One night, three certain Heroes were having a hard time sleeping. The groan and grunt, muttering in their sleep as they shift from side to side, tangling into their blankets.
As they're trapped in a nightmare, they vaguely see themselves get cursed and die, again. Then…they see Naofumi protecting them, taking a fatal attack for them…and dying as a result. Seeing the Shield Hero's dead body, pooling with blood…they scream.
"NO!"
Sitting up and gasping, they finally wake up. Panting, they felt wetness on their cheeks. They had cried in their sleep, so they rubbed away their tears, their hearts full of regret.
At daybreak, they went to find Naofumi. When they do find him though…
They all bowed before him on their knees, Japanese style for forgiveness.
"We're sorry for what we've done…please forgive us!" Motoyasu apologizes.
"We all…swear loyalty to you, Naofumi!" Itsuki declares.
They simply don't want to see Naofumi die again nor bear the burden alone anymore. He deserves better than that.
Naofumi blinks in surprise at this. Skeptical, he demands, "You guys…have to prove your loyalty to me. Only after that...you may have my trust." 'However fragile it is…'
"Of course! What do you want us to do?" Ren asks.
Naofumi takes a moment to think before saying, "I need some rare ingredients for an elixir I'm making. Split up and get them for me." He gave them a list.
They accepted the task and did it very quickly. Eventually… Naofumi does accept and forgive them…but is still cautious regardless in case they ever betray him.
