System's POV

Princess Xynalia anxiously watched Kate slowly prop herself up from the bedroll.

The grim expression on her face progressively grew worse the more the succubus princess described the group of people approaching their hiding place.

"They're the members of the Hero Party," Kate said in a serious tone. "I've seen them a few years ago, so I can't be mistaken if your descriptions are accurate."

The young lady then crouched to check on Thirteen's condition.

"His fever has finally gone down," Kate muttered before glancing at the underground river.

The current wasn't that strong, but it was at least seven to eight feet deep. If she were alone, she could have swum and followed wherever the current would take her.

However, she had Thirteen with her. With his current state, he couldn't possibly swim.

Even if she carried him with her, she didn't want to risk worsening his condition from being soaked in cold water.

Faced with such a dilemma, Kate couldn't decide if she should go for it or not.

She had no doubt in her mind that it was only a matter of time before the Hero Party arrived at their hiding place.

Staying would mean that they would be captured, or worse, killed.

But escaping to the river might give consequences she could not afford.

She would rather surrender and plead for them to let Thirteen go.

Kate had heard that the Hero Party was a righteous group, so she wanted to bet on the hope that they wouldn't kill her on the spot.

If that were really the case, she believed they could later escape before they turned her over to the Queen in the Capital City of the Kingdom.

"Kate, they are almost here," Princess Xynalia said in an anxious tone.

"Thank you, Xynalia," Kate answered as she caressed the side of Thirteen's face.

Seeing that the young lady had already made her choice, the succubus princess looked sadly at her and Thirteen, who was still unconscious.

A few minutes later, the sound of footsteps echoed within the cavern, and the members of the Hero Party finally made their appearance.

"You sure found a good place to hide," Morwen said in annoyance. "If not for Sylas, we wouldn't have found you, you little rat!"

Neil frowned when he saw Kate using a cloth to wipe Thirteen's body. He couldn't feel any hostility from her nor any desire to fight against them.

"All of you should have been fighting the Demon Army, yet here you are, looking for me," Kate said calmly, not even bothering to look behind her. "Did the Queen send you to this place?"

"That's right," Neil replied. "Are you Kate?"

"Yes," Kate answered.

"Will you come with us peacefully?" Medea asked, watching the young lady care for the young man lying on the bedroll. "Is he sick?"

The Champion who had informed them of what happened told them about the young man, who had used powerful weapons to kill his comrades.

The Saintess assumed that the young man that Kate was caring for was the same person whom the Champion had reported.

"His fever has just gone down," Kate answered. "If I come with you, will you all leave him alone? I just met him on my journey. He's not affiliated with me."

"It doesn't matter." Morwen sneered. "Since he's with you, he is also a Heretic."

"That's right." Theron, who wanted to look good in front of Morwen, agreed with her. "He has killed the people the Queen has sent to capture you. That is already a crime punishable by capital punishment."

Sylas remained silent and simply waited for the resolution of this mission.

Frankly, he didn't really think that Kate was a Heretic, but she couldn't defy the Queen of the Kingdom of Valoria.

He simply stood behind the rear of the group, leaving the talking to his comrades.

"Theron is right," Neil commented. "However, if you come with us peacefully, I promise that we will hurt neither you nor him. Will you allow us to bind you with these shackles?"

The shackles that Neil had taken out from his storage ring were especially made to contain High-Ranking Demons.

It sealed their abilities and was nearly unbreakable.

The moment Kate wore it, her strength would decrease drastically, making her a lesser threat to the members of the Hero Party.

The Sorceress walked closer and looked at the sleeping Thirteen on the ground and smirked.

"Is he your lover?" Morwen asked. "He's not that bad-looking. If you really don't want him to get hurt, you'd better come with us peacefully. Got it?"

"Fine," Kate replied. "I will cooperate as long as you promise not to harm him. He is still sick and needs medical care."

Kate glanced at the Saintess' direction, and Medea nodded in understanding.

"After both of you are shackled, I will administer treatment to him," Medea promised. "But I will put you both to sleep, so we can take you back to the capital."

Kate clenched her fist as the thought of fighting the Heroes to the death flashed inside her mind.

However, she knew that it would be in vain.

Fortunately, she had some kind of resistance against Status Effects.

Their duration would be lessened by half due to the ability that she bought in the System Shop called "Iron Will".

It wasn't much, but if she were to pretend that she was still sleeping, it might give her a small window of opportunity to do something.

Still, the odds were grim. Against the entire Hero Party, her chances of breaking free with Thirteen in tow were practically nonexistent.

Kate exhaled slowly and forced her trembling hands to relax. She could not risk Thirteen's safety by being reckless.

"Very well," she said, her voice calm but her eyes sharp. "I will wear the shackles. But remember your words. If you harm him, I will never forgive you."

Neil nodded and approached, the shackles glimmering faintly with divine inscriptions. "As long as you don't resist, you have my word."

Kate extended her wrists without flinching.

The cold bite of enchanted steel clamped around her skin, and immediately, a weight pressed down on her body. Her limbs felt sluggish, and her strength was cut by more than half.

Morwen smirked in satisfaction, clearly pleased to see the once-proud fugitive brought low. "How obedient. Perhaps you're smarter than you look."

Kate ignored her words and instead turned her attention to Medea. "Please. He needs help now."

The Saintess nodded and knelt beside Thirteen. She placed her glowing hand over his chest, a soft light enveloping him. "His body is weak, but he will recover with rest. I will ease his exhaustion and suppress the remnants of his fever."

Kate let out a small sigh of relief.

But just as she did, Theron stepped forward with a cruel grin. "Since he's already weakened, should we just kill him? A murderer like him deserves no mercy."

Kate's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You swore not to hurt him!"

Theron scoffed. "And what of it? A Heretic's words are worth less than dirt."

"Enough." Neil's sharp command cut him off. His gaze was firm, and his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. "We gave our word. Unless he resists, we will not treat him as an enemy. Do you understand, Theron?"

The Spearman gritted his teeth but nodded slightly. "As you command, Leader."

Sylas, who had remained silent until now, spoke in a low tone. "We should move quickly. The sooner we hand her over, the sooner we can return to the frontlines against the Demon Race."

Neil gave a curt nod. "Agreed. Medea, finish your healing. Then we'll put them both under sleep enchantment and head for the capital."

Kate lowered her head, her heart pounding. This was the path she had chosen. She had decided to submit for Thirteen's sake.

Yet deep inside, she swore to herself that she would find a way.

Because surrendering today didn't mean she would stay a prisoner forever.

Several hours later, they finally left the forest and returned to the town that they had used as a temporary base.

When the Hero Party returned with the Heretic in tow, the people cheered as if the Heroes had defeated a vile demon who had killed their family members.

Although they were tied, they decided that it would be best to return to the capital using a special teleportation that could only be activated near the temple of the Goddess, Valoria.

After Neil tore the scroll, the magical formation came to life, and soon, all of them were teleported to the capital, where Kate would meet her fate.