Chapter 79
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But there was no reply—just silence. Something felt off.
Samuel lifted his head. The moment his eyes met Adrien’s, he felt a sudden tug as if his guiding energy was being pulled out of him.
“…Get him away.”
“Commander?”
Adrien staggered backwards. Samuel quickly stood up.
There was no color in Adrien’s face. Eyes squeezed shut, she clamped her hands over her ears, swaying unsteadily.
“Get him away from me—now!”
“Commander!”
Alex rushed over and supported Adrien. Only then did she finally lean against him for support.
Now it was certain. She was dangerously low. Her guiding energy at her absolute limit.
Samuel couldn’t just stand there. Worry for Adrien was eating him alive. Without waiting for permission, he stepped forward and took her hand.
In that instant, guiding energy was sucked from him at a dizzying rate. Just a single touch left his head spinning.
“I said move!”
Adrien harshly slapped his hand away. The stinging pain spread across the back of his hand, but Samuel refused to back down.
“Commander, you’re not well. You need guiding right now.”
“Maybe so, but not from you. Dr. Alex, I can make it back to base, right?”
“…Are you really going to do this? If you try to make it to base, you could go into full-blown overload. That would mean you’ll have to imprint—immediately!”
Alex’s expression twisted with concern as he looked down at Adrien, but she only gave a faint smile.
“Have my dedicated guide ready when I get there.”
Samuel’s hand, which had still been hovering uncertainly in the air, finally dropped in defeat.
* * *
The security guard was on high alert.
Commander Adrien had been brought in unconscious. Unable to hold back the risk of overload, she’d stabbed herself deep in the thigh, then passed out from blood loss.
“Healing took care of the bleeding, but her guiding levels are still bottomed out. She has to imprint, no way around it.”
“Leave it to me.”
Outside the bonding chamber, Alex looked down at Linton, who was smiling, but not convincingly.
Even in her confused, half-conscious state, Adrien had insisted that Samuel absolutely not be allowed in. That left Linton. Whatever their compatibility issues, Linton Vionne was Adrien’s official dedicated guide, and on paper, it was his duty to handle this crisis.
“She’s sedated for now, but imprinting won’t be easy. Expect her to burn through guiding energy—and maybe show other symptoms. Be prepared.”
“Has it ever been easy, guiding an esper through an imprint? Don’t worry.”
“And before you start, have Adrien take this.”
“…What’s this?”
Linton’s face twisted as he looked at the bottle Alex handed over.
“You want me to take this as what, Dr. Alex? Is this your way of saying my guiding ability isn’t good enough?”
It was a bottle of guiding pills—the kind used as a last resort when there’s no guide available.
Linton had every right to feel insulted.
“It’s just for both your sakes. Please, just do as I ask.”
“Are you worried about our compatibility?”
Alex said nothing, and the silence itself was answer enough. Linton’s lips twisted bitterly as he squeezed the bottle in his hand.
“I appreciate your medical advice, but guiding is my responsibility.”
With a cold retort, Linton headed into the imprinting room. As the door thudded shut behind him, Alex ran a hand through his pink hair and muttered.
“…Great, this is going to be a mess.”
* * *
The room was completely dark.
Adrien lay perfectly still on a large bed, which was made of solid mineral in case of emergencies.
Linton set the guiding pills down carefully on the table. Even the smallest sound could set Adrien off in this state.
She was calm for now, thanks to the sedative—but at any moment, she could snap awake and become unpredictable.
Still, Linton was ready for anything she might do.
‘I’ve been waiting for this moment forever.’
He stepped to the edge of the bed. He could feel Adrien pulling at his guiding energy, hungry as dry paper for water. Linton let out a shaky laugh and started undressing, layer by layer.
Shirt and pants dropped to the floor, and soon he was naked, climbing up carefully beside Adrien.
Her pants were torn and her shirt half-unbuttoned, bandages wrapped around her thigh where she’d stabbed herself. The legendary ‘Light of Justice’ now looked like a bedraggled vagrant, lying there beneath him.
A sudden rush of triumph lit up Linton’s blue eyes.
Savoring the moment, he reached to undo the rest of Adrien’s shirt, about to push up the undershirt—when Adrien’s hand shot out, gripping his wrist hard.
“Ugh—!”
In a split second, Adrien—with her red, unfocused eyes—had flipped their positions and was now pinning Linton down.
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