Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 84

<Are you prepared…?>

The figure that emerged from the Werdeen ruins raised its sword, pointing it directly at King Fanato.

…Where did that sword even come from?

“Prepared, huh…”

King Fanato, on the other hand, remained calm, muttering with a self-deprecating smile.

There were no other members of the royal family present.

…Could it be?

“I discarded such things the moment I became king.

I killed my heart, cast aside everything, and became nothing more than a tool to govern this nation.”

Yet, his words were taunting and resigned at the same time.

**<A tool, you say…? Perhaps that is true. If you forsook your pride, abandoned your morality, and dedicated yourself solely to preserving the kingdom, then yes, you became a tool.

But you and your kind are even less than that.

You merely took the easy way out.

You used demons, manipulated wicked men, and let them slaughter each other for your own gain.>**

The Ruins Spirit’s accusation was ruthless.

I still wasn’t sure what exactly it was, so… for now, let’s just call it the Ruins Spirit.

“If you intend to end me, then do it.

For all the time that has passed, the Meldor royal family has ruled in peace and prosperity because of my decisions.”

<How admirable. If only your ancestors had held the same convictions.>

The Ruins Spirit raised its sword again.

…Wait, this is getting serious.

What if this is a trap?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, a red sphere appeared behind King Fanato.

CLAAAANG!!!

<GUAAAAAHHHHH!?>

The Ruins Spirit’s sword was blocked—and instead, it was impaled.

…What the hell just happened?

There hadn’t been any warning signs at all.

“My fragment… My precious piece… You deceived me, Fanato. But at last, I have reclaimed it.”

Emerging from the king’s shadow was—

“Disemna…?”

The Ruins Spirit, now wounded, was ensnared by a massive black shadow.

No, that wasn’t just a shadow—it was a massive arm.

<Guh… I never expected this…>

“My fragment… Return to me.”

<Stop, Disemna! It has been centuries since we were separated. I have formed my own will, my own purpose. Destroy Fanato instead!>

“That means nothing to me. I will go to him.”

…What the hell is happening?

At the center of the chaos, King Fanato stood frozen—powerless to act.

Surrounding him, Disemna and the Ruins Spirit fought—but wait…

Was the Ruins Spirit actually the fragment Disemna had been searching for?

I remembered King Fanato mentioning that the fragment he handed over before had been fake.

“Resistance is pointless. You cannot defy me. Return to my being.”

<Guh…>

Disemna continued to press forward, forcing the Ruins Spirit down—crushing it under its power.

…Should I stop this?

From everything I’ve heard, Disemna was just a pawn being used this entire time.

But even so—

“Kuhahaha! Now I can move forward. All I need is to consume a dungeon administrator and gain enough power, and then… I will reach him!”

“I won’t let you! Reincarnation!”

Claire suddenly rushed forward, swinging her staff.

A brilliant array of shimmering lights burst forth, surrounding Disemna.

“What!? What is this!?”

“Disappear and return to your dungeon where you belong!”

“Claire…”

“That thing killed the people I loved.

It weakened me.

I won’t forgive Fanato, but I won’t forgive Disemna either!”

…Right.

Of course.

No matter what its true purpose or desires were, Disemna had brought harm to people.

And as a human myself, I had no reason not to fight it.

“I will kill you all. Riofendarl… Horneld… I will erase everything!”

Yeah, no.

That’s not happening.

I wasn’t about to let Shifa lose anything else.

And that body—return it.

“Demonic Godslayer!”

“Guhhh…!”

“I have committed sins.

I helped steal the Orb.

I helped empower Disemna, believing it was for the greater good.

And when it mattered most, I hesitated—unable to save the people I held dear!”

Claire unleashed a relentless barrage of magic.

Each and every spell was devastatingly powerful.

…She was this strong?

And yet, she had been forced to seal her power and play the fool…

That was—a cruel fate.

She had watched all the people she cared about die.

Murdered.

I stood by Shifa’s side, watching the battle unfold—occasionally launching another strike of Demonic Godslayer at Disemna.

“Guh… Where is this power coming from…? I will not lose!”

But Disemna continued to retaliate, its own power surging in response.

At this rate—

The grand hall was going to collapse before the battle even reached its conclusion.

And then—

The ceiling began to collapse.

Claire’s magic had expanded beyond the limits of the room, threatening to bring the entire structure down.

“The First Sorcerer… The Dreaming Magician… To think you were this powerful.”

“I’ve endured restraints my entire life.

But it was all for this moment.

For this battle.

It ends here!”

And so—

Claire became a star.

She continued unleashing tremendous magic, pushing it beyond its limits, until she finally defeated Disemna—

And then, she herself collapsed.

Light scattered around her.

Perhaps her body could no longer withstand the passage of time.

She crumbled away, like sand—

“Hey! I don’t like that look in your eyes! It’s rude!”

“What? I was just trying to enjoy the moment.”

“Lax, you’re awful! I worked so hard! You should praise me more!”

…Apparently, what had crumbled was merely the magic surrounding Claire.

Most likely, now that Disemna was defeated, she had simply dispelled it.

In the corner of the room, King Fanato lay unconscious.

But—he wasn’t dead.

…So, was it over?

That felt anticlimactic.

…Wait. Did I even do anything?