The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 167
Although Hedonia and Shaelock are managing the Espers, no problems seem to have arisen yet. However, if an Esper starts acting maliciously outside their control, it could be a bigger issue than being unable to subdue a dungeon.
After all, the most frightening thing is often said to be humans themselves.
‘Then we need to catch them quickly.’
I might not be able to catch the culprit whom even Hedonia, Karina, and other Espers couldn’t… but knowing information they don’t and seeing the situation from a fresh perspective might be helpful.
If this situation escalates to the worst, Espers will surely fall into ruin.
Therefore, the mastermind behind this incident would be someone who stands to gain from the downfall of Espers.
No, it’s likely not an individual since it would be hard to achieve alone. It might be an organization.
The first suspects that come to mind are the nobles who dislike Espers.
However, Shaelock and Hedonia must have already considered this possibility.
It’s certain that nobles who harbor resentment toward Espers would have been thoroughly investigated. Knowing Hedonia’s character, I can guarantee this.
But since the problem hasn’t been resolved, it means the culprit wasn’t among them.
Then I need to reconsider the premise.
‘There’s a saying that the darkest place is under the candlestick.’
The culprit we’ve been searching for might be right beside us for an entirely different reason.
I need to think carefully.
Think, Karina.
“…Karina?”
I snapped back to reality at the sudden sound.
Esban was standing in front of me, waving his hands vigorously.
“…Ah.”
What was I doing, spacing out in front of someone?
When I stared at him with wide eyes, Esban cleared his throat.
…In the past, he would have probably scolded me for not greeting him properly, but today, Esban seemed like a gentle lamb.
“It’s been a while, nice to see… you.”
Esban hastily corrected his stiff tone, showing how unfamiliar he was with speaking quite informally.
“You can talk to me as you usually do.”
Since I was looking for an opportunity, I readily encouraged him, but Esban shook his head and insisted.
“No, I’m more comfortable this way.”
He clearly seemed more comfortable with a commanding tone.
“By the way… what were you thinking about? It seemed like you didn’t hear me calling you.”
Esban tilted his head and asked.
“Sorry about that. I was thinking about the missing Espers and didn’t notice you arrived.”
At my straightforward apology, Esban nodded obediently.
Considering how he was when we first met, this was a significant improvement.
“Ah, that incident. It’s really giving me a headache.”
Esban nodded at my words, crossing his arms. His immediately serious expression reflected the gravity of the issue.
“Given that we haven’t caught them yet, I’m starting to think we might have been investigating in the wrong direction,”
Esban said, sticking to the topic at hand and addressing my curiosity.
As I spoke with Esban, I could barely contain my laughter.
‘…He’s just adding ‘uh’ at the end of his sentences.’
Honestly, I was tempted to ask him to switch back to his original tone like Pheon, but seeing his determined effort to speak comfortably, I decided to let it go.
‘He said he had something to tell me.’
What could he not want to say in front of other Espers? If it’s a topic that’s hard to bring up, it would be rude for me to ask first, so I stayed silent.
Esban, with his lips tightly shut, cautiously gauged my reaction.
…Esban, trying to read my expression? It’s as rare as a snowman enjoying hot water.
“Esban.”
“Yeah?”
Esban nodded like a well-trained puppy at my call.
“What are you going to tell me, Karina?”
“What is it that you wanted to tell me?”
“Uh… I forgot.”
Esban nodded and mumbled at my prompt.
…What has he been thinking all this time?
“First, let me start by saying I’m sorry.”
Esban hastily corrected his speech and looked at me. He wasn’t just looking; he was assessing my condition.
“If we hadn’t received your guiding that time, we wouldn’t have come so close to death.”
“It was my choice. I don’t regret it. And in the end, nothing happened, so there’s no need for you to apologize.”
I felt uncomfortable with the repeated apologies.
When I shook my head firmly, Esban’s face turned serious. He murmured in a low voice.
“No, you don’t understand, Karina. You have no idea how scared we were when you collapsed.”
