21

“With that kind of power difference, control doesn’t even matter. He’s just smashing everything.”

“This will be over soon.”

“Wow, he cracked the sandworm’s shell in one hit? It’s really just bursting apart.”

It was a relief that the visibility was poor. Banteon had no desire to see the sight of a giant worm exploding. He clicked his tongue quietly.

Even the way Delroz dealt with monsters was as brutal as ever.

Through the dust cloud that obscured his vision, Banteon could see the silhouette of the largest sandworm collapsing.

“They’re almost done.”

“That was quick.”

“Yeah, there were six when they appeared. Let’s see… One, two… three…”

Teeroth was counting the bodies with his fingers when his actions suddenly stopped. His expression twisted strangely, and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.

“What? Is there a problem…?”

“Watch out!”

Banteon felt a strong force yank him backward, lifting him off the ground. In an instant, he was airborne, and the ground below him receded from view. Teeroth had scooped him up and leaped back quickly.

It wasn’t until he felt a pebble graze his cheek that Banteon realized what was happening. Right where he had been standing, a young sandworm writhed, its grotesque maw lined with dozens of sharp teeth gaping wide.

Instinctive revulsion made Banteon’s shoulders tense.

“Ugh…”

“Cover your face.”

He could feel warm liquid trickling down his cheek, likely from a pebble that had scraped him. When he wiped it with his hand, his fingers came away stained with red. The wound wasn’t deep, though; there was no pain.

But there was no time to worry about pain with the sandworm writhing just in front of him. Despite its bulky appearance, the sandworm moved with surprising agility, twisting to face him. As Banteon stared into its gaping maw, large enough to swallow a person whole, Teeroth’s expression darkened.

Though it was a young sandworm, something Teeroth could handle on his own, the situation was complicated by the fact that Banteon was in his arms. It would be difficult to fight while holding onto him, but leaving him somewhere safe wasn’t an option either, given the sandworm’s speed.

And if there was another hidden monster nearby, he couldn’t risk leaving Banteon alone.

It seemed like the only option was to wait for reinforcements. Teeroth gritted his teeth, frustrated by the dilemma.

Just then, a brilliant light burst through the dust, as the dying rays of the sun pierced through the cloud. The massive shell of the sandworm that had been blocking the light was suddenly split in two, crashing to the ground with a resounding thud.

“You’re really getting on my nerves…”

Delroz emerged from the haze, his figure outlined against the backlight. His once-neat uniform was stained with crimson, and his sweat-drenched black hair clung to his face.

He rolled up his sleeves and ripped off his now blood-soaked gloves, tossing them aside with a wet slap as they hit the ground.

Even as he did this, his gaze remained fixed on Banteon. More precisely, on the small scratch between his mask and hat where the pebble had grazed him.

The intensity of Delroz’s stare made the scratch sting more than it should have. Feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny, Banteon averted his eyes and slipped down from Teeroth’s arms, letting his feet touch the ground. The moment he stood, though, the ground felt unsteady, and he instinctively grabbed Teeroth’s arm for support.

“To think you end up like this just because I looked away for a second.”

“…”

“If you had stayed with the others, this wouldn’t have happened. But no, you just had to wander off for a private conversation. Now look at you.”

“Thank you for saving me.”

Banteon knew he had to be polite, regardless of Delroz’s abrasive tone. After all, Delroz had indeed saved him, and even though Teeroth could have handled the situation, Delroz had prevented any further harm.

“But what we were discussing was personal. We didn’t leave the safety perimeter, so I don’t think it’s fair for you to criticize us.”

Although they were near the edge of the campsite, they were still within the designated safe zone. No one had expected a sandworm to appear there, so it wasn’t as though Banteon had been reckless. If anything, he was the one most affected by the sandworm’s sudden attack.

“…”

Delroz’s expression darkened as he looked at Banteon, clearly displeased. His eyes lingered particularly on Banteon’s hand, which was still holding onto Teeroth’s arm for support.

“A grown man being carried around… pathetic.”

Delroz clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“If you can’t even protect yourself, you shouldn’t have come to a place like this.”

“That’s going too far.”

“Am I wrong? Running around with a Guide in your arms like it’s some kind of game.”

Teeroth, who had been holding his anger in check, finally snapped at Delroz’s words, abandoning the formal tone he had been using. He took a step forward, closing the distance between them, his expression filled with rage.

