[BL]The Hero and his Party Won't Let Me Go-Chapter 162: Ch : Almost Panic

Those ghost hands almost touched Shuu’s face. He could feel their lingering touch on his face. He wanted to blink and make some noise, but no words escaped his mouth.

[Don’t worry, my dear. Just hand yourself over to me and all your worries will go away. Come and dedicate yourself to me in the temple. Once you do, this all will be over, and your dear Hero will be able to live in peace-]

"Shuu....NO-!"

Caelis’s loud voice broke the air around Shuu, and he suddenly panted as his knees threatened to give up.

Saintess Rosalyne’s grip on his shoulder loosened as well, and Shuu collapsed on the ground.

His face had sweat running down it, and his chest felt heavy. Even standing back up felt like a hassle to Shuu. And yet, he forced himself back on his feet so that he could look at Caelis running toward him.

Small but strong arms grabbed his neck, and Shuu felt comfort seeping into his consciousness, allowing him to close his eyes and lean against Caelis. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Ugh, what happened? My head...! It feels like it’s splitting apart....fuck-!"

Saintess Rosalyne complained as she grabbed her head and let out a groan filled with pain. Her eyes finally looked like they were back to normal, and she blinked and looked around.

Her eyes landed on Shuu, and they widened just a bit before she bit her lip to decide what excuse to make.

"Are you...alright?"

Shuu asked the female, and Saintess Rosalyne almost let out a flinch before she sighed and nodded.

"I am fine. You don’t have to worry about me. And don’t pay too much attention to what happened either."

Saintess Rosalyne told Shuu, and he tried his best not to feel bothered by her words. But it was a little tough after what happened.

Still, he did not think of what happened to be Saintess Rosalyne’s fault, and he was about to tell her that much when Caelis spoke up first.

"You-! Leave."

Caelis’s voice was tense and sounded a little angry as well. These were some big emotions for his young self to have, and yet, they did not look off on his young face.

Saintess Rosalyne seemed like she was about to take offense to being told to leave by a child so young. Her face twisted into anger, and she opened her mouth.

But before she could speak, Shuu decided to remind her of where she was and whom she was talking about.

"It seems like Prince Caelis is a little tired and wants me to go back with him. Saintess Rosalyne, I think it’s time for you to head back as well."

Shuu told the Saintess, and she gave Shuu a sorry glance. He was not sure if she recalled what had happened, but Shuu had a feeling that she did not.

"Alright, I will head back now. But remember, you can always come to the temple and talk to me if you need my advice. Until then, keep yourself as safe as you can. This world is not kind, and you are Emperor Kaiden’s last thread of sanity."

The Saintess told Shuu before she left.

Caelis’s grip did not lighten around Shuu until he watched the Saintess leave. Shuu patted Caelis’s back to make him let go once they were alone, and Caelis blinked before he let Shuu go.

"Are you feeling alright, Caelis? Do you need something?"

Shuu asked the kid, who finally blinked and looked at Shuu with an innocent face. The earlier atmosphere and emotions had drained out of the young kid’s face, and only fascination remained.

"I want you, Shuu. Come back and play. Rin’s waiting as well..."

The young child tugged at Shuu’s arm when he asked him to go back. Shuu felt his heart skip a beat at that clean expression in front of him.

At that moment, he wanted to give Caelis whatever his son wanted.

"Alright, I will come back with you. Let’s play what you and Rin want."

It was not like Shuu had anything else to do.

He had once asked Kaiden and Princess Danelie about what work he should do in the imperial palace, but he had specifically been told that he did not need to do anything.

Shuu was smart, but he was not educated in the ways to run the imperial palace. As such, he would be more of a hindrance than a help to them all. That was why he was happy to leave it all to others to manage.

He had never felt uncomfortable about this fact. But as he walked back to his room, he heard the people gossiping about how he was ’not needed’ and that his absence would make no impact.

These words hurt a bit, but Shuu easily managed to bury these feelings inside him and plaster a smile on his face. After all, the more he thought about all this, the more he would slip into the darkness threatening to engulf him whole.

So Shuu went back to his room, bottled his emotions, and played with the kids until it was time for lunch.

It was all a routine affair, but each second seemed to be adding to Shuu’s discomfort and hesitation.

Something else had changed as well after his encounter with the Saintess. That semi-familiar and non-human voice that spoke through the Saintess felt familiar, and it felt almost...nostalgic.

It tugged at Shuu’s heart and made it beat faster. He did not know whether this feeling was fear or something else, but he had mixed emotions about it.

’Should I...check it out? I can always pay a quick visit to the temple and the Saintess...’

A part of Shuu felt uncomfortable with all this. All he wanted was to spend time with his family...but Kaiden was not here....

’Don’t panic. The kids are here, and they still need me. I cannot give in to the despair of what is happening around me...’

Shuu reminded himself, and he used his emotions to pull himself back.

The loneliness inside him did not fade away, but he did manage to push it back for some time...

Unfortunately, the world around him did not allow him to forget his place.