Help! I Think We Summoned A Demon King

Chapter 168: So There’s Three Of Us

"Whether I am enough to guarantee your safety or not... you’ll have to watch and find out yourself, Hero of Lightning."

Sylvara said calmly in response to Jacob, showing no reaction to the young man’s earlier statement.

Jacob looked around him, seeing the atmosphere had changed so much, now it wasn’t a matter of if he detested having to lose to Caleb.....

It was a matter of coming out of this argument without causing really irreversible damage to his reputation and pushing away all those who might still take his side in the future. He could already tell that’s exactly what Caleb was hoping for.

Swallowing his pride and urge to continue pushing the matter, Jacob simply nodded in understanding to the saintess’s statement, saying nothing else, but making a promise in his heart to make Caleb pay for this as well....and soon wipe that ridiculous self-satisfied smirk off his face.

With no further disagreement being brought up from anyone else, the escort party and saintess resumed their journey through the woods, with the addition of three new adventurers to the mix.

It was clear that everyone was a bit afraid of what might be coming after them, but they all took refuge in that, even if the heroes failed in subduing this foe, the saintess was willing to step in.....

A very unusual situation indeed, but the saintess’s explanation made them believe it made sense that she would step in.

The group of three adventurers described the beast as a giant, almost eight feet tall, black wolf with a sharp, long horn on its head.

They had somehow wandered into its territory without realizing, due to their inexperience with the forest of no return, since they are usually focused on the forest of Algove, and only came this far because they are eager to level up.

As they rode ahead, clearing all the small fry monsters along the way, their routine continued, but all heroes were ready to deploy their full squad formation at any moment to face the incoming beast, with them keeping their attention on the surrounding woods.

Ava, Erica, and even Broddy rode a little too closely to Zorat, obviously worried he might be in danger. Ariana, who knew better, wasn’t worried about that, but she had a different expression on her face as she looked at those following Caleb.

Zorat noticed Andrew backing up his horse on his rotation break until he came in line with him, before saying....

"Hey, Caleb....I just wanna say thank you for having my back back then."

"It’s cool, man.... You were right. We should help out when we can, even if it’s a bit dangerous." Zorat said, smiling kindly in response.

Andrew grew quiet for a while, looking ahead as if in thought, before speaking again....

"You know....since when I got to really start knowing you...."

"I have always had the impression that you and Jacob were of a similar mindset...haha." Andrew muttered, laughing a little.

"Really?"

"Yeah....but I am relieved to see you are not, and you and I are actually of a similar mindset," Andrew added, smiling warmly.

"Jacob can be a bit of a handful sometimes....but he means well.... I hope you don’t keep in mind the rude things he said earlier, that’s just how he is." Andrew explained calmly to Zorat, as Zorat simply waved it off...

"Of course, I know that..... Think nothing of it. I care about Jacob a lot, and I know he was simply being caring to me in his own way."

Hearing Caleb’s response, Andrew smiled in relief before thanking him once more and telling him to keep a safe distance when the beast arrives, as he rode on ahead to join the group of adventurers.

Hehehehe...how fun.

Watching the young man ride over to the newly joined adventurers, Zorat’s face curved into a subtle grin.

His decision to lend a hand to Andrew was obviously not for Andrew’s sake or some moral sentimentalities....

He had done so simply because he saw an opportunity to ease the process of acquiring Andrew’s divine authority fragment.

Though he has his target set on another of the heroes at the moment...it doesn’t mean he couldn’t lay some foundations for his next target after Lilly. And Zorat had decided that to be Andrew.

Andrew’s desire, like the others, was quite unique, and the newly arrived adventurers would be the ones to help him see it fulfilled... well, just one of them, actually.

*****

As Ariana cut through the monsters in front, her thoughts were constantly shifting to something else. Of course, she was nervous about the foe they were about to face, just like all the others.

A beast that was at paragon was a disaster on legs. Her near-death experience just this past night had been at the hands of a beast that was only halfway through it, as Caleb had made her understand.

Though they would be facing this one in a team of eight, with Lilly on hand to heal as well, there was still no guarantee that they would survive this.

She knows Caleb was strong, but his most powerful attack could not kill the serpent from last night, so she was also scared for Caleb’s safety, just like her own.

It was very unlike her to support such a risky decision, but she finds herself needing to be acknowledged by him, and that too with those two other beautiful ladies who are her friends, also vying for the same thing.

’Ava, I understood... Ava is Caleb’s girlfriend, but what’s with Erica?’

Ariana thought as she rained down another gale of hot fire, turning a pack of raging bulls into singed barbecue.

’Wait.....could it be.....she too?!’

Arinana’s eyes shot open wider as recollections of how close those two have been ever since they arrived in this world started pouring into her mind.

There was also the fact that they were trapped in the catacombs of permafrost for several days.... And Erica had always been dodging giving accounts of the events that happened inside.

Ava’s reaction, and subsequent findings that she was dating Caleb, had somehow shrouded them all from seeing the obvious.

’She likes Caleb too!’

As that thought settled into Ariana, she turned back to look at where Erica was riding beside Caleb and laughing joyfully at everything he said or did.... Ariana’s gaze burned in resolution as she murmured....

"I see... so there’s three of us!"