Complicity and Promises

 When he finally left his room, he found the rest of his group already gathered at their usual table, clearly ready to leave. They all looked at him unashamedly.

"We've been waiting for you for a while."

Elena, arms crossed, glared at him.

"We're wasting time. Now that he's here, we can go."

On the way, Elena handed Kyle a purse.

"Your share of the rewards." 

Lys sighed.

"No problem," Kyle replied, true to form. "I said I trust you, right?"

"So, Kyle, what did you do last night?" Iris asked.

"And why did you leave so quickly?" Anne asked.

"Not surprising coming from you," Iris said with a shrug.

"We thought about it," Anne admitted. "But... she didn't want to," she said, pointing at Lys.

Kyle didn't ask any more questions.

The conversation continued for a long time, punctuated by laughter, lighthearted remarks, and occasional silences. But little by little, Kyle felt boredom creeping in. His thoughts drifted away from the words echoing around him, and his gaze wandered to the horizon. A sigh escaped him. Without warning, he sat up abruptly, placed one foot on the edge of the cart, and with a swift movement, leaped into the void.

The gust of wind caught him, lifted him, and he took flight. The air whipped against his face, carrying with it the heaviness weighing on his shoulders. With instinctive ease, he rose ever higher, then began to circle widely above the group, his shadow swirling over the dusty road like a bird of prey on the hunt.

 "It was a mistake to give him the opportunity to acquire such power," Iris sighed.

"I totally agree," Anne replied with a smile.

As Kyle twirled through the sky, Anne took the opportunity to ask Lys a question:

"You haven't said anything since earlier. So... how are things going with Kyle?"

Lys blushed immediately, panicking a little.

"Iris! You're going too fast," Anne scolded her.

"Sorry if I was too indiscreet," Iris added with a small laugh.

Lys took a deep breath.

"No, it's nothing... Tell me, what's the nature of your relationship with Tristan?"

Before they could answer, Kyle abruptly descended from the sky.

"Easy to guess," he said with a smirk. "They're all in our dear Tristan's involuntary harem."

"What?!" Iris cried. "That's completely false! And first of all, what's an 'involuntary harem'?"

"It's when several girls are interested in the same guy, who's just too stupid to realize it... or doesn't have anything to do with it. Tristan clearly falls into the first category."

"You're completely mistaken," Anne retorted.

"So what do you think it is?" he asked.

But before she could answer, Iris countered:

"And what about you? Your relationship with Lys?"

"More complicated to define... but you could call it... friendship, right?"

Iris rolled her eyes.

"He hasn't even noticed she's in love with him..."

Lys turned scarlet. Kyle, however, replied calmly:

"Of course I am."

"What?!" the girls reacted in unison.

"I'm not blind either. But still..."

Iris was about to continue the questioning, but Anne raised her hand.

"Stop. You're going to make Lys uncomfortable."

"Sorry," Kyle said with a shrug.

Calming down, Anne answered Lys's initial question:

"As for our relationship with Tristan... let's just say our respective instructors were on the same team. We met that way."

"And Elena?" Lys asked.

"She came afterward."

Anne was about to say more, but Kyle cut her off.

"It's okay, it's fine. I can feel the dark backstory coming on."

Iris crossed her arms.

"I told you, there's nothing between us and Tristan!"

"If you say so," Kyle said with a smirk.

Iris glared at him. Anne, on the other hand, laughed softly. As for Lys... she didn't say anything, but her shifty gaze spoke volumes.

As they continued their journey toward Helion, Kyle, still sitting in the back of the cart, stretched loudly.

"I'm seriously starting to get bored back there... Tristan, Elena, don't you want me to take over driving?"

Tristan shrugged.

"Why not?"

But Elena eyed him suspiciously.

 "Have you ever driven a cart before?"

"Absolutely not," Kyle replied without hesitation.

Elena sighed deeply and turned back to the back.

"A volunteer to help him?"

Iris clapped Lys on the back.

"Come on, Lys, he needs supervision!"

And so Kyle and Lys found themselves in the front, holding the reins. The road, which had been quiet until then, became more wooded. The semi-forested landscape slowly rolled by, and this time, Kyle had a front row seat to admire it.

At first, Lys was in the lead, much more accustomed to this kind of thing. But quickly, Kyle observed, learned, and finally understood the rhythm of the team. Driving a cart wasn't so complicated after all.

But once the novelty wore off, the boredom returned. And Kyle realized this with a sigh to himself.

"No wonder this kind of scene always gets skipped in Isekai... And even then, we usually have a little timeskip and end up right at the destination."

Lys looked at him out of the corner of her eye, sensing he was losing interest. To keep him occupied, she asked,

"Hey... Could you tell me a little about your world to pass the time?"

