11

“And the more I think about it, the stranger it gets.”

Delroz muttered with a sinister laugh.

“What reason would a guide have to be out alone at such a late hour? They must have been in cahoots with those who drugged me or knew the plan in advance.”

Banteon, who had been out for a simple nighttime stroll, clamped his mouth shut. Unaware of his actions, Delroz continued in a lower voice.

“If it’s a female guide, I’d keep her even if she were the culprit, but if it’s a man, there’s no need to be lenient. There are many ways to make someone talk without killing them.”

The cover of Banteon’s textbook, which Delroz was holding, crumpled. The thick leather binding was crushed like thin paper, showing Delroz’s deadly intent if the guide turned out to be a man.

No guide would risk leaving the center after curfew and earning demerits, except for someone like Banteon, who received blatant privileges from the center.

Banteon, who had turned pale, struggled to maintain a calm expression. His fingertips felt cold. If an SS-class Esper seriously suspected him, how much could the center protect him?

He abandoned any thought of revealing his identity and gaining freedom.

“…I see. I should be going now.”

“Oh, I kept you longer than I intended.”

Delroz, seemingly done with his business with Banteon, handed over the belongings without further fuss. The study materials, which had felt so light in Delroz’s hands, now seemed as heavy as stones to Banteon.

Banteon hurriedly left the scene, forcing his exhausted legs to walk properly. Once he turned a corner and was out of sight, he leaned against the wall and exhaled deeply.

Delroz watched his retreating figure quietly, his slightly darkened eyes following Banteon until he disappeared.

---

This is a disaster.

Muttering words he wouldn’t normally use, Banteon roughly placed his belongings on the desk. He took off his glasses, which had been obstructing his view, and pressed his tired eyes. Rubbing his forehead and temples with his warm palms, his throbbing head calmed down a bit.

Lately, he had been dealing with frequent headaches from being caught up in unwanted situations. All thanks to Delroz.

If he had saved someone’s life, they should be grateful and move on. But from Delroz’s arrogant speech to his brazen behavior, everything was a mess. Vulgar, rough, and someone Banteon no longer wanted to associate with.

“What should I do now?”

A groan escaped his lips. He didn’t just dislike being entangled with Delroz. It wasn’t just about worrying that he might suffer because he was a male guide. If Delroz discovered that Banteon was the guide, he would be suspected of colluding with those who drugged him. There was no reasoning with him.

Fortunately, Delroz assumed Banteon was a woman because he didn’t feel discomfort during the guiding. But that wasn’t reassuring.

Delroz was in a dazed state now, so he made that assumption. Once he realized it, he would understand that he didn’t feel uncomfortable with a man because he was unconscious.

If he included men in his investigation, the search would narrow quickly.

Another reason was Delroz thinking the guide was a woman because they were beautiful.

“…”

Since becoming an adult, Banteon hadn’t heard it, but as a child, he was often told he looked like a girl or was pretty. He used to hate and reject those words. Now, finding relief in being called pretty was a new experience.

The saying that you never know what life holds was proving true. Realizing this, Banteon nodded and propped his chin on his hand, once again facing the harsh reality.

‘Should I create a temporary Esper match?’

For the first time since entering the center, he considered this. He had rejected being tied to one person, but the current threat made him reconsider. It seemed like a good idea to leave the center with an Esper who worked outside.

No suitable Esper came to mind despite his efforts. Espers of Banteon’s age were already working with their partners around the world.

Banteon organized his thoughts, trying to find a way out of this seemingly impossible situation. As the study fell into heavy silence and the moon slowly rose, his terminal blinked with a notification.

Banteon turned on his terminal screen with a weak gesture and checked the content. A new message was flashing in his personal inbox. It was a message from Teacher Sodel, who had gone back to his hometown.

The message didn’t say much. It thanked Banteon for agreeing to substitute for him, allowing him to be present at his father’s deathbed. Sodel promised to properly thank him when he returned in a few days. Lacking the energy to reply, Banteon tossed the terminal aside with a thud.

