Don't Support the Guide - Chapter 9

“I liked your guiding, Lieutenant. I’ll be relying on you for it from now on.”

“When should I come see you?”

“After lunch. Every day.”

“…Every day?”

Samuel’s eyebrows shot up.

Adrian tilted her head slightly. Was that really such a surprising request?

“You do realize I’m not asking for another imprint.”

“…Of course. I know that.”

His ears turned an unmistakable shade of red.

Adrian chose to ignore it.

“Just an hour of basic contact guiding each day.”

Samuel exhaled, gathering himself. “Understood.”

“Finish your meal first.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As he took a large bite of his omelet, Adrian watched him with quiet satisfaction.

***

“Adrian! Are you alright?”

“…Linton.”

A strikingly handsome blond man stepped into the office, his brows furrowed in concern. Despite the worry etched on his face, he looked genuinely pleased to see her.

If he could, he would have reached for her hand, but Linton knew better.

She would refuse, as she always did.

“You must have had a hard time getting up here,” Adrian remarked.

“The hard part was waiting! Come on, let me guide you. How are you feeling?”

“I don’t need it today.”

“…What?”

Instead of answering, Adrian simply reached into the collar of her uniform and pulled out her guiding necklace.

The stone embedded in it glowed a deep, reddish green.

“Today, I’m doing fine.”

Linton stared.

“…Who guided you?”

In the past seven years, Adrian’s necklace had only ever turned a shade of green once. This was the second time. Forcing a smile, Linton asked again, this time with a lightness that felt unnatural.

“Who did you allow to guide you, Adie?”

Adrian’s gaze sharpened. “Did I ever permit you to use that name?”

Beneath the desk, Linton’s fist clenched.

“…Adrian. You won’t tell me?”

“I was about to lose control waiting for you, so I found a solution.”

“And how far did it go?”

Adrian quirked a brow. “If I answer that, what’s your next question going to be?”

Linton bit his lip, unable to hide his frustration. Even with his expression darkened by disappointment, he was still breathtakingly beautiful—almost tragic in his sorrow.

But Adrian’s cold gaze remained unmoved.

“I’m sorry for calling you here only to say this, Linton,” she said evenly. “But you can go back to the south now.”

“I’m not leaving, Adrian.”

“…What?”

Taking a step back, Linton straightened and saluted.

“Reporting in. Captain Linton Vione, newly transferred to the Imperial Special Unit, Capital Defense Corps.”

Adrian’s expression hardened. “You pushed for this, didn’t you?”

“Think what you want. The decision has already been made.”

A tense silence hung between them.

“Let’s keep personal matters out of official duties, Adrian,” Linton continued. “I won’t let them interfere.”

Adrian exhaled quietly before raising a hand in return, offering him a short, formal salute.

“…Welcome to the unit, Captain Linton Vione.”

“I look forward to serving under you, Commander Adrian Brillante.”

She gave him a measured look.

“Just so we’re clear—if you so much as touch my Guide…”

“There’s no need to worry.”

Linton smiled, bright and unbothered, as if his previous frustration had never existed.

Adrian studied him.

He must have already heard about the imprint.

It would have wounded his pride deeply—especially knowing how long he had waited for the chance himself.

Linton Vione was a man born into a prestigious Guide family, raised with the expectation that he would one day stand beside her. She knew how much he had wanted that.

Naturally, Samuel was a concern. Yet, even she couldn’t bring herself to be cruel to the man who had chased her across the Empire overnight.

“…Right. I suppose you wouldn’t.”

Linton was smart, and he was kind. For now, she would allow herself to hope that those qualities would win out.

***

“What the hell happened, Samuel!”

The moment Samuel appeared in the mess hall for dinner, people swarmed around him. Peter quickly snagged the seat next to him, set down his tray, and gave Samuel a few hearty slaps on the back.

“I just got lucky.”

“Wow, seriously. Just… wow.”

“I knew it would work. With that face? He could practically eat levels for breakfast.”

From Peter to Lieutenant Michelle, everyone had something to say. But amidst all the chatter, Samuel remained unbothered, calmly chewing his cheese without a change in expression.

The relationship between Espers and Guides was always a hot topic.

Survival aside, contact guiding inherently involved physical touch, making it inevitable. Especially when guiding took place at a duty station, rumors spread even faster.

Because of that, there was constant gossip about which well-known Espers were guide-hoppers or what kind of contact guiding they preferred.

“But our battalion commander has never been involved in any of those rumors.”

Adrian’s indifference toward Guides was well-known. It was said that he had never received deep contact guiding while on duty. Samuel Nora was a rare exception.

A highly unusual case, both in terms of level and circumstances.

To everyone else, that only meant one thing—Samuel must be a truly exceptional Guide. The eyes around him sparkled with anticipation, reflecting that very belief.

