It had been one week since we arrived in the Kingdom of Ingrasia.
It had taken a fair amount of time to get here, what with hitching rides on carriages along the highway and so on. Still, one had to resist the urge to rush.
If we did, there would be no point in avoiding the Teleportation Magic Circle and taking measures to conceal our destination.
Hinata and
Hinata still had some of her early equipment lying around, so she used that. Fritz had purchased a decent set of gear from a traveling merchant.
But there was no real concern on the equipment front. The Demon Lord, who had supposedly improved the Sacred Spirit Armament, had given her a bracelet. This bracelet allowed her to switch to her main weapon whenever she willed it.
Fritz was also wearing a similar Spirit Armament bracelet. It was a downgraded version, but its performance was on par with Special Grade equipment. What the Demon Lord's intentions were in handing over the gear, she didn't know — but there was no denying it was a lifesaver.
Technically, since the bracelets could transform into their main weapons, they didn't need to wear any equipment at all. But disguising themselves as adventurers was the easiest cover. That was why the two of them were decked out in what could only be described as shabby gear.
With their forged Guild Cards, entering the Kingdom of Ingrasia had been easy enough.
Currently, Hinata was staying at a cheap inn on the outskirts of town.
For the past week, Hinata hadn't moved from the inn. Using Spirit Manipulation via her Spirit Summoning magic, she had been observing the situation inside the kingdom.
Fritz was patrolling the area around the academy, taking in the city's atmosphere with his own eyes and feet.
He was conducting a thorough investigation — looking for routes that could be used to infiltrate the academy, or any delivery requests that might provide cover.
The academy was essentially a fortress, and access for outsiders was tightly controlled.
While the general public could use the academy's library, Hinata had concluded with near certainty that it was under Yuki's surveillance.
She and Fritz were searching for a way to infiltrate the academy without being detected by Yuki.
They had managed to identify several contractors who came and went from the facility, and Fritz had successfully made contact with a wholesale food supplier.
The number of students gathering from various nations was enormous.
Just transporting the foodstuffs needed to prepare lunch required a considerable amount of labor.
As temporary helpers, Hinata and Fritz had managed to slip into the operation without drawing attention.
Another week passed. They continued their helper work while now narrowing their investigation to focus on the academy itself.
Deliveries had to be done in the early morning. Even though the meals were simple, they needed to finish most of the prep work before lunchtime.
After a week of observation, they determined that after completing the delivery, there would be a window to remain inside the academy undetected.
If they slipped away in the darkness after the earliest delivery run — while it was still dark — no one would notice the two of them melting into the shadows.
Over the week, they had also managed to get a rough grasp of the academy's internal layout.
Reports from the spirits Hinata had deployed within the academy had pinpointed the location of a powerful Light Spirit's aura.
There was supposedly a boy under the protection of the Light Spirit — just as Rimuru had described.
After the feast, Hinata had spoken with Rimuru and also heard about the children left at the academy. It was a story she had once dismissed as nothing more than a monster's ravings, refusing to even listen. Now, however, she felt it was her duty to protect those children from being exploited.
In a sense, they could even be considered her junior fellow disciples.
But the reason they had been summoned didn't add up in Hinata's mind.
Thinking about it, Yuki's explanation to Rimuru — that the Holy Church had failed to summon the next Hero — was also suspicious.
Putting aside the question of whether they even needed to summon a next-generation Hero to cultivate new hope, the fact remained that she and her people had done no such summoning.
That meant it was Yuki who had carried out the summoning.
But what was his purpose? Were the children truly the result of a failed summoning, or had he targeted children from the very start?
That was something Hinata couldn't determine.
She knew for certain that Yuki had orchestrated the summoning and pinned the blame on her, and she understood he had done it to drive a wedge between her and Rimuru. But that didn't answer the fundamental question: why had the summoning been performed in the first place?
Perhaps he had needed to conduct a large-scale summoning and simply made use of the failed results.
Even so, Hinata felt she had to track down the reason behind the summoning. She didn't even know for sure whether only five children had been summoned, or what had happened if adults rather than children had been the ones summoned.
A vague, gnawing anxiety pressed down on her heart — the sense that leaving this unchecked would lead to something terrible.
In any case, first priority was protecting the children. Hinata shook off her thoughts and focused her mind on executing the plan.
The morning of the operation arrived.
After finalizing her strategy with Fritz, Hinata joined the group pushing a cart loaded with food supplies and infiltrated the academy.
The delivery ladies, whom she had gotten familiar with over the past week, called out to her in a friendly manner. Hinata returned their greetings without letting her guard down, ever watchful for any suspicious presence.
She reminded herself that a Perception Change magic effect was active on her.
With her Magical Tool, she should appear as a red-haired girl.
The ladies were speaking casually to what they believed was a friendly red-haired girl, not to Hinata herself. That thought passed through Hinata's mind, leaving her with a faint twinge of loneliness.
