The One and Only Guide - Chapter 28
“Good morning.”
Good morning, indeed. Jian looked out the window without responding. Snow had fallen overnight and was still falling; what good morning could it be? Perhaps for the Northerners, this weather wasn’t considered harsh.
Regardless, she was curious about the purpose of his early visit.
“Are you here for Guiding?”
“It’s not that. Guiding… I can still endure it for now.”
At Axion’s words, Jian reached for his nape. It was in a mess, as if all the Guiding she had provided before had been for naught. Clearly, he had overused his abilities in battles against monsters.
“Looks like you need Guiding.”
Axion swallowed hard at her words. He thought he could endure, but as Jian’s hand touched his neck, the desire for Guiding surged uncontrollably. He wanted to pull her close, bury his face in her neck. No, he didn’t even need that much; just holding her hand would suffice.
But… that would disrupt Jian’s schedule.
In recent days, Jian had been visiting the nearby villages, searching for another Guide like herself. Axion was aware of this. He also knew that the severe cold had repeatedly foiled her outings.
Consequently, he had been informed that Jian often looked disheartened while staring out the window. Axion struggled to resist the temptation of Guiding.
“It’s okay. I’ve endured worse than this.”
Surprised by his refusal, Jian chuckled lightly and pulled the Duke over to sit on the bed.
“From what I see, you need Guiding right now.”
“But…”
“I’ve just woken up. Haven’t had breakfast yet, and if I could, I’d like to sleep more. I haven’t changed yet, so it’s a good time for Guiding. But I won’t provide the same kind of Guiding as before. That was an emergency.”
Though she had just washed up and was fully awake, she admittedly wanted to laze around a bit. Sensing that Jian wasn’t upset, Axion obediently took her offered hand.
“Ah…”
As the Guiding commenced and his fractured psyche began to mend, the momentum towards a rampage calmed, and he found himself utterly disoriented. The original plan to accompany Jian to the village outside the castle faded from his mind.
Noticing the Duke’s dazed state, Jian casually lay back on the bed. Seeing Lucy unsure of what to do, Jian lazily waved her free hand at her.
“I’ll have my meal in the room.”
“I-I’ll be leaving then.”
“Yes. Please bring it as late as possible.”
* * *
Axion came to his senses just as the sun was setting. He had no idea when he had fallen asleep. His body felt limp and warm, as if he had just emerged from a hot bath, and it was an effort to even move a finger. His muscles felt like they had melted away.
He couldn’t recall the last time he had such a good night’s sleep.
He wanted to sleep more, but as he blinked sleepily, he met Jian’s eyes and bolted upright.
“Ah, you’re awake?”
Jian, who had been lying on her stomach munching on cookies, responded with a nonchalant expression as she dialed down the intensity of the Guiding.
She had anticipated this would happen when Axion almost immediately lost consciousness during Guiding, but it took longer than expected. Normally, it wouldn’t be this intense, but it seemed his lack of previous Guiding experience played a significant role.
Meanwhile, Axion looked between Jian and the window, bewildered. He remembered falling asleep during Guiding, but now it was already evening?
Jian spoke to him, “I’m hungry. Thanks to you, I hardly had breakfast and spent all day Guiding.”
Only then did Axion notice the cookie plate on the bed and the cold meal on the table. It seemed Jian had missed her meals because she was busy Guiding him. Realizing the situation, his drowsy mind snapped awake.
“What time is it now?”
“I’m not sure. It’s evening, though. It will be dark soon.”
Axion felt a sense of defeat. He had finally managed to set aside some time, but instead of going out to the village as planned, he had fallen asleep during Guiding! His plan to build a closer relationship with Jian had gone up in smoke.
“…Let’s go to the dining hall.”
First, he knew he had to feed Jian something.
