Chapter 104
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“Come on, no way! It’s not like everyone would end up with the same result as Ensign Samuel. What idiot would—”
Bailey’s animated chatter cut off abruptly. As if possessed, he stared toward the empty doorway.
The other espers did the same. Their eyes widened slightly, all drawn in the same direction, like iron filings pulled toward a magnet.
The guides were just beginning to wonder about the sudden shift in atmosphere when—
“Oh, you’re all here.”
Samuel appeared moments later. With every step he took closer, the espers’ gazes followed him without blinking.
Sensing something strange, Samuel stopped short and looked around. He seemed completely unaware of what he was doing.
“Ensign, I just want to check, you’re not releasing radiation guiding right now, are you?”
“What? No.”
“…Then why is your guiding this dense?”
Lieutenant Michelle let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
Even before Samuel had entered—no, from the moment he’d begun approaching from far away—every esper in the lounge had already felt his guiding.
Normally, a guide who isn’t actively containing their power naturally leaks a small amount of guiding energy. Espers can sense it, but it’s rarely strong enough to have any real effect.
But Samuel Norah was different.
At first, they’d thought someone outside must be deliberately flooding the area with radiation guiding. Then Samuel had appeared, perfectly calm.
It had seemed impressive even from a distance. But standing face to face with him, the sheer volume of guiding pouring out was almost suffocating.
There were seven espers in the lounge. Two of them were Gold level. Even a Gold-level guide would struggle to emit enough radiation guiding to shock espers of that caliber.
Yet Samuel Norah merely tilted his head, looking utterly composed.
“Is… guiding really leaking from me right now?”
“Yes. A lot of it.”
“But radiation guiding usually gives off visible light—”
Samuel trailed off mid-sentence as he turned around absentmindedly.
There was no halo surrounding his body, but light remained where he had walked. A trail of white glow shimmered behind him, like a lingering tail.
Visible light in radiation guiding meant extreme density. Even among Gold-level guides, only a handful, Linton included, could produce that effect.
And Samuel’s glow was incomparably brighter.
Every esper in the room knew it instantly.
“At this level, Dr. Alex must’ve warned you. Didn’t he say anything?”
“He told me to focus on containment. I thought I was doing that, in my own way…”
“Samuel’s always been especially bad at controlling his guiding.”
Peter cut in, prompting several others to nod. Samuel rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.
He had tried to rein it in, but it wasn’t working. Containment was difficult to begin with. Now he was expected to control an overwhelming amount of power that had appeared practically overnight.
“Well, you’ll get the hang of it with practice! Still, I’m just glad you made it back safely, Ensign. Do you know how worried we were?”
“Thank you.”
Samuel had regained consciousness a week ago, yet he’d spent another full week in the hospital. Alex had insisted on exhaustive testing and complete recovery.
Today was the first day Samuel had returned to work in proper condition.
Coincidentally, or perhaps not, it was also the day news of the Empire’s first unmeasurable guide spread across the nation. Even someone as indifferent to others’ attention as Samuel could feel the shift in how people looked at him.
It was happening right now.
The espers’ eyes sparkled as they watched him casually spill guiding energy like an endless spring.
Their gaze wasn’t directed at Samuel the person but at the guiding he possessed. Samuel understood that desperation. He didn’t find their looks offensive.
Still, it left a bitter taste in his mouth that one person alone seemed to remain unmoved by it.
“Then today’s assembly in Phoenix Hall is obvious, right? Our Ensign Samuel is getting promoted!”
Bailey raised both thumbs enthusiastically.
“He saved our commander’s life and became an unmeasurable guide. If that doesn’t earn a special promotion, what does?”
“Bailey’s right. How far do you think he’ll jump? First lieutenant? Maybe even captain?”
“I’m calling major!”
“Hey, major might be pushing it—”
While Michelle and Bailey bickered, Peter—who’d been staring at Samuel—grinned and nudged him lightly.
“What is it, Samuel? Thinking about a promotion already got you smiling? Huh?”
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