I Stayed Loyal When My Teacher Was Betrayed

1 – The Moment the Demon King Fell

In this world, there is a common legend.

The Demon King, a being possessing an overwhelming and absolute power.

The legend of the warrior who defeats the Demon King.

Until just half a century ago, it was merely a trivial old tale told to children.

In a peaceful world, it was nothing more than idle gossip that could be heard and quickly forgotten.

However,

The story that once flowed from legends.

Now that the era of peace has come to an end,

It has become the desired hope of many, the goal for warriors and adventurers engaged in fierce battles against the demons,

Those who threaten the safety of the free races blessed by the gods – humans, elves, dwarves, and beastmen.

The envoys of evil.

The three Demon Kings.

Leading their hordes of demons, they spilled countless blood in their relentless opposition against the free races who dared to resist them with an unassailable power.

Demons and dark magic, along with the three Demon Kings who possessed an indomitable strength that no one could match.

They crushed thousands, tens of thousands of people under their merciless attacks,

And brought tears of despair to even greater numbers.

And at this moment,

One of the fearsome three Demon Kings.

Orrdin’s body, so grand and formidable, was rapidly melting away like ice in the midst of flames.

-“How… can this… be…? Me… defeated by… a mere human…!”-

His body crumbling while he poured out a voice full of hatred and astonishment.

The flesh of Orrdin, the Demon King who had shed the blood of countless others, was thus turned into miserable ashes as he faced his demise.

“Heh… heh… heh…”

However, at this moment,

The presence standing before the fading Demon King was neither the legendary hero from tales,

Nor the sacred saint who conveyed the will of the gods.

A witch.

Wearing a roughly carved black stone mask flipped upside down,

A figure dressed in an old, tattered, red robe that gives off a dark and eerie aura, far from beauty or nobility.

Presenting an impression of a malevolent being who seems more likely to lead to destruction than to save the world based on appearance alone, the red witch, with ragged breath, hesitated before the remains of the vanishing demon king, Odridin.

One arm barely clinging on, a deep wound on the side, and blood trickling through the half-crushed mask, she found herself collapsed without even the joy of victory after enduring such serious injuries.

At that moment, a group of people came running towards her.

Three witches in blue, green, and yellow robes, as well as two male wizards in white and black robes.

Seeing them, she briefly forgot her pain and smiled faintly beneath her mask.

‘They’re safe… I’m relieved.’

Although they were riddled with scars, the five wizards surrounding her were less injured than she was, the comrades who had paved the way for today’s defeat of the demon king, and her precious students she had nurtured over the past few years.

The fact that none of them had died and all were unharmed after everything was over filled her with a joy deeper than victory.

At that moment, a wizard in a black robe approached her without hesitation.

Unlike the others, he had a relatively ordinary appearance, and he immediately supported her as if she might collapse at any moment.

The young man with a full figure and black hair held his mentor and hastily checked her condition.

“Master Rosemary, are you okay?”

“I’m f-fine… It’s n-nothing… cough!”

The blood streaming from her throat and overflowing between the crushed mask once again emphasized the seriousness of her condition.

Her internal organs were bursting due to the excessive use of magic. Holding her in such a serious condition, the young man urgently took out a potion.

“The injury is severe. First, let’s focus on treatment.”

“Gulp! …How did you… It… It definitely hit the ground…”

“Right now, that’s not what matters. Please remain still as I administer treatment.”

The potion heard stories of already falling apart by the time it reached this point.

Having gone through numerous brushes with death, she was captivated by the moment that had been cherished until the very end, accompanied by a bitter smile and a profound sense of relief.

“Truly… The more I see, the more absurd this fellow becomes…”

Her disciple, Edward Nero, who despite spending years together, still displayed an unpredictable appearance.

When he smiled like me, he opened the lid of the potion.

A top-grade potion worth hundreds of gold in one bottle.

Rosemary had suffered considerable injuries, but with this, after administering emergency treatment and activating healing magic, she would recover quickly.

At that moment…

-Crack!

“Huh?”

“!”

Suddenly, the potion bottle exploded.

The disciple’s face was momentarily seized by confusion, and her own expression began to freeze coldly.

And there, where their gazes turned,

a group of people were aiming magic towards them.

Since infiltrating this Demon King’s castle, countless individuals had pointed weapons at them.

