A Betrayed Master Will Not Return

24 – Regret Gifted by the Master (1)

That day, for them, was a moment that could be considered the worst day of their lives.

Consecutive failures in demon extermination by the northern Devil Hunters,

And the tremendous loss of power that occurred in the process.

Furthermore,

As if mocking the failure in the north,

Right after that, the central Devil Hunters, who miraculously found out about the news and successfully accomplished it.

In a situation that was deteriorating to a noticeable extent like this,

The dissatisfaction of the northern Devil Hunters and the nobles who supported them,

Naturally directed towards Fiona and Charlotte, who had only been worsening the situation since becoming platoon leaders.

“All of this turmoil stems from the incompetence of the leadership!”

“That’s right. It wasn’t like this until Sir Geralt was here.”

“If you have something to say, speak up! Platoon Leader Fiona, Platoon Leader Charlotte.”

“…”

“…”

The words of anger and distrust from the Devil Hunters and nobles.

However, the two could only maintain heavy silence and lower their heads in response.

They were already stripped of any means of justification for over three years.

They no longer had the capability to argue for something new.

They didn’t even have the dignity to ask for more time.

Nothing was left for them anymore.

“Well then, I will hold them accountable for the failures so far and dismiss them from their positions as platoon leaders.”

“Their status will be demoted to regular Devil Hunters. They should reflect on their failures and strive to improve for a while.”

The declaration of Viscount Lamot, who had been covering for them until now.

With that,

The era of the two people that had lasted for over three years…

Slowly sinking like a sinking ship,

The era of Fiona and Charlotete, which had gradually deteriorated.

Came to a completely devastating end.

*

“….”

“Sigh…”

Although it had a spacious and elegant appearance,

Inside the room, a dreary atmosphere lingered.

It was the office used by the Devil Hunter commander,

And until just a few hours ago, it had been their space,

In the heavy atmosphere, Fiona and Charlotete were organizing their belongings one by one.

A place that would soon be used by the newly elected figure,

As they put their belongings, which had been piled up there, into boxes,

Fiona felt as if her flesh was being stripped away with each moment, tasting an indescribable sense of desolation.

“It’s over… everything is gone…”

Fiona, who had not hesitated to use any means to rise to the top.

Among them, there were things that included the killing of her mentor, Gellard, who could be considered a friend.

However,

Despite her efforts,

She ultimately had to accept it.

The fact that she had failed.

To Maximiliana Robes Fiona,

She had never had the qualities of a leader from the beginning.

“In the end… No matter how hard someone like me, a commoner, tries, it’s impossible. Someone like me… Someone like me caused unnecessary greed…”

Muttering despair and frustration, Fiona put her personal belongings in a box.

At that moment,

“!… Fiona, look at this.”

Fiona turned her head at the sound calling her.

There, she saw Charlotte holding a small pendant.

“This… It’s yours, right? I heard you forgot it. Here it is.”

“Yeah… I never expected to see it again like this.”

With those words, Fiona accepted the item given to her by Charlotte.

A birthday present from her master, Geralt, in the past.

However, when she received it, Fiona already harbored thoughts of condemning her master, who had made a deal with a devil, and therefore she had left it carelessly without inspecting it closely.

But,

In this situation where everything came crashing down, the gift from her master that she faced again,

Brought forth different emotions in her heart than before.

The strict yet compassionate nature of her master, Geralt.

To Fiona, who had lost her family, he was more than just a simple mentor; he became a presence that held the same emotions as a father.

Getting rid of such a person based solely on others’ words,

Fiona could only admit that it was because she was blinded by her own greed at the time.

“If… if I had persuaded my mentor back then… no, even if I had just listened to his story… maybe I wouldn’t be in such a miserable state right now.”

Feeling deep regret, Fiona cautiously examined the gift left by her mentor.

At that moment,

“…Huh?”

Something started to catch her eye.

It was something like a small note enclosed in the pendant.

“What is this…”

Fiona opened the pendant and took out the note.

Watching from the side, Charlotte felt a strange curiosity and began to examine it.

“What is it?”

“I… don’t know… It seems like some kind of memo?”

A last message left by her mentor three years ago, discovered in an unexpected situation.

Since the paper itself wasn’t large, its contents weren’t very long.

However,

-If something happens to me, go to the designated location below and find the item I left.-

“!”

As soon as Fiona saw the short sentences and the address written inside, she felt a momentary chill.

‘This means… Did Master already know that something would happen to him?’

Moreover, the fact that it was left for her and not someone else meant that he trusted her that much.

Upon realizing this, Fiona felt the emotions she had been trying to suppress all this time…

A feeling similar to guilt started to well up inside her.

She got up from her seat right away.

“Let’s go.”

