Hayate no Gotoku! 241

Chapter 241

01

Text on the left: Between their parting and their reunion...
Title: Chapter 241 "The Shield of Aegis"

02

Box: 10 Years Ago

Athena: Hmm...

Athena: The path to the "Garden Palace" is indeed gone.

Text in right margin: 10 Years Ago, Tennousu Athena and the head of the Sanzenin family, Mikado, meet. What happened after the parting of Hayate and Athena?

03

Mikado: But, Athena. For you to leave...
Mikado: the path had to be open, right?
Athena: Yes, that's true.

Athena: I think the path remained open the entire time I slept...
Athena: I was worried, so I came to check on it, but it was completely closed...

Mikado: Could it have been made to close on its own if it was left open?
Athena: Who knows?
Athena: There were still a lot of parts still being researched, so there might have been something like that...but the Phrygian inscriptions didn't say anything about it.

Mikado: Then that means...

Athena: While I left...
Athena: and went to sleep...

04

Athena: Someone...
Athena: may have taken the Power of Royalty.

Mikado: But how?
Mikado: As you can see, the stones were of no help...

Mikado: Hey, about the barrier on these stones...
Mikado: Can you do something about it with your power?
Athena: That's impossible for me.

Athena: That kind of purification isn't in my field of expertise...
Athena: And it's too powerful.

Athena: The kind of genius who comes along once in a thousand years might be able to purify it...
Athena: but there's nothing we can do about it.
Mikado: I see...

Mikado: But does that mean someone got into the palace without a stone?
Mikado: And is there anyone else who would know about this place?

05

Athena: Yes...there is.
Athena: There was the person who entered the palace at that time...

Athena: But, if it was him, why?
Athena: It couldn't be...
Athena: Was that his objective from the beginning...?

Athena: Even so...I should keep this a secret from the old man...

Mikado: But now our fondest wish...
Mikado: could come crumbling down...

06

Athena: When you say "our"...
Athena: Are you including that Himegami-san and me...?
Athena: Aren't we just being used by you?
Mikado: What are you saying?

Mikado: The three of us are accomplices.
Mikado: We're great criminals pursuing the power of god.

Mikado: Well...
Mikado: The punishment you underwent may have been a bit too severe...

Mikado: Well? My dream of power is over...
Mikado: but you're free now...
Mikado: What are you going to do now?

Athena: Let's see...For now, I think I will take back the Tennousu family...
Athena: for the sake of my late father and mother.
Mikado: Oh.

07

Mikado: That will be difficult to do alone, won't it?
Mikado: As thanks for what you've done, I'll help you.

Athena: Hee hee...
Athena: That won't be necessary.

Athena: I underwent...
Athena: punishment for that.

08

Athena: If Hayate visited the Garden Palace...
Athena: after I left, there's a good chance he took the Power of Royalty outside the palace...

Athena: No... If it was more than that...
Athena: If that was his objective from the beginning...

Athena: Then...
Athena: those days were...

Athena: Which was it, Hayate?

09

Machina: Let go!!

Hayate: This isn't getting us anywhere.
Hayate: So could you please let me see her?

10

Machina: Don't wanna!!

Hayate: Wh-why not!?
Machina: Because....

Machina: Because you...
Machina: are going to be mean to Athena, aren't you?

Hayate: Huh?

Machina: Athena has always been fighting.
Machina: Fighting against bad people who want her parents' money.

11

Machina: Everyone who gets near her...
Machina: are mean to her and are her enemies.

Machina: They're all bad people who would take her money and even her life as soon as there was an opening.

Machina: Athena's nice, so she doesn't have them killed and lets them go.
Machina: But none of them play fair...
Machina: They never rethink their actions and go after her money again.

Machina: No one would protect Athena.
Machina: So Athena didn't rely on anyone, trusted only in herself, and became strong.
Machina: She avoids people, she doesn't trust people, she's more doubting and careful than anyone, and her mind and body are as tough as steel.
Machina: She does it all to protect what her mother and father left her!

Machina: But she was shaken after meeting you.
Machina: She tried to look like it didn't bother her, but she was hurting.

Machina: That's why I won't let you past.
Machina: That's why you...

12

Machina: will die here!!!

Hayate: Eh!?

Machina: Shaaaa!!

13

Hayate: Wha...!?

Hayate: What's with that power...!? This is completely different from before...!!
Hayate: This is...

Athena: Stop it, Machina.
Athena: You'll kill him.
Hayate: Was she serious when she said that...!?

14

Machina: Leave here now...and never get near Athena again.
Machina: If you do that, I will spare your life.

Machina: But if you insist on continuing on, I have no choice.
Machina: I'll have to kill you here.

Hayate: Kill me...?
Hayate: But then you would be a murderer.

Machina: No, I wouldn't.
Machina: If a human kills a human, it's a murder.
Machina: But if something not human kills a human, it's just an accident.

15

Hayate: Eh?

Hayate: Ghaah!!?

Machina: Anyone who is...
Machina: mean to Athena...

16

Machina: should just disappear!!

Text in right margin: Not human...Machina's strike pierces Hayate's body. He stands in the way of his feelings towards Athena...!!