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… - 14

Chapter 14: Gustav and Elena

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For the time being, we had decided to rest and prepare for tomorrow, but Tia had secretly summoned me through a letter.  When I knocked on the door of the cheap inn where she was staying, a cute voice said to me.

“Coming~” 

And then, the door opened to reveal an equally cute face peeking out.

“Thank you for coming all the way here. Please, come in! No need to hesitate~”

“Ah, you wrote that you had something confidential in nature to talk about… So, what’s going on? …Hm?”

When I stepped into the simple room with just a bed and a small desk, a sweet scent tickled my nose.

Why does it smell so nice here even though this is just a cheap inn…?

On top of that, Tia-chan had taken off her armor and changed into thin nightclothes, which emphasized her already noticeable full chest and soft-looking hips even more. My eyes were naturally drawn to her body despite myself.

Wait a second, if I think about it calmly, isn’t it kind of…Questionable for me to be in a woman’s room this late at night?

“What’s wrong, Master? Please, have a seat on the bed. There’s no need to hold back.”

“No. There’s nothing wrong. Don’t worry about it.”

Not wanting my inner thoughts to be exposed and make things awkward, I nervously accepted her offer and sat down. She handed me a glass of water, which I sipped to calm myself.

“You’ve got this look on your face like, ‘Entering a girl’s room this late at night is basically an invitation!~ She’s so cute I might as well pounce on her! Hehehehe~’ ”

“I’m not thinking that far, okay? Also, does anyone actually laugh like ‘hehehehe’ in real life?”

“Well, if Master is willing to take responsibility, I wouldn’t mind being pounced on…”

“…Eh?”

How dangerous…. I almost let my guard down just now. 

My eyes naturally went to her face and I saw that she had a cute yet somehow alluring smile. She looked unusually mature and charming….

Wait. Don’t tell me…

“You shouldn’t be using Charm on me.”

“Oh, come on. There’s no way I’d do something like that to you, Master… Could it be that you were captivated because I’m too cute?”

She happily pressed her chest against me, which was dangerous in several ways. Although I was engaged to Henrietta, we’d never done anything like that, so I wasn’t used to situations like this.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Oh, you dodged the question…”

After giving me a sidelong glance, Tia’s expression turned serious.

“Um… Would it be alright if I asked whether something happened between you and Elena-san in the past?”

“Ah… Yeah, I guess that would make you curious.”

I had told Tia-chan about my true identity, but I hadn’t gone into detail about what had happened. Still, after hearing my conversation with Elena, she must have suspected that something had occurred between us.

“Of course I’m curious. But more than that, you looked like you were in pain…So I thought that if I knew the circumstances, maybe I could help, even just a little.”

“Tia-chan…”

I could feel her kindness seeping into my heart. Yes. Indeed. My time with her had been short, but I’d already realized—more than enough—that she truly cared for me. Even now, she was teaming up with me not just because she owed me, but maybe because she was worried about me. 

She had even fought demons because she believed my words. It should be okay for me to trust someone again, right…? Even though remembering the painful past still hurt, but strangely enough, my heart felt lighter now.

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“So that’s what happened…”

“Yeah. Though now I know for Elena’s case, it was just a misunderstanding, but as for the others…. I don’t know. I’m sure there were people who genuinely supported the idea of my expulsion.”

I had thought our party got along well. Sure, Cain’s attitude had changed a bit after we got close to the Demon Lord’s castle, but we had still worked together just fine. Or so I thought—until I heard the words they’d supposedly spoken from the minister. Those words still wouldn’t leave my mind.

Maybe, like with Elena, Cain had just cut things in a way that made him look good. But… I no longer had the will to confirm it. Besides, when I was in exile, I had heard rumors  that they had all been given honorable positions in the royal castle.

“I see… And so, you still can’t completely trust Elena-sama.”

“Yeah. I want to believe there was no deceit in her words. But… I just can’t help but recall that I was betrayed once before.”

“Then… If you could hear Elena-sama’s true feelings, you’d be able to trust her, right?”

When I nodded at Tia’s words, she smiled happily. But Elena was the type to hide her true thoughts. Getting her to open up wouldn’t be easy.

“That’s true… But still, why are you so concerned about my relationship with Elena?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re about to form a party and fight powerful demons together. If we still have something holding us back, it’ll hurt our coordination.”

“That’s true…”

“But more than that, I don’t want to see you making such a pained expression anymore.”

She had a look of genuine sadness, as if the pain I was feeling was her own. Seeing that, I stroked her head and she smiled happily in return.  Her expression now lacked the mature air from earlier. She no longer showed me her usual mischievous grin, but rather the cute smile of someone her age. The gap made my heart skip a beat.

“Tia… Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you. After all, you saved me twice.”

“Twice…?”

I understood the first. It was because I reached out to her right after she got expelled from her party… But twice? I only knew the first one.

“Master… If you trust me, then please allow me to do what I’m about to do. I think what you need most is to hear her true feelings.”

“Eh? You mean…”

Before I could finish, I felt my body becoming immobile.

Is it paralysis poison…? Was it in the water from earlier?

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Ignoring my confusion, she tied me up with a robe and gagged me.

“Mm—! Mm—!!”

“Master, please trust me.”

She smiled and shoved me into the closet. The clothes inside, carrying Tia’s sweet scent, filled the air.

Wait… Isn’t this her underwear…?

While I was flustered at the sight of the suspicious cloth lying right in front of me, the door was shut. Darkness filled my vision, with only a sliver of light coming in through a crack.

What the hell are you thinking?!?!

I tried to shout, but the gag turned it into muffled noises. Just as I was about to fall into despair, I heard a knocking sound coming from the door.

“Ah, it’s fine, you can come in~”

“Pardon me for visiting so late at night. Tia, what is this about?”

“I thought it would be nice to have a girls’ night and of course, we’re going to talk about Master!!”

With the sound of the door opening, I heard Elena’s voice, and through the crack in the closet, I could see Tia smiling.

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