Chapter 174
Why won’t he say anything…?
Just as I was feeling wronged,
“Indeed… It’s common for bonds to form between Espers and Guides who deploy together.”
“?”
“It’s exhausting and difficult, and they only have each other to rely on.”
“….”
He looked serious.
As if he wasn’t sure he could resist if Shana flirted with him on deployment.
…Is that really something to say in front of me right now?
I knew Claude was teasing me. It’s always been his perverse pleasure to make fun of me.
Normally, I would have snapped at him.
How could he say that, suggesting he’s setting the stage for infidelity?
But now…
“Hiing….”
Suddenly, my eyes began to burn and my vision blurred.
Choking back a sob, regret flickered across Claude’s brazen face.
He sighed and quickly backtracked.
“Ah, Rose, I’m sorry. I was just teasing because your jealousy is cute.”
“I’m being serious, why do you keep joking….”
“…Yeah, my bad.”
“Come here.”
He pulled me onto his lap and gently kissed my tear-streaked cheeks.
The ticklish sensation made me blink rapidly, and tears fell from my lashes.
He gently stroked my back and whispered,
“Have you ever heard the saying not to take your Guide-lover to the battlefield?”
“…Huh?”
“When you deploy, everyone gets tired and sensitive. Far from developing new affections, even existing ones are strained to the point of breaking. There are so many pairs whose relationships sour after returning from the battlefield that it’s inevitable these sayings spread.”
It seems like he’s saying that even if he goes on a deployment with Shana, there’s no chance for any affection to develop between them…
Suddenly, I remembered Claude picking on the Espers about their facial features during the imprint inspection.
…Could it be?
“Claude, I didn’t think you were one to believe in such superstitions…”
“Rose, the place I’m headed to… It’s so dangerous and harsh that no other Espers could handle it. Getting hurt is common, and though rare, there are instances of losing lives. In the battlefield, protecting the Guide is the priority, but occasionally even Guides become casualties.”
“But you literally just said that it’s really rare…!”
“Have you ever seen someone dying? Writhing in pain, gushing blood, and then everything starts to slow down. Eventually, all movement stops, and the last spark of life fades from their eyes… That’s death.”
“….”
“Death is futility in itself. No matter how well prepared, it can happen in an instant for unexpected reasons.”
His red eyes bore an unfathomable depth.
Claude, having witnessed countless deaths and injuries on the battlefield, pictured my death very specifically and vividly due to his close encounters with it.
He worries about me. Not because he doesn’t trust me, but because he loves me.
Perhaps we’re experiencing similar emotions for each other. Just as I was anxious only for him during the combat demonstration, fearing he might get hurt.
Lost in thought, he gazed down at me and chuckled lightly.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He bowed his head, touching his forehead to mine, lightening his tone.
“And the environment is too harsh for you to endure. Just the travel alone takes weeks, and you have to endure camping in the wilderness. Not being able to eat, sleep, and rest properly isn’t just hard on Guides, but you would be utterly exhausted just from spending half a day at the Guide Division.”
“….”
“And you’re already so fearful. There’s no need to volunteer for hardship that you can easily avoid.”
“…I’m not that scared.”
I grudgingly accepted his explanation but still grumbled, and his expression turned peculiar. Clearly, he didn’t agree.
I felt a bit wronged. I had indeed been scared a lot, but that was only because it was him.
If anyone at the Center claims they’re not scared of Claude, let them show themselves.
“Really… the Guides even gave me a nickname… they call me ‘honey badger,’ I think it means very brave or something…”
As I rambled on with my excuses, he listened quietly and then suddenly burst into laughter.
“Really? Who came up with such a ridiculous nickname?”
He shook his head and chuckled heartily.
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