Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 58

Claire and I walked in silence.

There wasn’t anything in particular to talk about.

For once, Claire wasn’t acting like an embarrassment, and my mind was still caught up in the question she had asked me earlier—

“What are you?”

A large beast-type monster peeked at us from a crack in the ground. I skewered it with a single thrust.

Looking back, when I was engaged to Elanda and active in the Riofendarl Viscountcy, I never had this kind of power.

Of course, I didn’t.

This strength was something I had gained through sheer desperation—fighting for my life in the deep layers.

Pure, raw strength.

But when I break it down, it’s strange—an impossible amount of magical power, absurdly fast spellcasting, incomprehensible physical abilities—every aspect of me has surged far beyond what I once was.

Is this… really me?

No matter how I think about it, the situation doesn’t make sense.

I felt a distant presence probing at us, so I forcefully reversed the flow of magic and blasted them away.

Why am I wielding this kind of power so casually?

The only reason I survived six months in the deep layers was because of this strength—

But the memories of my time wandering that abyss are hazy.

I always wrote it off as desperation.

But looking back now… I can’t pinpoint when I gained this power.

It’s far too much to say I just got stronger gradually.

A swift, armored monster lunged at me from my blind spot. I cut it down instantly.

This is the deep layer… yet these monsters feel so weak.

Back then, I struggled, didn’t I?

I must have.

And yet—

I erased all Ruined Demons inside and outside the territory as if it were nothing.

I even destroyed everything above the lower levels of the Riofendarl Viscountcy’s dungeon.

As I snapped back to reality, I noticed something—

A massive amount of magic surrounded both Claire and me, moving at an incredible speed.

I was just walking, and yet—

An absurdly powerful speed-enhancing buff was active.

…What the hell is this?

I don’t understand anymore.

What am I?

“…I didn’t think you’d dwell on it this much.”

“You think so? But it’s definitely strange.”

“You… heard me?”

Claire had muttered under her breath, but I caught every word.

She looked surprised.

“I asked, but honestly, I don’t think you’ll find an answer just by thinking about it.”

“Does that mean you know something?”

“Not exactly… but… most people don’t just absorb magic from the monsters they kill.”

“Magic?”

“Are you doing it unconsciously?”

“…Probably?”

What does she mean by that?

In both dungeons and the outside world, monsters release magic when they die—it would be a waste not to absorb it, wouldn’t it?

And even their corpses still hold magic—it would be wasteful not to consume them.

…Wait.

When did I start eating them?

“To begin with, ordinary people can’t withstand consuming monster magic.”

“……”

…Seriously?

That can’t be right.

But Claire wasn’t joking—her expression was dead serious.

“It must have started when you fell into the deep layers. You had to survive somehow, right? You didn’t have six months’ worth of food or water on you.”

“Now that you mention it…”

The massive boar I first killed down there.

I remember staying in that area for a while.

At some point, it started to look appetizing.

So I roasted it and took a bite.

It felt like days had passed, yet it never rotted.

That must’ve been because it still contained a massive amount of magic.

“You really did eat it, didn’t you? A deep-layer monster?”

“…Yeah. But I survived.”

“Exactly. Which means…”

Claire looked straight at me.

“A monster was born.”

“A monster, huh.”

“There’s no other way to describe it. A human who grew stronger by eating deep-layer monsters… Probably stronger than any monster on the surface. From now on, at the very least, leave the magic stones behind and offer them to the administrator. This dungeon could become something much better… A place that gathers resources, strengthens people, and improves the territory. The viscountcy will likely rise to a county, and it will continue to develop. Even that demon might not be so terrifying anymore.”

“I see… Hah!”

A monster tore through space itself, emerging into reality.

I cut it down in an instant.

“So, want to eat this one? You’d get stronger, Claire.”

“Please… notice that I’m not feeling well…”

“Huh?”

“Just walking is already hard enough… No, even that’s too much. It’s absolutely because of that dragon. Normal people aren’t supposed to eat things like that. It’s practically poison.”

“Normal people? Well, I’m not normal, so I guess I’m fine.”

“This is insane. Compared to you, I am normal. Actually, the weird one here is you, Lacus. I just want to go home…”

“What? You’re the one who followed me in the first place!”

“Ugh… orz… UUEEHHHHHHHH—!!!”

“…Huh?”

So that serious expression was just her trying to hold back nausea?

She was probably thinking, “Why the hell is this guy eating that stuff like it’s normal?”

But clearly, she wasn’t actually reflecting on anything deeper than that.

I decided to just pretend not to notice and continued forward.

“W-Wait…!”

She must have finally emptied her stomach, judging by the panicked voice behind me.

Should I ignore her?

I mean, seriously…

Nobody needs to hear about a pervert’s vomit. Sorry, Claire.

『What exactly is this situation?』