After hearing my request, Saori gazed deeply at me for a moment before nodding.
"I understand. I'll contact her immediately."
"In that case,"
I said calmly,
"let Sorasaki Hina leave this place."
The moment those words fell, the atmosphere on the scene instantly turned strange.
"...Sensei?"
Behind me, I heard Hina ask in disbelief,
"What did you just say?"
Saori fell silent briefly, then asked in return:
"Wouldn't knocking her unconscious achieve the same result?"
"No."
I activated the authority inherited from Aru, an ability written as enhancing my persuasiveness but in practice lowering others' self-control. Feeling my already meager stamina rapidly draining away, I kept my tone perfectly steady.
"I said, let Hina go."
"Sensei, what exactly are you saying!?"
Before Arius could even respond, Hina became anxious first and grabbed my sleeve.
"How could I possibly leave you behind alone!? Even if I have to stake my life, I absolutely... guh!"
Yet before she could finish speaking, pain surfaced on her face once more.
That sight only strengthened my resolve.
"In your current state, even staking your life would accomplish nothing."
I quietly looked at her, weaker than I had ever seen before, and said flatly:
"Are you planning to stay here and become my burden?"
Just like how I had left the Trinity girls behind earlier, I was also intending to use myself as bait to draw away more pursuers, easing their burden so they could escape.
And now, I was going to safely send away this Hina before me, who was willing to sacrifice herself for the safety of the person she loved.
No matter the reason, no matter how much I tried to blame outside forces, I still bore responsibility for things reaching this point. So I had to make amends accordingly.
What allowed me to drag my utterly exhausted body, aching from head to toe, all the way here without collapsing was precisely this thought born from self-blame and regret.
"Even so, if I stay here, at least..."
At least what? At least die before me?
"Hina."
I interrupted her.
"Trust me."
"It's because I trust you that..."
The white-haired girl pursed her lips, her face filled with worry. Looking closely, tears were even gathering in her eyes.
Come on now, did she really think I was planning to sacrifice myself in exchange for her escape? It wasn't as if I was incapable of surrendering.
Thinking of me as someone that noble really put me in a difficult spot.
"Relax, I'm not going to joke around with my own life. I just... intend to speak alone with the true culprit behind all this. If you stay here, I won't be able to act freely."
I shrugged and smiled.
"After all, I don't want you seeing the ugly side of me as an adult. Hina, endure just a little longer. Beyond this point, it's no longer something you should worry about."
Speaking words similar to what Hina had tried to say to me earlier before she was interrupted, I hoped she would understand my implication.
Based on common sense, what had she originally intended to say?
"After we break through here, it will be..."
No matter how I thought about it, the only possibility was that Hina had already arranged a rendezvous point in advance.
We had been intercepted midway, and the people waiting to receive us had no way of knowing our location, nor could they recklessly move in such a dangerous situation.
Which meant someone now had to go to the agreed location, make contact, and inform them of our current position.
Conversely, if she stubbornly remained here, not only would she be unable to help, she would very likely disrupt my rhythm in stalling for time.
Naturally, there was no way I could reveal any of these calculations to enemies like the Arius Squad.
But I believed that even in such a desperate situation, Hina would still maintain our tacit understanding and sort through the logic quickly.
Emotionally, it might be hard for her to accept, but this truly was the only thing she, now incapable of continuing to protect me, could still do that might help me.
The only thing left to worry about was whether I could guarantee my own safety before the reinforcements she found arrived.
Hina's expression shifted repeatedly. After who knew how much inner conflict, she finally made this extremely difficult decision.
"...Okay. I understand."
Her gaze hardened once more.
"I understand."
I also smiled gently.
"Good. As long as you understand."
However, even after successfully persuading Hina, another problem still remained before me.
"...Sensei. It seems you still haven't grasped the situation."
At the side, Saori spoke in a low voice.
"Even if we eliminate Sorasaki Hina here according to the original plan, we can still take you back to Arius afterward."
Hearing that, I merely let out a cold laugh and replied arrogantly:
"The one who hasn't grasped the situation is probably you. Why don't you first carefully consider your and your companions' weight in Beatrice's eyes, as well as my value to her, before thinking about what sort of attitude you should use when speaking to me?"
I was exploiting the Arius Squad's fear of Beatrice, bluffing and threatening them in return.
Though it sounded absurd at first glance, for cowards unable to distinguish who genuinely cared for them and who did not even dare harbor thoughts of resistance, this method was extraordinarily effective.
Moreover, I was still keeping the authority of [Yoke-Free] activated while speaking.
There was actually another possibility here, namely that deep down they already intended to go easy on me to some extent. But at this moment, I truly had no spare energy to think about that.
Saori fell silent. After exchanging looks with her companions for a while, she finally lowered her head and chose compromise.
"...Understood. But please, no matter what, do not tell her about this."
"Heh, as long as you're willing to behave, I'd also prefer less trouble."
After reaching a deal with the Arius Special Squad in just a few exchanges, I looked once more toward the white-haired girl.
"You should go."
"...Okay."
Hina stared into my eyes, her lips trembling slightly as she softly said:
"Sensei, please... take care of yourself."
Afterward, she silently mouthed several words visible only to me. I could vaguely make out what she said.
"Wait for me to come back."
I smiled and nodded in response.
Only after the Gehenna Prefect Team leader disappeared at the end of the road, using her machine gun as a crutch and struggling forward step by step...
Only then did Saori, true to her promise of letting her go, formally contact Beatrice.
Moments later, the image of that strangely featured woman dressed in white appeared before me.
Then she let out a victorious chuckle.
"Sensei, it has truly been a long time."