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… - 39

Chapter 39: Girls’ Only Night

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We split into two groups and headed for the royal capital, taking a detour along the way. We arrived at the checkpoint soon after, but…

“I’m terribly sorry. At the moment we’re under strict security, and we can’t let anyone without identification enter.”

As usual, Amon was the one getting stopped. I had been thinking of slipping the guard a bribe to smooth things over, but…

“We were attacked by bandits and had our belongings stolen. Isn’t there anything you can do? These gentlemen are adventurers who are protecting me.”

“Handsome Onii-san, please~♡ Without him, we won’t even be able to take on proper quests.”

“Uh… Aah… Uuh…”

The moment the guard was a little shaken by the divine aura that Ceres emanated as she asked for help, Tia followed up with an upward glance and her own plea. The guard’s face turned bright red, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly.

“Please. I swear in the name of the gods that this man will cause no harm. So, could you save us, who have been troubled by a bandit attack?”

“Come on, Onii-san. Please~♡ You’re the only one we can rely on. Our clothes are already in tatters… We can’t stand camping out anymore.”

Ceres, like a figure out of a religious painting, offered a light prayer to the guard, while Tia deliberately revealed a glimpse of pale skin from beneath her deliberately damaged leather armor. The guard swallowed hard.

“…Ah, you two have been through a lot… All right, go on through. I’ll take responsibility for this.”

And just like that, permission to pass was granted. The two of them, now back to their confident, smug expressions, glanced back at me. I was a little shaken by their perfectly coordinated routine.

“Scary, scary, scary. What’s with those two? How did they get permission without even paying a bribe?”

“Hahahahaha! Tia’s as good as ever, but Ceres… She’s got some skill too. That woman changed her expression after gauging the soldier’s reaction.”

Ceres inspired trust and sympathy toward herself as a priestess, while at the same time Tia played on the guard’s desire to be relied on by a cute girl, charming him with a mix of approval-seeking and lust.

Truly yin and yang. I shuddered at the thought that I might have brought together two people who should never meet, when suddenly, both my arms were taken at once.

“Phantom-oniisama, you must be tired, right? Once we get to the inn, how about I give you a massage?”

“Come on, Master, let’s go. Once we choose an inn, we should head to the Adventurers’ Guild to gather information first.”

“Uh… I think it’s not a good idea to stand out like this!!”

I tried to free myself from Ceres and Tia, who were holding my arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but their grip was so strong I couldn’t break free.

“Then I’ll… Oow!! Ah, but I can’t get enough of this garbage treatment…”

I tried asking Amon for help, but he got his hand slapped away when he tried to grab Tia’s arm, and for some reason he was grinning ear to ear.

“Look, I’m glad you both like me, but when beautiful girls do this kind of thing, it draws way too much attention. Can you stop?”

“My apologies… I was just so happy to see you again after so long, I might have gone overboard.”

“Sorry, I was just so happy to be walking around town with Master that I couldn’t help it…”

The two of them let go, looking downcast, but somehow I was struck with a huge wave of guilt. Ceres might just admire me as an older brother, but Tia had practically confessed her feelings to me. No wonder she’d get jealous.

I renewed my vow to defeat Ose quickly and find an answer to my own feelings.

“It really does look like there’s been an increase in demon-related requests. I hope Elena and the others are doing well…”

“If it’s Elena-san we’re talking, I’m sure she’s fine. Elves are rare, and despite her appearance, she’s quite clever. Ah, your cup’s empty, Phantom-oniisama.”

I sipped the wine Ceres had poured for me, thinking about what lay ahead. After getting an inn in the city, we went to the Adventurers’ Guild, looked over the quest board, and gathered information from the receptionist and other adventurers while discussing our plans.

Finding no particularly alarming news, I breathed a sigh of relief as Tia explained the workings of the guild to Amon.

“Huh, so you guys sort your requests by rank. That’s interesting. What rank are we?”

“For you demons, somewhere between B-rank and S-rank. I think you’re probably A-rank, Amon-san.”

