Fled Without Realizing I Had Prevented the Apocalypse

It’s a familiar ceiling.
The head of the Araxis Count family, Cran Araxis, unconsciously thought so at the sight that greeted him as soon as he opened his eyes.
Perhaps under normal circumstances, he would have been sitting in a chair, sipping coffee personally prepared by his wife, and attending to the affairs of his domain.
But such daily life had already been destroyed.
“…Are you awake, Your Excellency?”
By the owner of the head lying in front of him, the Witch of Lust.
The Count, who had been staring at the cleanly cut cross-section as if measured with a ruler, soon turned his head to look at the man who had cut off the witch’s head.
“You are…”
“I don’t know whether Your Excellency ordered it yourself, or if the witch purchased it on your behalf. But I’m the delivery manager of the premium delivery you ordered.”
“…That’s right, I did order it. The witch threatened to kill my entire family if I didn’t purchase the Goddess’s Tear.”
Although his body had fallen into the witch’s hands, the Count’s memory vaguely remembered what had happened.
The elixir placed on that table was something the witch had purchased to offer as a sacrifice to her demon.
He didn’t believe it, but when the demon said she would leave this family if she just received that elixir, he even applied for premium delivery to arrive within three days from Beatrice’s merchant guild, which had put the Goddess’s Tear up for auction.
“Premium courier. The fact that you cut off the witch’s head means that the guild master…”
“Yes, it seems things have gone as Your Excellency intended. Although I wasn’t informed of anything.”
Damn Beatrice.
Watching the man casually mention the name of the client who had hired him, the Count was certain that his gamble had succeeded.
Premium delivery.
Unlike regular delivery, it’s an act that’s essentially throwing money away unless there’s a really urgent reason, entrusting the item to a single mercenary and having it arrive within the deadline.
Therefore, entrusting a premium delivery is generally a bit more complex in procedure compared to entrusting a regular delivery.
Of course, in the Count’s case, he could skip most of the procedures based on his status, but the witch, who only knew about the existence of premium delivery in the first place, would never know such details.
The Count had requested help from Beatrice’s merchant guild based on such a loophole, without being detected by the witch.
However, while the Count might consider it help, ordinary people would likely find his actions pathetic, thinking that the nobles were just wasting money again.
The Count himself wouldn’t have requested help in this way if he hadn’t heard rumors about Beatrice, the gold-collecting spider, and met her in person.
But the Beatrice he had seen in person seemed like she would notice even such a request for help, so he had thrown it out there just in case…
“Judging by your expression, I don’t need to explain the situation. Is there anything you want to ask?”
“My, my wife and daughter? What happened to them?”

The Count hastily asked about the life and death of his daughter and wife.
Fortunately, thanks to the successful help request, he was able to live, but if his wife and only daughter had departed for the other world, what reason would he have to live?
“I don’t know. That’s also why I woke you up, Your Excellency. Do you happen to know where your daughter and wife are being held?”
At the man’s answer, the Count gripped his legs that were about to give way.
Although it wasn’t the worst scenario he had imagined, he still couldn’t relax.
Not knowing whether they’re alive or dead doesn’t mean they’re dead yet.
“I don’t know exactly. The witch never showed me my daughter and wife, whom she took hostage.”
“I see.”
“But there is a place I can roughly guess. It’s a place the witch regularly visited.”
“Where is that?”
“A tavern run by a man named Rick. I think they’re using its basement as a hideout.”
“Let’s verify that.”
Verify?
As the Count wondered, the man left the room briefly without answering and returned with the head butler, who was tied up.
The head butler seemed to have already been tortured in various ways before the Count woke up, as his entire body was bruised.
“…Alex.”
“Hehe, Your Excellency. You’re awake. After killing my fiancée.”
The Count’s feelings were complicated as he looked at the head butler.
Unlike the witch whom he had never seen face to face, the head butler was someone who had worked for his family for over twenty years.
He had been a butler since before the Count was called a count, so it would have been strange if he didn’t feel anything.
However, the fact that he had been bewitched and almost ruined this count’s family remains an undeniable fact.
The Count organized his thoughts and asked the head butler a question.
“Alex, where did the witch hide my daughter and wife?”
“Hehe, do you want an answer after killing my fiancée? Not a chance!”
The head butler’s resistance was fierce.
It might have been natural, given that he opened his mouth despite the man having messed up his body like that.
Like an unyielding iron wall, it seemed the head butler’s mouth wouldn’t open.
However.
“Then don’t answer.”
“W-What?”
“I said don’t answer. We’ve already figured out the location of your wife and daughter.”

The head butler’s gaze wavered at the man’s bluff, claiming he had figured out their identity.
“That’s impossible. How?”
“Among the magic that magicians learn, there’s a spell that can read the memories of a person who has died. I read the witch’s memories with that. She frequently visited a tavern run by a man named Rick?”
There’s no such magic. As far as the Count knew.
However, the head butler, ignorant about magic, seemed to believe his words completely.
“No way…. You even found out that the place where Rick regularly receives alcohol from outside is the hideout?”
Therefore, he spilled the answer that neither the Count nor the man had thought of.
The Count and the man nodded at each other after hearing the head butler’s words.
Then the Count patted the head butler’s shoulder and said,
“I only knew about the tavern.”
“…What?”
“Thank you for telling us.”
With those final words, the head butler couldn’t speak anymore.
The last face I saw of him was distorted with despair.

