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

Shuu felt like he was losing his mind, but thankfully, Kris did not take too long and came back soon.

"We have the clearance to go in now. But are you sure you want to come in with me, Shuu? You can stay out here, where it is safe, and I can bring everyone else out-"

"I need to go in as well. My son is in there, and I-"

Kris grabbed Shuu’s shoulder and turned him around. He looked sorry about Shuu’s condition, but instead of telling him to think about this again, he sighed and nodded.

"If this is what you want, then I will take you with me. But please, just make sure you keep yourself safe."

That was all Kris told Shuu before he grabbed Shuu’s arm and tugged him inside the dungeon.

For a second, the world distorted around them, and Shuu felt sick as he walked inside that place filled with foreign energy. This dungeon felt different from the one he had encountered earlier.

"This dungeon has started to rot by now. It seems like we and all those who are stuck here have rotten luck. Let’s hurry up and find Rin fast."

Kris dragged Shuu behind him, and Shuu followed on unsteady feet. The pungent smell in the air was making Shuu’s head hurt a lot more than before. But it did not seem as if Kris was affected by the same thing.

’Then, does that mean it’s only me that is getting affected by all this? Ugh, what a hassle...’

Shuu was having a bad feeling about the whole situation now, but he still kept pushing himself to follow after Kris. He needed to get Rin to safety.

__________

"Everyone, please follow the path Caelis has broken open. Hurry up and run toward the exit of the path."

Everyone nodded as they ran through the icy cave Caelis had created using his abilities. It was keeping the monsters out and allowing everyone else to walk through safely.

Grateful eyes turned to look at Caelis, but he ignored them all. There was only one pair he was interested in here.

Rin was looking back at him with a curious expression as well. It was clear that Rin had a lot to say to him, but now was not the time.

"A-Are we going to make it out of here alive?"

Someone asked Secretary Ann, and he nodded before he looked at the dungeon falling apart around him.

"It is going to be alright. The academy is a key location, and people will soon come to check out what is happening here. We do not have to worry about anything. As long as we survive a little longer, help should come our way."

Secretary Ann did not believe in the police force, but he did believe in the Survivor’s Guild and their leader, Yuri. As an esper, Yuri would not let Secretary Ann die. Otherwise, he would have to search for an A-class guide once more, and no esper wanted to lose their guide.

So it was only a matter of time-

A monster managed to sneak up on him, but luckily for him, Rin crushed the monster before it got too close.

Most of the cleanup work was done here by a combination of Rin and Caelis’s powers, while everyone else felt almost hopeless in this situation.

"I... thank you for your help, Rin. You just saved my life."

Secretary Ann was not close to Rin, but after this incident, he felt like he had to be close to the child. Not only had Rin saved his life, but he was also the only one keeping him safe.

Rin had a detached expression on his face most of the time, and he only nodded. But once in a while, his expression turned different, and he looked behind him to look at Caelis with a searching expression.

Unfortunately, Caelis was too busy to look back at him. That young esper was busy maintaining the wall, keeping everyone safe.

"Kid, you don’t have to try this hard. It will be fine if you rest a little-"

"Don’t speak if you don’t want to die. I am currently doing all I can to hold this wall up for your safety. So don’t distract me right now."

Caelis reminded Secretary Ann, and his haughty words struck Secretary Ann’s nerves. He wanted to reply back with something snarky as well before he recalled where he was and what was happening.

It gave him enough sense to realize that Caelis was under too much pressure, and that must have been making his mood worse. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

’I am an adult here. I do not need to stoop down to a kid’s level like this. I can remain calm and not fall for this trick-’

Secretary Ann repeated this mantra inside his mind, and he finally felt calm enough to face Caelis and everyone else.

"Alright, we are doing great. Not only are we holding the monsters away, but we are also making sure we are not injured. As long as we keep things like this, we can-"

Secretary Ann spoke too soon. One second, Caelis and Rin were focused on the wall; the next, something crashed through it and rushed everyone back.

"Darn it-! These suppressant bands are making me so weak-"

Caelis complained, but it was drowned out by the roar of the boss monster. All eyes turned to look at the huge monster, and for the first time, fear started to course through Secretary Ann’s body.

He had been in and out of dungeons several times by now, but he had never felt like he was about to die. But for the first time, he felt like he had an actual chance of dying.

’I... this is so terrifying. I don’t know what I am supposed to do. How did I keep myself sane until now?’

The only reason Secretary Ann had never been in danger was because of his boss-Yuri. But that esper was not here to save the secretary right now. He was completely alone and surrounded by danger.