The Weight of Being a Leader

The silence of the room seemed to crush me.

“I'm a terrible leader… I lost control of everything. Max left, Shana sank the group, and I just stood there watching it all fall apart.”

The knocking on the door broke me out of my trance.

I opened it slowly and found Koharu , serious, her face tired.

— Koharu … — I said.

“May I come in?” he asked , in a calm but firm tone.

— Yes, of course. — I replied.

She walked in and closed the door behind her, the sound of the latch echoing in the silence.

— You couldn't rest, could you? — I asked .

— No. But I don't think anyone here is worse off than you. — he replied .

I sat on the edge of the bed.

"Where did Max go?" I asked.

Koharu took a deep breath.

"Unfortunately, I think only one person knows," Koharu replied.

— Shana , right? — I asked .

—Unfortunately… yes. — she replied.

I got up.

“Then I’ll talk to her,” I said firmly.

When I walked to the door, Koharu grabbed my arm.

"Please don't go to her. We'll find another way to find Max," Koharu said beggingly.

— I know you're mad at her, but we need Shana 's help . — I said .

She sighed, defeated.

"Okay… let's go together." Koharu agreed.

Shana 's room .

The door opened slowly. Shana sat there, staring blankly. She looked like a shadow of her former self.

— Can we talk? — I asked .

“About what?” she replied coldly.

"Do you know where Max went?" I asked.

She was silent.

"You're going to speak now, or I'll throw you out of here myself ! " Koharu snapped impatiently.

— Calm down, Koharu . — I tried to contain myself.

Shana looked up, dejected.

"He must have gone to Seseferin … it's his hometown," Shana replied.

“Does he have family there?” I asked .

— Yes. And friends. I bet he went back to them. — Shana replied.

“Even so… I want to talk to him again,” I said. With conviction.

A voice behind us sounded firm:

— It's not just you who wants it.

I looked back . Cassandra and Kairo were there.

— We've already talked. We know how important he is to the group. Even Shana must want to apologize . — said Cassandra.

Koharu crossed her arms.

— Just one question. — he said. Koharu .

— Which one? — I asked .

"How are we going to get to Seseferin ?" Koharu asked.

— Can I ask Ros to borrow a cart. — Cassandra replied promptly.

— And I know how to drive, — Kairo added.

We went down to the inn's lobby. Ros was cleaning glasses behind the counter.

— Cassandra, Kairo … What are you guys up to now that you want to leave Lilibel ? — he said with a suspicious look.

—Nothing much, — replied Cassandra.

Kairo opened his mouth to explain, but I interrupted him:

"We had a fight, and one of our companions left. We want to bring him back," he said . Kairo .

Ros looked at us silently. Then she smiled slightly.

"You guys really want to do this, don't you?" Ros asked.

— We want it. — we responded together.

He turned, thoughtful, and then spoke:

— Okay. I've decided. — Ros agreed to help us.

Seconds of tension.

you the cart ," he said finally.

I sighed in relief.

Within minutes, we were ready: backpacks, supplies, and courage.

Kairo took the reins.

— We'll be back soon, Ros . — he said Kairo with a smile.

“Take care,” he said, waving.

The cart began to move, and the sound of its wheels echoed along the stone path.

“Max… wait for us.”

Meanwhile, in Lilibel …

The sun was beginning to set when a young woman with black hair and green eyes entered the inn.

Ros , still cleaning glasses, looked up.

— Good afternoon. Are you looking for a room? — Ros asked.

“No. I’m looking for someone,” she said , smiling in a way that made the air seem heavier.

Ros swallowed hard.

—Who would it be? — he asked.

— His name is Fujimoto . — the girl replied.

Ros's eyes widened.

"He and his group have already left. May I ask why?" he said cautiously.

"I'm his sister," the young woman replied without hesitation.

Ros blinked, confused.

— I understand. But… why such urgency? — Ros asked suspiciously.

"Because I need to see him. Now tell me, where did he go?" she said.

Ros looked away.

— I… don't know. — he said.

"Yes, you do. Your nephew went with them," she replied, smiling.

Ros turned pale.

— My nephew? — Ros asked.

— Kairo , isn't it? — the girl replied.

Ros took a step back .

She looked around, scanning the room.

— Hey, Ros-san … Why is everyone looking at me like that? — he said , with a sinister smile.

Ros frowned.

—No one is looking at you. — he replied.

"Men desire my body... and women are jealous, aren't they?" she asked, tilting her head.

Ros took a deep breath.

"Do you want to go somewhere more private so we can talk?" Ros asked fearfully.

