Chapter 9 Worries and Malice

"Eh? W-Why?"

I asked the general with a shocked and angry expression.

"You don't have any abilities do you, remember? If you go you will only be a burden for your friends and you might possibly die. You did think of that?"

He is really angry at me.

I paused for a moment. Well, it is true that I don't have any abilities right now, but I want to help my classmates in my own way.

"Ren, do as he said. We can't protect you all the time if you go with us. I'm sorry." Kai said to me as he is going inside the carriage.

Since the time he became a hero, he grew a burning sense of justice and heroism that one often see in anime and light novels.

That's why, he felt that I who was weaker than him needed protection or something.

"B-but..."

"Please Ren. This is for your sake."

"..."

Even though I somewhat understand the reason, I still felt disheartened by what he said.

"Fine. I'll stay here. But, make sure that all of you will return." I said to Kai and the others with a serious face.

"Nn. Got it. As a hero I'll protect everyone." He said with his usual dazzling smile.

"Well then, it's time to go now." Trajan declared.

The carriages started to move, but I hear someone shouted.

"W-Wait! I want to talk to Ren first." The one who spoke was Karen.

The carriage where she was riding stopped l at once.

She immediately goes outside the carriage she is riding and approached me.

"R-Ren, take this." She said as she handed me a white handkerchief.

The handkerchief is just plain, white cloth with small embroidered blue-colored flowers on the sides.

"W-What is this for?" I asked as I don't know the reason why she gave me the handkerchief.

Then she begins to speak to me in a small voice as to not let it be heard by my other classmates.

"It's to remember that we have a promise. Also, I'm worried about you being left behind, so I guess it would work out as a charm if I gave it to you." Karen said while being embarrassed.

"I think you're like a mother worrying about her child with the way you talk, but thanks for this. I'll take care of it." I accepted her handkerchief with a wry smile.

"Hehehehe..." Karen let out a cute laugh like she messed up on something.

"Hey, how long are you gonna be there? We'll be moving now, you know?" James angrily shouted to Karen while glaring at us.

"S-Sorry! I'll go now..."

She hastily boarded the carriage.

"Ren. I'll be back." She said as she smiled at me.

Everyone except me rode the carriages and started moving towards Sarca. I could only look at them at a distance until can't see their figures. It really does hurt to be left behind by your friends, isn't it?

××××

The 200 soldiers along with the so-called [Promised Ones] continued to march towards Sarca, to where their first battle will take place.

Along the way, they passed through the towns of Doven, Gishad, Erius, Karane and Skyreed.

At their current pace it would take them another day to reach Sarca.

While traversing the outskirts inside the town of Skyreed, a group of girls who are inside the carriage are having a conversation with each other to kill time.

"Somehow, this feels like we're in a field trip or something." Rin said as she sighed while looking at the scenery by the window.

"Also, it felt like riding a jeepney, but this one's much more shaky that I may not endure it for long." Edna supplemented.

"Nn. Speaking of field trips, I want to experience at least once riding a roller coaster." Iza said while she is being petted by Mari.

"S-Seriously? You haven't ride one ever since?!" Rin suddenly looked at Iza while showing a shocked face.

"Is it that shocking? I have fear of heights, you know? Therefore it's impossible for me to ride on such things! Muuuuu..." Iza posted her lips while being angry.

"Now, now, just lie down for a while." Mari said to Iza as she pushes her head back to her lap.

"What about you Karen? Even though you can afford to go with us, you didn't join on any field trips we had since first year..." Rin asked Karen.

"..."

Karen didn't reply. She just stared at the window opposite to where Rin is sitting as if she's thinking of something deeply.

"Karen? What's wrong, are you okay?" Mari said worriedly.

She touched Karen's shoulders which made her twitch due to surprise.

"H-Heh?! M-Mari, why?"

"What's the matter? You seem to be in deep thought today." Mari said while looking at her with worry.

"Uhh, it's just, I was, I was just thinking of what will happen when we reach Sarca. Also, I'm w-worried about Ren." She said while her face turns red because of shame.

Rin immediately replied while looking at her with kind eyes.

"Don't worry about that kid. Even though he's a pervert, an idiot and a good-for-nothing person, he will be fine so don't think about it too much." Rin said to her while berating her childhood friend.

"Nn. Thanks Rin."

"No problem." Rin smiled brightly.

Nighttime.

The boys in the class (except Ren) are sitting beside the bonfire and is eating their supper. The girls just finished eating, and is currently inside the carriages for them to rest.

Tonight, the boys will sleep in the open.

Like what the girls did on the carriage, they are also having a conversation with each other.

"Hey, hey, did you see that earlier?" Ike asked the group.

"""Huh?""" Everyone looked at him in wonder.

"That scene earlier, you know? Karen just gave that scum a handkerchief?!" Ike said in a disgusted manner.

"Ah, I saw that too! Somehow I feel like I want to punch him in the face when I see him again!" Mark added.

The whole class doesn't have any particular grudge against Ren, but because he has a cool beauty that is famous in their school for a best friend and the fact that they know that Karen who is also a beauty holds a special feeling for him gained Ren enmity with most of the boys in the class looking at him with jealousy.

"That bastard, I think that I saw him smirk while looking at us!" Joko added in the discussion.

"He's really a scum. A scum!" Ivan said angrily.

The other boys also joined and they talked and talked while not disturbing the girls in their sleep, most especially the two beauties in the class.

"Hey, stop it. It's bad to talk bad about a person, you know? If you had any time to waste why not rest for today?" Kai glared at his classmates and said angrily.

The boys fell silent by his words. They know that Kai is also having a crush on Karen, but he chose not to join their discussion.

The boys talk ended with just that.

Even so while Kai is lying on the grass, he still remembered that scene from earlier.