Chapter 34
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Samuel glanced down at the foot of the cliff. If someone gave him a little shove right now, he could easily tumble down, vanishing out of sight.
“If you’re not careful, you’ll really fall.”
A sudden voice made his shoulders jump. Samuel quickly masked his surprise and turned around to see Linton approaching with his usual cheerful smile.
“No fear at all, huh, Ensign Samuel Norah? Must be those years in the mountain unit.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Oh, you took that as a compliment?”
Samuel simply watched him, saying nothing. Linton just smiled, his intentions unreadable.
“So, what do you think? Pretty rough terrain, isn’t it? Even for you, I bet this was a challenge.”
“It’s manageable.”
“Yeah, I can tell. The others are drenched in sweat, but you’re barely even winded.”
Something about the whole situation made Samuel uneasy. He sized up the distance between himself and the edge—just two steps back and he’d be over. The only solid ground ahead was where Linton stood.
Technically, Linton was supposed to be on his side, but for some reason, Samuel couldn’t bring himself to step any closer.
“Nervous, Ensign?”
“No, sir.”
“I get it—standing at the edge of a cliff is enough to make anyone nervous. But seriously, quit showing off and come over here before you get yourself hurt.”
“Showing off?”
“Yeah. Just because you’re an ex-mountain unit doesn’t mean you should tempt fate by hanging out so close to the edge.”
Linton gave a wry grin and, without another word, turned and walked away. The tight tension that had filled the air just moments before seemed to melt away as if it had never been there.
It was strange.
Still, Samuel figured the best thing to do was get out of there. He turned to follow after Linton, who was already some distance away.
Suddenly, Samuel was shoved back by something invisible.
“Ugh!”
It was as if he’d slammed into a huge, solid balloon—there was a tremendous impact.
He grasped at empty air, trying to find something, anything, to hold onto. His foot barely scraped the edge of the cliff.
And then—he fell.
* * *
Adrien leaned back in her chair, trying to ease the stiffness in her neck. She hadn’t had a moment’s rest, busy digging through every report she could find about the beast.
She could’ve delegated some of the work, but Adrien had a habit of doing everything herself. It was a symptom of her deep-seated distrust of others.
Every time this happened, Special Forces Corps Commander Rozanna would scold her—”That’s an illness too, you know!”
‘If I just bring in a personal guide, maybe they’ll let me leave here…’
Rozanna’s words echoed in Adrien’s head—bring in a personal guide and her transfer request will be approved. Adrien’s expression, about to curve into a smile, hardened immediately. She couldn’t believe she’d even thought about such a thing.
A personal guide.
That was a concept she never wanted to entertain for herself.
Besides, she couldn’t leave the Security Guard now, even if she wanted to. She’d originally thought it would be a boring assignment, but it turned out to be even more complicated than the beast suppression units.
Whenever beast activity was suspected, the very first step was to declare a warning. This was standard practice anywhere—except in the capital. Here, only the Emperor had the authority to issue such an order, and he hated making a scene.
Adrien had requested permission multiple times, only to get the same answer.
Bring concrete proof.
‘So nothing gets done until someone gets hurt—or worse.’
Years of battlefield experience had honed her instincts. Those instincts screamed that something was wrong.
But there was no one she could turn to for help. Preventing disaster in the capital fell solely to Adrien and the Security Guard.
First, though, she needed to replenish her guidance energy…
“…Why isn’t he here yet?”
Adrien glanced at the clock. The appointed time had long since passed.
Almost without thinking, she fiddled with her guidance-measurement necklace. It was a habit she’d picked up since meeting Samuel. After all, he’d asked her to wear it, wanting to check her levels just as she checked his.
Every time they finished a session, they’d check each other’s necklaces. Adrien’s always glowed a reassuring green, but the last time they met, Samuel’s had turned orange.
That ominous color had been a wake-up call. Only then had she truly realized the massive gap between their levels, and decided to keep some distance for a few days.
Those days felt longer than anything she’d ever endured.
“…Training must be keeping him busy.”
Adrien hid her disappointment behind a blank face. She reached into a drawer for a few pills. Those were guiding supplements to tide her over until Samuel could replenish her properly.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Adrien got up quickly—her expression unconsciously softening.
But as soon as the door opened and she felt the energy in the room, her face went hard again.
“Commander!”
It was Linton, not Samuel, who appeared.
“What brings you here?”
“What do you mean? I’m here to give you some guiding.”
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