Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 261

Even after the Head of the Center finished speaking, Claude remained silent for a long time.

Rationally, he must have already reached a conclusion. This matter was very serious, and he knew he was indispensable for resolving it.

Before meeting me, Claude readily accepted any mission assigned to him. It wasn’t out of a considerate desire to protect others but rather to find the peace of death by going berserk from guiding depletion.

So the only reason he was hesitating now was me.

He couldn’t take me along on a mission that might be even more dangerous than the last one. And leaving me alone at the Center, like last time, was also not an option, given the uncertainty of when he could see me again and his lingering concerns about the incident with Daniel.

Therefore, this Code Purple was the worst for him. He didn’t want to leave me behind or take me with him, leaving him with the sole option of bearing the blame for disrupting Arteon’s peace alone.

Claude, fiercely conflicted and exuding a menacing aura, finally spoke.

“…I understand the situation.”

“Yes, I understand that it’s a confusing time for you, but…”

“I’ll think about it, so please leave for today.”

He coldly dismissed the Head of the Center.

“…What?”

The Head of the Center asked, looking dumbfounded, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

Claude, however, was firm.

With a light gesture, he lifted the Head of the Center from his seat and practically shoved him out the door, slamming it shut.

But just because the Head of the Center was gone, the problem didn’t disappear.

As he furrowed his brow and rubbed his face dry, I finally spoke up, unable to hold it in any longer.

“Let’s just go, Lord Claude. They said it has to be you.”

“……”

“And this time, I’ll be by your side.”

“…Don’t say something so ridiculous.”

He cut me off, as if there was no need to hear any more.

From his resolute attitude, I could tell.

Claude was contemplating only two choices: either to stay by my side and bear the blame for ending Arteon’s peace, regardless of how many people died, or to leave me behind and go on the mission alone.

In other words, he wasn’t even considering taking me on the mission.

And that made me angry. Since returning to the Center, he had acted as if he couldn’t let me out of his sight for even a moment. Just yesterday, he had insisted on following me to the guide training center, causing a scene despite my efforts to dissuade him. Yet, in a situation where I should be by his side, he didn’t even consider taking me along.

In the end, my unrefined words burst out, reflecting my chaotic emotions.

“Lord Claude, do you think all of this is just a coincidence?”

When I spoke seriously, Claude finally paused and looked at me.

“…What do you mean?”

“Isn’t it strange? You used to have a guiding allergy, and then it disappeared. Then suddenly, Lord Daniel develops a guiding allergy. And both of you can only receive guiding from me. These events never got mentioned in the original work yet they’re all happening! And they’re all related to me—”

“I told you not to say that bastard’s na…”

In the midst of this, Claude growled at me, missing the point. Of course, he clammed up when I sent him a cold glare.

Taking this opportunity, I let out everything I had wanted to say.

“And now there’s a blaring Code Purple. A mutant with intelligence has killed dozens of people, and an entire village near the border has vanished. Yet, there are no witnesses or clues so far. Can you believe all of this, Lord Claude?”

“…What exactly are you trying to say?”

Claude raised his eyebrows and asked.

“I’m the variable in this story.”

I declared this with conviction.