Hikigaya's God Slayer Story

Chapter 34: Magic and the Gods

Playing with the falcon-headed clay jar in his hands, Hikigaya couldn't help but find the group of Egyptian sorcerers before him laughable.

That wizard named Mahamud was among them too.

He was eloquent, and within just a dozen minutes or so, had clearly explained everything that had happened, leaving Hikigaya with no more doubts.

"You guys are really unlucky," Hikigaya remarked honestly, then decided to be magnanimous. "Fine, forget about paying for the room. You're already pathetic enough."

As the saying goes, the miserable shouldn't make things harder for the equally miserable.

These guys were worse off than he was.

At least he was a God Slayer.

What surprised him, though, was that this group actually held him in high regard because he had slain Egyptian gods.

That said, the feeling these Egyptian sorcerers gave him was a lot better than the Official History Compilation Committee.

The Egyptians were quite honest.

They had completely abandoned their pride in front of him in exchange for greater dignity in front of others.

Hikigaya appreciated that kind of sincerity. People of Yomi never considered following a powerful person to be shameful.

This wasn't servility—it was self-preservation. A basic instinct for survival.

Even children in modern times knew the story of lions and lambs.

Soldiers admire commanders who bring them constant victories.

People follow wise rulers or great leaders who can lead them to revival.

Whether such relationships last happily depends only on whether mutual trust can be built between the follower and the one being followed.

This principle was no different for sorcerers and God Slayers. The fact that God Slayers were once known as Kings of Sorcerers said it all.

Hikigaya also had to admit a truth—many times, the warriors of Yomi couldn't help him.

They could protect his family on a societal level, provide him with social resources, but the things he valued most... Yomi could never provide.

And after entering Athena's divinity, he valued this truth even more.

It had to be said, these Egyptians had come at exactly the right time.

He decided to accept them and was also willing to use his power to shelter them. He believed he could get along well with them.

Because with them, he didn't sense the overly complicated and manipulative air that came with the Official History Compilation Committee.

"I apologize for my father randomly taking your belongings this time," Hikigaya said earnestly, placing the jar back on the coffee table after making his decision.

He spoke seriously to the Egyptian sorcerers in front of him. "Come to think of it, the reason I became a God Slayer was in part because of the Nine Gods Group. I believe we'll get along well from now on."

"You've agreed?" Mahamud asked excitedly.

"Yes, Mr. Mahamud." Hikigaya nodded. "Let's build trust with each other. Though it's never easy to do that, not in any era."

"You're right. We'll prove our loyalty through action," Mahamud said solemnly. Then, as he bowed deeply, all the Egyptian sorcerers behind him also bowed respectfully. "In the name of Ra, we will never betray your trust."

"Mm. I may be young and not have a god I worship, but I'll also do my best to fulfill my responsibilities. Let's work together." Hikigaya stood up and respectfully accepted their sincerity.

This moved the Egyptian sorcerers deeply.

They felt the respect Hikigaya had given them, not treating them as lowly servants despite his great power.

This made them feel their choice had been the right one.

After all, this had been a gamble—grown men coming to cling to a young man barely older than their own children.

To say they didn't feel any discomfort, even with him being a God Slayer, would be a lie.

However, none of them mistook Hikigaya's respect for weakness.

No Egyptian sorcerer of normal intelligence would think a God Slayer could be underestimated. But that respect, from a God Slayer, was the best form of encouragement.

Because of this, the Egyptian sorcerers were now filled with energy. They were practically itching to follow their young leader to go save the world.

As their former leader, Mahamud felt he needed to immediately express this enthusiasm on behalf of the group.

"Master, if you don't mind, we would be honored to invite you to visit our temple," he stepped forward slightly and said, "We believe that what our ancestors left behind may be of great help to you."

"Oh?" Hikigaya asked with interest. "What do you mean by that?"

"Our ancestors always attempted to communicate with the gods. It may sound absurd to you, but over time, these efforts did seem to bear fruit, at least in the form of our magic," Mahamud explained carefully. "Though these spells might not mean much to you, the mindset they represent could help you grow stronger. After all, they contain knowledge of the gods—knowledge that's different from the magic of other nations."

