Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

80. The will of the people

"Hachiman Hikigaya and Julius gathered together, and he described the number of the Witch Cult and the powers of the Archbishop of Sloth."

Felix pounced on Hachiman Hikigaya's back, healing him while excitedly joining the discussion: "An invisible hand? Is that so, meow... If, as you say, even an elven sorcerer of Emilia's caliber can't see it, then that's truly terrifying, meow."

"If it weren't for Lord Hachiman's information, even I, in my old age, might have been killed by this power in a single encounter. As expected of the Archbishop of the Witch Cult, a figure of great sin, not to be underestimated."

"Sword Demon Wilhelm hesitated for a moment, then said with curiosity, 'Speaking of which, Lord Hachiman's information network is truly extensive... My apologies, I had no intention of prying into any secrets.'"

"No, there's nothing to keep secret." Hachiman Hikigaya watched Crusch walk away, her figure already blurred. A sly smile crept across his face as he boldly and confidently said, "Don't underestimate Lord Roswaal's intelligence network."

Roswaal: ?

"Oh dear, even though we're practically at each other's throats in private, completely at odds, are you trying to project an image of harmony between two of Lady Emilia's top generals in public?"

Roswaal was quite curious. He flipped through his book of wisdom, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"You'll stop at nothing to help Lady Emilia... I just wonder if you'll be able to maintain your rationality after you learn the whole truth?"

"This is really annoying." Shirogane Kei pouted, feeling sullen on behalf of her senior, Hikigaya.

"That Roswaal was clearly up to no good. All the information was obtained by Hachiman himself through probing, yet he still gave the credit to that clown!"

"That's just how tough society is, Xiao Gui. Sometimes, there's just no way around it."

Miyuki Shirogane recalled his junior in the student council, his accountant Yu Ishigami, with a complicated expression, "This was Hachiman's own choice... In order to maintain the strength of Emilia's camp to the outside world, he was even willing to sacrifice himself. What does a little merit matter?"

"The information from the White Whale and the Witch Cult is enough to confirm that Roswaal's intelligence network is indeed very powerful, but Julius, Wilhelm, Felix, and the leader of the Iron Fang Mercenary Group only sighed and did not have any inappropriate thoughts."

"Hachiman Hikigaya's target is not them, but to use them to demonstrate the strength of Emilia's camp to the outside world, deter some hidden enemies, and also hope to attract some talents or forces."

"However, since Hachiman-kun can see, I have a solution," Julius proposed. "My contracted micro-spirit allows me and Hachiman-kun to share our vision."

"Then it's settled. We'll launch a sneak attack and kill them first. If the sneak attack succeeds, everything will be fine. If it fails, like we did with the white whale, we'll cooperate again, Julius."

Hachiman Hikigaya and Julius exchanged a smile.

Felix's tail twitched. "Something feels off, meow. Phyllis was here first, wasn't she? Julius knew Hachiman much later than Phyllis, meow!"

"After the meeting, the group wasted no time and quickly mobilized the army to advance."

"On the way, Hachiman Hikigaya tried sharing vision with Julius briefly, although there was some pain due to the unexpectedly high degree of compatibility."

"However, at this point, Hachiman Hikigaya is already so strong that he can ignore this level of pain."

"He and Julius then sped up, and the two of them arrived at Roswaal's mansion first, without being discovered by the Witch Cult."

""Hachiman-sama! ""

"It's Lord Hachiman!"

"Lord Hachiman is back! That's wonderful!"

"Oh my? This knight looks like a friend of Lord Hachiman?"

"When passing through the village, Julius was completely shocked by Hachiman Hikigaya's reputation there. Everyone, young and old, held Hachiman Hikigaya in heartfelt gratitude and respect."

"Moreover, even though they knew about the Witch Cult's invasion, these people were not panicked at all. They had unwavering faith in Hachiman Hikigaya's abilities and believed that he could protect them."

"The men were also eager to help fight the invaders."

