Chapter 49 Fiona Ackerman
After her father, Cliff, passed away, a fight broke out over the right to rule the Wolrock household.
However, there was a twist. This conflict did not happen in the main Wolrock family, but among its branch families.
In the Arbalheit Kingdom, even women are allowed to inherit a family name. In fact, there are several female Counts who have done just that.
However, this is only allowed when there are no other heirs to inherit the family. And in the case of the Wolrock family, there were branch families in each of their 2 villages.
The next head of the family would be chosen from one of those families.
There was a young girl with pure Wolrock blood.
Following tradition, the successor would be chosen from the branch family, but her existence was probably a problem to them. Even in the best-case scenario, they were afraid that some other family would seize control of the Wolrock household through a political marriage.
Even if they were only minor nobles, nobles and commoners live different lives. Who knows what these adults in the branch families, blinded by the allure of power, would do to a young girl.
――Dangerous.
That's what her mother, Alisa, thought. She decided to have her daughter give up her right to inheritance and move back to her own family home.
Her connection with the Wolrock family would end here. But she had no regrets. After losing both her beloved husband and son, she didn't want to stay in a place filled with those memories. The thought of also losing her daughter was unbearable.
They left the Wolrock territory and went to live in Alisa's home village, [Holy City of Necronia].
Alisa's birth family owned a successful business in Necronia, which meant they were actually wealthier than the Wolrock family she had married into. Given the circumstances, there was no way they would mistreat their daughter and granddaughter who had returned home.
And so.
As a young girl, Fiona Wolrock went on to become a member of the Ackerman family, who owned a shop in Necronia. She changed her name to Fiona Ackerman.
* * *
Fiona received a decent education as the daughter of a merchant, but her heart bore wounds that would never heal.
It was the deaths of her father and brother, a memory from when she was just 7 years old.
As time passed, their faces became less clear in her mind, but the strong sense of loss from that time remained etched in her heart.
The death of someone close.
She never wanted to experience it again.
Yet, she knew it was impossible to avoid. Humans are mortal beings, and parting is inevitable.
Could she at least prevent an unjust death like that from happening again?
Her father was a noble, a lord. But his status and power couldn't save his life. What could have saved them?
Strength.
Not influence or wealth, but pure strength. The strength to fight, the strength to protect someone.
She knew it might seem like a childish conclusion. There are countless things in the world that can't be solved with violence. No matter one's position or type of power, one will experience injustice. The world is unfair and filled with injustice. There is no absolute power to solve all of that.
She understood that, but still, she chose to seek power.
If something like that happened again, she wanted to be able to protect her loved ones this time.
And more than that, she wanted to become strong to overcome the trauma engraved in her mind. She desperately struggled to erase the fear etched in her heart. She didn't know if this was the right answer. Maybe there was no right answer. Still, she felt she had to do something to overcome the fear, so she simply sought power.
She believed that when she obtained enough power to save her father and brother from that time, the fear would disappear.
When Fiona turned 15, she chose the combat jobs offered at the church, all on her own and without her mothers' knowledge.
When she told her mother that she wanted to become an explorer, she strongly opposed it.
They had a big fight, and she said that if she became an explorer, her mother wouldn't support her. She even told her to leave home.
Come to think of it, she probably thought Fiona would give up.
She wouldn't go as far as to say that she was a sheltered princess, but she was raised in a wealthy environment and treated as someone important. It was hard for her family to imagine her surviving in the harsh environment of an explorer without any support. They probably didn't think she had the determination for it either.
In reality, if it weren't for what happened in the past, she might have grown up as a normal, good girl.
But the trauma that was engraved in her was much bigger than what those around her thought.
When her father and brother set off to defeat a band of bandits, she knew that if they went, they would surely die.
It wasn't just a vague premonition, it was a strong conviction. But as a young Fiona, she couldn't consciously understand this difference, and even if she had explained it, no one would have believed her. Either way, the outcome wouldn't have changed.
But when she realized that she had let her father and brother, who she knew would die, die in vain, the pain in her heart became even greater and deeper. That's what gave young Fiona a strong trauma and the determination to push through with an unreasonable plan for the future.
She went against her mothers' objections and became an explorer.
What surprised everyone was that Fiona had a Talent.
And it wasn't about being the Unique Job's "Sword Dance Maiden."
Ever since she got her Beginner Job, or even before that, Fiona had a special talent.
If she were to put it into words, it would be something like "intuition" or "gut feeling." But in reality, it was a more distinct sensation than those.
The ability to sense dangerous places and unpleasant premonitions more strongly than the average person.
This small ability gave Fiona the power to fight a little better than others. For example, when surrounded by monsters, she could discern the more dangerous areas and the safer ones. She could tell where the attacks were stronger or weaker. The moment a monster directed hostility towards her, a sense of danger would rush through her body and alert her. She could even sense the presence of traps and lurking monsters within the labyrinth.
After becoming an explorer, Fiona gained confidence in her own ability and used this ability to descend through the floors one after another.
To become stronger. To be unbeatable. To be able to protect anyone. To be called the Strongest.
With her strong determination, Fiona continued to advance further and further. However, those who formed parties with her couldn't keep up. Fiona became a solo player, then formed parties again, only to become a solo player once more.
After repeating the same thing several times, she gave up on forming parties and chose the path of continuing her activities as a solo player.
Normally, diving into the labyrinth alone as an explorer would be nothing more than a suicidal act. However, luckily or unluckily, Fiona had enough talent to keep going.
Talented, with exceptional looks, she was a female explorer who operated alone.
Regardless of goodwill or ill will, there was no shortage of reasons for others to bother her. And naturally, the majority of those who bothered her were filled with ill intent and ulterior motives.
