Hinata POV
"The Stylish Bandit Slayer has arrived."
Shouting it out loud was so embarrassing, but it was fun.
The men looked at me, and I could see those looks in their eyes, the same kind I used to give when watching Cid in his NPC persona: ridiculous pieces of shit.
Tch tch… you're going to pay for underestimating me.
"Kill her!" one of them barked, which I assumed was the leader since he seemed the strongest.
Two of them dashed towards me with swords in their hands. I could see them clearly, their movements slowed in my eyes. Not like how Metro Man sees (for that I'd need Thought Acceleration, which I'm not using), but still slow enough for me to predict their next action. I wasn't going to let them finish it. I adjusted my posture and slashed.
Both of them split cleanly at the torso. Blood sprayed, limbs dropped, and the sound of bodies hitting the ground echoed: thud, thud, thud.
The mood in the clearing changed instantly. The leader made a few quick hand-signs; the formation shifted. Swordsmen closed in front while mages in the rear began chanting.
The swordsmen dashed towards me without hesitation. I could tell they were just distractions, and they knew it too, but they didn't waver. That meant they were ready to die.
My mind wandered for a moment, thinking about their determination and the reason behind it. I felt a flicker of pity, maybe they were working for someone, maybe families were being used as leverage, but pity didn't slow my blade. I moved again, precise and efficient, and ended him and his partner.
This world just lost two more advanced-rank swordsmen.
I leaped back. Spikes erupted where I'd been standing, a neat ring meant to finish me. The mage in the blue robe, staff raised and lips shaping the chant, gave himself away. "Nice trick, but too slow," I said coldly.
I closed the gap in a heartbeat. Every swordsman I passed crumpled like rope cut; battle aura or not, their bodies could not take a single clean stroke from my blade. I almost toyed with them, almost, but Ghislain's staggered form on the ground told me she wasn't waiting for a show.
Breathing in, I moved again, faster than their eyes could follow. Only the leader noticed the pattern of falling heads in time to register panic. He spun, the most sensible thing he could do, but his few extra seconds were lucky only because I needed answers.
I gave him a single chop. As he toppled, I caught the hem of his shirt, steadying him with a grip as merciless as it was calm.
"Lilia!" I shouted. She slipped out from her hiding place without hesitation. Good. She knew her own limits and followed orders instead of charging in like the hotheads who only wanted to prove themselves and ended up as hostages. "Check them. Take their stuff."
While she moved, I knelt beside Ghislain. The cuts across her body made my chest tighten. I pulled a red potion from my pack and spilled it across her chest. Yes, totally unintentional, not because my inner man of culture woke up or anything. As the liquid touched her wounds they began to close, pale flesh knitting back together, the magic doing its work.
When there was a lull, I crouched down and tilted the last of the potion to her lips. Her tail twitched. Cute. My hands itched to pet it, but no, wait until she's awake. She owed me nothing, but somehow I was sure she wouldn't refuse a friendly touch after what I just did.
Her eyes snapped open and she sprang up like a cat, reflexes intact. Instinct kicked in first: she patted at her own side, checking the healed cuts with quick, practiced motions. Then her gaze flicked to the bodies, to the bound leader, and finally landed on me.
She bowed her head for a beat, astonished to find the wounds already closed. Her tail flicked, betraying a flicker of something like nervous curiosity or gratitude. Damn it, she looked even more pettable now.
I forced myself not to pounce. No creepy human, no unsolicited cuddles. Instead I offered a small, casual smile and held my hand out palm-up, a silent, nonthreatening gesture. "You okay?"
She studied me for a heartbeat, then gave a short nod and a terse, gravelly, "Thank you for saving my life," her voice rough but carrying a weight that went deeper than simple gratitude.
Lilia stepped forward, already carrying a satchel of loot. She glanced at Ghislain briefly before turning to me, handing over a folded cloth. "Seventy-eight silver coins and nine gold coins," she reported crisply. "There are more copper ones, but they'll take time to count. I didn't find any markings to indicate allegiance, but judging by how uniform their swords are, it's safe to assume they were working for someone."
She paused, then handed me two staffs she'd been carrying under her arm. "These are still in decent condition. Should fetch a fair price if we sell them."
I gave a small approving nod, taking one of the staffs and tracing the carvings along its shaft. "Good work," I said simply, before turning my attention to Ghislain.
"Do you know why they came for you?" I asked, my tone calm but probing. "Given how they attacked, it's safe to assume they didn't want you leaving this place alive."
Ghislain frowned, her brows furrowing as she searched her memory. After a brief silence, she shook her head. "I don't remember meeting them before," she admitted bluntly.
"I see." I nodded, then rose to my feet and pointed toward the unconscious man still lying nearby. "He's yours."
Without another word, I turned to Lilia. "Let's go."
She nodded, already adjusting the satchel on her shoulder as she followed.
Although I was curious, maybe even a little interested in the gossip that might follow, I had more pressing goals. The city was waiting, and I wasn't about to waste time lingering here.
"Wait!"
Hearing the voice, I turned back. Ghislain was walking toward us.
