“What was that?”
“Physical contact without a Guide’s permission is prohibited.”
“……”
At Tearot’s reprimand, Keslan’s gaze turned sharp. With a fierce look in his eyes, he seemed to realize too late that Banteon was right beside him, and quickly softened his expression. Ignoring Tearot’s remark as if he hadn’t heard it, he turned back to Banteon.
“Sir, if you just arrived, there must be a lot you haven’t seen yet. I can show you around. I came with the first wave of reinforcements, so I’ve been here for about a week.”
If he had a tail, it would’ve been wagging furiously. Lightly ignored, Tearot just shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t care.
Keslan smiled with his usual expression.
His gentle eyes curved like crescent moons, and his soft brown hair gave him the harmless look of a young retriever. He still matched Banteon’s type perfectly.
“Is there anywhere you’d like to see? Where’s your tent?”
Keslan cozied up to Banteon and looped his arm through his. Expecting Tearot to interfere, he moved to Banteon’s opposite side to cling on.
When Banteon raised his hand to stop Tearot from intervening, Keslan’s smile deepened. The smile of a victor.
“I warned you.”
“You’re okay with this, right, Sir? Do you not like me being close?”
“I don’t mind.”
“……”
Why were two full-grown adults acting so childish? Keslan had always been the clingy type, but even Tearot, usually the smooth and glib one, looked visibly irritated.
With a mischievous grin, Keslan stared directly at Tearot.
“Well then, shouldn’t the Second Subjugation Squad Captain go check on his team? I’ll guide the instructor.”
“Ah-ha?”
“There’s nothing dangerous here. I can handle showing him around just fine by myself.”
One of Tearot’s eyebrows twitched slightly at that remark. As the tension in the air began to grow, Banteon raised his hand and gently pushed Keslan away. He ruffled his hair softly and turned to Tearot.
“He’s not wrong. You should go check on your team. I heard deployment starts tomorrow.”
“……”
Tearot clenched his lips, unwilling to acknowledge it, even though he agreed with Banteon’s reasoning. Banteon nudged him again.
“Don’t be stubborn. What if your squad leader’s gone for too long?”
“They’re not newbies. They’ll manage just fine.”
“There you go again, being unreasonable.”
“Haa…”
Tearot let out a long sigh and glared toward the main camp with a face full of dissatisfaction. Even he knew it didn’t make sense. What kind of squad leader just leaves their team to fend for themselves?
“Let me know when you get to your tent. I’ll help you unpack.”
“Alright, alright. See you later.”
“……Make sure you contact me.”
Dragging his feet reluctantly, Tearot slowly walked down the corridor. Once his back completely disappeared from view, Keslan reattached himself to Banteon’s arm with an elated expression.
“I can help you unpack!”
“Keslan.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t provoke Tearot too much. You know there’s still a gap, even if you’re both A-Rank.”
“……Yes.”
He replied meekly to the firm tone. Tearot and Keslan were both classified as A-Rank. But Tearot’s rank was only due to an imbalance in his stats. His power output and concentration were both on par with an S-Rank.
Compared to Keslan, who barely scraped into A-Rank, there was no real comparison.
“There’s nothing to gain from stirring up bad blood. If you keep challenging someone you can’t beat, you’re the one who loses.”
“You’re right… That’s true. For now.”
Even as he admitted defeat, he still didn’t seem ready to give up. Banteon let out a small laugh.
“Well, it’s not a bad thing for an Esper to be competitive. Just don’t act like that while we’re on a mission together.”
“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good. That’s a good boy.”
When Banteon tousled his hair roughly as a reward, Keslan beamed brightly, showing his teeth. No matter how you looked at him, he really was like a puppy.
“If you’ve been here a week, I guess you’ve already settled in?”
“Yes! But I kind of wish I came later. If I had, I wouldn’t have missed the big show back at the Center.”
“Big show?”
“Oh, right, you probably wouldn’t know. It happened while you were on your way here. The Center got turned upside down again a few days ago.”
Keslan, having already forgotten his earlier sulk, began chattering excitedly.
“That SS-Rank—you know, Delroz. A few days after the Second Subjugation Squad departed, he apparently smashed the Center Director’s office.”
“What?”
“He wrecked Block C too, so trashing the director’s office must’ve been nothing. They say he accused the director of deliberately hiding a Guide. This time, he even wiped the entire Guide list from the other Centers.”
