When Hinata grasped the full scope of the situation, despair threatened to swallow her whole.
But as the supreme leader, she could never allow even a trace of emotion to show on her face.
The main cathedral of the Holy Church in the Inglassia Kingdom was packed with evacuated residents.
Standing before them, Hinata understood with absolute clarity that she could not—under any circumstances—let them see even a hint of her own unease.
On the morning of the second day, Velda's declaration had thrown every national capital into chaos.
The residents reacted in all manner of ways—some fleeing in a panic, some turning into mobs, and others resignedly accepting the death that Velda would bring.
The Holy Knights and Training Masters dispatched to each nation worked to quell the people's panic and guide them to safety.
The way they had suppressed the chaos in just a single day could only be called masterful.
This remarkable feat had been accomplished under the command of Hinata—chairwoman of the Free Mediation Committee—with the cooperation of Cardinal Nicolaus of the Holy Church.
They had calmed the panicked populace by explaining that the defeat of Demon Lord Rimuru was simply impossible.
While the national leaders who knew Demon Lord Rimuru quickly regained their composure, they could not win the trust of nations that had no prior dealings with him.
Hinata understood that this was only natural.
Being told to trust the Demon Lord would not be enough to convince most people.
Still, right now they had no choice but to believe.
If the Demon Lord Rimuru and the alliance of Demon Lords were defeated, after all, this world would be annihilated by Velda.
So Hinata did not hesitate.
The most she could do now was suppress the residents' anxiety as much as possible and prevent further chaos.
Hinata poured everything she had into field command, doing her utmost to secure the safety of even one more civilian.
But— In times like these, mobs were inevitable.
What made matters worse was that, in the worst possible moment, the worst possible people had appeared—those who chose the worst possible course of action.
They wielded the full force of state power to corner Hinata and her allies.
They denounced Hinata as a witch who bewitched the people and fanned their fears.
They shouted at the top of their lungs that she was a witch enthralled by the Demon Lord, one who would lead the people to ruin—and surrounded the Holy Church cathedral where Hinata had taken her stand.
The residents who had evacuated to the Holy Church cathedral, borrowed under the name of the Free Mediation Committee, looked at Hinata with anxious expressions.
And of course they did.
After all, the one denouncing Hinata was…
"People of the nation! That witch beside me is the one who fabricated charges against me, robbing me of my position on the Council!
Moreover, she murdered my own father and seeks to plunge this kingdom into chaos and misery!
Those of you who are wise will understand whose words are the truth—I am certain of it!"
It was none other than Prince Eric himself, the prince of this very kingdom.
At his side stood Rayner, commander of the Royal Guard Knights.
Hinata sighed inwardly, thinking that Rayner was almost certainly the one who had moved the knights to regicide.
She was completely on the back foot. Everything had been orchestrated. No matter what she said now, the evidence had surely already been destroyed.
The biggest problem was likely Prince Eric's popularity among the people.
With his refined, gentlemanly looks, Prince Eric was especially popular among women. Setting aside his actual ability, his amiable exterior had won him considerable support among the populace.
His blunder on the Council had never reached the public.
As a royal embarrassment, Eric had been placed under house arrest for the past year.
Taking into account that he was still the heir, his confinement had been framed as "reeducation."
Either way, the mainstream narrative favored the Monster Nation.
What happened to the heir of a side stream kingdom was none of Hinata's concern.
Thinking it over, she had seen no reason to object to that arrangement—but it had apparently come back to haunt her.
That he would commit the horrific act of killing his own father and seizing the throne was something Hinata had never anticipated.
*(I can't believe he was this much of a fool—)* She cursed her own carelessness inwardly. It was a lapse in judgment the old her would never have made.
More than failing to see just how idiotic Prince Eric truly was, her greatest mistake might have been not executing him at the time.
It was pointless to regret it now, though…
The Holy Church grounds were not exactly spacious.
Even so, over a thousand residents had taken shelter there.
They were former members of the Free Guild who had no homes in the Royal Capital and had been living in the vicinity of the Inglassia Kingdom.
Though they now worked for the Committee, since they did not belong to any nation, they could not own land or property within the kingdom.
While some stayed in the buildings the Committee had rented, the majority had been living in the districts that had sprung up around the Royal Capital.
Hinata had designated the church as the evacuation point for these people.
Therefore, Prince Eric's speech was not directed at those flooding into the cathedral.
It was aimed at the surrounding residents—the ones staring in horror at the national army surrounding the Holy Church.
It was an answer to the question on everyone's mind: what was the nation doing, mobilizing the national army in the face of this unprecedented crisis?