"This is not only the reason why Hachiman Hikigaya defeated the monsters and rescued the children—the few people who cooperated with him in the capital would occasionally send messages back to the village, and everyone knew that Hachiman Hikigaya had purchased a lot of supplies to send to them for free."

"On the other hand, after removing their prejudices, the villagers have also clearly felt Emilia's charm in their recent daily interactions with her."

"Julius didn't know so much about the inside story; all he knew was that he was completely numb."

"Simply because I am your close friend, you smiled at me, trusted me, and even a child gave me a flower... To be loved by the people of the kingdom to this extent is what I, Julius, have strived for all my life, yet you have achieved it so easily."

Julius placed the flowers Petra had given him on his head, his tone complex and wistful: "I'm truly envious. No, I'm truly made aware of my own shortcomings."

Hachiman Hikigaya lowered his eyelids, not wanting others to see the emotion that involuntarily welled up within him. A warm feeling spread through his body as he whispered, "These people are my pride, Julius."

"Their vibrant energy and lively lives prove that everything I did was not in vain."

"Julius could only hear the heaviness in those poignant words, but he couldn't understand what they meant to Hachiman Hikigaya."

He gently patted his best friend on the back. A man's support, a man's comfort, is so simple, yet so full of emotion.

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Sawamura Eriri looked at each other in bewilderment.

"So, these two are a match made in heaven, aren't they? If Julius were a girl, Emilia wouldn't stand a chance at all, right?"

The people at Musashino are all wavering; they really don't know which stock to invest in... because Hachiman Hikigaya really goes well with everyone!

"It's a pity that Julius is not only not a woman, but also not on the same side as Hachiman. What a shame!"

"Seriously... isn't anyone going to support Phyllis? He was here first, you know!"

81. You Are My Knight (Part 1)

"However, Hachiman Hikigaya doesn't have time to respond to each villager individually right now."

After confirming that the villagers had received Otto and Emilia's orders, had packed their bags, and were ready to escape at any time, Hachiman Hikigaya rode back to the mansion to see Emilia.

"Mr. Hachiman!" Otto, scrambling and crying with grief and indignation, grabbed Hachiman Hikigaya's trouser leg as if he had seen a savior descend from the sky, tears streaming down his face, and was about to say something.

"A very imposing knight... It seems you've found some excellent ally. Follow me, Lady Emilia is waiting for you—and, coachman, what are you doing? Are you trying to embarrass Lord Roswaal and Lady Emilia in front of outsiders?"

Ram's indifferent voice made the tearful Otto stop immediately and stand up as quickly as possible as if nothing had happened.

"Hachiman Hikigaya can roughly imagine what happened."

"Ram, apart from Roswaal and Rem, doesn't really have any feelings for anyone. He's quite sarcastic, and not like Yukino Yukinoshita's kind of sarcastic remarks with good intentions. I bet Otto has been subjected to a lot of ridicule these past few days."

"Ram." Hachiman Hikigaya didn't reprimand him directly; instead, he expressed himself tactfully, "Otto is the Minister of Internal Affairs I've chosen. If he's willing, he'll work alongside you, assisting Emilia... and Roswaal."

"..." Ram nodded slightly, seemingly casually, and stopped targeting Otto.

Otto stared blankly at himself. "Eh, the Minister of the Interior? What? I've never heard of such a thing."

"You don't want to, Otto?"

Hearing Hachiman Hikigaya's seemingly disappointed question, Otto finally realized that this was not a stopgap measure. His eyes widened, he was panting heavily, and he trembled with excitement.

"He spoke with the intensity of a man, his voice brimming with excitement: 'No—I mean, can I really do it? Please don't joke around, Mr. Hachiman, I'll take it seriously, really!'"

"Of course, he won't take office immediately; there will be a probationary period."

"Hachiman Hikigaya's words did not anger Otto; on the contrary, they made him even more excited. A probationary period? That couldn't be a joke, could it?"

"I'll do my best!"

