Following Dracula’s D, this time it was A. Though he doubted Chris, who hadn’t understood the meaning of ‘idiot’ even with the books properly stacked, would suddenly notice, this was Yuri’s signal in his own way.
To walk in on his own feet before he strangled that neck first.
As he handed over the Nosheng Temple too into Chris’s hands, Yuri spoke bookshop-owner-like words while carefully examining his complexion.
Having encountered many unregistered Espers on the Winter Continent, Yuri could soon recognize Chris’s condition.
Guiding deficiency.
The circumstances roughly fit too.
The system Rosenhower built was shabby like its master. He tried not to let Guides, more precious than gold, wander as far as the Winter Continent. Presumably, B-rank and above would never be able to step outside Northern Light headquarters for their entire lives.
Believing while confined in cages that it was a barrier protecting them.
That said, he couldn’t ignore the rumor that Chris Danil had gone missing. Rosenhower would want to catch Yuri, who’d landed a blow on him and run away forever, and make him kneel. Moreover, since the Winter Continent’s resources were more abundant than other continents, he must have been itching to confirm that the watchdog had disappeared.
Since Rosenhower, who distributed Guiding drugs in secret, wouldn’t reveal his hand already, he must have attached one Guide of an appropriately low rank and told them to take turns sucking him dry.
However, it would be difficult to stabilize Chris with an A-rank Guide, let alone a B-rank.
Chris was like a well whose bottom couldn’t be known. No matter how much Guiding energy was poured in, he endlessly devoured it. Not all S-rank Espers were like that. It was just that Chris wasn’t a typical ability user, and required that much Guiding.
‘As expected, there’s no way he’s an enhancement-type ability user.’
If he were truly an enhancement-type ability user according to Northern Light’s ID, there’s no way he’d already be suffering from Guiding deficiency at a point less than a month after entering the November Continent.
Enhancement-type Espers were efficient. Because it was an ability that applied directly internally without needing to extend outward. The risk of Rampage and its aftermath were also easier to handle compared to other types.
Therefore, in Northern Light, which couldn’t let high-ranking Guides wander outside, they often ran multiple dispatch-specialized teams composed mainly of enhancement types. In fact, the majority of Northern Light’s Espers that could be seen on the Winter Continent were enhancement types.
However, this Chris was clearly suffering from Guiding deficiency. The possibility that the man before his eyes was ‘Chris Danil’ was gradually growing.
Because the Guiding those bastards gave wasn’t enough, he’d come to where Yuri was. Like a fish out of water searching for water.
Not knowing the reason with his head at all, watching Chris who’d come searching for a single drop of water to wet his throat made him feel strange. Despite having no memory or anything, had he thought that coming here would somehow resolve things?
Yuri decided to take responsibility for what he’d tamed.
“Your complexion is poor.”
As he handed over the book, Yuri slightly released his Guiding. He felt Chris’s sharp energy gradually calming down.
Since non-contact Guiding was impossible, he wouldn’t realize he was a Guide with just this much. Even if he noticed something, Chris couldn’t sell him out to Northern Light.
It couldn’t be entirely coincidental that his dog had appeared before him, going round and round even with lost memories.
Yuri, who’d inwardly thought Chris’s legs would give out and he’d collapse to the floor, clicked his tongue at the back view of him leaving the bookshop perfectly fine and moving his steps as if fleeing.
His patience was always sufficient, but that day it was particularly difficult to just let Chris go.
The lights of Magnolia bookshop were on until late that night. As soon as Chris returned home, he washed and either slept or there was no sound coming.
Yuri stopped tidying books when the slow jazz melody flowing from the gramophone cut off, and groaning, pained sounds could be heard.
“…Well, look at this?”
Yuri narrowed his eyes at the thoroughly wet voice. He’d thought something would be caught since he’d installed bugs, but this was an unexpected harvest.
“Like a dog in heat.”
Yuri’s teeth showed white. In his voice lay contempt and an emotion darker and deeper than that.
***
Even when installing the bugs, Yuri had had his own expectations.
Expectations so embarrassing to even put into words, that Danil had instinctively come searching even with lost memories.
***
Unfortunately for the effort put in, Chris hardly spent time in the apartment. He mainly went around the reeducation center and only slept at the apartment.