Those bastards—pulling a stunt like this to cover up their blunder on the Council…"
"And on top of regiciding the King, they intend to pin that crime onto Hinata-san as well…"
At Hinata's murmur, Nicolaus nodded with cool composure.
It appeared that Eric planned to use this chaos to erase all traces of his failures and crimes.
Annoyingly, Eric was genuinely popular as a prince of this nation.
Whom the people would believe was as clear as day.
"Hinata-san's reputation, I'm afraid, leaves something to be desired…"
Only two Holy Knights remained here.
The rest were either guiding evacuees elsewhere or assigned to defend the Holy Capital under the command of Vice-Commander Arnoud.
There was no luxury of diverting additional combat power to the Royal Capital, which they had assumed was safe.
A few dozen apprentice soldiers were left behind, but since they were all children who had not yet come of age, they could not be counted as fighting force.
As for the adventurers, they had been placed under Hinata's orders and were currently guarding refugees gathering around each nation's borders.
The fighting strength present here was, for all practical purposes, just the four of them.
Opposing them was, however ramshackle, a legitimate national army.
The regular soldiers and knights of the wealthy, powerful Inglassia Kingdom.
It seemed Rayner had already seized control of the knight order, as a considerable number had surrounded the Holy Church.
Regular soldiers alone would have been trouble, and with knights in the mix, they could not act rashly.
Even with two Holy Knights present, it would be extremely difficult to protect all the evacuated residents.
Hinata and her allies were, in effect, being held hostage with the refugees.
"So, what do we do? At this rate, it's only a matter of time before they storm in.
The four of us alone could break through, but that would mean leaving the residents to die.
Protecting all the residents is simply impossible, you know?"
"If only we had moved them to the Holy Capital earlier…"
"No, even that would have been difficult.
Over there, the Angel Army and Demon Lord
Not only has Thought Communication been cut off since a short while ago, but the Transfer Gates have stopped functioning as well.
Something critical is happening—there is no doubt about it."
At the reports from Leonard and Nicolaus, Hinata furrowed her brow.
In the worst case, she had planned to evacuate to the Holy Capital, but even that escape route had been cut off.
Of course, even without that, there probably would not have been enough time to transfer everyone.
"What are they demanding?"
"Right now, they're demanding that we hand over Hinata-san.
That Rayner fellow seems to want to show off his strength.
Apparently, it really grates on him that Hinata-san is called the strongest.
If you want, I could go take him on?"
Fritz answered Hinata's question.
"In a crisis like this, are you seriously—wait, are you actually serious?
Was Rayner really that much of an idiot?"
Hinata had been about to laugh it off but stopped herself.
Then, cautiously, she asked Fritz.
Fritz sighed, and— "That's exactly what I mean…"
He answered with a shrug.
According to Fritz's explanation, Rayner had suffered the humiliating blunder of wetting himself under
To that end, he intended to defeat Hinata—the one called the strongest Holy Knight—and restore his reputation.
"Don't be absurd. I no longer have the power I once had. I've retired."
"Doesn't matter to him.
For Rayner, it's about defeating Hinata-san in front of the public in an overwhelming fashion and flaunting his strength.
He was practically radiating that pathetic ulterior motive from every pore."
Fritz reported this with undisguised contempt.
Nicolaus, hearing this, flew into a rage.
"Unforgivable! Let's just kill him! That scum doesn't deserve to live!"
Leonard caught Nicolaus in a chokehold before he could rush off to do exactly that.
"Wait, Cardinal! That's exactly what they want!"
Even as he said this, Leonard struggled desperately to hold Nicolaus back.
They waited for Nicolaus to calm down and considered their options.
There was very little time left.
"So? If I lose in a duel, the residents will be spared?"
"Nothing's certain.
But when I say 'lose,' I mean that I will die.
Pinning the regicide on someone is Prince Eric's objective, after all.
This is a coup with the interests of both Rayner and the prince aligned.
When I say 'lose'—"
Fritz trailed off.
Hinata understood without being told that such a strategy was foolish.
But there didn't seem to be any other option to minimize casualties.
At least, while she was engaged in a duel, the harm to the residents could be held in check…
She could even fight back.
But the moment she did, Hinata would be branded with an indelible stain—as a witch who rebelled against the nation.
Right now, with a chance to explain herself, she might still be able to clear her name.
If she played it right, there was even a possibility of finding evidence that Eric and his conspirators had killed the King.
"I'll have to go out there.
While I do, fortify our defenses as much as possible.
Layer multiple defensive barriers on top of each other and turn the cathedral into an iron fortress.
—It might be nothing but a comfort, but it'll buy us more time than doing nothing.
