Chapter 32
Franz wasn't thrilled about this situation at all. Receiving thanks from someone made him feel awkward as hell, and with everyone's eyes glued to him, he could barely lift his head. But he couldn't just ignore Yuna's gratitude. If he didn't wrap this up neatly, she'd dwell on it forever. So all he could do was hope it'd pass quickly. God, I just want to head back to the Magic Tower and crash.
"Franz."
Yuna called his name, but her gaze was fixed on the floor, not him. She looked like a criminal on trial.
"Yuna, enough. Lift your head."
Sure, it had been a hassle. He'd dragged Justia out of St. Serpian Cathedral where she'd been sleeping, stopped Yuna from turning into a villainess, and even dealt with the Istar Duke. There was a ton to handle. But he'd chosen to do it all himself. Hadn't he said from the start he'd help as much as he could? He'd kept that promise, so she had no reason to feel guilty. If anything, he should be thanking her. She'd been honest about everything, letting him prevent her fall. If she'd brushed it off with that smile again, trying to handle it alone, the outcome was obvious. She'd have become the villainess, and the world would've spiraled into ruin.
Anyway, the real criminal was that bloody mess from Istar over there, so Yuna could stand a little taller.
"It's a good day. Smile or something."
Franz tried to comfort her in his own blunt way, but it seemed to burst the dam on her tears.
"Yeah... you're right. It is a good day. Franz, thank you. If you hadn't come to me first and asked, I definitely would've tried to tough it out alone again. Really, really thank you, Franz."
Tears streamed from Yuna's eyes, tracing down her cheeks before dripping from her chin to the floor. Even as she cried, she kept bowing her head in thanks. Franz's embarrassment hit peak levels. There were eyes everywhere, but he had no clue what to do. Hell, facing the Demon King had felt easier.
"S-stop crying."
In the end, he patted her shoulder to soothe her. He didn't love it, but the stares—especially Arian's scorching glare—left him no choice. Of all people, shouldn't his secretary have his back? If she was that pissed, she could've stepped in herself.
...Not that he could say that. He just prayed Yuna would stop soon.
Ah, the Magic Tower. Please.
How much time passed like that?
"Tower Master, thank you again. You saved our lives."
"Ah, yeah. Take care."
The nobles who'd attended the heretic assembly started leaving with brief thanks. Franz saw them off. He wanted to bolt first, but leaving felt off somehow—like lingering guilt as the one kinda responsible for this mess.
Soon, all the nobles were gone, leaving only the key players from the incident.
"Ugh... ugh...."
A faint groan came from Yuna's family, collapsed on the floor. Yuna's eyes went wide as she rushed over.
"Mom...! Yuria...!"
"U-ugh...? Is that... Yuna...?"
"Sis's voice...."
Yuna carefully hugged them both. A touching moment, really. It killed his chance to leave, but the nagging unease in his chest finally vanished, so it wasn't all bad.
A bit more time passed, and once the two had calmed down,
"Yuna, what now?"
"I'll stay with family for a while. We just reunited."
Yuna was still sniffling. She was already so thin—crying her hydration away worried him. Even heroes couldn't beat dehydration.
"Yeah, makes sense. If anything tough comes up, tell me right away. Don't suffer alone."
"Th-then... can I ask one favor, even if it's shameless?"
Franz flinched involuntarily. A favor? What now—another crisis? But his worry was unfounded.
"Could you... take us home? It's a bit far, and they're not in great shape.... B-but if it's too much, no worries. We can rest here first."
He sighed in relief, hand on his chest. Back-to-back bad ends would've broken him. What a relief.
"I'll take you."
Not a big deal—just a quick teleport.
"Thank you so much. I can't repay you... but if you ever need help, just say. I'll come anytime."
"Sure, appreciate it."
With that, Franz headed off with Yuna and her family. A magic circle formed beneath them, flashed, and the four vanished.
They reappeared atop the tallest nearby mountain. Teleport wasn't GPS—you needed exact coords or line of sight.
"See that little house down there?"
Yuna pointed to a tiny home at the mountain's base. No way the world-saving hero lived there.
"That's the spot?"
"Yeah."
Another circle underfoot, and they landed in front of the modest house.
"Franz, thanks for everything."
"Yeah. Rest up. Take care of them."
As a circle formed under Franz to leave,
"Fr- Franz...!"
Yuna called urgently. He paused the teleport and turned.
"What?"
"C-can I... visit the Magic Tower sometime...?"
"Well, it's not a playground...."
"R-right...? Sorry."
Her shoulders slumped pitifully. She was all grins when smiling, all mopey when down—no in-between.
"Kidding. Come anytime for tea. Bonus if you help with paperwork."
Her face lit up instantly.
"Yeah...! I will!"
"Cool. See you."
Flash.
The light blinked, and Franz vanished. Staring at the empty spot, Yuna thought he was like a fairy-tale knight.
Back at the heretic assembly hall, Franz faced Arian and Justia.
"Arian, hang on a sec. I'll drop Justia off first."
"...Sure."
Arian's response was ice-cold. But Franz had no choice. Arian had come for the assembly; Justia he'd dragged along. Plus, after feeding her an Elixir and using her as a purification shuttle, he couldn't just ditch her.
"Justia, let's go."
"Yeah, I need sleep. Exhausted."
He ignored Arian as best he could and teleported to St. Serpian Cathedral with Justia. In her room, she shrugged off the cloak onto the desk.
"I'll wash and return the cloak."
"Just keep it."
"No thanks. Feels weird."
"Fine, whatever."
He didn't get why, but no point pushing. It was Arian's gift, so he'd get it back eventually. As long as it returned, details didn't matter.
"Justia, good work today. Feels like we'll cross paths soon. See ya."
The emperor would summon her for the full story. Hopefully it'd blow over smoothly, but something nagged at him.
"You too."
Flash.
Back at the hall, Arian sat alone, lips pursed in a massive pout.
Franz chuckled and approached.
"Arian, let's go."
"Yeah...."
She shuffled over, mopey. A circle formed, flashed, and they appeared before the Magic Tower.
"See you tomorrow. Good work."
Arian turned, shoulders slumped. As she stepped away,
"Arian, I'll walk you home. Come on."
His voice cut through the deep night silence. She whipped around.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
Franz figured soothing his secretary was part of the tower master's job.