As for the remaining members of Temple Knights.
Their numbers were too large and their quality uneven.
Rin could not release them for now.
He placed this group under Artoria's command for supervision, while also preparing them for the plan to conquer Kingdom of Falmuth.
"Shizue-sensei."
After leaving Demon Lords Castle, Hinata arrived at the academy district of Monster Nation and found Shizue teaching children there.
"Hinata!"
Shizue was sitting in her office, drinking tea and eating snacks given by the children.
"Shizue-sensei..."
Seeing how comfortably Shizue was living, Hinata could not help but smile.
"How enviable. Is this the retired life you longed for?"
"It is."
Shizue had been living very comfortably these past few days. She was originally an Otherworlder from the time of World War II.
Calculating the time, Shizue was already nearly eighty years old.
Although her appearance did not show it at all, some of her habits did give off the feeling of a grandmother.
For example, like now, drinking green tea while watching the children play in the courtyard.
"The children have recovered their health, and my strength cannot help Rin much."
"Being able to take care of the children for him and guide them as they grow stronger, I am satisfied."
Shizue actually had many responsibilities in Monster Nation.
She was subordinate to Seitenshi and worked as a staff member in the Ministry of Education.
Besides caring for and teaching the children of Divine Race, she also helped Seitenshi whenever she had time.
As Monster Nation continued to explore other worlds, the children of the native monster race needed education, and the beast girls from Dark World also needed proper upbringing.
This was only the beginning. In the future, Monster Nation's demand for the academy district would only increase.
How could Rin truly allow an experienced educator like Shizue to retire here?
"About Yuki..."
When mentioning Yuki, Shizue sighed.
"That child, perhaps from the very beginning, never truly acknowledged me."
"This is not your fault, Shizue-sensei."
On this point, Hinata would not allow anyone to refute it.
Yuki's mistakes had nothing to do with Shizue. It was entirely the man's own nature.
Just like herself. If not for Shizue's salvation, Hinata would never have reached where she is today.
Hinata had never spoken about her past with Shizue.
But today, as she prepared to leave Monster Nation and begin a new chapter of her life, Hinata decided to be honest.
Having once experienced a misunderstanding and believed that Shizue, the last light in her life, had died.
Hinata did not want to experience that kind of pain again.
"I am essentially no different from that guy Yuki."
"He is a scoundrel, an ambitious man."
"And I..."
"I am only a cruel and cold person, a puppet that knows nothing but killing."
Hinata Sakaguchi.
Her name means a place facing the sun.
She should have been born into warmth and brightness.
Instead, she was born into a dark and broken home.
Her father was a compulsive gambler.
After losing money, he would often vent his anger by beating Hinata and her mother.
Her mother could not endure it.
Under the persuasion of a friend, she joined an underground cult.
The powerless Hinata could only silently watch everything that happened in that so-called home, like an outsider.
But at the age of fifteen, lost in pain and confusion, the girl made her own choice.
After that, the cold and loveless environment finally gave birth to a cold realist.
The girl became a machine that saw no distinction between good and evil and acted only based on her own interests.
Yet even this machine still possessed a heart of flesh and blood.
She still felt pain about what she was about to do.
She executed a meticulous plan.
Through a series of accidents that appeared natural, she successfully made her father disappear.
At the same time, she prepared the necessary documents for the upcoming insurance claim.
All that remained was to wait for time to pass, report her father as missing, and then scheme against her mother's friends.
"After completing all of that, I reincarnated to this world."
"That day was my first day of high school."
When she first arrived in this world, Hinata thought she could let everything go.
She no longer needed to carry out those plans.
No longer needed to bear that heavy burden.
No longer needed to look at her mother.
But reality was completely different from what she imagined.
She had believed she could remove those shackles and start a new life in another world.
Yet that hope was shattered very quickly.
Yes.
This world was not bright.
It was just as dark, ugly, and malicious as the previous one.
The group of thugs who appeared before her, shouting vulgar insults, became the final straw that pushed Hinata into complete despair.
Ah.
In the end, everywhere is the same.
The girl sighed at the hopelessness of a world identical to the previous one.
At that moment, her heart completely froze within solid ice.
The Voice of the World suddenly echoed in her ears.
[The Usurper]
This responded to the twisted desire for plunder from the girl who sealed her heart out of fear of losing what she cherished.
[The Mathematician]
This responded to the girl's true nature, like a precise machine with a heart sealed in ice.
Thus, Hinata Sakaguchi was born.
A puppet with the potential to become the strongest in the world.
She no longer struggled with the act of killing.
The thugs before her became the first sacrifices of blood.
Although they were merely worthless trash, easily dealt with even by her weak body that had just awakened its abilities.
But it was enough to act as a catalyst.
The discomfort of killing could no longer restrain the existence known as Hinata Sakaguchi.
Wandering alone in this other world, she continued to usurp and plunder everything she considered valuable.
And the layer of ice around her heart grew thicker and stronger.
"..."
Listening to the girl's story, Shizue felt increasing pain.
Shizue knew very well what kind of world this was.
She did not believe Hinata Sakaguchi was the ruthless killer she claimed to be.
Every single person Hinata killed deserved to die.
Hinata never harmed the weak.
She was simply a normal human being.
What does it mean to be a normal person?
When facing the malice of others, one does not simply smile and endure it.
One responds with the same malice.
That is what a normal person does.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)