[BL]The Hero and his Party Won't Let Me Go

The familiar demon reached out his hands toward Shuu, and even the brief touch made Shuu feel like he had to lean more into those hands. He wanted to trust that demon and let him take Shuu.

"Hey, take cover. Do not let the demons get to you-"

The loud yelling was almost like background noise for Shuu, distracting him just enough to not fall for the demon’s trap, but also not enough to make him fight earnestly.

He felt the other demons taking aim at his back, but he did not mind. He could allow small injuries if it meant figuring out what he was feeling.

But clearly, his intentions were not the same as the demon currently fighting him, because he grabbed Shuu’s arm and pulled him even closer. His action came across as almost possessive, and it made Shuu’s stomach flip.

’This feels...familiar...’

That was the feeling Shuu had as he felt arms holding him close. His insides were fluttering even more now, and his mouth felt dry. He wanted to speak, but no words escaped his mouth.

"Are you-"

Shuu was about to ask the question when he felt something tugging him back out of the demon’s arms.

One second, he was looking up at the demon, and the next, he was being dragged away and behind someone’s back. All he could see was the back of the general who pulled him to safety.

"Hey kid, are you alright? The demon did not do anything to you, right?"

Shuu’s savior asked in a concerned voice. The man looked worried, but all Shuu felt at the moment was an impending sense of loss at having been separated from the demon. He wanted to rush back into those safe arms and burrow himself in them.

His lack of speech made the general worried, and he quickly turned around to snap Shuu out of it.

Shuu stepped back as soon as he noticed that the stranger’s hand was reaching toward his face. His quick action caused the general to quickly realize that Shuu did not want to be touched. And he complied, turning his attention back to the demon Shuu had been fighting.

"Tsk, how despicable of the demon king to go after our newest recruit. Did you try to use your powers to seduce the kid?"

Shuu looked at the general with an almost blank expression on his face. Understanding began to settle in his mind as he realized that the other man was right to question the demon king. It did feel like he had tried to seduce Shuu.

But surely that care and those words were not fake gestures the demon king used to seduce Shuu?

The demon king did not reply. Instead, he used his powers to push the general back. The general tried to fight back, but his power was not enough to hold off the demon king.

Shuu stood there, just watching this one-sided fight for a whole minute before he heard the general’s pained voice. It caused him to act, and he blocked the demon king’s next attack.

It was a heavy attack, but Shuu was able to withstand it without any worries. And seeing him block the attack made the demon king blink at him before he stopped attacking and withdrew his weapon.

Shuu remained alert, but his instincts were telling him that there was no need to fight this battle.

"Ugh, this is unfair. I cannot raise my weapon against you, honey. You are being unfair to me right now."

The demon king complained, but Shuu kept his weapon ready to face him. He was not taking any chances today.

The hand that had made Shuu melt reached for his face again, and he allowed it to cup his cheeks.

"Can we stop all this already, honey? All you have to do is recall who you are and come back to me. Then, we can go home to the kids and forget about this war."

That felt like a tempting offer. But more importantly, the talk of kids made something inside Shuu feel strange.

He wanted to go back to the kids. He felt like he could recall something if he closed his eyes. That image was so close to his mind—

"Shuu-!"

A searing pain exploded in Shuu’s gut, and he looked down, only to see a sword piercing through his stomach. He looked back, only to see the general’s blank expression before his body was grabbed and he was teleported back to Goddess Astoria’s side.

"General-! What is the meaning of this? My dear-"

Goddess Astoria’s warm arms wrapped around Shuu, and he felt the world and all his worries melting away. His mind felt calmer, and his injury began to heal rapidly.

But just because Shuu was healing on the outside did not mean he was healing on the inside as well. This betrayal felt like a scar he would carry forever.

It took some time for Shuu to calm himself down and open his eyes. But all he saw and heard was the sound of a loud slap echoing around the space.

The general who had stabbed Shuu was clutching his cheek as he looked up at Goddess Astoria. The goddess had a livid expression on her face, and her eyes demanded the truth.

"General, what happened out there? I did not send you out to hurt our own people. You were supposed to take care of the demons instead."

The goddess made it clear that she was not happy, and the general was quick to reassure her that it was all his fault.

"I apologize for this, Goddess. I knew I should have paid more attention, but I did not realize when that demon king got too close to our newest soldier. He almost got to the kid before I managed to snap him out. But I do apologize. This seemed like the only way I could help."

The general apologized, but the goddess did not look happy with the outcome. Her eyes were still angry at her guard, but she let out a frustrated sigh.