The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 25

Either way, the headquarters library had no books related to foreign languages or religion at all, so studying was impossible.

Naturally, attending academies or taking lectures like non-awakened people was also out of the question.

I did attend school properly until the upper grades of elementary school, but after staying away from studying for eight whole years, it was only natural that I’d forgotten most of what I learned.

Why were we not allowed to learn foreign languages?

This was connected to the rule that awakened individuals were forbidden from boarding planes or ships without permission—more precisely, from traveling to areas beyond the headquarters’ surveillance.

In other words, it was a preventative measure to stop anyone from harboring ideas of defecting or seeking asylum elsewhere.

I mean, teleporters like Cha Eunhwi apparently have tracking devices on them at all times, so that says it all.

These days, every country was too busy clearing the gates appearing within their own borders to worry about anything else. But back in the era before gates, wars—big and small—had apparently broken out frequently.

As long as gates existed as a shared global threat, peace treaties were maintained. But if war were to break out again, the balance of power could easily shift depending on the abilities of espers.

Even if visible offensive abilities like Yeon Dogyeong’s could be countered, abilities like Cha Eunhwi’s—teleportation for covert assassinations, or hypnosis and brainwashing that affected the mind—served as powerful deterrents.

That was why awakened individuals were treated as national assets.

The lack of religious texts followed the same logic.

It wasn’t that the existence of God was denied. In fact, the vast majority believed that the “voice of the world” only espers could see and hear was divine will.

What the Association was wary of was us learning religious doctrine.

Each religion had its own principles and ideals, and letting someone become deeply influenced by one side would be troublesome.

What people wanted were heroes for everyone, not individuals biased toward a specific ideology.

In any case, being unable to communicate was a very serious problem.

I fundamentally didn’t trust espers or the high-ranking officials of the Association. Even if they pretended to treat me well and then trapped me in an unfair contract, I wouldn’t even be able to properly argue back.

On top of that, there was the issue of guiding methods.

Different countries have different cultures. What if somewhere more open-minded expected more than just holding hands or hugging?

My parents, who could’ve been my support, passed away long ago. My legal guardian betrayed me time and time again, so there was no one I could truly rely on.

Given my situation, I’d thought working as an unaffiliated guide was the best option—but now, I wasn’t so sure.

I wish guiding abilities would just disappear from the world entirely.

If they only decreased partially, that would cause its own set of problems, so it’d be better if they vanished altogether.

They say awakened abilities weaken with age, but for that to happen to these guys, we’d have to wait another twenty years—and I’d probably die of stress-induced illness long before then.

Yeon Dogyeong and Shinra have low compatibility with other guides, so they’d suffer a bit… but why should I care?

Since I’d still been holding Shinra’s hand, my irritation must have carried over to him.

The moment his gaze turned toward me, a strange cry echoed from afar—probably the roar of a dragon.

And then it happened.

The ground beneath our feet began to shake.

“Ah!”

“……!”

Barriers could block external attacks, but they didn’t help with maintaining balance.

Like being caught in an earthquake, my body swayed violently. Shinra yanked on my hand and pulled me into his arms.

The shaking ground surged upward, and in an instant, my body was lifted into the air. I couldn’t even scream.

Boom. Rumble. Crash.

The earth roared simultaneously all around us.

Only after Shinra landed heavily back on the ground while holding me tight did I realize what had burst out from beneath the earth.

“…A snake?”

Yes. A snake.

One nearly the size of a dinosaur.

…No, how was that a snake?!

But its sharp face, round eyes, and the tongue flicking in and out were unmistakably serpentine.

I didn’t particularly hate reptiles, but the sheer size sent chills down my spine.

“The Guardian of Paradise?”

A low murmur slipped from Shinra’s lips.

Guardian of Paradise.

I’d thought this place looked like heaven or paradise the moment I saw it—turns out I wasn’t wrong.

And if it was a guardian…

Did that make us intruders?

“Hisssss—”

A chilling sound leaked from between the snake’s jaws as its red tongue flicked.

The moment its cry rang out, the scenery—so beautifully unreal just seconds ago—wavered like a mirage and turned desolate.

The sky darkened, the sunlight grew harsh. Flowers and grass withered instantly, animals melted away until only bones remained.

I shrank back at the horrifying sight, and Shinra tightened his grip on my arm and whispered,

“Noona, hold on tight.”

The instant Shinra leapt upward, the snake’s tail slammed down into the ground where we’d been standing.

I swallowed hard as the earth split apart with a terrifying shockwave.

If that hits us, we’re dead. No question.

I clung to Shinra even more desperately.

The pursuing snake’s pupils slit vertically.

I flinched under its threatening gaze—and then, suddenly, two dragons appeared in the sky: one red, one white.

At the same time, Yeon Dogyeong and Cha Eunhwi appeared behind us.

“Shinra.”

“Hyung! Eunhwi hyung, Dogyeong hyung!”

“What the hell is that? And why does this place look like this now?”

“It seems like this is the named monster here. They called it the Guardian. It burst out of the ground the moment the dragon cried. The scenery we saw earlier was probably an illusion.”

“Any injuries?”

“No. Hyea noona’s fine too.”

Unpleasant cries echoed in every direction. The reptilian standoff was terrifying—but apparently, I was the only one who felt that way.

I stepped out of Shinra’s arms and onto the ground, but maybe because everything had happened so violently, the world still felt like it was spinning.

As dizziness washed over me, Dogyeong spoke.

“Does that count as a dragon too?”

“…Hard to say. Judging by how they’re watching each other, it looks like they consider each other enemies—”

Cha Eunhwi’s voice cut off mid-sentence, and suddenly I was pulled into someone’s arms again.

Startled, I looked up to see Dogyeong.

“What’s with them? Why are they staring over here?”

Only then did I understand why Dogyeong had grabbed me.

The reptiles that had been roaring at each other just moments ago were now staring straight at us.

At least—at me and Dogyeong.

As unidentifiable cries overlapped, the two dragons opened their mouths toward us.

More precisely, toward me and Dogyeong.

Beams of fire and snowstorm blasted straight at us, and I shut my eyes.

Even as my vision went dark, a familiar sensation wrapped around my body.

Teleportation.

The moment I realized it, I opened my eyes again—and the lush greenery had turned into a volcanic landscape.

As expected, Cha Eunhwi had teleported us away.

But just as he’d said earlier about not feeling well, Cha Eunhwi dropped to one knee and let out a groan.

I slipped free from Dogyeong’s arms and hurried to grab Eunhwi’s shoulder to start guiding him—but my hand was swatted away midair.

“I don’t need it. More importantly, it looks like the dragons were targeting Dogyeong and Guide Yoon Hyeya.”

“…No. Not Dogyeong hyung. It looked like they were targeting Hyeya noona. The Guardian snake also went berserk the moment it saw her and attacked right away.”

I didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed before the words hit me.

Wow. Their brains really work fast.
No—more importantly, why me? What did I even do?!

Why does everyone keep targeting me?! Seriously!

I really wanted to lie flat on the ground and scream.

Cha Eunhwi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead roughly and frowned as he spoke.

“I don’t know why, but if Guide Yoon Hyeya is the target, then taking them down one by one should be our priority. Dragons have strong predator instincts—once they recognize something as an enemy, they’ll chase it to the end.”