บท 20: Royal Blood Strain IV

Princess Rosaria was truly determined to kill Prince Philip. She used every method, from the subtle to the brutal, to ensure her goal was achieved. We were struggling to escape her special forces.

Running around the palace, we finally reached our designated meeting point. However, as usual in critical situations, there were unforeseen variables we hadn't accounted for.

On the path to the meeting point, Touya and his comrades stood in our way. They seemed prepared, with additional soldiers at their side.

"Stop! You traitors are not allowed to go any further!" Touya shouted angrily.

Panting from the run, I tried to catch my breath. 'Traitors? What is this kid talking about?' I was so shocked, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Hey Touya, show some respect. The person in front of you is the Crown Prince!" I said firmly.

"Heh, I thought you'd changed, Johan, but I guess not. Listen, Johan, the person in front of you has betrayed humanity! The princess has the evidence, and she personally begged me to capture this traitor!" Touya retorted, his voice filled with hatred.

'Tch, she's one step ahead of me,' I thought, frustrated.

In front of us stood four dangerous individuals: Sasaki Touya, Minami Aoi, Inukai Jun, and Kitahara Nora. They were classmates with rare and powerful jobs. After a week of intensive training and a week of dungeon expeditions, they had gained a good grasp of their job's strength.

Sasaki Touya, with the Hero job, was the strongest among our classmates. Fighting them was suicide. But I knew how to handle the current disadvantage.

Sasaki Touya, the Hero, stood with a shining sword in hand, an aura of power surrounding him. Beside him, Kitahara Nora, the Sage, held a magic staff emitting a blue light that vibrated the air around her. Minami Aoi, the Holy Maiden, stood with hands clasped in prayer, a holy light enveloping her, ready to provide support and healing. Next to them, Inukai Jun, the Knight Templar, wielded a large shield and sword, looking like an unshakable fortress.

We were trapped between them and the soldiers encircling us. I knew fighting them head-on was suicide, but we had no other choice.

"Hero Touya, stop this at once!" Philip tried to negotiate.

"Shut up!" Touya shot back angrily. "I know right from wrong. You've betrayed this kingdom and humanity, and you must pay the price."

Gord, standing beside me, drew his sword and prepared for the escalating situation. "Johan, we need to move fast. They've got everything planned out," he whispered.

I nodded, realizing the situation was getting dire. "Alright, if we have to fight, we'll use everything we've got."

I pulled the Glock from my pocket and fired it into the air, the deafening sound echoing in the tense atmosphere, creating a moment of shock among us.

"Where did you get that weapon?!" Touya shouted, visibly startled.

But before they could react further, I grabbed a smoke bomb from another pocket, pulled the pin, and threw it towards them. Within moments, thick smoke filled the area, creating a screen that obscured their vision.

"Attack!" Gord yelled, and the three of us moved quickly through the smoke, trying to evade the soldiers surrounding us.

In the midst of panic and confusion, I heard footsteps approaching quickly.

In the chaos, Sasaki Touya and his team began to advance, trying to break through the smoke and find us.

"Stop, Johan! You need to explain what's going on!" Touya shouted angrily.

But I glanced back at him while running. "Never!" I then showed him a device in my hand—a detonator.

Touya looked slightly confused, not yet understanding the real situation. When I pressed the trigger, explosions went off around the palace, adding to the existing panic. Touya could only look at me with a blank expression, but I didn't care and kept running with Gord and Prince Philip.

"To the left! Through that corridor!" Gord shouted, confidently leading the way.

We ran as fast as we could, trying to distance ourselves from the soldiers and classmates chasing us. The sounds of footsteps and angry shouts echoed behind us, but we remained focused on our goal.

...

We arrived at a warehouse located on the outskirts of the palace grounds, the closest point to our escape route since the exit gate of the capital was about 5 kilometers from here.

"You two go in first," I said with a reassuring smile.

"But you..." Philip said, his face etched with worry.

"It's alright, I'll handle this," I replied, glancing back to see Touya still chasing after us.

"Alright, kid, make it quick," Gord said, his eyes filled with trust.

I nodded, and they both started walking into the warehouse. Inside, there were vehicles ready for our escape.

...

Touya ran swiftly, his eyes fixed on the warehouse looming ahead. His mind was awash with countless unanswered questions.

In this new world, his classmate, who had often been deemed useless and socially troubled back on Earth—a place where they had still been able to live out normal routines—had suddenly become a figure shrouded in confusion and unanswered questions.

Ever since their arrival in this strange world, everything felt so different, so mysterious. Johan's presence, along with the things he carried that seemed out of place here, only added to the perplexity. Touya felt a deep-seated confusion as he tried to make sense of everything happening around him.

As the warehouse drew closer, Touya saw Johan standing tall, as if waiting for him. It was clear that Johan was ready to face the unresolved issues of their past.

Sasaki Touya and Johan Anderson had been childhood friends who were once inseparable. They had shared dreams and secrets, until an event had driven a wedge between them, causing their relationship to fray.

Now, they stood facing each other in this foreign world, burdened by the weight of their past grievances and misunderstandings. Touya slowed his pace, looking at Johan with a mix of anger and bewilderment.