PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

Silvia had a hard time processing said response, which led to another silence between them until Silvia was able to respond. “I still supported Sofia during that investigation; it was a complete slaughter. Nearly forty people, scattered throughout the Minora compound, all gunned down, some even executed after being shot down, with no mercy. I still remember the state of how we found the Minora family’s head; it seemed as if someone had thrown him into a helicopter propeller. Was it really necessary for you to do all that?”

Contrary to Silvia’s expectations, Desmond seemed genuinely surprised by her description of what had happened, which was strange given that he was supposed to have done it.

“I thought there was a little misunderstanding here, Silvia. I gave the order to attack the Minora family, but I never personally attended the attack, so all the brutality you found did not come from my hand. Although, if I’m honest, I believe I would have left a more violent and bloody trail in my wake. As for your question, I’m afraid it was necessary. The annihilation of the Minora family wasn’t just to steal their funds or to frame Rundert; they were a tumor that needed to be removed.”

Silvia was a cold person by nature. Still, she was intimidated by the coldness and cruelty displayed by Desmond; he simply treated the lives of others like nothing more than dust particles. On the other hand, Siliva couldn’t ignore that there was more to Desmond than just his cruelty; she had seen his kindness and warmth toward others on more than one occasion. However, this ruthless side of him was overwhelming to her.

Unknown to her, whether she did it unconsciously or she really meant to, Silvia asked the question that had been stuck in her mind since her encounter with Desmond in her own home at her sister’s side.

“Do you even feel any guilt or regret?”

As soon as her words left her mouth, Silvia already regretted saying them. The last thing she wanted right now was to insult Desmond again, the feeling of their last confrontation still fresh in her mind.

Interestingly, Desmond didn’t seem insulted; instead, he was seriously thinking about Silvia’s question. This wasn’t a question he hadn’t asked himself in the past; it wasn’t something he hadn’t thought about. In fact, it was quite a difficult question for him to solve, but at least now he had an answer.

.....

“Tell me, Silvia, do you regret making a deal with me?”

Although she didn’t get an answer, she at least hadn’t pissed off Desmond, which was already a gain, so she didn’t mind answering Desmond’s question. Spring was one of the best seasons of the year, always full of life and energy, something that Silvia could now see in her sister Samantha; Silvia didn’t need to think about it. She had an answer.

“I don’t regret it one bit.”

Desmond just nodded and asked a second question. “In that case, do you feel guilty?”

Once again, Silvia didn’t need to think about it too much; she knew exactly how she felt. “Of course, I feel guilty, all the lies and deception, the people who died in the process, being thrown away as if they were nothing; How could I not feel guilty?

Desmond didn’t react much; he just calmly looked at Claire, who was still entertaining Silvia’s younger sister. “There you have your answer. I do not regret the decisions I have made, regardless of the repercussions they have had. Every move I make, every decision I make, has always been made in the belief that they are, maybe not the right choice, but the best.”

At that point, Desmond looked away from him at the beautiful view in the park, now looking Silvia right in her eyes. “On the other hand, guilt is a little more complicated. You see, Silvia, it’s different when you’re on the battlefield, amid blood and aggression; it’s always killing or being killed. People come trying to take your life, for whatever reason they may have, be it loyalty to a country or religion or just greed. At that moment, amid the pain and emotion of battle, nothing else matters; there is no right or wrong, no justice, only survival.”

Silvia felt a chill run down her spine when she saw Desmond’s sadistic and excited smile as he described the notions of survival from his perspective.

Desmond didn’t seem bothered by the fear he could see in Silvia’s eyes; he continued to answer the question she had asked him. “Guilt tends to get complicated when it’s not a fight for survival. In the case of the Minora family, if I’m being honest, I’ll probably have forgotten about them by next week. I don’t feel any guilt for getting rid of scum like them. But I still feel the guilt and weight of my sins, especially when my actions involve the innocent, something I prefer and try to avoid.”

At that moment, Silvia interrupted. “But you still would, wouldn’t you? If necessary, would you still dirty your hands with the blood of the innocent?

