The One and Only Guide - Chapter 34
As she looked down at her ruined feet, Jian pondered her regrets.
First and foremost, she should have kept some antiseptic gel, no matter how small quantities, in her emergency kit. She hadn’t needed to empty her first aid kit so thoroughly.
Secondly, she regretted her foolhardy plan to find a Guide in the village beyond the Duke’s castle.
Upon arriving in Mandalen, she had roamed around the village despite her aching feet, but with no success. She had thought from the beginning that it wouldn’t be easy. Guides were rare even on Earth. Considering that less than 1% of the population awakened as Guides, the task seemed daunting.
However, was there any other way? Despite the overwhelming sense of regret, her original determination to find a Guide that existed somewhere in this world remained unchanged.
In the future, she would likely continue to experience countless regrets and anguish related to the matter, but there was no other option. She couldn’t just sit idly by and do nothing, simply because it would be difficult. Fortunately, the portable compatibility rate calculator had the Guide Judgement function added to it, which was a relief.
Jian gazed at the ceiling with a heavy heart. Sleeping in a roofed house after a long time was comforting, but when she thought about it, she hadn’t been completely idle. She had grown somewhat accustomed to the lifestyle in the North, even though she still navigated the world haphazardly.
However, there was one very tricky problem: the Duke’s participation was essential for this quest to find a Guide.
Even to Jian, who didn’t know much, it was clear that the Duke was a good travel companion for this endeavor. He seemed stronger than the rugged Northerners, and he was knowledgeable about the customs and affairs of this world. His high status among the Northerners was also a significant advantage. In reality, the people of Mandalen treated the Duke with respect and awe.
This was possible because the Duke was from a noble family that had ruled the North for generations. In a caste society, it wasn’t difficult to imagine how convenient and advantageous it was to be of noble status.
The problem was this: even if she was lucky enough to find a guide, the Duke seemed unlikely to be pleased by this fact. He was an S-class Esper with a matching rate of 98%. There was no guarantee that a better guide than herself wouldn’t appear.
Perhaps she would be unlucky and encounter another Esper similar to the Duke.
If that happened… it would inevitably lead to a fight. In France, there had been incidents where an entire city was destroyed due to battles between Espers over Guides. Jian’s thoughts became increasingly troubled, so she stopped thinking about it.
She didn’t want any more troublesome situations to arise. The current situation alone was already bad enough.
Yes, there’s no point in worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet. If she sensed any Waves from individuals other than the Duke, she would avoid any involvement, regardless of their condition. Whether she could stick to this resolution or not… it was uncertain. But given the circumstances, she needed to harden her heart.
As she was immersed in such thoughts, a knock at the door woke Jian up.
“Who is it?”
“I’m coming in.”
The door opened along with the announcement.
“Your bath is ready. It’s better to bathe first. And…”
Axion’s mouth dropped open in mid-sentence. He looked at Jian’s badly blistered feet.
“What happened? How did it come to this? Is it a burn?”
Blisters like these didn’t appear without some kind of burn, at least according to Axion’s common knowledge. He hadn’t realized that simply walking for an extended period could cause all those blisters to cover her feet.
Jian, taken aback by the sudden outburst of the Duke, was left speechless. Realizing that Jian had been startled by his outburst, Axion quickly lowered his voice.
“I… I didn’t mean to raise my voice. I apologize if I frightened you.”
“Oh…Uh… No, I didn’t intend to be surprised either…”
Jian responded somewhat foolishly and then regained her composure when the Duke continued with his questions.
“Is it very painful?”
“Oh, no, it’s bearable.”
“Has it been like this the whole time? Was your difficulty walking and slow pace due to the pain in your feet?”
“…..”
“Answer me. Is this… the aftermath of pushing yourself too hard while Guiding?”
The last question embarrassed Jian. It seemed like her lazy lifestyle and lack of exercise were now being revealed in this way.
“No, it’s not because of that… It’s just that… I’m not used to walking.”
“You’re not used to walking? Your legs and feet aren’t deformed, so why is that?”
Having brilliantly cut Jian off, Axion sank her with his next words.
“As far as I know, even someone with one leg missing due to an injury can walk faster than you.”
Upon hearing this, Jian made a pained noise. If she could, she wanted to ask, “How can someone walk with a missing leg?”
She was aware of her lack of stamina, but receiving such confirmation was overwhelming, and it even brought forth a sense of shame that she had never experienced before.
