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… - 46-47

Chapter 46: Henrietta and Elena

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“What was that explosion just now…!?”

Riding on horseback with her subordinates, Henrietta hurried from the royal castle to the region where the new Demon Lord was said to be hiding, only to be met by the sounds of battle. The echoes of what seemed to be magical explosions reached her ears, and she raised her guard.

『It seems someone is engaged in combat…They appear to be quite skilled. There’s a high possibility they’re our target.』

As expected of a golem, Dottore’s words as she ran alongside her made Henrietta’s expression tense. She might be able to see Phantom again. She had once nearly killed him, and on top of that, she had denied coexistence with the demons. 

Even if she met him now, he might refuse to speak to her. He might attack without hesitation. And yet… Even so, she wanted to see him. She wanted to look him in the face and discern his true intentions.

『You seem rather tense. Shall I show you a little party trick?』

“Eh? No, that’s not necessary… But you’re acting very differently from how you are with Cain.”

Perhaps because her expression had been unusually stern, Dottore cracked a joke to ease the mood, which surprised her. She had thought she was a golem with little emotion, given how she almost always ignored her master, Cain’s, words.

『You are not like that weakling. I see you as a noble person who has made efforts and constantly hones her strength. You remind me of Holy Knight Athena, who saved the world alongside Loki-sama.』

“Me, compared to that legendary hero…?”

『Yes, she was a wonderful woman, perfectly suited to the phrase ‘kukkoro’ (“Kuh… Just kill me!”).』

“…Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?”

Henrietta gave a wry smile at Dottore’s oddly smug expression. Hero Athena had been the shield of her party members and the support of the Hero who led them. After they defeated the Demon Lord and the Hero returned to wed the princess, Athena continued to protect the nation as captain of the knights—while concealing her own unrequited love.

She and I are nothing alike…

Henrietta was half-hearted. Though she had chosen her domain over him, she still could not cast aside her feelings. And even now, she strongly wished to see him again.

“We’ve caught up with them.”

She spotted a carriage being pursued by her soldiers and felt something off. Though arrows and spells were being fired, the carriage’s counterattacks seemed deliberately aimed to avoid causing fatal injuries. She urged her horse closer and, in a brief glimpse inside the carriage, thought she saw a girl with long ears.

“Elena… So you’ve sided with Phantom as well…”

Her chest ached sharply. Elena, who had refused to attend the victory celebration and left, seemed to have managed to join him. Henrietta couldn’t help but feel jealous, though she had no right to… To conceal those emotions, she pulled paper and pen from a leather pouch on her saddle, wrote a letter, and tied it to an arrow.

『What are you doing?』

“…A demand for surrender. I’m the hero who slew the Demon Lord. If they know that, it might drain their will to fight, don’t you think?”

『But the enemy is a heinous criminal harboring the Demon Lord. Don’t you think your effort would be in vain? 』

Of course Henrietta’s words were a lie, but she couldn’t say that to Dottore.

『Detecting high-level magic power! Please be careful!』

“Everyone, halt right there!! I’ll protect you!!”

At the same moment Dottore warned them, Henrietta raised a powerful barrier and blocked the magic unleashed from the carriage.The soldiers had also stopped in preparation for the impact, and by the time the smoke cleared, no one was left. Relieved, Henrietta pretended to search the area.

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“You really came… It’s been a while, Elena.”

“I wavered a bit, but… I trust you enough.”

“I see… Just as I promised, I came alone, so you can relax.”

At the foot of the dungeon where they had agreed to meet, Elena appeared—alongside a girl with horns, who seemed to be a demon. Seeing them, Henrietta let out a quiet breath of relief.

You really came… But Phantom isn’t here…

Yet Elena’s tense demeanor, along with Phantom’s absence, only deepened Henrietta’s sense that the distance between them had widened, and it made her chest ache with longing and pain.

“This place sure brings back memories.”

“Yes, when Phantom told us about it, I was shocked. To think there was a place where you could grow stronger so quickly…”

Perhaps because of the nostalgic location, the atmosphere lightened slightly. This was a secret dungeon known only to their old party. Inside stretched underground passages filled with countless metal slimes. Defeating them caused one to grow unnaturally stronger.

“Don’t worry, I don’t intend to fight here. I wanted to talk with you. Could you tell me why humans and demons are together?”

“In that case, I should be the one to explain. I am Solomon, daughter of the Demon Lord you once defeated—and the new Demon Lord.”

“W-what… The Demon Lord…?”

At Solomon’s words, Henrietta shuddered.

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Chapter 47: VS Dottore

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The moment the word “Demon Lord” was uttered, wariness ran across Henrietta’s face. She had indeed known that demons existed. But she had not thought that someone like the Demon Lord herself would be present.