I can't count on much, but… something might happen—"
In this critical moment when they needed to plan对策 against Velda and the Angels, there were people doing something staggeringly foolish.
Hinata masked her gloomy, despairing feelings and gave her three companions their orders.
"But, Hinata-san—"
Nicolaus tried to stop her, his face lined with worry.
"Don't worry. I don't intend to die.
I'll do whatever I can to stall for time.
No matter how pathetic it gets, I won't give up."
With those words, Hinata walked out.
—To stand before Rayner and sacrifice herself to buy time.
Nicolaus and the others completed the barriers in record time as ordered, then stepped outside the Holy Church.
The scene that greeted them was utterly harrowing.
Through her torn, tattered clothes, dark bruises were visible across her body.
She had clearly been subjected to brutal beatings—kicked and punched savagely.
Her fingers, too, had been trampled, with broken bones plainly obvious.
But what caught the eye most were her limbs.
Her tendons had been cut, leaving her crawling on the ground.
She could not so much as grip a sword, let alone stand.
What made Hinata's plight all the more striking was that, unnaturally, her face bore not a single wound.
"H-Hinata-san!"
Nicolaus rushed to her side.
"A-ha-ha-ha! That's all you've got?! You little brat—rolling around on the ground suits you perfectly!"
Rayner burst into a grating, mocking laugh.
"You! Was this not supposed to be an honorable duel?!"
Leonard shouted in outrage, but Rayner merely scoffed.
"Criminals don't have rights, you know? See, we're generous people.
If you beg for mercy through your tears, I might think about pushing back your execution date a little.
Of course, you'll have to show appropriate gratitude during that time, got it?"
He flashed a slimy, contemptuous grin.
"I can't hold back anymore. I'm going to—"
"—Don't… Fritz… It's still… not over…"
The dying Hinata stopped Fritz as he started to draw his sword in fury.
Then, softly, she cast a minor healing spell, reconnecting her severed tendons.
Staggering to her feet, she somehow managed to raise her sword.
"Ohhhhhh-ha-ha-ha-ha! You want to be sliced up again?! You're a masochist, aren't you, bitch?!
Looks like you just can't understand that no matter how many times we do this, you'll never beat me.
Fine! I'll slash you, and slash you, and slash you over and over!"
Rayner's eyes were wild with madness as he screamed.
Driven by sadistic pleasure, he was on the verge of losing all reason.
The ecstasy of trampling over someone who should have been impossibly beyond his reach—someone he could never have touched under normal circumstances—was pushing Rayner's mind to the brink of madness.
Even Rayner recognized that he was inferior to Hinata.
No—to be precise, the moment they had faced each other, she had demonstrated the vast gulf between them with devastating clarity.
Regardless of how much the power of Hinata's soul had worn away and vanished, the skill etched into her body remained.
Even if it was only in swordsmanship, her ability far eclipsed Rayner's.
But— Rayner had whispered his unreasonable command—that if they did not want to be attacked all at once, they should not resist—and Hinata had complied.
Everything had gone according to Rayner's plan.
He had kept her face unmarred, of course—so he could enjoy watching that beautiful, composed face twist in agony.
And after beating her to a pulp, another kind of amusement awaited.
Just imagining it made Rayner feel his blood boil and his power surge.
Absolute superiority.
Even if they sent word now, it would take time for the Holy Knights to return.
Even if they abandoned their evacuation duties and rushed back, they could not come easily.
And besides, if he sensed any sign of that, he could simply issue the attack order immediately.
Rayner had brought four thousand soldiers of the national army and three hundred Royal Guard Knights with him.
There was not the slightest chance of losing.
*(Heh! After I'm done playing with this little brat who dared to mock me, that Shuna woman is next—)* Just as Rayner was lost in such fantasies, his sword descending toward Hinata— A clear, ringing note echoed out, and Rayner's sword was caught.
"Hinata-nee! I'm here to save you!"
It was the little Light Hero.
And following behind him were— Four children.
And then—the people caught sight of the figure stepping forward, and whispers began to ripple through the crowd.
"The… the Hero?"
"It's the Hero…"
"It's the Hero! The Hero has come back!"
"It's M-Masayuki! Masayuki's come back!"
In no time at all, the whispers swelled into a thunderous chorus.
*"Ma—suyu—ki! Ma—sa—yuu—ki!"* Amid the deafening chant, a young man stood before the crowd.
Rayner glared at him with bloodshot eyes.
The young man standing before Rayner.
Yes! That young man was none other than the strongest warrior in the Inglassia Kingdom— The Hero Masayuki!