He knew he shouldn’t blame Teacher Sodel for going to care for his family, but if it hadn’t been for the substitute classes, he wouldn’t have found himself in this troublesome situation. It would have taken Delroz at least a few years to reach the advanced classes. The center was vast, and Banteon only moved within his designated areas, so he could have easily avoided him.

Banteon couldn’t live without a guide for the several years it would take for Delroz to reach the advanced classes. In that time, Delroz might have given up and matched with a suitable guide. Ultimately, the problem was the substitute classes.

No, even before that, it was wrong that the depletion team had excessively drafted personnel, leading to Banteon having to take on the substitute classes.

“Ah.”

A strong thought crossed his mind. Banteon picked up the terminal again and searched through past notices.

He could join the depletion team. It was a legitimate way to leave the center for a few months without having to find a matching Esper.

The old, abandoned western mine, with its dry and stale air, had never appealed to him before, but now it seemed like the perfect refuge. Banteon meticulously read through the lengthy notice, which started with formal greetings and detailed the conditions and timings for the recruitment of the depletion team.

Fortunately, the recruitment period was still open.

Banteon tapped into his terminal’s address book and found a familiar name. After a few rings, a voice came through the terminal.

Given the arduous nature of the abandoned mine, he would need a reliable helper.

---

“What sudden wind blew you this way?”

“What do you mean?”

“You used to hate the depletion team stuff.”

“Did I?”

“What do you mean, did you?”

Teeroth stomped his foot in frustration. Feeling a bit guilty about making an adult act like a child, Banteon simply continued sipping his tea.

Barely a month had passed since Teeroth returned from his last mission, and now he was being called for another one. He must feel wronged. Despite his occasional childish behavior, A-rank Teeroth was a valuable asset for difficult missions. The higher the risk, the longer the break upon return. Teeroth had just finished a high-ranking mission and was still enjoying his break, which Banteon had abruptly ended.

Banteon felt a little sorry but knew his own situation was more urgent.

“I’ll make it up to you next time.”

“With what? How? No, why did you volunteer for this?”

Teeroth was more curious about Banteon’s reason for joining the depletion team than about his lost break. Except for the mandatory dungeon excursions during his training days, Banteon had never voluntarily joined the depletion team.

Living in makeshift tents was something he hated. Hot, cold, and uncomfortable places to wash made it the worst possible environment for him.

“Fulfilling my noble duty?”

“You know that excuse is worthless.”

“What’s with that tone?”

“Put yourself in my shoes and see if you can speak nicely!”

Teeroth’s tone was always rough, but Banteon didn’t bother pointing that out.

He patted Teeroth’s shoulder, which had stiffened like a rock after being called by the Esper team leader of the depletion team from the morning. Teeroth, who had to work twice as hard to catch up since he joined late, slapped a patch on his back and patted it loudly.

“If I knew it would be this tough, I should have applied alone.”

“Talk sense.”

Teeroth’s voice had calmed a bit.

“If you leave me here after all the times you’ve called me a guard or watchman, I’ll be really mad.”

Banteon shrugged with a light laugh at Teeroth’s firm words. He teased him, asking if he came to watch over him or report something, but both knew the truth.

Born in the same year and having grown up together, Teeroth was closer to Banteon than his own brother.

“Don’t you want to make a matching guide?”

“I’ll decide once you choose your Esper.”

“I’m not planning to match.”

“Then I’ll live with a temporary guide forever.”

Stubborn fellow.

Banteon smiled wryly at Teeroth’s words. In the distant past, they had promised to become Espers together and go on adventures.

In retrospect, it was a bittersweet memory. Banteon had grown up believing he would become an Esper. Everyone, not just the people of the Esrante family, thought so. The child with the strongest bloodline of Esrante. They believed he would at least become a B-rank Esper.