As a Reward for Saving the World, I Was Reincarnated Into a World Where Girls Are Super Aggressive and Chastity Roles Are Reversed!! …Or So I Thought, Until It Turned Out to Be an Overbearing Yandere Harem of My Former Companions Who Loved Me Too Much - 25

Chapter 25: The Heroes’ Union

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“Well, very well. I’m not a demon, after all. I’ll come back for your answer later. Until then, tremble and agonize to your heart’s content! Ohohohoho!”

Isabella left the room with a triumphant cackle, fanning her face with her fan as she sauntered away. What remained was a heavy silence and three beautiful girls, each grappling with their own troubles. And then there was me, the only one who didn’t quite grasp the situation.

“What… What should we do…? If the world found out I wrote such a scandalous book… No, worse, if Kazuki-sama found out…! I’d never be able to marry…!”

Celestia’s face turned bright red as she covered it with both hands, trembling so much she seemed on the verge of collapsing. The usual serene dignity of the saintess was nowhere to be seen. She was in complete panic.

“It’s not just you…! If Kazuki found out that I’ve been bragging to everyone that he’s my fiancé…! I’d want to crawl into a hole…! No, I’d have no choice but to bury myself in Kazuki’s chest…!”

Silvia, too, was writhing in embarrassment, her face looking like it might burst into flames. But then, why was she sneaking glances at my chest?

“A book? Fiancé bragging…? I didn’t catch that—what are you talking about?”

“Kazuki-sama, please don’t press further… It’s a maiden’s secret!”

“Don’t dig any deeper into this, or I’ll end myself!”

Between Celestia’s screams and Silvia covering my ears, I couldn’t hear clearly, but it must have been a fatal weakness for both of them. I wanted to help somehow, but without them explaining the details, what could I do…?

As I stood there puzzled alone, Shinon, the only one maintaining her composure. She placed a slender finger on her chin.

“You two, now is not the time to panic. The real issue is the source of the information. The scope of this information is simply impossible for Isabella-sama, a mere kingdom noble, could uncover on her own. It’s as if she peered directly into our hearts…”

Shinon’s sharp observation brought the image of that cursed demon to my mind.

“…It’s possible a demon is involved. There was that guy, Astaroth. He was lurking near this town. Maybe he saw Celestia’s and Shinon’s secrets back then.”

“Indeed… If it’s that shameless demon who can strip people’s hearts bare, it’s possible.”

When Celestia and I recounted the incident in the western forest, Shinon and Silvia snapped their heads up, exclaiming, “A demon!?” in unison. The meekness from earlier was gone, replaced by a dangerous glint in their eyes.

“Peeking into a maiden’s secrets is the lowest of the low. He’s a voyeur demon. Let’s execute him immediately!”

“But he might not be with Isabella. He could be far away, imagining our suffering.”

We shook our heads at Shinon’s words. We hadn’t fought the Demon Lord and countless demons for nothing—we knew their nature.

“High-ranking demons like him feed on human emotions for power. And emotions are freshest when raw, so he’s likely watching us suffer or despair from the front row. This territory has Celestia’s barrier, so he can’t act directly. Instead, he’s probably manipulating someone vile like Isabella, listening in from nearby to enjoy himself.”

It was the same with Glasya-Labolas. He tormented Celestia directly, and in the final battle, he faced our hero party head-on, not leaving it to his minions. It wasn’t because he was honorable. It was simply because he wanted to feast on our despair firsthand. The moment I shared my theory, the room’s atmosphere shifted.

“I see… If the root cause is a demon, that changes everything. It’s a saintess’s duty to vanquish impure beings that defy God… And frankly, the moment she targeted Kazuki-sama, she became God’s enemy.”

Celestia stood, a rapturous smile on her face. Her eyes were those of a predator locking onto prey.

“If that’s the case, it’s simple! I’ll burn Isabella’s mansion to ashes with magic, witnesses and all! She deserves death for defying my fiancé!”

Silvia gripped her staff tightly, a belligerent grin spreading across her face. Her elven ethics seemed a bit skewed.

“Indeed. If we can prove Isabella is colluding with a demon, the world will turn its suspicion on her. I don’t particularly care either way, but I’ll ask my maid contacts to get a map of Isabella’s mansion. Now, everyone…”

“““Let’s bring judgment upon Kazuki(-sama)’s enemies!!”””

Just moments ago, they were terrified of their secrets being exposed, but the moment they learned a demon was involved and they could fight head-on, this was their response. For the sake of their precious man, they’d mercilessly crush any demon or foe. Was this the heart of a maiden in a chastity-reversed world…?

“Wait, wait—this is just a theory! Isabella might just be a pawn manipulated by the demon. Let’s focus on taking down Astaroth first.”

“…Honestly, Kazuki-sama, you’re too kind. That’s just like you, though…”

“If you say so, fine… But it’s not because you think Isabella’s cute, right?”

“…Kazuki-sama, do you have a thing for villainous noblewomen…?”

“No way, that’s not it!!”

The conversation took a weird turn. The three exchanged glances and nodded.

