I Got Reincarnated as the Villain and Saved the World, but After the Ending I Was Betrayed and Exiled. I Just Wanted a Peaceful Life in the Frontier, but for Some Reason My Former Companions Started Chasing Me with Yandere Eyes… - 12

Chapter 12: VS the Demonfolk

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“Tia, let’s go!! Elena, I’m counting on you to chant here!!”

“H-help…!”

The moment Gyamel, who was still holding a shield, let out a scream at the overwhelming difference in strength, Tia and I sprang forward at the same time. Of course, the Greater Demon noticed us immediately and thrust his arm toward us.

“Tia, get the priest girl to safety!! You guys!! Leave this to me and get out of here!!”

“Understood! Master, please be careful!!”

“Huh? Gustav? Why are you guys—”

“Haha! Friends of yours? Don’t think you can beat me just by swarming me!!”

Even while Gyamel was babbling, the Greater Demon before us radiated overwhelming killing intent. I had a bad feeling about this.

I activated my Evil Eyes at the bare minimum so that Elena wouldn’t sense it. I used my Evil Eyes to read the trajectory of the demon’s magic and predict his movements. Then, I placed my sword in position. Sparks flew as I deflected the black beam fired from the Greater Demon’s palm.

“No way… That’s the same spell that took down Chrono in an instant…”

“I told you to just run, didn’t I?!!”

I barked at the wide-eyed Gyamel. I knew that spell.

『Dark Magic: Dead Line』 A spell where condensed darkness was fired as a beam to obliterate the target. It was one of the demons’ signature techniques. It was the simplest kind of magic, but if used by a high-ranking demon, it became a full-fledged killing spell. Honestly, that spell was just like Zoltraak from Fri○ren.

“Master!! Are you okay?”

“Tia, trust me and keep moving!! Ughhhhhh!!”

I smiled reassuringly at Tia, who was looking at me with concern. My sword, catching and deflecting the beam, screamed in protest. Sure, I was rusty now… but!!

“I can’t show my disciple an uncool side!!”

The moment I finished deflecting the attack, I moved in fluidly and slashed at the Greater Demon before he could fire a second shot, only for the demon to block with his sharp claws.

“What’s wrong? Can’t handle a mere human without magic, oh mighty demon?!”

While Elena was chanting her spell, I threw out a cheap provocation to draw his attention. Judging from his magic earlier, this was a powerful demon, probably on the level of one of the Four Great Demons we once fought. That was exactly why the taunt worked effectively.

“Tch… Those eyes of yours… You’re one of them, aren’t you?”

“You know my eyes?!”

“Nice!! You’re nothing like that small fry earlier! I can have some real fun with you!!”

The thrill of facing such power reminded me of past battles against formidable foes, sending a chill down my spine. But I didn’t let my guard down. I dodged the Greater Demon’s claw strikes by a hair’s breadth and counter-slashing, sending arcs of green blood into the air.

“Hahaha! Not bad! You’ve done well, to be able to wound me, the great Amon!! State your name!! I’ll remember it… For three seconds!”

“I’m the wandering adventurer Gustav!! Three seconds, huh? Sounds like the great demon’s brain is worse than a chicken’s, forgetting after only three seconds!!”

“Huh?!?! What did you say?! Who’s a chicken?! I’ll kill you!!”

“Master, to fight like that against a demon… As expected of you!!”

“That’s… That’s the power of a C-rank adventurer?”

My Evil Eyes reacted to magic itself. That meant that if my opponent was a demon whose movements were powered by magic, I could predict their next actions to some degree. That was why I could even fight the Demon Lord on even footing back then.

“You demons shouldn’t be able to live without a Demon Lord… So why are you here?”

“Huh??? You think we’re the same as you, inferior species, who only have one king?”

“What…? Amon is a subordinate of a different Demon Lord…?”

I couldn’t help voicing my shock at Amon’s words. If there was still another Demon Lord, then this world was still in danger… Ah, right. In the game I had poured hours into, a sequel had been in development, and some information had already been released.

Just then, I felt overwhelming magic from behind. Elena must have finished chanting. The time for thinking was over. All that was left was to defeat this guy.

“Too bad!! I can read your thoughts!! Your sword didn’t have the intent to kill me!! Your real target is elsewhere, isn’t it?!”

At the same time my master emerged from the bushes with magic gathering at the tip of her staff, Amon leapt backward to create distance. Then he grinned at me and thrust both arms forward—not at me, but at Tia, who was carrying the priest, and at my master, who was preparing to unleash her spell.