The reason Chris, who appeared as a member of Northern Light, frequented the center was obvious.
To dig into Yuri Sobolev’s background.
The more Yuri looked into what Chris was doing, the more he felt that he hadn’t noticed the connection between Yuri Magnolia and Yuri Sobolev at all.
The way he went around struggling was quite interesting but also unpleasant at the same time.
What on earth had happened during his disappearance that he went to the June Continent? And how had he been able to enter Northern Light?
Just as the November Continent was in Yuri’s palm, the June Continent was Rosenhower’s domain, so it wasn’t easy to find out what Chris had been doing and going around on the June Continent.
In a way, Chris was lucky. If his current situation hadn’t piqued Yuri’s curiosity, he would have already been dragged in, tied to a metal chair, and forced to spill his situation.
Whether Chris went to the permafrost in the northern part of the November Continent or poked around the abandoned factory zone in District 13, it was all within Yuri’s sight, so that was also why he let him roam freely.
Chris wouldn’t be able to leave his territory.
Yuri hummed softly along with the melody flowing from the gramophone.
C’est toi pour moi, moi pour toi dans la vie – In this life, you exist for me, I for you
Il me l’a dit, l’a juré pour la vie – You told me, swore for eternity
Late at night, Yuri closed Magnolia’s door and headed outside. He was told that a survivor of the drug dealers who should have been wiped out in District 8 had hidden in the mountains.
Right now, Yuri was on his way to find that survivor and propose a deal.
Since they’d succeeded in intercepting the signal of the communication device the bastards had, they’d found out they were hiding in the hills at the border of Districts 8 and 9. From the direction the signal was moving, it looked like they would come out toward District 8 where there were many residential areas.
Since he had to move stealthily and this hill had no separate path, he had to travel on foot. Entering the foot of the mountain, Yuri moved along a pre-calculated route.
Drug dealers were like weeds that grew back no matter how many times you pulled them out by the roots. As long as there were addicts, they were bound to appear somewhere, and as long as drug dealers existed, addicts continued to emerge.
An endless war. However, rather than getting tired, Yuri accepted this as part of his life.
The daily routine of waking up in the morning to open the bookshop, organizing packages that arrived overnight, cleaning the store before opening, categorizing books, occasionally welcoming customers, then closing the door, and the nighttime walks chasing after drug dealers and throwing them rotten ropes while pretending to save them weren’t very different.
Even while walking through darkness, there wasn’t a trace of hesitation in Yuri’s steps.
If he hadn’t encountered an unexpected existence, Yuri would have achieved his goal.
In the mountain where he’d thought the only moving living being was himself, there was a wolf with fur that shone silver in the moonlight, resting.
Yuri’s gaze naturally turned in that direction.
An old memory suddenly came to mind.
When he was young, he’d raised such a large dog. A stray his mother had brought home. Its wariness was strong, but once you crossed that line, it gave its embrace without reserve. Even in midsummer, Yuri would be held in that dog’s embrace, sweating profusely.
He also remembered his father shouting in alarm, “It’s a wolf!” and jumping up and down. Yuri, who’d had a bold side since childhood, didn’t care about that fact. No matter how sharp its teeth and claws, the beast had never shown them to him.
Influenced by childhood memories now fading, Yuri tended to like animals. Until coming to the November Continent, he couldn’t dare form attachments, but seeing such a magnificent wolf, his mood couldn’t help but soften.
Espers were repulsive and humans were terrible, but animals were a different story.
Removing his glove, he approached showing his bare hand to the wolf. The wolf with silver fur seemed wary and backed away hesitantly, then stopped in place, perhaps reading his goodwill.
However, Yuri’s lips, having successfully reached out his hand to stroke the wolf’s head, hardened firmly.
Guiding energy drained away in an instant from where they touched.
“So you were an Esper.”
Roughly grabbing the wolf’s jaw, Chris looked down at Rosenhower’s dog that had stuck its snout into his territory.
There was no way he could have good feelings toward that disgusting man who had taken Chris Danil from him and unleashed a pack of hyenas.
Since his identity as a Guide had been exposed, it would be troublesome to let this Esper live. He had to deal with him when he was completely off guard, intoxicated by unexpected Guiding.
