Chapter 55: A Brand New Home (4)
[A week ago]
The sun filtered through the balcony door of Hinata’s office, casting a beautiful golden glow across the room.
Hinata sat in his office chair as usual, his hair tied up in a messy bun. The young man scratched his hair slightly, his gaze fixed on the document on his table.
"This doesn’t make sense."
The piece of paper Hinata held contained the report Tamara had brought him regarding his classmate Kobayashi’s case. It seemed his earlier suspicions were wrong and Kobayashi had indeed killed a prince and attempted to kill the other heroes because he had awakened a demonic ability.
"I can’t believe it was the others who filed for the search."
Hinata rubbed his temples in frustration. Even though he was a peak squire now, he still couldn’t do much in this massive world.
He had to find a way back home, and he also needed to contact his classmates, who were his only real connections in this world.
Hinata flipped to the other page and his gaze darkened.
[The Goddess of Love and the Goddess of Light have allied themselves to suppress the new wave of demonic worshippers.]
Hinata found himself deeply conflicted by this news.
Absalom had told him different ways to reach the outer zones and he had agreed to go along with Absalom’s plan, yet thinking about it carefully, wasn’t that basically homicide?
Hinata grimaced as his head suddenly began pounding, as though someone were trying to break into it. He felt something was deeply wrong, like he was being nudged toward something he would never normally do.
If the Goddess of Love was genuinely a good person and she had ties with the Goddess of Light, then wasn’t it better to simply join the Church of Light and use that foundation to not only reach the outer zones but also reconnect with his classmates?
Hinata leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I guess having a plan B won’t be a bad idea."
He shifted his gaze to the left where Tamara sat leisurely on his table. "You know there is a couch, right?"
She nodded, then leaned further onto the table as if trying to lie down. "Hina, should I tell you a story?"
Hinata’s eyebrows shot up, though he quickly composed himself. "What’s that?"
Tamara raised a finger. "You seem to be having a headache, so I want to tell you about wills and the ones who created such an art."
Hinata didn’t say a word. He knew that if he spoke now it would surely betray his calm exterior and reveal to Tamara just how curious he was about what she was about to say.
Tamara pressed the side of her clenched fist to her lips and cleared her throat. "Now, where should I begin..." She paused, then continued. "A will can be said to be the mental fortitude to withstand trials, at least, that is what ordinary people call it. In truth, a will is the essence of a person’s entire being compressed into a single form or thought."
Tamara pressed a finger to his forehead. "Like now, if you compress your essence it will form a will, and the person who inherits it will automatically feel the impulse to follow your footsteps."
Hinata’s eyes widened, which made Tamara smirk. "You understand, right? That’s why, as the inheritor of the shadow core, you should always think carefully about whose will you are following, yours or another’s."
Hinata rested his hand under his chin. "I never thought of that."
Tamara nodded in satisfaction. "However, wills cannot only be used to pass on your essence. They can also be used as a means of fighting. Just as we have gifts, authority, talent, and bloodline, we also have wills."
Hinata said nothing, his focus fixed entirely on Tamara. "Do you know what the Wraiths are, Hina?"
"You mean what people know the Vanir clan as?"
Tamara shook her head. "Actually, they are quite different from the ordinary Vanir clan. As you may already know, the Vanir clan draws power from their bloodline, which is why those with fully manifested blood are stronger than those with diluted blood."
She drew a breath before continuing. "The Wraiths, however, are the mythic gods’ secret army, the bastard children of the Vanir clan vassals and the mythic gods’ heirs, each born with fully manifested blood. It is said that even one of them can destroy an entire city."
"Then are they the ones who can use wills?"
Tamara nodded. "Yes. Each one of them can shape their will into the very blade they wield, making them extraordinarily difficult to fight."
Hinata studied her and asked, "If they are so strong, how do people defeat them?"
Tamara shook her head, her expression grave. "If you ever come across a Wraith and you aren’t a full rank above them, then run.."
Hinata leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "This sounds really vague. How am I supposed to even know someone’s a Wraith if I see one?"
"Well," she answered, tilting her chin upward. "They all have unusually shaped horns and are either grotesquely hideous or strikingly beautiful." She then added, "I’m not sure about this one... but I heard that their eyes also glow entirely whenever they use mana."
Hinata swallowed hard and thought carefully. ’Perhaps it’s better to not go around picking fights.’
---
[Back to the present]
The moment Hinata vanished from the area of lush grasses and towering green trees, several people dressed in varying attire, hanfu, medieval clothing, and tight modern combat uniforms, descended on the scene at once.
Like flies drawn to a bright light, they landed atop different trees and pried their way through the bushes, eyes locked on the young woman standing at the center.
"Hmm..." One of the men, clearly the leader among those in medieval clothing, raised his blade toward her. "Where is the one who caused the phenomenon?"
A condescending smirk spread across his face. "From your current state, it doesn’t seem like you’re the one who did it." He then added hurriedly, "Though I won’t lie, you’re quite the beauty, so why don’t you tell me where they went? Do that and I’ll take you as my woman."
The men in similar clothing began to chuckle, exchanging their own snarky remarks.
Nott, however, stood there without a care in the world. Slowly, a small smile formed on her face. "I thought Nishikawa Hinata was a heartless person," she mumbled, nearly inaudible, "but that’s far from the case."
She chuckled softly. "I guess he was just suppressing his emotions."
The man’s arrogant expression shifted into a scowl. "What is this woman saying?"
The moment the words left his mouth, one of his men stepped forward, hand resting on the hilt of his blade. "Hey, didn’t you hear what the young Lord said? Or do you not value your life?"
Nott raised her gaze toward him. In an instant, he exploded into chunks of flesh, with blood spraying outward in every direction.
Every man stumbled backward as the young woman’s hair began to lengthen and shift from black to red. Her eyes changed too, soft blue giving way to a blazing golden, and atop her head a horn formed, shaping itself into an almost complete obsidian crown.
"Who the hell are you?" demanded one of the men in hanfu, twin daggers already raised.
Nott said nothing. Then her entire eyes blazed with golden light. "You lot aren’t worthy to know that." A smirk pulled at her lips as fiery energy surged around her. "Now, how do you want to die?"