Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 23

“……”

I pulled out the tent I had prepared, stepped inside, and lay down.

It was noisy outside, but whatever. I’d just ignore it.

I had already spread my magic around the area to detect any threats, so even if I was asleep, my magic would automatically repel any approaching monsters and wake me up.

…Wait.

It should be fine, but if something did happen, that would be a problem.

Reconsidering, I reinforced my detection spells in certain areas with even more magic.

Alright.

Now I can sleep.

I lifted the blanket inside my tent and—

“Lord Lax♡”

“……”

I put the blanket back down.

…Huh?

Did I see that right?

Maybe having four girls in my care had finally made me feel some kind of responsibility, and the stress was getting to me.

Maybe I was more mentally exhausted than I realized.

Alright, alright.

I just needed to calm down a bit.

I took a deep breath and lifted the blanket again.

“Lord Lax♡”

This time, a cute girl with flushed cheeks reached out and hugged me.

“Shifa… what are you doing?”

“Ehehe♡”

Oh no.

My tent was made of enchanted fabric that blocked out light, meaning I couldn’t see outside.

But when I used magic to sense my surroundings… yeah.

There were two girls peeking in through the gap in the tent.

And in front of me, there was one very cute girl.

This was a setup.

I was completely targeted.

Alright.

I get it.

But you see, someone like me doesn’t panic in situations like this.

I’ll show you what it means to have the composure of an adult.

“Shifa…”

“Huh? L-Lord Lax? Eh?”

As expected, when I hugged her back, Shifa’s face turned even redder.

The price of mischief is steep, you know?

I leaned in and kissed her.

“Mmh… ah… nngh…”

And what I got in return was… a deep, mature kiss—with tongue.

…Shifa.

When did you learn how to do that!?

But I didn’t stop.

No, I wouldn’t stop.

I moved my hand toward her chest.

“Ah… no…”

…Yeah, I figured.

Of course, this was where I stopped.

WHAT THE HELL AM I EVEN DOING IN A DUNGEON!?

I gently patted Shifa on the forehead.

“Lord Lax…”

“And… stop. We’re in a dungeon, after all.”

“A-Ahh… I-I’m so sorryyyyy~!”

“Haha. It’s fine. You were cute.”

“Kyaaa~”

“Hey! Stay with me!”

She seemed to have fainted from sheer embarrassment.

Unbelievable.

Tomorrow, everyone was getting a lecture.

Who the hell had been filling the viscount’s daughter’s head with this kind of nonsense?

But first, I needed to deal with the two idiots who were spying on us.

“GYAAAAAAA!!!”

I activated my magic detection spell, releasing a light electric shock in their direction.

And since my magic had confirmed it, Michelle wasn’t involved.

She was definitely just sleeping peacefully.

Meria was probably just curious, but that damn b1tch…

I might have accidentally made the electric shock a little stronger.

But still, I had to wonder—just how much did Shifa trust me?

There was always a chance our engagement could be broken. As a noble daughter, she needed to have a proper sense of chastity.

…Huh?

You’re saying I’m not trustworthy?

Is there a single man in this world more trustworthy than me—someone who doesn’t even lay a hand on a girl in this situation?

I’m depressing myself now. I should stop.

I’m going to sleep.

We have a big day tomorrow.

The Next Morning…

“All of you, sit down.”

“Good morning. Alright~♡”

“Huh? Lord Lax, what’s wrong?”

“What’s going on? But more importantly, didn’t you enjoy yourself last night?”

“Lax… you were so passionate…♡”

None of them sat still.

God, they were so noisy…

“I said sit.”

“Yes!” (in unison)

Sigh…

Don’t make me use magic first thing in the morning.

(Hey, why is Lord Lax angry?)

(I have no idea. Men are so mysterious…)

(Shifa-sama, did something happen?)

(Huh? He was really kind yesterday, though…)

…They don’t get it.

They really don’t get it.

At this point, explaining would be pointless.

“First, Shifa—you need to have a sense of chastity. You’re the daughter of a viscount, and even if we’re engaged, we aren’t married yet. There’s still a possibility of the engagement being broken, so you need to set proper boundaries.”

“…Okay…”

Why are you crying?

Wait, hold on.

I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?

“Aww, Lord Lax made Shifa-sama cry~”

“Lax is such a cruel man…”

“Are you okay? There, there. It’s alright. Lax isn’t actually mad at you.”

“…Okay.”

Wait.

Is this somehow my fault!?

Why am I the one getting death stares from everyone!?

What the hell is going on here!?

“Lord Lax. Come with me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Michelle grabbed my arm and dragged me away.

“You can’t say it like that. Shifa has always loved you, you know? Her wish finally came true, so don’t say things that make it sound like you’re rejecting her.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

“I know you’re just being serious, but you need to reflect on this.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

What the hell just happened?

When I returned to the group, Shifa, still holding back tears, spoke up.

“I’m sorry, Lord Lax. I know you were just saying that because you’re worried about me…”

Screw it.

Screw everything.

Without saying a word, I pulled Shifa into a gentle embrace.

“Huh?”

She flinched for a moment, but I didn’t care anymore.

“Sorry. I was just worried. Don’t think too much about it.”

“Okay.”

“You’re important to me.”

“Okay♡”

Perfect.

“Ehh~? No kiss?”

“Coward! Lord Lax is still a coward!”

“Well, at least he did better than usual.”

“Shut up, you nosy little brats!”

“Kyaaa~!” (screams in unison)