[BL]The Hero and his Party Won't Let Me Go-Chapter 149: Ch : For all you did for me

"Let’s keep moving. The source of this disturbance should not be that far off."

Emperor Kaiden’s expression looked closed off. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking by simply looking at him.

But Nero had been with him long enough to know that expression well. So he followed the Emperor without asking any questions, and they stepped forward into the clearing.

No one disturbed them at first, and there was no sign of the weird feeling Nero had been having either. The clearing looked untouched but still gave off a strange feeling.

"This place does not feel safe. Should we head back-"

He turned toward the crown prince, only to freeze in shock at the pale look in those eyes. The flush on Emperor Kaiden’s face made him look weaker than he ever had.

"Kaiden, what is-"

"We fell into a trap. Nero, get ready to stop me in a minute. I don’t think I will be able to control my body for much longer. Just... buy me some time."

Emperor Kaiden complained one second, and the next, he let out a groan and closed his eyes while clutching his hand.

When he opened them again, they looked similar, but Nero could tell that something had changed. The person looking back at him did not seem to recognize him.

Nero blocked the next attack in time, but Emperor Kaiden’s sword grazed his neck.

As a demon and a familiar, Nero healed fast. The wound on his neck healed within seconds as well. But that did not make him feel any better, especially since he could see the Emperor getting ready to attack once more.

"Tsk, I need to stop you? Do you think I can stop you with my current strength alone-? Hey, where are you going?"

Emperor Kaiden’s blank eyes looked at him and then turned around to head out.

Nero had a feeling that it would be a disaster if he allowed Emperor Kaiden to leave this place in his current condition.

So he decided to risk his life and stop the Emperor.

’I won’t die as long as Kaiden is alive... probably. But I am dead if I allow him to go back like this anyway. Since that is the case, I might as well risk my life right now.’

Nero’s sword clashed with the Emperor’s, and the impact released a shockwave which threatened to push Nero back.

But he decided to endure and put his whole weight into the next attack.

"I am sorry, but I would like to ask you to stop right now. Can’t you give me this much?"

He asked in a teasing voice. But Emperor Kaiden did not listen to him, and his sword pulled back before stabbing Nero right in the chest.

__________

’Are you trying to take control of me? Tsk, what do you think you are? Give my body back to me-’

Kaiden shook his head slowly as he used his will to forcefully get his body back.

He could feel the power around him threatening to choke his consciousness and take his body. It felt familiar, almost like a lost part of himself. So Kaiden instinctively realized that it was the part of him that was the Demon King trying to gain control of him.

This was not his first time facing that part of him.

In fact, he faced that part of him every time a new Hero’s journey was about to take place. It was the perfect place and time for them to exchange information and for him to get his strength back.

The usual thing would have been to give up for a few minutes and allow that power to take what it needed. But something felt wrong this time.

The Demon King’s power felt too pure, and it even threatened to gain control of his body. Kaiden found himself struggling against the sudden assault, and he instinctively fought back.

Even he could not tell why or what happened, but when he opened his eyes, Nero was standing in front of him with a stab wound.

"Are you back, Kaiden...? Can you... help me out...?"

Nero asked as he clutched the sword still inside him. He had not pulled it out because there was too much blood, and it would get everywhere.

"You... I stabbed you, right? Come here. I will heal you."

Emperor Kaiden sighed as he looked at his handiwork. He quickly pulled his sword out and healed Nero. As he did that, the weird fog around him started to pull back.

Nero let out a sigh once he was safe and cured. He looked at the Emperor standing beside him with an almost confused face.

"So, do you have any idea what is happening and why this is happening?"

He asked, and Kaiden sighed. Kaiden did have an idea about what was happening, but he was not sure if he was correct or not.

"Someone... is interfering in this world and causing changes. The Demon King is an unstable existence in this world, and I can tell that someone is trying to manipulate that part of me."

Kaiden explained with a sigh, and Nero nodded.

"Alright, so what do you want to do regarding this?"

He asked, and the Emperor gave his familiar a regretful look.

"Well, there is only one thing to do- I will go and retrieve that part of me that is the Demon King for now and then investigate what is happening."

Nero narrowed his eyes with a hesitant look on his face.

"Are you sure about that? Did you not say that having your full power in a single place can cause disturbance in this place-"

"But Shuu has already reincarnated, and he is with me. I no longer have a use for this place. So I don’t really care if it gets destroyed or not."

Emperor Kaiden’s stare was rather blank. It was clear that he did not care for anyone or anything in his world beyond Shuu.

The tense staring contest continued until Emperor Kaiden let out a chuckle and placed a hand on Nero’s shoulder.

"Don’t worry too much. I love Shuu, and he likes this world. So I will make sure it does not disappear... at least, not as long as Shuu is here."

Nero did not feel reassured by this, but he decided to give the Emperor the benefit of the doubt.