But now was not the time for such feelings.
After finishing the deliveries, she rendezvoused with Fritz in the classroom where the Light Spirit's presence could be felt. Following their plan, Hinata shifted gears and set her plan in motion.
Once she had distributed the last of the supplies to their destinations and begun making ready to leave, she seized the opportunity to deploy a simplified Illusion Magic.
Using the Magical Tool she was wearing as a core, she housed a spirit within it. This way, for a short time, the spirit would play the role of the red-haired girl in Hinata's place.
The illusion would wear off before she left the academy grounds, but she planned to have linked up with Fritz well before then.
She knew that entering or exiting the academy gates meant being scanned by magic detection, so illusions and the like would be useless there. Today's plan was simply to have a conversation with the children — she had no intention of taking the risk of lingering inside the academy.
They estimated they would have roughly ten minutes to talk, but nothing could begin until they confirmed the children's current situation. That was what Hinata and Fritz had concluded.
Still, the plan allowed for flexibility. If for some reason they couldn't link up, they would proceed to a forced extraction.
In that case, this would be the last time she saw the delivery ladies.
She felt a small pang of guilt over that, but Hinata shook off her hesitation, left a replacement behind in her place, and departed.
Fritz, who had been assigned the heavier labor, would link up later.
Following their plan, Hinata broke into a sprint toward the Light Spirit's aura.
Using Invisibility to thin her presence to the barest minimum, she dashed across the school grounds at full speed without being noticed by a soul.
She leaped toward the third-floor landing of the school building and touched down without a sound.
Her body, honed through relentless training, was further enhanced by magic, enabling superhuman feats. Hinata cast an Unlock spell on the door at the landing, and without a moment's hesitation, slipped inside.
A dim classroom.
It was still early — not yet six o'clock.
The room was different from a normal classroom. There were few desks; only four were in use.
A door at the back of the classroom connected it to another, as if the two rooms had been linked together.
There was also a door facing the corridor, but it had been sealed shut from the outside. She tried the handle, but without a lock on the inside, it wouldn't budge.
The construction was unusual. That alone suggested something abnormal was taking place in this classroom.
Hinata gave a single nod and headed for the door at the back.
Beyond it, she could sense the Light Spirit's aura. Time was limited — she should get to the point quickly, she decided.
Hinata opened the door and stepped inside.
There were tables set up for meals and other signs of daily life.
Hinata advanced cautiously.
Past a thin partition, the space had been converted into a sleeping area.
Four futons were laid out in a row — the children must be sleeping there.
At that moment, Hinata took a step back.
An instant later, a boy swung a wooden sword down at the spot where she had just been standing.
"Oh… you dodged that? Not bad! Are you a thief?"
At the sound of his brash voice, the children began sitting up from their futons.
A timid-looking Japanese boy. A mature, Western-style handsome boy.
And a lovely blonde girl.
"What are you doing here? There's nothing worth stealing, you know?"
"Big sister, who are you?"
The timid boy and the blonde girl both questioned Hinata.
The Western boy had taken up a protective stance, keeping himself between them and the door. Behind him stood the brash boy.
Hinata sighed and raised both hands, making it clear through her body language that she had no intention of fighting.
Then she spoke: "Could you lower the wooden sword, Mitsuzaki Kenna?
And there's no need to be so on guard, Gale."
They matched the descriptions Rimuru had given her. He had mentioned five in total. The last one — a black-haired girl named Chloe Obert — was nowhere to be seen, but the other four seemed to be exactly who she expected.
"You know about us?"
The timid boy — Sekiguchi Ryota — asked.
"Yes. I heard about you from Rimuru.
Mitsuzaki Kenna, Sekiguchi Ryota,
I don't see the fifth, Chloe Obert, but everything matches what I was told.
My name is Sakaguchi Hinata.
You may have heard terrible things about me, but I have no intention of harming you.
I came here today because I wanted to talk with you, but we're short on time.
I'd like you to trust me, if you can…"
When Hinata said that, Kenna put away the wooden sword and sat down in a chair.
He slumped back as if all the tension had drained from him.
"So you're just someone who knows Rimuru-sensei? Jeez."
He let out a relieved laugh.
"But '
"Yeah! She's the one who tried to kill us because she couldn't use us after summoning us, right?
If Yuki-nii-chan and Rimuru-sensei hadn't saved us, we'd be dead!"
"Well, she doesn't seem hostile. I guess it's okay to trust her?"
As they chattered amongst themselves, the children got up and sat in their chairs.
Apparently, learning that Hinata was an acquaintance of Rimuru was enough to earn their trust.
However, there was no question they had been thoroughly convinced that Hinata was the one who had kidnapped them. Since they didn't even know what the real culprit looked like, they simply hadn't connected Hinata with the "villain Hinata."
Hinata's feelings were somewhat complicated, but it was more convenient than causing a commotion.
