Though he asked the strange woman if she was Diana, Baron knew how foolish that question was.

He had watched everything about her death… laying Diana in the coffin, watching her coffin being buried deep in the ground.

The dead couldn’t return.

If he had known a way, he would have brought her back long ago.

Even if it meant selling his soul to the devil.

“I’m not Diana, I’m Olivia Gale.”

“Olivia?”

…Right. Of course, she couldn’t have lived.

Even though he had expected her to be someone else, Baron felt disappointed.

Perhaps he had secretly hoped for a miracle.

“Yes. I’ve been assigned as a Guide starting today.”

“….”

“Baron… right?”

“How did you recognize me?”

“It’s only natural to recognize the person I’ll be working with.”

“…What?”

“I’m the replacement Guide for Guide Yerena, who met with an unfortunate fate.”

To think that a woman who looked exactly like Diana would become his Guide.

He couldn’t gauge how to process these consecutive surreal events.

On one hand, he didn’t like that Duncan had orchestrated this.

‘Is Duncan trying to manipulate us through this woman?’

Even while suspecting Duncan’s intentions, Baron couldn’t bring himself to immediately reject her.

Even if Duncan was using her, he wanted to keep Olivia by his side.

Though he asked the strange woman if she was really Diana, Baron knew how foolish that question was.

He had watched everything about her death… laying Diana in the coffin, watching her coffin being buried deep in the ground.

The dead couldn’t return.

If he had known a way, he would have brought her back long ago.

Even if it meant selling his soul to the devil.

Even if Duncan was using him, he wanted to keep Olivia by his side.

He couldn’t ignore Olivia, who stirred the longing hidden deep in his heart.

“You’re saying you’re my Guide…?”

“Yes.”

“Then hold my hand.”

Olivia took his outstretched hand without hesitation. As if it were the most natural thing to do.

The moment their fingertips touched, Baron felt like sparks flew.

That electrifying sensation spread throughout his body, making him sensitive.

Baron unconsciously pulled the hand he was holding toward himself.

Olivia, helplessly drawn by that sudden pull, fell into his embrace.

She had a pleasant scent. It made him momentarily forget the battlefield filled with the acrid smell of blood.

Perhaps he was intoxicated by that scent.

“…I missed you.”

Baron ended up saying what he had wanted to say to Diana. Even though he knew it was Olivia in his arms.

Olivia didn’t respond and silently listened to his words.

“You won’t leave me now, right?”

“I…”

At that moment, BOOM! A thunderous sound shook the earth.

Looking up at the sky, there was a purple flame rising.

As far as Baron knew, there was only one Esper who could create purple flames.

‘Benjamin…’

That damn bastard who wasn’t even worth cursing at had finally appeared.

After the thunderous sound faded, the poison spider’s agonized cry spread.

Narrowing his eyes to look ahead, he could see the hairy poison spider’s legs being cut off.

‘Huh? When did my vision become so clear?’

Baron only then realized that clear energy was flowing into him through his hand.

It was the energy Olivia was infusing.

While that unfamiliar energy wasn’t unpleasant, it reminded him of Yerena’s more familiar energy. When was the last time he had felt that energy…

“Kiss me. Short and sweet.”

He now felt regretful about that short and sweet kiss that never happened due to Benjamin’s interference.

What would guiding feel like while kissing Yerena’s lips?

When he recalled Yerena’s dumbfounded expression at being told to kiss, Baron’s eyebrows furrowed.

‘While holding a woman who looks exactly like Diana, I’m thinking about that F-class Guide…’

It was incomprehensible.

He must be crazy.

Baron tried to erase Yerena’s phantom, but the more he tried, the more clearly her face appeared.

Her pouty lips when she was displeased, her round eyes quickly scanning surroundings, and even her smooth hands that had held his.

Damn it! Get out of my head! Disappear!

Baron lightly bit his lower lip.

At that moment, taking advantage of the loosened embrace due to thoughts of Yerena, Olivia slipped away from him.

