Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 79

We had made our decision.

It was time to defeat Disemna.

Now that we had found the “Warrior,” this would be the final battle.

With “Advanced Demon Search” in our arsenal, all that was left was to activate the skill, summon Disemna, and finish him off.

The Guardian Spirit had previously asked us not to use “Demon God Strike” here, but…

“I shall make preparations.”

“When Disemna was first sealed, I relocated the surrounding plants to prevent collateral damage.”

“Now, I shall restore the battlefield.”

“You may fight there.”

Well, if he was offering, I wasn’t about to refuse.

This was the place where Disemna had once been sealed—

And the place where he had escaped.

Would there be any lingering traps or remnants of his power?

Could he flee again?

“He fled without hesitation, leaving behind only the shattered remnants of his seal.”

“That, too, has long since disappeared.”

“Nothing of him remains here—save for the memories I retain.”

Alright then, no problem.

At one point, I considered luring him to the wastelands where the former Duke Horneld’s territory once stood…

But—

“This works perfectly.”

“We should end it here.”

“Lax, let’s begin.”

Claire also agreed.

Besides, if Disemna really was in the royal capital, forcing a battle there would be disastrous.

If I ended up destroying half the city in the process, people wouldn’t exactly thank me—

I’d probably be labeled a criminal.

Yeah.

Fighting in the Demon Forest was the better option.

And just as I reached that conclusion—

“HEEEEY!!!”

A familiar voice called out.

“You guys are so mean! You left me behind!”

Melia.

She pushed aside the thick vegetation and stepped into the clearing.

“Why are you here?”

…Oh.

That’s right.

We had left her behind, hadn’t we?

The last time we fought together was inside the dungeon—

Back when Disemna wasn’t even on my radar yet.

Had we really just… forgotten about her?

That didn’t make any sense.

Why did I take Shifa, Michelle, and Claire with me—

And not Melia?

Was it because she was too weak?

Or because I assumed she had no connection to Disemna?

And yet, she had forced her way into our party once before…

“Something about this is off.”

“Why does it feel like I left her behind for a reason… but I don’t remember why?”

“But Melia, this battle will be dangerous.”

“That’s fine! Let’s go!”

“…Why are you so eager?”

“Because I’m the ‘Dancer,’ aren’t I?”

“…What?”

She knew?

At this stage, of all times?

“Wait a second.”

“How the hell did she just waltz into the Demon Forest like it was nothing?”

She had once been cautious about setting foot here.

Had something changed?

“The Ruin Demons… and Disemna, right?”

“My very existence is supposed to ‘attract their attention.’”

“But apparently, if they find me, they’ll kill me—so I’ve been making sure to suppress my skills and hide my true nature all this time.”

But that didn’t make sense.

If Disemna and the Ruin Demons had infiltrated the Riofendarl territory, wouldn’t they have noticed her already?

Wouldn’t they have been drawn to her presence?

“How did you avoid getting caught?”

“Fufufu.”

Melia smirked, puffing out her chest with pride.

“I am an adventurer, you know.”

“And I was extra careful!”

She sounded way too confident.

Which meant—

“No, you were definitely discovered.”

Claire mercilessly shut her down.

“…Huh?”

“Did something happen?”

Shifa had collapsed.

I caught her just in time.

“Did you sense anything?”

“No… just a strong rejection…”

A rejection?

Did Disemna actually resist the summoning magic?

That shouldn’t have been possible.

The “Advanced Demon Search” skill was meant to detect and summon demons.

“Was it blocked?”

“I… I don’t know.”

That wasn’t the answer I wanted, but there was no helping it.

The spell had already faded.

If Disemna had resisted being pulled here, then…

Had he grown stronger?

Or was it Eranda’s power?

Either way—

This meant he wasn’t coming to us.

We had to go to him.