The sadism and cruelty in Desmond’s smile receded significantly; however, his response was anything but what Silvia wanted to hear.

“Let me put it this way, Silvia. If, right now, to protect Claire, I had to slit your throat in front of your own sister and make her watch you slowly bleed to death, I would still do it.”

Desmond’s response was terrifying, but there was something that didn’t feel right about it, and almost instinctively, Silvia knew what it was. “You would, but doing so would haunt you. You’d feel guilty but wouldn’t regret it as long as it kept Claire safe.”

Desmond looked both surprised and pleased. “That is precisely the case. As I said, I am nothing but a selfish man. Despite this, I would do absolutely anything to protect that smile. I believe you can understand me, at least in that sense.”

Silvia did not reply or deny that such a statement was true; there was no need, and both were aware of the answer. “What are you going to do now?”

For the first time since the conversation began, Desmond looked quite helpless, responding in a clearly tired and somewhat exasperated voice. “There’s not much I can do; Right now, the best thing for me is to do nothing. The truth is that I greatly underestimated both Sofia and the men in charge of her. It hurts me to give up the rest of my plans, especially with the number of preparations and resources I invested, but I have to withdraw.”

The sudden show of helplessness certainly caught Silvia’s attention, who wanted to know more about it since she wasn’t used to seeing Desmond back down. “Is it really that bad?”

Desmond was quite honest about finding no meaning in hiding the truth. In short, Desmond had never considered how skilled Sofia was at her job. She was like a bloody bloodhound who wouldn’t let go of a single clue; regardless of all the arrows pointing at Rundert, Sofia and her men still investigated every anomaly that came their way.

It was quite a headache; Garden had to work nearly double or triple as hard just to cover their tracks, and even then, as the bloodhound she was, Sofia wasn’t far from catching their scent.

She didn’t even end there somehow, Sofia even ended up creating a list of people who would have an interest in getting rid of Rundert, and Desmond’s name was high on that list.

Desmond still remembered how difficult it was to deal with the investigator sent by Sofia. It was challenging to deal with an arcanist who specialized in reading minds. Desmond’s only saving grace was that he was used to having Kyuru and Natalie messing with his thoughts for one reason or another. Because of this, Desmond had mental strength and barely survived the investigation.

Silvia knew that Sofia was very good at her job, but she didn’t expect Sofia’s team to be so formidable. What left her a little speechless was that Desmond was complaining as if he had suffered a colossal defeat, but he had still managed to emerge victorious.

Whatever the case, Silvia still had something she couldn’t get out of her head. “There’s something I don’t understand; you brought her here. How the hell did you do it? She is not someone it can easily be trifled with.”

Desmond shook his head. “Strictly speaking, I tricked her into coming. Sofía is not the kind of person who can be threatened. Just like you, threats can, at most, force her to listen, but nothing more. In the particular case of Sofia, I took advantage of one of her greatest weaknesses; her obsession with her work. I had to send someone incredibly gifted at deception and manipulation to lay the right bait, and Sofia came on her own.”

Silvia nodded; she knew that Sofía could become very obsessed with finding the answers she was looking for, and she could see how that could be used against her. Now that her last question had been answered, there wasn’t much Silvia wanted to talk about with Desmond; their relationship was professional for the most part. Aside from Claire, they didn’t have much in common.

Silvia and Desmond were saved from the awkward silence by Claire, who pushed Samantha’s chair over. “Ugh, that was fun. I would like to play with your sister Samantha a little more, but she seems quite exhausted, so it will have to wait.”

Samantha seemed disappointed but also exhausted, so she accepted Claire’s statement. Silvia smiled warmly and thanked her friend for the company and her interest in her sister’s health.

As they prepared to say goodbye to her, Desmond pulled a small vial from his pocket and tossed it to Silvia. Silvia caught the jar with quick reflexes, watching the contents with interest until she heard Desmond’s last words as he said goodbye to her.

“Consider it an apology from me for our last argument. It’s for Samantha; she will need it if you want her to be safe in a world like ours.”