Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 220

“You’re the one who’s crazy. Don’t mess with Rose. When Lord Claude returns, you’ll…”

“Oh, are you so scared that you’ll be her loyal lapdog for however long it takes, whether it’s three months, six months, or a year, Epine?”

“…What?”

“Frankly, what does she do here at the Center, besides regular guiding which is our duty, or doing odd jobs like an office worker over there? Does she attend classes and get good grades? What else does she do?”

“…You really!”

Epine was furious. She looked ready to pounce on Razne.

But she couldn’t. Widrow, the Esper standing beside Razne, stood up.

With his large frame, Widrow blocked Epine menacingly.

“Whoa, calm down. Honestly… she’s not wrong, is she?”

“Hey, there are things you should and shouldn’t say…”

Widrow chuckled, as if wondering why Epine was so worked up over something so trivial.

“If you didn’t want to follow Lord Claude on his expedition, you shouldn’t have imprinted with him and should have just fulfilled your regular guiding duties like the other Guides. If you were going to imprint with him, you should have found a way to follow him on the expedition and be of help. What role does a Guide like you even play?”

Widrow sneered.

To the Espers, Claude was almost a divine figure. They respected and revered him.

The problem was… that didn’t mean they viewed me favorably.

The resentment of the Espers, who lost the chance to receive guiding from a high-compatibility Guide, was directed not at the untouchable Claude, but at me.

Coupled with Widrow’s bravado to win Razne’s favor, it made things worse.

“What do you know? Rose wanted to go with him so badly! It’s not her fault that Lord Claude cherished her too much to take her along…”

“…Stop, Epine.”

When I intervened, Epine looked back at me with a face full of frustration, ready to fight Widrow.

“Rose, but…”

“Don’t waste your energy on this.”

It’s not entirely wrong…

The fact that Claude didn’t take me along cannot excuse me from my responsibilities.

Claude has a strong aversion to physical contact due to his guiding allergy trauma. Normally, he needs to receive guiding at least once every two weeks to avoid physical strain, but he has been on the battlefield for three whole weeks now.

Even though I urged him to contact Oscar if it got tough, it would never be an easy task for Claude. He would likely prefer to endure without receiving guiding.

…In such a situation, the last thing I wanted to do was waste my time engaging in petty conflicts with the other guides.

“Demona, I’m done. If there’s anything else you need me to do, just let me know.”

“Oh…? Ah, no. You’ve helped enough…”

Demona, who had been nervously glancing around, muttered in a subdued voice.

But Razne seemed to misunderstand my intention to ignore her as a sign of surrender.

Thinking she had the upper hand, Razne became even more arrogant.

“Indeed, if I were Lord Claude, I wouldn’t have taken Rose to the battlefield either. What good is an unstable Guide who can’t even consistently provide guiding?”

“……”

“Do you think Lord Claude regrets it now? Perhaps he wishes he hadn’t imprinted with her. If it weren’t for this girl, he could at least be receiving guiding from Shana or Oscar.”

“……”

“Why don’t you say something yourself, Rose Valentine? Besides causing trouble, what exactly do you do?”

If it had been any other insult, it wouldn’t have affected me.

Calling me short, average-looking, or having my head in the clouds…

Such remarks would make me angry, but they wouldn’t hurt me.

But Razne’s words struck a chord deep inside me, touching on the insecurities I tried so hard to deny.

Even though I tried to ignore it, the truth in her words left me feeling deeply despairing and wounded.

“……”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

As expected, Razne looked triumphant, seeing my broken expression.

Then it happened.

“……You speak with a hidden blade, Lady Razne.”

Razne’s head snapped around.

Daniel had stood up at some point.

“It’s better to keep your mouth shut than to spew baseless assumptions that hurt others.”

“W-What did you say…?”

“The Lord Claude I know is wise enough to foresee several steps ahead in any situation. He has never regretted choosing Miss Rose, and he never will.”

Daniel, rarely seen with such a cold expression, spoke.

His tone was calm and devoid of emotion, but it was clear that he was furious.