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… - 69

Chapter 69: The King’s Game and Cain’s Scheme

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““The King’s Game!?””

“Cain-sama…”

At Cain’s sudden suggestion, Amon and Solomon looked puzzled, while Ange held her head in exasperation. Ignoring them, Cain happily continued his explanation.

“Let me explain simply. These forks have either a king’s mark or numbers from 1 to 3 written on them. Whoever draws the king’s mark gets to call out a number and give an order. And basically, that order has to be followed.”

“Basically? What do you mean by that?”

“Ah, this game has what we call a ‘revolution.’ If all three participants who aren’t the king unanimously reject the order as unreasonable, they can say ‘Dismissed’ and refuse it. This was originally a pastime for nobles, you see. If you happened to give orders to a high-ranking noble, things could get troublesome otherwise.”

“Well, if that’s the case… Then it’s safe enough.”

Amon looked at Solomon and Ange, and nodded as if to say “As long as we stick together, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

“I see… In other words, if I become king, I can order unlimited sweets, correct?”

“Fufu~ Of course. As long as I’m here, you don’t need to worry about money. I will handle all the payments. After all, I’m a prince!! Thanks to our kingdom’s heroes defeating the Demon Lord, we received hefty rewards from every nation, so the treasury is quite full!”

While Cain proudly spouted something ridiculous, Ange raised her hand with a strangely serious look.

“Excuse me… Will we be playing strictly by the basic rules?”

“Hm? Are there even any other rules besides those?”

“No… Your answer is enough. Thank you. For the record, when I discussed this double date with Henrietta-san and the others, they gave me permission to thrash Cain-sama thoroughly if he did anything stupid.”

“I see… So a countermeasure was already prepared. Very well, I accept. Let’s put our rank aside for today. Do as you please.”

At Ange and Cain’s oddly meaningful exchange, Solomon tilted her head in confusion, while Amon felt an overwhelming sense of dread. Meanwhile, the game proceeded.

““““Who’s the King!?””””

With that call, everyone reached beneath the tablecloth to draw a fork. Seeing her fork, Solomon drooped sadly. Cain smirked as always, while Amon and Ange maintained poker faces.

“Solomon-chan… ‘Forbidden Love Song of the Baron and the Marquis 3,’ page 57.”

“Eh…? Ah!! That’s Baron Arnold!!”

““Huh?””

Cain and Amon let out bewildered voices as Solomon suddenly blurted something strange. Smiling slyly, Ange raised her fork engraved with the king’s crown.

“I’m the King. Numbers 2 and 3, please hug each other!!”

“Tch, I’m number 2.”

“Haaah!? I’m number 3, but why the hell do I have to hug this guy? Dismissed!!”

Though Amon scowled, Solomon shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Amon… I want to become king quickly and eat sweets. Approved!!”

“Since there’s one approval, you two must hug.”

“…Fine, whatever.”

“Damn it allllll!!”

Cain reluctantly hugged Amon, who threw a tantrum in disgust. Watching, Ange gave a squeal of delight with a disturbingly giddy grin.

“Alright, round two!!”

“I’m not losing this time!!”

The men eagerly grabbed their forks again, but…

“Yes, I’m the King this time. Solomon-chan!!”

“Yes! ‘I’m a Man but is That Okay? The Prince’s Lover is an S-Rank Adventurer!?’ page 53, Roberto!!”

“Then, number 3 must treat number 4 to something they like.”

Once again, the two exchanged understanding through strange codes. Amon, who held the unlucky fork, wailed with teary eyes.

“I’m number 3!? Dismissed! Dismissed!!”

“I want to eat sweets!! Approved!!”

“Young Ladyyyyy!! I don’t even have much human-world money!! And what the hell is with this nonsense since earlier!?”

As Amon shouted in despair, Cain voiced his agreement.

“Yeah… I was wondering about that too.”

“That’s a secret…”

“Fufu~ In the books Ange reads, there are lots of scenes where they play the King’s Game. So by naming a character and page, we can tell who’s who!!”

“Don’t say it out loud…”

Ange’s face flushed bright red while Solomon puffed out her chest proudly. Indeed, since the King’s Game was popular among nobles, it naturally became fodder for the wives’ fantasies. In romantic novels, the King’s Game trope was practically a staple.

“I see… Let’s drop the code from now on. Alright, next round.”

““““Who’s the King!?””””

And the one who drew the king’s fork was—

“I’m the King!! I order numbers 1 and 3!! I want to date Tia for a bit, only for her to dump me saying, ‘I still love Master after all.’ And then years later, I want to collapse in tears when I see Phantom and Tia’s child together… Think of a good way to make that happen and tell me!!”

“““Dismissed!!”””

“Why not!? Why nottttt!?”

Pounding the table, Amon raged, but the three gave their reasons.

“Well… I couldn’t think of any legal way for Tia-san to choose you, Amon-san, even for a moment, instead of Onii-chan…”

“I actually want Phantom and Henrietta to end up together. Sorry, Tia-chan.”

“I don’t understand romance well. Besides, Amon, you’ll stay with me forever, won’t you?”

With everyone rejecting him, Amon sank into sorrow, but the game continued. This time, the king was…

“Oh, it’s finally me. Then I’ll give an order—”

“Dismissed!!”

“Solomon-chan, that was too fast. At least let him say it.”

Ange gently scolded Solomon for jumping the gun. In the heavy silence, Cain wore a rare, serious expression.

“For the two demons… There will be many things you’re unaccustomed to. But don’t give up. Strive for coexistence with humans. And for the humans who know the truth, I ask you to support and protect them. You know, I truly enjoyed that journey. But I never want us to kill each other like that again. Next time I go to the Demon Lord’s castle, I don’t want it to be with weapons. I want to go carrying flowers, dressed not in armor, but in a suit. For that dream, I want your strength. This is the command… That an immature man, who is for now only a prince, will give when he becomes king. I want to tell you all this first.”

“Cain-sama…”

His unexpected words quieted everyone. They looked at each other and nodded.

“““Approved!!”””

“Thank you… By the way, I think the quickest path to human–demon coexistence would be if we got married, so…”

Cain blushed as he glanced at Solomon, fumbling his words. At that very moment, a knock echoed at the door.

“Ah, the sweets are here!! Amon, look, this one looks really delicious!!”

“Eh? Don’t eat too much or you’ll get fat.”

As Solomon became completely absorbed in the sweets, Cain gave a wry smile watching her.

And so, the double date came to an end. But afterward, the four of them found more and more chances to go out together.

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