Chapter 86: Advent of the Pages 3
Raiden and the others were fully prepared to leave the house, Ash perched on his shoulder, when Noelle and MK decided to join them.
"Funny, I could’ve sworn you weren’t tagging along," Raiden said with a sarcastic edge.
"Forgive my lady’s impudence yesterday," MK said, his expression regretful. "We would be honored to serve you on this journey, bookkeeper."
Raiden smirked. These were the words he had been waiting for since their arrival.
"Well, we must walk through hell, though..." Raiden said, leading his comrades out of the house. Without a moment’s hesitation, Noelle and MK followed.
Leo and Soul remained at the entrance of the house, watching as the group slowly disappeared into the forest.
Finally having a clear goal to get back home should have been thrilling for Raiden, but it wasn’t. He was happy, sure, but not in the way he wanted to be.
He was mostly filled with confusion and frustration. If things were as he believed, then he wouldn’t need Ash’s power as much anymore—meaning he couldn’t afford to dwell on her. What worried him most were the twenty-eight pages and where they might take them.
The goal was simple enough—get the pages first, prevent a worldwide catastrophe, and go back to his world. But why would someone who supposedly got him into this mess help him? Was everything a trap?
Despite his mind racing with unanswerable questions, he forced himself to act casual, hands tucked in his pockets. Speed mirrored his posture as they walked, while Levi and Freya chatted up ahead and Aeris, Noelle, and MK trailed behind.
With Freya and Levi’s help, they made it out of the forest in under an hour. They encountered some goblins and slimes along the way, but the monsters didn’t pose much threat—they were too afraid to attack.
But when they emerged from the forest, the scene made Raiden’s eyes sparkle. Everything seemed peaceful and serene.