Chapter 61: The Price of Guiding: Desperation and Political Maneuvers

A cold breeze drifted in through the open window. The butler, who managed the annex where Enoch resided, inwardly clicked their tongue at the significant drop in the room’s temperature. They closed the wide-open window, leaving only a finger’s breadth of space, and addressed the room’s occupant.

“Scott, your mental care specialist will arrive shortly. If you find it difficult to move, would you like me to ask them to come to the bedroom?”

“Ah, yes, yes…”

Scott, who had been alleviating his stuffiness by opening the window, nodded shyly.

He had undergone a major surgery, leaving a wound on his back. Though he remained immobile for a long time after regaining consciousness, Enoch had grown tender.

When Scott opened his eyes, Enoch had held his hand tightly, bowing his head in a gesture filled with sincerity. Since then, the occasional awkwardness and distance Scott felt with Enoch had gradually faded.

His heart ached at the memory of Enoch, growing increasingly irritable from the lack of guiding, yet still waiting patiently for him.

Realizing that Enoch, freshly returned from the royal banquet, could no longer endure, Scott had s*x with him despite his body still being weak.

Enoch had strived to be considerate, treating him gently, but Scott, having finally guided an Esper starved for it, was now barely able to move.

‘My wounds have healed, but my stamina isn’t fully recovered, so I hope I won’t have to go out yet.’

Just as he smiled, recalling the tender whispers of his lover as he held him close, a knock sounded at the door.

“Scott, how have you been? We’ve been doing our sessions in the drawing-room recently, so I was quite surprised to be told to come back to the bedroom. Did you do your homework?”

The cheerful female doctor entered, still clad in her gown, and greeted him.

“Wendy. I’ve been well. The drawing you assigned… just a moment. Let me get it from the drawer…”

Scott, warmly greeting Wendy, who was also a Guide, turned to rummage through the bedside drawer, but flinched in surprise when she abruptly leaned in close, her face near his.

“Hmm. Your complexion had improved over the past few days, but why does it seem to have regressed today? It looks like you need a doctor, not just mental care. Just a moment, I’ll call someone…”

Noticing Scott’s condition immediately, Wendy pulled out her tablet, causing Scott to panic and hastily stop her.

“Wendy! No, it’s not that! This is because of the guiding…!”

Doctor Wendy, poised to dial a number, paused and cast a surprised look at Scott.

“Surely you didn’t engage in s*x guiding in this state?”

Scott stammered out an excuse.

“Because Enoch was struggling so much…”

“But you didn’t *have* to have s*x.”

“But Enoch isn’t truly satisfied unless we have intercourse…”

Wendy frowned.

“Of course, with a 30% matching rate, it’s difficult to achieve complete satisfaction from general contact guiding or mucosal contact guiding. However, it shouldn’t impede daily life. Otherwise, why would a 30% matching rate be the official standard for Esper and Guide compatibility? You must have been doing some guiding, like kissing or hugging, little by little, especially after you started eating properly, right?”

Scott’s eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. No. He hadn’t done that. Now that he thought about it, guiding didn’t necessarily require s*x, so why had he insisted on it?

“…You said your matched Esper was also… an A-rank… Esper, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s his matching rate with you, then?”

“43%.”

At her confident declaration, Scott gaped, uttering an exclamation of awe.

“Incredible…!”

“It’s a pretty good matching rate, isn’t it? While not quite as high as Bliss Moore’s Guide, my Esper is certainly wrapped around my finger.”

A cloud of melancholy settled over Scott’s face. He had heard from Enoch that his best friend had awakened as a Guide and become the matched Guide for the S-rank Bliss Moore.

Though he hadn’t yet undergone official testing, he had guided Bliss just before his rampage on the battlefield, so a high matching rate was expected.

Scott, trying to push away the constant comparisons between Ethan and himself that kept invading his thoughts, changed the subject.

“Wendy, would you be able to guide your matched Esper if he went into a rampage?”

Ethan Prescott hadn’t calmed Bliss Moore *during* a rampage, but rather *just before* one. Wendy understood that Scott Kenton, not knowing the difference, clearly hadn’t received Guide training after his awakening.

This led her to wonder: had Ethan Prescott received special training from the Moore family after his Guide awakening? Could such a short period of instruction truly grant him that level of adaptability?