“Hahahaha! Then I’ll protect you, D-rank Tia! When a fight breaks out, you can count on me!”

“No, it’s fine. I have Master to protect me, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

Watching Tia brush off Amon’s over-the-top bravado so smoothly, I thought she really was impressive—when suddenly, a wave of drowsiness hit me.

Huh? I only had one glass of wine… Why…? 

I thought about asking Ceres to cast a status ailment recovery spell on me… but for some reason, she was smiling radiantly. Then my consciousness went black.

★★★★

“Master, are you all right?”

“…Mmm, I can’t eat another bite…”

Tia was startled to see Phantom suddenly slump forward onto the table and called out to him, but all she got in return was irrelevant sleep talk. He wasn’t weak to alcohol. He must have been really tired… right?

“Amon-san, could you take Phantom-oniisama back to the inn?”

“Huh? Just let him sleep here. Anyway, this steak stuff is amazing. I could go for another…”

“If you take him, I’ll arrange an opportunity for you to talk with Tia-san alone.”

“Leave it to me! I’ll get him there in no time!”

“Wait, please!!”

Ignoring Tia’s protest, a hyped-up Amon slung Phantom over his back and dashed out at incredible speed. Watching his back disappear, Tia voiced the question that had been forming in her mind.

“Ceres-san… That wine… Could you drink that wine?”

“Ufufu, is that okay? Is it okay for me to share an indirect kiss with Phantom-oniisama? O God, heal the poison of my friend.”

With a smile not of divine grace but of devilish allure, Ceres cast a detoxification spell on Phantom’s wine, then, as if to show it off, deliberately drank from the same spot his lips had touched and drained the wine completely.

“Ceres-san…Do you like Master as a man?”

“Of course I do. I was born as a saintess so that I could be with him. Now that he’s broken off his engagement with Henrietta, there’s no reason for me to hold back.”

Her eyes gleamed with a touch of madness as she nodded. She then caressed the chair Phantom had just been sitting in with a dreamy expression. Seeing that, Tia’s womanly intuition screamed at her.

Ah… This woman is dangerous… She’ll be my rival…

“You made the effort to create a chance for the two of us to talk alone because you have something to say about Master, don’t you?”

“Tia-san, unlike Elena-san, who’s bad at love and can’t be honest, I see you as my rival. At the same time, I respect you for helping Phantom-oniisama recover. So, shall we form a pact?”

“A pact…?”

Not understanding what she meant, Tia asked again, and Ceres nodded in satisfaction before speaking.

“For now, until this journey is over, let’s both hold back on physical contact from our side.”

“Ah… Yeah, Master does get a little put off by that kind of thing…”

To be fair, Tia hadn’t been doing it because she wanted to. She’d just ended up competing with Ceres, who was overly touchy. Truthfully, she preferred to keep such things private between the two of them, so she was relieved with this proposal.

“And just once is enough. Could you let me handle tomorrow’s shopping alone with Phantom-oniisama?”

“Eh?”

Tia was surprised by Ceres’s straightforward bow. She had been bracing herself for some kind of impossible-to-refuse bargain, so this caught her off guard. But… This woman seemed like the type to use drugs or seduction…

“Of course, I swear before God that I won’t use any drugs or try to seduce Phantom-oniisama from my side. So please.”

“…All right. Just once. But no lewd stuff, got it?”

Though a bit shaken by Ceres’s seemingly mind-reading response, Tia knew the weight of a priest making a vow in God’s name and nodded.

“I’m glad… Then, since it’s a rare opportunity, let’s have one of those ‘girls’ only nights.’ I’ve always wanted to talk about the person I love… I’ve never been able to tell anyone before.”

“Talking about how we love the same person feels a little strange, but fine. I’ll tell you just how much I love Master.”

Smiling as if to welcome the idea, Tia chatted with Ceres over wine about Phantom’s charms.

But Tia didn’t notice the satisfied smile on Ceres’s face. It was as if everything was going according to her plan.

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