Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 172

“I noticed I’m excluded from the deployment personnel. Why am I left out? Add me too.”

I got to the point of why I had come.

Hearing this, Claude’s face hardened.

He was silent for a moment, then gave a signal to the Espers around with his eyes. The Espers, who had been looking back and forth at us with wide eyes, took the hint and backed away.

Watching this, I was certain. Ah, it must have been Claude’s doing that I was excluded from the deployment.

Once the Espers had moved away enough, he finally spoke.

“Rose, the battlefield I’m going to is the most dangerous border area in Arteon. You don’t have real combat experience, and especially not enough since you’ve only recently become a Guide. It’s not a place you can handle.”

“….”

“Stay safe in the Center, eat lots of good food, and rest. Okay?”

Again. Again. Again!

Treating me like a child to be pacified!

Heat rushed to my chest.

I’m clearly an adult. Thinking I’d just be happy being fed and full! Thinking that I would just indulge in luxury at the Center while sending my Esper into battle alone!

Thinking I’m just a kid who only cares about eating, sleeping, and playing. Obviously, that’s why he thinks I’m not suitable to bring to the battlefield!

“I haven’t been a Guide for long, but so what! I’m the ace of the Guide Division, didn’t you hear? The other Guides are nothing special! I scored the highest on the tests! In the mock training, my teammates passed because of me, and they pooled their prize money for me! Everyone praises me for my bravery!”

“Rose….”

Claude tried to grab my hand with a perplexed look, clearly attempting to soothe me.

I shook him off harshly. Suddenly, I noticed Oscar standing next to Claude, listening in.

Oscar was pretending to step back but was actually staying nearby, all ears. He seemed thrilled by someone else’s couple fight.

Seeing his stupid face made my blood boil even more.

“Even that stupid Oscar is going with you!”

“What, me? What’s wrong with me….”

Oscar flinched.

“Oscar only knows how to flirt with female Espers! During mock training, he was just squealing in the back and was utterly useless the whole time!”

“…Hey, Azalea. Even so, isn’t it too blatant to talk badly about someone right in front of them?”

“So what.”

“Well, no, I didn’t mean for you to do anything about it….”

How did such similar people end up together? Oscar muttered, but it was none of my business.

As I was fuming, Claude touched his forehead with a frustrated look.

“Rose, just… go home for now. We’ll continue this discussion there.”

Seeing his face made my heart sink.

There are two ways Claude reacts when we have a conflict due to differing opinions. He usually gives in, but on certain issues, he never concedes.

This time it was the latter.

Claude had no intention of taking me on the deployment.

***

I went on a full-blown hunger strike.

Claude seemed adamant about not backing down, so I steeled myself. Since Claude was obsessively fixated on whether or not I ate, I thought this would surely shake him.

Of course, I didn’t starve myself completely. Before going home, I stopped by the Guide Division and had a hearty solo meal, enough to sustain me for at least two meals.

Then I declared a hunger strike to Claude, who had returned home laden with tasty treats to appease me.

Naturally, to the meal-obsessed fanatic Claude, this must have sounded like a bolt from the blue.

“Eat.”

“No!”

I felt Claude sit beside my bed.

Humph, I pulled the blanket over my head.

“Get up. Let’s talk.”

“I don’t want to.”

“…Rose.”

“Why should I? You never tell me anything. I had to hear about your deployment and my exclusion from Shana. From now on, if I have something to say, I’ll speak to Oscar, and you can hear about it through him too!”

“….”

I held out, but I couldn’t stop Claude from physically lifting me up with the blanket.

I knew I couldn’t match his strength, but it’s just so infuriatingly unfair.