Recalling Ethan’s impressive exploits at the palace, which she had heard from Huey Cloud, she tilted her head and crossed her arms.

“Well, with a 43% matching rate, I’d probably have to hold my Esper and have s*x just about anywhere to stop a seizure. A full rampage is something I don’t even want to imagine. But how often do such situations arise for an ordinary Esper and Guide in their lifetime?”

“That’s true…”

“I’m content with my current situation. You could say I ‘conquered love’ with my matching rate.”

“Conquered… love?”

A peculiar glint appeared in Wendy’s eyes.

“When I returned after finishing my studies, I discovered that my man had married a wife with a low matching rate.”

“…Oh, no…”

Watching Scott sigh with pity, she recounted a story, suitably embellished to portray herself as a woman deeply in love.

“That woman, his wife, treated my man like a s*ave, using guiding as a weapon. Their relationship was already over, yet the matching bond of Esper and Guide forcibly, desperately, chained them together. I couldn’t give him up. He loved me too, you see. At the time, we didn’t even know our matching rate… I had no choice but to pursue him blindly. Scott, please don’t judge me. But I was desperate too.”

Scott was easily drawn into her narrative.

“So… what happened next?”

“Have you heard of the Esper imprinting phenomenon?”

“It’s an Esper’s instinct to protect and love their matched Guide.”

Scott’s voice, as he answered, was soft. Wendy let out a small laugh at his tone, which clearly indicated his unwavering belief that Enoch was experiencing the imprinting phenomenon with him.

“How naive. Scott, you’re adorable.”

“Huh…?”

“Didn’t you hear that the imprinting phenomenon weakens or strengthens in proportion to the matching rate? Of course, it also depends on how long mucosal contact guiding has been repeated, but Espers with around a 30% matching rate can break free, even if it’s difficult. Beyond that, it becomes considerably harder, though.”

Scott suddenly felt his breath catch. With wide eyes, he barely managed to exhale, then asked in a trembling voice.

“Break… free, you said?”

Feigning ignorance, Wendy continued.

“Espers are instinctive, you see. If there’s a more powerful Guide, a matching of around 30% can be broken if the Esper wills it. They just need to cross a certain threshold.”

While a matching could be broken without s*x if a Guide could pour more powerful guiding into an Esper than the previous Guide, Wendy herself was not a Guide with a matching rate of 50% or higher.

Therefore, she seduced the Esper into having sexual relations, and during the most potent mucosal contact guiding, she simultaneously performed direct guiding, channeling her power.

Despite the risk to the Guide’s life if the Esper resisted or the attempt failed, she did not hesitate.

Wendy, who had frequently contacted and beguiled Spencer—an Esper already connected to a Guide named Emma with a 30% matching rate—succeeded in initiating a relationship with him by mutual agreement. Overwhelmed by the sudden surge of powerful guiding, his matching bond was forcibly severed, and he became her Esper.

Wendy recalled the exhilarating triumph she felt when she had, by her own power, stolen an Esper matched to another Guide, and a confident smile played on her lips.

“Don’t worry too much. I think your matching rate with Enoch is much better than mine.”

“But I’m… only 30%…”

She shrugged and shook her head.

“Scott, you awakened as a Guide by unconsciously preventing Enoch’s awakening seizure at the scene of his manifestation, didn’t you?”

“Ah, yes… that’s true, but…”

“As I said before, even with 43%, it’s difficult to stop an Esper’s seizure. But with a 50% matching rate, it’s a different story.”

Seeing a faint glimmer of hope appear in Scott’s pale eyes, she picked up her tablet chart.

“Nobles often try to conceal their matching rates, you know. Perhaps there’s a reason for it. Still, even if Enoch has been the subject of numerous scandalous affairs, he’s being selfish. Oh, you won’t tell him I said that, will you?”

Scott waved his hands dismissively.

“Of course not. You’re saying this for my sake, Wendy.”

“Ah, what a relief. I thought I was going to be fired. I overextended myself to buy a house recently, so I was genuinely worried. From now on, please refrain from s*x guiding and stick to general guiding. It would also be good for you to receive Guide training. The center is the best option, but you could also ask Enoch if there’s someone within his family who can provide the training. Now, shall we take a look at your drawing?”

