Chapter 319
“Everyone, wake up!”
Two Espers entered, shouting like thunder. The lights came on, and the Guides who had been sleeping were startled awake.
Without understanding why, we were lined up in two rows in front of the door.
“Move immediately! Hurry up!”
As we left the room, the hallway was unusually crowded. Guides from other rooms were also being forcibly pulled out and lined up, moving according to the Espers’ shouts.
Unlike me, who was anxious because I didn’t know what was happening, the other Guides seemed surprised but calm. This meant that such events occurred frequently, and for now, it didn’t pose a significant threat to us.
We were herded into another room. The entrance was no different from the other rooms, but the interior was exceptionally spacious.
The Guides were driven in like livestock and locked inside the room.
“Sometimes we have visitors from outside. When that happens, to prevent our existence from being discovered by them, we are gathered and hidden in advance,” Helga explained.
Hearing this, I felt as if I had been hit on the back of the head.
Yes, that’s right. This is a pharmaceutical institution. That’s why Guides have been trapped here for over a decade, and despite the frequent comings and goings of Espers, they’ve managed to avoid outside suspicion. However, at the same time, they couldn’t completely avoid periodic contact with external audit agencies or partner companies.
No matter how connected they were to the Espers inside the Center, it would have been difficult to control all visitors thoroughly. If they could, they wouldn’t need to hide us like this.
So, if those visitors discovered the truth about this place…
It would be hard for them to believe that Guides have been trapped here for over a decade. But if we could somehow let them know…
“Can’t we contact them?”
After a moment of internal conflict, I couldn’t hold back and asked. Bewildered looks were instantly directed at me. Everyone had expressions as if I were saying something absurd.
But I had a conviction. Outside, Guides are precious people who should be protected. While that common sense doesn’t apply here, the visitors who come here from outside might be different.
“If we can somehow get out of this room and meet them, and let them know our situation, there might be a way.”
If they became aware of the existence of Guides being exploited here for so long, maybe they could provide a clue to overcoming the current situation.
While my heart started to race with hope, the Guides’ reactions were not encouraging.
Someone finally grumbled.
“How are we supposed to get out of here?”
Following the voice, I turned my head and saw a familiar face. It was the male Guide who had first reported to the Espers that I had woken up after entering this place.
He looked at me with a disdainful expression and sneered.
“All the rooms that confine Guides are structured so that once the door is closed from the outside, it can’t be opened from the inside without a key. Obviously, the key is outside. So how do you plan to get out? By climbing through that ventilation duct in the ceiling?”
As he spoke, he pointed somewhere. It was a small ventilation duct attached to the ceiling of the room.
“Unless you break your shoulders, there’s no way to get through that vent…”
“…Wait, maybe Rose could?”
A female Guide next to the man suddenly said.
At that moment, all the Guide in the room fell silent as if cold water had been poured over them.
“M-Me?”
Startled, I stammered, and she looked me up and down in an unpleasant way. Then she shrugged her shoulders and said nonchalantly,
“You’re the smallest among us. Besides… you’re the one who said we shouldn’t keep hiding and should do something.”
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