Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"Parker too?"

To teach her wayward daughter a lesson, Parker nodded fiercely; she was truly going all out.

"Correct!"

416. A pack of female dogs

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193. Ferut Route: The Fall of the Nobles

"The wheels of the carriage creaked and groaned as they rolled over the road. By the time the bumps reached the carriage, they were barely noticeable and were not taken seriously by the brother and sister who were talking."

"Hey you, you've already survived so many assassination attempts, how come you're still so relaxed and carefree? You actually said you wanted to come with me, and without Reinhard accompanying you. What if we encounter danger?"

Feeling the gentle nagging from her loved one, Felt grabbed the index finger pressed against her forehead and said with a grin, "What does it matter? You've seen through and thwarted so many assassination attempts, haven't you? It doesn't matter whether Reinhard is here or not. I'm not alive because of him, it's because of you—Ouch, that hurts!"

"With a flick of his finger on the silly little sister's forehead, Hachiman Hikigaya gently shook his head. Only he himself knew that he, who seemed to have foreseen the future, was merely using the Return of Death to gain another chance."

"Speaking of which, brother..."

"Felt carefully considered her words, her tone humble. The last time she brought up this topic, she was severely reprimanded by Hachiman Hikigaya, but she was still unwilling to give up."

"Is there really no way to eliminate all the nobles? To make this world a world without nobles—that was the bold statement I made five years ago when I first appeared, in front of Crusch and the others. It feels so embarrassing not to have accomplished it."

"The more she spoke, the lower her voice became, and finally she lowered her head with an embarrassed laugh, not daring to meet Hachiman Hikigaya's serious gaze."

"Awkward? You developed this personality in the slums, you'd feel awkward?" Hachiman Hikigaya tapped her head with exasperation. "You're just upset because you didn't complete your grand claim and you're worried that Priscilla will use that to mock you next time you see her. Do you think I can't see through you?"

"Not entirely..."

Ferut rubbed a small gap between her thumb and forefinger, muttering anxiously, "If those nobles are kept around, who knows if they'll come to assassinate me again someday? I can't stand it."

Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at his fawning stepsister, pondered for a moment, and nodded. "There are some things you should learn about as you'll soon be assuming the throne."

"It's not impossible to completely eliminate the aristocratic class, but it will take time. It's only been five years, and to have weakened the power of the aristocracy nationwide within five years is already a remarkable achievement, due to a combination of factors."

"I know! For example, if it weren't for my brother, I would have died long ago!" Felt excitedly raised her hand, then, with a silly thud, her palm hit the roof of the carriage. "Ouch!"

"It's not that... never mind, that's important too, but not the most important." Hachiman Hikigaya ignored her feigned pitiful pleading for comfort and continued speaking slowly.

"For example, if Reinhard hadn't had absolute military support on our side, a whole bunch of assassins hired by nobles would have already cut off your head the very night you revealed these intentions."

"...Well." Felt pouted.

"There's another factor, which is..."

"Hachiman Hikigaya paused, his expression and voice becoming somewhat melancholic, but he continued, 'Emilia's death, as a stepping stone, served as a preemptive warning to all the nobles.'"

"Upon receiving news that the Bowel Hunter had killed Emilia in the capital, Lord Roswaal, the kingdom's most powerful mage and a staunch supporter of Emilia, was enraged and relentlessly pursued the Bowel Hunter day and night, even drawing out a great sin bishop in the process."

"The enraged Border Lord, prepared to perish with her, at the cost of severe injuries, uprooted the Archbishop of Sin and her assassination organization, slaughtering them all. The last one returned to his mansion, remaining silent and weeping all day—this loyalty and madness served as a warning to all the rats eyeing other candidates."

"No one wants to face a fanatical supporter who has lost his monarch, like the Bowel Hunter faced Roswaal, especially when that person is the invincible Reinhard."