Kyle seemed surprised. He hadn't been expecting that. He thought for a moment, then replied,

"Honestly, my life there was depressingly ordinary. Really uninteresting. I did three things: I went to school like everyone else, then I hung around town alone, walking aimlessly—but I never went too far, I didn't like leaving what I knew. And in the evening..."

He stopped and smiled.

"...that was my favorite part. I'd go home, stay indoors, play games, watch anime, and a bunch of other stuff."

Lys didn't understand everything, but something in Kyle's eyes suggested that this life wasn't making him happy.

"What about your family?" she asked quietly.

"For the sake of the story, the protagonist's family won't be addressed... or maybe later," he replied in his usual off-the-wall tone.

"Huh?..." she breathed, completely lost.

"I prefer to keep it a little mysterious," he added.

Lys knew he wouldn't say more.

That's when Iris, who had come from the back, climbed in beside them.

"You really don't want to know why you're here?" " she asked Kyle.

He glanced over his shoulder and replied,

"Yes, of course... it makes sense to want to know. But I prefer to make the most of the joys of this world first.

And besides, I know others are already taking care of all that. I prefer that the search for the reasons for my arrival in this world remain the final narrative arc."

"The what?" Iris asked in surprise.

"Do the other summoned speak like you?" she asked afterwards, a little confused.

"Yes... and no. We come from two different worlds, right? It's normal that we have trouble communicating. The important thing is that I understand each other."

"That's not how it works," Lys replied, joining the conversation. "It's fascinating, you know? The idea that other worlds exist... that people can cross them." Do you think your arrival here is just an isolated incident?"

She continued, her eyes shining with curiosity:

"What if we could explore these worlds? What if we..."

"Stop," Kyle interrupted her. "Like I said before, trying to figure out what meaning this all has, I want to enjoy this world first... its landscapes, its quests, its possibilities. We'll see the big revelations later."

Lys smiled weakly. She was about to speak, when Kyle interrupted her again:

"And besides, if you had come to my world..."

He trailed off, a dark look in his eyes.

"Things would have been harder for you... worst-case scenario, you would have been captured, and they would have done things to your body."

"Huh?!" Lys choked out. "But... who, "they"?"

"Them. Everyone. My world isn't kind to the unknown. To them, you would have been a subject of study. And believe me, you would have lived in constant danger."

"This world seems cruel..."

"Worse than cruel. It's... cynical."

That was when Anne climbed into the front seat as well.

"And you, you would have been a danger to her back there?" 

Kyle gave a bitter chuckle.

"Sure. If you have access to my internet history. You have no idea how many... erotic photos of priestesses, elves, or even sorceress women I have on my computer."

Silence. The three girls stared at him, puzzled.

"Sorry, what's a photo?" Iris asked.

"Oh, uh... let's say... pictures... magical paintings, very very very realistic."

The girls didn't understand everything, but strangely, they preferred to leave it at that.

While the discussion between Kyle, Lys, Iris, and Anne was in full swing at the front of the cart, Tristan climbed in with a mock-hurt smile.

"Hey, I'm starting to feel left out here. What are you talking about?"

"Nothing important," Kyle replied, looking casual.

 "He was telling us about his world," Iris explained.

Tristan's eyes lit up immediately.

"Oh! I want to know too!"

"I've already said enough for today," Kyle sighed.

Tristan pouted, visibly disappointed.

"And now I'm the one left out, huh..."

"Don't worry," Kyle said with a smile. Now, "it's my turn to learn more about your world."

"Well, don't start with Tristan," Iris exclaimed. "He's not the best source."

"Absolutely not," Anne chimed in. "General knowledge isn't really his area."

"Hey!" Tristan protested. "Why do you say that?"

"Let's just say you have a knack for knowing nothing about everything," Anne said, laughing.

 "And anything to do with culture in general, it's worse," Iris snapped.

"You're not very nice..."

"We're honest, nuance," Iris replied with a wink.

Tristan turned to Kyle, hoping to regain some dignity.

"So? What do you want to know?"

Kyle crossed his arms thoughtfully.

"Hmm... This world is a lot like the fantasy worlds I know. So... is there a Demon King or something?"

Her question immediately elicited a reaction from the group. They all raised their eyebrows, a little surprised.

"Well... yes," Tristan replied. "There is one."

"Or rather, several," Iris added. "Demonic territories are ruled by Demon Kings, that's all I know."

"There are seven of them," Lys clarified. 

Anne was about to continue, but Kyle interrupted her.

"No need to say more. I want to avoid spoilers. In stories, Demon Kings often end up as the final boss, so I'd rather find out all that in due time."

Iris narrowed her eyes, intrigued.

"Why are you so interested? You're not planning on going to those territories, are you?"

"I don't know," Kyle replied innocently. "Just wondering... which way is it?"

Tristan leaned toward him, his face set in gravity.

