Translator: Nox

4 - How to Escape the Reverse Harem Cliché

Chapter 4

“Then you don't have to come here.”

……Those impudent words weren't mine.

My head and Orion's turned towards the direction of the sound simultaneously.

“Why do you keep coming? Like a leech.”

“I am not here to see the Spiritual Body.”

“Laila doesn't like you.”

“…….”

“Then who in this mansion is going to welcome you, anyway?”

Aiden, who had been standing at a crooked angle at the mansion entrance, strode over and cut between Orion and me.

While I can be quite sharp-tongued myself, Aiden was even more so. Orion and I didn't engage in Espers' combat without mutual consent, but Orion had never granted Aiden such permission.

Even if Orion was known to be a bastard, he was undeniably the public heir of the Marquisate. And not just any family, but the deeply respected Restro family.

If he had acted like this in front of the Count and Countess, Aiden would have been severely scolded.

“Even with your precious ability, you couldn't heal Laila's burns.”

“…….”

“Then do you have any reason to be in this house? If you can't even use your ability.”

“Aiden. Are you going to talk like that?”

Finally, I grabbed Aiden's arm and pulled him towards me.

Perhaps sensing the sternness in my voice, Aiden flinched slightly and took a step back, glancing at me.

“Laila. That’s not what I meant……”

“Why on earth did your relationship turn so sour?”

At my slightly bewildered question, both Orion and Aiden wore dumbfounded expressions.

“Sour? It was never good to begin with. Laila, are you angry? Huh? I’m sorry. I was wrong, so please don’t be angry, okay?”

“Laila. Your knee is still bleeding. Can you just let me use my ability one time? I have enough Guiding now, so I won't Berserk.”

Aiden, looking like he didn't understand my words, started to retort but then began watching my expression again. Orion, on the other hand, acted as if the friction with Aiden was completely outside his scope of interest.

My head ached. I couldn't help but feel bewildered by this situation. In the original work, how close were these two? They were so indispensable to each other that they would have rushed to sacrifice their lives for one another.

Orion even used to shed tears, as if feeling his own pain, every time he saw the burn scars on Aiden that he couldn't heal.

“Hey, get out. Can’t you see you’re scaring Laila?”

“I will not leave until Laila tells me to.”

“Laila just told you to go meet a Guide who can help you with your Guiding.”

“…….”

“You always shut up when you’re at a disadvantage.”

My ears were ringing.

In the original work, Aiden was a frail boy overflowing with a sickly beauty, so how did he become such a mouthy fighter?

Was it because I pushed him too hard under the guise of basic physical training for three years? While a dog at a village school might learn to recite poems after three years, Aiden had become far too strong. And his way with words, too.

“Orion. I’m not afraid of you.”

Sigh. It felt like I was raising two children. With the feeling of having to soothe the neighbor's child before my own, I spoke crookedly to Orion, and a smile slowly spread across his face.

Furthermore, when I sat on a chair in a corner of the garden and lifted my dress to show my injured spot, their faces showed a complete shift from despair to joy.

Aiden didn't openly express his displeasure, but anyone could see he was pouting, his lips sticking out as he approached. Orion, on the other hand, practically flew towards me.

“Thank you, Laila.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you. Thank you, Orion.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

We’ll be here until dawn thanking each other.

Shall I receive gratitude this time? When I said that, Orion giggled. He's truly… so good-natured. Despite my sharp words, he’s never once gotten angry.

He truly is my favorite. Infinitely gentle and infinitely kind, his manners were ingrained in him from a very young age.

Orion knelt before me without hesitation, and I gazed at his blonde hair.

It should be fine for now. Before entering the Academy, the Restro family would assign Guides, so he wouldn't reach the point of Berserk.

Still, as my favorite, I was quite worried. Even without me… he’d be alright, wouldn't he? He's destined for great things, so the family or the Imperial family would surely find and assign him a high-ranking Guide.

Besides, once he entered the Academy, a top-tier Guide was scheduled to be assigned to the team.

Her name was Rose, wasn't it? Rose was a Guide vastly superior to Laila in the original work, so she had no problem Guiding multiple people on her own.

She was portrayed as a villain who was ill-tempered and later resented Laila, who joined the team, eventually getting kicked out. Honestly, I understood her position.

Just as Espers can become fixated on their Guides, Guides can also form a bond with Espers. It’s rare for there to be no feelings after exchanging Guiding that involves physical contact.

Especially when you become a team, you have to live closely together like family, so the sense of belonging and bond will only deepen.

Then, how angry and hurt would one be if a Guide suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stole her teammates?

Moreover, Rose didn't torment Laila like typical villains. She just… reprimanded, slighted, and scorned her to her face…?

