The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 161
As I was eating, I thought.
I recalled the behavior of the Espers and Hedonia when I brought up the time before I collapsed.
The unusual urgency he displayed, and the expressions of the surrounding Espers.
Gradually, the puzzle pieces fell into place.
I might not know everything he will tell me, but one thing was certain.
The mystery of the strangely familiar Esper I met back then was finally solved.
‘Shaelock, Pheon, and Esban didn’t show any signs of surprise.’
It was because they already knew. Just as guides can recognize each other, Espers might be able to do the same.
Thinking this way, it made sense why that Esper acted familiarly with me back then.
‘I was worrying about Hedonia in front of Hedonia.’
Hedonia’s eyes widened at my words.
“You knew?”
His voice trembled. It was clear he was even more nervous, unable to predict my reaction, let alone answer my question.
“I didn’t know. But seeing you today, Lord Hedonia, it seemed likely.”
In this situation, even the most clueless person would have realized it.
Hedonia faintly smiled.
“I’m glad I didn’t come to see you earlier. I would have been caught right away.”
Only then did I begin to understand why Hedonia had avoided me for so long.
“I wanted to tell you. But it wasn’t easy… especially after I almost took your life.”
His self-deprecating words made me recall the situation. It was a life-and-death moment for me, too, so it was unforgettable.
“Did you use your ability that day?”
When he first held my hand, Hedonia unconsciously drained my strength and quickly left. When we met again, he handed me a cursed doll, and even the brief contact with his hand left me dazed.
“…I sought revenge on Robert and brought the cursed doll for you. I intended to confess that I had become an Esper when I handed it to you, but like a fool, I lost control.”
He muttered in a low voice.
“I couldn’t forgive myself.”
Now, instead of his voice, his body was trembling. Looking at me, he spoke pleadingly.
“So I trained really hard.”
Hedonia, hesitating, clenched his fist.
“I won’t lose control in front of you anymore.”
It would be a lie to say that the memory didn’t leave any trauma.
At the time, I was already drained from guiding other Espers, and meeting Hedonia only further exhausted my strength.
Afterward, I slept like the dead and only woke up two weeks later to learn that I had almost died.
It was terrifying to know that I had brushed with death without even realizing it. The fear was all the more vague because my only fault was grabbing the outstretched hand without thinking.
“Don’t be afraid of me, Karina.”
…I thought Hedonia had forgotten me and returned to the original story.
I believed I wouldn’t care what happened to the Espers anymore.
Because they and I were living different lives.
But that was just my misconception.
While I was trying to forget Hedonia, he was fighting with all his might for me.
The memory of nearly dying hadn’t disappeared, but seeing Hedonia in such torment made that fear dissipate.
I tightly held Hedonia’s hand, which had hesitated to reach out to me. Hedonia’s eyes widened.
As he said, his strength was now intact.
It was a stark difference from the last time I saw him.
“…How did you manage to get guiding all this time?”
Hedonia, looking back and forth between our clasped hands and my face, smiled and said.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I found out I could survive with minimal guiding.”
His words only made me more worried.
Just being able to survive didn’t fully explain his situation.
‘…He must have been as shocked as I was when he awakened as an Esper.’
I couldn’t fathom the agony and torment Hedonia must have gone through.
I tightened my grip on Hedonia’s hand.
The guiding, after a long time, felt perfect as if I had never taken a break. It even felt refreshing because it had been so long.
“Karina, you—”
Realizing what I was doing, Hedonia flinched and tried to pull his hand away.
“You said you’d be my own Esper. Guiding is only natural then.”
“…That doesn’t mean you should strain yourself for me.”
“I’m doing this because I want to.”
