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… - 4

Chapter 4: The Girl Named Tia

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A little while ago…

“Hah! So that Gustav finally formed a party, and it’s with a rookie?”

“That guy… Just because Aisha-chan wouldn’t give him the time of day, he went after a newbie instead. What a lolicon.”

With such warm-hearted cheers at my back, Tia and I left the Adventurers’ Guild, having taken a simple request to exterminate goblins. We were on our way to the forest. Incidentally, when Tia heard those words, I could feel her wariness toward me shoot way up. A terrible misunderstanding, honestly.

“First, let’s master Charm. That’s where we start.”

“Master it… You say?”

“Yeah. Charm isn’t just for making some noble’s pampered son fall for you. It’s useful in combat, too.”

“Well, it’s not like I try to make them fall for me, they just do it because I’m too cute… But, um, how do you use it in combat?”

Tia leaned forward, her eyes brimming with anticipation, and a faintly sweet scent drifted over.

Whoa, too close, too close, too close. 

She was naturally bad at keeping the appropriate personal space… If I weren’t already used to women, I might get the wrong idea here, even without her Charm skill. 

Well, I’ve had my fair share of bad experiences with women before, so I’ll be fine..

“See, Charm doesn’t only work on humans.”

“Not just humans… Oh, now that you mention it, I’ve always been liked by animals since I was a kid. If I petted them a little, they’d rub up against me… Wait, does that mean they were courting me? That’s kind of depressing if it’s true…”

“…That’s… It’s hard to say for sure…..”

Tia’s face hardened as she recalled her past. Well, if she thought they were just being friendly when in reality she was charming them, of course she’d have complicated feelings about it. But after hearing that, I was certain. If, just like in the game, she could Charm other creatures, then she’d be able to use that too.

As we walked along the mountain path, I sensed the presence of monsters. Silently, I motioned to Tia and peeked through the trees. We’d barely entered the mountain, and we’d already encountered goblins…

“See? There’s a goblin over there. Think you can charm it?”

“I see… Charm the goblin, then when the whole nest is asleep, go berserk and slaughter them all. Understood.”

“What are you, a barbarian? Tia, your Charm lasts maybe five minutes at most, so that’s not possible. Skills are just like swordsmanship or magic. The more you use them, the stronger they get. So we’re going to keep using it.”

That was one of the basics from the game this world was based on. In the game, you’d spam it on every enemy to raise the skill level. It hadn’t developed much here because, unlike swordsmanship or magic, skills didn’t display a visible level, and their growth was slow.

So why goblins specifically? Well…

“But does Charm even work on goblins?”

“Yeah, it does. Actually, the enhancement I’m going to teach you from here on requires you to be able to use Charm on more than just humans. If you don’t believe me, we can stop now. It’s your choice.”

“…”

At my curt words, Tia’s eyes darted around in hesitation. That was understandable. Charming a goblin was unheard of in this world. You had to break common sense like this. Unlike in the game, you didn’t get a second life if you died. There probably weren’t many who had dared to test Charm on monsters.

“I’ll try it… Gustav-san, you treated me to a meal when I was at a loss and were kind to me in many ways. Even now, you’re helping me without any pay involved. That’s why I thought I could trust you.”

“Who knows? Maybe I’m actually a pervert who loves watching cute girls get toyed with by goblins.”

“Fufu, I am very cute, so I’m sure that would be exciting to see. But Aisha-san told me. You always take the leftover quests, and you help lost people like me. That’s why you’re a trustworthy person. In fact, I think it might be about time I agreed to go on a date with you.”

“Wait, what? This is my first time hearing it! So you don’t mind going on a date with me?”

Tia smiled warmly. Her eyes now free of doubt and she walked toward the goblin without hesitation.

Ah… Being trusted felt nice, but  at the same time, I had mixed feelings about it.I’d been careful not to get too close to people since coming to this town, but I couldn’t help feeling happy when someone relied on me. Thinking that, I watched Tia press her cleavage together and wink at the goblin with all her might.

