Raising Yanderes to save the world

”Ehmmm, so about training...When will it start?”

Neil clearly felt uncomfortable with Leon’s ease about the situation and instead decided to change the topic.

His glittering eyes were looking at Kael, begging him for help and guidance. But Kael avoided that sparkling glance with everything he had.

”The one who will train you is Iris. I’m afraid I don’t have any talent with swordsmanship. You can start training with her tomorrow.”

Iris waved at Neil to try and make him feel comfortable, but Neil still looked worried. Instead of addressing Iris, he chose to tug at Kael’s clothes instead.

”Can I ask you to teach me instead? It doesn’t have to be with a sword just because I’m a hero. I am sure the temple will agree if I want to learn magic. I promise I will work hard if you give me a chance.”

Neil sounded genuinely upset and desperate. Looking at him made Kael feel guilty, but that did not change his decision to remain firm.

He did not know how to bring this up with Neil, but Leon seemed to have no such problem.

”Learning magic won’t help you. Corruption cannot be cleared using magic unless you are strong enough to convert it into holy power. That’s why a hero has to become a sword master and manifest their aura. It can cleave through corruption and cleanse it as well.”

”Ohhhh...”

Neil looked dejected by the explanation, and Kael noticed that he did not ignore Leon just because he was no longer the declared hero.

Perhaps Neil knew somewhere in his heart that the temple was trying to trick him and the world, and that was why he took Leon seriously.

”So, I should focus on sword practice? What if I don’t have any talent for it?”

Neil asked in a nervous voice, causing Kael to sigh and pat his back.

”It will be fine. Most people who start training with a sword have no experience. For now, you have time to learn and grow, so I hope you do well.”

Neil looked a little more relaxed after Kael’s words of encouragement, and he nodded with shining eyes.

”You are right. I promise I will try my best.”

...

Training started the next day, and Kael decided to sit in on it. He had kept an eye on Seraphina and Leon when they first started training, so he felt like he should keep an eye on Neil as well.

However, the problem started as soon as Iris handed Neil a wooden sword and asked him to hold it properly.

Both Seraphina and Leon had some muscle mass when they started due to their rough lives. It allowed them to have some dexterity when they held the sword.

That was not the case for Neil.

He had likely grown up in a pampered environment and did not have much muscle mass, and that made his sword-handling skills poor. No matter how much Iris tried, she knew she could not correct his posture without some external help.

So after an hour of trying to ’fix’ Neil’s form, she decided to have him start with the basics to build muscle.

Kael just shook his head as he watched from the sidelines, but he did not interfere.

After all, he was in a similar position to Neil, and he did not want to get caught by Iris and be made to exercise.

That schedule continued for a few days before Cardinal Flux made a move again.

Kael expected him to send a message asking for the hero sooner or later. So he was not surprised to see a letter arriving three days later.

It was a polite letter and expressed the Cardinal’s concern for the ’new hero’. It also doubled as a polite threat for Kael to bring Neil with him for a visit.

So that ended up being next on the schedule.

No one looked happy with this arrangement, not even Neil, who was the reason behind the Cardinal’s invitation. But the Cardinal had gained a lot of public support, which made him harder to disobey at this point.

Kael would have still found a way to say no when Leon argued that they should visit the Cardinal, leaving everyone stunned.

”Are you sure about it, Leon? Won’t it be awkward for you to come and visit the temple? You should stay back this time. Don’t worry, I can take care of Kael and the others.”

Seraphina instantly spoke up, trying to lighten the mood and jab at Leon at the same time.

Kael instantly looked toward Leon, wanting to stop any tension from rising. But there turned out to be no need for that.

”Why would I feel awkward? It was worse for me to go to the temple when I was still the hero. Those people had expectations of me...not that I ever cared about them anyway.”

Kael rubbed his forehead as he felt a headache coming on.

’These kids! How are they getting worse every day?’

He complained as he watched their relationship worsen. However, it must not have had a significant impact on the world because the world magic did not warn him about it.

”Alright, since we have decided that we will be heading to the temple tomorrow, I expect you all to be ready early in the morning.”

Everyone nodded and went back to bed.

The next morning, Kael woke up with a headache, and he instantly knew today was not going to be a good day. But he had no choice but to accept his fate.

Everyone was ready to head to the temple by the time he arrived, and they headed out after breakfast.

Cardinal Flux came out to greet them, and Kael instantly noticed that the temple was lavishly decorated.

His senses began to tingle, warning him of an incoming trap.

’Darn it! Is today some kind of holiday that I am forgetting about? Cardinal Flux...since when did he become cunning enough to hide his intentions?’

The man standing in front of Kael did not feel like the same sloppy man he had faced up until now. From his plan to replace the hero to the current situation, everything felt well calculated, making Kael feel uneasy.