"Therefore, although the nobles used various methods such as poisoning and assassination, their original intention was actually to make you more restrained. If it weren't for the precedent of the Gut Hunters, the backlash we've received from the nobles over the past five years would have been far more severe."

"...Their original intention was to remain discreet, because they knew Reinhard possessed countless buffs and would surely be able to see through an assassin's thoughts and the poison in their food. But they didn't expect that Reinhard was so shrewd as to not activate those two buffs at all."

"So much so that Ferut nearly died two or three times, and was only saved by returning from the brink of death."

Finally, Hachiman Hikigaya sighed, "This is for the best. If we had tried to eliminate the nobles so quickly, their desperate counterattacks would have been completely unrestrained, leaving them no time to heed Roswaal's warning, since they were about to lose their lives."

"Felt, listen carefully. She understands Reinhard's part of the reasoning, but she just doesn't want to admit it. However, she hasn't really thought about Roswaal's part and is still a bit confused: 'But I remember when the Bowel Hunter was being hunted down, rumors spread everywhere that she stole Emilia's badge, and her employer was Roswaal, right?'"

Hachiman Hikigaya scoffed, "Do you believe that?"

Ferut scratched her head. "Yeah, you're right."

"This...it's not a matter of belief or not, it's just a fact."

Anastasia and Julius looked at each other, finding the situation both funny and absurd.

"I never expected Roswaal's public image to be so positive in this timeline. Not only is he no longer the god of the Civil War, but he's also indirectly boosted Hachiman's image, providing the best assist. This is truly..."

It's hard to say.

Shirogane Miyuki slapped his face, suddenly realizing the impermanence of life.

"Roswaal hunted down the Bowel Hunter because not only did Emilia not resurrect this time, he also failed to find 'that person' guided by the Book of Wisdom. He lost both the sesame seed and the watermelon, and four hundred years of waiting went up in flames."

"And the root cause was that the Bowel Hunter took it upon himself to kill Emilia."

After analyzing the situation, Kyosuke Kosaka paused for a moment, then realized he understood.

Yes, Roswaal only hired the Bowel Hunters to steal the badges; killing Emilia was her own decision. This matter…

Well, the responsibility should actually be split equally between Roswaal and Elsa; it's not entirely Roswaal's fault.

"I was actually a little moved when I heard that Roswaal was avenging Lydia."

Parker was deeply moved. It wasn't easy; Roswaal had tricked his daughter so many times, yet he'd finally redeemed himself this time. Well, even though Roswaal did it for his own selfish reasons.

"that…"

Emilia tiptoed timidly. "I care more about Felt and Hachiman than Roswaal."

194. Ferute Route: The Meeting at the Tombstone

Roswaal suddenly changed tactics, transforming into the universally recognized "otherworldly version of Zhuge Liang" in that timeline, dedicating himself to his monarch until his death, much to everyone's astonishment.

But upon closer reflection, it does make perfect sense... While feeling taken aback, Roswaal's straightforward revenge did, somewhat diminish the amount of resentment people felt towards him, but only slightly.

The only ones who felt an increased dislike for Roswaal were the nobles.

In their eyes, at this moment, Felt was a demon ten times more terrifying than the Witch of Greed, Echidna, and a hundred times more terrifying than any Archbishop of Sin!

But it is precisely because of this that they are even more desperate.

Because of the projection of these futures, Hachiman Hikigaya is now in an invincible position in this world, with far too many allies, especially Reinhard.

Now that he has seen how his stubborn righteousness led to the death of a monarch, Reinhard will no longer be so stubborn. He will be more flexible. With those other candidates, these nobles can't cause any trouble at all. They are even more pitiful than the nobles in this timeline that is currently playing out in the future.

If they were to collude with enemy countries or the Witch Cult, even the Divine Dragon might join the war, making things even worse.

"To be a loyal subject...?"

At the same time that the nobles of the Kingdom of Lugnica were cursing Felt and Hachiman Hikigaya through gritted teeth.