“Do you think everyone is like you? A Guide’s life is at risk even with just a brush against a sandworm.”

“Then it seems simple—just kill the sandworm quickly. No need to carry them around like they’re fragile.”

“Protecting a Guide is the top priority for any Esper. If you don’t understand that, you don’t deserve to be guided.”

“They seem pretty eager to guide me without any protection—unlike someone else I could mention.”

Disgust. That was the first thing that came to Banteon’s mind. Of course, there would be plenty of Guides lining up to guide someone like Delroz. Even if he didn’t protect them, there were those who wouldn’t care.

Teeroth’s face flushed red with anger. Insulting a Guide was one of the most infuriating things you could say to an Esper.

“You. You’re going to regret that one day.”

“Big dreams, I see.”

“Don’t take Guides lightly.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

“Teeroth, enough.”

There was no point in continuing this conversation with Delroz. Banteon’s intervention caused both men to pause. Teeroth let out a small, frustrated sigh as he reluctantly stepped back. Delroz’s gaze shifted back to Banteon, and then he slowly moved his hand.

Delroz’s large hand rose without hesitation and lightly brushed against Banteon’s cheek. It was a gentle, almost tender gesture. The sudden contact left Banteon momentarily frozen, unable to react.

“…”

What is he thinking? The question buzzed in Banteon’s mind, but his shocked heart didn’t allow the words to form. Delroz withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened, then turned his back to them as naturally as he had approached.

“Get that treated.”

And with that, he walked away just as quickly as he had appeared. Banteon and Teeroth stared after him, still in shock. Once Delroz was out of sight, Teeroth tapped Banteon’s arm. Their eyes met, and Teeroth quickly began typing on his communicator.

Banteon’s device buzzed with a message—an urgent personal note from Teeroth.

[Bante. What’s with that guy? Do you think he knows?]

It was a reasonable assumption. Even Banteon had briefly wondered if Delroz had figured it out, given how out of character his behavior was. But there were too many factors that didn’t add up.

[I don’t think so.]

[Right? If he suspected you were the Guide, he wouldn’t be talking about Guides so dismissively.]

Even Delroz wouldn’t be that reckless if he truly thought Banteon was his Guide. He wouldn’t have withdrawn so easily either.

But the mystery remained unsolved.

[Then why did he do that?]

[I have no idea.]

[Is he going mad? Because I’m about to.]

[Do you think I know?]

Banteon wanted to understand the reason more than anyone.

---

Thanks to the heroic efforts of their skilled SS-rank Esper, the camp remained secure for the night. Banteon moved to a corner of the temporary campsite, away from the main encampment, where they had set up sleeping bags and a campfire in an open area.

After making sure there was no one around, Banteon pulled a small stone from his pocket and activated a barrier to prevent others from overhearing. Teeroth looked at him with mild astonishment.

“You’re the only person I know who’d use something that valuable so casually.”

“We don’t have time for idle chatter. This is temporary, so it won’t last long.”

“Right, so the issue is figuring out how to guide that guy, correct?”

Despite his best efforts to get closer, Banteon hadn’t come up with a clear plan for how to actually guide Delroz. The entire scheme had been haphazard from the start.

“But do you really have to guide him? He seemed fine today.”

“That’s… true.”

“I didn’t feel like helping him either. Honestly, let’s just let him go berserk.”

Banteon almost nodded in agreement. If Delroz were the only one at risk, Banteon would have agreed and left without hesitation. But the scale of the situation was too vast to ignore.

“Didn’t you say his aura was a mess, just like last time?”

“Yeah.”

“That means he’s failed with all the other Guides in the subjugation team.”

After Delroz left Banteon’s tent a few days ago, rumors had spread rapidly throughout the subjugation team. Some Guides had likely approached Delroz, hoping they might succeed where others had failed, only to be disappointed.

Of course, Banteon had heard that Delroz had strictly refused any male Guides. Banteon was the only male Guide he had made contact with. Banteon pressed his fingertips to his temples, trying to relieve the tension.

Teeroth was just as troubled.

“Ugh, the more I think about it, the more my head hurts. The real issue is how to guide him without getting caught, right?”

“Yeah. I need to make contact in a way that only I can detect. Just a brief touch would do.”

“That ghost-like guy will be tough to fool.”

Teeroth was right. With Delroz’s heightened senses, even the slightest attempt at guiding him could easily be detected. The challenge wasn’t just in making contact—it was in doing so without arousing suspicion.