Watching Scott, who had been listening blankly, hastily open the drawer, the corners of Wendy’s mouth subtly curved upwards.

****

[Imperial Daily – Will the ‘Flower of the Empire’ become the ‘Flower of House Moore’?

The title ‘Flower of the Empire,’ beloved by all citizens of Aitoolia, has, as of [Month] [Day], passed to a strikingly handsome Guide who appeared suddenly. According to sources, he is a Guide capable of caring for Bliss Moore, the next head of the Moore family. He reportedly appeared in the midst of the recent Veliki and Riga battlefields, guiding Colonel Bliss Moore.

This Guide, who dramatically met Colonel Bliss Moore during his vacation and subsequently moved to Ashilton, is described as a remarkably handsome man with a bright personality and wit.

This individual, who has not yet undergone proper matching tests at an accredited institution, has not yet begun Guide training. He is currently residing with the Moore family while taking professorial studies at one of the Empire’s most prestigious academies.]

“Insane.”

Enoch tossed his tablet down with an annoyed expression. Herace glanced at those he had summoned to the palace. Though they were all reading the same article, Enoch clearly showed annoyance while his mind worked, whereas Bliss’s thoughts remained inscrutable.

Such a sight was familiar to Herace, but the presence of Ethan Prescott, newly invited to this intimate gathering of close confidants under the guise of the Prince’s tea time, felt noteworthy. Considering the article concerned him, Ethan did not express the anger or indignation Herace had expected, yet he frowned, his attention fixed on the news.

‘He seems to understand the implications of this article, at least.’

Herace sighed inwardly, finding this a relief. It didn’t matter if the Guide who could calm his friend was a commoner, an amnesiac, or even handsome. However, he disliked the thought of someone who, by virtue of being Bliss’s Guide, would become his closest confidant, being foolish.

Bliss picked up his teacup, which had cooled to a pleasant temperature after the chamberlain had served it some time ago, and asked, “Has the PR department fallen into Prince Devon Green’s hands?”

“Only the team leader. He was reportedly swayed by a bribe. The department head is still clean; he was the one who reported the bribe.”

“So they used him as a disposable pawn.”

“They wrote the article and interviewed the press directly without the department head’s confirmation. We’re currently blocking all escape routes abroad and pursuing him, but city security is the Procyon Unit’s domain, so Procyon Espers are involved alongside the regular guards.”

Ethan recalled Victor Frankl, whom he had recently encountered. Would Victor, Prince Devon’s Esper, truly conduct a proper investigation?

“…It seems they anticipated this and prepared accordingly.”

Ethan’s murmured thought, spoken in a quiet reception room, sounded unusually loud. Herace praised Ethan with an intrigued look.

“You’re clever.”

“You flatter me.”

“What did you glean from this article?”

“…Herace.”

Bliss, his voice low, directly called Herace’s name to stop the blatant provocation meant to test Ethan, but Enoch Cloud chimed in.

“I’m curious too. What does it feel like to occupy the top spot in the news section of the largest newspaper, distributed nationwide, even if your name isn’t mentioned?”

Even Herace found Enoch’s remark quite annoying, yet Ethan remained completely unfazed.

In truth, Ethan had felt bewildered by his presence at such a gathering and had vaguely anticipated being tested. He just hadn’t expected it to be about an article concerning himself.

“The circumstances of my appearance were intentionally obscured, making it seem as if there was some hidden agenda. To decipher the initial underlying meaning, I ‘suddenly’ appeared and miraculously saved the Empire’s greatest Esper at a perfectly orchestrated moment, as a ‘handsome’ Guide. However, if we only consider the wording of the article, it’s objective.”

“……”

Those listening wore blank expressions. Ethan was so utterly serious in his assertion that describing himself as ‘handsome’ was objectively true that even Enoch, known for his sarcasm, couldn’t interject.

And then there was Bliss, who, with an expressionless face, seriously agreed.

“…That’s quite an extraordinary… combination, in a way.”

Dongja, who had maintained silence ever since mispeaking and losing a large quantity of snacks, finally couldn’t hold out any longer after a few days.

‘While Ethan’s peculiar nature is partly my fault, the Esper’s oddness isn’t.’

Dongja, with a sigh, tried to explain himself to Herace and Enoch, who couldn’t hear him.