“…Lord Lambert?”

Lambert, dressed casually, nodded slightly.

“Don’t tell me you came to eat the barbecue skewers I mentioned earlier?”

At my words, Lambert’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

…Seems that’s not it.

“Then, are you here for guiding?”

“That’s right.”

This time, I furrowed my brows. Guiding Lambert was somewhat overwhelming.

Benjamin, who was rarely seen, didn’t receive guiding.

And Baron, who disliked me, easily finished guiding just by holding hands.

On the other hand, the taciturn Lambert strangely liked guiding quite a bit.

And not through hand-holding or hugging, but through other forms of physical contact.

I raised my lying body and watched as he approached.

Soon, the bed sank deeply. Lambert, who had climbed onto the bed, said nothing.

His eyes, gleaming like a flash in the darkness, came very close.

The moment I closed my eyes, I felt his hot lips.

A warm breath, unfitting for someone so unkind, touched me.

I wrapped my arms around Lambert’s thick neck and waited for this act to end.

Kissing a handsome man?

It was something I, as a civil service exam student, had greatly desired.

But a one-sided kiss without emotional exchange, solely for this man’s benefit, wasn’t beautiful.

Moreover, I couldn’t understand why Lambert received guiding through kisses.

As I started to run out of breath, I pushed against Lambert’s chest, but of course, he didn’t budge.

This bastard wouldn’t let me go unless he wanted to stop kissing.

Only after I pounded his chest did he finally pull back.

He lightly gripped my hair and growled lowly.

“Did you dislike it?”

Is that even a question?

There was no way I could like a kiss that didn’t consider me.

“Answer.”

Lambert acted as if he wouldn’t release my hair unless I answered.

“…It was fine.”

It was an evasive answer because I couldn’t bring myself to say I liked it.

‘If you were kissed by someone you dislike, you’d understand how I feel.’

Unable to speak honestly, I twisted my lips stubbornly.

I was quite weak in the Allen Knights.

Lambert or Baron, if they wanted, could kill me instantly.

Since they were also children of noble families with significant standing in the empire, they wouldn’t receive severe punishment even if they killed a commoner like me.

Damn, this class-based society.

“I’ll ask for it next time too.”

His declaration that he’d receive guiding through kisses next time too sent chills down my spine.

Nevertheless, I nodded in agreement.

Again, I was weak. Unless I was crazy, I couldn’t defy him.

Lambert, who had been staring at me with gleaming eyes as if looking at a monster, got up.

As usual, he left the room without saying he was leaving.

“Hah, I’m really going to quit.”

I wiped my lips, stained with saliva, with my sleeve.

***

No, but come to think of it, I really felt bad.

I felt disillusioned with Lambert, who treated me roughly despite me providing guiding without complaint and not resisting.

“Grabbing my hair was really too much.”

But maybe it’s also my fault for not making a peep.

I walked through the garden in front of the Center, muttering complaints.

It had become quite late at night, but I couldn’t sleep.

Above all, I couldn’t sleep because I felt too awful.

I’m doing my job properly, but the people I help only despise me…

The garden was empty. Only the lamps installed here and there illuminated my feet.

How long had I been walking in the garden like this?

Even though it wasn’t the season to feel cold, I somehow felt chilly. I got scared walking alone in a dark place.

It felt like something inhuman might jump out.

I turned around. Whether I could sleep or not, it seemed right to go back to the Center.

It was then that I heard a presence behind me.

‘N-No way, a real ghost…?’

I stood frozen in place, petrified. I was terrified that it was a ghost.

Meanwhile, the presence behind me grew closer and closer.

Thud, thud.

At those footsteps, I finally turned my head back. My chin was trembling.

Soon, what appeared in my eyes was a pitch-black man. Gray hair, black eyes, and a jet-black uniform.

The man who approached me silently without a sound was expressionless. But I couldn’t ignore the coldness that emanated from him subtly.

Just looking at him made me feel like shrinking my shoulders.

The man opened his lips slightly.

“Hello.”

It was clearly directed at me.

I looked up at the man as if entranced.

“……”

Our eyes met.

I couldn’t utter a word at the man’s gaze, which showed no emotion.

“You’re still alive.”

It was as if he had expected me to have died long ago.

The man was staring at me authoritatively as if pressing me down.

“Our ugly doll. It’s been a while.”

The only person here who calls me an ugly doll.

Benjamin Vicente. It was his appearance.

Honestly, I was more terrified than facing a ghost.

Benjamin had an intimidating presence that made people tense just by being in the same space.

He was now standing face-to-face with me.

“Why did you come back?”

“You don’t seem pleased with my return.”

One corner of his previously expressionless mouth slowly lifted.

I felt a chill there.

“Ah, no. It’s not that, it’s just so sudden!”

“There was a summons from His Majesty. I can ignore the Center Director’s orders, but it’s a bit difficult even for me to go against the emperor’s command.”

I asked with a sense of disbelief.

“Perhaps… because of the gate in the Pandora Forest?”

“For an ugly doll, that’s quite an accurate guess.”

“Haha. That much is obvious.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

Would it hurt to treat it as a compliment?

“It’ll be officially announced soon, but I’ll tell you in advance.”

“……”

“Swarms of S-class monsters will soon pour out of the gate.”

Crazy. When S-class monsters start pouring out like swarms, Yerena dies!

Is that day approaching so quickly?

“Are you okay?”

“……”

“Your face has turned pale.”

Benjamin reached out and roughly rubbed my cheek.

“You look like someone who’s about to die.”

Do you have some kind of foresight? I am indeed someone who’s about to die.

“Why? Are you really terminally ill?”

Benjamin chuckled after saying that.

He always seemed to view someone’s death as his own amusement.

It was typical of him to be insensitive to others’ deaths.

“Or are you afraid of the monsters that will soon appear?”

“…I’m scared. And I’m not terminally ill, but I feel like my lifespan has been shortened a bit.”

At that moment, the watch on my wrist started vibrating intensely.

This watch, which looked just like an Apple Watch, was made by an Esper with the ability of ‘The Greatest Blacksmith’.

And it was an item given to all Espers and Guides belonging to the Center.

Red letters were cast over the square display.

「Code Zero situation occurred!

S-class monster appearance!

The location is Pandora Forest A-1 sector!

Espers and Guides who received this message are requested to deploy!」

The watch was state-of-the-art, but since people sent the messages, there were occasional typos.

Especially in urgent situations.

‘Code Zero’ was an order that required Espers and Guides who were called to deploy without fail, unless there were extraordinary circumstances.

If they didn’t and the situation worsened or casualties occurred, those who didn’t deploy could be held accountable.

Of course, Benjamin, the top Esper in the Center, was an exception to this as well.

Still, he seemed to wear the watch often, as he was looking down at his vibrating watch.

Late at night, the lights in the Center started turning on one by one.

When I looked up at the sky, I could see the figure of an Esper crossing the night sky.

Isn’t the deployment too fast?

‘Ah, I don’t want to deploy… How will I get to the forest?’

It took a full two hours to walk from here to the A-1 sector of the Pandora Forest.

I would soon have to protest to the higher-ups to build a base camp in the Pandora Forest.

Before that, I should quit this place.

“Maybe I’ll go to the scene after a long time too.”

Surprised by those words, I lowered my gaze from the sky.