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… - 52

Chapter 52: Breaking into the Royal Castle!

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When I stepped out of the archive and listened carefully. I could hear the sound of footsteps.  I could also hear the clatter of armor echoed all around.  These sounds most likely belonged to the patrolling soldiers. 

“This is making me nervous… For now, let’s find a soldier so we can steal his armor to infiltrate the castle.”

“Yes… But, how are we supposed to do that? Master… You’re not overexerting yourself, are you?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m sure we will manage somehow. Thanks to the two of you, I was able to rest for a bit after the fight with Cain.”

I laughed it off, but Tia looked at me with an expression that suggested she wanted to say something more. Originally, the plan had been for me to use my Evil Eyes to boost my physical abilities, take down a soldier, and steal his armor to disguise myself to infiltrate the castle. But the damage I had taken in the fight with Glasya-Labolas hadn’t completely healed yet.

“Master, in times like this, you should rely on your disciple. This is my area of expertise after all.”

“Hey, Tia! Wait-…”

Before I could stop her, Tia moved with silent footsteps toward the soldiers.

“Excuse me. I just need to ask you something…”

“Hm? Who are you…? Wow, you’re cute, though.”

“Are you an adventurer? But why are you in the castle…And your clothes are a bit dirty. Still… You’re cute.”

The soldiers looked puzzled at the sight of a girl in the typical adventurer’s style—leather armor and a dagger at her hip. Blushing and fidgeting shyly, Tia spoke to them.

“Um, you see… I met with Josef-sama the other day in the nightlife district and, well… He  told me to come visit him dressed like an adventurer, but… I got a little lost…”

“What? So he’s into that kind of thing…?”

“I guess it’s because he’s a noble. Maybe sometimes he wants to bed a woman dressed in commoners’ clothes… Still, that’s kinda messed up though… What a skewed preference…”

The soldiers, completely smitten with Tia’s cuteness, blurted out their true thoughts without meaning to. If this were a game, it would probably say: Josef’s favorability with the soldiers has dropped.

Serves him right though.

“At this hour, he should be in his office. If you’d like, I can escort you there—”

“Wait. Something’s off. Why are we so casually accepting a prostitute in the castle in broad daylight?”

Soldier A, grinning stupidly, tried to offer to guide her, but Soldier B suddenly realized something crucial. I noticed a rosary on his chest. Maybe he had a close priest friend. Still…

“As expected of a castle soldier. But… It’s already too late.”

Before Soldier A could understand what was happening, Tia pulled perfume from her bodice and sprayed it, causing him to collapse to the ground. At the same time, I slipped in from behind and knocked out Soldier B before he could raise his voice. Both Soldier A and Soldier B were rendered unconscious in no time.

“Sorry… I ended up troubling Master with this grunt.”

“No, you did well. These were supposed to be elite soldiers, and yet you handled them easily. Thanks to you, I didn’t have to use my Evil Eye. And you even got Josef’s location out of them.”

“Ehehe~ Thank you, Master!~ ♡”

Saying that, we dragged the soldiers to a corner of the archive. We stripped off their armor, and equipped it ourselves. Then, we headed toward the office where Josef was waiting.

Inside the castle, things were somewhat hectic due to reports of the sighting of demons nearby. But when we said we had urgent news for Josef, we were let through without issue. There was no doubt about it. Tia’s charm skill must had unconsciously made them more inclined to believe our words. 

She was truly a frightening girl. I was afraid of what she could become in the future. And at last, we arrived before the office where Josef should be.

“……”

We exchanged a glance, then opened the door and there, we saw a face that bore both hateful and strangely nostalgic feelings.

“What business do you have here? At least knock first—”

“What are you talking about? Demons don’t have a culture of knocking, do they?”

I fixed my Evil Eyes on Josef and immediately sensed an inhuman amount of magic from him. With the power of my Evil Eyes, I enhanced my physical abilities and slashed at him. I figured there was no harm in roughing him up a bit, as long as I didn’t kill him…

Or so I thought—

“Hahahaha. That eye…You must be Phantom, right? So it really was you, the person who was aiding Solomon. Still, to think you’d come seeking revenge after being what? Merely banished? Heh. What a petty man you are.”

“You’re wrong!! I sympathized with Solomon’s way of life!! And I’m here to stop your schemes of disguising yourself as a human!!”

But my strike was easily caught by Josef’s clawed hand. Wait, didn’t Solomon say he had no worthwhile combat ability?

“Did you really think I wouldn’t prepare myself for this? How foolish.”

“Master… That’s…”

“Yeah… That eye…It’s the Evil Eyes.”

In his gaze, I could see his eyes glowing. Yes. It was the same Evil Eye as mine.

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