43 - How to Escape the Reverse Harem Cliché
Chapter 43
“Your rank is higher. You could have just said no, why did you….”
“What if I said it? Nothing changes if I say it and no one helps.”
“…….”
“How can I win against an Esper’s power? It’s shitty to be born a weakling Guide, no matter how much I train my stamina, I can’t even beat a Low-Class Esper, so what’s the point of this High-Class rank?”
Rose entered the academy with the level and intensity of physical contact already decided from the start. As the sole S-Class Guide to Manifest, he had secured the rights he deserved, but when a Berserk situation actually arose, his authority was thoroughly ignored.
Because Espers are more useful than Guides. The basic concept was that Espers should be saved first, and Guides could be dealt with later.
Hearing the situation, Aiden felt conflicted. Rose detested physical contact to an extreme, even with those closest to him. Holding hands was the absolute limit.
It wasn’t just Rose’s clothes that were torn apart by the hands of an Esper obsessed with Guiding. His proud self-esteem was torn apart along with them.
“Next time, I’ll go with you.”
“Get lost. Next time, I won’t just let it slide. Whether you die or not, I won’t Guiding you.”
“……I’m sorry, Rosent.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Just… I said I’d protect you, but I always end up doing nothing at crucial moments.”
Rosent was a Guide Aiden met through an acquaintance when Aiden Manifested as an Esper and entered the National Academy.
At the time, neither were registered with the Imperial Family, so they didn’t know their exact ranks, but they intuitively sensed that each other’s ranks were high.
Then, someone reported Rosent’s existence to the Imperial Family, and he was taken away first. Later, Aiden, whose condition worsened due to lack of Guiding, used his ability at the academy, revealing his Esper nature, and was expelled.
Rosent, who was taken away first, somehow reappeared before Aiden disguised as a woman. Aiden, who didn’t ask for a specific reason, had promised to protect Rosent in return for the help he received.
“It’s fine. I can survive on my own, so don’t worry about me. More importantly, did you find your sister?”
“No. Not yet.”
“But the Young Lady looks nothing like you.”
“……No, she doesn’t? People have always said we look alike since we were kids?”
“What nonsense is that? Anyone can see you’re completely different.”
“Ah, shut up. You stay away from my sister too.”
“It’s natural to be curious about fellow Guides. You’re being dramatic.”
“Whether you’re a Guide or an Esper. Stay away from Laila.”
Rosent clicked his tongue at Aiden’s reaction, unsure if it was genuine or a joke. Yet, he recalled Laila Passianne’s face, which he couldn’t easily forget.
For some reason, he wanted to meet her again. She was the first person he thought of, even occasionally, amidst the busy battlefield.
But if he said that, he felt the Dotting Aiden would truly get angry, so he didn’t voice the thought.
In any case, he hoped to meet her again. That’s all he thought.
\ \ *
This is like a game of hide-and-seek…
“Hah…! I’m gonna die…!”
Gasping for breath, I squeezed myself into an alley.
I’ve never run 100 meters this fast. I can confidently say this was the fastest run of my life.
Hiding in an alley barely big enough for my body, I poked my head out.
Far away, I could see people searching for someone. Judging by their uniforms, they were clearly high-ranking members of the Esper corps, and Evan, who casually ordered them around, was frighteningly formidable.
But thinking about it, it’s not surprising. Evan is of the highest status and rank.
That’s why I tried to avoid Andreas at all costs… I gnawed on my lower lip, recalling the situation from a moment ago.
It was fine until I left the mansion with Lena, carrying the letter for Rowen. I didn’t expect something like this to happen even when we stopped by a jewelry shop to buy a gift for Rowen along with the letter.
I parted ways with Lena, who had an errand to run, and visited a dessert shop alone, where I met someone unexpected, which was the starting point of all this trouble.
“Fancy meeting you here again, Lady Pasianne.”
I ran into Rose, who had her long pink hair tied up high, inside the dessert shop.
She smiled at me and pointed a finger towards the window behind me.
“An accident occurred in this vicinity, so I was dispatched. But the person who came with me is that lunatic, so will you be alright?”
