Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 54

A peaceful day…

Even if it was fleeting, it was something precious—something worth treasuring.

As I savored the moment, a call came through the communication magic device from the princess.

“That’s the situation. Lax, I need you to come. Either the Viscount or his proxy, Shifa, should accompany you as well.”

“That’s…”

“I understand. I will go.”

“Shifa…”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll be waiting.”

It was a summons to the royal capital.

The reason? Eranda’s execution.

I was given a detailed explanation, but in the end, that was the conclusion they reached.

Her crime: unlawfully throwing the Viscounty into chaos.

As for the Duke… he had abandoned her and was still desperately struggling to save himself.

Having cut ties with her, the royal family had attempted to use Eranda’s testimony to expose the Duke’s crimes, but it had failed.

Eranda had no interest in the Duke or his domain. She had merely intended to use them, knowing nothing of their true schemes.

Her goal had always been to secure control over the Viscounty, nothing more.

She had even avoided marriage, choosing me first… and then Jekyll.

Apparently, she never realized just how weak Jekyll truly was, meaning she must have been so desperate that she lost sight of the bigger picture.

At first, Eranda had remained silent, her expression resigned.

But upon arriving at the royal capital, everything changed.

She ranted endlessly about how she had been deceived—how her sister had stolen everything from her, how her fiancé had betrayed her.

She refused to answer any questions.

Everything—the child, the embezzlement, the debts she accrued at the casino—was the work of demons tricking her.

With Lax’s power, he should have noticed the truth, yet he let it happen, leading to her downfall.

It was all a conspiracy by her father and sister.

Jekyll and Claire were in on it too.

Everyone had schemed together to ruin her.

She was the only one who had truly cared about the Viscounty.

Just listening to her words felt suffocating.

Had she gone mad?

With nothing but incoherent accusations, the royal family had given up on her.

They would publicly denounce her as a pawn of the Duke and the demons, then execute her—using her as a stepping stone before dealing the final blow to the Duke.

That was the plan.

The Viscount and Shifa, though pale-faced, gave their consent.

At this point, it almost would have been kinder if she had died from the dragon’s breath back then.

Had she been possessed by a demon again?

I almost hoped that was the case.

Together with Shifa, I arrived in the royal capital, where I once again had an audience with His Majesty.

There, I was formally granted noble status.

Naturally, I couldn’t take the name of Ravenclarth, the Grand Duchy of my homeland.

Instead, I was given an old, defunct title—the Count of Weldine.

As of today, I was Lax Weldine.

Nice to meet you.

Even envoys from my home country had arrived to offer their congratulations and reaffirm ties of friendship.

Though I didn’t recognize them, Michelle seemed to know some of them and spent the evening chatting with them during the royal banquet.

The fact that she actually stayed awake instead of slipping into her usual nap time meant they must have been close.

For the moment, I enjoyed my time in the royal capital.

Next came the unpleasant part.

“LAX! SHIFA! YOU TRAITORS!”

The moment we stepped into the hall, a barrage of curses was hurled at us.

It was exactly as I’d heard.

She spat accusation after accusation—about betrayal, deception, entrapment—all while spewing endless complaints.

I positioned myself in front of Shifa to shield her and activated Appraisal.

Name: Eranda

Birth:
Father: Viscount Harold of Riofendarl
Mother: Fione

Additional Information:
She has been removed from the House of Riofendarl and is now a commoner.

“Unfortunately, it appears that she is not possessed by a demon after all.”

The results of my Appraisal were clear.

The woman standing before me was simply Eranda.

No signs of possession. No indication of being controlled or replaced. No trace of insanity.

It was heartbreaking.

You’ve really fallen this far…

“What?! You were the one who sent the demons after me!”

Just shut up already.

The more you speak, the more Shifa’s face darkens.

“This isn’t good…”

Claire muttered as she looked at Eranda, a strange glow forming around her fingertips.

“Materialization.”

A luminous energy surged toward Eranda, sinking into her body.

“IF YOU HAD NEVER EXISTED…!!!”

What the—?!

“Magic Shield!”

In an instant, Eranda underwent the same transformation as that damned officer before her.

Her chains snapped as she lunged at me, now fully demonized.

I blocked the attack with magic, but my mind raced.

How?! My Appraisal detected nothing!

“Lax, questions later. Kill her now.”

“Got it. Your Majesty! It seems Eranda was still possessed by a demon. Whether this is the Duke’s doing or a remnant of the previous demon, she is too dangerous to be left alive!”

“Understood. To think such a fate would befall this woman… how vile. However, once she has merged with it, there is no salvation. Eranda must not have resisted either. I hereby transfer the executioner’s role to Count Weldine. All present, evacuate immediately!”

As I shouted my warning, the King promptly gave his command.

“LAAAXXX!!! IF ONLY YOU NEVER EXISTED!!!”

Eranda’s eyes never left me—no, she was fixated on Shifa behind me.

Her festering doubts, regrets, and jealousy had erupted in an uncontrollable storm of hatred.

“HOW DARE YOU TRY TO LIVE HAPPILY AFTER CASTING ME ASIDE?!”

There was no saving her now.

She hadn’t merely been possessed—she had fully fused with the demon.

Worse, her own consciousness was the dominant force. The demon wasn’t even speaking anymore.

“SHIFAAAAA!! DIEEEEEEEEE!!!”

She turned her attacks toward Shifa, seemingly realizing she couldn’t break through my defenses.

But this ends now.

Eranda, you may have been manipulated at first, but your own choices led you past the point of no return.

It’s time to let go.

Go to the land of the dead.

“Demon Slash!”

“GYAAAAAAAHH…!!!”

I severed Eranda, now fully transformed into a demon.

Even after everything—

No, because of everything—Shifa thanked me.

And as if finally accepting that it was over, she silently wept.

The love of the House of Riofendarl for Eranda was never repaid.

But Shifa would keep moving forward.

And as for me—

I would do my best, in my own way.

And I would be kind to her.