The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 176
Was it crossing the line to ask where he had been this morning?
“I really messed up.”
But my intuition was completely off.
“I’ve committed a grave sin.”
Hedonia, with a serious expression, apologized sincerely before chuckling and kissing my cheek lightly.
“I should have been watching you from the moment you woke up.”
The cheek his lips touched felt warm, and my skin, which had been in contact with his all night, heated up.
He got out of bed, knelt on the floor beside it, and rested his head on my thigh.
Then he tilted his head and looked up at me.
“I’m sorry. I finished my work as quickly as I could and rushed back here. Can you ever forgive me? Please?”
Seeing Hedonia speak so endearingly, my resentment melted away like snow in the spring.
“What happened?”
“Oh, an esper went missing, so I had to go into the dungeon in their place.”
His casual tone made it sound like a simple errand, and I had to question my ears.
“…The dungeon?”
“Yes.”
I gasped in disbelief.
“While I was wandering in dreamland, you were fighting for your life in the dungeon.”
I felt embarrassed about my earlier complaints.
Karina, you’re whining about him not being there when you woke up, and he was out risking his life in a terrifying dungeon!
Chastising myself, I squeezed my eyes shut in embarrassment.
“Don’t think like that, Karina. I handled the dungeon easily. I’m a much more capable esper than you think.”
His eyes softened as he watched my expression.
“Did you worry about me?”
Hedonia chuckled softly, then stood up and sat next to me.
“It’s okay. I even took a bath so I could meet you in a clean state.”
Indeed, he did smell wonderful.
But despite Hedonia’s abilities, my worry persisted.
“How can I not worry? No matter how much of an S-rank esper you are, the situation these days is…”
“Right, right.”
Hedonia nodded repeatedly.
“It’s understandable that you’re worried.”
He naturally wrapped his arm around my shoulder, making me lean into him.
“No matter what my abilities are.”
It was then that I realized I had never properly heard about Hedonia’s abilities.
Even yesterday, after his outburst, I only knew he tried to control himself during the guiding, but I didn’t know the specifics of his abilities.
“What exactly are your abilities, Hedonia?”
Hedonia paused for a moment and pointed to his forehead.
“Mental abilities.”
“…Mental abilities?”
I found it difficult to understand exactly what he meant.
The term “mental abilities” was broader than I initially thought. Seeing my confusion, Hedonia added further explanation.
“I can manipulate the minds of people I want. If I wish, I can even control them.”
“Control them?”
It was unexpected but seemed perfectly suited for someone like Hedonia, who naturally exudes authority over others.
Come to think of it… When Hedonia and I reunited, the other three espers were unusually quiet.
At first, I thought they were being considerate of our relationship, but seeing Hedonia and the other espers bicker now, it seemed unlikely they would have given us that space voluntarily.
‘Could Hedonia have used his ability on them?’
But those espers were among the most powerful in the empire.
“Can your ability work even on S-rank espers?”
Hedonia nodded calmly at my question.
“Yes, it does.”
He watched my reaction closely and added softly.
“These days… I’ve been trying it on monsters too.”
“On monsters?”
“Yes, to make them either end their own lives or return to the dungeon before they cause any harm.”
“Wow…”
It was truly impressive that Hedonia even thought of using his powers on monsters. If it were me, I probably would have just used my mind control abilities on people and left it at that, but Hedonia’s perspective on problems was fundamentally different.
‘He’s fulfilling his responsibilities and duties as an esper.’
Seeing how much he had grown and advanced from the confused young man who had first experienced awakening made me feel proud. In comparison, my life seemed stagnant, and I felt a twinge of regret.
‘I should have worked harder too.’
Just because he talked about his achievements easily didn’t mean they were easily attained.
‘I need to live more diligently from now on.’
Watching Hedonia, I clenched my fists with determination. I wanted to be a partner he could be proud of.
However, aside from our smooth conversation…
“I have one last question to ask.”
There was something bothering me.
“What is it?”
Hedonia’s face lit up with a friendly smile, and I held his hand tightly. Knowing he must have exerted himself in the dungeon, I wanted to help him with guiding. Despite some muscle aches, I felt mentally alert after a good night’s sleep, so guiding wouldn’t be an issue.
Leaning into him, I squeezed his hand tighter and asked,
“What are the penalties?”
At my words, Hedonia’s body stiffened.
