Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 150

Feeling a bad premonition about getting entangled in an annoying task, I adamantly denied it.

“Not at all? My reputation among the Guides is really bad. The Guides really dislike me. Have you forgotten how I broadly sniped at them, suggesting they use their brains if they have any?”

“Ah, no need to be modest. Your praises are all over among the Guides.”

“That’s not true.”

“Do you really not know, Rose?”

“Know what!”

“Recently… in the Guide Division, you’re called ‘Honey Badger’.”

“Honey… what?”

“You didn’t know? See, you’re quite clueless sometimes. Yes, it exists. Small in size but cute… and most importantly, incredibly brave and fierce.”

Demona proceeded to explain just how brave and fierce a honey badger is, as I listened, bewildered.

…So, why am I that, exactly?

But Demona’s shocking revelations didn’t end there.

“See, Rose. It seems you’re not aware, but… you’ve become quite ‘hot’ among the Guides lately.”

“…What?”

Hot Rose. What is that, a warm iced Americano or cinnamon without the spice?

“Think about it. How many Guides have wanted to guide Lord Claude? But he officially never accepted guiding from any Guide in the center. And then, for the first time, Lord Claude allowed someone by his side, and it was you. Not just allowed, but when faced with a 200 billion Berks fine for unauthorized imprinting, he declared you were worth far more and willingly paid double, 400 billion Berks, because he cherishes you that much.”

“Ah, but there’s a reason for that…”

“Anyway. And you, becoming the one and only dedicated Guide of that remarkable person, are not even Cinderella but more like the prince who woke Sleeping Beauty. The Guide who saved Lord Claude, who could rage at any moment, with a matching rate of 97.83%. No Esper can say Lord Claude is too good for you.”

“…”

“Actually, this is a secret… Although it can’t be officially said, the Center’s executives are relieved that you and Lord Claude completed the imprinting before any other Espers had a chance. Otherwise, there would have been a war over you, which would have been a huge headache.”

“What… a war?”

“Yes, certainly.”

Demona stated with conviction.

I felt somewhat awkward and fiddled with the tip of my hair, knowing Demona’s words were not entirely exaggerated.

Thinking back, the declaration to pay double still irks me, but Claude willingly paid 400 billion Berks for an imprinting that didn’t even happen.

Espers would do anything to get a high-matching Guide, even if it means waging war with their idol, Claude.

“Even in a world where Guides stand above Espers… the value of a Guide is ultimately determined by their guiding. Without the desire from the most capable Espers, a Guide’s value inevitably drops. Shana being the queen bee in the Guide Division, and Oscar having the highest salary among the Guides despite failing every time, are all for that reason. In that sense, you were already at the pinnacle of power even before you entered the Guide Division, despite the noise about the unauthorized imprinting.”

“…”

“Sure, proud Guides might have shown you their teeth at first. But, contrary to everyone’s expectations that you would flaunt your imprinting with Claude, you turned out to be humble, hardworking, and competent… So, the Guides don’t dislike you anymore. It might be the opposite, if anything.”

…All the hard work was because I was blinded by money, trying to overcome the guilt of Claude scattering 400 billion Berks to the sky for my sake, even earning petty cash.

Me, who sniped at the lower-scored Guides to use their brains if they had any, hearing I’m humble?

Confused by all this, Demona shrugged her shoulders, concluding her statements.

“Well, for these and various other reasons, you’ve kind of become an idol among the Guides recently.”

“An idol…?”

“Yeah. An idol with both fans and anti-fans. Did you know the attendance rate of the Guides has increased by over 20%? Whether they like you or not, now the Guides want to be recognized as diligent and competent, just like you.”

Honey Badger, hot Rose, and now an idol.

An idol, seriously? Those haughty Guides want to be like me?