[BL]The Hero and his Party Won't Let Me Go-Chapter 156: Ch : The one at Fault - part 1

There was a sudden silence that followed that provocation. Everyone looked at the speaker with suspicious eyes, but they all agreed with him as well.

For the people of this world, the goddess’s words were absolute. And the fact that Emperor Kaiden opposed these words did not sit well with them.

"You are right-! The emperor needs to come back to his senses."

"We need to break the illusion he is under and make him see the truth."

Everyone understood what they needed to do, but no one had the courage to step forward on their own. Finally, someone spoke up from the crowd.

"But what can we even do? Emperor Kaiden is too much for us to handle. Even if we all were to make him an enemy, we won’t win against the hero. Isn’t this a useless endeavour...?"

That question caused everyone to deflate and look concerned. But the person in charge, Duke Inferno, did not look worried.

Instead, he gave them all a reassuring glance that made everyone feel like it would all be alright in the end.

"Do not worry. Emperor Kaiden is a little preoccupied at the moment, so it is the right time for us to act. We will aim for the companion and not Kaiden. If we can get him to voluntarily leave the Emperor, it will all be resolved."

It was a well-known fact that Emperor Kaiden was head-over-heels in love with his companion. People also believed that the emperor was under a spell or something.

So the only way to break him free would be to distance him from the companion first. And to do that, they needed to approach the companion.

"We are all in luck. Emperor Kaiden is a little preoccupied with other things right now. So it is our chance to get his companion to agree to a split. Does anyone have any problem with this?"

Duke Inferno asked, but no one looked uncertain.

They had all gathered here with a single purpose of taking care of the companion. And if this was what it took, then they were all ready to do that.

"We understand. Please let us know if there is anything you want us to do."

One of the devotees asked, and Duke Inferno smiled.

"Of course there is something you can help with. There is something you all can help me with. Now, let’s go and make our goddess’s words come true."

__________

"Shuu, is something wrong? Why did you stop? Hurry-!"

Caelis tugged at Shuu’s arm with one hand and dragged Rin behind him with another. He looked happy as he walked around the market, but Shuu could not bring himself to share the same joy.

There was something heavy and gloomy about the air in the city. He could not help but feel a little bit odd.

But Caelis’s enthusiasm and Rin’s silent worry made Shuu feel better, and he followed them toward the snack stall.

"I would like one of these snacks."

Shuu grabbed the snacks Caelis and Rin were looking at and paid in full.

Just as he was about to grab the snacks, the owner of the stall grabbed his wrist and looked him in the eye.

"You look like a wealthy young master. Since you are a customer, I will give you some advice. Make sure you hide your wealth and walk around carefully. The city has not been safe for the past few days. You and the kids might get targeted by some...unsavoury people."

The shop owner told Shuu before he let him go.

That tight grip left a bruise on his arm, but Shuu did not care for that. Instead, his mind went back to the warning he had just heard.

’What the...unrest in the city...? Seriously? At a time when Emperor Kaiden is not here? Should I take a look?’

Shuu felt curious, and he wanted to help Kaiden. But a second thought made him forget about that plan.

Not only was he powerless to do anything, but he also had kids with him. And under no circumstances was he going to allow the kids to get hurt.

’Maybe I should start heading back now. I don’t have a good feeling about being out here...’

Shuu grabbed Caelis’s and Rin’s hands and started to head back.

"Alright, it’s time to go back..."

Maybe it was because of his upbringing, but Shuu suddenly felt like he had a lot of eyes looking at him.

The faster he tried to walk, the more he felt like he was being watched. This made him tense up, and he started to walk a little bit faster.

He had not gone too far when he felt a hand reaching out for him. It made him instinctively reach back and grab that arm, only to see the same vendor from before.

"Excuse me, but you forgot your change. I was just trying to give it to you."

The vendor told Shuu as he held his hand open. Inside it was a handful of change that made Shuu breathe a sigh of relief.

"I-I see. Thank you for giving it back to me..."

Shuu took the change, but the feeling of something being ’wrong’ refused to go away.

The vendor smiled back at Shuu, but it was not a pleasant smile. And suddenly, the coins in Shuu’s grip felt heavier than they actually were.

Shuu had never felt the need to throw away money in his life before. But for the first time, he actually thought about it.

But in the end, he decided that there was no point in throwing away perfectly good money and decided to pocket it.

...

Or that was his plan before he felt Caelis tugging at his pants.

"Shuu-! Buy that..."

The child pointed toward the book stall that sold academic books. It was not something Caelis should find interesting...and yet, Shuu did not argue with him.

In fact, Shuu felt a little relieved to be getting rid of the money in his hand. And this gave him the perfect excuse to use that money.

"Alright, let’s go buy that book that you want."

He told the kid and went over to the stall.