Don't Support the Guide - Chapter 20

“What…? Ah!”

Samuel latched onto Adrian’s soft, rising chest as if he were about to bite down.

Adrian barely managed to swallow the moan that nearly escaped at the sudden stimulation.

Samuel took in every detail of Adrian’s expression, capturing it in his gaze as he swiftly pulled down the last remaining piece of underwear.

Adrian trembled from the sense of release, her hands gripping Samuel’s head—a clear sign of permission.

Without hesitation, Samuel took Adrian’s chest into his mouth.

A thrilling sensation shot through Adrian’s entire body, running all the way down, making her upper body instinctively arch backward.

The firm yet gentle touch supporting his back sent a gasp spilling from her lips.

Samuel devoured her hungrily, like a man starved for far too long.

As his soft tongue swept over the areola and teased the peak, Adrian’s toes curled involuntarily.

Adrian nearly dug her fingers into Samuel’s shoulders before catching herself just in time, instead pressing her hand against the wall.

Her body kept tensing, overwhelmed by the surging heat of arousal.

Though the ceiling enclosed them, the two were already far more drenched than if they had been caught in the rain.

Adrian felt a burning desire, an aching need to release this heat.

But Samuel was a patient.

She barely managed to stop herself from mindlessly grinding her hips against him through their clothes.

Instead, she exhaled a shaky breath.

“…Ha.”

As if he knew what she wanted from a single sigh, Samuel grabbed Adrian around the waist and started rubbing his body against her thigh.

Or, more precisely, the side that his penis had forced up.

“Ugh…!”

Adrian nearly let out a moan but quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. She forced herself to still her hips, fighting against the urge to move instinctively.

But Samuel was the one rubbing against her roughly, pulling her closer. Apparently unsatisfied, he lifted her thigh.

Perched on top of him, Adrian hurriedly braced herself against his shoulders.

“Ah—Lieutenant, you’re going to strain your ankle…!”

A heavy breath spilled from his lips. The eyes that met hers held no trace of reason. At that moment, Adrian realized just how feverish he was. Her hand pressed against his forehead.

He was burning up.

“…Lieutenant Samuel.”

“Commander, should I undress you?”

Samuel effortlessly lifted Adrian’s lower body.

The sudden movement sent her hand sliding across his chest.

Without meaning to, her fingers brushed over his hardened peak— And Samuel let out a low moan.

“Mmhh…”

In that instant, a surge of aroused energy from her Guide flooded into Adrian, snapping something inside her mind.

The thought that Samuel wasn’t in the best condition flew far from her consciousness.

Without hesitation, Adrian seized his lips in a bite.

Their kiss was wild and tangled, a mess of heated desperation.

Adrian braced one hand against the wall while using the other to grip Samuel’s jaw, forcing it down.

Samuel looked as though he were about to be devoured.

Adrian twisted her head this way and that, delving deeper, as if she wanted to consume every part of him.

Each time her tongue aggressively explored his mouth, his body jolted.

At last, Adrian began rolling her hips as she pleased, grinding herself against the hardness beneath her with no restraint.

She made sure to rub precisely against that rigid spot, unrelenting.

With every press of her swollen bud inside her clothes, heat surged through her body like molten fire.

The pleasure intensified, rising higher and higher—until it finally spilled over in a dizzying wave.

“Ahh…!”

Her movements stilled, thighs trembling involuntarily.

At that moment, Samuel’s hands, which had been gripping her waist, suddenly fell away.

“…Lieutenant?”

Alarmed, Adrian pulled back.

Samuel’s head lolled to the side, completely limp.

He had lost consciousness.

Adrian, her lips flushed and swollen, let out a breathless, incredulous laugh.

“…Ha. Seriously.”

***

Samuel, who had returned safely, was diagnosed with Guiding Depletion.

His body had already been in poor condition, and the sudden overuse of his guiding abilities had caused him to collapse.

Adrian sat silently in the infirmary, gazing at Samuel, lost in thought.

“…9,230, was it?”

Guiding abilities and psychic powers could be quantified numerically, with levels assigned based on those values.

Gold level ranged from 10,000 to 30,000, while Silver level was between 5,000 and 10,000.

Linton, a gold-level guide, had a recorded value of 21,200—more than twice that of Samuel. Even Linton had collapsed after guiding Adrian.

So how much harder must it have been for Samuel?

“…I really am a beast,” Adrian muttered, furrowing her brow as she ran a hand through her hair.

She had tried to hold back. But it hadn’t been easy.

How could such a young, inexperienced boy shake her like this?

No, perhaps she already knew the reason.

Those green eyes, hidden beneath drowsy lids, were like poisoned wine—intoxicating and dangerous. When she stared too long, it felt as though she was sinking into their depths, drowning in something inescapable.

Just like now.

“You’re awake?”

“…Why are you here?”