The place where Rick regularly receives alcohol from outside.
An inspection station set up within the domain operated by the Araxis Count family.
In an artificial cave that could be dug deep below it, the Count’s wife and the Count’s daughter, Stella Araxis, were imprisoned.
“Stop making a fuss and stay still now!”
“Kuhek!”
Stella’s mouth spat out saliva as she was kicked by a demon contractor who looked a head taller than her.
Given the significant difference in weight class and the enhanced strength due to the contract with the demon, it’s not a force she could withstand no matter how much training she had done.
The demon contractor clicked his tongue as he watched Stella dry heave, unable to suppress the rising nausea, and then stepped outside the prison.
“Huff, huff…”
“Stella…”
After the guard watching the prison left, the Countess looked at Stella with worried eyes.
“You know these guys won’t listen to reason, don’t you? Even if you’ve received knight training, such useless actions…”
“…It wasn’t useless.”
Stella, catching her breath while panting, took out a small key from her chest.
The key to this prison that the prison guard had been wearing on his waist just a moment ago.

The Countess’s eyes widened at the sight of Stella secretly securing the key while being beaten like that.
“You…”
“Let’s get out of here first. I can’t stay here any longer, no matter what happens.”
The bars that would burn you just by touching them due to a special black magic spell.
Handcuffs that prevent you from easily moving both arms.
And on top of that, bread as hard as stone and green soup made of who knows what, incomparable to their usual meals.

This is no longer a place for people to stay.
Although she knows demon contractors are guarding outside, she didn’t want to stay in such a place for a long time.
Stella carefully held the key and stretched her arm to insert it into the keyhole, careful not to touch the bars.
Click.
Fortunately, as Stella had picked up the right key, the door opened without any resistance.
After confirming that the prison door was open, Stella immediately gathered her confiscated belongings.
The sword and scabbard she had never taken off her body since becoming an apprentice dreaming of becoming a knight. And the shoulder guards protecting her chest and forearms, and a small potion that could heal wounds.
Stella, who had quickly armed herself, called the Countess behind her.

“Stay behind me.”
“…Alright.”
The Countess also didn’t say anything about waiting for the Count here.
She too is a noble.
Stella came from her womb, so it’s not strange that the mother and daughter’s personalities are so similar.
The two who had escaped from the prison slowly advanced with eyes adapted to the darkness.
The cave, which should have been full of demon contractors, was empty for some reason, and the passage leading outside was the same.
The Countess and Stella exchanged glances for a moment and decided to head straight for the passage.
Although they didn’t know what had happened, they judged that now was the perfect opportunity.
Relying on the single sword in her hand, as Stella advanced towards the passage, she could spot someone in the darkness.
“Y-You!?”
The prison guard who had been watching to prevent them from escaping from the prison until just a moment ago.
The guard seemed unable to hide his bewilderment at seeing the two who had escaped from the prison.
‘He’s injured.’
While the guard was not moving in confusion, Stella quickly assessed the situation.
Although she didn’t know what had happened, the guard was currently injured.
Judging by his rough breathing, it’s safe to assume there had been quite an intense battle.
Probably the reason why the demon contractors weren’t visible was also because of this.
After thinking alone and making a decision, Stella whispered quietly to the Countess.
“I’m going to break through.”
“What? That’s…”
“We have to break through this way to get out anyway. We can’t retreat now, can we?”
The Countess nodded at Stella’s logical explanation.
“Y-You, why are you outside… Right. This might be better. I’ll have to take you hostage.”
Moreover, the words uttered by the guard serve as a motivation for Stella to move.
Stella looked at the head guard in front of her, tightly gripping the sword in her hand.
“Kuaaaak-!”
The guard thrust his massive body towards Stella as if there was no time to spare.
Intending to subdue her by grabbing her body with those thick hands.
However, Stella hadn’t trained in vain to fall for such an obvious move.
Since that incident, Stella had been striving to become a knight, so she easily avoided the guard’s tackle.
At the same time, she thinks.
‘One chance, I need to stab it right into the heart.’
If she clumsily stabs it somewhere else and gets caught by that massive flesh, she doesn’t have enough strength to pull out that sword.
So, the heart that can instantly kill the opponent.
She must aim for the heart.
Whether he knows Stella’s plan or not, the guard prepared for another tackle based on his enhanced physique.
It’s powerful if it hits, but it’s over if you dodge it.
Stella focused as much as possible on the head guard’s movements.
Tap-!
She kicked off the ground and threw her body sideways to avoid the tackle, and.
Stab.
At the same time, she plunged the sword into his heart.
However.
There was one thing that she, who had only trained and never experienced real combat, didn’t know.
“…Got you.”
A demon contractor doesn’t die even if their heart is pierced.
Only by destroying the brain connected to the demon can they die.
Because she didn’t know this, Stella’s leg was caught by the hand of the guard she thought had fallen.
“What…!”
“You insolent bitch!”
And the head guard immediately moved both hands to subdue her, as if he wouldn’t let go of the prey he had caught once.
After subduing Stella, the guard panted and beat her body.
Pain that simply couldn’t be endured.
Blood burst from her mouth, and pain as if bones were broken dominated her entire body.
The guard, as if he couldn’t bear it even after that, looked down at the subdued Stella and said,
“I was going to use you as a hostage and hand you over, but no. One hostage is enough!”
“Ugh…”
“If I’m going to face that monster anyway, for the last time…!”
The guard’s hand moves.
To touch Stella’s body once again.
However.
“Who are you calling a monster?”
The next moment, Stella opened her eyes in pain at the softly heard voice.
It was a familiar voice.
One that she simply couldn’t forget even if she tried.
The voice of the hero who had ended that incident.
At the same time, what entered Stella’s opened eyes was.
Bang-!
The guard’s head, cut off with a single kick and embedded in the wall, and.

“Are you alright?”
A man with an indiscernible face, reaching out his hand towards her.
That figure reaching out his hand looked so much like the savior she couldn’t forget.
Stella unconsciously uttered the name of that savior.
“Kyle… Amillan?”