However, those currently showing hostility towards them were neither high-ranking demons nor descendants of the Demon King, referred to as the Mazoku.

Standing there were

comrades who had accompanied her to this place today,

her disciples who had received her teachings over the past several years.

“What… What is this… Could it be some kind of brainwashing magic we’ve fallen into by coming here?”

Edward, perplexed, spoke with uncertainty.

But regarding this matter, a male mage dressed in white robes.

Beowulf Grondele spoke in a calm yet unmistakably clear voice.

“I’m sorry, but there is no such thing, Edward.”

“!”

“Gah…”

No matter how sophisticated the brainwashing magic might be, it was impossible to make someone speak so smoothly and fluently.

Therefore, this situation meant that it was not a result of brainwashing; it was a betrayal accomplished through their own will.

“Beowulf… What on earth is going on?”

She spoke in a cold voice.

Regarding this matter, Beowulf, the white wizard, replied with a bitter tone.

“I’m sorry, Master… No, Rosemary. You have to disappear from here for our sake.”

“Di..Disappear… Could it be that you guys are really planning to betray the Master?”

Edward’s angry retort,

The witch wearing a yellow robe countered with a nonchalant voice.

“Well, if we must put it into words, we could call it a deal. Using fancy terms like ‘betrayal’ seems a bit exaggerated.”

“Judia… After all the kindness the Master has shown you, are you really planning to repay him with enmity?”

“Well, if there’s something better than what I had before, of course I would choose that. It’s sad to give up something that had sentimental value, but sometimes you have to discard what you have in order to bring in something new.”

Edward was momentarily speechless at her audacious words.

Meanwhile, she who had been observing the situation…

Rosemary, with as much composure as possible, addressed her disciples with a chilling voice.

“Who is behind all this?”

“…”

“Speak up. Who is the one pulling the strings…? Cough!”

“!!! Master!”

Before she could finish speaking, an immense pain struck.

A devastating attack pierced through her shoulder, causing a terrible scream to burst from her lips.

“Why bother telling you such a thing? After all, you’re going to die anyway.”

“Well, as a parting gift to the afterlife, I can let you know that the price was enough for a life-changing opportunity.”

“We have our conscience too. It’s not like we are simply giving away something as significant as betraying our master for cheap.”

“I’m sorry… But the price was too high for us to refuse.”

“You… You bastard…”

Clearly drawing the line with their words and actions.

Edward’s face distorted with clear feelings of anger upon seeing this.

Then, Edward unknowingly tightened his grip on the cane in his hand with strength.

At that moment.

“If you’re thinking of fighting, it’s better to stop. I’m sorry for not letting you know in advance, but there’s no need to throw away your precious life over a petty grudge.”

Beowulf, who noticed the signs, calmly spoke towards him,

And then, the others also began adding their words, each one sounding light-hearted yet simultaneously conveying a warning.

“You should know this too, shouldn’t you? Resistance is meaningless here.”

“Don’t act so tough. We’re ‘friends,’ aren’t we? Even if it comes to it, I won’t have any intention of killing you with my own hands.”

“Ed… Edward… Don’t think strange thoughts and join us.”

Judith

Brutal

Locia.

Edward did not respond at all to their persuasion of holding the sword in reverse.

However, while observing his contemplative state, Beowulf secretly thought that the outcome was already determined anyway.

Unless he was a fool, Edward would have known as well.

Although he had shown bravery in defeating one of the demons, Rosemary’s physical condition was already not normal due to the recent battle.

On the other hand, even though they had sustained some injuries to get this far, they still possessed sufficient combat power.

Even the weakest among them, Edward, who had always been despised, and the injured teacher — they were strong enough to kill and still have remaining strength.

Resistance from Edward meant immediate and utterly meaningless death.

On the other hand, if he were to take the hand of mercy they reached out, Edward could obtain a considerable reward, just like them.

He may be a weak and pitiful little guy, but regardless, since he had contributed to defeating the demon king, he would be given some share.

‘Unless he’s a fool, of course he’ll join hands with us. What’s the point of making such an idiotic choice when he can save his life and gain something by betraying that woman?’

No matter how kind-hearted Edward was, he couldn’t ignore reality.

And finally.

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A word came out from Edward’s mouth.

“…I understand.”