Chapter 447. A Stupid Pig with No Utility Value
"The tall tree catches the wind, Prime Minister. How are you feeling?"
Inside the meeting room, Anastasia rested her cheek on her hand, smiling as she playfully teased her own Prime Minister.
Emilia watched her relaxed demeanor, tilted her head, and asked in confusion, "Um, why do you look completely unconcerned, Miss Anna?"
Rem nodded in agreement. "Indeed. This person's obsession with Hachiman is so twisted. Aren't you worried that after he finds the Philosopher's Stone and returns, he might kill those Hachiman cares about... like you, Miss Anna, just to force Hachiman to play his game?"
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and I are both intelligent people," Hikigaya Hachiman said softly. "He will definitely find a way to force me to play against him, but he won't resort to such extreme measures right away. There are too many uncertainties; it could backfire and make me give up entirely just to spite his intentions."
"And after that, while the Lord Prime Minister is playing the game with him, in order to eliminate the possibility of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka doing such a thing, the Prime Minister will do his utmost to strike with lethal intent. —That is exactly what Ayanokouji Kiyotaka is pursuing."
Taking up the conversation and explaining in perfect sync, Anastasia's eyes curved like crescent moons. she felt happy about the rapport between herself and the Prime Minister, admiring his physique with a smile.
None of the people present thought Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was being arrogant. At their level, their vision was very keen.
Unlike Hikigaya Hachiman's humility and restraint, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was someone whose dominance practically radiated outward. Although his acting was flawless, his soul exposed his true nature.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was not weak; this was something everyone except Emilia and Rem could sense.
However, Crusch wasn't worried in the slightest. The reason was simple... Ayanokouji might be strong, but Sir Hachiman was definitively stronger, especially when facing an enemy who deserved no mercy!
Hikigaya Hachiman didn't share this almost religious level of self-confidence. If Ayanokouji's plan succeeded, he would wield the power of an entire world—it was truly not to be underestimated.
He neither wanted to face such a troublesome fellow nor did he want to take a life easily. "I hope he can undergo some change later. If he remains this cold-blooded, ruthless, and twisted..."
However, if he had to choose between two extremes, he would rather Ayanokouji's plan succeed.
Once Ayanokouji united the world, the people would surely live much better lives than they did under the hypocritical Jioral Kingdom.
At the very least, their material lives would be much happier... Ayanokouji hadn't shown much of his performance yet, but Hikigaya Hachiman held this unshakeable view.
Because...
"I've already seen through you, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."
「As time passed, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka felt that the growth of his strength had reached a limit. Continuing to receive "guests" like this wouldn't allow him to reach the level of that King.」
「Once individual might hits a barrier, what one needs to seek is external assistance. He already had a rough plan for this.」
「Before that, he first needed to leave this boring cage... The guards never bothered to lower their voices when chatting around him, so he had learned that the King had gone out to war in recent days.」
「Snap.」
「The shackles were destroyed. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka used "Heal" on his own body and walked out of the cell.」
「"You—"」
「They only had time to utter a single syllable before they were reduced to ashes.」
「The current Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had mastered far too many chaotic skills. He could easily change his appearance, turning into a patrolling soldier, moving freely through the palace and easily setting fires.」
「The sudden outbreak of fire drew a large number of servants and soldiers away. During this time, Ayanokouji reached the exterior of Flare's bedroom, slew the guards at the door, and entered without difficulty.」
「Flare was first taken aback, then began shouting curses about the "escaped lowlife" while preparing to use her sword to hack off Ayanokouji's limbs.」
「Although she was the Hero of Magic and her strength lay in spells, she believed her close-combat skills were enough to one-shot a mere "Healing Hero" who could only use restoration.」
「...Then, in a flash, her sword was snatched away by Ayanokouji's palm-strike. In the moment they crossed paths, he swung the blade back, magnificently severing Flare's four limbs, turning her into a wailing hunk of flesh in an instant.」
「"You lowlife... it hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much aaaaaagh... I'm sorry, save me! I'm sorry, save me! Keyaru, Mr. Keyaru, I beg of you! I'll give you a high rank, just save me, I'm going to die, it hurts so much aaaaaagh!"」
「Flare screamed with snot and tears streaming down her face. She hadn't even stayed tough for a second before being tortured into begging for mercy by the pain, more wretched than the lowest bitch.」
「"Heal."」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka spoke indifferently, stopping Flare's bleeding.」
「Severing Flare's limbs wasn't because he hated her, and stopping the bleeding wasn't because he wanted to torture her slowly. These actions were merely to satisfy the conditions for "Heal." Through the healing process, he would obtain a small portion of the memories in Flare's mind.」
「From those memories, he could analyze information he could use, giving him more leads to complete his "small goal."」
「After receiving the memories, Ayanokouji crouched down and asked indifferently: "Is there anything you want to say? You have at least three sentences to say."」
「His tone was cold, but there was a faint hint of encouragement. Flare didn't notice this encouragement; she just screamed in panic: "I was wrong! I know I was wrong! I'll treat you well, we are both Heroes... restore my limbs, I—I could even marry you, Mr. Keyaru!"」
「"Not that." Ayanokouji shook his head with a look of slight disappointment. "I don't care what you did to me... well? Is there anything else you want to say?"」
「"Then... then... money! I'll give you endless money! I'll give you as much as you want, Mr. Keyaru, save me!"」
「"Not that either." Flare's answer made Ayanokouji thoroughly disappointed.」
「He had thought that if Flare could sharpen her intelligence under crisis—even if she didn't reach the level of Anastasia, Priscilla, or Crusch—as long as she reached a presentable level, he could have spared this woman.」
「Because Hikigaya Hachiman already had practical experience, having faced off against a genuine and formidable enemy like Anastasia; that was his advantage.」
「And while Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was certainly smart, he had never clashed with an opponent of a similar caliber. Having experience doesn't necessarily make one stronger, but it's certainly better than not having it.」
「To win the game against Hikigaya Hachiman, Ayanokouji actually didn't have absolute certainty, so he had to do his utmost. It would be best if he could improve himself in advance.」
「Unfortunately, Flare couldn't even meet his minimum requirements. A stupid pig like this is useless even if spared. Might as well kill her.」
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