Don't Support the Guide - Chapter 22

“Give it to me.”

“Wah, you’re a funny one!”

Second Lieutenant Samuel Nora silently infused the jewel with guiding. Instead of changing color, the guiding-filled jewel emitted a soft light. Alex’s expression changed to one of satisfaction as he received it.

“Is your dream to be the battalion commander’s exclusive guide?”

Samuel Nora suddenly thought of Adrian, who had visited him last night. It was a conversation in his sleep, but he remembered everything vividly.

At that time, he had said he wanted to be an exclusive guide. It was because he was afraid that Adrian would refuse to receive any more guiding for him, who had collapsed due to a lack of guiding.

Adrian was someone who would do that. He knew her well as a ward who had been indebted to her for many years.

“If I have the opportunity, I would like to.”

His past was entirely a gift bestowed by the light that was Adrian. So, if there was any way for the insignificant him to repay her, he would do anything.

“You’re a Silver level, right? The gap between you and our battalion commander is too big, you won’t be able to handle it, will you?”

“It’s okay to bring in more guides.”

“You pass the test for not being jealous.”

It was an attitude that seemed to be evaluating a prospective son-in-law. Samuel Nora’s gaze became slightly askew. Whether he knew it or not, Alex just kept grinning.

“You seem like you’d be able to withstand Linton Vione’s pressure well. Anyway, I’m rooting for you! But I can root for you even harder if the results are good.”

“What results are you talking about?”

“Ah, I’ll tell you later. Please pray that it’s good. Got it, Second Lieutenant Samuel Nora?”

Alex, who only left behind incomprehensible words, hurriedly left somewhere.

***

“That irritating bastard…”

Linton, who burst into his office, gritted his teeth. Kate, who was organizing the desk, hurriedly stepped back. Linton, who roughly pulled out a chair and sat down, glared at Kate.

“Samuel Nora figured it out.”

“Yes?”

“How the hell did he figure it out? It shouldn’t have been easy to figure out.”

Even Kate’s eyes widened in surprise at Linton’s words, which he spat out like a curse.

Who would have thought that you could attack someone with a shield used for defense? It wasn’t an easy method to come up with, even for those with a lot of combat experience.

“Is he going to tell the battalion commander?”

“Strangely enough, it doesn’t seem like he’s planning to. Or, should I say he’s smart?”

Even if Samuel Nora found out the method that attacked him, there was no evidence. An esper’s ability leaves no trace. If that bastard ran to Adrian and said that Lieutenant Kate had bounced him away with a shield, who would she believe?

In that case, it might be better to quietly give Linton a hint and put psychological pressure on him, as he was doing now.

‘Could that guy have thought that far?’

If so, he might have run into a more difficult opponent than he thought this time.

“We can’t afford to be complacent.”

Kate handed over the documents she had prepared.

“These are the documents related to the sponsorship of Second Lieutenant Samuel Nora that you mentioned before.”

“…What, Adrian was this guy’s sponsor?”

“The battalion commander was the sponsor of a female guide named Sammy Nora.”

“A female guide? Does Second Lieutenant Samuel Nora have a sister?”

“He does have a younger sibling, but this is him.”

“What?”

Linton frowned as if he didn’t understand.

“Sammy Nora is Samuel Nora himself.”

“…Ha, so you’re saying that guy has been receiving sponsorship with a forged identity?”

“It’s common among commoners. For various reasons, teenagers who don’t meet the requirements for sponsorship create fake identities and put their names on the list.”

“Those with experience are different, you know it well.”

Kate was silent. Linton glanced at Kate and straightened his posture, starting to read the sponsorship documents carefully. The corners of Linton’s lips gradually rose.

“Kate, you remember how much our Adrian hated sponsoring guides, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

“If that ward is a member of the guide unit, and even a fraud… I wonder what her reaction will be?”

It seemed like he had found a breakthrough in an unexpected place.

Linton’s smile grew wider.

***

“Oh my, this is a jacket made from fabric imported from the East!”

“That’s right. The luxurious pattern is engraved on the fabric, making it very unique, isn’t it?”

“Oh my goodness, it’s beautiful. I definitely want to make a dress with this fabric!”

She sincerely wanted to refuse this kind of waste of time.

Adrian, who was wearing a luxurious dress instead of her uniform for the first time in a while, sat in a corner of the sofa and sipped her wine.

Those sitting around her were excitedly talking about newly imported fabrics or the latest trends, but it was outside her area of interest.

She was just glad that she had taken a lot of guiding medication before coming. At least she didn’t have a headache because of the noisy chatter.

