The most viable method was to slip it in during combat. Amid the mix of energy from other Espers and its constant fluctuation, the odds of getting caught were low. Normally, distinguishing such subtle differences would be near impossible—but for Banteon, who could see energy with his own eyes, that was more than enough.
However, the only Guides allowed near an Esper during battle were either their matched Guide or someone from their own squad. Banteon didn’t fall under either category.
“Team 1 already has matched Guides for everyone except Delroz. Team 2 sometimes joins operations, but over there… I don’t really know anyone…”
“Now that you mention it, Keslan’s in Team 2.”
“Huh? That little brat?”
He had already checked Keslan’s name on the roster before departure. Since Keslan didn’t have a matched Guide and his energy matched well with Banteon’s, tagging along as his temporary Guide was a suitable solution.
Even upon finding this long-awaited workaround, Tearot didn’t look pleased.
“Well… that might be a problem.”
“What happened?”
“Keslan’s out of this operation due to an injury.”
“What? How did that happen?”
Banteon, who had spent time with him in the tent just days ago, knew better than anyone. Since that day, there had been no dispatch orders. There hadn’t even been a battle—so what could possibly cause an A-rank Esper to get hurt? Tearot responded to the question with little concern.
“No idea, maybe he’s faking it to avoid getting deployed? He’s still a kid—it’s possible.”
“There’s no way the management would pull someone from an operation just because they pretended to be injured. That’s not Keslan’s personality either.”
“Who knows. I never liked that guy anyway.”
It was just the kind of thing someone would say when they had a habit of barging in whenever Keslan was near Banteon. Come to think of it, Tearot had always been strangely wary of Keslan, even though Banteon was constantly surrounded by younger, cuter Esper students.
“I’ll have to ask him next time I see him.”
“As if there’s some special reason. He probably just slipped while wandering around carelessly.”
Tearot added bluntly. The idea of an A-rank tripping and getting injured—it was a story even a child wouldn’t believe. Tearot, who had been playing it off with an air of indifference, suddenly clapped his hands with a sharp smack, as if he’d realized something.
“Ah, there’s another way.”
“What is it?”
“The Guide Squad Leader position is temporarily vacant. If you take that role, you’ll have regular access to Commander Sotenru and that guy.”
At Tearot’s suggestion, Banteon’s face immediately twisted in displeasure. Squad Leader of the Guides? Just hearing the title sounded like a hassle—troublesome and cumbersome.
Unlike the reluctant Banteon, Tearot beamed as if he’d had a stroke of genius.
“Better than playing temporary Guide for some other guy, right?”
“Well… yeah. I guess there’s no helping it.”
Though he wasn’t thrilled, he gave a reluctant nod.
***
“Just the fact that you’re here is an honor, and now you’re taking on this role as well…”
“Not at all. I should have informed you earlier, but I was caught up in too many thoughts. I apologize for the delay.”
Sotenru, who had been struggling to find a suitable person to take the Guide Squad Leader position, lit up when Banteon volunteered for the post. While Banteon’s insides were filled with irritation, he offered a professional smile.
“This is my first time holding a leadership role, so I’m a little worried about doing it well.”
“‘Squad Leader’ might sound grand, but it’s honestly just a bunch of chores—managing people, making reports…”
“No task is less important than another. In this situation, everything matters.”
“As expected of you, Banteon-nim.”
Eyes filled with admiration seemed to pierce through his skin. Banteon turned his head slightly, uncomfortable with the overwhelming gaze, and handed over the pre-prepared Guide deployment chart.
“Ah, thank you for your hard work.”
As Sotenru received the chart and flipped to the first page, his fingers twitched. At the very top was Banteon’s name—positioned at the frontmost line of Team 1, right beside Delroz.
“I appreciate the initiative, but… that placement is too dangerous for your first deployment.”
“That’s precisely why I want to be at the front in the beginning. Once we move deeper in, I’ll switch out with a more experienced Guide.”
“Even so…”
Sotenru lowered his head, falling into deep thought. If Banteon took the lead, it would surely boost morale—but if he got injured, it would become a major problem. As commander of the Subjugation Squad, Sotenru bore full responsibility for Banteon’s safety.
Suddenly, an idea struck. Sotenru raised a hand toward the rear, where Delroz stood leaning against a tree.
“Delroz-nim! Do you have a moment?”
Delroz turned his head and frowned, clearly displeased, yet he responded to Sotenru’s call and approached.
With long strides, Delroz walked straight over and looked down at the two men, arms crossed.
“Ah, Delroz-nim—this is the new Guide Squad Leader. His name is Banteon Esran—”
“I know.”
