Don't Support the Guide - Chapter 17

Dressed in a tight-fitting black training uniform, Samuel absentmindedly stroked his chin. As he did, he recalled Adrian’s expression.

That cold face softening without her even realizing it, the way her laughter slipped out unguarded, how she was so focused on touching him that the tip of her crimson tongue peeked slightly between her teeth—

It was a side of Adrian she had never shown in front of the other squad members.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

Peter’s voice snapped Samuel out of his thoughts. He turned to see Peter giving him a curious look, his lips curved downward in a playful frown.

“Daydreaming while standing up? I thought you were asleep with your eyes open.”

He wasn’t entirely wrong. Samuel let out a quiet chuckle.

“Did you lose sleep worrying because you haven’t seen the Battalion Commander in a while?”

“I slept just fine.”

“Of course you did. You must be over the moon since today’s finally the day you get to guide her.”

Samuel didn’t deny it. Peter, grinning at his reaction, stretched his arms above his head with a lazy sigh.

“Honestly, I was worried when I first heard you got imprinted with the Battalion Commander. Thought you were doomed for sure.”

His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper at the end.

“I mean, this kind of thing happens all the time. A high-level Esper picks a Guide, and suddenly, all the jealous rivals start gunning for them. I’ve seen it happen before.”

“Yeah.”

Samuel had witnessed similar incidents back in the Makas Mountain Unit. He also knew that things had ended badly for the Guides caught up in such messes. But he didn’t care.

His Esper was Adrian Brillante—the very embodiment of justice, admired by all. Standing by someone like her was never going to be easy.

If he wanted to obtain something, he had to fight for it. That was the brutal truth Samuel understood better than anyone.

If it meant reaching the light, he was willing to push through the darkness.

“The only Gold-Level Guide in the Defense Forces didn’t object, and even Captain Linton, who we were worried about, seems fine with it…”

The squad, which had been moving at a steady pace, suddenly came to a halt. Peter, who had been trailing behind, craned his neck to see what was ahead.

“Looks like we’ve arrived—wait, what?”

“What is it?”

“Samuel, I think we’ve traveled back in time.”

Peter looked stunned.

“You all know that stamina is crucial for both Guides and Espers, right?”

A cheerful voice rang out from the front. It was Linton Vione, leading the squad alongside Kate.

“When faced with rough terrain, lacking physical endurance can be a huge disadvantage. That’s why today, we’ll be training in effective mountain traversal techniques.”

Only then did Samuel take in the sight before him.

They had arrived at the base of a towering mountain—so high that he had to crane his neck all the way back just to glimpse the peak.

“Of all the damn mountains, I didn’t think we’d have to climb this one again.”

Peter groaned, running a hand down his face in exasperation.

“Come to think of it, we have two Makas Mountain Unit veterans here, don’t we?”

As if responding to Peter’s muttered complaint, Linton’s voice rang out, drawing everyone’s attention to him and Samuel. With a bright smile, Linton looked at the two of them.

“I have especially high expectations for you both. I trust you’ll be able to navigate the mountain faster and safer than anyone else.”

“Thank you, Captain Linton!”

Yeah, right.

Just the thought of climbing this damn mountain again made Peter feel dizzy. But with no way out, he could only shout in exaggerated enthusiasm, suppressing his inner despair.

“Alright! Let’s begin the training!”

***

The training exercise was quite interesting. The rules were as follows:

The squad members were divided into two teams, and each participant started individually. Their task was to find markers scattered across the mountain while also stealing markers from members of the opposing team before reaching the summit. The team with the most markers at the top would be the winner.

To account for the Guides, Espers were given a slight handicap—no use of abilities, and physical combat was only allowed between Espers. Meanwhile, Guides could simply release a broad-range guiding signal to render an Esper defenseless and steal their markers with ease. That alone spoke volumes about the stark physical disparity between Espers and Guides.

“…Twelve.”

Samuel, who was exceptionally well-built for a Guide, was performing remarkably well.

So far, he had encountered one Guide and two Espers, managing to take all the markers they had collected. He now held twelve ribbon markers in total—more than half of the twenty that had been scattered across the mountain.

Even back in his days with the Mountain Unit, Samuel had been praised for his stamina, rivaling that of an Esper. To him, this level of training was nothing new. However, there was one thing that struck him as odd.

“…This terrain has way too many cliffs for a beginner course.”

The mountain’s landscape was treacherously steep. Running through it was no problem, but one misstep during a physical confrontation could easily lead to someone falling.

Even the place where Samuel had encountered another Guide had been near a cliff. For safety, they had mutually agreed to move away before continuing their match.

Unless there’s a specific reason, no one would pick a mountain like this for training.