On the rooftop of the mansion, Roswaal, now free from goals and pressure, looked at Hachiman Hikigaya, who held him in such high regard, and a strange emotion quietly began to stir within him.

"No way?"

Ferut's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg. "Are you kidding me? You actually made that kind of boast? I was just venting!"

"Please do not underestimate his strength, Lady Felt."

Having been so gently reprimanded by his trusted friend Reinhard, Felt was completely unable to refute him, muttering to himself, "Unbelievable, truly unbelievable... That guy... Hmph, it's not for nothing that I call him brother."

Felt's eyes sparkled as she realized that she had actually accomplished something she considered unrealistic. Her recognition and affection for Hachiman Hikigaya had gradually deepened without her realizing it, and she was also happy that her fantasy had come true.

But at this moment, the happiest person was Priscilla.

"Hmph, you fools, indeed I am the best in the world."

Seeing Emilia die, Crusch and Anastasia surrender, and Felt constantly facing the possibility of assassination while Priscilla herself disappeared without a trace, Priscilla felt a surge of satisfaction and triumph.

"What? Do you want to be nosy, you foolish Iron-Helmeted Clown?"

Under Priscilla's threat, Al, who had been watching her, turned away quietly and said nothing.

"Crunch."

"The earth dragon stopped, and Hachiman Hikigaya got out of the car after opening the door."

"This is a wide plain that he asked Reinhard to buy five years ago, and it is now his property."

"On the lush green plains, a gentle breeze caresses the face, and various beautiful flowers bloom in this season between spring and summer. Here, only a tombstone stands out from the crowd, the only unnatural object."

"'The beautiful silver-haired half-elf Emilia rests here'—these are the words that Hachiman Hikigaya personally inscribed."

Felt curled her lip behind him. She couldn't understand why Roswaal would avenge Emilia but then ignore her body, never wanting to take it back, only to have her buried here by her brother. He deserved to die...

"If he were buried in Roswaal's territory, which is a long way away, perhaps this guy wouldn't come to mourn him every month."

"...Thank you, Emilia, and...I'm sorry."

"Close your eyes, whisper softly, and stroke the cold tombstone, as if you can see the corpse that has long since turned into a skeleton underground through the tombstone."

"A heartache, a heartache that has congealed into a stagnation, a heartache that can no longer be eradicated, has transformed into a deep, somber feeling, lingering long on Hachiman Hikigaya's face."

"Then, this melancholy will be subdued, lasting a lifetime, an eternal companion to him."

"The usually mischievous and carefree Felt will only put away her pranks and whims at this time of month, quietly waiting for her brother to finish his remembrance and regret."

"It's just that I can't control it."

"The way he stared at the tombstone was filled with endless malice."

"Felt...she harbors deep jealousy and resentment towards Emilia."

"If you didn't die, and you're a very mean, hypocritical, and selfish person, and your unconditional help and gentleness towards that guy were all an act, then I definitely, definitely can..."

"The different whispers of brother and sister, each with its own meaning, drift away with the wind."

"really."

Having confirmed that Felt harbored the audacious intentions of her rebellious older brother, Crusch's lips curled into a slight smile, and she nodded slightly. "Having lived in the same house with Lord Hachiman for five whole years, and shared life and death so many times, how could there not be some special feelings involved? Lord Hachiman's charm is something that cannot be hidden."

“All you do now is praise him, meow.” Phyllis shook her head, a little jealous.

Crusch immediately reassured her somewhat absentmindedly, "Of course, Phyllis is also a very capable assistant to me."

"Well…"

On the main street of the capital, Emilia's expression was one of utter helplessness, her bright eyes filled with frustration. "Does Felt think so badly of me?"

"Yes, love is war, and rivals are enemies. Now you understand, right, Leah? You absolutely can't be kind and show mercy." Parker relentlessly fanned the flames, now racing against time to teach his wayward daughter.

Emilia hung her head, looking listless. "Yes...?"

Seeing Hachiman become a follower serving others, she felt extremely depressed.