Resignation. As soon as I uttered those brilliant and beautiful words, my vision blurred. The strength drained from my legs that were standing on the ground. My barely held sanity became distant.

Soon, my body swayed.

“……Guide!”

It was Duncan who caught me as I was about to fall.

“Are you alright?”

I wanted to argue, “How could I be alright after almost falling off a cliff and dying?” But no words flowed from my parted lips. Even the energy to speak was completely exhausted.

My trembling eyelids were about to close.

Just before my vision completely blacked out, I thrust my resignation letter at Duncan.

Take this, please…

Duncan reluctantly accepted the resignation letter.

The last thing I saw was the crumpled resignation letter in his hand.

I fainted right then and there.

***

In the drawing room of the Marquis Mekenzie.

A man with a dissatisfied face sat on the sofa there. He tapped his foot, waiting for someone.

‘Why are they so late? Just wait till they get here. I’ll give them a proper scolding.’

When the man’s face turned grim, the person he was waiting for entered the drawing room.

“Baron! It’s me. I’m coming in!”

The man who was frowning was Baron.

“Johnson, why are you so late? Is there something wrong with your legs? If not, did you purposely come late to provoke me?”

Baron was sarcastic enough to hurt the other’s feelings.

But his subordinate, called Johnson, wasn’t particularly upset. It was a common occurrence after all.

Baron’s subordinates were divided into two types: those who couldn’t withstand his harshness and resigned early, and those who adapted to it and stayed under him for a long time.

Johnson was the latter.

He had adapted so well to Baron’s verbal abuse that he could even smile slyly.

Johnson had no intention of resigning. The salary he received from the Marquis was quite substantial, and though Baron spoke harshly, he never resorted to physical violence.

As long as you had a strong eardrum, he wasn’t a bad master.

“Haha. I’m not a strong esper like you, Baron… so I moved sluggishly.”

Baron glared at the cheeky Johnson.

“Enough with the excuses. What about the information I asked you to find out?”

“I’ve looked into it thoroughly!”

“Recite it.”

Johnson began to recount the facts he had diligently gathered.

“First, Guide Yerena’s parents lost all the money they received from the center to gambling, and then they incurred more debt. So they’re planning to use Guide Yerena as an excuse to demand more money from the center!”

“Trash.”

Why was Yerena searching for the whereabouts of such trash? It was utterly pathetic.

He was probably the only one who could make her come to her senses.

When would Yerena realize that fact?

“And recently, Guide Yerena met with Lord Lambert at the cemetery and had a brief conversation.”

Cemetery. The person who came to mind upon hearing that word was ‘Diana.’

She was the only one who understood him when everyone else despised him for not being kind. Diana, his first love.

Melancholy was evident on Baron’s face.

Diana was truly a pure child. She had no twisted or malicious side.

She was even considerate enough to always grasp the true meaning behind his harsh words.

The sincerity that even his parents didn’t know.

“I know that you didn’t mean to say anything bad, Baron.”

“You told me to stay cooped up at home and not wander around… because you didn’t want me, who was weak, to become even weaker, right?”

“Baron, you’re not bad now, but how about speaking a bit more honestly? Then others might recognize your kindness too.”

There was nothing wrong with Diana’s words.

The reason he scolded her to stay cooped up at home was out of concern for her health.

However, there was one fact that Diana hadn’t perceived.

‘I didn’t like that Diana was going out and meeting Benjamin and Lambert.’

He was annoyed by the fact that Diana was not only keeping him company but also the two men.

So he planned to monopolize Diana if he could become a stronger esper than Benjamin.

Of course, Diana died at an early age, and he didn’t become stronger than Benjamin.

“…….”

Baron bit his lower lip hard.

In front of his eyes, which were reminiscing about the distant past, was the scene he saw yesterday.

The battlefield in chaos, Benjamin appearing like a protagonist, and his exceptional ability that he could never catch up to.

And the kiss Benjamin gave to Yerena. Baron slammed his fist hard onto the sofa.

How did he feel seeing Yerena and Benjamin kiss? It truly felt like sh*t. It was the same feeling as when he saw Benjamin and Diana together when they were young. The feeling of having what’s mine taken by someone else. Of course, he doesn’t like Yerena. Yerena was less attractive than Diana, foolish, clumsy, and lacked understanding.

 She would only respond halfheartedly with “Yes, yes” whenever he reprimanded her.

 He had known for a long time that she wasn’t really listening to his words. She didn’t even try to soothe him like Diana did. Yet, the reason he felt possessive towards Yerena was because she was a guide with a high compatibility rate with Benjamin. He wanted to take everything related to Benjamin. Be it objects or people. “……Did she meet Benjamin separately?”

 “No. According to my investigation, Guide Yerena and Lord Benjamin haven’t met separately.”

Why did Benjamin suddenly kiss Yerena?

Because he didn’t like Yerena, and knowing that she disliked guiding through kisses, Baron hadn’t kissed her. He would finish guiding by just holding her hand. That was the maximum consideration the prickly Baron could offer.

 But if Benjamin had kissed Yerena, it was a different story. Baron now wanted to kiss Yerena. He was curious about how her lips would feel, how hot the inside of her mouth would be.

 It angered him that Benjamin knew things he didn’t.

 ‘Where could Yerena be right now?’

 It was obvious she’d be sprawled out sleeping after yesterday’s grueling battle. It seemed best to visit the center to meet Yerena. Just as Baron was about to get up, Johnson exclaimed as if he had just remembered something he had forgotten.

 “Ah! I was debating whether to report this or not, but Guide Yerena has been frequenting a potato wholesaler called ‘Hot Potato’ lately.”

 “……Potato?”

 Why suddenly potatoes? Did she develop an interest in the famine crop that resembled her face?

“Yes. Potatoes.”

“Did Yerena like potatoes?”

 “I don’t know that much.”

 “Strange indeed.”

Baron tilted his head. He mulled over the name ‘Hot Potato’, thinking he should visit the place once.

***

In the dream I had after a long time, Bless appeared. He was in his adult form, carrying me on his back as we crossed the sky.

The wind was warm, and the weather was perfect. I was happy. So much so that I didn’t want to wake up from this dream.

 Bless set me down on a cliff. Having fallen from a cliff before, I was a bit scared. But being with Bless, happiness outweighed the fear.

Bless, facing me, spoke briefly.

―Yerena. Don’t take your eyes off me.

‘Okay, I understand.’

 As soon as I answered, Bless’s body shone. After a few seconds, the light faded away. What remained where the light had disappeared was…….

‘……?!’

 A handsome man with long white hair.

 ‘Are you perhaps Bless……?’

That’s where the dream ended. I opened my eyes wide. What I saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.

 “Huh!”

As soon as I made a sound, Duncan, who was nearby, approached.

“You’re awake?”

 He looked more composed than when I last saw him.

“How do you feel? The physician said there were no particular issues…… But if there’s any discomfort, I’ll call the physician again.”

 “I’m really fine.”

Thanks to Bless, I wasn’t injured at all. I was just surprised and shocked by the fact that I had fallen off a cliff.

“That’s truly a relief.”

Duncan sighed deeply in relief.

“But where is this place?”