Samuel peered down over the edge of the cliff. If someone were to give him even the slightest push, he would roll into the unseen depths below with little effort.

“You’re gonna fall if you keep that up.”

A sudden voice made his shoulders twitch. Samuel quickly masked his surprise and turned around. Linton approached with a lazy smile.

“Guess you’re fearless, being from the Mountain Unit and all, Lieutenant Samuel Norah.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“You took that as a compliment?”

Samuel studied him in silence. Linton’s smile was unreadable.

“What do you think? Pretty rough terrain, huh? Even for you, I’d imagine it’s a bit of a challenge.”

“It’s manageable.”

“I can see that. The others are drenched in sweat, but you’re barely breaking a sweat yourself.”

Something felt off. Samuel subtly measured the distance between himself and the cliff’s edge. Just two steps back, and he’d be falling. Linton stood on the only stable ground nearby.

He’s supposed to be an ally, yet… for some reason, I can’t bring myself to move closer to him.

“You look tense, Lieutenant.”

“I’m not.”

“It’s understandable. Standing at the edge of a cliff can be nerve-wracking. But seriously, stop being reckless and come over here before you actually fall.”

“…Reckless?”

“Yeah. Just because you’re from the Mountain Unit doesn’t mean you should stand so carelessly near the edge.”

Linton flashed a sharp grin before casually turning away.

Samuel frowned.

The tense air from moments ago dissolved as if it had never existed.

Strange.

Either way, leaving this spot was the priority. Samuel took a step forward to follow after Linton, who was already some distance ahead.

At that moment, something invisible forcefully shoved him backward.

“Ugh!”

It felt like slamming into a massive, solid balloon. The impact was intense.

His hands grasped at nothing but air. Samuel instinctively kicked out, trying to find footing.

His heel barely scraped the edge of the cliff.

And then—he plummeted.

***

Adrian leaned her aching neck against the backrest. She hadn’t had a moment to rest, having spent hours poring over documents related to the Beasts.

She could have delegated some of the work, but Adrian had a habit of doing everything herself. It was in her nature—she found it difficult to trust others easily.

Every time she overworked herself like this, Rozanna, the commander of the special forces, would scold her, saying, “That’s an illness too.”

If I bring that guy in, will she finally let me leave?

Rozanna’s words surfaced in her mind—if Adrian found herself a dedicated Guide, her reassignment could be canceled at any time.

A faint smile almost crept onto Adrian’s lips, but her expression hardened in an instant. She couldn’t believe she had just entertained such a thought.

A dedicated Guide.

That was a concept Adrian never wanted to fit into her life.

Besides, she wasn’t in a position to leave the Defense Forces anymore. At first, she had thought it would be a dull assignment, but it turned out to be even more complicated than the specialized Beast-hunting unit she had come from.

The first step in handling a suspected Beast sighting was to issue a Beast Warning. In the outlying areas, this was easy. But in the capital, it was impossible—unless the Emperor approved it.

The capital was the Emperor’s direct domain, and he despised anything that could escalate into a larger issue. Adrian had already requested a warning several times, only to receive the same response each time.

“Bring me concrete evidence.”

So someone has to die or get injured first, is that it?

A soldier who has spent enough time on the battlefield develops sharp instincts. Right now, Adrian’s instincts were screaming that danger was imminent.

But she had no one to turn to for help. She had to prevent the coming disaster using only her own strength and the resources of the Capital Defense Forces.

First, she needed to replenish her depleted guiding reserves.

“…Why isn’t he here yet?”

Adrian glanced at the clock. Their agreed meeting time had long passed.

Absentmindedly, she fiddled with the guiding assessment necklace she always wore before meeting Samuel.

She had gotten into the habit of checking Samuel’s necklace before every session, and at some point, he had asked her to wear one as well, saying he wanted to check hers too.

After every guiding session, they would compare the colors of their necklaces. Adrian’s was always close to green. But during their last meeting, Samuel’s had been orange.

The moment she saw that ominous color, her mind snapped into focus.

It was only then that she truly grasped the immense gap between their levels. And so, she had decided to put some distance between them for a few days.

Those few days felt longer than anything she had ever experienced.

“…Looks like he’s busy with training.”

Adrian masked her disappointment behind a neutral expression. She opened a drawer, took out a bottle of pills, and swallowed a few. They were guiding supplements—temporary substitutes for an actual Guide’s guidance.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Adrian sprang to her feet before she even realized it. Her expression had unconsciously softened.

But the moment the door opened, she stiffened.

The guiding energy that flowed in was not Samuel’s.

“Commander!”

The person standing at the door wasn’t Samuel—it was Linton.

“What is it?”

“What else? I’m here to provide you with guidance.”

“You, Captain?”