I Got Reincarnated Into a Game I Was a Top-Ranker in and I Became the Leader of a Villain Group That Will Destroy This Shitty Country - 19

Chapter 19:I Really Can’t Get along With the Hero

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With her cheeks still slightly flushed, Chloe went back to the inn where her comrades were staying. In the end, she ended up holding Kai’s hand for more than five minutes. And.. Those five minutes were incredibly unbearable. A ticklish feeling surged up inside her. Of course, the girl named Nia kept on glaring at Kai so intensely during those 5 minutes, but still. 

Fufu~

“Despite everything… That boy… He’s a good guy.”

While staring at the starry sky, Chloe murmured softly. Indeed. The only impression that came to her mind was that… He was a good guy.

Despite having the power of a demon in possession, Kai was a hundred times more humane than the soldiers of the empire. Chloe could feel Kai’s strong humanity side when he told Chloe that she was destined to die. 

“……And he looked a bit hurt when he said that.”

The thought that Kai was lying to her never even crossed her mind. Kai knew her name when they first met in the dungeon. They were supposed to be strangers and yet, not only Kai knew her name, but he also knew about her skill. Furthermore, Kai already knew about the existence of the Empire’s Secret Squad. 

Is he a psychic? Or maybe he was just bluffing and got lucky?

In any case, none of it mattered to Chloe. What mattered was that Chloe was starting to trust Kai’s words. 

“I… By Kaltz… I’m really going to…”

She couldn’t imagine someone like Kaltz would kill her. It sounded impossible. Although they fought sometimes because of different opinions, but Kaltz was the hero. A hero recognized by the Holy Sword. Her mind was in turmoil. 

Chloe shook her head a few times to clear her confusion away. Looking up, she suddenly found herself arriving at the inn. She didn’t even know how she managed to get here. 

She entered the room at the far end of the second floor and there, she saw her comrades. 

“Ah! Chloe-san! Welcome back.”

“Chloe! Thank you so much for last time! You saved us, didn’t you! Ah, you’re so amazing, just like always!”

“Ah… No, I… I’m not…”

Chloe choked on her words as Alwyn and Brien showered her with praises. After all, she wasn’t the one who had saved them. Had Kai and Nia not appear at that moment, if Shadow hadn’t been there… Chloe wouldn’t have been able to escape with her life, let alone saving everyone. 

“Thank you so much, Chloe.”

But of course, she couldn’t tell them the truth. After all, Kaltz viewed Shadow as an evil organization. 

“You really helped us back then. Thanks to you, we’re still alive.”

“Umm… Is everyone’s body feeling alright now?”

“Yes! Thanks to the holy magic and the precious potions we’ve received, we’re all fine now!”

“I see. That’s good to hear.”

No matter how hard she tried, Chloe couldn’t bring herself to nod upon hearing Kaltz’s gratitude. Whirlwind of turmoil was raging inside of her. She couldn’t stop herself from wondering how Kaltz would react had she realized it was Shadow that had saved them. Even though Kaltz had a good sense of justice, but he tended to be a little on the extreme side. If he knew the organization that he and the empire deemed evil had saved him, he would definitely felt utterly humiliated. Kaltz truly loved this empire with all of his heart. He didn’t have any shred of suspicion toward the empire. Of course, Kaltz also would never question if Shadow was truly evil or not.

And so, Chloe clenched her fist tightly, trying to sort her messed thoughts properly. She believed for now, there was no need for her comrades to know about the truth. After all, she didn’t want to be forced to say bad things about Kai and Nia. 

“Kaltz, after what happened last time, you understand, right? We’re not strong enough. We need to stop diving too deep.”

“No, I can’t do that, Brien. I need to defeat the demon.”

“……….”

Kaltz’s words wiped every last shred of hope left in Chloe. 

“I’m sorry, everyone. I will take full responsibility for what happened. I’m not going to brush it off, but.. We need to get stronger as soon as possible otherwise… This empire will be swallowed by demons.”

“……..”

“The Holy Sword must’ve chosen me to prevent that catastrophe rom happening. In order to save as many people as possible, I need to fight more. I need to get stronger… I have to.”

“Kaltz-san…”

“That’s why… I’m sorry, everyone. I know I’m asking for the impossible, but I still plan to dive deeper into the dungeons. I want to become stronger than I was yesterday, even just for a little bit. 

…How wonderful. How heroic. 

The eyes of the party’s healer and the party’s archer seemed to sparkle as they stared at Kaltz. Their gaze was full of admiration, like they were looking at a real hero. But, not for Chloe. 

Are you an idiot…? If you die, that’s it. That’s the end. Forcing yourself to dive deeper without taking proper preparations beforehand is stupid. Stupidly suicidal.

Ignorant courage would only lead to death. That was the truth she came to realize after working as an assassin. Kaltz was talking with groundless courage. However, he failed to realize that in real life, that kind of idiotic courage wouldn’t help anyone. This was not a make-believe. Actual lives were at stake here. And so, Chloe decided to speak up. 

“No, please wait. At the very least, we still need to gather some information beforehand, right? Instead of diving into the dungeon recklessly, don’t you think we need to look up the information of the dungeon first? We can ask the guild for materials, prepare properly before we take on the challenge-“‘

“Chloe, I understand your point, but sometimes flexibility is important too. Rather than wasting time gathering information, it’d be better if we spent that precious time defeating monsters instead.”

“No, Kaltz.. You’re rushing things now. You need to take a step back, assert the situation properly before yo-“

“I CAN’T!! Nothing will change if I do that!”

Kaltz slammed the table, causing a loud bang and stood up angrily. Kaltz glared at Chloe. His gaze was filled with suspicion and wrath. This wasn’t the first time. Chloe had always gone against his opinion since a long time ago. Hence why Kaltz couldn’t bring himself to consider Chloe’s opinion. 

“Evil is still running rampant in this country. We don’t have time to rest!”

“No, I’m not saying we need to rest-“

“Shut up! You’re basically saying the same thing! Do you really think we can become strong by acting all pretentious???”

“Kaltz…”

“Just look at the people in this town! Everyone… Everyone is going to get weeded out easily because they won’t even bother trying to become stronger! It’s no wonder how come Shadow is able to roam freely in this town! I need to defeat the demons as soon as possible and exonerate everyone in this town!”

…Ah, it’s hopeless. Our views are just too different. We can’t find the middle ground. 

In the end, Chloe had no choice but to bend to his will again. 

“Haa… Fine. But, can’t we at least wait a bit? Let’s take a break today and tackle the dungeon the day after tomorrow?”

“No. We’re leaving tomorrow morning. Otherwise, we will lose our sense of combat.”

“…..”

I want to leave this party… But I can’t. 

Being part of the hero’s party came with its own benefits. She could get access to various pieces of information, ones that she couldn’t obtain otherwise. However, one day, after she could save the children…. After she defeated the black magician lurking in the slum… She wished to meet Kai and Nia again. 

Trying to find a bit of resolve in the midst of her desperation, Chloe nodded weakly. 

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