[BL]The Hero and his Party Won't Let Me Go-Chapter 38: Ch : The Scantury

The carriage stopped in front of the sanctuary, and everyone got off quickly. Shuu felt awkward as he stepped out of the carriage and found out that he was the only one not wearing the robes with the goddess’s mark.

The looks of the priests told him that he should not step forward and stay where he was. But Prince Kaiden’s arms around him made Shuu unable to pull back.

He walked toward the entrance and only stopped when the guard stood in front of him and the crown prince.

"Prince Kaiden, I am honored to have you visit us. Your inventory has been prepared for you...."

The guard quickly looked at Shuu, and the look made Shuu want to curl up around himself.

"...as per customs, we cannot allow your companion entry if he does not have the symbol of the goddess on him. I apologize, but he will have to wait outside."

The guard was firm, and even Prince Kaiden’s glare did not make him change his mind.

Prince Kaiden sighed as he watched this before he turned to look at Shuu. His eyes told Shuu that he was about to do something annoying. So before he could do that, Shuu decided to take charge.

"It is fine. I will wait for you outside in the garden. Besides, I will be useless there anyway."

Shuu tried to make light of the situation, but Prince Kaiden’s unhappiness was evident on his face.

"Tsk, fine. But you all better take care of Shuu for me. I won’t be happy if anything were to happen to him."

He warned the guards, and they all felt a chill go down their spines.

The head guard only nodded. Unlike the others, he was not as intimidated because he had dealt with Prince Kaiden since forever.

"Of course. We will make sure your partner receives the best protection and care we can offer. Now, please follow the guards inside."

The head guard instructed, and Shuu waited to get orders as well. He did not know where he needed to go from here.

"Shuu, follow the head guard and the head guard only. Do not follow anyone else, no matter what they tell you or promise you. Do you understand?"

Prince Kaiden stressed these words as he spoke to Shuu. His grip was tight around Shuu’s shoulder, and it seemed as if he did not want to let go.

But he was ultimately forced to, because he needed to enter the sanctuary and finish the deal.

"Prince Kaiden’s companion, please come with me. I will take you to the garden in the meantime."

The head guard extended his hand toward Shuu, and Shuu hesitantly took it. He was still not sure if he wanted to trust the head guard fully or not. But something about him felt secure and trustworthy.

The garden was beautiful, with a lot of different colored flowers around the landscape. Sitting there filled Shuu with a sense of relief and calmness... and also familiarity...

’So beautiful... all these blue, green, and purple... mixing with the red... and the heat... it’s burning. It’s all burning up before darkness swallowed it, and someone is looking at me...’

"...companion... Hey, are you alright?"

Shuu felt pain assault his arm, and he quickly looked down, only to see that someone was pinching his arm.

"What happened?"

Shuu asked, more to himself than to the person sitting beside him. The head guard looked pale and worried as he kept holding on to Shuu.

"Are you alright? You stopped responding and even moving. I was afraid that something happened to you. Do you need anything?"

The head guard asked, now terrified that Shuu had come down with something. He only cared about this because he was afraid of what Prince Kaiden would do to him if Shuu got hurt for real.

"I am fine. I think I just blanked out for a second. You don’t have to worry about it."

Shuu assured the guard, but it did not seem as if the guard was reassured. His eyes continued to look worried, and Shuu coughed to hide his nervousness.

"Anyway, this garden looks beautiful. Has it always been like this?"

Shuu’s question caused the guard to sigh in relief and answer him.

"This garden was planted a long time ago. It was said that this whole temple burned down once because of a huge fire and got swallowed by darkness. But the goddess used her powers to restore it and birth a hero who defeated the darkness. At least, that’s what the founding legend says."

"I see..."

Shuu answered, but he was not really interested in knowing the history of this place. He was just enjoying the breeze and the sun.

After a few minutes of this peaceful quietness, the stillness was finally broken when a guard ran toward them.

"H-head guard, there is a problem. We need your help right now."

The guard said as he panted. He leveled Shuu with one annoyed glance before he turned his attention back to the head guard.

"S-Someone broke into the safe and caused a mess. We need your help there to calm the situation down."

The guard tried to explain, and the head guard looked like he was caught in a bind.

"What-? I need to head there... but I cannot leave Shuu alone either, as per the crown prince’s orders."

The head guard looked worried, and the other guard suddenly volunteered himself.

"I will look after your guest. You should hurry up and head to the safe before anything worse can happen."

He told the head guard, and the head guard gave Shuu one last look before he bowed.

"I apologize, but I need to get going now. Please call for me if anything happens."

He told Shuu before he ran away.

Shuu just waved his hand and took a deep breath before he looked at his new guard... who did not look happy to be here at all.

"Tsk, to think that I have to look after someone shunned by our goddess. I don’t have time for all this. Hey, kid, if you have any shame, you will stay put here while I go and take care of my work, alright?"

The guard did not even give Shuu time to reconsider before he left him alone.

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