"If we do that, everyone will think you want something from me. But... I already know how to deal with those looks," she replied, laughing.

— What do you mean? — he asked.

She gave a cold smile.

— Killing everyone. — she replied.

The entire hall froze.

— Hahahahahaha ! — her laugh echoed, insane.

Ros turned pale.

"Do you really think you can kill twenty-nine adventurers at once?" he taunted, stalling for time.

She climbed onto the table, raising her arms.

"In the heavens above and the earth below… I am the most honored. And I will not be defeated here," said the girl.

Everyone looked, confused.

She then took gold and imperial coins from her pocket.

— Whoever can kill me can have all of this! — he shouted .

An instant later, chaos began.

Swords, arrows, screams.

But she moved like a living shadow. A blow, a slit throat. A leap, a pierced body.

In less than a minute, twenty-nine adventurers fell lifeless to the ground.

Ros screamed in despair:

— Stop! Please!!! — Ros screamed desperately.

She approached, serene, her green eyes shining with a sickening shade of pleasure.

"Are you going to tell me where he went now, Ros-san ?" she asked with a macabre smile.

Ros fell to her knees, trembling.

She held the knife to his throat.

— I'm Fedorova Alisiya … and I want to see my brother. — the girl revealed , whispering in his ear.

Ros swallowed hard, her body paralyzed with fear.

Ros was trembling, her breath shallow, her hands trembling on the counter. The black-haired, green-eyed woman, Alisiya , in that defiant pose, smiled like someone who no longer feared the world.

"Are you going to talk or not?" she asked , without blinking.

Ros , indignant, spat on Alisiya 's foot .

"I'll never tell, you monstrosity," Ros said.

Her face darkened. With a quick movement, she lunged with the knife and missed; the blade embedded itself in the wood of the wall. Ros saw his chance and, in a desperate move, yanked Alisiya by the hair and threw her to the ground. The knife fell; he caught it.

Alisiya laughed coldly.

— You made a mistake, Ros . — he said Alisiya laughing.

But Ros's grip was already firm. In an instant that seemed to slow, he plunged the gun into her chest.

Alisiya staggered, surprise breaking through her mask of arrogance. Blood and the sound of falling. Ros , panting, leaned against the counter, his hands bloodied. He looked at the bodies of the fallen adventurers across the room.

— I will not regret taking out of circulation whoever was going to destroy my nephew — he said Ros with a broken voice.

The city still trembled from the shockwave of that attack. No one had imagined someone so young, walking with deadly purpose, could dispatch so many men in the blink of an eye. Ros knew she had crossed a line, but she also knew she had defended Kairo .

In the village of Seseferin , mornings seemed too simple. Max was at home, among his family, trying to bring calm to the day that was beginning.

"Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?" the father asked , trying to lighten the mood.

— No, Dad. Let's go to work. — Max looked away.

Kupi , the little dragon, was cherished by his family. There was affection in the gestures; there, Max was just a son and brother, not a warrior burdened by conflict. But as they harvested the corn, Max noticed something strange in the sky: a reddish hue in the distance, smoke rising like a stain.

"Dad, run! Tell everyone: get out of Seseferin !" Max ordered, his voice cutting through the routine.

— What? Why? — the father stopped, alarmed.

Alisiya appeared as if emerging from the smoke itself.

—It was the demons, — she said dryly.

Max felt anger rise, first at the thought that Shana might have caused this, then at his own helplessness. The families needed help. Without much thought, he ran back to town.

Alisiya tossed a small vial to Max.

"Take it. It's a parasite that increases strength. You won't lose consciousness immediately, but I can't promise anything after that," she said .

Max hesitated, looked at Kupi , at his mother, at his sister. The fire was spreading; the houses were already smoking.

"If that's what it takes to save my family, then I'll use it," he murmured .

Without further ado, Max swallowed the contents of the vial.

The transformation was violent: his body expanded, his muscles grew, his expression changed. Brute strength took over, and with it a distant coldness that Max tried to hold back. He still spoke, still felt—but something in his command had shifted.

“Get out!” he roared , trying to control the fury this new power brought, but his voice came out harsh and distant.

Kupi shouted for the villagers to flee. People tried to escape the fire, but the vial's effects began to erode Max's humanity: acts he would never have chosen began to occur under the weight of the transformation.

There was panic, confusion, and finally, tragedy. Max didn't recognize what his bitter strength could do; blows struck in desperation claimed lives he had sworn to protect. When the smoke cleared, the remaining Max was on his knees amid the rubble, his heart drowning in guilt and horror at what he had become.