To fend off such people and keep them at bay, Fiona naturally adopted an aggressive attitude and tone.
Though it was a form of self-defense, as her tough personality became ingrained, she also became less adept at social interactions.
But it didn't matter.
Fiona focused solely on becoming stronger in order to overcome her trauma.
And after some time as an 'Advanced Swordsman,' a solo female explorer who had gained some fame as a skilled player, she encountered a man on the 27th floor of the [God's Remains Labyrinth].
* * *
Ever since descending to the 27th floor—or more accurately, the 26th floor—Fiona had been struggling.
In the vast "Underworld Floor," there's a trap called a Monster House hidden in the space that looks like a hallway or a room.
When someone enters, a lot of monsters appear at once. It's a trap unique to this giant labyrinth.
On the 27th floor, the Monster House spawns multiple high-leveled skeletons. Fiona can't defeat them on her own.
Even though she knows it's dangerous, she's tried a few times, but she's barely able to escape with her life.
Fiona could easily avoid the Monster House, but she's aiming to fight the boss on the 30th floor, so she has to be able to get through a Monster House head-on.
So she keeps trying. And losing.
But that day, for some reason, she didn't feel any danger when she entered the Monster House.
She has an ability like a 6th sense――she calls it [Foresight]. It warned her of danger, but this time it was quiet.
It didn't mean it was safe. She knew it wasn't. But it didn't feel nearly as dangerous as usual.
"... What's going on?"
Fiona walked into the room, wondering why.
Suddenly, skeletons appeared out of nowhere.
The battle began.
It was a one-on-many fight. Even though the skeletons weren't that strong individually, there were too many of them. Unlike what [Foresight] predicted, Fiona quickly found herself struggling.
"......What!?"
She knew from experience that if she kept fighting, she would probably die. But even then, [Foresight] didn't warn her of any danger.
Her absolute trust in her ability wavered. Fiona was shaken. She felt a chill down her spine. It was like the ground beneath her feet was crumbling.
Her movements slowed down.
Covered in small wounds, and with no escape route left. She dodged the attacks that [Foresight] indicated, so she hadn't sustained any fatal injuries, but the fight was dragging on and her magical energy had run out.
Even at this point, [Foresight] didn't warn her of any imminent danger.
(Whyyyy!?)
The shock and loneliness of being betrayed by the one thing she'd relied on.
The terror of thinking: She might just die here.
She desperately waved her sword, but then a sense of helplessness washed over her and her legs gave out. Just then――
"Wha――!?"
The army of skeletons surrounding Fiona exploded all at once, shattering into a million pieces.
Just before that happened, she had noticed something that seemed like an aura raining down on the skeletons. Breathless, Fiona looked in the direction the aura had come from――towards the entrance to the hall.
There, she saw a man who looked a older than her.
A Swordsman. He released his stance and sheathed his sword with one smooth motion.
It was obvious that the man had used some kind of skill to wipe out the army of skeletons in one blow.
At first, she thought he was trying to help her, so she approached him. She'd become kind of curt and rude lately, but even she has the decency to thank someone who saved her life. Especially if they're an explorer of a much higher rank than her.
Fiona opened her mouth to say, "Thank you."
"Oh..."
But then, she realized.
How long has this guy been here? How long has he been watching her?
If he'd been nearby before she started fighting, it would make sense that [Foresight] didn't work properly. Actually, it probably worked just fine. That means that even though she was in danger, she wouldn't have actually died because he would have defeated the skeletons.
"Ahhh, ohhh..."
This guy is the reason why [Foresight] reacted differently than usual.
When she realized that, she was suddenly filled with rage. The fear she felt when she thought [Foresight] had betrayed her turned into anger. The more afraid she had been, the angrier she felt.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"
She scolded without thinking.
Although she regretted it immediately inside, once the words came out, there was no taking them back.
The guy looked puzzled and tried to explain.
"Hey, calm down. Are you misunderstanding that I just attacked you out of nowhere? No, that's not it. I'm just saying I thought you were in danger and I helped you."
It irritated her.
If she were calm, she should have understood that his words were purely out of concern, but at that moment, she wasn't calm. To her, the guy's words sounded like he was picking on Fiona for being weak.
For Fiona, those were unforgivable words. Unacceptable criticism.
"Look, I wanted to fight them myself! And I don't know if I would have lost or not!"
She snapped.
The guy stared at Fiona as if examining her from head to toe and said,
"Well, it didn't look like you could win at all."
She didn't sense any lecherous intent in his gaze other than around the waist, so he was probably looking at the small wounds all over her body.
Objectively, the guy's words were completely correct, but speaking reason to an enraged woman was like adding fuel to the fire. And on top of that, the pitiful expression when his gaze passed by her chest... Fiona was furious. She tried to suppress her emotions and convey an apology and thanks, but that feeling vanished into the distance.
"That was just pushing myself! It's only after overcoming the brink of death that the path to becoming the Strongest will open!"
"..."
She didn't even know what she was saying anymore, but she couldn't stand being thought of as weak. It felt like all her efforts, struggles, and everything else had been completely denied.
Fiona couldn't stand this guy's perception.
What should she do?
Easy. She just had to prove it through a battle.
Fiona, driven by emotion, was about to challenge him to a duel when...
"..."
At that moment, the guy turned on his heel and ran off like a startled rabbit.
"Ah! W-wait! Wai-, hey! Wait up!!"
The man didn't stop.
Of course, Fiona tried to chase him, but the man's running speed was incredibly fast, and Fiona, who had run out of magical energy, couldn't catch up.
However, the man didn't know about Fiona Ackerman's exceptional talent as a hidden pursuer (stalker)...
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)