Chapter 1: What Awaited Me Upon My Return Was Betrayal and Banishment
“Sorry, but there’s no place for you here anymore. Get out.”
It had been half a year since I fell into the dungeon’s lower levels because the idiot in front of me stepped on a trap.
Those were hellish days. Relentlessly attacking, super-powerful monsters. A battle against starvation and loneliness. I fought desperately, not even knowing which way to go, and finally made it back.
And those were the words thrown at me.
“Are you kidding me? I just got back from the lower levels I fell into because you stepped on a trap, and that’s what you have to say?”
That’s right. Of all things, this bastard stepped right on a trap that day.
You’re a Thief, aren’t you? Disarming traps is your job, so why the hell did you step on one? Don’t screw with me.
Because of that, Michelle-san got injured, and I shielded this guy as he was about to fall into the pit.
And yet…
“Me? You’re the one who stepped on the trap and fell in alone, weren’t you? Blaming others, what a terrible guy. Besides, Michelle-san, who got hurt because of you, still hasn’t woken up, you know?”
“You bastard.”
Michelle-san is still unconscious?
Just how badly did you injure her?
No matter how I look at it, he took advantage of Michelle-san not waking up and my absence to spread lies.
In the first place, our party formation was this scum in the lead, Michelle-san the Knight and me the leader following, and Claire-san the mage at the rear.
There’s no way I’d step on a trap all by myself!
“Lux-san. It’s unfortunate, but since half a year has passed since you went missing, you’re considered ‘estimated deceased.’ You know the rules, don’t you? The party has already been handed over to Jekyll-san.”
But before I could yell, another voice cut in.
It was Elanda-san, the acting feudal lord and my fiancée.
A beautiful woman with long, flowing platinum blonde hair, she’s very popular in town.
She’s a bit strict with money, and I hear complaints from guild members, but she probably runs things soundly.
This town is originally governed by Viscount Riophendal, but he’s elderly and only has two daughters.
Unfortunately, he aged considerably after losing his wife and eldest son in the Stampede that occurred three years ago.
And so, we were the ones who quelled that Stampede, and as the leader, I was engaged to Elanda-san, the Viscount’s eldest daughter. We were supposed to govern this town together in the future while managing dungeon countermeasures.
And yet…
“Elanda-san. Why didn’t you stand up for me…? With your position as acting lord, you could have done something, right? We talked about facing the dungeon’s dangers together, didn’t we?”
I squeezed out my voice, as if clinging to hope.
Did even my fiancée believe this scum over me?
“You’re a sore loser. You endangered the party with your mistake. Besides, Elanda-san is already my woman. Don’t talk to her so casually.”
“What? What do you mean!?”
What did he say?
What happened to our engagement? We had the lord’s permission and were formally engaged at the temple, you know?
“What do you mean, ‘what do I mean’? It is what it is. Because you were messing around and got declared deceased, our engagement was naturally annulled.”
“And then, I, the new leader of ‘Senko,’ got engaged to her. You should’ve figured that out by now, idiot. Ahahahaha!”
“You bastards!?”
Is that what you have to say to me, who risked my life to come back?
Even as ‘Senko,’ we were barely managing in the lower levels, and I was dropped into the deepest parts, you know?
I risked my life… and yet, I came back thinking only of Elanda-san, the party, and the town…
I clenched my fists.
But their betrayal didn’t stop at just that.
“Stop making a ruckus. What will you do if it affects the child in my womb?”
“A ch-child!?!?!?!”
Don’t screw with me, you bastards!
I had listened to the Viscount, the lord, and maintained a rational relationship, never crossing that line…
I tried to somehow suppress the surging fury.
“There’s nothing left for you here anymore. Give up and leave. You don’t even have citizenship anymore, you see.”
My former fiancée pressed on.
“A town like this? I’m the one who wants nothing to do with it!”
I don’t care about this place anymore!
I made it back alive, so the ‘estimated deceased’ status should be revoked, damn it!
“Normally, we’d confiscate everything you’re wearing right now, but well, I’ll overlook it this time. You should be grateful.”
And then this scum.
The two of them looked down on me as I hung my head, suppressing my anger.
There’s no need to endure this any longer.
Prepare yourselves!
“This is what I earned wandering the dungeon for the past half-year! It’s not party property, you damn bastard!”
“Guooh… Y-you bastard!”
I punched that scum in the face.
If I’d hit him with my full mana in this place, I would’ve killed scum like him instantly, so I held back as much as I could when I punched him.
“Refrain from violence in the guild!”
“Stop it, Lux-san. Leave.”
“I’ll leave even if you don’t tell me to!!!!”
“Wait! Guards, seize him! He assaulted the leader of ‘Senko’! He’s a criminal!”
As I kicked open the guild door and left, the guild master, who had been timidly watching the situation, and Elanda-san’s escorting guards also came out and were saying something behind me.
The scum I punched was yelling, not even realizing I’d held back, but if you think you can catch me, then try it!