The Great Crisis of Pristella
「"You slipped away pretty fast last time, Kiritaka."」
「Every time Hikigaya Hachiman thought back on it, he felt a pang of heartache. Elite mercenaries like the 'White Dragon's Scales' aren't exactly things you find just by looking; that group was comparable to the members of the 'Iron Fang' mercenary troupe.」
「"This... that... please calm down, calm down." Cold sweat dripped from Kiritaka's forehead as he humbly bowed while brewing tea.」
「Although he had already taken over his father's great trading company and was no inferior to Hikigaya Hachiman in status, the underhanded things he had done previously truly left him without a leg to stand on.」
「"The lowest price... n-no, for free! I'll give you all those magic stones for free, as compensation for stealing the White Dragon's Scales." Kiritaka swallowed hard and said cautiously, "Please, I beg of you, absolutely do not let Miss Ram come here!"」
Accompanied by Kiritaka's humble performance, everyone remembered his previous appearance and behavior. Back then, Ram hadn't just physically pummeled Kiritaka; her poisonous tongue had dealt even heavier blows.
"In other words, the magic stones can be obtained smoothly. This is actually a—"
At the Karsten estate, Crusch had just begun to feel happy for her Sir Hachiman when her gaze suddenly froze, and her mood plummeted from the heavens to the depths of the earth.
「While Hikigaya Hachiman was completing his overwhelming negotiation, Emilia, who was happily playing in the Water Gate City, was looking around so much that she accidentally bumped into a man while walking.」
「"It's fine. I was also in the wrong; I was dazed looking at you."」
「The man accepted her apology and showed a meaningful smile. Then he turned and left. As he walked away, he pulled a Gospel from his clothes and softly chanted: "Fate will guide us to face each other once more."」
「Left where she stood, Emilia felt that this man looked somewhat familiar, but she simply couldn't remember where she had seen him.」
「This man, dressed all in white with white hair and a very ordinary appearance. His name:」
「The Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Greed, Regulus Corneas.」
At this moment, most people nearly suffered cardiac arrest.
A peaceful year, Anastasia's self-conquest, and the smooth acquisition of magic stones—everyone had felt quite happy. After all, they had enjoyed a year of good days; the waters were
calm, the mastermind Roswaal had turned over a new leaf, and the mastermind behind the mastermind, Echidna, had fled.
If the remaining members of the Witch Cult intended to capture Emilia, it wouldn't have been this long without any movement.
Therefore, everyone expected the warm days to continue, for the Royal Selection to proceed, and for the battle of wits between the four "genuine" candidates and Hikigaya Hachiman to continue. No matter who won or lost, it would be fine, because they were all good people who deserved to win.
But just as everyone was looking forward to the future—even fantasizing about the sweet days of Hikigaya Hachiman developing feelings with their supported candidate—Regulus appeared so suddenly.
Without a shred of an omen, without a single warning, he just appeared.
And he said those words; it was obvious he was interested in Emilia and intended to do something.
"It's over." Felt's eyes widened, and she kept shaking her head. Regulus's strength was obvious to all; she still remembered clearly that inexplicable, practically invincible defense and attack power.
While she also believed in Hikigaya Hachiman's wisdom, looking at the strength of Julius, Garfiel, and Ricardo, she couldn't imagine a way to win.
If Hachiman's wisdom combined with 'Return by Death' could firmly grasp a one-in-ten-thousand chance of victory, what if the chance of victory was zero from the very start?
Up until now, Regulus hadn't shown any weakness for people to see. Whether such a thing even existed was hard to say.
"Why is that bastard in Pristella? Is it the guidance of the Gospel again? Or is it purely a coincidence that he's hanging around there?"
Felt clicked her tongue, frowning with a very bad mood. "If it's an accident, then Anastasia is really... Tsk!"
To the side, Reinhard's heart also skipped a beat. He wouldn't vent his anger on Lady Anastasia like Lady Felt did, because the possibility of Regulus being guided by the Gospel was too high.
However, he knew even more clearly that to fight Regulus, his combat power was absolutely necessary!
"Am I not there again? Will I not be able to help again?..."
Reinhard's thoughts whirled. He certainly wouldn't travel to Pristella alone for no reason. But without him, relying on the combat power of the Emilia and Anastasia camps, who knows how many times they would have to die to find a possible way to defeat Regulus.
Even if they could 'Return by Death,' dying meant truly having died once.
His heart was incredibly heavy.
"Why didn't Lady Emilia recognize Regulus? Damn it, hasn't she recovered her memories? Right now that bastard hasn't made a move yet. If Lady Emilia immediately went to tell Hachiman, with advance thinking and preparation, at least the chance of victory would be higher."
All good moods were destroyed. Rem gritted her teeth; her dissatisfaction with Emilia right now was greater than at any other time.
Regarding the safety of her Hachiman, Rem considered that more important than Emilia taking advantage of a situation.
"It's probably because Regulus has such a generic face. Moreover, regarding the tragedy of her childhood, Emilia surely paid more attention to Pandora, the true culprit. Therefore, it's possible she overlooked the fact that Regulus was also there."
Miyuki Shirogane sighed. Although this reason was quite bizarre, given Emilia's personality, it was indeed the most likely one.
"If Hikigaya-senpai saw Regulus, he would definitely remember!"
Shirogane Kei found it hard to accept. She hadn't expected Sister Emilia to become a "phantom" during internal strife—clearly seeing the enemy but missing a great opportunity for advance preparation because she couldn't remember who the other person was.
"—"
Emilia, who was near the Hoshin Company, stopped her footsteps. Her face was deathly pale, and she was swaying. With this happening, even Puck had nothing to say.
Kiritaka, standing with Liliana, first let out a groan of lamentation upon seeing his expected embarrassment; his wish not to appear had been shattered.
But seeing Regulus appear, he was actually overjoyed because he knew Regulus was much more attention-grabbing than himself. With Regulus there, no one would care about his own embarrassment.
But a second later, Kiritaka was struck by terror again.
"Wait, if Regulus appears in Pristella, will he definitely only make a move against Emilia?"
Pristella, in danger! Liliana, in danger!
Kiritaka's eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
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