving Hinata's signal, he moved into position to shield the children.
The four children, perhaps frightened by Yuki's abnormal aura, huddled close together, bracing themselves to protect Alice. Even if they couldn't fully grasp the content of the conversation, they seemed aware that they had been used by Yuki. Still, they showed no sign of crying or lashing out, and Hinata was relieved by that.
Judging from their behavior, the children did not appear to have been brainwashed — and even if they had been under Yuki's control, Fritz should be able to handle it.
Following their prior arrangement, Hinata left the children in Fritz's care and focused her consciousness entirely on Yuki.
Yuki stopped laughing abruptly and,
"Hey? Why do I have to be lumped in with that trash?"
His handsome face now expressionless, he turned to face Hinata directly.
Without waiting for an answer,
"When I was summoned to this world, there was a parasitic worm drifting around in its Mental Body that tried to mess with me.
It was in something like a Mental World, and it spoke to me all high and mighty. I wasn't interested, so I don't remember what it said.
Incidentally, if you're talking about that creature — I've fused with Kagari, who calls herself my right hand and Vice Commander of the Free Guild.
I was interested in the ability, so I took it. She kept going on about how she was devoted to me, so I let her live.
She's quite knowledgeable, and she's proven useful in her own way."
Kagari.
The Vice Commander of the Free Guild.
A beautiful woman of elven descent. Hinata had a memory of Kagari looking after her when she first arrived in this world.
A great archmage who aimed to reach the truth. One of the Free Guild's greatest combat assets.
And that woman, Kagari, had not merely been brainwashed — she had been fused with Kazalim and become one of Yuki's completely loyal subordinates. The revelation struck Hinata with considerable shock.
This was not mere brainwashing or thought manipulation — it hinted that the roots Yuki had spread ran far deeper than imagined.
And with these words, confirmation had been obtained that Yuki and Kazalim had once come into contact, and that Yuki had stolen her abilities and made her his subordinate.
Assuming, of course, that one believed Yuki's words.
Hinata concluded that Yuki's words held no lies. Considering every possible angle, there was little benefit for him to lie here.
If that was the case, then the notion of "restoring Yuki to his senses" was a pointless worry altogether.
Yuki had been acting entirely of his own volition from the very beginning — orchestrating all of his schemes.
"...I see. So that gentle demeanor, that smile...
All of it — you're saying it was an act?"
"Oh, I get it. So that's what you thought.
You believed I was being controlled by Kazalim, and that's why you wanted to help me!
Too bad — that's not happening. The only person who can control me is me."
Yuki answered playfully to Hinata's question.
As though he had understood everything from the start and was savoring the sight of Hinata's anguish.
Yuki wore a cold smirk on his lips, looking thoroughly entertained.
As an "Egg of the Hero," Hinata had acquired the ability of the "True Eye" — capable of perceiving deception, lies, and other unnatural irregularities.
Even through that eye, unfortunately, she could detect no falsehood in Yuki's words. He was speaking, with absolute naturalness, nothing more than what was factual from his perspective.
There was no room for redemption. That was Hinata's judgment.
"Yuki... one final question. What is your purpose in conducting these summonings?
Why did you manipulate Demon Lord
Surely you understand that these actions invite chaos into the world!?"
"Ah. Ahahaha. You say such interesting things.
The last... the last question, is it? Well, it might indeed be the last one for you.
Fine, I'll tell you.
It was entertaining — that's the only reason, really.
Oh, there are plenty of other reasons, you know?
Like unifying the entire world under a single will.
Or wanting to dominate the angels, the spirits, the demons — all of it.
But let's be honest, with my strength, conquering the world is impossible, right?
So I'm just plugging away at it, bit by bit."
Yuki's response to Hinata's question.
Not world conquest — domination. He declared that he would reign as the absolute sovereign.
The reason, born from a mind far more aberrant than anything Hinata had imagined.
World domination — that was impossible. By any reasonable standard, no matter how extraordinary a "Otherworlder" might be, they wouldn't seriously attempt to dominate the entire world.
This man... was insane! Beyond fear, Hinata began to feel a chill.
Realizing that her own heart was trembling, Hinata understood she was experiencing genuine terror.
It was not a matter of strength or power — it was that Yuki, with his flippant attitude, had declared his intent to dominate the world with absolute seriousness.
