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… - 59

Chapter 59: The Peculiar Relationship Between Two People

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“Solomon-san, what in the world are you doing!? Where did you send Master and Henrietta-san!?”

“Solomon… If you hurt Phantom-sama or Henrietta-san,I won’t let you get away with it!”

Tia and Ceres lunged at Solomon, who had suddenly bared her fangs shadow, while Elena—who had been moving with them—calmly pressed her for answers.

“You… You were asked by Ange to create a chance for those two to talk alone, weren’t you?”

“…As expected of ‘Elena the Wisest.’ You saw right through me. I sealed Phantom-san and Henrietta-san inside my shadow so they wouldn’t run away. Rest assured. They’re surrounded by Phantom-san’s belongings in his room, so I’m sure they’ll refresh themselves and have plenty of time to talk.”

“Ooh, I don’t really get it, but as expected of a demon, that’s amazing!”

Cain let out a frivolous laugh at Solomon’s smug face. Solomon was smiling proudly, as if she had done something good. Tia and Ceres exchanged uneasy looks but nodded anyway.

“Well, it’s God’s guidance and destiny for me to be joined with Phantom-sama, but I also thought it was necessary for him to have a talk with Henrietta-san. This should be a good opportunity for them to talk.”

“Master and the others are safe, right? Do they at least have food?”

“Of course. Apples from the Pail Territory, juice, and even a bed. Yes… This is that thing I read about at Ange’s house… The ‘room you can’t leave unless you have sex.’“

“””Haaaaaaaahhh!?”””

Tia, Ceres, and Elena, who had been about to relax, screamed at Solomon’s following words.

“What’s the matter with you all?”

“Solomon… Do you even know what the word ‘sex’ means?”

“Yes, Amon taught me that it’s when men and women get along. If Phantom-san and Henrietta-san have sex, they’ll become close friends, so the problem will be solved.”

The three who loved Phantom were thrown into utter chaos by Solomon’s innocent smile.

“Amon, you idiot!!”

“Solomon-san! Fine, then let me into that shadow too. I’ll be the one to claim Phantom-sama’s virginity!”

“What kind of sex education do demons even have…”

“Hahaha!~ The Demon Lord really is hilarious.”

Cain laughed so hard he held his stomach as the others reacted in their own ways.

★★★★

“……”

Silence dominated the space that looked like my own room, where Henrietta and I now sat together.

Damn it, this is so awkward!! Sure, I’ve been thinking about talking with her after this battle is over. But this? Forcing us like this? What the hell was Solomon thinking!?

“Phantom… I’m sorry…”

“Eh?”

“I always wanted to apologize… For choosing my territory over you…”

Henrietta lowered her head as she looked straight at me. The face of my former fiancée, seen properly after so long, was utterly worn out, like that of a child about to cry. That face overlapped with the one she’d shown me long ago, when she’d come to me worried she might lose her land…

“It’s tough standing like that, isn’t it? For now, sit down and tell me what happened that day.”

“…Yes. My perspective might be heavily subjective, but will you listen?”

Henrietta timidly sat at the edge of the bed and began to speak. The more I listened, the more sickening it became. Rage boiled inside me at the reincarnator who possessed Cain and at Ose.

Those bastards… They really gnawed at Henrietta’s weakest point.

Henrietta had decided to fight the Demon Lord for the sake of her territory’s recovery. If that was held hostage, what could she have done? Still, I wish she had consulted me… And I regret that I didn’t confirm things properly instead of despairing just from hearing the recording…

“But the fact remains… I chose my territory over you. Even though I knew it would hurt you, I…”

“Yeah… But as a noble, I think that was the right choice. After all, you said your dream was to develop your land and make everyone happy.”

“…You remembered.”

The nostalgia naturally brought smiles to our faces, and the distance between us shrank—physically and emotionally. Ah, right. We used to sit on my bed like this, sharing our dreams. When I joked about building a harem with elves and a saint, she got really mad…

Facing each other again like in those days, it almost felt like those old feelings were coming back. But… The bed was old now despite being carefully maintained, and around my neck hung the necklace Tia had given me.

“…Since I was banished, I’ve traveled a lot, met many people, and gained all kinds of experiences. Along the way, I’ve also gained precious people. And… I don’t intend to become a lord anymore. Ange can rule the Pail Territory, while I, as an adventurer, will go on helping people.”

Just as lords had their role, I had learned that adventurers had their own ways of saving people. If I hadn’t traveled, I wouldn’t have been able to save Tia after she was exiled, or help those in need of herbs.

I’d seen with my own eyes that Ange was governing the Pail Territory properly. Maybe it was irresponsible of me, but it was far better than suddenly changing lords. Now that Cain had regained his senses, he could serve as proper support. My return would only ignite succession disputes.

“That’s why… I can’t support Henrietta as a noble the way I once did. Of course, I’ll help you if you’re in trouble, but I now have others I want to protect, too. And… I think you’ll be fine on your own now.”

“I see… I understand.”

There were many things I had to do now. Discussions with Solomon and Cain, solving all the problems this incident had caused… Even without a title, I had a role to play. That was why I could no longer dedicate myself to supporting Henrietta alone.

“Even so… Even so, is it all right if I still love you?”

“That’s…”

Before I could answer, she hugged me tightly. The armor made it hard, but the warmth and sweet scent of Henrietta, felt again after so long, was nostalgic. But unlike before, other girls’ faces now came to mind as well.

“…There’s someone else I care about. I don’t know if she’ll accept me, though.”

“I know. But… It’s fine for me to just wait for you on my own accord, right? As long as you’re alive, I’m happy.”

What words could I offer to Henrietta, smiling through the tears threatening to fall?

“…Thank you. I’ll accept your feelings.”

“Yes. That’s more than enough.”

She lifted her face from my chest and smiled. At that moment, a dreadful holy power crushed the shadows, cracks spreading outward.

“Huh? What’s this? How scary.”

“Don’t worry!! I’ll protect you!!”

We quickly separated, taking battle stances, as the world flared with light.

“Fufu~ No matter how great the Demon Lord’s power is, it’s meaningless before the miracle of God.”

“Impossible… My magic, the magic of the complete Demon Lord, undone by a single saint…?”

The first thing I saw was Ceres, panting heavily, and Solomon, stunned. It seemed we had returned to the original world.

“Welcome back, Master. This time it’s truly over, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Things will be busy for a while.”

As I relaxed, relieved after talking things out with Henrietta, Tia smiled. Ose had been defeated. From here, coexistence between humans and demons would begin. But people and demons couldn’t change overnight, so…

“I don’t really get it, but it sounds like things got pretty rough, huh?”

Cain asked in his usual carefree tone. 

Come to think of it, he’d gone through a lot too.

“Cain… You still have that other soul inside you, right? Are you okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. I feel a bit off, but Elena said she’ll transfer it into a random golem later.”

Magic really is convenient. As for that reincarnator, I guess I will let him suffer a bit.

“More importantly, though, Solomon-chan’s a funny girl, isn’t she? I wonder if she has a boyfriend?”

“Huh?”

Cain asked that with a slightly embarrassed look, and I let out a dumbfounded voice. Maybe it was because he was royalty, but… Maybe he just liked “funny” women? Still… I felt like this was one step closer to humans and demons living together.

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