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… - 5

Chapter 5: Great Sage Elena’s Regret

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For me, Elena, the journey with the young man named Cain had been nothing but dull. Sure, he held no prejudice toward elves for a human and objectively speaking, he was a fine young man who spoke to me without showing any sign of clear discrimination. But to someone like me, who was only interested in magic, he was nothing more than a nuisance.

“Hmph… I am well aware that elves are walking the path to ruin. But to think we would go so far as to curry favor with humans… This is the end of us…”

Perhaps because of that attitude, I never really got along with Cain the Sword Saintess, Henrietta the Holy Knight, or Ceres the Saintess. To begin with, my motivations were different from theirs. I had been ordered by our chief to join the journey because of my high magical power and talent in magic. Meanwhile, they were traveling to defeat the Demon Lord for the sake of humanity.

“Sorry, but I hear there’s an ancient ruin built by elves long ago nearby. Mind if I go take a look?”

“Then, why don’t we go together?”

“No need. You’re all tired from the long journey, aren’t you? Besides, there are magical traps. Without magic power, humans can’t detect or react appropriately to them, so it’s more efficient for me to go alone.”

I refused their offer to accompany me and stood up alone. Honestly, it was because I didn’t want to have to be considerate of them.

“An unexplored ruin, huh!! Then let me come along too. Don’t you think my Evil Eyes could be useful against traps, Master?”

“…Hmm. Very well. Come along, Phantom.”

After a brief moment of hesitation at the words of another party member who had raised his hand—Phantom—I nodded. The truth was, seeing his eyes sparkle at the word “ruin” made me feel as though I had found a kindred spirit, and I couldn’t help but be a little pleased.

Compared to the others, he had an abnormal level of interest in magic and an innovative way of thinking. We often talked, so we had grown close. As proof of that, I even allowed him to call me “Master,” something I permitted to no one else.

“Oh, come on… I’ve been wanting to go shopping together with you in town…”

“Sorry. I’ll bring you back a souvenir, so forgive me, Honey.”

“Well, well, Henrietta-sama, it can’t be helped. Phantom-niisama loves magic, after all. If it’s shopping that you want, I’ll go with you instead.”

“Fufu, Phantom is quite the popular one, isn’t he?”

While Henrietta puffed out her cheeks in a sulk and Ceres tried to console her, Cain watched the scene with amusement. Ignoring them, I started walking, and Phantom followed.

“Is this all right? Henrietta seemed like she wanted to be with you.”

“Haha, yeah. But no one can resist the lure of an unexplored ruin. Besides, I’m worried about you, Master.”

“Hmph, don’t treat me like a child. You’re the disciple here. I’m a hundred and fifty years old.”

Our meeting had been a strange one. When we were in a pinch, he appeared. He then proceeded to defeat the monsters, and then asked to travel with us. Since he was an acquaintance of Henrietta’s, he was allowed to join on the condition that if he became a burden in battle, we would leave him behind. I still remembered the very first thing he said to me.

“I have to become stronger. So please, teach me how to use my Evil Eyes!!”

It was true that elves, being attuned to spirits, had a deep understanding of magic. If I studied his Evil Eyes, I could probably figure out an efficient way for him to use them. But I wasn’t interested in him, so I decided to refuse by imposing an impossible demand to him.

“Magic is about borrowing the power of spirits… And your Evil Eyes are no different. First, get used to them.”

Wanting research material, I told him to use his Evil Eyes to detect and hunt a hundred slimes, to give me endless massages with magic when my shoulders were sore, and to kill mosquitoes in the air using his Evil Eyes. Despite all that, he still called me “Master” and did everything I asked. Then, one day, with a beaming smile, he said—

“Thanks to you, Master, I can control my Evil Eyes with precision now!!”

“…Eh, seriously?”

The look of utter disbelief on his face at my reaction was truly something to see. But I had been just as surprised. True, all those tasks had been necessary to level up his Evil Eyes, but no one in the elven village had ever truly believed and carried out my instructions before. So I began to take an interest in the man who believed in me.

“Master, the golems in these ruins are immune to magic, so be careful. If you run into one, we’re running.”

“How do you even know that? You—”

Another reason I had grown interested in him was his vast store of knowledge. He knew about traps in ruins even I didn’t know about and had saved me many times with information that seemed as if he knew the future.

Our relationship changed when I fell victim to a trap in one such ruin. Even though he had warned me, I had been dazzled by a grimoire and was discovered and attacked by a golem.

“Haha! Are you okay, Master?”

