Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 273
Oscar couldn’t help but glance at Claude’s reaction. As expected, one of Claude’s eyebrows was raised in a crooked arch. His displeasure was evident.
In fact, Oscar had a vague suspicion. Daniel’s behavior now was strikingly similar to Claude’s.
Espers rejecting life-saving guiding and wearing clothes that covered their entire body to avoid any skin contact.
The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together.
Why Claude had endured the brink of rampage multiple times over the past decade, avoiding contact with Guides, and why he had an inexplicable obsession with Rose, who wasn’t even a Guide.
And why that very Rose kept getting entangled with none other than Daniel.
All of this, perhaps…
“Um, Claude.”
Claude, called cautiously, turned away without a response.
***
The battle dragged on, eventually entering its second month. And the unit still had no substantial results.
There were no particularly strong mutant entities, nor were the battles extraordinarily difficult. But these encounters were distinctly different from any the unit had experienced before.
It became increasingly clear why the assumption that mutants had developed intelligence was becoming accepted as fact.
Different mutant species were forming alliances. They seemed to avoid traps the unit carefully set as if they knew they were there. They launched stealth attacks in the dead of night when everyone was asleep.
But it was too early to conclude that they possessed human-level intelligence.
There had to be a reason for different mutant species to cooperate. Typically, the purpose would be survival. For example, increasing hunting success rates through cooperation could mean more food for each individual.
However, the observed mutants’ objective wasn’t mere survival. Claude had seen numerous mutants sacrifice themselves as bait to increase the success rate of the group’s attacks.
Using strategy indicated intelligence, but it wasn’t just about having or lacking intelligence.
Even humans with high intelligence instinctively prioritize survival when facing death. Conversely, there was no explanation for why mutants would knowingly sacrifice themselves for combination attacks.
They also avoided the traps set by the unit.
After several trial and error attempts, the unit managed to make the traps quite sophisticated and complex. Yet, the mutants evaded them even more cleverly, as if they had already figured out the humans’ plans.
To make matters worse, one early morning, mutants launched a surprise attack on the unit’s temporary quarters. Thankfully, no one was harmed, but there were still losses.
A fire broke out in the storage where they kept several months’ worth of supplies brought from the Center.
Claude found this unsettling. If their goal was a bloodlust for humans, they would have attacked the people. If their aim was survival, they would have taken the food for themselves.
Burning the storage made no sense. Even without immediate supplies, humans could procure more, and it wouldn’t kill them.
It was almost as if their goal was to prolong the battle…
Despite feeling like he was missing something crucial, Claude couldn’t find any clear clues.
Every time they tried to categorize the behavior patterns, the mutants did something unexpected. Whenever they tried to locate their base, the mutants suddenly relocated.
Thus, the battle dragged on. There were hardly any concrete clues revealed over the long period. The uncertainty of when the battle would end wore down the unit members both physically and mentally.
Around that time, the unit finally decided to send a messenger to the Center. They requested additional supplies and reinforcements, including Livener, who had missed the last deployment due to injury.
Claude, as the unit’s representative, sealed the request letter with his seal and handed it to the Esper assigned as the messenger. The chosen Esper was an A-Class defensive type, selected for his speed.
Not knowing how significant his absence would be, he accepted the mission with a somewhat grim face.
