---Max's POV---

 

Ahh, I feel so out of it. Where am I again?

 

I drowsily scanned my surroundings to try to figure out my current circumstances. I'm currently in front of an old fence which surrounds a large mansion. As I turned my head to the left, an odd yet familiar sight took me by surprise.

 

A car… and these streets. Did I go back to Earth?

 

"Hey #####, why are you just standing there? Quickly climb over the fence before someone sees us!"

 

!

 

That voice… Jessy… No, wait, it can't be, it doesn't make sense!

 

"Are you really Jessy!?"

 

"Woah there, settle down ####. You'll definitely attract attention this way. We already have the local police department on our trail, so this will only make it worse! Besides, we wouldn't be here in the first place if you didn't want that relic, Mister Leader."

 

Relic? Oh, hold on, I remember this! If I'm correct, this should be one of the earliest missions back when the brotherhood was still in its infancy. Which means…

 

"Jessy, forget this, we're turning back. This is all a waste of time."

 

This is definitely a dream, which is why I'll do whatever I want until I wake up. Even if it isn't and some sort of evil magic turned me back in time, I already know the fate of the brotherhood. No way am I going to make the mistakes of the past.

 

The red-haired woman, who I think was 22 at that time, had visible shock on her face. As I turned around and was about to leave, Jessy yanked me by the neck then shook me violently.

 

"What's wrong with you today!? Did you eat something bad for breakfast? Did you hit your head? The ##### I know would never abandon his cause. Did you forget your dream already?"

 

I flinched. This must be some sort of nightmare to remind me of my pathetic past. Can it just end already?

 

"Look Jessy, if you want an explanation, then all I can say is that I finally realized that this is all meaningless. Let's just stop before it's too late."

 

I can't face her any longer. I quickly turned my back and began to walk away, only to be stopped by a sudden cold chill in my back. Did she… stab me?

 

"...W...hy.."

 

"Did you already forget your position? To turn your back on the brotherhood. DO YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST DO THAT, TRAITOR!"

 

My body fell on the grass as I could no longer hold myself up. Oddly, my back felt no pain, yet my right hand began aching a lot, so much so that I had to grit my teeth and close my eyes while cursing at nothing.

 

…

 

I opened my eyes, this time, I was in a room with stone walls and a particularly bright ceiling lamp shining brightly on my squinted eyes. Agh, so it was a dream after all, although the pain was so real. Real enough that I still feel my hand hurt… Oh, it's bandaged.

 

Whoever put that bandage on has done a very bad job since it feels so tight, I'm worried blood flow has stopped reaching my fingers. In fact, I can't feel both my thumb and index finger. I should remove it for now.

 

!? AAAAA, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FINGERS.

 

Both the thumb and index finger were abnormally solid black halfway from the tip down. Dammit! If this is gangrene, then I must get them removed as quickly as possible before it spreads… How do I do that though?

 

It's all that cursed book's fault! I knew I should've never messed with it. I hastily turned my eyes towards the magical ceiling lamp, then pointed at it with my abnormal finger.

 

"This is also your fault, you bastard! If there were no magical light sources, I wouldn't have been able to read the book, and everything would've been fine!"

 

*crack*

 

Darkness suddenly filled the room right after the sound of glass cracking came from the lamp. I panicked for a bit. How was I supposed to know that magical ceiling lamps were sentient and could get offended by my words?

 

I heard the creak of a door opening which let in some light to illuminate the unlit room.

 

"Hmm? Did the light crystal malfunction? Ah! T-The patient… Doctor! Come quickly, he's awake- Ack!"

 

"Young master, did you really finally wake up!?"

 

Sisley pushed aside the nurse and rushed to my side before inspecting me. It was still pretty dark so she probably couldn't clearly see my open eyes.

 

"Yes, I am very awake right now, Sisley. Can I have some breakfast? I'm starving right now."

 

"Oh, thank the spirits! Please stay there, young master, I shall bring over Lady Sarah right now."

 

Sure, sure. Just don't forget to bring me something to eat, though. For some reason, I feel like I haven't eaten anything for a whole month!

 

The nurse came back along with an elderly elf, who must be the doctor, holding a handheld magic lantern. The elf started to ask me a series of questions, mainly if I feel any pain or have any cognitive problems. Oh, I'm feeling just fine~. Aside from the charred-looking fingers and some hunger, I'm perfectly OK.

 

"HOW ABOUT YOU OPEN YOUR BLIND EYES AND LOOK AT MY RIGHT HAND YOU SENILE OLD FOOL!"

 

The doctor was taken aback by my sudden outburst then booked it out of the room, leaving the poor nurse shaking in fear. Was my voice loud enough to scare away a grown adult? This is ridiculous, he must've run away because he realized it's his fault my fingers ended up like that.

 

"Max, my son, are you alright!?"

 

A concerned Sarah, quickly followed by Sisley, ran up to me and grasped my hand. Now that my eyes have adjusted to the light, I can see that both of their faces were as pale as a sheet while their arms were too thin. What happened while I was unconscious? More importantly, how long was I out?