“I think this much guiding should be sufficient. I need to go check on others as well.”

“No! I can’t let those guys see you too. No… I mean, the battlefield is dangerous, if you don’t want to die, stay hidden in the rear.”

“….”

“This is your first deployment, right? I’ve been through countless battlefields. You should follow my experienced advice.”

Words that seemed concerned but actually urged things to flow as he wanted. It was a tactic Baron often used with Yerena.

However, Olivia didn’t easily fall for Baron’s scheme.

“No. I want to do my job. Besides, you’ll protect my life, won’t you?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Before he could stop her, Olivia darted forward.

Baron couldn’t immediately chase after her and instead stared intently at her retreating figure.

Her fine silver hair that reached her waist swayed gracefully.

Even from behind, Olivia looked so much like Diana.

‘She’s even similar in how she has to do what she wants.’

A bitter smile appeared on Baron’s lips.

When he blinked slowly, his eyelashes became moist. Tears that couldn’t quite fall welled up in his eyes.

Baron wiped his face with the hand that still held Olivia’s warmth.

‘The others will obviously be shocked too, I can’t keep dwelling on sentiments.’

In Baron’s opinion, even he, who maintained his composure best among the three men, was shaken by Olivia.

That being the case, Lambert and Benjamin would be even more affected.

He needed to follow her before the two men started making advances on Olivia.

Baron finally moved his legs which had been stiff for so long.

As if his matching rate with Olivia was quite high, his legs felt lighter, just as his vision had become clearer.

After taking a step forward, Baron suddenly turned around.

He hid the unconscious temporary Guide behind a large tree before walking on again.

Was it because he liked the temporary Guide?

Did he suddenly want to live righteously?

It wasn’t done with such noble intentions.

It was because the temporary Guide’s weakness reminded him of Yerena.

He couldn’t carelessly abandon the temporary Guide who reminded him of her.

Although Baron had spoken harshly to Yerena, he had never done anything to harm her.

Meanwhile, the Tarantula, the protagonist of the battlefield, had only two legs left after being severely dealt with by Benjamin.

Having lost too many legs to escape, it desperately spat toxic liquid, but even that became useless because of Benjamin.

Every time the toxic liquid was spat out with a splat─!, Benjamin shot purple spheres to neutralize it.

Thanks to that, Lambert, who gained some leeway, easily cut off the poison spider’s legs.

─KRAAAK!

The poison spider, having lost one of its two remaining legs, fell flat on the ground.

Lambert made a great leap and drove his greatsword into the spider’s eye.

The spider’s cry that had filled the Pandora Forest disappeared. Its body went limp as life left it.

Landing on the ground from the spider’s body, Lambert exhaled deeply.

“Whew.”

Just as he felt relief at ending the battle, warm liquid flowed from his abdomen.

The large wound in his abdomen from earlier must have opened slightly.

Lambert casually wiped away the blood. He wasn’t too worried since it would stop bleeding soon after receiving guiding.

Lambert habitually looked for Yerena, and found her.

A woman in pure white who seemed out of place in the bloody battlefield.

The moment he saw that woman’s face, Lambert’s eyes widened.

“Diana…?”

That woman, that is, Olivia, approached Lambert first.

“You’re Lambert, right? You’re severely injured. First, I’ll call a healing-type Esper for treatment, then I’ll provide guiding.”

“Gui…ding?”

“And I’m not Diana, I’m Olivia Gale. I’ve become the dedicated Guide for the Allen Knights.”

“Are you really not Diana?”

“I understand that person has passed away. I’m very much alive.”

“….”

He heard Olivia calmly introducing herself while calling for someone else.

Lambert couldn’t quite understand the sudden situation.

To think that a woman who looked surprisingly like Diana would become the Allen Knights’ dedicated Guide.

‘Is this Duncan’s doing?’

He couldn’t think of anyone else but the Center Director who could have orchestrated this.