Vicious Darling

[65]

Chris was inwardly surprised by the appearance of the handsome man with a soft, sweet cotton candy-like atmosphere.

He was acquainted with Luka.

The man before him was a C-class Guide who had provided guiding to Chris when he was an agent of Northern Light.

When Chris joined Team Crow, formed to track Yuri Sobolev, and was dispatched to the November Continent, Luka was sent to Orum City.

To provide guiding for Team Crow.

“I see the Guiding Welfare Team has been launched.”

He hadn’t known about that. He hadn’t deliberately looked for information about Northern Light except in situations like this Thorns Order terrorism.

He didn’t want to appear as if he had lingering attachments to the time he was affiliated with an organization other than Baekyah.

‘Although Yuri has never directly expressed dissatisfaction about it.’

It was just Chris being overly sensitive.

“Yes. Though it’s more than I deserve, I’ve been appointed as team leader.”

Luka repeated in a gentle voice.

“Team leader of Northern Light’s Guide Welfare Team?”

Dahlia sneered at his introduction.

“What does that have to do with me?”

“It has everything to do with the child.”

Luka’s tone was straightforward.

Chris stood up from his chair as Luka walked toward Dahlia.

“It’s fine.”

“Please sit down.”

After repeatedly insisting, Chris soon realized that Luka was a formidable opponent.

Before getting trapped in an endless cycle of courtesy, he telekinetically tore off a metal shelf from the corner of the room. After roughly bending it, he created a makeshift chair.

Luka smiled broadly as Chris sat down on it demonstratively.

“You haven’t changed.”

Changed what?

Chris looked at him with a slightly perplexed gaze, unable to understand.

“Hey. If you’re going to flirt in front of me, just get out.”

Dahlia growled.

Though he knew she was just trying to pick a fight, Chris flinched and adjusted his posture, turning his gaze away from Luka.

“…Hmm.”

Luka exhaled softly.

“Northern Light will be protecting the child from now on.”

“That. Child. Is. Not. A. Guide!”

Dahlia gritted her teeth and shouted.

“Did you think I’d say, ‘Oh, thank you,’ if you put her in a place where Espers giggle among themselves and decide how to treat Guides?”

“Oh my, there seems to be a misunderstanding.”

Luka looked at her with benevolent eyes.

The young man rose from his seat and tried to step closer to Dahlia.

Chris restrained Luka.

“Even though she’s subdued, she’s an Esper. Her physical abilities are also exceptional, so it’s dangerous to approach her relying solely on restraints.”

If Dahlia extended her hand, such a soft cotton candy would be instantly crushed.

“Yes. But Chris is here, so…”

Chris sensed that Luka believed he wouldn’t just stand by and watch if he were in danger.

Chris tried to recall if he had ever given Luka such firm trust, but nothing immediately came to mind.

“If it’s not too presumptuous, may I hold your hand?”

Dahlia glared at Luka. But she didn’t refuse.

When Luka took her hand, guiding flowed into Dahlia’s body.

Dahlia, who had been detained immediately after fighting Chris, was steeped in the guiding that soaked her body.

She had assumed he would be an Esper since he held a position at Northern Light, but this man was a Guide.

‘But.’

Although Dahlia’s intensity subsided momentarily, she glared at Luka.

“What difference does it make if you’re a Guide?”

Everyone always said Northern Light, the Esper alliance, was the only choice for Guides.

But Dahlia knew what lay beneath that claim.

“Do you think… I don’t know how Northern Light exploits Guides?”

“Hmm.”

Luka made a troubled face.

“It’s because I was a victim of that exploitation that I became the team leader of the Guiding Team.”

At one time, all Guides in Northern Light lived in inner buildings. These were surrounded by outer buildings where Espers resided.

At a glance, that place seemed nothing short of a paradise created for Guides.

It was a time when the prevailing perception was that Guides beyond those outer buildings lived lives exploited by unregistered Espers.

Every so often, there were reports of attempts to infiltrate Northern Light and kidnap Guides.

Above all, Guides discovered in outlying areas had all experienced either fleeing from unregistered Espers or being treated like slaves.

Therefore, the relatively safe Guides of Northern Light believed without doubt that they were blessed.

“My sister… that child.”

Dahlia’s lips trembled.

“She manifested as a Guide. Yes. She was such a good child. My parents immediately contacted the Esper alliance, and my sister was sent to the Summer Continent. At first, I thought everything was perfect.”

