Reluctant Hero | Amaki Ren

Chapter 19 | Traps

"Why live when I don't even want to save myself?"

Two hours of walking passed, and the three parties arrived at the place where Itsuki thinks is the location of the replicated Cardinal Weapons. They all stood in the middle of a forest, far away from the Capital of Melromarc with the three heroes leading the teams. Sakura stands between Ren and Itsuki, having her arms still folded over her chest as her way of security.

She glances to her left to see Itsuki looking at the opened map that they found in the underground archive of the church. "This is the place?" She asks.

"It appears so," Itsuki nodded back at her. He folds the old piece of paper and tucked it back inside his pocket. He smiles at the two heroes before beckoning them over to head inside the cave after him. Sakura and Ren didn't need to be told twice to follow him inside, having their party members following closely behind them as they carefully entered the place.

Sakura looks over her shoulder, eyes finding Nami's figure at the back. "Nami, be prepared to use your magic if anything happens." She warned. There was an odd feeling that the place was giving off the moment they entered. It would be wise if they remain vigilant and erase the thought of being completely alone. This may be somewhere far from the capital, but it is also a place where the Cardinal Weapons are being stored. Security could be high.

But that was the thing.

There was nothing that gave off high security, but that eerie feeling.

It only alerted Sakura and forced her to raise the bar.

"That should be it." Itsuki points at the stone casket sitting in the middle of the open cave. Sakura looks up to find the sky glaring back down at them. The cave was not completely closed. It didn't look like a place to store important items.

"What is this?!"

Ren, who was the one who volunteered to check the casket, finds himself with nothing but an empty container looking back at him. He looks up to see Itsuki and Sakura already looking around the cave with cautious eyes. As a strike of fair warning hits them both, their eyes widened in sync and they immediately reached their hands out to the ones closest to them.

"Everyone--!"

"Nami--!"

And they were struck down with powerful magic coming from the heavens.

***

"That was way too close."

Freya and Haru dusted off their clothes as they rose from the debris that befell them. They both looked around to see Nami helping Ria up to her feet, then Sakura standing up on her own. Her cloak was in tatters, forcing her to take it off and dispose the material because it was badly ruined.

"Are you four alright?" She asks, her eyes finding them immediately.

There was a light coat of worry that they were able to read from her eyes, and they were relieved to know that she worries about them despite how she acts. They all nodded at her and offered reassuring smiles to clam her down. "We were lucky with Nami." Freya patted the younger's head with a light smile plastered on her face. "Good reaction time too. Training did you well."

"But I was only able to protect the five of us." Nami frowned. "What about Ren-sama and Itsuki-sama? Their parties?"

"You don't have to worry about that." Sakura mumbled. She points at the said heroes and showed that there were masked figures already helping them up from the pile of rubble they were stuck in. It was only for a short while, but she managed to sense their presence with them just when the beam of light hit them. She was almost certain that they were the ones who moved them away from further harm. They did suffer from light casualties, but nothing too serious that they will have to worry about dying.