Chapter 393. Obstruction from Companions
「"Master, Master! You're finally willing to come back! Your prize pupil, the Star Guardian Shaula, reporting for duty! Ooh-ooh-ooh!"」
「Affected by the Authority of the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, she had forgotten the fact that her Master had already been back in the tower for several days. Even so, it did not affect Shaula's eyesight in identifying her Master at a single glance.」
「Starting once more from zero, Shaula was filled with happiness. She hugged her Master tightly without letting go, wrapping herself around Hikigaya Hachiman like an octopus.」
「"Ma... Master?"」
「Taking a defensive stance, Julius's pupils shrank. "Miss Shaula's Master—I recall her saying it was the true Great Sage, Flugel. Are you... Flugel!?"」
「Everyone gazed over one after another. If this was the true Great Sage, then they happened to have a doubt they desperately wished to consult him about right now.」
「"You've got the wrong person, Shaula. I can say it as many times as it takes: I am Hikigaya Hachiman. I am not Flugel, and I am certainly not your Master."」
「Hachiman struggled to push Shaula away. His strength was no match for hers, but fortunately, after venting her excitement, Shaula was very respectful of her teacher and allowed herself to be pushed aside.」
「Pouting, she complained gleefully, "Honestly, Master! Why say something like that? Master is Master!"」
「A headache-stricken Hachiman had no choice but to make an exception and issue a command: "I'll correct you on that issue later—for now, just stay there quietly and behave, Shaula. I have important business to attend to."」
「"So then, what is the situation here? Mind explaining it a bit?"」
「Anastasia reined in her aching heart. Squinting her eyes, she revealed the "fangs and claws" of her vigilance, sizing up Hikigaya Hachiman with the gaze one reserved for an outsider.」
「Her slender hand rested on her fox scarf. If the man claiming to be Hikigaya Hachiman and Shaula were to suddenly turn violent, and if Julius and Emilia couldn't handle them, she would let 'Dona-fox' possess her, using life-consuming magic to assist.」
「Hachiman nodded. "Then please listen closely to what I have to say. The story begins a year and a half ago..."」
「The description was extensive. Even with no one interrupting, he spoke for nearly half an hour. After hearing it, everyone's reaction was different.」
「Julius and Crusch were both wavering and indecisive, unsure whether to believe him but clearly moved; Ram and Meili were watching from the sidelines, looking rather dismissive; Beatrice stared intently at Hachiman, making no further move for the time being.」
「Emilia, the most simple-hearted and prone to believing others, was already on the verge of reaching out to him.」
「But at that moment, Anastasia—expressionless and hiding her emotions and thoughts perfectly—grabbed Emilia's hand.」
「"Don't be so quick to jump to a conclusion, Miss Emilia. Don't do something you'll regret."」
「Having fought her way up alone since childhood, Anastasia was currently the smartest, most vigilant, and most assertive among the group. Her interference could easily guide the will and thoughts of everyone present.」
「And now, clearly, she harbored deep suspicions toward Hachiman's one-sided testimony.」
「"You say you are Miss Emilia's knight and that you've achieved so many feats—well then, where is the evidence?"」
「Anastasia aggressively pressed him while signaling the combatants to be ready. "When describing so much of the past, you were not only vague, but you explained everything from the perspective of others. It sounds exactly like 'I heard it was like this'... how are we supposed to believe you?"」
「"I told you, that is because my memories were taken by the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony."」
「Hachiman looked as if he had expected this. It was indeed a massive loophole; if their positions were swapped, he would have raised the same questions as this merchant.」
「"What a clever excuse," Anastasia said sarcastically. "By that logic, any random person could walk in later and say, 'I'm someone you used to know, it's just that my existence and memories have been swallowed by Gluttony, so you don't remember me and I have no proof, but you must believe me,' and I'd have to believe them."」
「"If that were the case, Miss Emilia and I would gain hundreds of new head knights in a single day."」
「If Hachiman could state small details that could only be discovered after long periods of daily life together, or secrets only told to trusted intimates, his credibility would naturally be high.」
「But since his amnesia, he had only spent about twenty days with Anastasia and the others. There had been no time to observe the nuances of their habits.」
「Previously, the original Emilia and the others would have been happy to tell Hachiman their secrets, but at that time, it was impossible for Hachiman to have asked.」
「This was an unsolvable loophole. Hachiman could only avoid the topic and ask in return: "In your memories, what was the specific process of the White Whale subjugation battle?"」
「Crusch recalled carefully, looking somewhat unsettled. "It's like it's covered in a layer of mist... I remember it, but it's a bit blurry... trying to think of specifics, I actually can't recall the entire process."」
「"Regarding that, it's the same for me, but that isn't enough to serve as your evidence."」
「As Crusch wavered, it was again Anastasia who stood to rebut. She pointed at the sleeping Rem. "Miss Rem's existence was eaten by Gluttony; we have a witness for that, and we know she was in the Royal Capital at the time.」
「"I understand you want to suggest that 'that person' played a major role in the White Whale battle, and that after 'that person's' existence was eaten, the world couldn't reconcile the facts, making our memories blurry—but the probability that 'that person' is Miss Rem is far higher than it being you."」
「Emilia, Crusch, and Julius, who were originally inclined to believe, were gradually persuaded toward suspicion under Anastasia's clear and logical arguments.」
「This point was also an unprovable thesis. Hachiman avoided it again and continued to ask:」
「"Then, who was it that told Miss Ram—who had forgotten her sister—that she even had a sister? In the later battle at Watergate City, Rem was already asleep; she couldn't possibly have been 'that person' in Watergate City, right?"」
「The counter-questions he threw out were all part of a pre-prepared mental draft.」
「Anastasia's intelligence and caution, combined with a personality far more mature than Emilia's, destined her to stand in opposition to the current Hachiman.」
「As an opponent, Hachiman clearly realized how difficult this merchant was to deal with; she was a formidable individual.」
「The most tragic part was that Hachiman actually knew that without evidence, no matter how much he racked his brains, it wouldn't work.」
「He was destined to lose to Anastasia this time!」
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