“By the way… The easiest way to trigger the effect is by touching gently.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?! That was a total waste of my sexiness! Those poses were so embarrassing!!”

“Well, making your target’s heart skip a beat works decently too…”

With teary eyes, Tia touched the confused goblin’s hand and focused her mind. I could literally see heart marks light up in the goblin’s eyes.

“Gob gob!! Gob gob!!”

“Eh? What’s wrong? Are you… Are you asking me out on a date? Ugh, I hate how charming I am…”

The goblin, in a fluster, started pulling her hand, trying to drag her out of the forest. Feeling something was off, I suddenly sensed an overwhelming killing intent.

“Tia, get behind me!!”

“Eh? Okay. Come on, Gobusuke-kun!!”

By the time she had named the goblin, she was already behind me, and a monster was crashing through the trees.

“That’s a troll!! Why is there a B-rank monster in a place like this?!”

“Gobuu…”

Tia’s shock was understandable. Trolls were monsters with immense strength and regenerative abilities. They weren’t supposed to appear here. Gobusuke-kun must have been near the entrance because he was running from this thing.

“Gustav-san, you’re C-rank, right?”

“Yeah, but… Tia?”

“…Understood. Then I’ll charm it. I am cute, after all. Even a troll will be head over heels for me.”

Tia smiled and stepped forward, but her voice trembled. Monster ranks were based on the idea that an adventuring party of the same rank could defeat them. She had decided to become a decoy after confirming my adventurer rank.

“Leave this to me. Tia, run away…”

“No!! I became an adventurer because I was rescued by a cool adventurer and looked up to him. I don’t want to live by sacrificing the kind person who tried to teach a failure like me. Because… Because living like that wouldn’t be cute!!”

“Tia, you’re strong, but… It’ll be fine.”

“Gustav-san!?”

I patted her trembling head and dashed toward the troll, imbuing my sword with the magic I had stored in my Evil Eyes.

“Don’t tell anyone, okay? O’ jet black blade, rend all before you.”

“Gubuu!?”

The troll noticed me and swung its club, but it was too late. With one slash, its upper body and lower body were cleaved apart. This was my first time using this skill in a long while, but I was glad to see my skills hadn’t dulled yet.

“That power… Don’t tell me, you’re…?”

Tia’s wide-eyed stare was justified. What I’d just used was close to the dark magic wielded by demons.

“I get it. It’s creepy, right? But please don’t tell anyone… Whoa!?”

“Of course I won’t. Taking down a troll in one hit is amazing!!”

I thought she’d be scared since it was the same power demons used, but nope. She hugged me really tightly, probably because she was feeling relieved after being saved from the troll. I couldn’t help grinning at the soft sensation pressing against me.

“Honestly, I was wondering if I could really trust you about once every five minutes, but now I’m certain. I’ll follow you for life!!”

“You don’t have to follow me for life… But I’m glad you trust me. Still, why was there a troll here…? I’ve got a bad feeling, so I’m going to speed up your training.”

“Yes, of course. I’m in your care from now on, Master!! I’ll take any training you give me.”

Even though I’d saved her from a desperate situation, Tia’s sudden spike in affection left me flustered. As we headed back to town, Gobusuke-kun waved us off, and yet, I still couldn’t shake the bad premonition away from my mind.

A troll isn’t the kind of monster that should appear here. Could it be… That post-game event has already started?

Once we returned to town, I began Tia’s new training immediately.

“Welcome home, Master~♡ Tia’s recommendation is the Moe-Moe Beer♡ —Wait, is this really training!?”

Much to my surprise, she was already rebelling…

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This was a mansion inhabited by a certain elf. Protected by a barrier, it had already become an unexplored domain where no one but her could enter. In one room, ancient and modern grimoires of exploration magic and magic items lay scattered in disorder.

“This magic power… So you are alive, Phantom. I’m coming to see you now.”

Before a crystal ball, a petite yet beautiful elf woman—Elena, the sage from the former Hero’s party—smiled for the first time in a year.

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