[BL]The Hero and his Party Won't Let Me Go-Chapter 53: Ch : The last Leg of the Journey

"This young man has chronic exhaustion and a severe case of malnutrition. With a little rest, he should be fine."

The healer they had called for at the crown prince’s mansion kept a clear face as he looked Shuu over. He was extremely careful not to touch Shuu for too long or let his eyes linger all over Shuu’s body.

But the others were not as discreet.

Reina and Nero were taking all his marks in with solemn faces, while Liam’s face was unreadable.

"So, Shuu is fine now?"

Prince Kaiden asked, and the doctor nodded.

"Yes, he is fine... but I would advise laying together in a little... moderation. His body is too weak to take all your passion right now, Prince Kaiden."

If Shuu’s face was not red before, it sure as hell was now. He put his hand over his face to hide his expression, but he was sure it was of no use.

"I see. I will make sure Shuu takes all his medicine and eats proper food."

The doctor sighed and looked almost as if he was in pain. His eyes told Shuu that he understood his condition but could not do much to help him out.

Shuu was still reeling in embarrassment when the doctor left.

"Oh-! That reminds me, we should get Shuu to give his blood to the sword to stabilize the bond between-"

"There is no need for that. The sword energy feels much calmer and bonded after last night. I don’t think I will need to stabilize it for a while."

Prince Kaiden spoke before Liam could finish, causing Liam to give him a searching look.

But the hero ignored that look and grabbed Shuu to help him back into bed.

"You should sleep for now. The doctor told you that you need a lot of rest. We’d better listen to him."

Prince Kaiden reminded him, and Shuu almost wanted to complain that he was sleeping too much these days.

But one look around the room told him that it was the best choice if he did not want to worry the others... or answer questions he did not want to.

So he nodded and closed his eyes. His ears remained sharp, and he heard the conversations taking place around him.

"Prince Kaiden, can you not go easy on him? He looked like he was mauled by a wild animal."

Reina complained, but her abrupt silence told Shuu that Prince Kaiden was not happy with her objection.

"Shuu is fine. I held back a lot since I did not want to make him incapable of getting up. You have nothing to worry about."

"That was... you holding back...? Anyway, that is not the problem here. Prince Kaiden, what if you get attacked-"

"What if I get attached? Shuu is already special to me, and that will not change. You’d better pick your words carefully from here on."

Liam also went quiet, and Shuu felt calm and happy.

’No, I should not feel happy. I might be special to Prince Kaiden, but I am not the one he wants to be with forever. Hearing more will just make my heart feel heavy.’

Shuu forced himself to sleep, and the other people finally remembered that he was in the room with them as well.

Nero was the first one who suggested they take their talk outside.

"Perhaps we should talk outside. Shuu will have a hard time sleeping like this."

Liam’s face flushed as he realized that he should not have said what he did where he did.

"What is even there to discuss anymore? Prince Kaiden is not someone who changes his mind once he decides something. The end goal of this journey has been decided, right?"

Her words caused the others to fall quiet. Even Prince Kaiden did not say anything to her because he knew that she was right.

"Alright, enough. Let Shuu sleep here while we plan how to get to the demon king’s seal. We are on the last leg of our journey."

Prince Kaiden reminded them as he helped everyone out of the room. He looked at Shuu’s sleeping form one last time, and he had a feeling that he should say something.

But his mind felt blank, and his mouth refused to move.

Shuu was left, all disappointed, in bed. But he did not even have it in him to care anymore. He just wanted to sleep and be done with all this already.

__________

"We are close to the end of our journey. The last step needed to take is the demon king’s castle. It is a sacred place where the demon king is sealed until a new hero is born. It will be a one-week journey."

Liam laid out all the plans in front of him as he spoke. He was well prepared and knew where they needed to go and what they needed to do.

Shuu tried his best to pay attention, but he kept getting distracted.

The journey that felt like it would never end ended up being such a short one. And it worried Shuu a lot because he had no idea what he would do once this journey ended.

He knew that Prince Kaiden and the others had been discussing what to do with him once he was no longer needed, but even they kept giving vague answers.

"Let’s leave now."

Prince Kaiden grabbed Shuu’s arm to drag him up, and Shuu felt startled. He had not been paying attention to what was happening around him.

"Shuu, are you alright? You look out of it. Is something worrying you?"

Prince Kaiden asked as he pulled Shuu closer to himself. His openness made Shuu blush and curse at the same time.

"I am fine. I was just thinking... what I wanted to do once this is all over. The end feels so near, and I am thinking... should I return to the temple...? Is something wrong?"

Prince Kaiden looked like he had swallowed a lemon. His expression was pinched and angry at the same time.

But the one who answered him was Liam.

"Hmm, that would be impossible. As someone who was part of the hero’s journey, you will always have people interested in you, and you might even be called to give your input for important matters. You will have to live in the capital. But don’t worry. Your housing and expenses will be taken care of by the crown."

Liam assured him, and Shuu felt one of his worries ease. But that did not mean he liked this outcome either.

"I see..."

His lack of enthusiasm said a lot about his mood, and he was not sure if being in the capital was something he wanted.

"Don’t worry. You can live with me if that is something you would like."

Nero offered, and the mood in the carriage tensed.