“Please, don’t be so on guard. I may be a Demon Lord, but I have no intention of fighting against you humans. I only wish for coexistence.”

“Coexistence, huh…? And what merit is there in that for you demons?”

“Oh, there is merit. I have taken an interest in the music, sculpture, and stories you humans create. Unfortunately, such things cannot be created by demons…”

The mysterious smile she gave was unlike any demon Henrietta had met on her journey.

There was no bloodlust. No hostility. Perhaps she was hiding it, but if that were the case, Phantom or Elena would surely have noticed.

“As proof, we didn’t harm your comrades, did we? You must have realized it. If we had no intention of negotiating, there were much better ways to proceed.”

Indeed, even when fighting Phantom, they had tried not to harm people. And this time as well, despite the possibility of capture, they had not killed anyone, only delayed them.

“Then you should have come straight to the royal castle. Even if it were impossible with just demons, if ‘Great Sage Elena’ were to speak up, neither Cain nor Josef-sama would reject you outright.”

“That is the problem… It seems a demon has infiltrated the royal castle. And not just any demon. It’s one with considerable influence.”

“Yes. That demon’s name is Ose. A demon who uses transformation magic.”

“…So it’s true then.”

Henrietta caught her breath as the suspicion she had half-felt was confirmed. No—she hadn’t wanted to believe it, that a demon lurked within the very capital they had fought to protect…

“Henrietta, did you not feel anything strange? Since you’re the one who have the most interaction with the people of the castle, maybe you’ve noticed something strange?”

“That’s…”

She almost said she hadn’t noticed, but then she remembered just how excessively cautious the castle had been toward demons. Almost as if they had anticipated another attack… And the one who led that attitude was—

“…There is one person I suspect.”

“Oh! Truly? As expected of Henrietta!”

Seeing Elena’s joyous expression warmed Henrietta’s heart, reminding her of the times they had once traveled together. But… At the same time, hesitation welled up inside her.

What if their words are lies? What if this leads to my lands, and even Ange’s, being destroyed?

“Enough, pull yourself together, me!!”

“Uwaah, what in the world!!”

“Could this be… The masochistic knight from the old books!?”

Henrietta slapped her own cheeks to steel herself, startling the other two. Solomon muttered something strange, but surely that was just her imagination.

“I will believe you. But take me with you. I want to see the truth with my own eyes.”

“Fufu, that is fine. And you’ve got your old eyes back. Just a moment ago, you looked like a corpse.”

Elena teased her cheerfully at Henrietta’s words, and Henrietta smiled faintly in response. But then—someone approached at an incredible speed, striking directly at Solomon—

“I won’t allow it! Barrier of Wind! Protect my comrades!!”

『Oh… An Elf, is it? A well-formed and splendid spell. But… Magic has no effect on me.』

The invisible wall Elena had conjured appeared between Solomon and Dottore as a shield of wind. But it could not withstand the impact—the cracks spread rapidly.

“Arms of Shadow, seize my enemy!!”

『Pointless. I was created for anti-demon combat. Your magic cannot harm me.』

“No… Even the power of a Demon Lord can’t…”

From Solomon’s shadow, jet-black hands lashed out, but Dottore’s body glowed, erasing them instantly. As Solomon stood in shock, Dottore struck again.

『Henrietta-sama!! Support me!! This woman is a demon. She is our enemy!!』

“You… Did you trick us!? Solomon, run! At least you must survive and join with Stella! Wind, guide my friend!!”

“Stella…! Kyaaah!!”

Elena’s wind wrapped around Solomon, carrying her far away. And in that opening, with her magic released, Elena was left defenseless before Dottore’s fist.

“No!! Dottore—listen to me!! I know you are a golem who understands when spoken to. We were deceived!!”

The deafening clash of metal rang out—Henrietta had stepped in, intercepting Dottore’s strike to protect Elena.

『Henrietta-sama… I am sorry. But my master’s orders are absolute!!』

Dottore soared into the air, detonating a magic stone mid-flight, using its force to dive at them.

“What in the blazes is this thing!! What the hell—!!”

“Such… Such power!! Kyaaaa!!”

The destructive impact cracked Henrietta’s sword. The ground shook violently, and a landslide engulfed the three of them.

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At an adventurer’s guild in a town near the capital. Waiting there for Phantom and the others were a battered Solomon and, a haggard-looking Stella, something Phantom had never seen often in his whole life.

“…I am deeply sorry. Elena fought alongside Henrietta and another golem… And then, we were separated from her….”

Bowing her head in apology, Solomon spoke—and I found myself at a loss for words.

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