“Haha! I present you with three choices!! Save the girl, save the elf, or kill me!!”

“Amon!!”

Grinning provocatively with his neck exposed, Amon dared me to strike. At this rate, I wouldn’t make it in time. My sword could probably block magic for only one of them. That meant I had to stop being “mediocre.” Even if my true nature had to be exposed…

I gathered power into my eyes, ready to release Evil Eyes’s full power.

“Devour magic—”

“Ufufu, Amon-sama. Forget the elf and Master! Look at cute little me♡ If you want… I’ll let you spoil me rotten~♡”

That was when it happened. Tia, suppressing her trembling with a forced smile, dropped the priest onto the ground, pushed her chest together to emphasize her cleavage, and winked at Amon in a sultry tone.

And Amon…

“Woooahhh, even in leather armor, that peek of cleavage is dangerous!! Even though she’s an adventurer, but that gap moe is so adorable!! Ahhh! So erotic!! This kind of eroticism… Is she at the level of a Succubus Queen?!”

“Ugh, gross…”

Whether it was because he was a high-level demon or because of his personal tastes, the charm worked better than expected. Amon stopped his spell entirely and started grinning lecherously. Meanwhile, Tia was looking at him with utter disgust.

In that opening, the spell was unleashed.

“Burn my enemy to ash—Megido Flame!”

“Gyaaaaaaaaahhh!!”

The holy flames that purified evil burst forth from Elena’s staff as a beam, engulfing and blowing Amon away. It was a powerful spell that had even felled one of the Four Great Demons. Even if he survived, he wouldn’t get away unscathed. For now, I had to help the injured and get back to the Adventurers’ Guild…

“Well done, Phantom. Your sword is as sharp as ever.”

“Yeah, you too, Master, as expected… Huh…?”

“Those Evil Eyess… As I thought, it is you.”

The moment I let my guard down, she called me by my old name, and by the time I realized I’d responded with my old way of speaking, it was already too late. Elena’s tear-filled eyes clung to me as her hand gripped my sleeve tightly, unwilling to let me go. When I looked to Tia for help, she only held her head in her hands in perplexity.

★★

“Damn it, this is bad… A whole year has gone by and I haven’t done anything. At this rate, the new Demon Lord will kill me.”

I, Cain, sat at my desk with my head in my hands. I hadn’t told anyone, but I was a reincarnator, and I knew the game this world was likely based on inside and out.

But there had been two major surprises. One: Phantom, who was supposed to side with the demons, had somehow become the fifth member of the protagonist’s party. And two: the heroines had feelings for Phantom, not me.

Especially Henrietta-tan, who had been my favorite since my previous life. There was no way I could forgive that.

“And why the hell did my past-life memories have to come back right before we went to the Demon Lord’s castle…?”

By then, the adventure was already in its final stages, and the relationships were set in stone, so I couldn’t change anything. Worse yet, Phantom—whom I’d used as bait for the Demon Lord—had gone and defeated the Demon Lord with ease.

“Damn Phantom… Always doing unnecessary things…”

Originally, I was supposed to become mutually in love with Henrietta-tan. I had managed to conspire with the minister to get Phantom exiled, but anyone could see her heart still belonged to him.

“No… That doesn’t matter now. If things go on like this, this world will turn into the sequel’s world. I’ll get killed by the new Demon Lord…”

In the sequel, my role as the previous game’s protagonist was to be pitifully killed by demons—a mere stepping stone. To avoid that, I needed to gather the former party members we’d adventured with.

Henrietta-tan would probably help if I dangled her territory before her, but Elena and Ceres were nowhere to be seen.

“That leaves…Recruiting key characters from the next game… The adventurer Tia, who could even charm demons. The slaughter doll Dottore. The traitor demon Amon. …With them, I should be able to survive.”

Before I was reincarnated, the sequel’s information had only been revealed as setting notes, so I didn’t know the details. But if I made the main characters my allies, they’d surely be a great asset for my survival.

Unfortunately, my subordinates’ search hadn’t yielded much due to the lack of information.

“No, wait. This is my chance. If I defeat the new Demon Lord myself, Henrietta-tan will forget all about Phantom and fall for me. After all, I’m the reincarnated protagonist…”

I forced my negative thoughts away and hugged my handmade Henrietta-tan plush tight.

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