Reincarnated As The Heroine?! I refuse!

23: Rescued General | 2 |

When all things were done, Raize decided to organize their future plans once again.

"To make this clear.... Bright listen up!" He called to Bright who seemed to be looking at something in the air for some reason. As he called, Bright immediately perked up and glared at Raize.

"I will never forgive you!!" He said rather childishly. Remembering the time he was thrown into the lake.

"Okay." Was all Raize said before he continued from where he left off. "Since Izaya offered us shelter as repayment, we should gratefully accept it."

"I can understand that, but for how long should we stay under his protection?" Ulla inquired.

"As much as our identities could hold. We should be safe if Izaya lends us a hand in allowing us to be safely hidden."

"Wait. Why do you guys need me to hide you? Should I be worried?" Noticing the progress of the conversation being pulled to a direction that could likely get out of hand, Izaya asked. He was anxious if his saviors were criminals on the run when they didn't appear to be one as such.

"Don't worry. Since we are at it anyway, I'll let you know of our situation. Lea?" When Raize called for her, Lea nodded her head in assent. She had been listening to the flow of conversation from the start with her eyes closed while sitting silently on a rock. She then looked on Izaya's unmasked anxious expression.

"We came from a small tribe that was annihilated. We escaped to Mingzhe Dei to seek repose. But even then, our pursuers chased us. So we have been traveling in hopes to find a place to hide us just until they give up or slack off on chasing after us.

"We are the last of our tribe. We don't want our ancestors' tradition to disappear with us gone." She said quietly, as if telling a folklore.

Izaya was surprised, but he had to ask, "Who are these people who are chasing you?" He seemed to believe their story.

Relieved, Lea answered. "If we were to tell you, you will be automatically dragged into our situation, and with it, our problems  too. So please don't ask anymore."

Understanding Lea's tone of voice, Izaya complied with a nod. "Alright. You may stay as long as you want. I won't ask anything more about your tribe, especially after hearing you are the last of your people....." He said, looking at the group with pity.

Bright was speechless over their past that he never knew about, but he kept his silence due to Raize's constant illusions flashing his eyes. He knew better when Raize wanted him to keep his mouth shut now.

Ulla almost couldn't hold her laughter. She was covering her mouth and her shoulders were shaking. With her back on Izaya's peripheral view, he couldn't help but feel sad for the group who experienced such devastation. Now he understood a little of how Lea could turn out to be so cruel over the mercenaries.

With another nod, he produced a kind and gentle smile for the group. "You are part of my household from now on. I will protect you from anything that harms you with everything I have. So please reassured."

Feeling rather guilty, Lea gave him an awkward smile. Izaya took her expression as someone holding back their tears. He felt a pang in his chest and he unconsciously gave Lea a hug while rubbing her back in comfort.

".............."

"......................."

Lea couldn't push him away since she understood Izaya's kind intentions. And since she just fooled him perfectly, she restrained the uncomfortable sensation that was creeping inside her. She just knew from there on that Izaya would become one of the people she'd hate to see sad. A kind young man. Even if he was part of the capture targets, she couldn't help but see him in a good light.