Beeeeeep!

A warning sound as loud as a gunshot rang out sharply.

The source of the noise was my watch.

The watch screen displayed a warning about the appearance of a monster that had come through the gate.

⌜Code Zero!

One S-class monster has appeared!

Location is Pandora Forest’s H-6 sector!

Espers and guides who received this message, please deploy.⌟

Damn! Why didn’t I switch it to vibration mode?

I hurriedly turned off the sound, but unless they were deaf, there was no way the poachers didn’t hear it.

Sure enough, the poachers shouted.

“Didn’t you just hear a strange sound? What was that?”

“Could it be the sound of another monster?”

Yes! Please mistake it for another monster’s sound!

“It sounded too strange for that. We should search the area.”

Oh, no! What should I do?

Honey or the female lead, please, someone appear!

I was just sweating profusely, unable to do anything.

At that moment, Bless, perched on my shoulder, spread his wings and flew off with a flutter.

I tried to catch Bless, but his movements were too quick.

Bless flew towards the poachers at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.

‘No!’

I knew why he was acting so recklessly.

It must be to save me.

To divert the attention of the poachers who were looking for me.

“Ugh! What’s this? Bird droppings?”

Bless was flying through the air, scattering droppings everywhere.

The poachers, surprised by the bird-dropping attack, looked up at the sky in confusion.

“That crazy bird!”

Soon, a poacher who spotted Bless raised his gun.

The muzzle, stained with Potas blood, glinted as it aimed at Bless.

Without time to think, I jumped out from behind the tree where I was hiding.

“D-Don’t shoot that bird!”

Oh, for crying out loud, what a life.

Just when I thought I was escaping the predicted doom of Yerena’s life, here I am facing another crisis.

It felt like my unlucky fate – falling into a manhole and entering this book world right after passing the long-studied civil service exam – was following me wherever I went.

They say an unlucky person would break their nose even if they fell backward.

Who knew I’d be that unlucky person!

But I thought if I could save Bless even if I died now, that would be enough.

I owe Bless my life.

Being someone who can’t live with debts, I wanted to save his life at least.

I faced the poachers who were now looking at me instead of Bless.

My two legs hidden under the long robe were trembling, but I didn’t back down an inch.

This too was something I had learned while living as a guide.

This level of bravado was essential to withstand the ominous otherworldly monsters and the three ruffians who looked down on me.

Was it because of this reckless bravado?

The poachers, who were expected to be the victors in this confrontation, hesitated.

They were wary of my sudden appearance and couldn’t act hastily.

Despite it not being the season for heat, my back felt humid.

I was pretending to be nonchalant, but I was really scared.

So much so that I didn’t know how to overcome this predicament. So much that I wanted to beg to a supreme being I didn’t even believe in.

‘God, Buddha, omnipotent beings. Please help me and Bless.’

It would be nice if the Guildmaster, whose appearance was foretold, showed up quickly, or even if the monster that appeared in Sector H came all the way to Sector G…

Wait a minute. Monster?

At that moment, a flash of an idea crossed my mind.

I decided to execute that idea without further consideration. I had no time to spare.

I stretched out the watch that had put me in this predicament in front of them.

“Hey, do you see this watch I’m wearing? The sound you heard earlier was this watch signaling the appearance of an otherworldly monster.”

“A watch?”

I showed them the watch displaying the deployment order as if to prove my point.

The poachers’ attention focused on the watch.

“I’m an Esper who came to deal with the monster.”

Pretending to be an Esper instead of a guide to intimidate the poachers.

That was the clever idea I came up with.

I thought I could deceive them since only those affiliated with the Center could have this watch.

The key to this act was audacity.

Not showing that I was scared, pretending to have great power.

If I could just bring the atmosphere to my side, I had a good chance.

Even if the poachers didn’t believe I was an Esper, I could buy time until the Guildmaster or the female lead appeared.

