Chapter 18: The Nature of Espers and Guides

“Emil?”

“…Ah?”

Yanis suddenly materialized in Emil’s line of sight. Emil blinked rapidly, trying to shake off the thoughts swirling in his mind, and recalled the man’s previous words.

“Ye-yes, the mid-slope of the mountain. That’s right, there’s a place rarely visited by people.”

“Uh, it’s further up than the mid-slope, actually, but I went there once as a child. It has so many beautiful flowers, but I was scolded for going there. They said it wasn’t far from where the monsters dwelled…”

Emil stammered, piecing together his memories. It was a place he had visited with Jack.

Among the villagers, it was notorious as a forbidden area, rumored to be home to both wild beasts and monsters. Yet, it was also said that the constant skirmishes between these monsters and beasts were precisely what kept their village safe, as their internal conflicts kept them from turning their attention to humans.

The wild flower garden, sprawling across the mountainside, was a natural formation. It was a spot whispered about by those who had accidentally lost their way or inadvertently ventured deep into the mountains.

As a child, fueled by youthful bravado and a competitive spirit, he had visited it and been severely reprimanded. His mother, uncharacteristically stern, had chastised him, asking if he knew how dangerous the place truly was.

The one who went with him was Jack. Reflecting on it, Jack had always been a constant presence throughout Emil’s childhood.

On the day Emil heard Jack was a Guide, and on the day Emil bore the mark of God—Jack was the first person, besides his mother, to see the cross etched on Emil’s back.

And Jack, with Lauren—

‘No, that couldn’t be.’ Lauren was his mother. And Jack was the only person Emil could truly call a friend.

‘……So who was Lauren with that day?’ A sudden memory surfaced: the nail marks on Jack’s back. He had seen them when they played by the stream, those distinct scratches on his friend’s skin.

Emil had worried, wondering what had caused them, but Jack had dismissed it casually, saying he had no such marks.

‘Then why were those nail marks on Jack’s back? Did Jack scratch himself?’ The marks were too vivid to be self-inflicted injuries. If he had done it himself, it would have to be considered self-harm.

“Then I must visit that place before the ceremony. I wonder if many beautiful flowers will be blooming?”

“…Uh, I think—that place is a bit dangerous. I know many good spots by the river mouth; I can tell you about them. It would be fine if I accompanied you, too.”

The man before him was discussing wedding arrangements with his lover’s son. And that son, piecing together the relationship between his mother and his friend, was desperately trying to deny the terrible imaginings that plagued his mind.

‘It couldn’t be.’

‘It was just a coincidence.’

Jack was young, a Guide in the Lord’s army, and quite well-built. He was quite popular among the village’s young maidens.

While some avoided him because he was a Guide, others found it appealing, seeing it as something unique, even if they didn’t fully understand what a Guide was.

Besides, there was a considerable age gap between his mother and Jack. Jack was only four years older than him, after all—

“Then please tell me later. You are proving to be of great help.”

Yanis smiled brightly. Suddenly, it became difficult to meet his gaze, so Emil feigned a smile and turned his head away. He wished his thoughts about Jack and his mother were merely his own delusion, praying that his impure, sin-filled self wasn’t committing spiritual adultery by suspecting their relationship.

“…No, it’s nothing. I just want to help where I can.”

He lowered his head, replying with difficulty. He hoped Yanis would pretend not to notice his distress.

****

Yanis brought Emil a cup of the tea he enjoyed, made from the same tea leaves Emil had given him recently.

“Today, I will explain the relationship between Espers and Guides.”

Yanis produced two human-shaped wooden dolls and placed them before Emil. Each doll, slightly smaller than a fist, had its head painted either black or blue.

“This black-haired doll is an Esper, and this blue one is a Guide.”

“Yes.”

“As you know, Espers are individuals who wield transcendent abilities, powers beyond our comprehension. The scope and intensity of these abilities vary from person to person.”

“While weaker, more subtle powers might only allow one to ignite a candle with a fingertip or lift a small stone, powerful Espers can destroy this entire village or incinerate Lord Cezar’s castle whole.”

“Oh… is it that powerful?”

As he listened to Yanis’s explanation, Emil thought of his mother. Her power was not weak.

Sometimes she would break household items, or in severe cases, even burn down a part of their house. Yanis nodded slightly.

“Typically, Espers can sense both their own power and that of others. Naturally, the stronger their power, the more accurately they perceive it, generally speaking.”

“But, Mother—”

“Lauren is a somewhat special case, isn’t she? I’ve often helped her and taught her, but she claims she can’t sense the power of other Espers.”