But again, all they were given was safety.

“Visitation was possible, but she gradually reduced the number of times she met us. She said something like she felt sorry that others were suffering because of her?”

Hobbies were impossible, and it was difficult to go outside. Even if one had a job or family, upon awakening, they lived in the inner buildings.

Having a career was impossible, and meetings with family and acquaintances were infrequent.

Because of external threats.

They couldn’t do anything except provide guiding for Espers.

“She originally dreamed of becoming a baker, but I heard she found fulfillment in helping other Espers inside, and those Espers helping people. I believed those words too.”

“…Ah.”

“I thought it might get better if she could at least make friends, but that was difficult too. Ha.”

Northern Light, under Rosenhauser’s influence, prevented Espers from imprinting on or building bonds with specific Guides.

The world of Guides affiliated with Northern Light became extremely narrow. Many suffered from lethargy, yet still couldn’t consider leaving Northern Light.

In the past, Northern Light named this widespread depression “Guiding Blue.”

“Eventually, she fell ill with depression! Northern Light’s so-called experts called it Guiding Blue!”

Dahlia snarled. Luka closed his eyes gently.

It was ridiculous. Before and after manifesting as Guides, Luka and other residents of the inner buildings were human. They gave a different name to depression, which other humans also experience, as if it were a disease only Guides suffered from.

As if it were strange that they complained of hardship despite having perfect food, clothing, and shelter.

“At the last visitation, I found out she had stopped baking, her only hobby, for quite some time. And then I received the death notice.”

She seemed to be trying to speak plainly, but her voice was trembling.

“Northern Light killed her. My sister. You. Killed her.”

Her words, spat out through gritted teeth, were saturated with intense hatred.

Chris understood her pain and anger.

Rosenhauser, the true culprit who caused Dahlia’s sister’s death, would have used her anger to place her in Thorns Order.

“And now you say you’ll take Dain? To kill that young child like my sister? Nonsense.”

“First…”

Luka began in a solemn voice.

“May I ask your sister’s name?”

“Megan.”

Dahlia blurted out.

“It was Megan.”

“If it’s Megan… was she the one who was good at baking pound cakes? Blonde like you with somewhat dark brown eyes?”

Luka seemed to recall Dahlia’s sister immediately. Dahlia’s eyes showed slight surprise.

Her hostility subsided somewhat in her astonishment. Luka continued speaking gently.

“She always shared leftover cookies or bread, saying there was always extra when baking. Megan was very concerned about other Guides experiencing Guiding Blue, so she would invite them to bake together.”

“That…”

Dahlia’s eyes trembled with a sense of ‘could it be?’

Luka gave her the answer before she could even ask the question.

“I was merely a C-class Guide. I heard that Espers from the outer buildings stood guard every day and fought against unregistered Espers to protect someone like me. There was a time when I felt sorry just for living peacefully.”

He too had almost experienced Guiding Blue. At that time, Megan had astutely noticed and approached him to interact.

“Naturally, Megan once encouraged me to try baking as well.”

“You know. My sister.”

Her voice was completely drained of energy.

“Of course. As Megan suggested, kneading flour dough or watching bread rise was very comforting because I didn’t have to think about anything. The fact that I’m still here with my body and mind intact might be thanks to Megan.”

“She was a good child.”

Unlike me, Dahlia muttered, her face filled with pain.

“She had excellent empathy. So much so… perhaps that’s why she couldn’t bear it when another Guide who was recovering died.”

Dahlia bowed her head deeply. Her shoulders slowly heaved.

“I think I’ve heard your name from Megan. Didn’t she want to open a flower shop? But she said you had a hasty temperament and killed several plants.”

“…Why on earth did she go around saying such things.”

Dahlia, who had been silent, grumbled with a wet voice.

Luka spoke quietly.

“With the same heart that wanted to protect Megan, you’ve been protecting Dain all this time.”

“…I. No.”

Dahlia denied it. However, her hostility had completely disappeared.

Chris finally understood why Dahlia had been caring for Dain.

‘Was the initial reason this Esper looked after that child because of her sister?’

“If the child died in such a place, it would lower the workers’ morale. You can only drive people with intimidation for so long. That’s why I took care of her.”

Dahlia denied it again.

Anyone could see it was simple stubbornness.

“If that were true, you wouldn’t have objected when I said Northern Light was coming to take Dain.”

Luka drove the point home with a gentle tone.

“Isn’t that right?”