"I see…" Hikigaya sat back down and began to think.

He longed for knowledge of the gods.

Not just about how mythology evolved, but something deeper—how gods think when they wield their power.

Because he constantly usurps the essence of gods, he could sense that, in many ways, divine thought processes ran counter to human logic.

Exploring that mindset might provide him with another path to quickly grow his authority-based power.

That was what he valued the most—something the dark could never give him.

Other God Slayers probably valued this too, but he believed that in this era, no one craved it more than he did.

"What you said… makes a lot of sense." After some thought, Hikigaya smiled. "Then I'll trouble you all."

"No trouble at all. Your presence is our greatest honor," Mahamud replied emotionally.

This beginning was simply too good—after what he had just been through, he had nearly lost all hope.

"Mm, though there's no time like the present, I just got home. Leaving immediately wouldn't look great. How about this—you guys settle in here first. I'll have someone arrange everything for you," Hikigaya slapped his thigh and made a decision. "Once my parents are gone, we'll set off."

"At your command," Mahamud said, bowing gratefully.

It wasn't that he lacked self-respect. The truth was, their funds were really tight. Their original plan had been to stick around only after successfully clinging to this new 'thigh.'

"Mm, no need to be so polite. I'll also ask the people from Yomi to help improve your living conditions. By the way, you don't have any beef with them, right?"

"Not at all, great master."

"Good. I come from Yomi Hand-to-Hand group myself. I hope you'll get along well."

Hikigaya smiled and took out his phone, dialing Mikumo's number.

Yomi, which always looked down on sorcerers, and the Egyptian Nine Gods Group, which looked down on all foreign sorcerers—this might just be an interesting combination.

He was looking forward to seeing how it played out.

Chapter 35 – The Fox and the Dog

After settling things with the Egyptian magi, Hikigaya Hachiman found himself overwhelmed with new headaches.

Leaving aside the room renovations, just explaining the hole Mahamud had crashed through was already a problem in itself.

Too exhausted to deal with it, Hachiman gave up and had Tamamo-no-Mae use illusions to cover it up—he decided to secretly bring someone over to fix it when no one was home.

But the real issue came afterward: his family.

Although Athena didn't leave behind any memory traces, she had been seen by Hachiman's father before that, and said something so strange it ended with him being chased down half the block by his wife.

Neighbors, and even people who weren't neighbors, had watched the spectacle with delight...

His dignity was in tatters!

Getting chased by your own wife wasn't a glorious matter, especially when she's someone you love so deeply. Still, interrogating your son a little was fair game.

Hachiman's father remembered clearly—when that young girl first appeared, she mentioned his son.

Then she dropped that line about giving birth to his son—flip the table! A handsome uncle like him would never do such a beastly thing!

He was convinced that he had been set up by his son. No doubt about it. Otherwise, why would that brat bring the whole thing up and remind his mom?

.

.

.

"Little Hachi! Why are you messing around with girls?!"

As soon as he got home, Hachiman's dad stormed over to his son, who was peacefully gaming on the couch, and hit him with a look full of betrayal.

"Who the hell is Little Hachi?" Hachiman flinched from the sudden outburst, and by the time he looked up, his character was already killed by the computer.

He nearly threw the controller in frustration.

"Heh heh..."

A chilling laugh came from behind them. Both father and son turned their heads to see Hachiman's mother standing there, arms crossed, sneering at them with utter disdain.

"Little Hachi, you've really disappointed Mommy. I thought you were more like me."

She sighed deeply, showing a pained expression. "When did you become a pervert like your father..."

After wallowing in grief for a moment, she then clenched her fist and declared to the stunned pair: "That's it. From today on, I'm taking over your training, Little Hachi! I'm going to raise you into a true gentleman!"

Lady, please! Just take your husband to bed already!

Also, by the way—can Hachiman's name really be split like that in Japanese? Probably not, right? His name was already weird enough, but where did "Little Hachi" come from?! There's no logical connection at all...

Hachiman thought maybe it would be better if Athena moved back in.