In truth, that villain in the story was supposed to be her — but it was an absolute frame-up.
It was too tangled to sort out, and there wasn't time for explanations. Hinata decided to take advantage of the children's misunderstanding, set that aside for now, and focus on assessing the situation.
"Thank you for trusting me.
I had an opportunity to speak with Rimuru, and that's how I learned about you.
There isn't time to explain everything in detail, but I'd like you to come with me to Rimuru's location.
I can explain everything there."
"Huh? To Rimuru-sensei's place? I want to go!"
"But the Holy Church is after us… I want to go, but…"
The children's eyes lit up, and they began talking over each other.
"The Holy Church is not a problem. Please listen without getting confused — I am Hinata, the Holy Knight Commander of the Holy Church.
Formerly.
I'm sure the 'Hinata who summoned you' you were just talking about refers to me.
But I swear to you — I performed no such summoning.
Please believe me.
And I want to explain everything, including that."
"Huh— whaaat?!"
"Eh? But if the Holy Church isn't the culprit, then who's the bad guy?
Why are we locked up here?"
"Yeah, exactly… When you think about it, it doesn't add up?"
"But maybe this big sister is lying."
Hinata closed her eyes and listened to the children's conversation.
As expected, they weren't going to trust her easily. She had anticipated that.
There wasn't time here to explain enough to earn their trust. So if the children couldn't be convinced, she would simply have to leave and try again.
The old Hinata, if she were rescuing these children, would have ignored their wishes entirely and dragged them out by force.
That was the kind of person Hinata had been — she would search for the most rational, lowest-risk method, execute it without hesitation, and never once question whether that constituted justice.
But now? Instead of forcing compliance, she wanted to win their understanding through harmony. That was what she was thinking.
Hinata reflected. Perhaps she had grown weaker.
In an operational context, proceeding rationally was essential — any deviation would lower the probability of success.
This time too, if the children panicked and turned on Hinata, the mission would fail. She would need to make multiple visits, increasing the risk of Yuki catching on.
Even so, Hinata had chosen to come clean with the children.
Forcing her own views on them would, in the end, be nothing more than self-satisfaction.
Hinata had chosen a roundabout way of living, and she found it laughable. But she had no regrets.
No regrets — that one principle was the one thing that had always been consistent in Hinata's life.
"It's fine. You can trust this big sister.
My partner, Hikaru, says she's no problem!"
"Yeah! I think so too. Besides, this big sister is loved by spirits!"
"Yep, I agree. I believe her too."
"Then it's settled. If we're going, let's go now. We could even go like this, you know?"
Hinata's eyes widened as she looked at the children.
She hadn't expected them to trust her so readily, and proceeding immediately wasn't part of the plan.
More importantly— "I appreciate your willingness, but we can't just set off right this moment.
Besides — what about the fifth child, a girl named Chloe?
We need all five of you to come along, otherwise this won't resolve anything…"
"Big sister… who is this Chloe person you keep mentioning?"
"We don't know anyone like that."
What? For an instant, Hinata wondered if they were joking or trying to deceive her.
But the children's expressions were utterly serious. There was not the slightest hint of deception.
Then what on earth…
"Sorry I'm late!"
Just then, Fritz opened the door and stepped inside.
Time was running out — there was no room for hesitation.
Should they escape now, or postpone to another day?
The risk would obviously be higher with the latter. If the children were willing and ready, it would be better to extract them now.
But the absence of Chloe was troubling.
Hinata hesitated for only a moment— "There's no need to hesitate, is there? After all, it would be a problem if someone took your children."
A smiling boy addressed them.
Fritz leaped back as if spring-loaded, drawing his sword to identify the intruder.
A young man with black hair and dark eyes, with an approachable look about him. But he had crept up without a trace of his presence reaching Fritz — a captain of the Holy Knights.
And Fritz wasn't the only one who had failed to sense him. The children, of course, but even Hinata had not reacted in time.
This was no ordinary person.
"Kagurazaka Yuki…"
Hinata whispered.
Standing before her was the supreme commander of the Free Guild — and the person she had been most wary of.
"So it seems only two of you had latched onto the children. Well, that's fine. Holy Knight Commander Hinata — you're no small fry.
The children proved somewhat useful after all, would you say?"
Speaking with a smile, clearly enjoying himself — Kagurazaka Yuki stood before her, and Hinata felt a chill of terror.
Cold sweat ran down her spine. Every instinct in her body was screaming of mortal danger.
Hinata forced those feelings into submission through sheer willpower and quietly steeled herself.
"The gentle, smiling boy from Hinata's memories" — what a laughable notion.
He was repulsively, indespiringly evil.
His smile was unchanged from before, and his aura was as mild-mannered as ever.
Yet even Hinata was terrified by his presence.
This evil — she had to destroy it here and now.
Hinata rose to her feet, her resolve tempered like steel, and faced Yuki head-on.