[BL]The Hero and his Party Won't Let Me Go-Chapter 39: Ch : A Gift

"Well, that was eventful."

Shuu complained before he sat back down and took a deep breath. He felt so much better compared to before, but the tension in his body still did not get lost.

He decided to take a small walk around the garden to empty his mind when he felt eyes on him once more.

The priests from before were back, and they did not look happy with his presence in their sacred sanctuary.

"Tsk, do you have no shame? How can someone like you walk around the sacred sanctuary as if you have no idea what your presence signifies? You should have left this place as soon as you could."

"Prince Kaiden is a gentle soul, but that does not mean you get to take advantage of him like this. Leave this place right now... or else... ouch..."

The priests suddenly felt something falling on their heads. They looked up but found nothing of significance.

But as soon as they looked away, it happened again. And again, until they felt so irritated that they left.

Shuu let out a sigh of relief as he was left all alone.

Meow

Something soft brushed against his legs, and Shuu looked down, only to see a black cat rubbing itself against his legs.

"You... what are you doing here? You should not touch me like this, or you will get cursed as well."

Shuu told the cat as he tried to pull back, but the cat was adamant in trying to be with Shuu. It kept rubbing against him and tugging at his pants until he had no choice but to follow after it.

"Alright, I will play with you for now. But I can’t leave the garden, alright?"

He told the cat as he followed after it. The cat led Shuu toward a tree before it started to dig into the ground with its claws.

"W-What are you doing? Stop it! This is an offense..."

Shuu told the cat, but he did not touch it. The cat continued to dig and dig until it pulled something out of the ground. It was a shiny piece of metal that was shaped like a bracelet. It had an intricate design that almost felt familiar.

The cat brought it to Shuu before it dropped the bracelet into Shuu’s open palms.

"Is this... for me?"

Shuu asked, and the cat let out a loud meow to confirm that it was.

"Thank you. But I cannot take it. It is a sacred object, right? I should not have it..."

The cat seemed to disagree and let out a few annoyed sounds. Before Shuu could say anything else, he heard Prince Kaiden’s familiar voice.

He turned around to check on the prince, but when he turned to look back, the cat was gone and he still had the bracelet.

"Shuu, what are you doing here all alone? I told you to stay in the park because the sun would help you, not to make you feel lonely... what’s that in your hand?"

Prince Kaiden threw his whole body weight on top of Shuu, and it almost flattened him before he caught himself.

Somehow, it felt easier for Shuu to take Prince Kaiden’s weight compared to before.

"T-This is... I don’t know. A cat gave it to me... after it dug a hole..."

Shuu pointed to the hole the cat had dug, but the hole was not there. In fact, it looked as if the ground had never been disturbed.

"Hmm, let me see...."

Prince Kaiden reached for the bracelet, and a small amount of static appeared when he touched it before he pulled it fully into his hands.

"This... feels like a relic. And a far stronger one than the ones kept in the sanctuary. It also seems like it wants you to be its owner."

Prince Kaiden told Shuu as he looked over the bracelet. He looked happy to see this, but everyone else paled.

Especially the head priest, who looked at the divine artifact in Prince Kaiden’s hand with an awkward face.

"N-No way! Prince Kaiden, it cannot be. A divine artifact cannot be touched by anyone except the hero. Even Lady Sera failed... can I see it?"

The head priest asked, trying to suppress his greed.

If this was indeed a relic of the goddess that could be handled by others, then he, as the head priest, would gain a lot of power and influence. He could even use it-

"Ouch... it’s not allowing me to touch it. Hey, someone else try as well." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The head priest ordered, and the other priests tried as well, wanting to see if they could be chosen.

But in the end, no one else could touch the relic. Prince Kaiden handed it back to Shuu, who took it with careful hands.

"It seems like this is an artifact that only the ’companion’ can handle. If so, then we can send it to Lady Sera. It might make her condition better as well."

The high priest tried another angle to gain power.

Nothing good would come out of people knowing that someone not blessed by the goddess had a relic of her. Lady Sera was a better choice for this relic.

Besides, there was no way Prince Kaiden would say no to this. He liked Lady Sera too much to not give her everything he could.

"Should we send it now-"

"There is no need to do that. This relic was given to Shuu, so this is his. Even Sera would not like it if we gave it to her."

Prince Kaiden turned that down, surprising everyone.

"B-But Prince Kaiden, think of Lady Sera. This relic has a blessing for good health as well as protection. Won’t it be perfect for her? With this, she can join-"

"I already told you all-no. Sera will get her cure one way or another. I will make sure of that. But this relic belongs to Shuu, and that is final."

Shuu felt a sudden burst of warmth in his chest at those words. He had been ready to hand the relic over any time he was asked to, but Prince Kaiden’s words made him feel better.

"Alright, if this is what you want, then we will not question you."

In the end, the head priest was forced to give up as well.