Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 28

“I see. In that case, I shall recall the loans I had extended to this city. Given how much it has flourished, I assume they are no longer needed.”

Here it comes.

It was a natural move, all things considered.

“Regarding the loans, we have already repaid them to your son, Alessandro, as per your instructions.”

“Here is the official repayment certificate.”

Lord Riofendarl and Shifa presented a document—a literal proof of repayment.

And there, clear as day, was Alessandro’s signature on behalf of the ducal house.

“W-What!?”

“Were you not aware? This document was signed before the Stampede. I understand that Alessandro has since gone missing, but as you can see, the document is sealed with a magical imprint, confirming its validity.”

The duke’s eyes locked onto the date on the certificate.

Shifa had once mentioned that Eranda had begrudgingly given Alessandro money before he fled, after Alessandro had insisted on not upsetting his father.

Alessandro probably believed that the city was doomed by the dragon, so he had signed the repayment agreement with a sleazy grin, thinking, “Well, if the city’s gone, they can’t ask for the money back.”

Too bad for him—

The city survived.

He’s the one who went missing.

Honestly, losing the money was unfortunate.

But, well…

It probably turned to dust along with him when the dragon attacked.

…Or at least, he’s officially missing.

The duke trembled, his plan completely derailed before he could even get started.

He must have expected us to be unable to repay him and was planning to leverage that to force some unreasonable demand on us.

Too bad.

And this was only the beginning.

I could tell he wasn’t going to leave just yet.

Which meant whatever else he had prepared—

We’d just crush it all.

“I must also regretfully inform you that there is another matter to discuss. My daughter, Eranda, had entrusted Alessandro with a sum of money. However, this was not her personal wealth—it rightfully belongs to Lord Lax. We kindly request its return.”

“What nonsense is this!?”

And with that, the lord launched his counterattack.

His wording was polite, but the meaning was clear—

“You deceived Eranda and stole this money. Now return it.”

We had confirmed everything with testimony from the abandoned casino employees.

In short, Eranda had been tricked and manipulated—

She was set up to lose at a rigged casino, forced into debt, and coerced into handing over my money.

Eranda breaking the law and stealing from me was unforgivable.

Even if she were still alive, I would never reconcile with her—

She had gone behind my back and had Jekyll’s child while I was away.

But I still couldn’t forgive what the duke’s people had done to her.

Even the lord, who had previously respected the duke’s contributions to the city, fell silent after hearing this.

Yes, the duke had helped this city coexist with the dungeon for years.

He had provided supplies, funding, and logistics support, as well as aided Guild operations.

But that was not charity—

He did it because it was profitable.

It had always been a mutually beneficial arrangement, built on trust.

And the lord had genuinely believed in that trust.

But now, the truth had come to light—

The duke had been scheming all along, using his own daughter as a pawn in a vile plot.

The lord’s anger and grief must have been immeasurable.

So he had no intention of letting this go.

Even if the lord had chosen to forgive, I wouldn’t have.

“Shall we explain to you what Alessandro and Guildmaster Gandos have done?”

“……”

The duke fell silent.

He was likely trying to calculate what information had been exposed.

Or rather—

How much had been exposed.

Since both Alessandro and Guildmaster Gandos were missing, he had no way to confirm the truth.

From his perspective, we might have captured one or both of them and were holding that knowledge as leverage.

“By the way, the amount in question is 1,000 gold coins.”

The duke’s face contorted.

He knew, This was far from over.

“W-What…?”

“As expected of such a remarkable adventurer, Lord Lax.”

“Huh?”

And now, of all times, someone interrupts the conversation—

Minerva, was it?

It seemed she was forcefully trying to change the subject.

“I apologize for Alessandro’s shortcomings, but as for these financial matters, we unfortunately cannot confirm them at the moment since we were not informed. We would appreciate it if you allow us time to verify everything at a later date. Isn’t that right, Father?”

“Indeed. We shall make sure to confirm it thoroughly.”

I’ll say it again—

Alessandro is missing.

Which means…

This verification will never happen.

It’s obvious they’re trying to stall indefinitely while sending a subtle warning for us not to push further.

What a nuisance of a woman.

“Well, it seems there was an unfortunate misunderstanding, but it has now been resolved.”

“Indeed. We look forward to maintaining a proper and respectful relationship moving forward.”

So they were forcing the conversation to a close after all.

And Lord Riofendarl was clearly putting up a wall to shut it down.

“Now then, on to the next topic. I have heard that Lord Lax is an exceptional adventurer. Furthermore, word has it that the Royal Family has discussed granting him nobility following his recent achievements. Congratulations.”

“……”

Just when I thought this was finally over, they dragged me into it.

I hadn’t heard anything about receiving a title, so I had no idea what to say.

It didn’t feel like something I should respond to lightly.

“Lord Lax is truly outstanding. He not only defended this city from the Stampede but also defeated the monsters responsible.”

Was…

Was Lord Riofendarl bragging about me?

“Furthermore, he has been gracious enough to forgive Eranda and has even entered into an engagement with Shifa, allowing me to finally put some of my worries to rest.”

“That is indeed a joyous occasion. However…”

“Lord Lax has achieved an extraordinary feat—slaying a dragon. His accomplishments are truly dazzling.”

“With the future in mind, I have a proposal.

Why not marry Minerva and further contribute to the kingdom?”

…

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?!?!?!

The fvck did you just say, old man!?!?**