Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 259
“I understand you don’t want to be separated from your Guide after finally reuniting, but given the circumstances, there’s no other choice, is there…”
Claude hung his head low. The veins in his temples stood out starkly as he pressed his fingers against them.
He was utterly furious. He had realized that the Code Purple wasn’t a trick I pulled just to leave the house.
Even I wouldn’t go so far as to call the Head of the Center to the house just to lie.
After Claude had chased away the two staff members, the Head of the Center visited our house the next morning. I barely managed to stop Claude from blocking his entry and led him into the living room.
When I was a staff member, the Head of the Center was like a god to me. He had started from the bottom as a civilian and established the current Center, rising to the position of Head. To ambitious staff members like Demona, who were hungry for promotion and success, he was nothing short of an idol.
While I wasn’t that extreme, I still felt the need to show him proper respect. As I headed to the kitchen to prepare some refreshments, Claude forcibly sat me down on the living room sofa.
With Claude exuding an aura that screamed ‘state your business and leave,’ the Head of the Center was sweating profusely. He continuously wiped his cold sweat with a handkerchief he had brought, clearly nervous.
I had heard rumors that even the Head of the Center was intimidated by Claude, but seeing it firsthand felt surreal.
However, the tables turned as soon as the Head of the Center got to the point.
The news he brought was shocking.
Although it hadn’t been revealed to the public yet, additional unidentified bodies had been discovered in the capital, bringing the total to over forty-nine. The bodies were all missing body parts, and autopsies confirmed that mutants were responsible.
But that wasn’t the end of it. More troubling events were occurring outside the capital.
While the western border area, where Claude had recently been dispatched, had quieted down, a new problem had sprouted in the east. In a small village near the northeastern border, all the residents had mysteriously vanished one day.
And during all this, no witnesses or clear evidence had been found. Naturally, the investigation was at a standstill.
The authorities had concluded that these mysterious disappearances and murders were the work of mutants— Mutants so intelligent that even Espers, who had undergone systematic training at the Center to counter them, were left helpless.
This is why the Head of the Center had to intrude into Claude’s house so early in the morning, despite Claude’s obvious displeasure. He had come to request Claude’s participation in the investigation, knowing that Claude, despite his youth, was the strongest Esper and the most knowledgeable about mutants.
Living in the safest Center in Arteon, protected perfectly by the strongest Esper in the world who could guard me against anyone, it was hard to grasp the gravity of a crisis so severe that it threatened the entire nation of Arteon.
“Although it’s currently at the level of Code Purple… the authorities believe this situation could escalate to Code Black. You know how much budget is required annually to maintain the Center. Yet, the Center, which oversees and manages Espers and Guides against mutants, hasn’t found a single clear clue so far.”
“……”
“This could potentially threaten the very existence of the Center.”
Before the Center was established, Arteon was in utter chaos. Mutants suddenly appeared and indiscriminately harmed people. With their power far surpassing the level of civilization we had built up until then, not only civilians but also armed forces were helplessly killed.
Of course, Espers had the power to fight against mutants. However, only a few benefited from these supernatural abilities.
Powerful Espers kidnapped Guides indiscriminately and monopolized them, while Espers who lost in the hierarchy struggles went on rampage due to the lack of guiding.
And these powerful Espers did not bother to protect civilians from mutants at their own expense.
This bleak situation reached a turning point with the emergence of a young politician who appeared like a comet.
