Chapter 91
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“Wow, what a pain.”
A rough male voice suddenly barked. Adrien jumped to her feet before she realized it. The burst of radiation guiding just now was unmistakable. It was the kind that spreads out uncontrollably when a guide is startled.
There aren’t many things that could shake a trained guide’s composure enough to lose control. Maybe it was some trivial emotional trigger, but in most cases, it was something else.
“All I said was, I’m low on guiding, let’s go to a private room. Did I say something wrong?”
Threatening.
“Uh, Commander? Good morning. I’m the guide assigned to you today—”
“Just a minute. Hold on.”
The guide finally assigned to Adrien had shown up, but she didn’t even turn around, raising her hand to stop them. Then she strode straight into the middle of the commotion.
Passing a few beds and onlookers, she finally spotted a familiar face—Samuel Norah, his wrist gripped tight by an esper wearing a vicious scowl. Samuel’s sleeve was twisted and pulled almost to the point of tearing. With an esper’s grip, that had to hurt.
But Samuel didn’t so much as flinch, staring straight back at the esper.
“You don’t need close-contact guiding, Lieutenant. If you do, get it verified by the medical officer first.”
“You sure are getting cocky.”
The esper gave a derisive laugh.
“You still think you’re someone important? Just because you spent a little time with the Commander, you think you’re on the same level?”
“……”
“Don’t make me laugh. A guide like you—if I squeeze just a little harder, your wrist’s gonna snap right off.”
With that, the esper yanked Samuel closer.
Something snapped inside Adrien.
She moved before she could think—her body faster than reason. Like a storm, she crossed the room in a flash and grabbed the esper’s other wrist, the one threatening Samuel.
“If I squeeze here, your wrist’ll go before his does.”
“Gah! C-Commander! Aaagh!”
Adrien didn’t hold back, twisting the esper’s wrist just enough not to break the bone—but enough to make the muscles scream. That small act of pain sent the esper howling, finally letting go of Samuel.
Adrien tossed him aside.
“Who’s the duty manager for the communal guiding room today?”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
“Name and rank.”
Three espers emerged from the crowd, their voices stiff as they rattled off their names and ranks. Adrien made sure to memorize each one.
“So this kind of thing happens often, huh? You just stand by and watch a guide get threatened by an esper and do nothing?”
“……”
“Or do you think, ‘well, if you’re a guide, this is just part of the job’?”
Their silence made Adrien scoff.
There was always something twisted about how guides were treated. They were physically weaker than espers, yet both desired and looked down upon by them.
Espers were drawn to guides, needed them, but treated them like they were lesser. The idea that enduring this kind of humiliation was just a fact of life for guides made Adrien sick.
Truth was, in this ecosystem, it was the guides—not the espers—who were at the very top of the food chain.
“A guide can survive on their own. An esper can’t. Never forget who you’re really dependent on.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Everyone here who just stood by—espers, and guides of lieutenant rank or higher—you’ll all face disciplinary action. If anything like this happens again, expect harsher punishment. Make sure everyone hears about it.”
Adrien swept her gaze across the room.
“Any esper who can’t respect a guide doesn’t deserve to be in my unit. I’ll see to it you get transferred out.”
Her words hit like a cold wind. Everyone in the room shrank back, fully convinced the Commander meant every word.
Finally, Adrien turned her gaze to the man who had threatened Samuel.
“You—name and rank.”
“…Lieutenant Joseph Walsky, ma’am.”
“You’re not even listed as a guiding recipient today, are you?”
Adrien picked up the guiding paperwork that had been tossed on the floor. Joseph flinched under her stare.
“I-I just switched my turn because I wasn’t feeling well!”
“Funny how you still had the energy to threaten a guide despite that, huh?”
“I-I’m sorry, Commander!”
Suddenly, Joseph dropped to his knees on the floor.
“I must’ve lost it for a moment from guiding deficiency! You know how bad it gets, Commander, when an esper is low—”
“Yeah, it’s rough.”
Adrien grabbed him by the collar, yanking out his guiding necklace. The bead was orange—definitely not bad enough to require a private session.
Adrien gave a cold, sharp laugh as she pulled out her own necklace.
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