Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 166

I could’ve just waited patiently. But today of all days, I didn’t have the patience to spare.

“…Then go ahead and watch. I’m going to head back.”

“Are, are you sure, Rose?”

“It’s fine.”

I was more eager to escape this suffocating space as soon as possible.

* * *

Rose doesn’t seem to find much interest in events like these.

Well, Rose can always just see Lord Claude at home…

As I turned to leave, I could hear Simeyez and Epine whispering behind me.

I couldn’t bother to explain. I shouldn’t have come to such a place in the first place.

However, wanting to return home quickly was one thing; actually making it back was another story.

The spectator stands were already full, and people just kept pushing in. No matter how much I struggled against the flow of people towards the entrance, it seemed impossible to get closer.

Then…

“Whoa…!”

Suddenly, I was swept away by the crowd pouring in.

Just as my legs gave way and I nearly lost my balance, a strong force yanked my arm, pulling me up as easily as pulling a radish from the soil.

A long shadow was cast over me. A large man had attached himself to my side, steadying me.

Looking up, our eyes met. It was a face I knew.

“Oh?”

“Lady Rose, are you alright?”

The man with dark skin, a ruggedly handsome face, and a distinctive scar above his right eyebrow.

It was Log #3.

Claude had never told me his name, so I didn’t know it until now.

He seemed to drop by the house now and then on Claude’s orders, though this was the first time I had seen him up close since the dessert cafe incident.

“…Hello.”

As I bowed in greeting, Log #3 looked pleased.

“Did you come to watch Lord Claude’s demonstration?”

“Yes, I came for that reason… but I’m just going to head back now. I arrived too late and there are no seats left.”

“Ah, but it wouldn’t do for you to go back, especially not you, Lady Rose. If there are no seats, we must make room for you to watch.”

“No, it’s okay. I was just going to rest at home…”

“Haha, there’s no need to refuse. Please follow me.”

Log #3 led the way with a grin. Without Claude around to keep him in check, he seemed much more easy-going than the stiff demeanor I was accustomed to.

Where he took me was a VIP viewing area separated from the regular seats. Unlike the crowded lower level, this area offered a clear view of the training ground.

The only other person occupying a seat there was another familiar face, Log #2. This meant I had now reunited with two-thirds of the Log Trio.

“Lady Rose looked like a lost duckling walking back, so I hurriedly brought her here.”

Log #3 proudly explained to Log #2. It turned out that Log #2 had reserved the entire space for himself.

“As Lord Claude’s closest, I knew about his participation in the demonstration before anyone else and immediately booked this spot. Some offered up to ten times the normal rate for a seat here, but I didn’t waver.”

At the time, I thought everyone was making too much of a fuss.

Sure, Claude is exceptional, but this is an indoor training ground, not a battlefield. Though it’s as large as several soccer fields combined, they’d still be fighting hologram mutants, not real ones.

Was Claude’s demonstration really that significant? Other high-ranking Espers’ demonstrations seemed sufficient as examples.

It seemed overly competitive for Espers and Guides to scramble for seats like this. I found it hard to understand.

…That was until one side of the training ground opened, and cages large enough to dwarf ten-story buildings were brought in one by one.

“…What is that?”

“Haha, surprised?”

The monstrous and grandiose breathing, the rough texture of rock-solid bodies, and the blatant instinctual aggression towards humans, despite their lack of intelligence, were unmistakably real rock golems encased within the cages.