A Betrayed Master Will Not Return

19 – The Best Leader (14)

The girl who had been clinging to my side seemed oddly excited since a while ago. She couldn’t be older than early teens.

She looked even younger than Nico and moved forward with light steps as if she were on a picnic, despite the end-of-the-world atmosphere around her.

The girl seemed completely unfazed by the devils’ corpses strewn all around.

Watching her, I couldn’t help but think that children, in some respects, have a stronger mental fortitude than adults.

‘They say you have to know fear to feel it…’

I myself recall having fun with cockroaches and worms as a kid, playing around with them. Looking back, it was a formidable thing to do, but possible only because I had almost no concept of fear towards those creatures then.

While pondering such thoughts, I asked the girl out of mild curiosity.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“My name is Leona Bonaparte. What about you, sir?”

“Gellard Müll. I’m a devil hunter from far away from here.”

“That’s just like my dad? He’s a devil hunter too. Although I think he said he quit a while back, nowadays he seems to keep working as if he never stopped.”

“Well then? You have a good father.”

Despite being retired, in a situation where demons roamed the city streets, it was likely that he took up arms once again to protect his family.

However,

While telling this story, the girl, Leone, shook her head and spoke in a voice filled with dissatisfaction.

“No, my dad is a liar. He never keeps his promises to play with me… Just today, we promised to go on a picnic together, but instead he told me to stay at home and went out by himself.”

“Um… Is that right?”

“Yes, and mom always said that people who don’t keep their promises are bad. She said one shouldn’t become such a person, nor should one associate closely with them.”

“…”

While I could understand the position of her father, I also couldn’t help but sympathize with the girl’s perspective, feeling the dissatisfaction that must have arisen.

Moreover, with the addition of the type of admonition that mothers often make, the emotional rift between father and daughter seemed to have deepened considerably.

Feeling both the sadness of the situation and the awkwardness of not being able to readily comment as a third party, I was left momentarily speechless.

Just then,

“Over there.”

The girl pointed to a house with her finger.

It was located in a relatively tidy area, unlike others, and the house, while somewhat worn, gave off the impression of being suitably spacious.

But the moment I saw it, I noticed something peculiar.

The door of this house had locks designed to bolt from the outside rather than the inside.

Given the context, it appeared to be a door purposely made this way due to Leone often wandering about.

While witnessing it,

I could glimpse the will of that man named Carlo, the determination of a father trying to protect his family despite the danger.

However,

“She’s out.”

To the apparent disregard of the father’s feelings, Leone seemed to have little fondness for meeting her dad.

Feeling a tinge of bitterness at her attitude,

we quietly followed in her footsteps into the house.

*

“What on Earth were you thinking! I told you never to go out, you could have been killed!”

“…”

Carlo, visibly enraged, raised his voice toward Leone.

Leone, for her part, simply bowed her head, remaining silent. Despite having many complaints, she had narrowly escaped death by not heeding her father’s words and thus, found herself without a reply.

“When will you ever learn? By now, you should be able to behave more prudently.”

Carlo continued his lecture, perhaps a bit too harshly.

Watching this, Gellard quietly asked,

“Is that the man in question?”

“Yes, that’s Carlo Bonaparte, a former Devil Hunter. He was supposed to go hunting the leaders of the demons with us, but… when he got home, found his wife and children gone, so things got a bit complicated.”

Jeanne explained the situation in a low voice.

At that moment, after finally concluding his sermon, Carlo let out a deep sigh and approached me.

“Haah… I truly regret that it has come to this. I never imagined my daughter would cause such trouble…”

“There’s no need to apologize; you were only doing your duty as a devil hunter.”

Carlo tried to offer his apologies, but Leone, seemingly dissatisfied with the situation, simply turned and retreated to her room.

No sooner had the girl, unable to be involved in this affair, vanished, the devil hunters began discussing the hunt for the problematic creature.

“We shouldn’t underestimate the beast, of course, but there’s no great cause for concern. Those northern fools might have failed miserably due to their blundering, but with our current strength, we should be able to capture it easily enough.”

With those words, Carlo, exuding confidence, armed himself and declared, “Well then, let’s depart without delay. Let’s finish off the creature in a single strike and put an end to this dreadful predicament.”

