Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 45

As my vision returned, I noticed something the vines that had been restraining Shifa and the others were gone.

In their place—

“…That’s huge.”

A colossal foot stood before us.

It extended far beyond the treetops,

So high that I couldn’t even see the rest of its body.

**『You have done well to come, descendant of Riofendarl.

And you, warriors from foreign lands.』**

A voice resonated within our minds.

We stood there, stunned.

“…Are you the Guardian Deity?”

Shifa asked cautiously.

From the way it spoke, it seemed to hold some connection to Riofendarl.

Shifa was the best person to speak on our behalf.

As for “foreign warriors”,

It was likely referring to Michelle and me.

Claire?

Not my concern.

**『Indeed.

Young descendant of Riofendarl, it has been long since I last received an offering of magic stones.

They were quite delicious.』**

“Long since?”

**『Yes.

The one who first settled this land—Riofendarl—would regularly offer magic stones to me.

They respected my forest while developing the surrounding lands.

Unlike most humans, they understood the natural order well.

In return, I aided them in their battles against dark forces.』**

“I had no idea… I’m sorry for my ignorance.”

**『Hmm.

So the knowledge was not passed down.

Well, no matter.

You do not seem one to twist the natural order.』**

It was surprisingly reasonable and intelligent.

And more importantly—

Riofendarl had always been a noble house.

“How did they obtain magic stones before the dungeon existed?”

**『The first Riofendarl already possessed them.

They had been granted this land as a reward for their contributions to a dungeon raid.』**

“I see…”

**『Hmm… So there is now a dungeon in Riofendarl’s domain?

How amusing.』**

Amusing?

That was one way to put it.

It certainly helped with the city’s development.

But its existence came with its own issues.

Shifa’s expression was complicated.

A Vision of the Past

“About the memory we saw just now…”

**『Was it not what you sought?

I, too, saw the vision.

That woman—she is Riofendarl, is she not?』**

“Yes…”

So it had shown us the memory deliberately—

A trade-off for the magic stone we offered.

That saved us a lot of time.

But…

**”So you showed us how my sister survived.

Thank you.”**

**『Hmm?

That is not quite correct.』**

Huh?

What does that mean?

“What do you mean?”

Shifa asked, mirroring my own confusion.

Wasn’t that a memory of Eranda surviving?

**『The last thing you saw—that black mist.

There is no way she could have survived that.

Do you not recognize what it was?』**

**”No…

It didn’t seem entirely… malevolent either.”**

Shifa carefully chose her words,

Likely trying to understand the difference in perception between herself and the deity.

**『I see…

That was the Abyssal Demon.

I do not know why such a being appeared here.

But that woman—she was consumed.』**

“The… Abyssal Demon?”

Could it be—

Was it that?

Had something like that really existed so close to us?

Something that could evade even my senses—

Despite all my experience in deep dungeons?

**『Yes.

It seems this name is no longer known in this age.

But it was the entity that once destroyed a great human kingdom that stood in this land.』**

**”No way…

Do you mean… Disemna?”**

**『Ho…

You know of it, foreign warrior.

No… could it be…?

Are you a descendant of Minerva?

No… surely not…』**

**”You’re right.

I am Lax Ravenclarth, a descendant of Minerva Ravenclarth.”**

**『…I see.

So you are a descendant of those who sealed the Abyssal Demon…』**

I never expected to hear that name here.

The home I left behind,  was it now facing its ancient foe once again?

But the legends were true.

The Abyssal Demon manipulates perception.

That was how the great human kingdom fell.

Countless people trusted it unknowingly.

They obeyed it without realizing.

By the time they understood what was happening—

Even their highest-ranking officials had fallen under its control.

This… was bad.

Without resistance, the kingdom was plunged into chaos.

One by one, those with power were erased.

If Minerva hadn’t realized what was happening,

Everyone would have smiled as they died,

Completely unaware.

And in the end—

The demon was never destroyed.

It was merely sealed away.

That explains it.

That’s why everyone is obeying Eranda.

Even Melia and Klein?

That’s clearly not normal.

At most, the adventurers should have been grumbling at the tavern,

Not falling in line like this.

Eranda was engulfed in that black mist.

She must have been possessed.

And most likely—

Her child as well.

In fact—

They both might already be dead.

A Dangerous Truth

But what do I do with this knowledge?

If the demon realizes that I’ve figured it out,

It will repeat history.

That monster eliminates those who become aware of it—

Starting with the ones who notice first.

Or…

Maybe it hasn’t spread far yet?

The most likely targets:

• • Eranda herself

• • Her son

• • Duke Horneld and his followers

• • Possibly the Ark Knights

But at least…

It hasn’t spread across the entire kingdom.

This situation isn’t as bad as last time.

Thinking back—

The unease I felt in Riofendarl’s mansion—

That was Disemna’s presence.

Its hostility was being suppressed.

Redirected.

I explained everything to Shifa, Michelle, and the Guardian Deity.