Chapter 83
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“A–absolutely not! No way! Y‑you’re misunderstanding…!”
“Oh? A misunderstanding?”
Linton walked toward them with heavy, deliberate steps.
Even though he was a guide, his eyes carried enough killing intent to make the entire room flinch.
“Then go on. Finish what you were saying. About the night Ensign Samuel visited Adrien’s room.”
“…….”
“I asked you, didn’t I? Just how things were that night.”
“…I misspoke. My apologies, Captain Linton.”
“And why exactly is Captain Bailey the one apologizing here?”
Linton’s gaze shifted, sharp as a blade, and landed on Peter. Peter stiffened, a very bad feeling crawling up the back of his neck.
“So. If you don’t feel like answering… Ensign Peter.. Where is Ensign Samuel right now?”
Peter’s throat tightened.
Why does he need Samuel for? The question almost slipped out.
But a rookie ensign questioning a captain was unthinkable. Peter lowered his head.
“H…he should be at the training grounds.”
* * *
“Ensign Samuel Norah? That’s you, right?”
Samuel had just stepped out in his training uniform when four espers blocked his path. All of them were lieutenants—faces he didn’t often see around the unit.
Their eyes slid over him with amusement. The tight training uniform clung to Samuel’s body, outlining the shape of his muscles as though he were undressed.
It wasn’t a special kind of look. Bad-tempered espers often stared at guides like that.
“Yes, that’s me. What can I do for you?”
“If you’re free, mind giving us some guiding?”
“…What are your levels?”
“Us? All Silvers, and that one’s Bronze.”
“All four of you want guiding from me?”
“Yeah. Why? Busy? We don’t mind doing it all together either.”
The espers burst into snickers. Even with that unpleasant insinuation, Samuel didn’t blink. He simply extended his hand.
“Then we’ll conduct the guiding here.”
“Come on. You think we came looking for you just to hold hands?”
The esper with the ponytail stepped forward, narrow eyes full of trouble.
“You’ve been skipping guiding duties because of the Commander, right? Well, no more special treatment. Earn your keep now.”
“Relax. It’s not like the four of us are gonna imprint with a single Silver guide. Just do it properly, yeah? Nothing crazy.”
The four men closed in on Samuel. Samuel was tall, but espers were taller and broader. Within seconds their bodies formed a wall, cutting him off from everyone else’s line of sight.
“You’re not planning to refuse, are you?”
Samuel exhaled softly.
These were exactly the kind of espers the mountain troops warned him about. The ones he must never deal with alone. The ones he escapes from first—and reports later.
“Want the best strategy?”
“Get on the good side of the highest‑ranked esper in your unit. That’s the one privilege guides get.”
Privilege.
If something he can lose instantly because someone changes their mind, is that really a privilege?
Either way, he had no such thing now. Maybe he’d brushed against it for a brief moment, but it was gone.
“Then please follow me.”
“Oh? Good. Smart one.”
First, he needed to get away from this isolated locker hallway. If he could reach Dr. Alex or Captain Bailey… or even a crowded area… anything was better than being dragged somewhere without resistance.
His palm was slick with sweat. Even the lowest-ranked esper could overpower a normal man with ease. These were trained soldiers. Four of them.
‘If they notice I’m stalling, it’s over.’
Samuel was about to move when the ponytail esper suddenly thrust an arm in front of him.
“And where do you think you’re going? I’m thinking… that place looks better.”
He jerked his chin toward the espers’ locker room. The exact opposite direction Samuel had intended.
The four exchanged glances.
Samuel instantly knew what they planned to do.
The air tightened like a drawn bowstring. And he was the arrowhead.
‘They figured it out.’
There was no more avoiding them. Whether he succeeded or failed, he would have to break through.
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