Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 49

“What are you doing here? I was certain I had banished you.”

“Elder sister…”

Eranda furrowed her brows slightly, her voice laced with reproach.

Shifa gazed at her sister with sorrowful eyes.

“You have no such authority.”

“I am the acting lord.”

Meanwhile, Lax spoke provocatively, his words filled with defiance.

Eranda glared at him sharply.

Yet, Lax remained unfazed.

“The Viscount appointed Shifa as the acting lord. Did you revoke that decision and officially appoint someone else in her place?”

“Tch…”

Of course, she hadn’t.

From what I could discern through magic, the lord had been asleep for quite some time—perhaps even forced into slumber to prevent any interference. Given these circumstances, it was unlikely that authority had been legally transferred to Eranda. As expected, that assumption was correct.

“Lady Eranda, please step back and leave this matter to us. After all, the Duke of Horneld’s authority is more than enough to settle this.”

“…Very well.”

Eranda bit her lip in frustration as a man in a military uniform addressed her.

Is he an idiot? The Duke of Horneld has no such authority. When he says “by authority,” he must mean using intimidation to force compliance. But interfering in another house’s internal affairs is a grave crime, you know?

That, however, is irrelevant. Our purpose here is to question Eranda’s legitimacy.

“Before that, allow us to appraise your child.”

“That is utterly disrespectful, Lax. Are you accusing me… or even His Grace?”

“Precisely. Not that I need your permission. We’ll do it by force if necessary.”

“What…?!”

“Shifa, grant permission.”

“Yes. As acting lord, I, Shifa, authorize Lax to inspect my sister Eranda’s son.”

“Do as you wish. That boy is the child I bore and gave birth to. No one knows that better than I do.”

She did not yield out of resignation but out of confidence. She truly believed her claim to be absolute.

Well, we never suspected that the Duke had switched the child after Eranda had given birth. Since she was so adamant, this Phile fellow was indeed likely her biological son.

But that was not what we sought to confirm. The real question was whether he had fallen under the influence of Disemna.

“Lady Eranda, you must not allow this. Under the guise of verification, they could do anything to the child.”

Isn’t that your way of thinking?

We had no intention of doing anything underhanded.

“People assume others will act as they themselves would. We never harbored such thoughts, but the fact that you do proves the corruption of your own nature.”

“You insolent cur!”

“Hmph.”

“Argh…!”

He fell for an obvious provocation, drawing his sword and attempting to strike. I broke his blade and sent him flying with a single blow.

A knight? A soldier? I didn’t know, nor did I care. Either way, he ought to learn a thing or two about composure.

Not that it would have made any difference in this situation.

“Restrain them all.”

The spell Restraint was remarkably convenient. I had honed my proficiency with it by using it repeatedly on Claire, and now I could capture several dozen people at once.

Normally, one wouldn’t use it much against monsters, so I never thought I’d refine it through such means.

But in situations like this, it proved to be quite handy.

“Tch…”

“Restraint.”

In the midst of it all, Eranda attempted to flee, but I halted her.

For good measure, I sealed her mouth as well.

And no, before anyone misunderstands, I do not take pleasure in subduing women.

She would likely scream accusations, or worse, try to attack Shifa. So I took preemptive action.

Thanks to my practice on Claire, I had also learned to selectively immobilize specific body parts, like hands, feet, or even just the mouth.

Not that anyone needed such an explanation, but while we made our way to Phile’s location, I clarified it anyway.

And no, this isn’t foreshadowing for me using Restraint on Claire for some indecent reason in the future.

Now then, let’s get serious.

“Who are you? Step back at once. The future Viscount of Riofendarl stands here.”

“Silence. That decision is for my father and me to make—not you, not Eranda, and certainly not the Duke of Horneld.”

“Restraint.”

“Wha—?!”

The woman, likely the one caring for the child, spoke arrogantly as she demanded that Shifa and I leave. Instead, I restrained her and set her aside. And no, this was not about roughing up a woman.

“Is this child Phile?”

“It seems so.”

As Shifa and I approached the infant, Eranda’s expression darkened. So, this was indeed Phile.

“Appraisal… Hm…”

Eranda glared at me fiercely. It’s not as if I intended to deny that this was her child, but I might as well speak my findings.

“Yeah, this child is Eranda’s.”

“I see…”

As soon as I said that, Eranda’s face lit up with triumph, while Shifa’s expression clouded.

Honestly, I had a feeling that if this child weren’t Eranda’s, he might have had a brighter future ahead of him.

“But unfortunately… he bears the mark of a demon.”

“…What?”

The appraisal results were as follows:

Name: Phile Riofendarl
Birth: Son of Eranda (mother) and Jekyll (father)
Additional Information: To protect Eranda from the monsters that cornered her in the Demonic Forest, the dormant power of a demon was awakened. As a result, his hair and eyes darkened. If left unchecked, he will be consumed by this power before the age of ten.

The situation was worse than I had anticipated. I had suspected that Disemna had possessed the child and that exterminating him would be the only way to remove it. But no—this child was nothing more than a disposable pawn.

Most likely, Disemna never intended to take direct control, instead using the boy as a tool to throw the territory into chaos. How cruel…

“What nonsense are you spouting, Lax?! That child is mine! You’re making up lies simply because you refuse to acknowledge him as the next lord!”

“…”

Eranda forcibly broke free from Restraint. Could it be that she, too…?

“Why are you silent? Say something… No… No, this can’t be…”