The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 76
“Your property?”
“The Master of the Magic Tower doesn’t go back on their word.”
If he’s that confident…
The reason I was having second thoughts was because Pheon mentioned that Hedonia was partly responsible for blocking our meetings.
‘He should mind his own business.’
It seemed Hedonia was extending his influence as his awakening pain neared its end.
“I’m serious.”
In the end, I stood up, looking into Pheon’s weary eyes.
“You need to write down everything you just said in a contract. And you still need to sell my gems.”
“Alright.”
Pheon’s expression visibly brightened.
…And so began my second dungeon expedition.
As I followed Pheon, a thought crossed my mind.
If Pheon was right…
‘If the dungeon isn’t the problem… then it’s someone’s doing.’
Who could it be?
I knew that Cayden Cairoze, the head of the Cairoze family, was handling this case.
Since Cayden was also an esper, he would have investigated thoroughly.
“Who could have done it?”
Considering the harm being done to espers, it was clear it was someone who hated them.
All espers were being blamed up to this point.
If someone were to hate espers… could it be a guide?
But all known guides are under the Duke of Apharantes. Do they have the power to eliminate multiple espers?
The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt.
‘What’s the use of me thinking about it?’
It’s not like I could solve it.
I shook my head.
Somehow, it would be resolved.
And even if it took time to solve, the status of espers would skyrocket.
Without their power, dungeons couldn’t be handled.
* * *
The people around the dungeon had already evacuated.
This place was a rural village far from the capital, so the damage to people was minimal.
“Once we get out, I’ll need to find that guy… I mean, this person. Though they usually slack off, they get their job done when needed.”
Pheon muttered continuously as we walked to the dungeon, clearly upset.
He seemed to be the type who talks a lot when angry.
Pheon sighed and then, as if remembering something, asked,
“Oh, should I take off your veil? I forgot I could do that.”
“…How did you forget until now?”
“Because I know what you look like, Karina.”
…I guess he’s someone without biases.
“I was surprised at how pretty you are. Did you know?”
“I’m a bit taken aback by your compliment, Lord Pheon.”
“Compliments are an effective way to break down walls between people, so why not?”
Pheon joked as he removed my veil.
“That doesn’t mean everything I say is a lie. You are truly beautiful, Karina.”
Given the previous conversation, his credibility was shaky, but I didn’t feel like arguing.
“Thank you. You’re handsome too, Lord Pheon.”
“I know.”
…Well, it’s hard for a guy with his looks to lack confidence.
I was at a loss for words and just shrugged as I stared at him.
We took our first step into the dungeon.
As expected, the scenery was completely different from before.
It felt like we had teleported.
The difference from the previous dungeon was that this place seemed less threatening.
The open field looked like a vacation spot.
Various types of flowers bloomed among the lush green grass.
“This dungeon is at a level that even a D-rank esper can handle, so don’t worry.”
Pheon reassured me repeatedly.
‘He must be worried about our contract.’
I nodded at his words and looked around.
The beautiful field, with a gentle breeze blowing, felt quite healing.
I started to think that coming to the dungeon wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
“Still, don’t let your guard down.”
I must have shown my relief too obviously.
I laughed awkwardly.
“Haha, as if I would. I’m very tense right now.”
“Hmm.”
Pheon looked at me curiously and asked,
“What’s your natural hair color?”
“…Purple.”
“I’d like to see it, but that seems unlikely.”
“You know very well.”
We both knew that once our roles were finished, we wouldn’t see each other again.
I turned back to the field.
“…There are footprints over there.”
I noticed signs of human presence on a path through the field.
“Footprints?”
Pheon instantly erased his smile and examined the footprints.
Pheon, lost in thought, stroked his chin.
“It seems that person didn’t slack off but might have entered ahead of us.”