The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 66
I rotated my head from side to side, stretching, then curled the corners of my mouth upwards.
It was like a warm-up before a fight.
“Aren’t nobles human too? It seems like there’s a certain etiquette that should be upheld between people… I wonder if it isn’t exhausting to be so obsessively fixated.”
I was genuinely curious about Esban’s upbringing. What kind of childhood had he endured that made him so attached to his lineage and the life of nobility?
‘Everyone has their stories.’
At my words, Esban flinched. He furrowed his brows and stared at me intently.
“Isn’t that the duty of a noble? It’s no different from the obligations that follow you while performing a role. It’s as natural as breathing.”
Although it was a bit of a rant, up close, Esban truly seemed to embody the very definition of nobility.
Even the fingers resting on his chin overflowed with dignity.
“Don’t you admit that such antiquated thinking actually shackles people?”
Esban half-closed his eyes and looked at me with disdain as he muttered,
“Let me ask you something then.”
“…”
“If you weren’t bound by a contract, could you happily return to the streets? Would you give up everything you now enjoy?”
His gaze was sharp and fierce, like a well-honed blade.
“I can’t do that,”
I admitted, understanding the implication of his words.
“Enjoying all these privileges without even trying to adapt to that world is selfishness.”
He wasn’t entirely wrong.
“But there is such a thing as morality in the world.”
The actions of Marquis Shepherd, who tried to exploit his own daughter for the sake of nobility’s greed, were not justified by Esban’s words.
“I hope you realize that nobles are humans too.”
I looked Esban straight in the eye.
“And when the contract ends, I will leave this place anyway. I can definitely give up what I am enjoying now.”
Since I had no intention of adapting to this world, it didn’t matter if I directly opposed Esban’s views.
“Look at me. I haven’t even provided guidance yet.”
Meeting Esban today wasn’t just about visiting Marquis Shepherd’s mansion.
It was to guide him, as ordered by the Duke of Apharantes.
He probably had forgotten that.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fought with me like this.
As expected, at my words, Esban’s eyes flickered uncertainly.
“Guidance can be non-contact, too.”
Recalling Esban’s puzzled face during the non-contact guidance at the last party, I spoke up as he bit his lip.
‘It’s all too clear that he’s anxious.’
It seemed that he couldn’t forget the sense of liberation he had felt during his first contact guidance.
‘…Maybe I should just do non-contact guidance.’
But just because I could shake him up didn’t mean I wanted to become such a cowardly person.
Wouldn’t that make me just the same as them?
‘He did speak up earlier for me.’
I remembered how he had continued to explain the situation to Marquis Shepherd when I couldn’t find the words, and despite the awkward timing, he had insisted on leaving and escorted me out.
Perhaps Esban, who had lived a different life, found it difficult to understand such thoughts.
‘But that’s not the only reason.’
Non-contact guidance also truly exhausted me more.
The denser the contact, the more effectively I seemed to be able to use my power.
While an S-class guide could guide effectively up to their level, it didn’t mean their power was limitless.
‘Maybe this should be it.’
I stared at him for a moment before extending my hand.
“Please, take it.”
“…Your hand?”
Esban looked puzzled, as if he hadn’t expected me to do that.
“…What do you want?”
He naturally assumed I was going to ask for something.
It wasn’t the wrong assumption in the current context.
“I’m different from you, Lord Esban, so I don’t want anything.”
I grasped Esban’s hand tightly and focused my mind.
“I’ll interlock our fingers.”
Despite not liking him much, I had no intention of slacking off in my duties.
As I had warned earlier, I interlocked our fingers tightly.
Esban shivered slightly, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if it had been a long time since he last experienced such guidance.
‘Indeed, it has been a long time since I guided Esban.’
Perhaps it was natural, considering he had never asserted his rights properly even inside the dungeon.
I furrowed my brow and steadied my mind. I still couldn’t completely control my facial expressions.
The sensation of a significant amount of energy draining from my body was still unfamiliar.
It was uncomfortable because it felt like losing control.
“…You guide diligently, even though you dislike me so much.”
“Work is work. Are you feeling better now?”
“…Yes.”
Esban responded in a much calmer voice than before.
“Then I’ll let go now.”
Just as I was about to withdraw my hand, Esban hastily grabbed it.
“…Don’t you want to make a deal with me?”
“Pardon?”
“I’d like to use your guiding as a basis for a transaction, too.”