.
.
.
" I-I'm a guide?"
"Yeah, we'll have a closer look in the capital and we'll know exactly your class."
At the words of the duke, I looked down at my hand with mixed
feelings.
The job of a 'guide' was a very distant dream for commoners like
me.
Of course, a commoner happened to had an examination in the capital, and it turned out that he was an S-class guide, and the story of how he became rich was everywhere.
However, rumors were only rumors, and in reality, they were
nonsense.
The guides were no different from ordinary people except that
they could purify the power of the transcendent, and their main
task was to guard and guide a transcendent in all kinds of risky
environments.
It was natural to go through as much training as most soldiers to
become an "official guide" recognized by the empire.
Plus, education to become an official guide costs a lot of money.
The graduates of the guide training academy were mostly nobles,
with the exception of guides from commoners who occasionally
appeared for publicity purposes. And even after graduating from
the academy with difficulty, it was very difficult for the guides from
commoners to enter into a fair contract due to the lack of connections.
Even if you know that you are a guide, the life of commoners will
ultimately not change.
Of course, as the rumors say, if it was a guide of S-class who came out of nobility, the nobles will sponsor him on their own and provide him guide training, but the S-class guide who wasn't belonging to any family, It would be faster to wish money fell from the sky than to sponsor such a talented person that appear once every 100 years.
That's why it was not easy for me to go to the capital city right
away.
"What's that?"
"You told me to prepare for a detailed guide examination in the
capital. I packed my things."
"That's all your supplies?"
"Yes."
My supplies was not that much.
A few pairs of underwear, a pair of outdoor clothes, a pocket containing strings for multi-use, a handful of water, a handful of salt, and an ID card that was taken out to match the old brown briefcase.
The Duke was examining my things as carefully as the director of the orphanage doing hygiene inspections.
"It is a mess."
He only took out my ID card and threw the rest out of the bag.
'This bastard.......'
I'm still not used to him doing trashy things every moment, I grabbed my skirt tightly to suppress my anger.
"I'll buy you a new one, so let's throw it all away."
"You already threw it all away."
"I know. Thanks to me for throwing it away, right? You don't have to separate garbage and collect it."
'My underwear...'
I've only brought things I've only worn ten times.
Outing clothes were made of strong, high-quality fabrics and were worn only once in my lifetime.
As I watched the duke turning, I secretly pouted my lower lip.
With my hands lightened, I followed him down to the main hall.
Since I was a low-ranking maid responsible for washing dishes,
I entered and exited through the daily use corridor, the kitchen and the attic, there was no need for me to even walk into the main hall.
From the murals adorning the ceiling, to the intricately carved lily
patterns on the alabaster columns, to the view of the lake as you
descend the elegantly curved stairs.
I passed the mansion, my eyes widened and I looked around.
"Hurry up, I'll leave you behind."
'It doesn't matter if you leave me.'
I hurried down the stairs at the Duke's call.
In front of the portico, there was a black car with a smooth gloss
instead of a carriage. As a person who had lived a life unrelated to
the limousine in my previous life, I had no choice but to be discouraged.
As I approached him, Gilbert, the reception serve, opened the door for me like doing it for a noblewoman.
After making eye contact with him, I relaxed a little. Quite a few servants, including Gilbert and Meg, survived the hunt.
'It was because I caught the Duke's attention on the way.'
It is said that Duke Janus's nature is spontaneous and fickle, so the hunt has faded as it didn't happened, since he found me hiding in the kitchen.
The surviving servants just listened to the scolding that they should pay more attention to hiring people in the future and do not bully the youngest. So mansion was calm after that crazy bloody chase festival.
"Do you know there are a lot of people in the capital?"
As soon as Gilbert got into the car, the duke, who rode first, started a conversation.
I quickly erased my smile from my face and responded with a grumpy voice.
"I don't know."
"Then what do you know?"
'It would be nice. Being able to live in a castle that seemed without an owner once again.'
In the car that started moving, I only pinched my fingers. Sensing the unfamiliar feelings of being in a moving car again , as I remembered the lamentations I had been dealing with so far.
'That stone shined for no reason.'
I will not feel happiness even if I become a C-class guide or higher.
There's no way I'm that rare S-class guide, and if I do, things will get more complicated.
Since I will be sponsored by Duke Janus, I will belong to the Duchy after the guide training.