“It’s not as if I don’t belong here.”

Samuel blinked groggily, struggling to clear his mind. His throat must have been dry; he swallowed hard, his face tightening in discomfort.

“You’re busy,” he murmured.

“Drink some water first,” Adrian said, pouring him a glass and holding it out.

Samuel looked at it lazily before breaking into a faint smile.

“Feed me.”

“…Lying down?”

“Yes.”

Drinking while lying down? That was something Adrian had never considered before. But she didn’t refuse.

After a brief hesitation, she carefully supported the back of his head and tilted the glass to his lips. Samuel drank smoothly, not spilling a single drop.

“Are you still in pain? Your fever hasn’t completely gone down.”

“I think so.”

“Why? Do you feel hot?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Samuel closed his eyes and chuckled softly. He still seemed lost in a dream, his expression oddly content.

“Commander, you like my guiding, don’t you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Then… can’t you make me your personal guide?”

“…….”

Adrian bit her lip. Her fingers tightened around the glass, gripping it so hard it seemed like it might shatter.

Even if he didn’t fully understand the medical specifics of Guiding Depletion, Samuel had to know he had severely overexerted himself. He had collapsed from exhaustion, only to wake up and casually ask to be made her personal guide.

“You’re just like a moth flying straight into a flame.”

“A moth?” Samuel chuckled as if the comparison was absurd.

“Can’t you at least say butterfly instead?”

“What?”

“Butterflies… are prettier.”

Adrian’s lips parted slightly in shock. For a moment, she had no words.

Samuel, eyes still closed, simply smiled. Seeing his innocent expression, Adrian sighed softly and rubbed her face with one hand.

“You collapsed from guiding depletion, Lieutenant. You know how dangerous that is.”

A guide who completely exhausts their ability—dies.

Normal guiding wouldn’t weaken someone to that extent, but excessive use could cause severe physical damage.

That’s why personal guides were typically chosen from within the same level. Of course, for someone of Adrian’s caliber, even a Bronze-level guide could technically serve as her personal guide—she could simply have multiple to share the burden.

But Adrian had never wanted that.

“I don’t want to extend my life at the cost of someone else’s.”

“…….”

“You have no idea how filthy that feels… And if that person were you—”

Her voice trailed off.

By then, Samuel’s breathing had evened out. He had fallen asleep without realizing it. He still wasn’t in good condition.

Adrian gazed down at his sleeping face. The dim light from the window cast faint shadows across his features, making him frown slightly in his sleep.

Silently, she walked over and pulled the curtains shut, making sure no sliver of light could get through. Only then did his expression relax.

He had such a clear, beautiful face.

So much so that the thought of seeing it contorted in pain, streaked with tears—was unbearable.

…That’s why this can’t happen.

Adrian Brillante made up her mind.

She would never take Samuel Nora as her personal guide.

One tragedy was enough.

***

“Why on earth did you come all the way here?”

Adrian furrowed her brow slightly as she looked at the man in front of her.

The man, wearing a white cloak signifying his role as a military doctor, had a gentle, easygoing expression. He smiled warmly, unaffected by Adrian’s reaction.

“Because Captain Linton Vione practically begged me to come?”

“You do realize the captain makes a fuss over everything, don’t you?”

“Hmm, well. I also know that when it comes to ignoring her own health, you are the worst in the entire empire, Commander.”

“It’s Battalion Commander now, Alexander McGis.”

“I keep telling you, I prefer Dr. Alex. That’s why I went through the trouble of earning a university degree before enlisting, you know?”

Alex was a Gold-level Esper and a healer who had served with Adrian in the Special Forces 2nd Battalion of the Resadian Empire.

Thanks to his exceptional healing abilities, he constantly suffered from guiding depletion, and he had long been responsible for treating Adrian, whose recovery rate was notoriously slow due to her chronic guiding deficiency.

But Adrian wasn’t exactly thrilled to see him.

She believed that someone as talented as Alex would be far more useful either stationed with the elite task force still handling the remaining magic beasts or locked away somewhere doing research.

“I heard you almost showed signs of a rampage recently. Haven’t I told you that if you keep living like this, you’ll literally end your life as a walking bomb?”

“But that didn’t happen, did it?”

“How much of your medication are you taking these days?”

The moment Alex had arrived, he had demanded a private room in the defense force headquarters. Within no time, the space had been filled with medical equipment, transforming into his own personal clinic and research lab.

And Adrian had become his first patient.

Whenever Alex saw Adrian, his first instinct was to check her condition—because he already knew the answer. She was always in a state of guiding deficiency.

“Three pills?”

“Three a day? That’s quite a reduction.”

“No. Three a week.”

“…What?”

Alex, who had been organizing medical supplies, turned to her with wide, stunned eyes.

“You used to take twelve pills a day—how the hell did that happen?”