Sure enough, the poachers who were about to point their guns at me hesitated.

They were clearly flustered by the appearance of an Esper, whom ordinary people rarely meet.

“I need to deploy now, so I’ll be on my way. Don’t mind me.”

I stepped aside, displaying an unwarranted solemnity.

Looking up at the sky discreetly, I saw that Bless, who had been flying around busily, had also disappeared.

‘Good, Bless won’t be hunted down.’

It was just as I was carefully stepping backward, afraid I might get shot if I turned my back.

“…Suspicious.”

One of the poachers muttered sharply.

Why is this mere extra poacher so quick-witted!

The drooping gun barrel was raised again.

The glinting muzzle pointed at me.

I could see the man’s finger tightening on the trigger.

It was a critical moment, just before being shot.

“I-I’m an Esper! If I use my ability, you’ll be just a mouthful. But using abilities on ordinary people is prohibited by imperial law.”

“Hah! Enough, if you’re really an Esper, then go ahead and use your ability.”

Even my last threat didn’t work. They’re not to be underestimated.

I had no answer. I was a guide who couldn’t make physical attacks.

I clenched my fists tightly.

Please, please, let me think of the best solution possible with this stupid brain of mine.

But I couldn’t come up with anything better than claiming to be an Esper.

As time passed, my chin trembled more and more.

Soon, my whole body was about to shake uncontrollably.

Something rolled over and bumped into the poacher’s boot.

The poacher looked down at it.

“…A potato?”

Soon after, a man’s voice was heard from the forest path.

“Who dares to fire gunshots near my potato field? This is my territory.”

The familiar voice of a man boasting as if the entire G sector belonged to him.

It was my Honey, whom I had missed so much I could cry.

“Honey!”

I called out to him desperately in a loud voice.

“Darling. You came all the way to the potato field to see me. Your honey is about to faint from emotion.”

Though my words were likely to cause misunderstanding, I couldn’t criticize the person who came to save me.

“The poachers have caused a disturbance in Honey’s territory! Teach them a lesson!”

“Yes, request accepted.”

The Guildmaster, who had fully emerged from the forest path, pulled out a small gun. He fired three shots with lightning speed.

Bang, bang, bang!

It was a speed that the poachers with their slow-firing hunting rifles couldn’t even dream of matching.

“Ugh!”

The hunting rifles, hit by the bullets fired by the Guildmaster, flew into the air.

The poachers, unable to withstand the recoil, fell face-first onto the ground with a thud.

I seized that opportunity to run behind the Guildmaster. With the certainty that my survival lay there.

As soon as I hid behind the Guildmaster, I felt like I could live.

Today, the Guildmaster’s back looked wider than ever before.

I wondered if he had always been this dependable. While I never doubted his business acumen, he hadn’t given off such a solid impression before.

His suddenly trustworthy broad back somehow reminded me of Duncan.

That man who helped me no matter what, like a tall uncle. That man who appeared when I needed him and shared his warmth with me.

The one who saved me was the Guildmaster, but was it right to think of Duncan instead?

“Wait a moment, please.”

The Guildmaster, handing me his still-warm gun, jumped forward.

He stomped on the fallen poachers several times, knocking them unconscious.

The burly poachers were helplessly overwhelmed without putting up any resistance.

The Guildmaster opened his potato subspace and took out a thick rope from it. Then he tied the poachers securely to a tree.

“Phew. The situation has been neatly wrapped up.”

“Thank you. Thanks to Honey, I’ve escaped a brush with death.”

I explained to the Guildmaster about discovering the Potas being hunted by Bless, how I came to rescue them, and how I was inevitably caught by the poachers.

“Oh my. That could have been really dangerous.”

“Yes. If Honey had been any later…”

I didn’t want to imagine that possibility.

It was at that moment that the Guildmaster, whom I thought had helped me without any hesitation, whispered wickedly.

“Anyway, since I saved your life, shall I collect the price for saving your life?”