“Adrian! Are you killing the mood here again?”

“Ah, sister.”

It was the appearance of a face that was at least friendly. Her cousin Melonie smiled and stubbornly took the seat next to Adrian. She didn’t care if someone was pushed out of their seat because of it. It was surprisingly Adrian’s role to give an awkward nod to the person who was pushed out.

“You didn’t even contact me even though you came back to the capital? I’m really upset, you know?”

“Sorry, the Defense Forces work is busier than I thought.”

“Speaking of which, the Light of Justice has become a member of the Defense Forces, right?”

Those who wanted to talk to Adrian but couldn’t because they were overwhelmed by her aura joined in.

Adrian, realizing that everyone sitting on the sofa was now looking at her, smiled soullessly.

“Yes, I’ve been serving far away for a long time, so it’s time to work closer to home.”

“That’s good. After all, the capital is better than that distant and barren land, isn’t it?”

“Of course. You can even attend parties like this.”

“How’s the Defense Forces? Well, I heard that the child I sponsored has also entered a special military school this time!”

“Oh my goodness, really?”

“Yes! After hearing that our Light of Justice was in the Defense Forces, he sent me a letter saying that he wanted to become a capital Defense Forces soldier too, you know?”

Listening to the stories of the nobles chattering away, Adrian fell into thought.

Come to think of it, she also had a child she sponsored. A girl named Sammy Nora.

The sponsorship ends when the child becomes an adult. Sammy Nora must be twenty years old this year, so the official sponsorship would have ended last year.

‘Can they become independent as soon as they become adults?’

Suddenly, such a question arose.

The management of the sponsorship money was done by her family’s staff, so they probably stopped it on time. But no matter how she thought about it, it didn’t seem like a commoner girl who was only twenty years old could suddenly become an adult who earned a living.

“So, which one is the child that the lady sponsored?”

“Of course, it’s an esper. Guides are too rare.”

“Oh my, me too.”

“I guess so? Commoners like us mainly sponsor esper children. It’s better for those who need guides to take them.”

Adrian, who had been lost in thought, suddenly felt that the conversation was flowing strangely. Moreover, with the last words, everyone’s eyes were once again focused on her.

Melonie was visibly flustered. Knowing that it was an uncultured act, she fidgeted and waved her hand as if signaling someone, then stopped and froze when she met Adrian’s eyes.

“A, Adie…”

Adrian felt a bad premonition.

“Of course, the Light of Justice is sponsoring a very wonderful guide, right?”

“When I heard about it before, that child’s age… isn’t it about time they became an adult?”

“Oh my, then you must have met them? What level were they?”

What on earth was all this about?

It was when she couldn’t come to her senses from the barrage of questions. Linton placed his hand on Adrian’s shoulder with a bright smile.

“Aren’t you all giving too much attention to Adrian’s ward?”

“Oh my, Mr. Vione! Viscount Vione has arrived!”

Adrian held her breath at the unpleasant guiding that rushed in. She almost frowned. Fortunately, she didn’t feel like she was going to throw up like before.

Under the chandelier lights, Linton shone like a star. When placed next to Adrian, they even looked like a pair because of their blonde hair. Many people exclaimed at the sight of the two.

“Sponsorship is done with a sincere heart, isn’t it? Adrian is the kind of person who would just send back the child she sponsored even if they said they would repay her kindness.”

Isn’t that right, Adrian? Linton’s eyes, looking down at her, were asking that. Adrian quietly nodded.

“That’s right, I think so too.”

Adrian chose Sammy Nora without knowing what kind of person she was. All she knew about the child was her name, age, and gender.

She didn’t like teddy bears when she was young, and she knew a few more trivial things, like she was quite romantic at unexpected moments, but.

That’s not what the nobles would want from Sammy.

“That child probably isn’t a guide either. I just chose her based on her name.”

“Ah… is that so?”

The nobles’ expressions somehow became subtle. She looked up at Linton with a strange feeling. But Linton only smiled.

“Even if they’re not coming to pay the price, children visit at least once to say thank you, don’t they? Hasn’t that happened to Lady Adrian?”

“No, it hasn’t.”

“Not even a letter saying they wanted to meet you?”

Adrian paused for a moment.

Come to think of it, she didn’t remember receiving a letter conveying her last greetings. Sammy wasn’t a sociable person, but she wasn’t a child who didn’t know how to be polite either.

Besides, Adrian thought she had become somewhat close to Sammy in her own way. At least to the point where they could exchange final greetings with each other.

Thinking about it that way, she felt a little down.