SSS Transmigration: I Can Extract And Evolve Overpowered Shadows-Chapter 45: The Next Stage (4)

The weather since the start of the week had been horrible. Rain poured in the midst of the blazing sun, wind blew hard enough to shake rooftops, and sand formed tornados that tore apart asphalt paths.

Hinata leaned against the railing of his balcony, gazing down upon the city.

The streets were lively with chatter. People poured in and out of stores while children ran through the streets without a care in the world.

Not only was Falmouth City clean and safe, but with the modern architecture Hinata had proposed and Tamara’s extensive knowledge of Earth and its way of life, they had managed to transform the backwater city into a place that seemed, at the very least, livable.

As Hinata stared at the city with a calm expression, he felt a presence creep up behind him. Before he could turn — albeit slowly — Lilith wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Hina~" she purred, clearly seeking attention.

Hinata glanced at her from the corner of his eye but said nothing.

Lilith, receiving no response, pouted and buried her face in his toned, V-tapered back. "Why have you been so cold to me since you came back, Hina? Didn’t I do a good job taking care of Falmouth? Aren’t you supposed to reward me?"

Hinata clicked his tongue but kept his annoyance in check. "Lilith, I don’t think we are close enough to be rewarding each other."

He pried her hands from around him and moved into his office. Lilith stared at his back for a long moment before rushing in after him.

"That’s why I want to get closer to you, Hina..." she murmured, eyes dropping to the floor. "We are clearly engaged, yet you still treat me like an annoying fly you want to swat away."

Hinata turned to her with a sneer. "I honestly thought you hadn’t noticed."

Lilith clenched her jaw, swallowing her anger. "I’m sorry if I came across that way, and I’m sorry about what I did when we first met, so please can you—"

Before she could finish, the door swung open and Nott stepped inside. Her gaze shifted immediately from Hinata to Lilith standing behind him. "Did I come at the wrong time, master?"

Hinata shook his head. "Actually, you came at exactly the right time." He turned to the pink-haired girl and offered a short bow. "Now if you would excuse me."

Lilith’s hands clenched so tightly at her sides that they drew blood. She drew a slow breath and exhaled. Without another word, she crossed to the set of couches near Hinata’s table and settled into one.

Hinata’s brows drew together in a deep frown. "What are you doing?"

Lilith tilted her head gently to one side. "Waiting for you to finish, my dear husband."

Hinata sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nott, just ignore her."

Nott glanced at Lilith, who was idly playing with her freshly manicured nails, then turned back to Hinata. "Master, I have the information you requested on Count Abelheart’s request."

Hinata settled into his chair, leaning back into it. Nott wasted no time and handed him the file she was carrying.

"It seems the count has grown desperate, as no one is willing to move against Count Sterling, who has connections to the outer zone."

"So he’s an easy target."

Nott nodded, a pleased smile touching her lips. "Precisely, my lord. If we offer aid now, we could walk away with far more than we bargained for."

Hinata rested his hand against his chin. "The main question is whether we can actually defeat Count Sterling."

"That would certainly be a concern," Nott said, tapping a page from the file. "Though according to our intel, Count Abelheart isn’t fighting the Sterling family directly — only a vassal family."

"So the forces won’t be significant?"

"Correct. Only around thirty percent of their strength will be present. If we bring the bulk of our awakened from the Dragonforge family, we can at the very least push them back."

Hinata was quiet for a long moment. ’It isn’t as though we must win the war,’ he thought, eyes skimming the documents. ’If we can demonstrate enough strength that the main Sterling house begins to fear us, the vassal family should fall back on their own.’ 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

He lifted his gaze to Nott. "Call a meeting of the council members. Our aim in this fight is to demonstrate Falmouth’s power, secure more funding for development, and ensure the Abelheart family comes to depend entirely on us."

Nott nodded sharply, bowed, and swept out of the office, leaving Hinata alone with Lilith once more.

Lilith fixed him with an unwavering stare, intense enough that a bead of sweat formed at his temple. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

She blinked slowly, her gaze softening. "No reason." She rose from the couch, moved towards him with unhurried steps, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I’ll leave you for now, Mr. Hinata."

Hinata watched her walk toward the door. Halfway there, she turned back and smiled. "Oh~ and I’m going with you."

"What?"

She stuck out her tongue, tugging her lower eyelid down with one finger. "You heard me. You wouldn’t want to pass by rare monsters and miss having it recorded in my dream world, would you?"

Hinata sighed. ’I hate that she’s right.’

Seeing the resignation on his face, the curve of her lips deepened. "Then I’ll start preparing for our departure."

Hinata was too exhausted to protest anything for the rest of the day. With nothing left to manage, he decided to make a short trip to see Absalom.

It typically took three days to summon all members of the council, since they weren’t always in the city—Tamara included. With so much time available, he decided it would be more worthwhile to learn what he could from his master and inform him about the coming war.

The journey back to the canyon proved far easier than he had anticipated. Within three hours he reached the canyon entrance, and at that same moment a loud voice rang out.

"Brat! What are you doing here!"

Already drained, Hinata felt a fresh wave of fatigue wash over him at the sound of his master’s voice. He trudged into the canyon with sluggish steps, making his way toward where Absalom sat.

The old man was lounging in a beach chair beneath an umbrella, sunglasses on, coconut drink in hand — the full beach package.

"Why are you so early, you brat?"

Hinata dropped his backpack, rolled his neck to one side with a soft crack, and exhaled. "I came for your special training, master."

Absalom tilted his sunglasses down slightly. "Didn’t I tell you to come back in a week?"

Hinata met his eyes. "I’m about to go to war."

Absalom lurched upright, the coconut slipping from his grip. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

Absalom’s mouth split into a grin. "Good. Very, very good."