Chapter 29: She looks interesting

"Hey, Eliheid, what just happened?" asked Gahard with a tone of voice that did not hide his curiosity.

He approached the King and helped him up from the ground.

With a hesitant look, the King thought for a few seconds. He looked at the Emperor and thought about revealing a part of the truth.

He was aware that the Emperor was not necessarily a religious man. And this applied not only to him but also to all the inhabitants of the Hoescherl Empire, for them, force dictated everything.

With a weary sigh, the King looked at the heroes and began to explain what had happened.

Needless to say, all the heroes, except the sleeping Kouki, were shocked beyond words. And when they got to the part where the King revealed Ehit's true nature, their faces paled.

"This can't be..."

"This means we can never return to our world!?".

"I-I don't want to fight anymore."

Similar shouts and murmurs were all that could be heard inside the room.

Even the students' teacher, Aiko, began to despair as she shouted at the King, wanting answers, but all she got was:

"On behalf of everyone in this world, I apologize. Not only for not being able to return them to their original world but also for forcing them to fight in a war that was only a form of entertainment for an evil God in the first place"

"However, I promise I will do everything in my power to try and stop it."

"And what about us? what about us?! Do you think we'll keep fighting monsters to prepare for war!" Cried Aiko in a desperate voice.

However, a voice came from behind, attracting everyone's attention.

"Well, there is a way for you to return to your original world...".

Aiko turned quickly and saw the handsome young man who had been wrongfully accused.

"How can we go back!?" she shouted impatiently.

Nader shook his head and pointed, "Obviously, fighting...".

Aiko's small body deflated along with her hopes, and before she screamed again, she heard Nader's voice again.

"In each of the labyrinths scattered throughout the world, there are legacies left of the age of the gods. And one of these legacies possibly has ancient magic for them to return to their world."

"..."

The brief silence that hung in the room was cut by Gahard.

"Boy, is it true about the legacies?" he asked in a serious tone.

"Anyway, why would I lie to you? Besides, they can't clear a maze with their weak forces." Nader declared.

At this, the emperor frowned. What Nader had said was true. So far, the only ones who had entered the deepest floors of the Great Orcus labyrinth were the heroes, of course, not counting Nader, who had already cleared it.

A bit undaunted, the girl stepped forward and, with a lost kitten-like expression, asked, "Nader-Kun, could you help us? I know it would be difficult for you, but..."

"I refuse." Nader instinctively denied.

Help them, why would he do that? First of all, he just wanted to live with his golden vampire in peace as they traveled the worlds, and secondly, as he had said before, the problems of the inhabitants of this world were none of his business. He no longer wanted to be bound to the request of others, he had promised himself that he would be free to enjoy his life together with the girl he loves.

"E-eh!? but why? You should want to go back to your world too, shouldn't you?".

"Tsk" Nader clicked his tongue and looked at the King, making him flinch.

"Apparently, you've come to your senses. However, let me tell you one thing. That guy who calls himself a god has eyes everywhere, so you'd better act appropriately if you don't want to attract his attention so soon. Because even if you unite the strength of the entire race of this world, which is quite unlikely in the first place, they won't be able to give him a scratch."

The King thought about it for a few seconds and with a hesitant tone, asked, "And what do you think is the best route we can take?".

"Sigh~, as I said. The only option they have is to clear the mazes so they can become stronger. And the only ones who have that chance, are these summoned children from another world. Of course, you guys can try, but chances are you'll end up losing more than you can gain."

"Boy, you really don't plan to help us?" The Emperor asked.

He thought that Nader was someone quite powerful, someone, who could make the other party suffer a headache. However, even if he wanted to use force to make him come with them, he was not so foolish or riddled with arrogance as to think that his fists were bigger than him.

"That's what I said. Not to mention that I've already contributed a lot to revealing the truth and not killing the leader of a Kingdom."

The Emperor and the King could only sigh, he was right. If he had not contributed and shared the truth, they would be no different than an ignorant frog living in the darkness of lies in the palms of Ehit.

Not to mention the King had previously declared Nader a heretic, so he didn't have a pass to ask him for anything even if he wanted to.

Nader let out a yawn and wrapped his arm around Yue's waist as he waved his hand.

"So, I'll see you around. I've already done everything I wanted to do," he paused for a moment and stroked Shizuku's head with his hand before continuing with a smile, "I hope we meet again, Shizuku."

Shizuku's eyes moved softly. She looked at Nader's back, who was about to teleport, and for some reason, she felt that if she didn't stop him in time, she would never see him again and would regret it later.

Unconsciously, she reached out and grabbed Nader's clothes, "W-Wait, Nader."

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Nader asked and looked at her face.

Meanwhile, Yue narrowed her eyes prettily at Shizuku. She, for some reason, felt a kind of uneasiness running through her body.

"Come on, Nader...". Yue urged as she tugged on Nader's arm, who only gently patted her head.

"This, I..." Shizuku looked unsure, even she didn't know why she had stopped him.

Soon, sudden enlightenment struck her mind and strengthened her resolve. Under Yue's piercing, emotionless gaze, she said, "I know this may sound selfish of me, but can I accompany you to locate and find Kaori...?"

Hearing this, Suzu, who was still close to her snapped out of her depressing thoughts of not being able to return to her world and looked at Shizuku.

"No..." Yue refused and hugged Nader's arm.

Nader thought about it for a while as he ignored his girl's gaze.

"I can do it. However, I have other things to take care of first. If that doesn't bother you, you can join us to look for her."

Shizuku, who expected Nader to reject her because his pretty girlfriend had rejected her, was surprised.

"Then, I'm counting on you." A soft smile tinged her face.

"W-wait, ShizuShizu, are you really sure about this, it wasn't just Kaorin nor Nagumo-Kun, but you too? Besides, what will happen to Kouki?" asked Suzu with concern.

Shizuku was the only pillar of the main group of heroes, and everyone knew it, so if she left, all hell would break loose.

"Suzu, Kaori is probably alone with Nagumo-Kun in this dangerous world. While Kouki is protected behind the Kingdom's walls, so my concern for my friend is obvious. Besides, Kouki has Ryutarou."

"B-but..." She could only lower her head before she felt a warm embrace surround her.

"I'm coming back, it's not like this is goodbye forever" Shizuku smiled as she rubbed her friend's back.

Meanwhile, Yue squeezed Nader's arm and looked up to meet Nader's gaze.

"Nader... why do we have to take her with us?".

"Mmm, she looks interesting," Nader said with a smile, earning a grumpy look from Yue.

After a few minutes, Shizuku said goodbye to her companions and to the King who regretted her departure.

She secretly sighed in relief that Kouki was still unconscious, after all, if he was conscious, he would cause trouble.

"Then let's go," Nader said and took Yue by the hand while putting his other hand on Shizuku's shoulder.

They disappeared from their position next to the barrier surrounding the castle, leaving behind only the students, the King, and the Emperor.

The latter two sighed wearily, what had been revealed to them today was far more than their brains could handle.