Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 87
I just felt dazed. When the brain is overloaded, it tends to shut down and not think about anything.
Honestly, saying I’ve been kidnapped, imprisoned, and threatened by him isn’t entirely false. If it weren’t for his growling about cohabitation or imprinting, I would never have lived with him, not in a million years.
…But it wasn’t all bad.
After all, living with Claude was much better than with my previous roommate, Irene.
I was well-fed, never nagged to do chores, provided three meals a day, and snacks in between…
I might have stubbornly stayed even if he had left the door wide open for me to leave.
I can’t even pretend to dislike him. I felt good when he held me, and I worried when he left the house upon receiving the Code Black notice. I almost wanted to cling to him and beg him not to go.
While he might have intimidated me with his words, he never forcibly touched me to receive guiding. There were occasional mischievous pranks, but most of the time, I felt he was rather cherishing me.
Perhaps that’s why, even though I feared him, I could still playfully tease him. No matter how rough his expressions were, I believed his feelings for me were genuine.
…But now, all those thoughts seem meaningless.
“So, according to the complaint filed by Miss Valentine… you’re claiming you’re an unregistered Guide and the only person who knew this, Claude, kidnapped, imprisoned, and threatened you?”
“…”
“Miss Valentine? Your response?”
“Uh, yeah, something like that…”
The examiner’s face hardened at my half-hearted answer. Even though we’re both employees of the Center, he’s of a higher rank than me, just a low-level clerk.
But what does that matter in the current situation?
“It’s strange, though. As a clerk, you would’ve undergone a trait examination when you first joined the Center. You were identified as a regular non-ability person then and hence recruited as a clerk. And now you’re claiming a late manifestation?”
“…”
“Hmm, let’s proceed with the examination and continue our discussion afterward. Could you please place your hand on the sphere?”
There was no backing out now after bringing things to this point.
I sighed and rolled up my sleeves.
That’s when it happened.
A murmur started near the examination room door and quickly spread.
Everyone’s gaze turned backward, and the crowd that had been tightly packed began to part, creating a path.
I knew instinctively who had arrived from the moment I took this seat.
He’s here.
But knowing didn’t make it any easier. My heart thumped heavily, my chest tightening.
And finally. Claude, usually impeccably composed, appeared hurried and disheveled.
“…Rose.”
The first expression that crossed his face upon seeing me was relief.
I somewhat grasped the situation.
Claude must have realized the Code Black notice was a lie shortly after leaving and returned home to find me gone.
Panicked, he must have heard I was in the Guiding Examination Room and rushed here.
All without knowing that I had betrayed him.
“Ha, found you…”
“…”
“Why did you leave without saying anything?”
Claude approached me, striding through the room, seemingly oblivious to the numerous onlookers’ gazes.
“Step back, Lord Claude.”
The Security Force stood in front of me.
In the process of protecting and managing Guides, sometimes there are violent clashes between Espers.
While it’s less common since the establishment of the Center, there are still Espers who try to demean Guides.
In such cases, the offending Esper and the victimized guide are immediately separated, and naturally, other Espers are needed to forcibly subdue the resisting Esper.
That’s the role of the Center’s Security Force.
At first glance, it might seem like a dangerous and challenging job that Espers would avoid, but surprisingly that’s not the case.
The Security Force wears a distinctive and handsome blue uniform, and as protectors of Guides, just being a member can be quite appealing to Guides.
Thus, the Security Force members are all high-level Espers selected through a strict evaluation process.
…Of course, not quite on par with Claude, the strongest in this world.