At that moment,
Tap, tap, tap, tap...
The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor.
A sacred presence, unlike anything Hinata had ever felt before.
Yet it was unnaturally devoid of emotional color, and its direction felt uncertain — a mysterious aura.
"Ah, she's finally arrived.
Hinata, too bad. With this, your chances of victory are gone.
While I was here alone, you should have killed me.
As I thought — you couldn't stop me after all.
You see, this is a game. A simple game.
Either I dominate the world, or the world stops me.
I am giving my all for my own victory.
And you should be giving your all to stop me, shouldn't you?
You neglected to do that. And so, you lose."
The instant Yuki's words ended, the corridor door opened and a young girl stepped inside.
Long black hair gathered into a single bundle at the back of her head. She was clad entirely in deep black light armor.
A simple suit of armor modeled in partial compact form after Hinata's Holy Spirit Armament — unobtrusive, allowing free movement.
Breathtaking beauty.
Her hand rested on the single blade at her hip.
The girl walked in with unhurried composure.
The "True Hero," the one heralded as the strongest in history.
Her eyes held no color, shrouded in pitch-black darkness, yet the aura she emanated was sacred and inviolable.
An overwhelming
presence
bore down on Hinata and the others.
In truth, Yuki had never needed any tricks from the start.
There was no need to manipulate the children — he had laid this trap with fighting strength that far surpassed Hinata's group.
"A Hero...? Why is the Hero here...?"
Fritz murmured behind Hinata.
To that remark:
"Yeah, Clayman finally proved useful in the end.
I could have awakened him into a True Demon Lord and made him my pawn, but Kazalim was already in that role.
So instead, I had him gather all the Demon Lords together.
See, that way, Luminous — who was guarding the 'slumbering Hero' — had to leave her post.
You didn't know this, but this 'Hero' was being controlled by Luminous, the true ruler of the Holy Papal State of Lubelius?
I took her away from Luminous and decided to make good use of her.
Because of that, I need to devote a full hundred percent of my mental domination to the 'Hero.'
As a result, the kind of mental control over children that you were worried about is completely impossible for me.
You lot, fretting over nothing — you were quite the spectacle to watch, you know."
Yuki revealed all this with evident enjoyment.
Hinata understood that these words, too, held no lies, and she heard the sound of the world she had believed in until now crumbling apart.
In other words, Yuki had said that the Pope was being controlled by the true ruler — the Demon Lord Luminous.
If that was true, then the Holy Papal State of Lubelius had been a city governed by a Demon Lord all along.
No wonder the Holy Papal State of Lubelius had always felt unnatural, and why there had been a faint, bloody trace of demonic presence.
That implied a system of Demon Lord rule that had been established over more than a thousand years — and that the very doctrines of the faith were built on deception.
(If that's the case... then I was being used not only by Yuki, but by the Demon Lord as well...)
But this was not a matter that concerned Hinata alone.
Everyone affiliated with the Holy Papal State of Lubelius and the Western Holy Church — all of them had been used.
As Hinata was about to be consumed by despair, Yuki spoke to her.
"Oh, just as a formality — any interest in joining me, Hinata?
It seems you've become an 'Egg of the Hero' and might be on the verge of awakening.
More combat power is always welcome.
For old times' sake, I'll offer you executive-level treatment if you join now."
"Not a chance! You deserve no mercy from me.
Here and now, I will sentence you for your crimes!"
Rejecting Yuki's offer, Hinata gripped her sword tighter.
But behind those fierce words, she was sending Fritz the signal to retreat.
It was the worst-case contingency they had agreed upon from the start.
Hinata would hold the line while Fritz carved out an escape route.
A countermeasure against a situation where the enemy's fighting strength overwhelmingly exceeded their own.
"Yeah, I figured you'd say that...
Well, I've spilt all these secrets for you.
You know how the mastermind always goes and blurts out their plans, even when nobody asked?
I always wanted to try that once. Pretty fun, actually.
And once the mastermind reveals everything, they usually lose, right? Isn't that what they call 'flagging'?
I've raised so many flags and set the stage just for you — so give it everything you've got and try to beat me.
Maybe if you awaken as a true Hero, you could take us down?"
Hinata and Yuki exchanged their final words.
What awaited them now was battle.