Chapter 368. Deep-Seated Hatred
It was already known that Flugel sealed the Witch of Envy, Satella, yet Satella loved Hikigaya Hachiman and granted him "Return by Death."
The "stench" Shaula mentioned was clearly the Scent of the Witch. Deducing from this, Flugel must have carried that same scent four hundred years ago. According to Petelgeuse's previous explanation, only those favored by the Witch or those possessing Witch Factors would have such a scent.
The Archbishops had it because of the Witch Factors; the ordinary cultists had it because Pandora watched over the entire Witch Cult; Hikigaya Hachiman had it because of Satella's favor.
Combining the current relationships between Shaula, Satella, and Hikigaya Hachiman, it was easy to see that Satella and Flugel must have been very close four hundred years ago, and the sealing likely involved some hidden agenda.
"Shaula's conviction that Hikigaya Hachiman is Flugel is based on Satella's scent and Return by Death, but Satella loved Hikigaya Hachiman even before granting him those gifts.
In other words, Hachiman's ancestors might include Flugel, or he himself is Flugel's reincarnation. It's also possible that in the future, he obtains an Authority to travel through time, goes back four hundred years, and performs those deeds under the pseudonym Flugel."
These theories all held water; after all, this other world was far too powerful. With so many strange Divine Protections and Authorities, the appearance of soul reincarnation or time travel wasn't impossible.
However, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka intended to dismiss all these possibilities.
"It's more likely that Hikigaya Hachiman accidentally obtained some legacy or the recognition of a remnant soul from Flugel—as for Satella's love, that's even simpler. Perhaps Satella is just a stalker girl like Shaula, who has been watching him since the moment he was born. It's that simple."
The one who was impressive was Hikigaya Hachiman; the one who earned his recognition was Hikigaya Hachiman; the one worth going all out against as a fated rival was Hikigaya Hachiman.
It was just Hikigaya Hachiman, and it had nothing to do with some 'Flugel.'
If Hachiman's many achievements and experiences were merely because he was a reincarnation of Flugel, wouldn't that be too laughable and absurd?
"Ugh..."
Seeing Ayanokouji Kiyotaka muttering these things to himself while a flash of murderous intent toward Shaula and Flugel crossed his face, Sudou, Hirata Yousuke, and the others
nearby were struck with terror. They looked at an Ayanokouji who was so brilliant yet so terrifying with a mixture of admiration, awe, and dread.
"Heh." Ayanokouji swept his cold gaze over them and let out a chilling laugh. "This is just the simplest logical deduction; it's trivial. If Hikigaya Hachiman still had his memories and this information, he could easily deduce it too. Only fools like you could fail!"
Ayanokouji sneered at them, gaining a sense of satisfied superiority. This superiority didn't stem from being smarter than these people, but because Hikigaya Hachiman was smarter than them.
"Tch..." The two who were unwilling to submit, Horikita Suzune and Kouenji Rokusuke, grit their teeth. Just as they were about to speak, Ayanokouji glanced at them and lazily added: "Dullards who are slow to deduce are also an eyesore."
Horikita's eyes widened with rage; she wanted to strike back, but she couldn't beat Ayanokouji. Furthermore, during the broadcast of Hikigaya Hachiman's journey, Ayanokouji had already exposed his own identity; Kouenji knew his status wasn't actually more noble than Ayanokouji's and couldn't use his conglomerate's power to suppress him.
The two, feeling deeply humiliated, had no choice but to endure the triple pressure of Ayanokouji's intellect, martial prowess, and status.
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Anastasia and the others reached similar conclusions to Ayanokouji's analysis.
But unlike Ayanokouji's frenzied obsession with Hachiman, Anastasia, Emilia, and Rem accepted reality. Whether or not Hikigaya Hachiman was Flugel's reincarnation didn't hinder their deep love for him; their attitude wouldn't change based on his past lives.
"However, we must prepare for another possibility. Perhaps Flugel's soul is lurking within my Prime Minister's body, waiting to seize it for resurrection."
With sharp eyes, Anastasia—the "dishonest merchant" who grew up in the slums—maintained a healthy dose of vigilance and suspicion. She immediately wrote a letter, instructing Julius to find Reinhard and ask him to obtain a Divine Protection that could distinguish souls within a body. Once her Prime Minister arrived, the first thing would be to check if Flugel was trying to possess him.
If that were the case, she would set aside the competition for his heart and resolve the hidden danger for her Prime Minister first.
At the same time, on the roof of the Roswaal mansion, Beatrice and Roswaal understood the situation perfectly and weren't worried at all.
This was a secret known only to long-lived beings who had survived from four hundred years ago to the present.
"It has nothing to do with Flugel. Hachiman is simply a Sage Candidate."
But even as a "candidate," his performance thus far already secured his position as the new generation's Sage; no one else could compare.
Rather than that, Beatrice cared more about Shaula. Her gaze as she watched Shaula was complex. "Lonely for four hundred years, waiting for one person... Are you just like Betty?"
"Beatrice and Shaula were both abandoned for four hundred years for no clear reason." On the streets of the Royal Capital, Emilia spoke indignantly, siding with them.
"Echidna, Flugel... why were all these people four hundred years ago so heartless and cruel?"
Puck scratched its head, not daring to make a sound. It was also an old monster from four hundred years ago... and regarding anyone other than Emilia, it was indeed heartless and cruel.
The revelation of a fragment of the true Great Sage Flugel's nature—abandoning his disciple for four hundred years without a definite word—was infuriating. Many people immediately thought of Echidna.
They hadn't been that angry originally; after all, Shaula's previous attacks on Hikigaya Hachiman hadn't left people with a great impression of her. But once they associated it with Echidna—thinking of poor Beatrice who was toyed with by that scum Echidna—everyone's blood pressure spiked. They projected Shaula onto Beatrice and Flugel onto Echidna.
Naturally, they grew to dislike Flugel, equating him with Echidna. It was only "dislike" rather than "hatred," and that was only out of respect for the fact that Flugel had once saved the world.
As for Crusch in the Karsten mansion, she had no time to worry about Flugel.
From the moment she saw Hachiman—who had Returned by Death in the sand cavern—make that promise to never develop a relationship beyond friendship with her before Rem woke up just to maintain team harmony, Crusch had completely frozen. Even her breathing became so faint it was almost non-existent.
It was gone. Everything was gone.
This period where Hachiman had lost his memories was her best chance for success, and yet even with such an opportunity, her future self couldn't grasp it. It was a total collapse.
Anastasia only played a supporting role in this; the key person who caused her downfall was—
"I'm going to kill you, Ram! AAAAAAAAAAH!!"
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