He turned to glare intensely at a certain fox pretending to be dead on the floor.

But that damn fox just pretended not to notice...

Left with no choice, Hachiman tried some nonsense.

"Come on, Mom, does your son look like that kind of guy? Look into my eyes. See how honest I am?"

He widened his eyes as much as possible, trying to show sincerity.

"Hmm... uh..." Hachiman's mom glanced at him, then at her husband, and then...

"Mom, why are you looking away?"

"I-I'm not... Just... the wind's too strong, my eyes are irritated."

Right. He gave up.

When someone can say that inside the living room, not even a Godslayer can do anything.

"I'm going upstairs to sleep. Just got home and I'm exhausted," Hachiman yawned and tried to slip away.

But a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

He was shocked. He hadn't sensed it at all.

What the hell?! Some kind of master?! Eat my Authority first!

He turned around with a fierce glare—only to find his own dad's pitiful face.

"Son, where are you going?"

"Uh? To bed?"

"Son, don't be silly. Look at what your mom did to me. When fighting tigers, brothers stand together; when going to battle, it's father and son!"

He really wanted to give that face a good concussion.

"Dad, that must've been because you messed up, right?" Hachiman could feel a hostile glare from behind and tried to shake his hand free, but his dad held on tight. And he couldn't punch him. At least not easily.

"Don't talk nonsense! What mistake?! You trying to screw me over? Don't run away!"

"And you're screwing me over! You want me to get beaten with you?! Let go already—Komachi's upstairs taking a nap! You'll wake her!"

Hachiman felt a surge of killing intent behind him.

Clearly, the lady of the house was ready for Round 2.

Truly terrifying! Terrifying beyond belief!

"Hmm... come to think of it, Little Hachi, you've gotten a lot stronger." His dad suddenly looked puzzled. "You really went and studied martial arts?"

"Yeah, Little Hachi, you're looking much more energetic these days," his mom said with a curious expression. The murderous aura from earlier? Completely gone.

That shift was way too fast—Hachiman couldn't keep up.

"Ah? Oh? Yeah..."

It looked like there wouldn't be a violent sequel, so he stopped resisting.

Also, his dad's grip was absurdly strong—even though he's a Godslayer, he still couldn't break free.

"Wow, now you're making me nostalgic for my own martial arts days. So exhausting. Wanna go spar a little?"

"Uhh, maybe not..."

"Good idea. Mommy's curious too."

Standing in the living room, blocked from the front and back, Hachiman felt just like he did with the Egyptian magi—completely dumbfounded.

These two were impossible to understand...

"Fine, whatever makes you happy..." Hachiman gave in. He decided he'd just humor them for today.

He had started to realize—they seemed to be suspicious of him.

Of course, Hachiman didn't think they'd suspect he wasn't really Hikigaya Hachiman or anything.

More likely, they were suspicious about his martial arts.

Athena really hadn't done a good job covering things up. Just sloppy enough to make this not-so-normal couple feel like something was off.

So, Hachiman ended up getting dragged out the door, his dad grinning as he threw an arm around his shoulders, bragging about how amazing he was in his youth.

Hmm... if not for the cold, sneering look from his mom behind them, Hachiman might've even believed him.

Just as they reached the door, he heard his mom call out:

"By the way, Little Hachi, what's the name of this dog? I didn't see it last time. Did Komachi adopt it?"

"No, it's a fox," Hachiman corrected, glancing back.

Poor thing. That silly lion-dog haircut had been around so long it wasn't even recognized as a fox anymore.

"A fox?" His mom paused, looked back, then affectionately rubbed Hachiman's hair.

"You're such a cute kid. Still telling jokes to make Mommy laugh, even at your age."

"..." Hachiman's eye twitched. He said nothing more.

He could only hope he could successfully cover up all this mess today.

As for the fox's species identity—that was its own damn problem.

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Emiya Shirou (now called Hikigaya Shirou) reincarnated in a peacefull world.

His dream of becoming a Hero seems impossible in this world, where there is only peace.

Until one day a pink-haried kouhai changed his life after convincing him to play a mobile game.

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