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

"There are too many monsters. T-They are breaking the wall apart. What do we do now?"

People were terrified as they huddled behind the safety of the wall Caelis had provided. But there was only so much security to be had when the wall was just a thin film preventing the monsters from getting to them.

Caelis looked tired from holding up the wall as well. His brows were sweating, and Secretary Ann wondered if he needed to provide him guiding.

But Caelis was currently out in the field, killing the monsters that snuck too close to him, and the secretary felt terrified of stepping out into such a space.

’If I don’t step out now, then Caelis won’t be able to keep up with the onslaught. The toxins in his body must be building up-’

And yet, despite knowing this, Secretary Ann was selfish, and his self-preservation instincts kept him hidden.

He decided to turn his head away from the reality of the situation and turn toward the people behind him.

"D-Don’t worry, everyone. It will be just fine-"

Another huge boss tore down the wall, and Caelis had no time to take care of it. Rin was slow as well, and Secretary Ann watched as time slowed down and the monster came toward him and the other kids.

He closed his eyes, welcoming his end, but then he felt intense heat melting the boss in front of him.

A semi-familiar back stood in front of him, while a familiar warmth forced him to get up.

"Y-You are...! What are you doing here?"

Secretary Ann asked as he looked at Kris’s back. The S-class esper was protecting the small group, and his flames were strong enough to force the monster back.

He looked back at Secretary Ann’s words and gave him a reassuring grin.

"There is no need to worry anymore, Secretary. I will take care of these monsters and get you back to safety. Just...put in a nice word for me with the boss, alright? I came here before I could be ordered to do so."

Kris laughed in a guilty manner, but the monster decided to attack the next second, causing him to turn his attention back toward it.

Secretary Ann felt like laughing and crying at the same time. He did not know what to make of this situation, but then he recalled the two kids that were fighting hard to keep him alive.

"Ah, Kris, we need to rescue Caelis and Rin. Those kids are-"

"We are fine. I don’t think either of us is hurt too much..."

Caelis called out as he dragged himself and Rin through the flames and toward the group. He was working hard and somehow made it back, but his body was hurting as well.

He had used too much power, and since he was sealed, it had taken a toll on his body, causing toxins to build up.

Caelis would clearly need a guide soon, but he did not want a guide. He only wanted to rest and recover. But his legs decided they could no longer take his weight and gave out beneath him.

He was about to hit the ground when someone interfered and grabbed his falling body. Those arms felt familiar, and the guiding made him sigh in contentment.

Rin relaxed against him as well, and for a minute, it was all silent as he took in the guiding.

And then, consciousness returned to his mind, and so did the panic. His first instinct was to push the hand holding him away and tear the person holding him apart. He did not want a stranger touching him.

"Hey, what do you think-"

A familiar face looked down at him from above. Those eyes looked worried and filled with relief as well.

Caelis’s words died in his throat as he looked at that familiar face in front of him. His hands moved to touch that face to confirm whether it was truly what he saw or not.

But his hands did not pass through that face, and he touched those familiar cheeks.

"Shuu, you are here. Thank you."

Rin whispered as he let his body relax and went to sleep. It made Caelis blink up as well, and he let out a shaky sigh.

’Am I...still dreaming? If so, then I don’t want to wake up.’

A soft but firm hand pushed Caelis’s head toward Shuu’s chest, and he relaxed.

"It’s fine. You can relax now. I will guide you, and once we are out of here, we can talk."

Shuu promised, and for the first time since coming to this world, Caelis’s eyes threatened to close. But he did not want to fall asleep and risk losing Shuu.

"You will remain here once I wake up, right?"

Caelis asked while tightening his grip around Shuu’s shirt. He was not going to risk losing Shuu right now.

Shuu patted his back and nodded softly.

"Of course, I am going to help you out. And I promise I am not going anywhere. So you can go to sleep now if you are tired."

Caelis did not seem to agree with Shuu. His eyes still looked alert, but his body was relaxing due to the guiding he was receiving.

In the end, he was not able to keep those eyes open and ended up mumbling a threat instead.

"You better...not have gone...anywhere...or else..."

With those words, Caelis fell asleep, and Shuu finally stood up. His legs were starting to hurt from crouching down, and his back was beginning to feel stiff as well.

Helping two kids up was not easy for him, and Kris immediately moved toward him to grab them.

"Let me help you out. I can take the kids-"

But Caelis refused to let Shuu go. His grip was too tight, and Shuu did not want to distress him. So he handed Rin over.

"You can take Rin for now. I will take Caelis out myself...Don’t worry, I will manage it somehow."