[BL]The Hero and his Party Won't Let Me Go-Chapter 172: Ch : Reaching for Safety

By the end of the day, the news about Companion Shuu being missing spread everywhere. Even the temples and normal merchants knew about it. Many cities had already closed their gates and were carrying out inspections on their people.

The assassin noticed this and cursed his luck.

"Tsk, it seems like there are too many security checks. We will need to take a detour to avoid getting detected."

Shuu looked at the assassin and followed him reluctantly.

It had been a whole day since he was forced to follow the assassin, and he had kept looking for ways to run away the whole day. But the assassin was too thorough and did not give Shuu any openings.

Shuu did not want to risk his life, so he did not actually go through with any fake openings he found. He also kept a close eye on what people were talking about, and that was when he heard the news-Emperor Kaiden was back.

Hearing this made Shuu feel better but also bitter at the same time.

’So Kaiden is back? And it does not seem like he’s hurt either. He would be able to keep an eye on Caelis and Rin for me...’

Shuu sighed in relief, but that only made the kidnapper angrier.

"Tsk, what are you looking all happy for? Do you like seeing me miserable? Huh-? Say something?"

Shuu’s cheeks stung as the kidnapper’s heavy hand connected with his cheek. It immediately caused it to swell, and Shuu extended his hand toward his cheek to hold it.

That turned out to be the wrong thing to do because it triggered the kidnapper somehow.

"What are you holding your face for? Do you think this is funny or something? Huh-?"

The kidnapper asked in a loud voice, and usually, it would have attracted much attention. But no one wanted to get in trouble with the authorities, so they kept to themselves.

Shuu did not say much and tuned the kidnapper out as well. The less he reacted, the quicker this would all end. That was what his experience with abuse told him.

And just as he expected, after yelling at Shuu for about half an hour, the kidnapper got tired and decided to drag him around. He also used some kind of magic to make them travel faster because by the end of the second day, they were at the outskirts of the empire.

"Finally, we made it. Once I leave you in the temple, my work here will be done. And don’t you dare think of going back. Not only would you die, but it would be a painful death for you. It’ll be much safer for you to be here."

The kidnapper told Shuu, but he doubted that it was for his own good. It was likely a warning for Shuu to keep away.

But there was still something that bothered Shuu.

"Why...did you not kill me? Wouldn’t that have been easier for you to do?"

Shuu asked the assassin, and the man paused to look at Shuu with a confused expression on his face.

"Hmm, now that you say this... it would have been easier for me to kill you. In fact, that is what I should have done from the start. So I wonder why..."

The assassin looked confused by his decision as well. Shuu looked at him with tense eyes, waiting to see what would happen next.

And the assassin did not disappoint him.

One second, he was standing in front of Shuu, and the next, he had his hand around Shuu’s neck.

It hurt... breathing hurt, and the grip on his neck hurt even more. Shuu immediately struggled to get that hand off his neck, but it was of no use. The assassin did not loosen his grip.

But just as Shuu felt like he was about to lose consciousness, the assassin dropped him with a startled gasp.

"W-What the hell-?"

The assassin looked down at his hand, which was turning black and not responding to him. It made him panic, and he quickly decided to run away.

"I don’t know what kind of curse you have, but I no longer want to be near you. Let’s hope we never have to cross paths with each other again."

The assassin told Shuu before he disappeared.

Shuu watched him leave with a heavy heart.

A part of him wanted to go after the assassin and force him to show Shuu the way back. But it was already far too late.

"I guess I have no choice but to wait here for someone to come for me. I am sure Kaiden will come for me soon..."

’But will he? Doesn’t he already have someone to replace you? Maybe it was your presence that was holding him back from fulfilling the goddess’s prophecy. After all, who would want to be with a cursed child like you?’

Shuu’s inner voice sounded strong and sharp. Hearing it made Shuu feel a headache coming on, and he quickly shook his head to get rid of it.

"That is not true. Kaiden cares for me even if I am cursed. And so do Caelis and Rin-"

’But for how long? Those two might love you now, but it’s because they don’t know much about you and this world. But how can you be so sure that they won’t find you disgusting once they realize your true nature?’

"That will not happen. My kids are not so shallow-! I...I..."

Shuu gasped at the sudden burst of pain in his chest. It felt like something was trying to grab hold of him inside and squeeze.

Breathing was already hard before, but now it felt impossible.

Shuu was suffering, and he wanted help. He did not care who helped him or for what reason. He just wanted this horrible pain and uncertainty to go away.

His vision blurred as his eyes fell on the temple’s gates, and his body moved toward the temple entrance.

"G-Goddess... just help... me out... this once..."

Shuu forced his body to move toward the door. Each step felt heavier than the last, and his instincts told him not to walk.

And yet, he could not stop himself. A familiar feeling was welling up inside his heart, telling him that this was the right thing to do.