47 - How to Escape the Reverse Harem Cliché
Chapter 47
“Grrr.”
The Monster, which had been breathing quietly, began to stir and lift its body. It was soaked in dark red blood, a sight that made one want to gag.
Its black pupils fixed directly on me. It flared its nostrils, as if trying to catch my scent in the sea of flames vibrating with the smell of burnt flesh, and soon its large pupils fully contained me.
I didn't have time to think otherwise. Keeping the muzzle of my gun aimed at the Monster, I took a deep breath.
I wished it would die in a single shot, but honestly, I wasn't confident. This wasn't a shooting game where I could just fire carelessly to beat Manager Kim. This was a survival game where my life was truly on the line.
“I’ll… I’ll cover… you, so… just shoot… Khh!”
At that moment, I heard the voice I had longed to hear. Tears welled up in my eyes.
It’s okay. Valerian is somewhere behind me. He’s alive, so it’s okay.
Without diverting my gaze from Valerian, I maintained my aim and took a deep breath. The moment I looked at him, the Monster’s target would shift from me to Valerian.
“I’ll do it, so don’t use your ability. Your Guiding stat will drop.”
I whispered so only he, an Esper, could hear, closed one eye, and finished aiming.
However, before I could even pull the trigger, a giant fireball began to rain down from the sky like hail.
I told you to conserve your Guiding! It’s fine if you don’t trust me, but what were you thinking being so reckless when I might get caught in a Berserk and die?
“Kuaaak!”
The Monster, which had been lunging at me, screamed as the fireballs rained down from the sky and then opened its mouth to spew something out.
“Ice?”
“It’s Rank 2…”
Even while using his ability, Valerian didn’t stop explaining about the creature to me.
Monsters also had ranks, and those that could use abilities like Espers were Rank 2.
I knew this, but its surprisingly grotesque appearance made me think it was just a lowly Rank 4.
Boom—!
Valerian’s flames and the Monster’s ice collided, creating the sound of an explosion, and steam rose. Thanks to that, I was able to escape the Monster’s sight.
So that was the sound I heard in the forest earlier. Ah, now is not the time. I collected myself, turned my body, and searched for the direction of Valerian’s voice.
It seems to be around here… but this man is still using his ability. If your Guiding stat drops, we both die, you know.
“Stop it! Stop using your ability and let’s get out of here first…!”
I covered my mouth at the horrific scene. Valerian, buried among the burnt structures with only his eyes barely open, looked more terrible than I had imagined.
He had one of someone else’s arms placed on his chest, was covered in blood, and was glaring furiously at the Monster. He seemed completely oblivious to me, who had come to find him, and was solely focused on dealing with the Monster using his ability.
So I felt relieved. He looked fine, except for the trembling of the hand holding his severed arm, so I thought he was unharmed.
But the next moment, I was horrified to realize that the severed arm was Valerian’s, and I rushed towards him.
He’s using his ability even with his arm cut off?!
“W-What is this…! Stop using your ability! Are you okay? Young Master, can you hear me?! Please!”
The place where he had collapsed was pooling with blood. Blood flowed incessantly from the ragged wound on his left side, and small embers began to flicker around Valerian.
…He’s on the verge of Berserk.
I quickly parted his hair on his left neck to check. As expected, the mark was too faint to be identified.
And at that moment, the faintly remaining mark seemed to tear into jagged pieces, taking on a grotesque shape, and finally turned red.
“Pa, Pascianne Young… stay far away…”
When Evan’s stat dropped this much, he didn’t recognize me at all and passed out, but Valerian, leaving me a warning to flee, was struggling to control the ability radiating from him.
The embers that fell where I had collapsed flared up, and the back of my hand, which was touching his neck, caught fire.
But I didn’t pull my hand away.
“Young Lady… you, you need to get away… Ugh…”
“Close your eyes.”
With my other hand, I covered his eyes and released the Guiding I had been hiding with all my might.
The Guiding that flowed through my hand was forcefully sucked into Valerian’s body.
But, just like with Evan, the speed at which the Guiding reached him was slow. It was even slower than with Evan. This was probably because the rank difference between Valerian and me was greater than with Evan.