 

"Umm, mom, I am a bit confused right now. Can you tell me-"

 

"It's alright, Max. You must be quite hungry, right? Please take your time and rest for a while to regain your strength before moving."

 

Sisley put down a tray of food on a table nearby then proceeded to feed me like a baby.

 

Hey! I'm perfectly capable of feeding myself, so this is just a petty attempt to embarrass me. Moreover, the rice tastes bland. Did the chef forget to season it?

 

"I'm fine mom, really. I just want to know what happened while I was passed out. Why am I in Fort Erosion and not the mansion?"

 

Both Sarah and Sisley had dark expressions and exchanged glances silently. Did something happen which they find difficult to tell me? Don't tell me… Did Hunter mess everything up once again!?

 

"... Young master… May I ask you a question beforehand? You see-"

 

"No."

 

"... Huh?"

 

"I asked first, therefore you should answer me now. I want to know exactly what happened and why you let it happen."

 

You can't let Hunter do whatever he pleases then shamelessly act as if you couldn't stop it. I gave a disappointed look to Sisley while she stared at the ground, probably out of sheer guilt. Sarah had a stunned expression, which is understandable since this is the first time I have said something as harsh as this to her. However, if she truly let Hunter completely take over my soldiers, then my anger is clearly justified.

 

"Max… I'm sorry. *sniff* I truly tried my best. I did everything within my power to protect the fortress from the attacks, but it's just too much!"

 

Wait, wait, wait, I didn't intend to make you cry! Yes, I'm mad that you, as the wife of a duke, couldn't stop a mere bodyguard, but I'm not mad enough to make you cry. Come on, Sisley, help me out… She's crying too…

 

"H-Hey, it's ok. Like I said, I am just a little confused and I am sure that I can fix whatever problem that sprang up. Please calm down."

 

"OH MY SON, TO BE THIS COMPOSED, I TRULY DON'T DESERVE YOU!"

 

Sarah hugged me tightly while bawling her eyes out. My attempt to fix the situation clearly failed as she cried even louder while suffocating me. Great, the first thing I do after waking up is make two women cry. Please tell me that this is all still part of the dream.

 

After an eternity of tears and sobbing, Sarah and Sisley finally stopped the waterworks then immediately left after telling me that they needed some time to calm down. This is all fine and dandy except for the part where I don't get any answers.

 

Fortunately, I heard footsteps coming closer, which means I'll get another opportunity to interrogate someone else, albeit without making them cry. Yeah, I should definitely talk gently with a smile on my face to not scare them off.

 

"Hello captain, congratulations on your recovery."

 

"Hello captain!"

 

"Aye capt', ya lookin' fine."

 

One of these greetings is not like the others. The first one was Martin, the second was Leona, and the third was… who the hell taught Narko the dwarven dialect! Ok, calm down and smile.

 

"Thank you everyone… If it is not too much to ask, can you please explain what occurred while I was out?"

 

"There ain't no need to act so rigid, Capt'. While ya were in dreamland, the whooole world 'as gone to sh-"

 

"Ahem. What Narko is trying to say is that a demon invasion has started right after you entered a coma. It has been more than a month since then and the situation is gradually getting worse. Our supplies are limited, there are many mouths to feed, the southern wall is heavily damaged, and soldiers from the Fenrir territory have been sabotaging any attempt to rebuild farms."

 

I was actually out for more than a month!? How did they keep me alive till then? Oh, nevermind that, this is totally way beyond my expectations for what has actually happened. I was doing so well fighting against magic, now I have to worry about real demons? Why is my luck so bad!

 

"Ok then, so what about my fingers? I tried 'asking' the doctor about it, but he ran away for some reason."

 

"Ya don' know? There are rumors 'round sayin' that people are randomly demonif-"

 

"Narko, stop it! The captain isn't going to become a demon!"

 

"Ey Leo, it's jus' a joke. It ain't as if my words can turn him into one. Quit yer glarin'!"

 

"Ok please don't fight. Now, I really can't fully understand the situation without seeing it myself. How about you show me the current state of the fortress for now?"

 

"Good idea. Though ya ain't gonna like what ya see. Half our comrades are six feet under."

 

… Please tell me this is a joke. Hey Leona, weren't you supposed to deny what she just said?

 

*DING* *DING* *DING*

 

"Tsk, 'nother wave. Sure hope it ain't as bad as the last one."

 

"Alright captain, I apologize for leaving so soon, but Leona, Narko, and I need to supervise the defense."

 

"Wait, take me with you"

 

"Captain, you-"

 

"This is an order. Moreover, bring all the null dust available in the fortress to me. You can even scrape off the null dust covering unused weapons if you have to. I will take care of this."

 

"...Yes sir."

 

Almost everyone within the Soul Stabilizers is under 20-years-old. If what Narko said is true, then that means many teens have lost their lives fighting as soldiers. All these souls were my responsibility, and now they have no future. If someone uses magic on me, I'll treat them as my enemy. If someone takes the lives of those who work for me.

 

I'll kill them.