Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 44

“Hey! You—!”

At the entrance to the dungeon, I ran into a group of rough-looking men clad in armor.

I felt like I’d seen them before, but…

Who were they again?

“Huh? And you are…?”

“You bastard! We’re the Ark Knights!”

“Ah, right. You guys.”

Now I remembered.

They were that arrogant adventurer party that had “rescued” Eranda.

For a moment, I was annoyed that I’d been spotted.

But on second thought, this might actually be a good opportunity.

**”Perfect timing.

I wanted to ask about the situation when you found Eranda.”**

“We don’t owe you any answers!”

Hmph.

Uncooperative old men.

Should I just kill them?

**”I did save your asses before.

The least you could do is return the favor.”**

“Ghh…”

I grabbed one of them by the neck and tightened my grip.

**”That’s enough, Lax.

If you continue, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.”**

“Tch. You’re here too?”

I was just about to beat the answers out of them—

But before I could, Eranda interrupted.

“…”

This wasn’t good.

If she was here, I needed to leave quickly.

“Wait!”

**”Let him go.

It’s too late for whatever scheme he’s planning.”**

“But…”

“There’s nothing he can do now.”

Leaving was probably the right call.

If I stayed too long, it would only cause trouble.

I exited the viscount’s mansion without resistance.

Along the way, I spotted a few familiar adventurers,

But none of them acknowledged me.

Instead, they wore dark, troubled expressions—

And deliberately avoided looking in my direction.

It was eerie.

Still, I took a moment to check on the viscount’s condition.

His lifeforce was still intact.

So, before I left, I discreetly cast a protective spell on him.

It wouldn’t stop a high-level spell,

But at the very least, it would serve as a basic safeguard.

Something felt off about the mansion.

There was an odd energy radiating from deep inside.

It wasn’t magic—at least, not the kind I could easily identify.

And unlike the dragon I fought before or the demon in Luberia,

It didn’t feel purely malicious either.

It was strange.

But since it hadn’t changed in intensity,

There wasn’t much I could do about it right now.

For now, I’d gather more information—

And slowly dismantle Eranda’s schemes.

And with that, I returned to the Demon Forest.

An Unexpected Sight

“Lax!”

“Uh… what exactly is going on here?”

When I arrived, I found Shifa, Michelle, and Claire—

All entangled in vines.

They weren’t being crushed or strangled…

But for some reason, Claire was writhing in agony.

Why?

**”We were just waiting here when suddenly, these vines wrapped around us.

They aren’t harming us, so Michelle and I were discussing what to do.”**

“I see.”

The vines didn’t emit hostility or magic.

They weren’t acting aggressively either.

“Claire, what the hell happened to you?”

**”She tried to cast a fire spell the moment she was caught.

That’s probably why…”**

That explained why she was dangling in an indecent position,

Making a face unfit for innocent eyes.

…Whatever.

She could stay like that.

If she woke up, she’d probably just cause more trouble.

**”I brought the magic stone.

Shifa, could you offer it?”**

“Yes.”

I handed the magic stone over to her.

The vines didn’t interfere.

In fact, for a brief moment,

They almost seemed to shield Shifa from me.

Odd.

**”Guardian deity…

I am Shifa Riofendarl.

As instructed, I offer this magic stone.”**

As she spoke, a brilliant light engulfed the entire area.

My vision blurred.

Then—

Darkness.

A Woman Running for Her Life

“Haa… haa… haa… haa…”

A woman sprinting through the forest came into view.

It was—

Eranda.

“Scared… scared… scared… scared…”

She kept murmuring in terror,

Never once glancing back.

Was this…

A memory from when Eranda fled into the Demon Forest?

A Predator Appears

“No…!?”

Eranda tripped—

And fell hard.

Grrrrrrr…

“No… please…”

A Forest Bear emerged from the darkness.

A massive, bear-like monster—

One of the strongest creatures outside a dungeon.

She actually survived this?

“Kyaa—!”

Eranda stumbled and rolled across the ground.

But—

Even in the chaos—

She instinctively curled around her stomach.

Even in this moment…

She still protected her unborn child.

So that’s what this was.

She risked everything to keep her child alive.

And now, she was trying to secure his place among the nobility, No matter the cost.

Eranda collapsed, motionless.

The Forest Bear slowly advanced toward her—

Its razor-sharp fangs and claws glinting in the dim light.

Bears sometimes toy with their prey before delivering the final blow—

Was that what this was?

Even though this was just a memory,

The scene made my stomach twist with unease.

The Forest Bear raised its massive claws above her head—

Ready to strike.

Could she really have survived this?

How?

I watched in stunned silence.

And then—

A sudden burst of black mist erupted around her.

What… the hell?

Something stirred in the darkness around Eranda.

The Forest Bear… vanished.

It wasn’t killed—

It was completely erased.

That was definitely a magic attack.

But not one I had ever seen before.

It was on a whole other level.

Why is something like this on the surface?

Not once had I sensed anything like this before.

Back then, I had been fighting the dragon around the same time.

But I hadn’t felt a single disturbance.

How the hell did I not notice this?

I had realized that Alessandro and Jekyll had likely been incinerated by the dragon’s breath.

And I had noticed that Eranda wasn’t among them.

But why had I just assumed she was dead?

Why?

Something wasn’t right.

Some kind of unnatural force was at play.

And then, the vision ended.

As my sight returned to reality,

I caught a final glimpse of those men—

The Ark Knights.

So that’s how they found Eranda.

Was that how she survived?