'I really don't want to get involved anymore.'
"Duke, do I have to go to the capital?
"What are you talking about? Why did you get in the car if you didn't want to go from the start?"
'I rode it because you told me to.'
I couldn't say that so i just looked up then his tone changed like child's
"Do you know the average annual salary of a guide? It's incomparable than the money you make from washing dishes with those maple-like hands and having eczema."
"........."
"It means that if you go to school and study well, you can make a
lot of money. You don't like money?"
"I like it......"
"But why do you look like you're dying?"
There is a reason why the guide's salary was high.
Of course, because it was a rare professional occupation, but
above all, it belongs to a high-risk occupation group that has to go through much risk like the transcendent.
In addition, the terrifying training until one got recognized as an
official guide, and the enormous cost used for it. In this way and that way, it's not a ridiculous annual salary.
'I just want to build my career as a maid like the others and save even a small amount of money.'
But if I say that, the Duke would be very angry. I mumbled and opened my mouth.
"Just... The capital is large and there are many people, and when we close our eyes, our noses can be cut off." (mean , she could be on a risky way )
"Are you scared?"
"Yes?"
While raising my head with a puzzled look, I quickly said,
"That is right."
And then I agreed with it.
'I'm not sure if he was trying to comfort me so I won't be afraid.'
But looking at the smile hanging around the boy's mouth, it didn't
seem like it.
'I think he's going to die of joy because others are scared.'
"Hmm, I didn't know Betty was scared."
I have a lot of worries and a lot of fears.
However, from the Duke's point of view, it may seem that my actions have lost fear.
For several days after meeting him, I was in one corner all the time, and in that state, I was scared and had nothing to hide.
"Then, shall we hold hands?"
"......What?"
I suddenly met his eyes when one hand raised my chin.
I know the capital is scary , But why would we hold hands
He put his hand in front of my confused face, which turned bewildered.
"You don't have to think about whether it's gonna bother me or
not, Because I'm fine with it."
"Uh, yeah.."
I feel like I have no choice, so I put one hand on top of the outstretched hand.
I didn't know because I didn't pay much attention before, but
when I found out that I was a guide, I felt something in contact with this transcendent.
It feels like a breeze is escaping from his body.
When I focused, I felt the itchy feeling from my fingertips, but it was a very subtle sensation, so I could ignore it if I don't care.
"Ha...... Good."
However, it must feel different to the other person.
'If It was a transcendent like the Duke, any type of guiding would not solve the problem.'
Come to think of it, his guides were not even visible during the past few days when the Duke stayed in the castle. At that moment, I had an unpleasant feeling and felt like my whole body was cooling down.
Perhaps he knew how I felt, but the duke muttered in a sour voice.
"You get a free guide training and as soon as you graduate, you will become my own guide."
I asked back pretending to know nothing,
"m_me?"
"Yeah, I'm talking about your career path, so pay attention, Betty"
"I'm going to be your guide?"
"Yes, You'll have to spend a year as my guide. You're going to spend 10 years as a guide at the school in the capital and build your career as my guide for about a year. Is it hard to understand what do I mean?"
"No."
As I shook my head, a faint smile appeared on his lips. In the meantime, the way he smiles like that suits him well, and he look
pretty, making him look beautiful.
I asked carefully to identify the ominousness that shook my heart.
"Then..... Where did the duke's guides go?"
Duke Janus was different from any other transcendent.
Janus of creation, and Gladio of extinction
As he was one of the two pillars supporting the empire, he had to
bear the enormous power, and of course, that burden was not solved by the purification of just one guide.
For example, Duke Gladio, who has similar power, had more than
10 dedicated guides.
All of them were high-quality guides supplied by the Duke of Matthia and the Duke of Sol who were called master guides.
The Duke of Janus also received that level of guides from Matthia and Sol, and the current Duke of Janus was especially unstable and powerful, requiring more guides than the Duke of Gladio.
Why haven't we hired new guides so far when the empress's coronation ceremony would have gone wild a few days ago?
The duke answered my question.
"I don't have any, I need to get one again."
"Why... why aren't they here?"
"A few days ago, I got out of control and all of them have all died."
"....."
"All of my guides died in less than six months. It was very strange."
The duke had a face asking
'what a truly strange coincidence.'
'Should I just open the door of car and jump off?'
I seriously pondered.