Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 71

Allies… allies…

Michelle became my ally the moment I left the country.

My memories were hazy due to the effects of forbidden magic, but since we had grown up as foster siblings, there was nothing unnatural about it.

She had been with me even when I obtained the forbidden magic.

Then there was Shifa.

I had saved her when she was attacked during the stampede.

Afterward, I became engaged to her sister and worked to improve Riofendarl’s city.

I was betrayed by Eranda and cast into the depths by Jikil, but Shifa had remained on my side through it all.

There was no reason to doubt either of them.

If I truly was the Sage and, as His Majesty had suggested, had been unconsciously drawn toward Disemna, then it was reasonable to assume that these two had inherited—or were destined to inherit—some form of power.

And if the Riofendarl family had once produced both the Doll and the Seeker, then Shifa was undoubtedly one of them.

If Eranda was also one of them, then either she had been the Doll and Shifa the Seeker, or vice versa.

His Majesty believed that Shifa was the Seeker and that Disemna was attempting to use Eranda’s corpse to mislead us.

But I thought the reverse was also possible.

If Eranda had been the Seeker, then it would have been in the demon’s best interest—because that would mean no one would be left to search for it.

But there was no way to confirm that right now, so I set the thought aside.

Next was Claire, and this was where things got suspicious.

She had somehow become an ally without me even realizing it, then betrayed us, only to slip back into the group as if nothing had happened.

Her actions were dubious, and her appraisal results were even more so.

If I recalled correctly, her appraisal read:

Notes: Dis—mna〇▲□ta◆※×▽ life◇☆彡Shita magic●◎◆… (Unreadable).

That was practically an admission of involvement.

Her combat abilities were also undeniable.

That meant she was likely the Guardian, the Warrior, or the Mage—but my instincts told me Michelle was the Guardian while Claire was the Mage.

Or she could be on the enemy’s side…

That was still uncertain.

Then there was Melia.

She felt like an ally, but I had no idea what her role was.

The only remaining options were Warrior or Dancer, but I had no strong impression of which she might be.

Hmm…

Would taking everyone to the dungeon administrator for a skill appraisal solve this?

If we could see either the skills they had already obtained or those listed as potential abilities, we might get some answers.

I was mulling over these thoughts as we made our way back to Riofendarl’s domain.

However, upon re-entering what was once the Horneld Duchy, I was stunned by what I saw.

The landscape was completely different.

A vast wasteland stretched before us, utterly devastated.

As I guided my horse forward, relying on memory to navigate, I found… nothing.

The capital of the duchy was still a ways off, but the towns, villages, roads, and fields that should have been here—

All of them were gone.

“Lax. Look over there.”

Michelle pointed toward something in the distance.

“That’s… a shrine?”

“I think it looked something like that before…”

“You’re right. Let’s check it out.”

“Yeah.”

Circling around, we confirmed that it was indeed the same shrine.

If this was the only thing left standing, then the demons were likely responsible.

But even if they had left the country, would they have been able to erase everything without a trace, without emitting any magical presence?

If they had used magic to wipe it all out, then the sheer power required should have been detectable even from far away.

“Shining Burst!”

“GRAAAAHHHH!!”

“…What?”

Inside the shrine, we were met with an overwhelming sight.

A horde of demons—Ruin Demons, to be precise—

And someone cutting them down with magic in a one-sided massacre—

“Claire?”

Michelle was just as shocked as I was.

Seriously, what the hell was she doing here?

“Lax? Michelle? You came at the perfect time. Help me wipe these things out.”

“Got it. Shining Ray!”

“Holy Burst!”

And so, we joined the battle.

Clearly, Claire was fighting the demons.

That meant eliminating them took priority over asking questions.

I could interrogate her once the battle was over.

With that decision made in an instant, Michelle and I launched our attacks.

“Guaaah…! Why are we being overpowered so easily? Why do you not fear demons? Unforgivable! Feel my power—Gyaaahhh!”

One of the demons had attempted to speak, and I had considered listening.

But before it could finish, Claire’s magic obliterated it.

“Lax, there’s no point in listening. They wouldn’t tell the truth anyway.”

“That may be true…”

Or was it?

I had my doubts, but she had a point.

If we really needed information, we could always keep one alive until the very end.

With that in mind, we continued clearing out the shrine.

By the time the battle was over, we had managed to capture a few demons alive—unconscious but restrained.

And as for Claire, well… I made sure to grab hold of her arm myself.

“So? You’re going to explain now, right?”

“Oh my… Could it be that Lax is a complete pervert, capturing me like this?”

I expected that kind of reaction.

It was always the same with her.

But this time, she wasn’t getting away without answering.

“Enough of that. It’s time for you to talk.”

“Hmph.”

She pouted in clear dissatisfaction.

Hadn’t she said ‘I’ll explain later’ the last time, too?

Did she really think she could keep pulling that excuse every time?

“Given their nature, Disemna and the Ruin Demons must have found each other mutually useful at some point. Now that their cooperation has ended, the Ruin Demons likely rebelled.”

Her explanation sounded reasonable…

But it wasn’t what I had been asking for.

She was deliberately changing the subject.

“Where is Disemna? I heard that someone with the power to draw it in was nearby.”

Wait, what?

What was I saying?

“The ‘Enchanting Dancer’… Yes, they must be here. Disemna wouldn’t want to see them but couldn’t afford to ignore them either. They were likely keeping a certain distance.”

Claire answered normally, completely unfazed.

Unlike me.

I could feel my expression tightening.

I hadn’t meant to say that.

And I hadn’t asked what I wanted to ask.

“How do you know that?”

“Oh no, Lax! How cruel! Were you trying to trick poor, innocent me?”

“That wasn’t me. I wasn’t the one asking.”

Something was forcing those words out of me.

Something was making me say those things.

“Well?”

“Not yet~”

Still confused, I pressed in on Claire, but she smoothly slipped out of my grip.

What the hell was going on?

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