Please Don’t Sponsor the Guide - Chapter 114

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“Only up to radiant guiding. That’s all I’ll accept from you, Captain.”

Samuel, who had been about to step closer, froze.

Adrien deliberately turned her head aside, avoiding his gaze.

“I’m not taking you as my dedicated guide. Just come when I call, give me guiding, and leave. And last night…”

“……”

“Let’s pretend it never happened.”

A pitch-black silence followed.

Adrien waited for his reaction like a prisoner awaiting sentencing.

His beautiful face would surely twist. He’d be hurt deeply. Maybe he’d swallow it all down, or maybe he’d break like a child and cry.

But Samuel Norah, as always, went far beyond her expectations.

“…Understood.”

There wasn’t even a trace of resentment in his voice.

Adrien snapped her head up.

Samuel looked completely composed. Even though his bare body still had unmistakable marks, he seemed to have accepted her decision without hesitation.

‘…That’s a relief.’

Adrien swallowed a bitter smile.

She had tried to hurt him on purpose, yet now she felt strangely disappointed that he hadn’t reacted the way she expected.

Still, she believed this was for the best.

Feelings were fragile. Even if Samuel’s feelings were genuine now, they would eventually fade if she kept rejecting him.

She had seen it countless times. The Light of Justice was desirable to everyone, admired, coveted. But just as quickly as people fell for her, they gave up.

Samuel wouldn’t be any different. And now, an entirely new life awaited him.

People far beyond what a common-born rookie lieutenant could ever imagine would want him. He might even become captivated by a dazzling world far brighter than anything Adrien could offer.

By then… Adrien Brillante would be nothing more than a forgotten name.

After all, a 98% compatibility rate mattered only to Espers. For guides, it meant nothing. The sensation of guiding existed only for Espers.

“Give me my shirt, and I’ll go.”

“…Right.”

His tone had become almost too formal.

Ignoring the heaviness settling in her chest, Adrien turned her back and slipped off his shirt. Her bare body was exposed, but she didn’t feel embarrassed.

Facing him, however, was another matter entirely. Without turning around, she simply held the shirt out behind her.

“Here.”

Something suddenly dropped over her shoulders.

It was Samuel’s jacket. Adrien instinctively turned to look at him.

“I’ll come back for it later.”

His gaze had deepened somehow, more intense than before. As he took the shirt, he slowly buttoned it up, covering the marks from last night one by one beneath the white fabric.

She was the one who rejected him, so why did it feel like she had been the one cast aside?

It was a ridiculous thought.

“…Make sure you take your leave, Captain.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Now fully dressed, Samuel gave a polite bow and left the office. All that remained was his jacket, still carrying his scent.

Without thinking, Adrien buried her nose in the collar.

If she were still lacking guiding, his scent would’ve been even stronger. Strangely, she found herself wishing she weren’t perfectly filled.

* * *

“Running late, Captain Samuel? You didn’t even come back to the dorm last night.”

“I had something to do.”

In the training room locker area, Peter narrowed his eyes as he studied Samuel.

Samuel remained expressionless, unbuttoning the shirt he had fastened all the way to the collar as he pulled out his black training uniform.

Peter had just pulled his top off and was about to take off his pants when he froze, staring at Samuel.

“Hey—hey—hey! What the hell happened to your body?!”

Samuel paused, halfway through putting on his uniform.

At Peter’s loud outburst, everyone in the locker room turned to look.

Peter stood there wide-eyed, pointing at Samuel. More precisely at the marks covering his entire body like blooming flowers.

“…Who did you imprint with?!”

His tone sounded like a husband catching his wife cheating. Samuel scoffed.

“Damn… those marks are no joke.”

“Wait, you can end up like that after just one night?”

“Seriously, who was it, Captain Samuel? Must’ve been someone intense, huh?”

The other men crowded around, openly inspecting him.

At a glance, it was hard to tell whether the marks were from imprinting—or from being mauled by some beast.

But from those traces alone, one could guess the nature of the other person.

Whoever it was clearly had intense feelings for Samuel. Obsessive, even. And beyond mere imprinting, there was an unmistakable, burning desire behind it all…

“I—I think I know.”