In the distance, I caught sight of a man with silver hair, faintly glowing.
Without thinking, I dropped the bonnet I was holding to the floor, quickly recoiled, and crouched down, hiding my body.
Although it would be invisible to ordinary people from this distance, the other party was an Esper. There was no way Evan, whose senses were highly developed, wouldn’t recognize me from this far.
“Do you remember what we promised before? That I’d let it slide this one time.”
My heart pounded at Rose’s words.
Are you going to take me away from here? I glared at her with wide eyes, and Rose giggled and shook her head.
“I meant I couldn’t help you, so you misunderstood. I wish you a safe journey back.”
Just as Rose was about to leave the dessert shop, leaving only exasperating words behind.
Suddenly, I was struck by a strange aura emanating from her, and my breath caught.
…Is that Rose’s Guiding? How can I feel Guiding?
Guides are supposed to be unable to feel others’ Guiding, but for some reason, in that moment, I felt like I had sensed Rose’s Guiding.
And in that fleeting moment. Perhaps flustered by Rose’s Guiding, my Guiding flowed out of my body uncontrollably, regardless of my intentions. I could feel it being absorbed somewhere without even trying.
“Wow, the lunatic noticed.”
At Rose’s words, which seemed to hold a hint of amusement, I covered my mouth with my hand.
Evan, feeling the languid sensation from afar, had tilted his head and was staring precisely at my location.
I don’t remember what happened after that. The moment I confirmed Evan muttering something, I bolted from the dessert shop and ran like mad.
It had been an hour of running before I finally found an alley where I could hide.
“He’s a real lunatic, that one.”
I stopped peeking out to observe the situation outside and covered my mouth with my hand, holding my breath. For sensitive Espers, even my ragged breaths could be a tool for tracking.
Hiding in the narrow alley, I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t forget Evan’s expression as he looked at me and smiled just moments ago.
…A complete lunatic. There were no other words to describe him.
I hadn’t been idle for the past six months either. I hired people to gather information on Espers and listened to the subtle rumors spreading among them.
Prince Andreas, though he joined late, was said to be a Standout. Despite his consistently low Guiding levels, he efficiently used his ability and was called a Human Monster on the battlefield.
His low Guiding levels were concerning, but the news of him soaring on the battlefield reassured me. It seemed I had avoided the fate of being driven mad by Guiding, as in the original work.
I thought I was adapting well. With two abilities Manifested and reaching S-Class faster than expected, I was soaring like I had wings, unlike the original plot.
Perhaps he had forgotten about someone like me, thinking my compatibility with Rose was good, I thought complacently.
“You guys, go search this way!”
“Yes!”
“Search thoroughly. These are direct orders from the Commander. You must find her, no matter what.”
“Yes!”
The male voices from the other end sent shivers down my spine. Even after the men disappeared in the opposite direction, I couldn’t let my guard down. I was genuinely terrified at this moment.
The individuals I needed to avoid weren’t the Countess or Aiden, but Evan Olivite…
The docile demeanor he showed at the academy was merely a level where he was made human-like by my Guiding.
However, Evan’s base setting was that of a complete psycho. If something didn’t suit him, his default was to break, overturn, and smash things, and on the battlefield, he reduced efficiency through unnecessary slaughter.
After Rose died in the original work and he began receiving Guiding from Laila, his ability rank rapidly increased, eventually reaching S.
Andreas, while cursing Laila as the Guide who killed Rose every time he saw her, couldn’t even breathe properly when Laila wasn’t in sight.
A lunatic. He’s truly gone completely mad.
His eyes, which stared directly at me earlier, were filled only with exhilaration. If my heart stopping at that moment, when I, who rarely get surprised by anything, can be considered an indicator, you can gauge the intensity of his gaze.
The memory of the last time I met him flashed, sending chills down my entire body.
“I feel like you’re my true destiny.”
“…….”
“If you return to my side, then you’ll be my Guide.”
He’s nothing short of a lunatic. Did he really just wait for me to willingly return to his grasp? To make me his Guide by talking about destiny or something?
