Chapter 40: Maximilian Will Die Here

“…”

“Ah… am I not supposed to ask?”

Mac lightly bit his lip and looked at Lee Juju.

It seemed this military doctor knew about Mac’s circumstances, and that he would be forced to answer anyway.

And for some reason, Mac felt as though he was constantly being dragged into Juju’s pace.

Unlike Colonel Shan, who had asked only objective questions, Juju kept asking about personal matters.

It wasn’t exactly pleasant.

And then there was this strange feeling.

This sudden impulse to grab this man’s hand right now and run away somewhere, where on earth was it coming from?

A psychic-type esper after all?

Now that he thought about it, having two military doctors did feel strange.

While Maximilian’s vigilance was rising like this, Juju was staring at his brown curly hair, reminded of Michael, who also had curly blond hair.

Like Mac, Michael had treated Juju harmlessly.

It wasn’t that he remembered Michael because he couldn’t forget him.

It was simply because Mac and Michael gave off very similar impressions.

“I use telekinesis.”

“Wow, this is my first time seeing a telekinetic.”

Juju clapped his hands excitedly like a child watching a circus.

He could feel Ian glancing at him.

‘I know Jason is a telekinetic too, Ian.’

Deliberately, Juju didn’t turn his head toward Ian.

“There are many espers with far more impressive abilities than mine.”

Looking slightly embarrassed, Michael, no, Mac, scratched the back of his head.

Telekinesis was actually quite a useful ability.

If you could make something float, that meant you could apply a new force to an object.

It wasn’t like creating invisible arms in midair to lift things.

Rather, it meant applying force so the object itself could rise.

Because of that, telekinesis held limitless potential.

If someone simply threw a punch while adding telekinetic force, its power could increase three to five times.

And if that force were applied to weapons, like bullets or knives, what would happen then?

Yes.

This esper named Maximilian was definitely suspicious.

Juju came to that conclusion with certainty.

“Can I look at your wounds again?”

“That’s fine.”

“But…”

“Really.”

Juju hadn’t drawn his conclusion solely from the injuries.

He had also realized that Maximilian, whether it was his real personality or not, had a strong tendency to conceal himself.

People who never revealed their weaknesses often had a slightly controlling side as well.

In other words, that harmless-looking face wasn’t the whole story.

“Ah… okay.”

If he didn’t want to show the wounds anymore, there wasn’t much to do.

Juju smacked his lips inwardly.

He had no solid circumstances or evidence yet, so he couldn’t push it.

Since Maximilian kept slipping away from his leading questions, Juju ended up asking him things directly.

Without beating around the bush.

Without leaving room to escape.

“How old are you?”

…Like that.

After all, you couldn’t exactly answer, You look about twenty.

“I’m twenty-seven.”

“Oh. I’m twenty-four. Can I call you hyung? Ah- sorry, you’re a Second Lieutenant, right?”

“Ah, it’s alright. We’re from different units, so feel free to call me that. I only became a second lieutenant recently anyway.”

Mac said with an easygoing smile.

Soldiers often addressed people from other units casually as hyung or ahjussi.

“Juju.”

Colonel Shan, who had been watching Juju hovering around a new esper even after ditching Sierra, had finally reached the limit of his patience.

Juju noticed it easily.

Even if it had been Michael, he would have been anxious to pull Juju away from Mac long ago.

But Juju had no choice but to use such crude and obvious methods.

Unlike before, Juju didn’t have command authority inside the Gate.

In fact, he was practically being treated like a tagalong.

Yet he still had to make sure every esper in the company survived and got out of this suspicious Gate.

Safety began with information.

Reciting the Guide Safety Protocols in his mind, Juju looked at Colonel Shan.

At the very least, the colonel had to understand him.

Because Juju’s espers were also the colonel’s soldiers.

“Yes, Colonel.”

“Did you lay out your sleeping bag?”

“Not yet. Will you come with me?”

Colonel Shan stared at Juju.

As if he had been waiting for it, he replied to Juju’s request.

“Alright.”