"Otto's really made something of himself, huh?"

Merchants who had traded with Otto and knew each other were eager to make their move. "Although Lady Emilia, Crusch, and the most outstanding knight Julius are indeed people worth admiring, they are too far away. But Otto is different!"

"That kid, I used to be on pretty good terms with him!"

If someone appears in this future that spans the entire world and demonstrates good moral character or strong abilities, they will be a source of pride for the whole world.

Even if Hachiman Hikigaya were to die in some accident and not travel to this world, one thing is certain: many nobles would be willing to pay Otto a high price to hire him now.

At this very moment, in Otto's hometown, the entire noble family that had once so arrogantly frightened the boy into fleeing rolled their eyes.

Suddenly everything went black, I was so frightened that I had a heart attack, and I experienced the same thing Otto had gone through.

If Otto were to confide his past to Hachiman Hikigaya in this future light screen, his family would certainly end up like those three thugs in the capital.

"Otto and Julius stayed in the living room to drink the tea that Ram had made."

"Hachiman Hikigaya stood outside the girl's office, feeling a sense of unease for a moment."

"Crunch."

Hearing the door open, the girl, who was working on the table, looked up with a hint of surprise and excitement. At that moment, the breeze blowing through the window stirred her long silver hair.

"Hachiman Hikigaya's fingers twitched. His vision blurred, and he vaguely saw a familiar figure overlapping with Emilia, but in the end, the two figures were separated."

"Hachiman!" Emilia seemed a little tired from worrying about something, but she still managed a smile. She tilted her head, stood on tiptoe, and adorably stared behind her for a moment. "Where's Rem?"

"I sent Rem back to the capital; she needs to handle things there."

"For some reason, Emilia's already cheerful mood became even happier after hearing this explanation."

Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly seemed a little downcast. He shook his head, trying to focus on the urgent matter at hand: "Have you read the letters I had Otto deliver?"

"Hmm, the Witch Cult is about to invade, isn't it?"

"And then there's my unauthorized alliance with Crusch and Anastasia."

"Eh, without permission?" Emilia paused, puzzled. "What do you mean... Hachiman, you have the authority to act freely in the capital on my behalf, something both Roswaal and I acknowledge, right?"

"But it's such an important matter after all—"

Emilia, unusually, interrupted Hachiman Hikigaya: "But Hachiman would never harm me, would he?"

"She approached Hachiman Hikigaya gently, quietly, and stealthily, as if coaxing a sullen child. Her natural, faint fragrance filled the air, and Hachiman Hikigaya caught it."

"Hmm, really... I don't know what Hachiman is always wondering about. Why is he being so distant with me? He's my knight, isn't he? Hachiman is my only knight, isn't he?"

"I won't distrust you... I know, Hachiman doesn't feel he shouldn't do this, he just wants to explain to me why he did it, right?"

"But there's absolutely no need for that—Hachiman's actions must have their own considerations, they must be for my own good, I understand."

Emilia placed her two fair hands together and grasped Hachiman Hikigaya's right hand, taking it in hers. "I understand that's enough. I will trust you, I will always trust you. So, so... Hachiman, you must also trust me, believe that I will trust you, okay?"

"Emilia..."

"Can you trust me, Hachiman?" Emilia interrupted him again. "I know I'm not as strong as Crusch-san... but Hachiman is my knight!"

"Emilia, you..." Hachiman Hikigaya seemed to have sensed something.

Emilia said for the third time, "Trust me, okay, Hachiman?"

"...If I didn't believe you," Hachiman Hikigaya took a deep breath and nodded heavily, "wouldn't I be too pathetic in this world? I believe you, I will believe you—Emilia, I am your knight!"

82. You Are My Knight (Part 2)

"Strange, is Emilia the kind of person who would have such emotional fluctuations for no reason?"

Kaguya Shinomiya was completely confused. Although she was a complete romantic, her own romantic experiences were so peculiar that she couldn't quite understand normal romantic thinking or normal couples.