The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 19
One of the reasons for choosing Karina as the stand-in was her high rank.
A guide with the ability to demonstrate her skills in front of others is a rare find.
However, stepping forward to guide like this posed a dilemma.
The one he reluctantly brought in for Hedonia now seeks to take over.
She has transformed into a rat trying to seize control here.
It’s too late to retreat now.
Hedonia has already begun to taste blood and is improving.
They even planned to hold a party soon to celebrate Hedonia’s progress.
Robert needed a solution.
A way to confine the young girl, still naive about the world, within his grasp so that everything could go as he pleased.
“Should I start by teaching her how to guide?”
Through non-contact.
He chuckled darkly. After all, all information about guiding had to go through him anyway.
Entrancing that little child was no trouble at all.
* * *
The maid hurriedly woke me up.
As I groggily opened my eyes, I saw the same pattern on the ceiling that I had seen before falling asleep.
‘When did I fall asleep?’
I bolted upright and stiffened as I saw the duke sitting in front of me.
“You’ve woken up just in time,”
Seems like the timing is impeccable. I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and glanced to the side. Esban was already gone, nowhere to be seen.
Judging by the presence of Duke Apharantes here, it seemed he had already received his guiding and left.
I suppressed a yawn trying to escape from within me.
‘Really tired.’
Despite having slept, I felt even sleepier rather than refreshed.
“Have you guided him?”
“No, I just held hands.”
“…I see, that is probably because you have not learned to guide.”
Following the Duke’s calm voice, I felt his scrutinizing gaze, as if he were pondering over my actions.
The maid’s words simply meant that I needed to talk to Esban.
Was he displeased with this? Unable to read the Duke’s mind, I found myself constantly holding my tongue, wary of his reactions.
“You must be aware that I am an authority when it comes to guiding.”
“Yes, I am well aware that you are among the most exceptional guides currently known.”
Duke Apharantes currently holds the highest rank among the ‘known’ guides.
“From now on, you shall learn guiding from me. That will be the most accurate way.”
It was a sudden act of kindness, which made me somewhat skeptical.
Before questioning why this was happening all of a sudden, I needed to gauge his intentions.
“Unfortunately, there is nothing I can offer other than gratitude. How should I prepare?”
“Firstly…”
Duke Apharantes paused, cloaking his words in a gentle tone.
“Let’s start by delving into effective non-contact guiding.”
…Who does he think he’s fooling?
The adjective “effective” he casually threw in caught my attention.
“You cannot just have yourself touching the bodies of the nobles you shall encounter in the future.”
His disdainful gaze, as if mocking me for daring to speak as a commoner, reminded me of Esban.
“Overstepping boundaries.”
Flames ignited in Duke Apharantes’ eyes as he looked at me. It was clear that he had caught on to the sight of me holding hands with Esban and falling asleep earlier.
I felt unjustly accused.
‘Esban fell asleep first!’
Even if I were to point out the contradiction in his words here, I had a strong feeling that it would only tire me out further.
A hollow laugh escaped me at the attitude of trying to brainwash me with misinformation so early on.
Perhaps this was a matter unrelated to my safety.
‘I’ll have to talk to Hedonia later about this.’
Asking questions now would likely yield no answers from the Duke.
I figured it would be better to ask Hedonia later.
“Understood,”
I replied obediently, bowing my head.
* * *
Hedonia had no qualms about speaking bluntly.
In fact, from the evening we actually talked, I was able to have some free time.
‘He’s decisive.’
I hadn’t expected to go straight to talk with the Duke after speaking with him.
Anyway, since he provided the time, it was only natural to go and meet him as he had requested.
“You’re here.”
“Since you called for me.”
I replied, pouring blood into a glass and handing it to him.
Hedonia scrutinized the glass carefully before downing it in one gulp.
His initial reluctance to drink blood substances overlapped in my mind.
‘If he eats this well, he’ll probably enjoy a stew too.’
As I gazed at him, pondering over various thoughts, the topic of guiding came to mind.
It seemed like an appropriate moment to ask.
Since becoming a guide, he seemed to know exactly what he needed to do.
Although it hadn’t been long since the appearance of guides and espers…
As the only S-rank guiding household following the Three Great Families, their wealth of information was vast. Whether Hedonia would provide answers was still uncertain.
Even though I was currently on the same boat as him, I was still a stand-in and a commoner who could potentially take what was his.
One reason Esban’s reaction wasn’t surprising was because it was normal.
However, since it was a problem that would eventually have to be addressed, I took the initiative to ask the question first.
“Hedonia, how does guiding work?”
Hedonia, who had been pressing his Adam’s apple while placing down his empty glass, opened his eyes narrowly.