Delroz cut him off abruptly, speaking without any sense of courtesy. Sotenru, used to such interruptions, continued without missing a beat.
“Would it be possible to assign Banteon-nim as your temporary Guide for this operation?”
“…What?”
The one who answered was Banteon.
What the hell was this supposed to mean?
Caught off guard by Sotenru’s unannounced move, Banteon’s pupils quivered. Sure, he needed to stay close to Delroz and wait for the right opportunity—but the thought of being assigned as his temporary Guide, standing right at his side, had never once crossed his mind.
Apparently, Delroz wasn’t pleased with the suggestion either. He furrowed his brows, glancing back and forth between Sotenru and Banteon.
“Due to personal circumstances, Delroz-nim currently doesn’t have a temporary Guide. It’d be much safer for you to take that spot rather than being at the frontlines of Team 1…”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Banteon cut him off before Delroz could speak. Personal circumstances, he said—because there were no Guides capable of handling Delroz, his slot had remained empty. And now Banteon was being pushed into it. He refused, firmly.
“I accepted the risks when I agreed to come. There’s no need to worry.”
“If a beast appears, it could be dangerous.”
“Aha.”
Listening in on the conversation, Delroz chuckled faintly, stroking his chin as he pieced together the situation.
“So, basically, you’re saying I should babysit the precious guest to make sure he doesn’t get a scratch?”
Delroz’s gaze swept Banteon in one swift motion. There was nothing kind about the way his eyes moved—from the ground up, his stare skimmed along before pausing briefly on the faint scar along Banteon’s cheek.
“Whatever. Doesn’t matter to me.”
“There’ll be personal guards assigned to the temporary Guides, so it’s fine.”
Ignoring the response, Delroz spoke directly to Sotenru. Espers below C-rank weren’t sent into combat—instead, they were tasked with guarding the Guides. That should have been sufficient, but Sotenru shook his head.
“Most of the Espers this time lack field experience.”
“Everyone has to start somewhere. I don’t have much experience in the Subjugation Squad either, so we’ll all learn together.”
Sotenru didn’t seem ready to back down from Banteon’s refusal. As the conversation dragged on, Delroz, clearly unimpressed, clicked his tongue and muttered:
“He wants to throw himself to the beasts, just let him.”
“Delroz-nim…”
Startled by the blunt remark, Sotenru tried to rein him in. Banteon’s temper flared at the mocking tone and he snapped his eyes toward Delroz.
“Being next to a C-rank might be safer than standing beside someone who couldn’t care less about protecting their Guide.”
“…What?”
“You said it yourself yesterday. That you didn’t care about Guide protection since you had more than enough people lining up for you. How is anyone supposed to trust someone like that and stand beside them?”
Only then did Delroz’s expression twist, recalling his own words from the day before. He looked like he wanted to argue, lips parting—then curling into a lopsided smirk.
“Got a damn good memory, don’t you.”
“I tend to remember things.”
Banteon shot back without hesitation. Delroz’s grin deepened.
“So that’s how it’s gonna be.”
Uncrossing his arms, Delroz turned to Sotenru.
“Put Banteon Esrante down as my temporary Guide.”
“Delroz-nim, I don’t think that’s what Banteon-nim meant…”
But Delroz ignored Sotenru entirely and stepped forward until he was right in front of Banteon.
“After all that disregard, I can’t just let it go. Since fate’s handed me this guy, I’ll make sure not a single hair on his head gets touched—so you’d better be grateful and stick close. Don’t get in my way.”
Without waiting for a response, Delroz turned and walked off.
The oppressive force of his presence disappeared, and Sotenru exhaled deeply, face pale. Caught in the middle, his eyes darted anxiously.
“Uh… what would you like to do?”
“…Haah.”
A sigh came out before he could stop it—wrinkles forming before his eyes. He met Sotenru’s worried gaze, feeling even more trapped thanks to the man’s meddling.
Still, Banteon wasn’t so immature as to lash out at him. Forcing a polite public-facing smile, he answered with effort.
“It’s fine. You can proceed as he said.”
“I haven’t known him long, but despite the way he talks, he didn’t seem like a bad person.”
“I know.”
He said he knew—but in truth, he didn’t understand him at all. Offering a courteous answer to Sotenru, Banteon’s mind spun in circles.
In the end, this worked in his favor. He’d gotten exactly what he wanted—access to Delroz’s side. The success rate was far higher now than it would’ve been standing at the front of Team 1.
But still… why did it feel so off?
Even though things had gotten easier, a vague unease began creeping in—quietly, but persistently, from somewhere deep inside his chest.
