The One and Only Guide - Chapter 15
Satisfied that she had coaxed a response, Jian pushed herself up from Axion’s chest. After pulling on the clothes that had been shed to cover her upper body, Jian’s eyes settled on the food Axion had brought her.
Perhaps due to the tension easing and realizing she was dealing with someone who could communicate, belated hunger surged through her.
Thanks to the pills in her emergency kit, she could go without eating for a week, but that was only in real emergency situations. It would be foolish not to eat when there was food available.
“This needs to be heated up again. Can you tell me where the kitchen is?” Jian asked.
In response, Axion quickly got up, saying,
“I’ll have it warmed up.”
Holding the tray with the food, Axion disappeared rapidly. His movements were surprisingly fast, even for an Esper.
Astonished by his beast-like agility, Jian scratched her head and mumbled,
“Even so, shouldn’t he at least put clothes on?”
Well, he shouldn’t get in trouble for walking around with his top off.
***
Wandering through the duke’s castle, Jian gradually grasped the reality. The absence of any modern technology and the lifestyle of the residents made Jian realize that there was nothing resembling contemporary civilization inside the castle.
There was no sign of electricity or plumbing anywhere, and people’s clothing resembled something out of movies or dramas. Even in a third-world setting, cultural and technological development wasn’t this underdeveloped.
How strange it was to see food cooked over an open fire, let alone on a stove or induction, and to see men training in a place called a regimental field. In Jian’s eyes, the entire castle seemed utterly nonsensical, evident in the various roles like maids, knights, attendants, and stewards.
What finally opened Jian’s eyes was the monster invasion.
Distant horns sounded, and the castle men rushed out as war cries echoed. At the forefront was Axion Odergen.
A few hours later, the sound of fluttering snow and distant screams filled the air.
“Ah…!”
The chilling resonance of clashing swords and spears sent shivers down Jian’s spine, and the unmistakable roar of monsters shook the ground horribly. Somewhere, a Gate had surely activated, spewing out monsters. Jian nervously bit her nails, her face filled with unease.
The atmosphere within the castle was unmistakably tense. Even the knights monitoring her couldn’t hide their anxiety. It was at this moment that she understood the purpose of the moat around the castle and the huge gates that needed to be moved by pulleys.
The battle raged on for two days and nights. The people who were occasionally brought to the Duke’s castle were mostly seriously wounded, and more than half of them were not survivors.
Despite the situation worsening rapidly, the rescue team that Jian was waiting for never arrived.
At this point, the gate response team should have been organized and ready. Why haven’t the other Espers shown up?
Why? Why was there such a delay?
What seemed most peculiar was that people, despite their fear of the monsters, appeared accustomed to this situation. Even amidst chaos and fear, individuals carried out their respective tasks. The maids tore clothes and fabric to create bandages, boiling the blood-soaked ones in water. Servants sharpened dulled axes and swords and carried the wounded.
Hearing the cries of those who lost loved ones, being confined and detained in the estate felt trivial and unimportant. Jian even entertained the thought that the Duke might have prevented her from stepping outside to protect her. It was as if such incidents happened so often…
Amidst these thoughts, once again, a carriage entered the Duke’s estate. The attendants carried stretchers, unloading the injured. It was a disturbing sight even from a distance. People with missing limbs, shattered heads, and contorted rib cages were huddled together.
As the situation escalated, it was no longer possible for Jian to simply watch from afar, like observing a fire across a river.
Jian remembered her emergency kit. It contained hemostatic agents and various other emergency medications prepared for Gate situations. There were a few syringes and even a medical stapler. Although she had never properly checked its contents, given the current circumstances, it seemed better than having nothing.
Jian approached one of the knights who had been monitoring her over the past few days.
“I’d like to get back the clothes and belongings I was originally wearing. To whom should I go?”
“You can go to the wardrobe mistress. However, everyone is quite busy right now, so if it’s not urgent, you might want to request it later.”
“It is urgent. Please lead me to the wardrobe mistress.”
At Jian’s words, the knight, Harold, raised an intrigued eyebrow.