“I… I’m fine!! But what about that wound of yours, Phantom…?”

“Good… So I avoided the death flag…”

He had defeated the golem, but had pushed his Evil Eyes beyond their limits. Blood was streaming down from his eyes. I dropped my usual theatrical tone and cool demeanor, crying out in desperation.

“This isn’t good! Phantom! At this rate, you’ll die!”

“Ah, it’s fine. There’s a potion in my bag—”

“Okay, got it! This one, right?!”

Pouring the potion into his eyes, I watched the wound heal instantly. Overjoyed, I hugged him tightly. The potion must have been extremely valuable, and it was almost as if he had prepared it in advance, knowing someone would be gravely injured, but I didn’t care.

“Thank goodness… I thought you were going to die because of me…”

“I told you not to push yourself, didn’t I?”

“That doesn’t mean you get to push yourself either… As punishment, keep patting my head…”

Feeling his hand on my head reassured me that he was alive, and I couldn’t help but lean into it. I didn’t know how long I stayed like that before finally standing, my cheeks flushed.

“You… You were thinking I looked childish, weren’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. My Master is always a dependable, cool-headed adult.”

Embarrassed at having revealed my true self, I saw him smiling as if to say he didn’t mind.

It was no wonder, really—after all, I was 150 years old, which was only about 15 in human terms. And with no experience in romance, my heart had raced at having my life saved, and I would later realize… This feeling was love.

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“Phantom isn’t here… What’s going on?”

“That’s right. The five of us defeated the Demon Lord. Isn’t it strange for Phantom-nii-sama not to be here?”

In the antechamber to the audience hall, I voiced my doubts over Phantom’s continued absence. Ceres looked puzzled as well, while Henrietta averted her eyes and Cain gave us a forced smile.

“Come on, come on. Officially, the King only ordered the four of us to slay the Demon Lord. Besides, someone with Evil Eyes like him isn’t really fit to be called a hero, don’t you think?”

“What are you saying?! We wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Demon Lord without Phantom-nii-sama!!”

“…”

Ceres shouted in anger, Henrietta stayed silent, and Cain grinned smugly. From his expression, I knew Cain had done something.

“You… What did you say to Phantom?”

“Now, now, calm down. He refused the reward of his own accord. And you, Elena. You know how dangerous those Evil Eyes are. You even said so yourself before.”

With that grin still on his face, Cain produced a magic device that replayed my voice from the past.

『Phantom’s power is far too unusual for a human to hold… Someone must keep an eye on him. Perhaps I, as an elf, should watch over him…』

I had indeed said that—but I had meant something else entirely. If he were in the elven village, even someone with such powerful Evil Eyes like him could live without facing discrimination. That was what I had intended to say.

“You… You played this for Phantom, didn’t you?”

“Elena!! Casting magic inside the royal castle is not a laughing matter!”

I had been about to unleash magic at Cain before Henrietta quickly stopped me, and I felt a surge of irritation at her interference.

“Anyway, why are you even here? If you know Phantom disappeared, shouldn’t you be out searching for him? You’re his fiancée, aren’t you?!”

“That’s… If I don’t attend this ceremony, the reward… My people…”

At those words, I glared at Henrietta one last time and rose to my feet.

“This is pointless. In that case, I’ll be taking Phantom for myself!!”

“Wait—are you sure about that? Without you, the elves and humans won’t be able to coexist—”

“I couldn’t care less!! If that’s enough to doom the elves, then so be it!!”

Spitting Cain’s words back at him, I ran out, casting my search magic in haste. But there was no response. He must have gone far away already.

In the end, I never found him. I shut myself away, devoting myself to creating a magic to track the Evil Eyes’ power. I had originally been researching a reincarnation spell for another purpose, but this was no time for that.

So, for a year, I studied and searched without hardly leaving my home until finally… I detected Phantom’s magic power.

“I finally found you… Phantom… I’m never letting you out of my sight again…”

Smiling for the first time in a year, I staggered to my feet and headed toward my destination. But then, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. Dark circles under my eyes. My once-silky hair now a tangled mess. In the mirror, I saw the sight of a haggard elf with a dirt-stained robe staring back at me.

“At this rate, he’ll hate me when we meet again… First, a bath and an Elixir…”

Time was precious, and Elixirs were extremely rare—but their restorative effect was tremendous. I didn’t want him to worry when he saw me looking unhealthy. I wanted him to see me looking beautiful. That was my pride as a maiden. 

For the first time in a year, I stepped outside after doing the bare minimum of grooming. I was heading toward the place where the magical signature had appeared.

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