“Kazuki-sama… Leave this to us. In the name of God, we’ll defeat him.”

“Right, you’ve fought enough, Kazuki. We’re the Demon Lord-slaying party, too. a mere demon is no match for us.”

“Yes, Kazuki-sama, please rest.”

The three were in complete agreement, ushering me out of the room and standing guard at the door as they began a menacing strategy meeting, leaving me excluded.

★★★

Back in my room, I recalled what happened. They… They got so angry for my sake. Celestia and Silvia must have been terrified, with Isabella holding their weaknesses. Yet they acted strong in front of me, trying to protect me. Even Shinon, usually so calm, got intense when it came to me, worrying in her own way. I couldn’t bear to see them hurt because of me.

Fighting a demon without a vanguard is going to be tough… No, that’s not it. Maybe it’s because of this chastity-reversed world, but I just can’t stand the thought of them getting hurt for caring about me…

Putting it into words clarified my thoughts. They’d probably refuse if I insisted on going with them. I might worry them, but I knew they’d done so much for me while I was unconscious after the Demon Lord battle. Now, it was my turn to defeat Astaroth, who knew their secrets—not as a hero, but as their friend.

At night, when Shinon usually came to sleep beside me, the door didn’t open. They were probably still engrossed in their strategy meeting.

…Now’s my chance.

I stood silently, planning to infiltrate the royal villa where Isabella was staying, lure out Astaroth, and take him down alone. Changing into combat gear, I slipped out of the room, avoiding detection. My experience as a hero came in handy, letting me dart between shadows and slip past the female guards’ rotations. I reached the mansion’s back gate unnoticed.

“Good, no one’s here.”

The moment I sighed in relief, a bell-like voice spoke from so close I could feel their breath.

“Master-sama, it’s cold at night. Please take this scarf.”

“Eek!!”

My heart nearly stopped. Turning around, I saw Shinon in her usual maid outfit, holding a warm-looking, hand-knitted scarf, standing quietly.

“Shinon!? Why… No, aren’t you going to stop me?”

Shinon gave a soft smile, fragile yet beautiful, like a moonlit flower blooming in the dark.

“Even if I tried, you’d go anyway, wouldn’t you? You can’t ignore someone in trouble or abandon your precious comrades. That’s the Master-sama I know. Right, you two?”

At Shinon’s words, two figures emerged from the shadows by the gate.

“Kazuki-sama, that’s cruel… Were you going to leave us behind again? Do you think we’re that unreliable?”

“I admit we were overprotective. But promise us you won’t do this again.”

Their anxious expressions hit me like a punch, reminding me of their faces during the Demon Lord battle. What had they looked like back then?

“I thought you’d stop me… But it’s just an excuse. Sorry, I just didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“That’s how I feel too, Kazuki-sama.”

“This time, we’ll protect you, so don’t worry. We’ll take him down together.”

“You two…”

“I wanted to stop you, even with sleeping drugs, but they overruled me…”

Shinon’s words sent a chill through me, ruining the moment. She was joking… right?

“Let’s go. We’ll erase Kazuki-sama’s enemies from this world.”

Celestia raised her staff, radiating holy light.

“Just watch, Kazuki. I’ll wipe out anyone troubling you with my ultimate magic.”

Green magical energy swirled at the tip of Silvia’s staff.

“I’ll prepare a special meal and wait for you. So please, come back.”

Shinon gave me a smile, something she rarely did. Their eyes held absolute trust in me, unrelenting hostility toward our enemy, and a deep, heavy, dark shade of love.

Ah… They’re all doing this for me… Comrades are the best!

Oblivious to their intense affection, my heart swelled with warmth. Thus began the counterattack (or rather, the raid) on the capital by a clueless former hero and his overly devoted yandere harem.

★★★

At Isabella’s villa, a short distance from Kazuki’s territory, she held a glass of wine and spoke with Astaroth.

“Your ability to see the truth is incredible. I still can’t believe how much those two from the hero’s party panicked.”

“I’m honored by your praise. That is the nature of my power.”

Isabella smirked wickedly. She hadn’t taken kindly to Celestia and the others taking the hero to a remote location, even if it was to protect him. How dare they, mere commoners, presume to be with the hero over her noble self?

“Thanks to you, I can’t wait for Kazuki-sama to come seeking me. But why tell them to respond later? Wouldn’t it have been better to corner them then?”

“Haha, if we did that, they’d just declare independence from the kingdom, and that’d be the end of it. More importantly, I wouldn’t get to savor their faces when they learn the truth.”

“Their faces… When they learn the truth?”

Isabella tilted her head, puzzled, as Astaroth laughed gleefully.

“Yes, exactly. After such provocation, that hero will surely come. And then, I’ll expose their lies.”

“What are you talking about? That wasn’t part of the plan! If the hero’s party gets serious, we’re—”

Isabella couldn’t finish her speech because Astaroth’s magic had restrained her.

“Fuhahaha, how exciting! How thrilling! Hero Kazuki and your comrades, let me taste the flavor of your truth!”

Astaroth’s laughter echoed through the villa.

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