Chapter 4
Curious what happens next? Read more here
Adrien carefully tended the flowers until they began to wilt slightly. Before all petals crumbled, she pressed entire blossoms into a book to make flower bookmarks.
A pale purple mini delphinium and a pink lisianthus remained in her bookshelf.
After that, all contact from Sammy ceased. No more letters or gifts arrived.
Seven years passed like that.
* * *
“What do we do? I’m really nervous.”
Samuel smiled wryly at Peter, who was nervously stamping his feet beside him.
The two had completed six grueling years of special military academy and survived a year of random unit assignment. They were outstanding rookies.
Military life was brutal. They had the misfortune of being assigned to the most dangerous mountain unit, facing fierce monsters and surviving against all odds.
Their seniors had jokingly told them during their final send-off, “You’ll each be worth five men in any unit.”
Praise after relentless hardship—was that really praise?
But Peter no longer cared about such questions. His face was as bright as a flower with hope for the future.
“It’s really graduation. And we even have unit assignments!”
“And to be in the same unit as you.”
“See? Even the gods are merciless.”
From the same hometown, similar awakening times, academy entry, and unit assignment—the two shared a stubborn bond.
Though their speech was curt, their smiles showed they were best friends with no secrets between them.
“When will you go?”
“For what?”
“What else? To meet your sponsor.”
What an ungrateful fellow! Peter’s eyes widened.
Children sponsored by nobles could not meet their sponsors until adulthood, a protection from potentially malicious nobles.
But that protection lasted only until they became adults. Afterward, the merciless world awaited them, regardless of readiness.
More powerful than laws were customs that tightened around people.
One such custom was the grown sponsoree seeking out their sponsor to express gratitude.
Until now, this could be postponed under the guise of being a student, but even that last excuse was gone.
“If it’s the Brillante family, they must be espers, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then… you’d better prepare yourself.”
“Why?”
Peter only rolled his eyes.
Though Peter’s reply was unheard, their senior unit members shared it during a welcome party for the rookies.
“So, both of you are former sponsorees?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Your sponsors are espers?”
The seniors took them out drinking under the pretense of welcoming the rookies.
“I’m not, but this guy probably is.”
“You’re a surprise. The sponsor will like this one.”
“I thought at first he wasn’t a guide.”
The seniors’ eyes swept over Samuel.
His large muscular build surpassed many combat espers. His dark brown hair and boyish eyes glowed green, but raised eyebrows and a strong jaw gave him a beast-like aura.
He looked youthful but not easy to underestimate—a provocatively handsome youth who would make any esper swallow hard.
“What do you mean ‘like’?”
“Pure even.”
“The best.”
“The absolute best.”
Their words became increasingly cryptic. A red-faced senior chuckled as he leaned close to Samuel’s ear.
“Listen carefully. Esper nobles usually sponsor kids who might become guides. Why do you think that is?”
“…”
“No answer? Of course! It’s to get guided. Guides are scarce these days, especially at higher levels. So they sponsor guides. They expect to repay their real debt through guiding.”
Espers and guides were inseparable.
When espers awakened, they gained far superior physical strength, heightened senses, and psychic powers compared to normal humans.
But these powers came at a price.
The more they used their powers, the more sensitive their senses became, causing torment like a lost beast, sometimes driving them to ‘berserk’ and self-destruction.
Their bodies would slowly break and ultimately explode under the strain of immense powers.
Only guides could prevent this.
They calmed the espers’ sensitive senses and restored their bodies damaged by overuse of powers—this was called ‘guiding.’
For an esper to survive, a guide was essential. An indispensable existence.
“Well then, I should visit as soon as possible.”
It wasn’t impossible. In fact, it would be better if the sponsor were an esper. That was Samuel’s hope.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.