“That’s the spirit. With the master joining us, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Le-let’s go quickly, and wipe out all the demons.”

As the two made to rise in agreement with Carlo’s words, suddenly—

“Wait.”

“Huh?”

Gellard called out to them with a calm voice, and then looked earnestly at Carlo.

“Before we go, I want… Leone to be somewhere truly safe. No matter what precautions we take, there’s always the ‘what if.'”

“…Ha-ha, is there really a need for that? After all, once that monster is dealt with, everything will be over…”

“What if, just what if? If we leave the kid behind and end up losing, you know well enough that her death would be inevitable, right?”

“Mmm…”

Gellard’s words gave Carlo pause as he began to show signs of contemplation.

Then, seemingly having made a decision, he spoke with a smile playing on his lips.

“…Ha-ha, when you think about it, that might not be such a bad idea. So, while we launch our attack, someone should take the kid with them.”

“Ah, I’ll do it. If the master is entering the battle, victory is certain. It should be fine even if I am absent for this part.”

Jeanne volunteered, raising her hand.

No one in the group had any objections, and as a result, she naturally took on the responsibility.

“Then, is there anything left to discuss? Let’s get going. I’m eager to see that monster’s head roll as soon as possible.”

“Understood. Let’s all head out.”

“Yes, Gellard sir.”

“Got it, leader.”

“Jeanne, take good care of the kid. In every sense of the word.”

“Don’t worry, master. I’ll pay close attention to that.”

Jeanne, with a bright smile, responded to Gellard’s words.

And so, the group, having divided their responsibilities, began to leave the house.

*

“So, the uncle and the other ladies went to capture the monster, is that it?”

“Yes, it shouldn’t take long, but since it could be dangerous, let’s go with this sister to the church for now.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

Persuaded by Jeanne, the girl Leona began to move her feet hesitantly.

Thus, the two of them started to walk along the streets that grew ever more dismal as the sun set and a grim atmosphere seemed to swirl all around.

In such a disquieting feeling, they found themselves naturally drawing closer together.

However, Jeanne, who was personally confident in her own strength, and moreover had high affinity, began to easily converse with Leona even amidst such an atmosphere.

“You see, my dad gets mad at me for not following his word, yet he doesn’t keep his promises either. It wasn’t as bad before, but it seems to have gotten worse these days.”

“I agree, it was a bit too much earlier. If that’s the case, he shouldn’t make promises at all. It’s a betrayal to get someone’s hopes up only to break them.”

Contrary to the somber surroundings, the two continued their girl talk.

And when the conversation was getting more profound,

towards Leona.

Jeanne said in a quiet voice:

“But… you still love him, don’t you? Your dad.”

“!…”

“It’s okay, I know. Me too… I was the same as you. Despite what we say, he’s still precious family. After all, he’s your dad, isn’t he? The oldest male friend you’ve had since birth.”

“…You know very well…”

“Heh, I told you, you and I, we were the same.”

Jeanne showed a bright smile with those words.

Then she,

facing Leona, who now wore a slightly complicated expression, said in a cheerful voice:

“After this is all over, let’s make it clear, because he didn’t keep today’s promise, let’s tell him we’re going on a picnic tomorrow, right away.”

“…Yes! Great!”

Leonie responded with a smile to match hers.

As they conversed, the church came into their sight before they knew it, and they entered straight into its embrace.

*

“Ha ha… Well, this is… I’m sorry about this. It’s embarrassing to end up like this after suggesting we come here. I have no face to show.”

Carlo, lying on the ground, let out an awkward laugh as he apologized.

“Don’t mind me and just focus on the store or the demon right in front of you.”

Carlo, injured by the demon, still urged the others to fight.

To this,

Gellard spoke in a solemn voice.

“There’s no need to apologize. I didn’t even think of accepting it.”

“?”

“What?”

“What…?”

In the next moment,

Gellard drew his weapon and pointed it towards Carlo.

“Unfortunately for you, we’re not fools like them,” he said in a cold voice.

Carlo wore a dazed look for a moment, then…

Soon, he smiled a frosty smile and spoke.

“…That’s why I can’t stand guys like you with such quick wits.”