Watching Valerian gasp for breath and tremble, I felt a pang of regret, seeing my own reflection from when I had hyperventilated earlier. The state of an Esper whose Guiding stat had dropped was not much different from mine.
Confirming that he was slowly but surely drawing in my Guiding, I pulled my hand away. It was still nowhere near enough to fill him, but I had to deal with the urgent matter first.
I picked up the gun I had set down beside me, closed one eye, and shot at the Monster without hesitation.
Bang—!
Why… why isn’t this a set value?
As expected, the bullet missed, grazing the Monster’s eye. But there was no time for disappointment; I immediately replaced the magazine and aimed.
If my accuracy is only one shot out of a hundred, then I’ll just shoot a hundred times. I just need to keep shooting until I hit it.
“Kuaaak!”
Bang—!
I fired at the Monster, which was opening its mouth and charging towards me and Valerian, and hit the second bullet into its eye.
“Kueek!”
The Monster, letting out a death rattle, collapsed on the spot with a thud, but the freezing blast it had unleashed before dying was about to rain down on our heads.
Without thinking about the aftermath, I threw myself over Valerian, who was letting out faint breaths, and shielded him.
If the Monster’s sharply honed ice shards pierced my back, I would die. Unlike Valerian, who was still breathing despite his severed arm, I was just a pathetic ordinary person.
Guiding is only useful for Espers; it was completely useless for a human like me, who couldn’t even take care of myself.
Even so, why did I shield Valerian at that moment… I don’t know. Was it out of pathetic pity, or guilt towards myself for not providing Guiding in time?
Or perhaps it was out of apology towards the male protagonist whose life had been messed up because of me.
In that brief moment, less than a second, dozens of thoughts flashed through my mind. If I die here, will I be able to return to that other world? What happened to my body there? What was I doing there that I died and was dragged here?
It was a moment when my thoughts stretched endlessly. Suddenly, I felt something forcefully pierce into me.
“Gasp!”
I thought I was suffocating and would die right then, but I felt no pain afterward. Instead, my blocked breath suddenly cleared, and I involuntarily clutched my throat with my hands, gasping for air.
The ice that should have poured down on my body was nowhere to be seen. Even Valerian’s flames, which had been burning fiercely, had extinguished.
Seeing the burn mark on the back of my hand, it was certain that Valerian’s flames just before his Berserk had enveloped me, but now it was calm.
It seemed unlikely that Valerian had unconsciously dealt with the flames and the Monster’s ice, as his condition was still not good. The mark on his neck was still faintly visible, almost imperceptible.
…Then who exactly dealt with this ice?
No. Now is not the time to think about other things. I couldn’t hesitate any longer. I pressed my lips against Valerian’s, whose eyes were closed as if facing death.
I held his firm jaw, parted his lips, and breathed Guiding into him, concentrating it. Nevertheless, Valerian did not open his eyes.
In the end, I climbed onto his body to widen the contact area. I hadn’t received formal training; everything I knew was from books, so there was no other way but to press our bodies together clumsily.
I felt my Guiding, flowing through the points of contact, surge towards Valerian like a great wave.
“Please… Valerian! Please wake up! Please…!”
I slightly parted our lips and called out Valerian’s name.
It was incomparably more dire than with Evan. Even as I pushed Guiding into him, feeling the limits of my stamina, Valerian wouldn’t open his eyes.
“Valerian. Please open your eyes. Okay?”
I didn’t know what else to do. No matter how many times I pressed my lips to his, he wouldn’t wake up.
If only I had taken classes at the Academy for Guides… would I have been able to provide proper Guiding then?
I had become arrogant after guiding Evan a few times. I was so confident that I could guide Valerian, just by hiding and radiating my Guiding.
I was so ashamed and regretful of my arrogant judgment that tears streamed down my face. Even as my tears fell onto my own face, Valerian kept his eyes closed.
I’m helpless. I’m angry at myself for not being able to do anything. My past arrogance is so ugly…
I still can’t believe Valerian is dying because of me. I could have saved him, but someone is going to die because of my selfishness and indifference.
No. I have to save him. Please wake up. Please… open your eyes.