Emil pictured his mother’s face. Lauren didn’t even properly know how to use the power she possessed.

It was impossible for her to grasp another’s power when she couldn’t even control her own. Moreover, she had never encountered a proper Guide.

Before Yanis, all she had was Jack’s occasional help, and even Jack was not an outstanding enough Guide to truly assist Lauren.

Emil remembered his father. His father had loved his mother very much. However, he was not a Guide.

“Oh, yes. Um… she probably can’t. Not as far as I know.”

“That’s certainly possible. The types of abilities are diverse. Like Lauren, some can control fire, while others wield unimaginable superhuman strength.”

“Some manipulate sound, wind, water, or ice. Sometimes, powers even transcend the visible realm, with individuals capable of reading or controlling minds.”

“That’s fascinating.”

“Isn’t it? I’ve only encountered such a person once myself. Fortunately, they didn’t use any abilities on me, but it was truly remarkable. However,”

Yanis shook the black-haired wooden doll as he continued his explanation.

“An Esper’s power is not entirely infinite. Similarly, there are differences from person to person.”

“Just as a larger jar can hold more water, the stronger an Esper’s power and the greater their capacity, the more potent abilities they can unleash. However, if they exhaust all that power, problems arise.”

“Just as an ordinary person collapses from exhaustion after strenuous exercise, Espers face issues too. They require physical and mental rest. Yet, ordinary rest has its limits.”

“To refill that large jar, something else is needed. That is precisely why Guides exist.”

“…Ah.”

Emil let out a short exclamation of understanding. Noticing the question in his expression, Yanis spoke first.

“Do you have any questions?”

“Uh… we learn about Espers and Guides in school too, as part of ontology in philosophy class. When we contemplate humanity, we inevitably can’t exclude Espers and Guides.”

“I remember learning that Guides exist for Espers.”

“Ah, yes.”

Yanis nodded slightly at Emil’s words, yet tilted his head. “That’s true. Guides are certainly not necessary for ordinary people who possess no abilities.”

“To elaborate a bit further… Guides and Espers share a symbiotic relationship. To portray Guides as mere appendages of Espers seems to be a somewhat mistaken view.”

Yanis responded kindly, even to words that might have been considered offensive.

“You can think of Espers as individuals who possess one specific type of the many superhuman abilities that exist in the world. However, because everything is concentrated on that particular ability, they also have weaknesses.”

“Guides are beings who fill those deficiencies in Espers. Simply put, while Guides are not as physically strong as Espers, they generally possess stronger mental fortitude than Espers.”

At that, Emil recalled Yanis and Lauren in succession: Yanis, who calmly handled most situations without anger, and Lauren, who easily became unstable and collapsed.

Simultaneously, Jack’s face flashed in his mind, and Emil desperately tried to banish the thought.

“So… Guides are people who possess what Espers lack?”

“That would be a good way to explain it. Perhaps it’s better to say that just as Espers wield power beyond ordinary people, Guides possess mental strength beyond ordinary people?”

“However, a strong-willed ordinary person does not become a Guide. A Guide’s mental strength is quite literally power itself. Yes, it might be better to refer to it as ‘heart power’ rather than ‘mental strength’.”

“Ah.”

“That is why Guides and Espers can recognize each other. They possess a special power that ordinary people do not. Of course, training is required.”

“Another characteristic is that Espers can find solace through communion with Guides.”

“Communion…?”

“Yes. Because of this, Espers and Guides often marry. Naturally, the more time they spend together, the more opportunities for communion arise.”

“Married Espers and Guides typically seek to imprint upon each other.”

“What is imprinting?”

“Imprinting is—”

Yanis frowned for a moment, as if searching for the right word to explain, then picked up a quill. After dipping the pen tip in ink, he dabbed a dot on each of the two wooden dolls.

“It’s engraving. Engraving the other person onto yourself. And yourself onto the other person. You connect to each other through imprinting.”

“Is imprinting… a good thing?”

“If an Esper and a Guide achieve perfect communion, yes. Just as people sometimes have incompatible personalities, Espers and Guides don’t necessarily achieve perfect communion with each other.”

“As I explained earlier, the magnitude of power they can handle differs, and even if they seem similar, their compatibility might be poor. Forcing the process can sometimes even put a strain on their bodies.”

“Ah…”

Yanis let out a soft chuckle, observing Emil’s reaction, who was listening intently to every word. Emil, lost in thought, hesitated for a long time before posing a question.

“Then, Yanis… have you imprinted with my mother?”