RAVEN Ch 7

No one could easily open their mouth. The sound of sand-laden wind sweeping across the desolate ruins rang clearly in their ears.

In truth, people did live in the outer zones of every district. Refugees who had lost their homes overnight to monsters, criminals banished from the inner cities, junkies addicted to drugs, patients suffering from epidemics, and political dissidents exiled for defying the government all hid themselves in the outskirts, scraping by day to day.

Because those were the places even the state had abandoned, monsters appeared there more frequently. The regions, already in decay like crumbling ruins, grew more perilous by the day.

And among all those outer zones, the one surrounding the Central District was the most infamous. The Central District, situated in the heart of the continent, was the largest in size and held all the key institutions.

It also housed the greatest number of Espers and Guides, especially high-ranking ones, most of whom resided there.

The district was highly developed and densely populated. Consequently, many of the abandoned and exiled ended up in its outskirts, making the area all the more dangerous.

Just as the slums surrounding great cities are the roughest, and as light is always paired with shadow, the outer edge encircling the brightest, cleanest Central District was a breeding ground for darkness.

The once-urban landscape had fallen into ruin, just like here. The abandoned city felt far colder and more desolate than any small town.

Between the broken buildings, one could catch glimpses of figures that might be people, or perhaps zombies, wandering by.

It was a lawless land, a place where only the law of survival remained, the outskirts of the Central District. To have lived there and come out as unscathed, immaculate, and composed as that boy… meant he was anything but ordinary.

“Impossible…”

Kevin, the portal transporter, muttered in disbelief as he looked Raven up and down. The rest of the team seemed to share the same thought, falling silent.

“Yeah, that’s why my words and behavior can be a little rough. Never learned much, you see. Hope you understand.”

Raven smiled, eyes crinkling, hands shoved in his pockets. But no one laughed with him. A strong premonition hit them, that not even a decently skilled Esper would be able to win against him.

“Even so, there’s no reason for you to come along. It’s rare for a Guide to enter the field in the first place, and you can’t guide anyone besides me.”

At Renault’s blunt remark, Raven tilted his head slightly, turning his gaze to him.

“I’m your Guide, aren’t I? As long as I do my job for you, why should anyone else matter?”

Renault froze, unable to compose the startled expression on her face. he blinked, speechless.

“Wow, someone’s got a mouth on them.”

Hena grinned broadly as she strode right up to Raven. Standing face to face, the difference in their heights was almost double. Yet, rather than being intimidated, the small-statured woman tilted her head back and glared sharply up at him.

“When a Guide comes out to the field, it means you prioritize your assigned Esper but also look after the others when possible, kiddo.”

Seeing tiny Hena scold the tall Raven while calling him kid was an oddly impressive sight. After all, at twenty-seven, she was older than Raven, who was twenty-one.

“Don’t bother. Who’d want to be guided by an S-rank Guide whose resonance matches only with the Captain? Heard his average match rate’s under ten percent. If a B-rank like me even shook his hand, I’d be dead meat.”

“You’re not wrong.”

The moment Raven replied flatly, the smirk vanished from Chris’s face.

“W–what?”

“Plenty of Espers died after touching me.”

He met sarcasm with calm seriousness, and the words caught in Chris’s throat. He swallowed hard and began inching backward.

Forget the rumor about him being a “Guide of monstrous power”, even brushing skin against him might result in an uncontrollable surge that could crush an Esper.

In the first place, S-rank Guides didn’t deal with B-rank or lower Espers. Every time one appeared, S-rank Espers snatched them up immediately. The lower ranks never even had the chance.

There was also the issue of the power gap being dangerous. Just as a balloon bursts when you try to force in an ocean’s worth of water, if an S-rank Guide overdid it with a lower-rank Esper, that Esper could die or become permanently incapacitated.

Of course, that was only true for S-rank Guides with poor control over their power, but Renault had never seen such a case before.

Still, for some reason, she had a strong feeling Raven might be one of those exceptional, uncontrollable types. Not because he couldn’t control his power, but because he simply didn’t care to.

That was a problem. If an Esper recklessly provoked him and got caught… it didn’t bear thinking about.

“Enough. Cut the chatter.”

Renault gave Chris, who looked utterly spooked, a light pat on the shoulder.

“Didn’t I say we’d catch the bug and head back early? I’m tired, so move.”

“Already tired? You barely woke up.”

Hena chuckled.

“Who here isn’t tired?”

Renault shot back, and the others nodded in agreement. Just being out in the outer zone was exhausting enough, and he’d barely slept the night before.

Unbidden, he recalled the uneasy dream from earlier. His lips pressed into a thin line. Damn it. he cursed under his breath. Best to clear his head, with a good, solid beating of a B-rank monster.

“Chris, go scout ahead and check for movement.”

“Yes, Sir!”

Saluting in exaggerated military fashion, Chris dashed forward in a blink.

Though technically part of the military, the Esper-Guide Center operated independently. The atmosphere was looser, but the chain of command was still strict. Chris’s soldierly behavior was half-joke, half-habit.

As Chris vanished in a swirl of yellow sand, Renault ordered the remaining two to spread out and track for any monster presence. Then he strode up to Raven.

“I’ll say this once, watch yourself. I don’t know why you came, but even if you’re an S-rank Guide, no one’s saving you out here.”

“Harsh.”

He exaggeratedly hunched his shoulders and murmured. Then he raised his blue eyes, meeting hers squarely.

“What about you? You wouldn’t pretend not to see, would you? Even though I’m your personal Guide?”

“It’s ‘Captain,’ not ‘you.’ Watch how you address me.”

Yesterday, he could’ve claimed ignorance, he hadn’t even known her name. But to follow him all the way here and still call him you? It grated on him nerves.

“I’m not technically part of your team. I’m with the Guide Division, not the Espers. So I don’t have to call you Captain, do I?”

He retorted calmly, each word deliberate. Unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong.

If he’d been part of the Esper squad, Captain would be the correct term. But as his assigned Guide, part of the Guide Division, he wasn’t obligated.

Still, most Guides addressed Renault respectfully out of courtesy. Yet this one, of course, had to be different.

“Am I wrong?”

Raven asked again, as if confirming. Renault had no answer.

Damn this vague semi-military system, he cursed inwardly. What a pain. He might’ve been technically right, but he was insufferable. Muttering a curse under his breath, he turned away sharply.

“But really,” Raven said suddenly, stepping closer, “if I get hurt, would you really just ignore it? You wouldn’t save me?”

Despite Renault’s long, brisk strides through the sand, he stuck close beside his, annoyingly persistent.

“Why would I?”

“Because I’m your personal Guide?”

“You followed us here without permission. You deal with the consequences. I’m not obligated to protect you.”

His voice was cool and firm. Raven let out a low hum.

“Cold. Pretty harsh of you, to your own Guide.”