"That's a terrible idea. My instructor kept saying that survival is the only thing out there. You can't survive if you're not fully prepared."

"And even if you were," Anne added, "you'd be in constant danger. It's not a game."

But instead of being scared, Kyle smiled thoughtfully.

"You'd better stop," Iris told his companions. "The more you tell him it's dangerous, the more he'll want to go."

"No way," Kyle protested. "Even though I'm a devout dark fantasy fan, I'm not crazy enough to willingly throw myself into danger."

"Really?" Lys insisted, her eyes narrowing.

"I promise. I just wanted to know, that's all."

She poked him lightly on the arm.

"You really are irresponsible sometimes."

"I was just kidding."

"Then... promise me one thing, Kyle," she said more seriously. "If you ever find yourself alone... promise me you won't put yourself in unnecessary danger."

Kyle, surprised by her tone, looked at her for a moment, then replied softly,

"Okay. I promise."

Lys nodded, somewhat reassured.

Behind them, Anne, Tristan, and Iris watched discreetly. None of them said anything, but the smirks on each one betrayed what they were all thinking.

 "They go very well together," Anne murmured.

"We should give them some space," Tristan whispered.

"That's for sure," Iris replied, nodding.

And quite naturally, the three friends returned to their places at the back of the cart, leaving Kyle and Lys alone in the front, the silence a little softer, a little more complicit.

The first day of travel ended without incident. The well-maintained roads around the capital offered no obstacles, and peace reigned. As night fell, the group set up camp in an open area at the edge of a sparse wood. After a simple meal, everyone went to rest. All except one.

Elena had volunteered to stand first watch. She sat by the fire, her weapon within reach. The glow of the flames danced in her eyes, but she seemed elsewhere, lost in thought. Kyle, who couldn't sleep, quietly slipped out of his tent and joined her.

"You should sleep," she said when she saw him approach. "I can manage on my own."

"I know. But I can't do it in here, so I might as well stay up a little."

She nodded without prodding. The silence fell, soft and comfortable, broken only by the crackling of the fire.

Then, after a moment, Elena broke the silence.

"Kyle... Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead. Besides, I don't think I'm hiding much from anyone anymore."

She hesitated, choosing her words carefully.

"I expanded on some of your discussions during the trip. And if you know Lys is in love with you... why are you acting like it's nothing?" 

Kyle stared into the flames. His gaze was calm but distant.

"Even if I answer you, you might not understand."

"Maybe. But I want to understand. It's not so much the answer that matters... it's the reasoning behind it."

Kyle took a breath.

"This romance feels... forced. Too sudden. I've read and seen so many stories like this in my world... where the hero just does a kind gesture or acts bravely, and suddenly, a girl falls in love with him. It's too simple, too artificial."

He paused.

"And I don't like it. I even find it a little... degrading. Reducing strong female characters to 'waifu' roles, good only to admire the hero, is unfair. Lys... she's brilliant, brave, independent. She has her dreams, her life. Reducing her to 'the protagonist's crush' just because we shared a few moments would be profoundly unfair."

Elena remained silent, impressed.

"If I understand you correctly," she said finally, "you're rejecting this romance precisely because you respect her." Because you don't want her to become just a love interest?"

"Yeah, it's a bit of a stretch... but that's the idea."

Elena smiled.

"You're a lot more mature than I thought, Kyle."

Kyle shrugged, surprised.

"Maybe?!"

"You should still talk to her about all this," she added quietly.

"We've already talked about it, a little. She knows where I stand," he replied with a small smile.

Elena didn't press the issue. The silence fell again, dense, almost heavy.

After a moment, Kyle broke the silence.

"What about you? Can you tell me a little about your people? Elves intrigue me."

Elena gave a half-smile.

"I'm a half-elf, remember? So I don't have access to all their secrets." »

"It's okay. Tell me what you want." Kyle waved his hand encouragingly.

"Elves are part of the faerie race. There are also fairies, spirits... and other creatures connected to nature. They live very long lives," she explained calmly.

Kyle smiled softly, looking down at her.

"I already know all that. But you can tell me a little about yourself, if you don't mind."

Elena hesitated for a moment, her eyes shifting, then began.

"My mother was an elf. My father, a human. He was captured while venturing into their lands. A simple adventurer, they say. He said he got lost in the forest."

Kyle frowned slightly, intrigued.

"So... is that why you chose this path too?" 

She nodded.

"Maybe so. Adventure is what brought them together."

Kyle couldn't help but intervene, a little too quickly.

"Wait... if I understand the usual codes correctly... don't tell me your father became some kind of slave to your mother..."

He immediately regretted it.

"Sorry, it just came out."

But Elena didn't seem shocked.

"Even if that's the truth... I prefer to believe they fell in love... or something close to that."

Kyle saw a shadow pass across her eyes.

