Popping out of the darkness outside the window of the torture room landed me in some fancy house’s yard.

The amazing smell of fresh, chilly, night air, the dark, brown leaves around me and the sounds of annoying bugs made the amount of time I spent in captivity feel so insignificant.

I started walking and of course, my head wanted to lay down. The headache and dizziness almost made me fall down. If that wasn’t bad enough, the shadowy figure in the corner of my eye made it clear that it is too much for me to use my Seal even once.

This is going to be a rough night.

I headed out, still confused about the reason the baron let me go just like that, but I will take this chance to get back at Kiyoko.

I was too careless before but this time my head is clear. This piece of shit, she has to die!

***

It was difficult, navigating the streets of the Upper in Silvermoon like that, usually when I came here for missions. It was when my condition was perfect, I could just use my Seal and some movement techniques to traverse the area easily.

It was difficult but I managed to make it to Home. Luckily for me, this place would never have guards as this bitch wants the world to think that she runs an orphanage, making infiltration a trifling matter.

I walked through the dreaded corridor leading to Kiyoko’s room, the door was open and I could hear voices. Why would anyone be awake at this hour?

“Lyn! What am I to do now?!” Kiyoko? and she’s talking to… Niya? Why would she use her first name?

“Everyone leaves me Lyn! Please don’t leave me!! Please don’t go away like Jake did!”

“Master, hush now, you know I would never do that. You are my mother, our mother.

Everyone in Slayer loves you. Please put down that knife, punishing yourself wouldn’t make anything better.” Knife? Punish?

If I get any closer they will notice me, I guess I’ll just listen for now.

“Lyn, my dear Inoshi, he was a child of mine, I have loved him, I swear I loved him so much. Why then did he favor Shiawasu over his own mother?!” Is that it?! She was fucking jealous?! That's why she killed Ostel!?

“Inoshi, oh how I have wronged my dear child… You know Lyn, when the king came to me 4 years ago and requested that we provide a proper explanation for the deaths of nobles to the public, he promised me the prosperity of the slums, education, more jobs in the Upper, everything I ever dreamed of was finally achievable.

It was oh so tempting, making the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the ultimate reward.

Incriminating information on the evil king and the rehabilitation of our home, how could I refuse! Even if I had to sacrifice one of my own children, I would do so!”

“M-master! drop this blade already, stop hurting yourself! You’ve grown so frail and sickly due to loss of blood, please just stop!” Esemoniya yelled, followed by a metallic sound.

“Lynny, you don’t understand! I have tortured and killed my own children just to achieve my goals. I wanted to make the slums a better place as it was before! I wanted evil king Hyland to be shamed and dethroned!

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

But alas, the king has made major efforts to amend his past wrongs, even going as far as reconnecting with and compensating the Hadohians in the south.

The people who made me the empty husk that I am today have long been punished. Jake always said that you should not throw out a casket of apples when just 1 is rotten, yet here I am, picking up the one poisoned apple in the bunch.”

Kiyoko sounded like she regretted her decisions, her tone was completely defeated.

A distant thud followed by Niya’s panicked voice pulled me out of my thoughts “Master! Master Kiyoko! Wake u- Who’s there!? Identify yourself!” I took just 2 steps towards the room and she already caught on to me… As expected of a Slayer assassin.

I walked into the room with my hands up so as to not alert Esemoniya too much.

“H-hey Niya… So this is what Kiyoko has come to, how pitiful.” I inspected the unconscious body of my former master.

She was frail and sickly like before, but now she had a sleeveless shirt on and I could see all the wounds her body suffered from her own grief.

“Dearest?! Did Leo allow you to come here? Have you escaped? Why are you here?”

I didn’t really know what to say… I looked at my feet and just said “To kill Kiyoko.”

“Lifes! I understand your desire for revenge, but please Lif-”

“Niya, do you think she really deserves to grieve like that? Someone like that who caused so much agony to other people. Do you think this kind of monster deserves to feel sad? Do you think they deserve mercy? Redemption?” I clenched my fist tightly, my nails drawing blood.

Niya walked up to me and took my left hand in her palms.

I saw a tear drop down to the floor next to me as she responded “W-what? Lifes, my dearest, I don’t know what you’re trying to say and I won’t ask you to forgive the master but please, if you care for me even in the slightest, please just turn away and go back to prince Leo.”

“Niya, please just answer the question…” I could feel the frustration and sadness in her body language while keeping my eyes on the ground.

“Does a monster with no understanding of remorse, one that a person’s life is not worth more than a piece of paper for. A cowardly, weak monster, so vile it would not even look their victims in their eyes as it plays with their lives.

Do you think they deserve any sort of forgiveness…?” I asked again.

“Dearest, I truly can not answer this question as I have never met such a creature.” This sentence really stung my heart, so much so that I had to hold back my tears.

“If this person truly existed, I would say that all humans deserve some relief from their past wrongs if they are trying to make it better.” I bit my lip, for some reason her answer frustrated me even more. It hurts to listen to.

“Well, I disagree with you! There should be no forgiveness for this type of disgusting, evil, WEAK MONSTER!”

I walked up to the chair behind Niya and looked at Kiyoko’s cup.

It was a cup that I got her for her 40th birthday just 5 years ago. It was blue and white with a drawing of a mother holding the hand of her 2 children.

I picked it up before Niya said from behind me “It’s her favorite cup you know? She won’t even drink anymore if it’s not from this thing.” How convenient… This much will be enough, even for someone like Kiyoko.

I turned back, eyes still on the floor and started walking out of the room.

Before closing the door behind me I looked over my shoulder to see my Senior standing over my former master’s frail body one last time.

“If this woman ever wakes up, please make sure to tell her that Jake was very thankful to have his own words slap him in the face.

Also tell her that Lifes will never, ever forgive her.

Goodbye Niya, although we’ll probably meet soon enough.”

Niya’s hands wrapped around me, stopping me from walking away “Dearest! Lifes! Inoshi! Please, just please keep your eyes open! The world is not as ugly as you think it is.” With those parting words and a warm embrace from behind me, Niya let me take my leave.

I wasn’t sure where I should go now, but anywhere was probably better than Home.