……Is that considered torment? Well, anyway, I got sidetracked. Orion would meet Rose once he entered the Academy, and then he could receive Guiding from her.

If I don't appear before Rose, she won't have to provide Guiding, so it would be a happy ending for everyone.

“Laila. This is the last time.”

While I was lost in thought, Orion, who had only been showing me the top of his head, suddenly looked up, smiled brightly at me, and spoke.

The last time? What did he mean?

“I’m entering the Academy next month.”

“What?!”

Startled, I jumped up without realizing it and collided head-on with Orion, who was kneeling in front of me.

Even if he's a child, colliding with a physically strong Esper means you'll be sent flying backward. I was about to fall back onto the chair I had been sitting on, but Orion quickly grabbed my waist, saving me from such an unfortunate event.

“Thank… no, that’s not it. Where are you going?”

“The Academy. I’m going to the Imperial Academy for Espers.”

“Why?! Already?”

“So Laila, you did expect me to enter the Academy, didn't you?”

For some reason, Orion's smile seemed bitter.

But that wasn't my concern right now. I remembered Orion entering the Academy around fifteen in the original work. It wasn't certain, but it was definitely not at this age. Why was the admission time earlier?

The Imperial Academy for Espers. The institution that practically managed the Academy was the Imperial family and the Council of Elders, and the current Marquis Restro had a poor relationship with the Imperial family.

Normally, Espers are bound to the Imperial family upon Manifestation, but occasionally, families with strong standing like the Restro family would pay to hide them. In such cases, they could secretly bring in unregistered Guides to receive Guiding, so there were no major concerns about Guiding levels.

The Marquis Restro in the original work also hid the young Orion, and only after he grew into a high-ranking Esper that the Empire coveted did he admit his son to the Academy for an enormous price.

In essence, he waited until his value increased before selling him off.

Because he entered so late, Orion had to suffer from the risk of Berserk due to constantly low Guiding. As Orion's rank increased over time, the Guides in his family were all low-ranking and ineffective.

Orion's childhood was utterly miserable. He endured the Marquis's abuse and used his abilities to the point of death for the sake of the family, only to repeatedly receive minimal Guiding from the family's Guides.

After being pushed and worn down like that, he finally met Rose after entering the Academy and received Guiding that allowed him to breathe.

“I was so ashamed of myself for not being able to heal Laila’s wound.”

“What? That’s not your fault. It’s just that my wound is so old…!”

“No. If I had been just a little stronger, I could have healed it, no matter how long it had been.”

“…….”

“Right now, I don’t even understand my own body as an Esper. I… I’m scared because I don’t know when I might Berserk.”

“Orion.”

“So, to avoid getting hurt. To meet Laila with a more confident demeanor, I’m going.”

I felt a complex mix of emotions at this earlier-than-expected farewell.

When did I start avoiding him so much, only to feel restless now that he's leaving?

Should I have been a little nicer to him?

“That’s good. Go and don’t come back at all.”

“Aiden.”

“……Understood.”

At my gaze, Aiden lowered his tail, watched me warily, and then moved aside.

Once we were alone, Orion sat me back down on the chair and, kneeling as before, tightly grasped the hem of my sleeve.

“Next time we meet… could you hold my hand just once?”

“What?”

“……By then, I’ll have learned to control my Guiding myself and will appear healthy. Please don’t be afraid of me, Laila.”

“…….”

“Laila, you dislike touching Espers, don’t you?”

This kid is truly unnecessarily meticulous. The reason he never even touched my fingertips without my permission until now was because of this.

To be safe, I had minimized contact with Espers. Since I was a child confined to the mansion, I rarely went out, but when I did encounter Espers, I was cautious.

If I were to Manifest as a Guide at an early age, contrary to the original work, my entire plan would be ruined. Espers were keenly aware of even the slightest Guiding, so I couldn't help but detest physical contact.

“Still, I’m glad I could heal Laila one last time. Don’t be in pain, Laila. Stay healthy and don’t get hurt.”

“You too. Stay well.”

“Yes. I’ll write letters. You don’t have to reply. But I hope they don’t get returned.”

“Understood. I’ll receive them well.”

Why does this child have such melancholic eyes?

If I could, I would have wanted to comfort him by saying he’d do well, but I didn't say anything, fearing I might just fill him with false hope.

Orion didn't resent or feel hurt by my consistently cold reaction. He just slowly walked towards the Marquis Restro's carriage, glancing back at me dozens of times.

Looking back, I should have stopped Orion then. I should have told him not to go to the Academy and to stay friends with me here for a long, long time.

If I had, perhaps I would have gotten along reasonably well with just Orion. I never would have known then that the beginning of the miraculous transformation from one to five would start with my failure to hold onto Orion.