“Well, who knows.”

Even with Samuel’s disinterested response, the excited soldiers were already drawing conclusions about his future.

“You’ll be supporting a hero’s side! Your promotion will be fast, too!”

“Do you really think the commander would let personal feelings influence his decisions? The promotions will stay the same.”

“Well, at least it’s settled—he’s the commander’s exclusive Guide now.”

Lieutenant Jocelyn Page pouted.

“I was kind of hopeful since the commander said he didn’t care about gender when receiving emission guiding.”

“Hah, but come on, Jocelyn. You? With your Silver level? Not a chance.”

“And what about Second Lieutenant Samuel? Isn’t he also Silver level, same as me?”

“Oh… huh, you’re right. And it’s not like our unit doesn’t have any Gold-level Guides.”

At Michelle’s remark, all eyes turned to Samuel once more.

‘How exactly did you end up guiding the commander?’

Feeling the unspoken pressure, Samuel had no choice but to respond.

“When the battalion commander needed guiding, I just happened to be passing by his office. That’s the only reason he chose me.”

“…Wow, that’s it?”

“You really think that’s all? He probably just picked the first decent-looking one he saw.”

As soon as Samuel gave them a morsel, they tore into it, entertained by their own speculations. At least no one seemed to have any complaints about the situation. Just as Samuel was about to breathe a sigh of relief—

“Well, either way, it’s a good thing.”

A smooth, elegant voice cut in. The room fell silent, and all eyes turned toward the speaker.

Standing there, framed by the small gap between the crowd, was a golden-haired angel with a radiant smile.

“C-Captain Linton Vione!”

People exchanged uneasy glances.

If anyone in this room had the most reason to be displeased about the situation, it was undoubtedly Linton Vione.

Linton was the only Guide ever rumored to have any kind of personal connection with Adrian. He was also the Guide Adrian sought out most frequently—and despite being a Gold-level Guide, he had refused to designate an exclusive Esper for the past seven years.

The perfect combination for fueling speculation.

“Take care of me, everyone. As of today, I’m officially part of the Defense Force.”

Still smiling brightly, Linton approached and extended a hand toward Samuel.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Second Lieutenant Samuel Nora. So you’re the precious Guide who saved our dear Adrian?”

“The honor is mine, Captain Linton Vione.”

Instead of shaking Linton’s hand, Samuel shot to his feet and bowed deeply. It was a gesture far more respectful than a handshake—but somehow, Linton felt as if his outstretched hand had been deliberately ignored.

Of course, that was just a suspicion. Samuel’s expression remained utterly unreadable.

“…I heard you’re a Silver-level Guide. Was it difficult, guiding Adrian?”

“I was prepared for it.”

“You’re from the Makas Mountain Division, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“A rough place to come from.”

Linton smiled faintly. Samuel only regarded him with an impassive gaze, offering no reaction.

“Adrian must have been in trouble without me around. Thank you for helping him. I’ll be counting on you from time to time, if needed.”

To any outsider, it might have looked like nothing more than a warm exchange between a senior officer and his junior.

“I have high expectations for you, Second Lieutenant Samuel Nora. I’ll be watching.”

But was that really all there was to it?

Samuel didn’t think so. And surely, neither did Linton.

***

“That was intense.”

“Captain Linton?”

“Who else?”

Peter shook his head. He hadn’t even been the one facing Linton, yet he looked completely drained, as if his energy had been sucked dry.

Samuel let out a small chuckle and shut the window, cutting off the chilly night air.

All new recruits stayed in the barracks assigned to the unit—two people per room. As expected, Samuel was once again sharing a room with Peter.

“So, did you tell the battalion commander?” Peter asked, settling back onto his bed. “That you’re the same Sammy Nora, the little girl who was his patron seven years ago?”

“He already knew.”

“…He knew?”

Peter shot upright, kicking off his blanket in shock. His face was a picture of disbelief.

“I mean, I guess someone like him would figure it out, but… he didn’t say anything? You still lied to him, you know.”

“He didn’t seem to mind. He didn’t say much about it.”

“…Thank God. Seriously, thank God…”

Even if it was a well-known loophole, lying to a noble was still lying to a noble.

Samuel had already steeled himself for the worst. He knew he wouldn’t be punished over something like this, but there was always the risk that his patron might use it as leverage—demanding more guiding than necessary, forcing obligations beyond reason.

He had prepared himself to endure it. He had spent years expecting the worst.

He never imagined reality could be this kind.

With Adrian as his patron, excessive guiding demands didn’t even exist as a concept. If anything, Adrian only ever asked for the absolute minimum required of an Esper.

A smile unconsciously spread across Samuel’s lips.

“So?” Peter leaned forward, watching him closely. “How does it feel? Your first imprint?”