Chapter 181
Claude left.
To a place far, far away.
Yet, before my eyes, another Esper suffering from pre-rampage symptoms has collapsed. Is this déjà vu?
It wasn’t Claude, of course, but in many ways, it reminded me of our first encounter.
Despite being soaked in cold sweat, his uniform completely covered his skin, tailored for Espers. He lay weakly, yet his presence was too significant to ignore.
If it weren’t for his dazzling blonde hair gleaming faintly in the moonlight, I might have mistaken him for Claude returning to see me.
The man was writhing in pain on the dirt ground, gasping for air as if he were drowning in deep waters.
And though this was only my second time dealing with such a situation, I had become somewhat experienced. Though startled, I managed to regain my composure quicker than when I was with Claude.
“Hey, you’re having pre-rampage symptoms, right? Can you hold on without losing consciousness?”
Guuh…!
No response came; he was almost out of his senses.
In that state, the chances of overcoming the rampage on his own were slim. With Claude, I had been too flustered and tried to approach him immediately, but actually, it’s best not to approach an Esper in such a condition rashly.
I took a step back and shouted over his violently shaking back.
“Just hang on! There are many other Espers and Guides nearby, I’ll bring someone right away!”
A Guide was needed to handle his impending rampage, and possibly other Espers to subdue him if necessary.
Fortunately, due to the party, there were many Espers and Guides nearby who could come immediately despite the late hour.
Just as I was about to turn away from him to call for help…
My wrist was suddenly grabbed.
With a brute force that I couldn’t resist, I was dragged away like a paper doll.
“Ah!”
I was flung to the ground. My rear numb and my mind blank, the man, half-collapsed, propped himself up on his arms beside me.
Suddenly, a massive body loomed over me, blocking any escape.
A dark shadow cast over me, and naturally, I tried to run away…
“…Guides, no.”
The next moment, I froze. Even hoarse and mixed with a metallic sound, that sweet low voice wasn’t new to me.
Underneath the bowed head, I could faintly see the man’s features.
“…Guides, no, Guides…”
Even as he could barely hold his head up, he murmured to me in a weary voice.
“Look up, please!”
I grabbed his chin and sharply lifted it. Without any resistance, his head was raised, and I could finally see his face clearly.
His hair, muddied with dirt and sweat, still didn’t lose its brilliance. Blue eyes shimmering mysteriously in the moonlight.
Exquisitely detailed features, beautiful like a crafted sculpture. Despite panting from the fever, his innocent appearance was unmistakable.
One of Claude’s subordinates, the kindest Esper I knew, who had bought me bread and protected me from Claude, yet whom I hadn’t seen since that day…
“Log…!”
Unlike the other logs, Log 1 had been perfect even in beauty.
I had been wondering what had happened to him since he had been out of sight for so long! I never thought we would meet again like this!
Startled by my joyful exclamation, Log 1’s eyes suddenly sparkled open. His eyes, as refreshing as the cool summer sea, finally met mine directly.
He squinted as if having trouble focusing, staring at me for a while…
“…Miss Rose, is that you?”
He finally recognized me and looked perplexed.
“How long has it been! Have you been well?”
“…”
Ah, it wasn’t the time for pleasantries.
In my excitement, I momentarily forgot that Log was obviously in a bad state, visible to anyone. I hastily said,
“Just wait, there’s a party nearby so there are many Espers and Guides around. I’ll call them…”
“…I don’t need any guiding.”
Log weakly shook his head and answered.
“Why not…”
“There, the bag…”
…If he insists not to. What can I do?
Eventually, I did as he asked and crawled to fetch his bag, which was lying far away. After receiving the bag, Log shakily pulled something out.
It was a syringe, filled with a fluorescent green substance that looked like it should never be injected into a body.
I knew it well—it was a guiding medicine.
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