It was an unexpectedly gentle response coming from Colonel Shan’s mouth.

Of course, his face didn’t look gentle at all.

If anything, it looked more like he was thinking, What exactly are you doing right now?

Juju quietly pretended not to notice.

The military tent that seemed to be part of the supplies was barely large enough for three people.

The colonel and lieutenant colonel used their own tent, while Juju shared one with Michael.

When Shan entered the medical tent, he immediately found Juju’s bag.

It had been tossed aside carelessly, but he grabbed it so tightly it almost looked like he might run off with it.

He’s… probably angry.

Juju quickly took the bag from Shan’s hand.

“Come to think of it, I greeted you late. Thank you.”

Juju spoke while pulling his sleeping bag from the bag.

Colonel Shan had been staring at the medical tent with clear dissatisfaction the whole time.

With just a few movements of his hand, the uneven ground became as smooth as cement.

Right then, Juju’s voice reached him.

Shan turned toward Juju with the same unreadable expression.

“…You’re welcome.”

Juju had indeed dodged the Kraken’s tentacle.

But in the end, it had been cut off mid-air before fully emerging from the lake and striking the ground.

The space in front of Juju had been separated so urgently that the Kraken’s body almost looked like puzzle pieces.

It took Lieutenant Colonel Miles less than five minutes to reduce it completely to ashes.

In any case, the first person who had saved Juju was Colonel Shan.

And that was exactly what Juju had hoped for.

It seemed Shan was horrified that his prediction, Juju might end up in danger, had been correct.

And that it would probably continue to happen.

However, as long as Gates continued to exist, it was something Colonel Shan would have to accept.

Juju was a Guide.

It was his destiny to enter Gates with espers and close them.

At least until another Guide appeared in this world.

And as long as the company soldiers were obligated to enter Gates under the Center’s orders.

Colonel Shan would have to keep protecting Juju.

Whether he wanted to or not, Shan was the strongest esper among Juju’s espers.

And Juju was the only Guide he had.

As an esper, it was only natural that he protect his Guide.

Perhaps the thought sounded almost violent.

But to break out of an egg, you first had to break the shell.

Unaware of Juju’s thoughts at all, Shan remained silent for a long moment before speaking seriously.

“Juju, you need to be wary of Maximilian. No one knows how he might act. If he realizes that you’re a Center Guide, it could lead to irreversible consequences.”

“I know.”

“You know?”

“Yes.”

Colonel Shan’s face twisted slightly.

You know?

If he truly knew, he wouldn’t act like this.

The moment Maximilian’s fingertips touched Juju’s, he would realize Juju’s identity.

And earlier, hadn’t they been standing that close?

Shan was completely confused.

He couldn’t understand Juju’s thoughts at all.

Seeing the worry on Shan’s face, Juju shrugged lightly.

He understood Shan’s concern.

But not using Maximilian, who was practically a walking collection of information, would be foolish.

He had to extract as much information as possible.

He also wanted to know why so many advance-team espers had died.

And if something like that happened again…

Juju stuck out the tip of his tongue slightly as he pondered.

He needed to fully understand the danger factors as soon as possible.

But it wasn’t easy.

“So you’re saying you don’t care?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t care whether he discovers your identity or not.”

Juju’s eyes widened slightly.

Colonel Shan raked a hand roughly through his bangs, staring at Juju without blinking.

His black eyes, somehow tinged with a faint blue, glinted sharply up close.

“Fine. Your reasoning isn’t wrong. It’s not you hiding your identity, it’s us. We’d be the ones handling the aftermath. Besides, this is a Gate. Who would care if one person dies inside a Gate?”

His voice hardened.

“But Juju, if you treat a person’s life so carelessly, you will eventually pay the price.”

“…No, what are you…”

Juju couldn’t properly understand the colonel’s words.

His mind went blank.

“I’ll do it your way. Second Lieutenant Maximilian will die in this Gate.”

“What are you talking about, Colonel?!”

Before Juju could even ask what he meant, Colonel Shan abruptly stood up and walked straight out of the tent.