Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 17

I ran.

I had no choice.

Stepping in front of adventurers already on edge from the stampede was a grave mistake.

I never expected Michelle to return at this timing.

I never expected the story of “Flash” falling into a trap to be exposed in front of everyone.

My plans were ruined.

No matter how much I lamented, the dead do not return.

Mother and my brother had died so easily.

“Flash,” huh? If they were supposed to be as fast as lightning, they should have come sooner.

By the time they arrived, monsters had already overrun the city. People were dead. My family was dead. My sister was barely clinging to life.

At the same moment I felt relief, I also felt unshakable resentment.

They had no obligation to save us. And yet, they did. They even accepted Father’s request to stay and protect the city. I should have been grateful.

And yet, daily life returned. Too soon. Too easily.

I had my duties. I had to stabilize the city’s finances, maintain relationships with the surrounding noble families, ensure continuous dungeon exploration to prevent another stampede, and, most of all, prepare for the next disaster.

With my brother gone, I was next in line.

At some point, I thought perhaps I should marry a noble to solidify my position. That was the logical path—secure the foundation of this city and support the adventurers who protected it.

But my actions did not follow logic.

My sister had also survived the tragedy. She was still young, too innocent for the noble world. And she, like a child from a fairytale, idolized the adventurer who saved her.

Logically, this was good. If I married a noble and she married a powerful adventurer, the city would have stability. That was what logic dictated.

But my heart refused to follow logic.

Lax was too strong.

Strong enough that I no longer needed to marry a noble for protection. If I had him, it was enough.

So I went behind my sister’s back. I spoke to Father first. He approved. And just like that, I was engaged to Lax.

He was comfortable to be with. Far smarter than I expected. More capable than I imagined. With him, I never had to fear another stampede. For once, I thought I had made the right choice.

But the noble world is cruel. They never forget past mistakes.

I couldn’t let my family find out. I had to handle it quietly.

As long as Lax never noticed, I could use what he didn’t care about and solve the problem. Just a little longer. Just a little more.

And then—he disappeared.

The worst possible report came back.

“Lax triggered a trap and fell into the deep levels. We barely escaped, but Michelle is unconscious.”

Jekyll had said it so carelessly. I had never seen him smirk like that before.

The moment I noticed, I immediately knew he was lying.

Their formation made no sense. Lax would never be the one to step on a trap.

And yet, Claire said nothing. The guild accepted it as fact.

Lax was officially declared missing.

I had to adjust my plans.

The deep levels were a place no adventurer could return from. No matter how strong they were.

That was the cold reality.

I even used my connections as a noble to consult researchers in the capital. They all said the same thing.

“There’s no coming back from the deep levels.”

Then, Jekyll came to me, smirking.

“Looks like I’ll be the leader of ‘Flash’ soon. You and I should—”

A lying fool was talking nonsense.

Jekyll truly was a worthless, easily manipulated man.

If only he were a little stronger, he might have been useful. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

I had no intention of marrying a noble now.

If word got out, that man—Alessandro—would surely appear.

Disgusting.

But he was the third son of Duke Horneld.

He had always watched this city through his father’s eyes.

The Duke was our guardian, but he viewed the dungeon as a threat. I couldn’t blame him for that.

Lax would remain missing.

Once six months passed, he would be declared deceased.

Jekyll would take over the party, I would inherit Lax’s personal assets, and his engagement to me would be automatically nullified.

After that, I would marry Jekyll.

Only three people knew the truth—Jekyll, Guildmaster Gandos, and Claire.

With that, there was no need to involve my father.

Everything could be executed under my authority.

Gandos was involved because I had already roped him in to stabilize the city’s finances.

And he had figured out Jekyll’s lies.

Claire, on the other hand, was on our side for now—only because she had her eyes on a particular item in Lax’s inheritance.

They were accomplices, but unreliable ones.

It couldn’t be helped.

I would handle it.

One day, when I became lord, I would be alone anyway.

And yet—

Lax came back.

And now I was being condemned.

How dare they?

He was too late. He was always too late.

I had already changed the plan. The wheels were in motion.

It was too late for him.

To him, it must have seemed unfair.

But to me, this entire situation was unfair.

We were even.

So, I drove him out.

Then Shifa started moving, Michelle woke up, and my father appeared.

How convenient.

None of them had done anything until now.

Now, suddenly, they were against me.

They were all enemies.

They should have all died in the stampede.

I disappeared.

Amid the chaos of the explosions, I slipped away.

I left the city and fled to Riofendarl’s outpost, built in the outskirts.

And there, waiting for me.

Were the scum of the earth.