Boing. Boing.
…Hmm? Did I just hear something?
Tch. Tall.
I kept my expression neutral. "Is there anything else you need?" I asked evenly. If she wanted money, I could spare some. It's not like I needed every coin.
But instead, she stopped a few steps away, her golden eyes firm, voice carrying that same low, resolute tone.
"I want to serve you."
Oi oi oi…
I blinked, staring at her face. The seriousness there was undeniable, no trace of hesitation. Her expression practically screamed, "I will protect you."
"Why?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
Ghislain didn't even flinch. "You saved my life," she said simply, "so I want to repay."
Ah, damn it… I didn't rescue her expecting this kind of loyalty quest.
She was one of my favourite characters, that's the only reason I acted. If it had been someone else, I probably would've just walked away.
"Till when?" I asked, already guessing her answer.
"Till the end," she said without hesitation.
I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes for a moment before looking back at her. "Alright… but before that, I need to tell you something."
Her ears twitched slightly, and she tilted her head in confusion.
"You can decide if you still want to stay with me after hearing it."
I knew this was a one-time opportunity, a rare chance to test how far her loyalty could go. Time to see how she'd react once she learned the truth about me.
But before that, I turned toward the man who was starting to stir. His groans filled the quiet clearing as he tried to sit up, blinking in confusion.
"Let's interrogate him," I said flatly, brushing the dust off my sleeves.
Lilia immediately stepped closer, her hand resting on her sword hilt, while Ghislain's sharp eyes narrowed, the lingering weakness in her movements gone, replaced by cold focus.
The man's gaze darted between us, and I could already see the panic settling in. Poor fool, waking up to three women staring down at you usually isn't a bad thing, but in this case… yeah, he's not lucky.
.....
Hinata POV
Well, I expected him to know something useful, but turns out he was just a disposable pawn. In the guild's records, he's listed as an adventurer and even a party leader, but in truth, he's nothing more than a contract killer. Someone who takes assassination jobs under the guise of adventuring.
From what he said, they have a regular client. Never shows his face, only sends targets and payments in advance. He assumes the man's a noble, mostly because every payment came in solid gold.
Their hunting method was disturbingly clever. They'd take quests related to their target, kill the person before anyone else reached them, then report the "discovery" of the corpse to the guild and claim the reward too. Efficient and silent, a double payout murder system.
When I asked Ghislain if she'd met any nobles in the last month, she nodded. Not only had she met one, she'd saved one, Sauros Boreas Greyrat. He'd been under attack when she happened to pass by, so he hired her on the spot as his guard.
She hadn't managed to kill all the attackers back then. Most likely, one of them survived and reported back to whoever hired them. And now, that same noble or his enemy wants Ghislain dead for interfering with his business.
According to the man, they'd been tracking her movements ever since. Even bribed the innkeeper to drug her food so she'd be too weak to fight back when they finally struck.
Tch. Dirty, but effective. And judging by how shaken Ghislain looked earlier, it almost worked.
Since Ghislain didn't know anything about the man behind the attack, she decided to abandon the thought of revenge for now. Though, judging by the way her tail twitched when I mentioned the inn worker, I could tell she planned to visit him later, probably to "ask" a few questions in her own way.
...
"Huff… finally, rest." I dropped onto the bed, sinking into the soft mattress. It was surprisingly large, enough for three people if needed. We'd finally reached the city after making sure that the surviving assassin was handed over to his subordinates for interrogation.
I looked up at the two women standing before me, Ghislain and Lilia. Both waiting for my next words, straight-backed and silent.
'I don't know why,' I thought, lips twitching into a faint smile, 'but it feels kind of good having them listen like that.'
Still, there was something I needed to settle before this dynamic went any further.
I exhaled slowly. "What I'm about to tell you is a secret. My background."
Before I could continue, Lilia turned to leave, probably thinking this was a private matter between me and Ghislain.
"Lilia, wait."
She paused mid-step and looked back at me, eyes questioning if I was giving an order.
"You need to know about it too," I said firmly.
Her eyes widened slightly, surprise, maybe even a flicker of curiosity, before she gave a short nod and stepped back in front of me.
Alright then. Time to see how they react once they know what I really am.
**********
So someone in review said hinata couldn't Assimilate talia and she is struggling in mushoku tensei.
Well I have explained it before but let's do it again, hinata isn't just gaining talia fighting experience and skills, she is gaining much more like how to monitor others, various weapons using skills, business management, etc. just because hinata is strong doesn't mean she have every skill/abilities.
Also for struggling in mushoku tensei, soul energy may recover for skill use after some time but for most skills to take effect it needs magicules like analytical appraisal spread magicules for collecting data, body double need magicules, magic need magicules. Once she uses her all magicules reserve she won't be able to recover them since there's no magicules in this world.
Also she can't use mana , this world magical energy (not her inner energy to use magicules), because she wasn't from this world and have no mana reserve.
I hope this solves everyone doubts about why she can't Assimilated talia immediately or why she isn't using her skills or magic, I hope you are enjoying the story and give review to share your thoughts.