The infamous Guide Banteon’s face subtly stiffened. He’d thought he could live in peace without hearing about that rude, unhinged man once he left the Center. But that had been a serious misjudgment. No matter where he went, the rumors seeped in on their own.
“He even took the list of Guides already matched with other Espers. He’s absolutely insane.”
“…That’s intense.”
“He’s basically saying he’ll steal a Guide if he likes them, even if they’re already matched. Now all the Espers are on edge, terrified he’ll target theirs.”
“…That’s a real problem.”
“Well, I don’t have a Guide to lose, so I’m not worried.”
Keslan leaned in closer to Banteon, nuzzling his cheek slightly as if trying to absorb more of his presence.
“Thank goodness that lunatic SS-Rank isn’t after you.”
“…Yeah.”
Banteon forced a reply and turned his pale face away.
***
Banteon arrived in front of his tent, which had been hastily put together—clearly showing signs of being set up in a rush. It stood out among the others, immaculately clean and sharply structured. His belongings, which had arrived in advance, were neatly stacked at the entrance.
He walked in weakly and collapsed onto the hard bed, still bare of any personal touches.
Just hearing that Delroz was getting even more aggressive in his Guide search made his heart lurch. Even though he knew he was in a safe place, his body instinctively tensed.
He forced himself to calm his racing heart. Delroz was still in the beginner training phase. He wouldn’t be allowed to leave the Center until completing intermediate-level training, so there was no chance they’d meet during the subjugation period.
The mission would last at least six months. Banteon resolved to endure here for that time. If necessary, he was prepared to stay a full year to avoid Delroz.
While pressing on his tired eyes, a red light blinked on his terminal, followed by a notification chime.
He snatched it irritably and checked the message—it contained his schedule starting from the next day.
It stated that Espers would be dispatched about four days a week, and Guides were required to conduct three hours of guiding daily. If one felt unwell or under the weather, they were expected to report it by morning.
Only now, staring at the stricter schedule than the Center’s, did the reality of where he was finally hit him.
Time to get it together.
Banteon let out a deep sigh. This wasn’t the Center. It was a battlefield—technically a settlement, yes, but one right on the edge of chaos, where monsters could appear at any moment. Here, he had to set aside all thoughts of Delroz and dedicate himself fully to his duties.
If he could last the six months like that, someone else would probably be assigned as Delroz’s temporary Guide by then. There’s no way they’d leave the spot vacant that long.
No matter how exceptional an Esper was, he was still an Esper. Maybe he survived before experiencing guiding, but no one who’s had it once can go half a year without it.
Slowly, Banteon stood and reached toward the stacked luggage.
***
Banteon’s wish to clear his head came true—brilliantly so.
“Support needed for Team 3.”
“This area’s in overcharge too—anyone available to help?”
“I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, Banteon-nim!”
Three hours a day of guiding? As if. Monsters didn’t care about standard working hours. They appeared at all hours without warning, keeping the Espers on constant alert—and dragging the Guides into additional shifts right alongside them.
After minimal rest, Guides were thrown back into the field, and the shadows under their eyes grew darker by the day. After the arrival of the Second Subjugation Squad, to which Banteon belonged, there had been a brief lull—before chaos resumed.
They had begun exploring deeper into the abandoned mines, and unlike the creatures outside, the monsters inside were dangerous enough to be truly life-threatening.
With the core Esper forces dispatched to the mines, the Guides followed. The deeper they went, the more efficient and compatible Guides were prioritized for the missions.
The less experienced Guides and the Second Squad’s support staff remained at the base to comfort the less powerful Espers and fill the gaps.
“Please take a short break.”
“As expected of Banteon-nim…”
Even though everyone knew guiding ability wasn’t hereditary, people still looked at him with reverent eyes. The mere fact that the most prestigious bloodline in the kingdom was braving the harshest frontline gave the subjugation forces a boost in morale.
Praise about him being a model noble trickled in now and then.
“Aren’t you exhausted?”
A Guide from Team 1 cheerfully approached and stood beside Banteon.
“You’ve been pulling extra shifts for three months. We’ve all benefitted from it, but I worry you’ll collapse.”
“I’m alright. I can still hold on.”
“You’re amazing.”
The awe in the voice was genuine. Just like the praise, Banteon himself was surprised at his own stamina. Despite countless guiding sessions, he had never once hit his limit, leading him to believe that his inherent capacity was likely far greater than average.
Of course, there was that one time when he got caught by the rude Delroz—but aside from that, guiding had never felt taxing.
