The Aftermath of the Sanctuary
「In Roswaal's manor, many nobles were invited to witness the event. While the knightly investiture ceremony was being held, back at the Sanctuary, Echidna's soul, after long-term planning, finally escaped the tomb on this day.」
「She seized the body of an innocent girl, carrying the malice of the Witch of Greed. After a four-hundred-year absence, Echidna descended upon the world once more.」
「She did not go looking for Roswaal, nor did she seek out Betty. Instead, possessing her own agenda, she departed toward an unknown distance.」
This should have been shocking news that caused a massive uproar, but Crusch had already become accustomed to the unusual.
"In fact, it's better that she came out." She touched the hilt of her sword, her killing intent thickening. "If she stayed in that tomb forever, even Reinhard might not have been able to find her and cut her down. Since she can come out—and is willing to come out—it makes the problem easier to solve."
As for the possibility of the future Echidna scheming against Sir Hachiman, there was no need to care too much about that; it was clear Echidna didn't intend to target him specifically.
Compared to Echidna, whom she had already sentenced to death in her heart, Crusch's gaze was focused more on Sir Hachiman, who was being formally knighted as Emilia's First Knight.
"How wonderful..."
Envy—endless, bottomless envy—surged like a crashing wave, causing her to lower her head in loneliness.
In the Hoshin Trading Company, Fox-Dona had already self-consciously raised her fluffy tail to cover Anastasia's eyes and ears, allowing her to get through this part in self-deception. Even so, that sense of grievance followed her like a shadow.
At this moment, the combined nuance and loneliness of Crusch and Anastasia could almost rival that of Rem.
Ram's eyes were even redder, as she spoke the words in Rem's heart through gritted teeth: "If Rem were awake, that guy would consciously keep his distance from Emilia every single second. There would be no room for anyone else to interfere!"
To tether Hikigaya Hachiman's entire heart—if Rem were awake, that was something she could absolutely do. But she was in a coma.
The turning point that made Hikigaya Hachiman fall irrepressibly for Emilia was the moment in the Royal Capital when, helpless and unable to save Rem, he wailed in despair... At that time, Emilia's "strike-while-the-iron-is-hot" comfort carved out a large portion of his feelings.
Ram and Rem both knew this well. Ram's dissatisfaction was aimed at Emilia, but the gentler Rem didn't want to target the Lady Emilia whom Hachiman loved. She preferred to target the mastermind behind it all.
Her sky-high hatred for the Archbishop of Gluttony was irreconcilable. "...Rem will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely cut you into a thousand pieces, Archbishop of Gluttony!!"
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"Ah, eh... mine... my..."
On the streets of the Royal Capital, Emilia couldn't help but hold her breath, looking up at the investiture ceremony with longing.
Only now did a heavy stone finally lift from her heart... At least the facts proved that her weight in Hachiman's heart wasn't much lower than Rem's; they could stand on equal footing.
Although she hadn't "won" yet, she was already very happy.
"Though I feel a bit sorry for Rem, hmm..."
"Lia, your heart is softening again." Puck helplessly tapped his daughter's head. He had tried his best to raise her "crookedly," but the results were still unsatisfactory.
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In the KTV, Iroha Isshiki raised her hand and asked with a blink: "By the way, Senpai didn't refuse Emilia, but he didn't accept her either. Isn't that a bit like a scumbag who doesn't want to take responsibility?"
"Who said Hikigaya-kun isn't refusing?" Hayama Hayato snorted. He couldn't stand anyone slandering Hikigaya Hachiman, even if Iroha didn't mean it that way.
"Hikigaya-kun just wants to wait until Rem wakes up to follow his true heart, so as not to leave any regrets. Only then will he decide whether to marry Rem or Emilia."
"And until Rem wakes up, Hikigaya-kun definitely won't have any intimate physical contact with Emilia, nor will he say any sweet, intimate words."
"He will restrain it to a friendship level, and he will explain all of this clearly to Emilia." Hayato Hayama shook his head.
"While loving two people at once could be called being a scumbag, if you really want to be technical..."
But for anyone who had watched the entire process of these futures, who could honestly say this was a "scumbag" with a clear conscience?
If you replaced him with any other girl, they would surely struggle between Rem and Emilia under these circumstances.
Miura Yumiko followed Hayato's logic, placed herself in that position, and fantasized for a moment. She froze, realizing she truly would find it impossible to choose; she wouldn't want to let go of either.
She murmured softly, "I seem to... understand Hikigaya Hachiman's obsession with the 'Genuine Thing' a little bit now."
The "Genuine Thing"—thinking carefully, it really is quite alluring.
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「After completing the knightly investiture ceremony, Hikigaya Hachiman remained very steady and maintained a certain distance from Emilia... He held this thought personally and carried it out firmly.」
「However, Emilia often forgot that Hikigaya Hachiman told her to keep her distance. She would always simply move close to her knight, and they would touch.」
「At first, Hachiman could remind her and deliberately move away, but seeing her look increasingly lonely—even beginning to doubt if she had done something to displease him—he couldn't help but waver slightly.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman's attempt at a last-ditch resistance was ultimately only fifty percent successful.」
「On the other side, Otto found the remains of Roswaal's Gospel of Wisdom in the ashes. The book still had fragments; it hadn't been entirely consumed by the fire.」
「He asked Hikigaya Hachiman for instructions, suggesting they find someone to repair it. After detailed consideration, Hachiman refused and threw the remains into the fire along with Betty's Gospel, burning them to completion.」
「If the book remained, Hikigaya Hachiman had various worries.」
「For example, it would be a problem if it were stolen. Or if Roswaal found out, his four-hundred-year obsession might flare up again, leading him to obsess over the book and follow its guidance once more.」
「Even if it were repaired as a prophetic tool, Hachiman was very concerned. The guidance of the Gospel was given by Echidna; he didn't think that "fake thing" would be kind enough to give the best or complete information.」
「A more likely scenario was that it would be nine parts truth and one part lie, or vaguely phrased—that would better fit the amusement-seeking nature of the "fake" Echidna. Sometimes, knowing nothing is better than knowing a half-truth.」
「Otto felt it was a waste, but he did not disobey the order.」
「With this, everything related to the Sanctuary truly came to an end. Afterward, under Hikigaya Hachiman's command, the Emilia camp spent a very fulfilling year.」
「During this year, Hikigaya Hachiman did many, many things.」
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