Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 38

“Huff, huff, huff…!”

“Run! Hurry!”

“Oh god, it’s coming…!”

“No, no, no, no! Don’t eat me! Aaaah!”

“Ahhh—!”

GUGYAAAAAH!

By the time we arrived in Luberie, the city had turned into hell.

Monsters roamed everywhere.

Many residents had been unable to escape in time and were still hiding within the city, only to be sniffed out by the monsters.

Some were bitten, others were struck, slashed—horrifying scenes unfolded all around us.

And we plunged right into the chaos.

“I’ve set up a barrier around the city gates! Bring everyone there!”

“Got it!”

Thanks to Michelle’s defensive barrier, the mid-tier and lower-tier monsters couldn’t get through.

We moved through the city, cutting down monsters as we went, sending the rescued people into the protective barrier.

The princess had done a great job coordinating efforts, and thanks to her, I had been able to secure a large stock of mana recovery potions from a neighboring town.

I was using Teleport magic over and over to help transport the survivors.

“Thank you so much!”

“Waaah—”

“Dad! Stay with me! Ah—!”

Some of the people we rescued were injured, so I healed them before teleporting them away.

There were still so many left to save!

Luckily, the monsters roaming the city weren’t particularly strong.

Michelle, Claire, and I could take them down with ease—

Wait.

Why does Claire look so drained?

“This is cruel… Lax, you’re cruel… Dragging me along like that, tying me up… There was nothing exciting about it at all… If anything, I’d rather be whipped while running… at least then it would feel like a proper reward…”

Um… sorry?

No, actually, I don’t feel sorry at all.

But still… yeah.

So, how did this happen?

Michelle and I can both use Flight Magic, though we don’t use it often in dungeons.

But Claire? She couldn’t.

I offered to carry her, but then she started saying things like, “I want a princess carry,” or, “Oh no, don’t touch me there… ahn!”

So, I got fed up.

And then, clearly annoyed, Michelle pulled out some rope from… somewhere and tied her up.

Even then, Claire kept running her mouth: “Oh, is this bondage play?” or, “Moving while tied up… Lax, you’re such a pervert!”

By that point, Michelle must have decided there was no turning back.

By the end, Claire had a leash attached to her.

I thought Michelle was going to drag her along by it, but instead, she smiled and handed me the leash.

Wait.

Me?

And Claire… she looked way too eager about it.

In the end, we flew through the sky while Claire dangled from the leash, barely skimming the ground from time to time.

Apparently, she hadn’t enjoyed the experience.

“You’re healed now, so it’s fine! Let’s go!”

“Yeah!”

“Wait! Wait!”

Ignoring her protests, we charged into battle.

And we dominated.

We rescued more and more people as we tore through the monsters.

“Oh! You must be the Lax we’ve heard about. Thank you!”

“I can’t believe you came…!”

“The royal family sent you, didn’t they? We’re saved…”

In the largest building in town, we managed to rescue the viscount and his family.

They were fair rulers who had cooperated with the kingdom.

The royal family would never have abandoned them.

The viscount’s family had long supported dungeon expeditions and provided aid in times of crisis.

We treated their wounds with care before escorting them inside the protective barrier.

Far from complaining, they were grateful that we had saved their people.

And they informed us of the true enemy behind this stampede.

“The boss of this stampede… is a demon.”

Apparently, the viscount’s second son, a knight, had bought time for his family to hide by confronting the demon head-on.

Thanks to his efforts, they had managed to stay hidden.

Now that was what nobility was supposed to be like.

And then… we saw it.

Atop the tower of the lord’s manor, it stood.

At first glance, it looked human—an older man with long black hair.

But where his eyes should have been, there was… nothing.

And behind him, bat-like wings spread wide.

『Kukuku… Welcome, human warriors.』

The demon hovered in midair, using no visible magic to support himself.

His voice was grating, sickening to hear.

Should I just kill him already?

But… what was this thing?

The viscount had called him a demon, but he wasn’t like any Archdemon or Lesser Demon I had ever seen.

Had I seen something like this before?

Or was this something new?

I wasn’t arrogant—I had fought many monsters.

From the dungeons of Riofendarl, to the Demon Forest, to the lands between here and my homeland.

And I had Appraisal Magic.

I had recorded countless monsters in my memory.

But I had never seen anything like this.

Not even something similar.

How could that be?

However, the so-called demon’s aura was incredibly sharp and bristling with hostility.

There was no doubt—this thing was definitely not human.

“A new type of monster? Or maybe…”

『I am a Ruin Demon. Such a name is beyond the comprehension of insignificant humans. To encounter my kind is to meet death itself.』

Huh. Well, I guess that makes sense.

If this thing had only ever appeared inside dungeons and slaughtered every human it encountered, then naturally, no one would have lived to report its existence.

That would explain why no information about it had ever reached us.

But something felt off.

It didn’t seem that powerful.

Not just for me—even Michelle could probably take it down.

Oh well. Guess I’ll just beat it up and get some answers.

“Demon Slash.”

“Demon Break.”

“Light That Eradicates Evil.”

『Wha—?!』

…Oops.

I might’ve overdone it.

Completely obliterated the damn thing.

Oh well.

The kingdom would provide aid, and the local nobles would handle the restoration efforts.

For now, Michelle and the others could focus on rescue and healing operations.

Once everything was under control, we’d head back.

Shifa was waiting.