I Was Reincarnated as the Villainous Knight Commander Who Betrays Everyone at the End, So I Plan to Leave the Fake Hero’s Party with the Exiled Girl Who’s Actually the True Hero! ~While Watching Over the Protagonist Up Close, I Somehow Ended Up Destroying the Whole Scenario~ - 30 END

Chapter 30: The Villainous Knight Commander Thinks How Peaceful It Is

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A few days had passed since we returned to the city of Handel. According to Rei, the ghostly staff member living at Mofumofu Potion Shop, business had run smoothly even while Ciel was away.

That was probably because Ciel had prepared plenty of mana water, the main ingredient for potions, in advance. As for me, I received the promised gold coins from Tiana, who had commissioned the monster extermination, and was enjoying a few days of prosperity.

However, my days were anything but peaceful.

“Oh, my Goddess!! I have come to offer today’s donation!!”

It was Hero Allen. The prince of the Kingdom of Azure, he was now handing Ciel a pouch stuffed with gold coins, beaming with a wide smile. How had it come to this?

“Um, Allen-san? How many times do I have to tell you that this kind of thing is a nuisance and you need to stop?”

“This is but a token of my gratitude to my Goddess!!”

How should I put it—he wasn’t making any sense. His eyes weren’t sane. They looked just like the eyes of my aunt in my previous life, who got hooked on a shady new religion and tried to sell me bizarrely designed urns. It was honestly terrifying.

“Krok. Do something about this.”

“You’re telling ME to do something?”

I voiced my complaint to Krok, who had entered Mofumofu Potion Shop alongside Allen, but he only shrugged his shoulders.

“Oof!!”

“Ohh!! Divine Beast-sama, your pristine white fur is as beautiful as ever today!! I have prepared the finest marbled meat from the butcher for you!!”

“Ah, wait!! Don’t just feed Mofumaru whatever you want!! And Mofumaru, you can’t just eat food given to you by strangers!!”

“Woof, oof!!”

Mofumaru had started gobbling up the delicious-looking meat Allen had brought. Though Mofumaru had been wary of Allen at first, he now seemed to enjoy the daily routine of being worshiped as “Divine Beast-sama” and receiving meat offerings.

Just then, from the back of the shop, Rei the Elder Wraith—also known as Booby Wraith—peeked her head out.

“Oh? Allen-san, you’re here again today. Thank you for bringing me those herbs the other day!”

“Ohh, if it isn’t the Holy Spirit-sama!! You look even lovelier than before!!”

“Oh, please, don’t call me Holy Spirit. I’m just a simple ghost.”

“She’s right. If anything, she’s a legit vengeful spirit.”

If Mofumaru was the Divine Beast, Rei was the Holy Spirit. I had no doubt that to Allen, this shop looked like a sacred place and everyone in it must have seemed holy to him.

I, as the guardian of Mofumofu Potion Shop, was no exception. Noticing my gaze, Allen approached me.

“Good morning, Guardian-sama!! Your armor looks magnificent as always!!”

“A-ah, right, yes.”

Apparently, I was the Guardian. The one who protected the house where Goddess Ciel, Holy Spirit Rei, and Divine Beast Mofumaru lived. It wasn’t entirely wrong, but it felt kind of creepy. It wasn’t that I sensed any malice from Allen either. Rather, I felt a pure, blind faith that gave me the chills.

“But, well, it’s not all bad, you know,”

Krok spoke to me as I recoiled from Allen.

Not all bad? This situation?

“I think Ciel-chan’s words really resonated with him. He started saying, ‘I’ll do what I want to do,’ and now he helps anyone in need he comes across.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. He’s carried lost elderly people on his back, rescued cats stuck in trees… And the day before yesterday, he even wiped out an underground organization selling illegal drugs.”

“That’s… Well, admirable, I suppose…”

“Also, to earn money to donate to Ciel-chan, he’s been hunting monsters deep in the Death Mountain Range and getting stronger by the day.”

That much, I had noticed too. Allen now exuded the aura of a powerful warrior—he felt overwhelmingly strong. He might even surpass the Orc Emperor.

“So faith can be such a terrifying thing…”

“That’s blind devotion, for sure. It’s exhausting just being dragged along.”

Krok looked genuinely worn out, revealing his true feelings.

“But, well, it’s entertaining. The current Hero-sama is never boring to watch.”

“I see.”

“By the way, yesterday he was out in the streets preaching. He was like, ‘The Goddess’s potions are amazing!! Everyone should buy them!!’ and so on.”

“So he’s even advertising Mofumofu Potion Shop…”

No wonder we’d seen an increase in new customers these past few days. While I was connecting the dots, an exasperated Ciel approached, clearly annoyed by the sparkle in Allen’s eyes.

“Lars-san, please do something about this man!!”

“Alright, I understand. Allen, this is Ciel’s personal request. Leave the shop now, or I’ll forcibly remove you.”

“I would never dream of troubling Guardian-sama!! I shall leave on my own!!”

Allen energetically prepared to leave the shop.

“Ha!! Then I shall take my leave for today!! My Goddess, tomorrow I shall earn twice as much for my offering!!”

“Ah, wait a second, Allen-san.”

“What is it, my Goddess!!”

For some reason, Ciel called out to stop Allen. Then, she made a particular request.

“I heard there’s a rare herb deep in the Death Mountain Range. Could you fetch it for me?”

Apparently, Ciel really didn’t want Allen coming back here any time soon. Like a modern-day Princess Kaguya, she smiled sweetly as she ordered him to retrieve a herb from the depths of the Death Mountain Range. If he went that far, he wouldn’t be back for several days—maybe even never.

Tears of emotion welled up in Allen’s eyes.

“O-oh, ohh!! If it is the command of my Goddess, then by Her divine will, I shall carry it out!! Let’s go, Krok!!”

“Eh, wait, the depths of the Death Mountain Range? Are you serious?”

“Krok, this is the will of the Goddess. She desires it!! We have a duty to obey the Goddess!!”

“Wait wait!! I told you, there might be something extremely dangerous in there!!”

“What nonsense!! The Goddess’s protection is with me!! I will retrieve the herb, even if it costs me my life!!”

Allen dashed out of Mofumofu Potion Shop with incredible energy while Krok reluctantly followed behind him. …Things were deviating quite a bit from the original story… But as the original author, I couldn’t say I disliked it. 

Then, just as Allen and Krok disappeared, yet another troublesome pair entered the shop.

“My angel!! I’ve come to visit you!!”

“Pardon the intrusion, Miss Ciel.”

It was Tiana, the investor of Mofumofu Potion Shop, and Sakuna, who was likely accompanying her as her bodyguard. Today the shop was full of visitors. It was a bit noisy, but I couldn’t help thinking how peaceful these days felt. It truly was peaceful.

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Author’s Note: A Little Update on Allen

On the same day, he single-handedly defeated an ancient dragon that was the cause of the Death Mountains’ disturbances and brought back the herb the next day. Ciel’s plan had failed. Meanwhile, she was secretly donating all the money Allen offered her to the orphanage in the city of Handel, unknowingly gathering even more devotion in her name.

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