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… - 84-85

Chapter 84: Ceres’ Power

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“Do you have any troubles? I am merely a traveling cleric. I won’t tell anyone, so won’t you share your worries with me?”

When Ceres said that while walking around the elves’ village, wearing a smile filled with… compassion? …An hour later, a line had already formed outside our room.

“They say Saintess-sama is going to listen to our troubles.”

“But she’s human, isn’t she? Can a short-lived race really understand our worries?”

“That’s the thing. It’s said she’s incredibly accurate. Couldn’t it be a divine miracle?”

Watching as elves of all ages and genders gathered with a buzz of excitement, Tia cried out in shock.

“Master… What is this…?”

“Ah, Ceres is good at picking up on people’s troubles. Even during our journey to defeat the Demon Lord, she gained people’s trust this way.”

As expected of the Saintess. Her skill seemed to work even on elves. Those who finished consulting with her left the room with satisfied expressions.

“Ahh, Ceres-sama… You are truly divine…”

“My path is revealed!! Compared to Ceres-sama, the World Tree is trash!!”

Some had enraptured looks on their faces, and some even spat at the World Tree, which was supposed to be their object of faith. It was the same old scene I used to see while traveling with Ceres.

“Um… Ceres-san is listening to their troubles, right? She’s not brainwashing them, right? This feels even scarier than my charm ability!!”

“Please don’t say such rude things. This is simply the result of a sincere conversation between two people.”

“Eek!!”

Hearing a sudden voice behind her, Tia let out a scream. I turned around with a wry smile, only to see Ceres standing there with a smug grin.

“Good work. What kinds of troubles did the elves have?”

“Hehe, even though they’re a long-lived race, their concerns are the same: relationships, worries about crops… And mostly, unease about the future of their village.”

“Well, considering they suddenly invited humans here, seeing humans ally with demons must have made them anxious. So, did you find out where Elena is?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Eh, you can even do that?”

Of course, Ceres hadn’t been doing all this just to pass the time. She had been subtly gathering information to decide our next course of action.

“Hehe, when people open their hearts, they tend to blurt out unnecessary things as well. If you listen to several people, it’s easy to pinpoint something.”

“Then, let’s hear where she is right away—”

“No!!”

““Huh?””

At her unexpected refusal, both Tia and I blurted out confused voices at the same time. Wondering what she meant, we looked at her, and Ceres calmly explained.

“I am not a cheap woman who just obeys anything said by someone I’m not even dating. So, could I receive a reward? Specifically, I would like you to pat my head and praise me.”

“Uh, listen here…”

While I wondered what on earth she was trying to make me do in front of everyone, Tia sighed.

“It’s fine, Master. It’s true Ceres worked hard, so I’ll allow it just this once.”

“Ufufu, Tia, you’re so reasonable, how nice. Now then, Phantom-sama, please.”

Beaming, Ceres leaned her head forward toward me. Feeling guilty, I stroked her head.

Her silky hair felt smooth like fine silk.

“Nn…♡ Now, please praise me.”

“Yeah. Ceres, you always work hard. You can be sharp-tongued at times, but you never abandon Cain, and I appreciate how you stay alert in battle to make sure we don’t get hurt. Being able to adventure with you is one of the blessings of my life.”

“Nnnngh…!! You praised me more sincerely than I expected!!”

“Ugh… So unfair…”

Ceres’s face flushed red like an apple. From the side came a voice tinged with jealousy, but I ignored it for now.

“That’s enough already!! You’re satisfied now, aren’t you, Ceres?”

“Oh my, Tia, you’re jealous, aren’t you? Of me, Phantom-sama’s Saintess.”

With a sly smile and puffing out her chest, Ceres leaned close to my ear and whispered.

“Earlier I said I won’t listen to the requests of someone I’m not dating… But conversely, if you date me, I’ll do anything. So if you change your mind, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“Wha—!?”

As she said that, she pressed her ample chest against me, making me flinch in surprise.

The sweet fragrance and her bewitching smile made my heart skip a beat.

“Alright, that’s enough!! Ceres, you’re going too far, and Master, you’re getting way too mushy!!”

Tia, now angry, pulled the two of us apart.

“It seems Elena is conducting research together with her big sister, Echidna. I’ll continue gathering information, so I will leave the matter of Elena to you.”

Seeing us off with those words, Ceres remained behind while we headed toward the place Elena was said to be… But Tia grabbed my arm and refused to let go.

“Um… Tia-san?”

“Jeez, you were so mushy with Ceres… Next time, you have to praise me too, okay?”

“Of course.”

Thinking how cute she was, I headed toward where Elena would likely be.

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Chapter 85: Elena and the Conspiracy

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The place Ceres pointed out was at the edge of the elves’ village. Was it just my imagination, or did the plants growing around here seem downright eerie…?

『Kishaaa!!』

“Master, did you see that just now? Some kind of plant ate a bug. And these things are so grossss!!”

“Y-yeah… Let’s keep moving, but stay alert.”

Indeed, the plant had branch-like tentacles, and its flowers were shaped like mouths that devoured insects. If the elves’ village up to this point had been a mystical and beautiful sight, then this part should be called eerie and ominous instead.

“So this is Echidna-san’s laboratory, huh…”

“It feels more like a witch’s mansion than an elf’s research lab…”

“Maybe she made it this creepy on purpose…”

I muttered as I looked at the grotesque tree trunk before me. Come to think of it, Elena did say that her older sister was a research maniac with zero sense of ethics.

“Master… Are you sure this place is really safe?”

“I don’t think it is, but we don’t have a choice… Elena might be here, after all.”

Tia clung nervously to my arm as she asked. The soft sensation of her chest raised my spirits a little, but at the same time, I wondered why we looked like some couple walking through a haunted house as I knocked on the door.

“…No answer.”

“Is she out?”

If I were certain Elena was here, I’d break in, but if it was a mistake, that’d be bad… While I hesitated, exchanging glances with Tia, I felt a faint, almost imperceptible sense of wrongness. I activated my Evil Eyes and surveyed my surroundings.

“What’s wrong, Master?”

“This… This is Elena’s mana. It’s drifting faintly from the back.”

Using the Evil Eye to detect the mana, I led Tia around to the back of Echidna-san’s mansion. Was this a garbage dump or something? I could see the remains of golems and all sorts of unidentifiable junk discarded there. Among that mess, I shouted loudly.

“Elena!! Where are you? Are you safe!?”

After a short while, the earth began to stir and shift. Then, a girl emerged.

“Ohh, Phantom, Tia! You’re really here!!”

“Elena-san, what on earth happened to you?”

“You’re so beat up… What happened?”

“Forget about me. A letter should’ve come from the village, right? Then that means Cain is here too. Where is he now? If he went to the ruins, that would be very bad.”

Despite her own battered state, Elena was desperately worried about something else, and a sense of foreboding welled up inside me.

★★★

“What amazing hospitality… I never thought the elves would show me the ruins they kept secret.”

“Hahaha, but of course. You are our most important guest, after all.”

Cain walked through the ruins, guided by the elf chief and several others. But the one he was watching most carefully was not the elf chief. It was the beautiful elf who called herself Echidna, and the golem she brought with her. For some reason, just looking at that golem gave him an uneasy feeling.

I’d left a message with Ceres to have Phantom and the others come too, but… Would they make it in time…?

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