Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 67

The first thing I did after returning to Viscount Riofendarl’s estate was to begin appraising everything I could—

“Welcome back, Lax.”

Name: Shifa Riofendarl
Birth: Father: Viscount Harold Riofendarl, Mother: Fiona
Notes: Deeply in love with Lax. She feels a slight tinge of jealousy due to the many women around him but fully understands that she is cherished, which makes her happy.

… I had intended to go all out with appraisals, but after being greeted by Shifa and immediately reading the results, I found myself embarrassed and decided to stop.

Her neatly braided hair lifted as she looked up at me, her delicate face beaming with a bright smile.

Damn… she’s adorable.

And… I feel kind of guilty.

Perhaps it really isn’t right to pry into things like this. Yeah, definitely not.

But as the Guardian of the Forbidden Forest mentioned, the Riofendarl family must have had some involvement in Disemna’s sealing. Couldn’t they have inherited some sort of power or legend?

Maybe if I appraised her while specifically focusing on finding such information, something might come up…

Name: Shifa Riofendarl
Birth: Father: Viscount Harold Riofendarl, Mother: Fiona
Notes: Deeply in love with Lax. She feels a slight tinge of jealousy due to the many women around him but fully understands that she is cherished, which makes her happy.

… Yeah, I should’ve known better.

Sorry, Shifa.

But nothing changed.

Out of a mix of guilt and affection, I think it’s best to leave out what happened next. I’ll let you imagine the details.

The next morning, while having breakfast with Viscount Riofendarl and Shifa, a report came in about an urgent letter that had just arrived.

A letter? From whom?

If it were from His Majesty the King or the princess, they would have contacted me through a communication magic tool.

That meant I had no immediate guesses. And yet, the letter was addressed to me.

Who would go out of their way to send me a letter?

“It is a letter from the King of Lufanes, delivered with urgency.”

The messenger was a large man, dressed like a merchant. Judging by his attire, he likely was one. And yet, the recipient was unmistakably me.

And the sender was an unexpected one.

“The King of Lufanes? That is… First, allow me to thank you for delivering it.”

The man I had once saved. The man who had, in a way, caused my exile.

I had no regrets about saving him. Nor about leaving my country. But ever since, I had never reached out to him again.

“Oh, no need for thanks. I was simply eager to meet the famous Lax myself. As a merchant with ties to both this kingdom and the neighboring one, I also wish to express my gratitude for saving His Majesty, the King of Lufanes.”

“Wait… Could it be… Igor?”

Upon taking a closer look, I realized I recognized the man.

To some, our connection might even be called fate.

After all…

“Ah, to think you would remember me. I am honored. Back then—”

“There is no need to apologize. I… no, I am grateful. I hold no resentment.”

He was the one who had told me about the existence of forbidden magic.

It was because of him that I searched through my family’s records for a way to save the king, discovered it, and acted on it.

To him, it had probably been nothing more than a passing comment:

“I once heard that the Grand Duke’s house, in its pursuit of the pinnacle of magic, once possessed spells that were later deemed forbidden.”

At the time, I had given it no second thought.

Even now, I saw no point in questioning his motives or who might have put him up to it.

What mattered was the present. I had found my place in this city with Michelle, living happily with Shifa.

Still, the letter intrigued me.

Its arrival at this particular time was no coincidence…

As I scanned through its contents—yes, just as I thought—it was about Disemna.

There was a wealth of new information, things that had clearly been withheld until now.

“The Dancer,” “The Doll,” “The Seeker,” “The Warrior,” “The Mage,” “The Watcher,” and “The Sage.”

I had never heard of them before.

But looking around now with that knowledge in mind… wasn’t it suspiciously similar to the people around me?

If Elanda was “The Doll,” then Shifa had to be “The Seeker.”

If they were calling me “The Sage,” then Michelle was likely “The Watcher.”

And Claire… Claire being “The Mage” didn’t sit right with me, but it wasn’t impossible.

That left “The Dancer” and “The Warrior” unaccounted for.

Could it be Melia and Klein…? Or am I mistaken?

With that thought in mind, I decided to ask Klein directly, but he only tilted his head in confusion.

I appraised him just in case, but as expected, nothing showed up.

If this much information had surfaced and Klein still knew nothing, then it was safe to assume that he wasn’t the one I was looking for.

That meant all I had left to do was find the two individuals who carried those remaining titles.

We must be close—close to finding the key to defeating Disemna.

Whoever was orchestrating this grand stage surely believed so.

That was why we had been led to this knowledge.

Then there was only one choice—to play along.

Disemna was an undeniable threat to my future with Shifa.

To protect itself, it would inevitably target me, Shifa, and even our descendants, just as it had with Elanda.

I would never allow that.

And so, I made my decision—I would return to my homeland.

Something told me there was still more I needed to learn.

A voice deep within urged me to go back, as if fate itself was calling me.

And to confirm that feeling, the letter bore words that left no room for doubt:

“Your exile has been revoked.”
“We regret failing to repay our debt to you.”
“For the sake of the future, we ask you to return.”

Whoever was pulling the strings of this stage must have decided that now was the time to strike down Disemna.

It seemed they no longer cared about hiding their hand.