Chapter 14
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“They said the Commander was in bad shape and called in some guides. A few were summoned.”
“…Gold level?”
“Of course. Honestly, even gold level guides might not be enough for the Commander.”
Had all those guides been sent away? Why did she pick him, a mere silver level?
Or was last night just a one-time thing, a favor for a long-time sponsored guide finally repaying kindness?
Samuel’s thoughts tangled.
“Don’t know who went in, but it was wild.”
Peter lowered his voice, glancing around.
“Some heard it… but for everyone’s honor, that’s all I’ll say.”
Even with the playful omission the rest was obvious—especially since Samuel himself was the one involved.
The lingering image of last night surged unbidden. Samuel closed his eyes as hope and disappointment alternated like broken tides.
Either way, it was an overreaching emotion.
“But when did you get back last night? You weren’t around late.”
“…At dawn. I was exercising.”
“Impressive. Not tired?”
Samuel flinched as he tried to remove his high-neck jacket to change into training clothes. If he took it off here, the red marks running from his neck to chest would all be exposed.
That would reveal that he was the center of this noisy rumor.
Actually, Samuel didn’t mind. He almost wished everyone knew he was Adrien’s imprint.
But Adrien’s wishes were unknown. Since no information about the imprint partner had leaked, she might prefer to keep their relationship secret.
Since he was a low-level guide from a modest family, it wouldn’t be surprising if she wanted to avoid troublesome entanglements.
Samuel glanced quietly around. Few guides remained in the changing room.
“You go ahead first.”
“Why?”
“I’ll just stop by the restroom.”
“Change your clothes and come then. Is it urgent?”
“Yes.”
Peter playfully tapped Samuel’s back and left.
Only after everyone else had left the changing room did Samuel hurriedly start undressing.
* * *
“As you can see, new recruits train alongside both espers and guides.”
“Good idea. They have to work together in the field.”
Though their physical conditions differed, working together was constant. Joint training helped them understand each other’s strengths and synchronize, it will be useful in real situations.
So Adrien had trained both espers and guides in her unit. Though progress was slow, they gained much.
Few followed this method, so it seemed surprising at first. But seeing Captain Bailey Rosem, the recruit training officer, chuckling quietly, Adrien guessed why.
Bailey probably chose this method deliberately to please Adrien. Either way, it wasn’t a bad choice.
“How many new recruits?”
“Two guides, two espers. Four total. The rest are senior members assisting training.”
Most sweaty recruits were shirtless or in sleeveless shirts.
Just by looking, one could tell who was esper and who was the guide. Among the same gender, espers mostly had bigger builds or greater muscle strength.
“That one’s an esper, and that guy is a guide… huh? Is that one an esper?”
Captain Bailey Rosem tilted his head as he smiled explaining. Adrien glanced their way.
The soaked figure relentlessly doing push-ups seemed oddly familiar. Even his heavy breathing.
Her gaze traced the muscles beneath the tight training wear up to his jawline, and before she could recall, she recognized him.
“Not an esper.”
“Oh, Samuel Norah! Yes, he’s a guide. As expected of the Commander! You recognized him immediately!”
“…”
“By the way, how was last night… Were you okay?”
Only then did Adrien look toward Bailey, who seemed to be cautiously watching.
“Was that the Captain I asked for help yesterday?”
“Yes, that was me. Were you in such bad shape you didn’t even recognize my face?”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t because of lack of guiding but because she didn’t intend to remember the face.
Adrien chose to keep quiet. After all, she was grateful to this person.
“You helped avoid a crisis.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried because it took time to find a suitable guide for the Commander…”
“He was worth it.”
“Huh?”
Bailey blinked, momentarily lost following the conversation.
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