“Uh… Okay.”

Charlotte replied with a firm voice to Fiona’s words.

And so, the two of them quickly moved towards the location written in the note.

The place itself was a shabby bar not far from there.

Although it was a place where Master Gerhard often frequented, they had rarely been there before.

Fiona was able to receive an old package by calling out Gerhard’s name.

Leaving behind bitter words from the bar owner about coming late, the two of them accepted the package and went outside.

In a quiet place where they wouldn’t be disturbed by others, they began to open the package.

“…What is this?”

Inside the package was an old box.

With slightly trembling hands, Fiona opened it…

And right after, she saw a sealed letter with her Master’s seal imprinted on it, and a bundle of fairly thick papers began to appear before her eyes.

“…Gulp…”

Fiora and Charlote, who were tense, opened the letter that was tightly sealed.

Inside, the writing was divided into two pages, each written in a different time period.

And,

The contents contained within were beyond what they had imagined.

“Fio…ra?…”

“Ah… Ahhh…”

*

April 8, 1782

I have slain countless demons up until now.

I have risen to the esteemed position of leader of the Northern Devil Hunters,

Some even call me the strongest Devil Hunter.

However,

In my heart, which has achieved victory against innumerable demons for the past 20 years,

There has always existed one unsettled question.

It is about the true identity of the demons that suddenly appeared one day.

In society, it is known that when the demon Laplace opened the gates of Hell, the demons spread throughout this land.

But, having fought against demons for a long time,

I started to harbor some suspicions about this story.

First of all, I have never once confirmed the existence of the Hell Gate.

The demons always exist only when they receive a commission.

I have never directly witnessed a scene where they open a door and appear from another dimension.

Furthermore, there is another point that arouses suspicion.

The commotion caused by the demons is isolated to our country alone.

There has been no news of demon attacks in neighboring countries like Lorend or Boroisen Kingdom.

People have been spreading stories that the demons are cursing the Franz Kingdom, but…

From a rational perspective, I don’t think the demons have any reason to care about the borders and concepts of countries created by humans.

The intelligence of the majority of demons does not surpass that of wild animals.

However, I became suspicious of the fact that these creatures are targeting only the Franz Kingdom.

And.

After considering these facts.

The conclusion I reached was as follows.

I still don’t know where the demons come from.

However,

They were not born in a place like hell,

They may have been created by someone in this world.

And through this fact.

I naturally came to a certain speculation.

That the entity known as the devil,

No, to be more precise…

The so-called being named Laplace,

Might just be an illusion concocted by someone in this country,

Or maybe not the grandiose demon as we imagine,

But perhaps, in fact, ‘human.’

Yet, despite such speculation, I still cannot recklessly share this truth with anyone else.

I am well aware that my own theory contains many holes.

After all, it’s mere suspicion without any solid evidence, nowhere near assertive enough to be blurted out.

Above all, whether this is the truth or not, just voicing it would plunge the Kingdom of Franz into chaos far greater than what it is currently experiencing.

Fervently, I hope that this dreadful speculation of mine proves unfounded,

And with that, I conclude this writing.

_______

April 4th, 1785.

To my beloved pupil, Fiora.

If you are reading this, I am likely no longer of this world.

However, I want to tell you that there’s no time to grieve over this.

For my death may well serve as the evidence that turns my speculation into certainty.

As previously mentioned in the letter,

I have been going around investigating here and there in order to reach a clear truth.

However, not long after I started this in earnest, I realized.

The fact that someone is targeting me,

that there are individuals who try to hinder me from approaching the truth, maybe even to kill me.

There is poison in the drink I was about to have,

strange individuals intruding into the magical boundary while I was sleeping.

Or attacks coming during battles with demons in precarious positions.

At first, I thought it was someone playing tricks on me,

but as time went by, I realized this was not a trivial matter at all.

The attempts to gather evidence

were carried out in secrecy and with sharpness to the extent that even I felt the danger of assassination.

And.

Through this, I finally became convinced.

The source of the problem…

The existence related to the truth of the demon

is watching over me from a closer place than I had imagined.

But that doesn’t mean I will stop.

Now that the outlines have finally been revealed, and I am almost close to the truth,

I have no intention of submitting to that filthy source of evil.

Even if my life were to disappear…

Within this, all the data I have gathered until now is contained.

If something truly were to happen to me,

and this falls into your hands.

I hope you will take charge of what comes after.

For the sake of this country.

And for the future of you and the other Devil Hunters.

No matter what difficulties arise along the way, never falter.

I may have ultimately failed, but you will surely reach the truth.

And when everything is finally over,

show a happy smile towards me in the afterlife.

Please stay healthy until the end.

My most trusted daughter.

Maximira Lopes Fiona.