"I'm sorry again. I didn't mean to stir up any sensitive issues."

"It's nothing. You want to know, don't you? Then I might as well finish."

She continued, her voice softer.

"After she was pregnant, my mother gave my father his freedom. And even though I was a half-blood, I had a happy childhood with the elves." There are others like me, so... I wasn't alone. Then one day, I wanted to discover the rest of the world. I found my father. He welcomed me with open arms."

She paused.

"I stayed with him until he died. After that, I decided to become an adventurer."

Kyle said nothing. He listened to her, truly. And the more she spoke, the more he realized one thing: this world might seem like a dream... to others, it was very real. With its pain. Its stories. Its memory.

Silence enveloped them again. Kyle finally fell asleep there, by the fire. Elena, faithful to his watch, stayed awake until dawn, her eyes lost in the flames, dreamy.

The next morning, Tristan was the first to wake up. Getting out of his blanket, he saw Kyle asleep by the fire, his head tilted slightly to the side, and Elena sitting up, her eyes dark but still awake.

"Good morning," he said.

Elena replied in a low voice:

"Not louder, please. Kyle fell asleep late; he stayed up with me most of the night."

Tristan nodded with a small smile and silently withdrew. He took it upon himself to wake the others. Everyone gradually got up, except for Iris, who was still grumbling, half-wrapped in her blanket. After packing up camp, sharing a simple breakfast, and preparing the horses, Kyle opened his eyes, his hair still a mess.

"Greetings, everyone..." he said, yawning.

"Finally awake," Anne mumbled.

"Good morning, Kyle," Lys replied with a softer smile.

 Kyle rubbed his eyes, returned the greeting in his usual neutral tone, then climbed into the cart.

Before leaving, Tristan took a more serious tone:

"Well, I'll remind you that from here on, the roads become more dangerous. We're leaving the capital's direct influence zone."

"We know," Kyle replied. "It's the same route we took on the way out, right?"

"Yes, but it's precisely because we didn't have anything yesterday that I'd like to warn you. Vigilance drops easily when everything seems calm," Tristan added.

"Message received," Kyle replied. "Besides... I think there's a group of wild boars not far away."

He began to levitate, looking excited.

"Finally, some action!"

But Elena, her eyes still a little tired, raised her hand.

"I spotted them too. No real danger. They won't come near us." »

Kyle got back down, a little disappointed.

"Too bad."

And the group set off again. This time, Tristan and Iris took the lead, while the others sat in the back of the cart. Kyle sat quietly, nodded to Lys, and briefly returned Anne's greeting.

Seeing Elena looking a little tired, he whispered to her:

"You should rest. I can take care of the surveillance."

"It's not necessary..."

"I'm as good as you at detection now, aren't I? Come on, trust me."

Elena thanked him discreetly and, after a few minutes, finally dozed off.

Anne, intrigued by this newfound proximity, whispered to Kyle:

"You and her seem closer."

"Late-night chats around a campfire. It brings you closer," he said with a vague smile.

"And what did you talk about?"

"Nothing important."

Anne shrugged.

"How about you tell us a little about your world, then?"

Kyle raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.

"Why not. Do you have a specific question?" 

"Uh... no, actually I was expecting a 'no' from you. Do you want to answer, Lys?"

Lys thought, then asked:

"What's different between your world and ours?"

"First of all, in my world, there's no magic. But technologically, we're very advanced. Then... oh yes, in my world, there are only humans. And since they conquered the planet, well, they're also destroying it."

"Destroy?" Anne said, surprised.

"I'm not going to get into an ecological debate... but let's just say my world is in danger, and it's our own fault."

He stood up slowly.

"Okay, we'll stop there for now."

He approached the front and announced to Tristan:

"We have danger nearby. Something is moving about a hundred meters away. 

"Can I be more specific?"

"Unidentified flying objects," Kyle replied, a smirk.

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Probably a wyvern. Nothing serious, right?"

But Tristan's face tightened.

"This is actually very serious."

Kyle crossed his arms. He'd already faced a wyvern, even though it wasn't easy for me; he's much stronger than before. It wasn't a problem for him, but he didn't say anything.

"Tell us its exact location!" Iris asked, a little panicked.

"No need. It's coming towards us; you'll have a visual in five minutes."

Tristan stopped the cart immediately.

"Let's move the horses away so they don't panic or run away."

"I can intercept it right away," Kyle offered, getting ready.

But Lys, who had just arrived, punched him on the shoulder.

"You're really irresponsible! Have you already forgotten the promise you made me last night?" 

"No, but I'm the only one..."

"Stop," Tristan interrupted. "We're a team. So we're facing this together."

A silence followed. Kyle finally nodded.

"Okay... together, then."

The glances they exchanged were serious. The mood had changed. This time, it wasn't just a detour or a stroll... the adventure was resuming.