To My Flower-Like S-Class Guide 43

Chapter 43:

“Logi, I’m back!”

Seo Jae-yi returned to the flower shop instead of going home after parting ways with the others.

“Master! Check your level, check your level!”

Airok, who had been tending the dungeon plants, abandoned everything and flew over, demanding she show him her watch.

Seo Jae-yi obediently showed him.

【Overload Progress — 32%】
【Caution: Maintain below 30%.】

“See? It didn’t increase much, right?”

Airok had panicked when she told him she was going into the dungeon as a porter. He had scolded her for going into a dungeon in her condition.

She had only been able to leave after promising him repeatedly that she wouldn’t use her ability and would keep her level under control.

Fortunately, it was within the acceptable range, so Airok just sighed in relief instead of launching into a lecture.

“But you have to be careful. It’s starting to increase again.”

“That’s unavoidable.”

Normally, an Esper’s overload level wouldn’t increase if they didn’t use their ability. However, Seo Jae-yi’s condition was so poor that a brief Guiding session wasn’t enough.

Her body would continue to deteriorate unless she received stronger, proper contact Guiding.

“That, Baek Joo-won person, does he have any intention of becoming your Pair?”

Seo Jae-yi shrugged at Airok’s question.

“I’m not sure yet. But his reaction wasn’t bad.”

“He, he has a strong influence on other Espers, so wouldn’t you be the most likely candidate?!”

“I don’t know. His Guiding ability is too exceptional. They won’t let him go easily, whether it’s the government or anyone else.”

“Do you even want to be paired with him or not?”

Airok whined, his face crumpled in distress, seeing Seo Jae-yi’s indifferent demeanor.

“Aw, is my baby crying?”

“I’m not crying! And I’m not a baby!”

“Okay, okay. My baby Logi. Of course I want to be paired with him, so don’t worry.”

“Then be more proactive! You keep saying you’ll seduce him, but you don’t seem desperate enough.”

“Huh? Do I seem that way?”

“Yes! Totally! Don’t you care if you die?”

Of course she cared. She wanted to live. She had started to want to live. Happily, freely, just like now.

Strong enough to protect Baek Joo-won.

“I don’t want to die, Logi. I’m just worried that I might lose control and hurt Baek Joo-won if I make a mistake.”

Or that she might succumb to her Esper instincts, force him to stay by her side, and put him in danger, even if he didn’t want to.

He was her Guide, the one who had finally appeared after eleven years. It was only natural for her to prioritize his safety over forcing him to stay and provide Guiding.

“Ugh…”

She suddenly felt dizzy. Seo Jae-yi staggered, clutching her forehead, and heat started to emanate from her body.

“Logi!”

She yelled, sensing her ability leaking again. Water, infused with Airok’s energy, splashed over her.

“Cough, hack, hack!”

The shop was instantly soaked. Blood trickled down her chin, diluted by the water.

Seo Jae-yi was relieved that nothing had caught fire from her heat.

“I’m so glad I brought you back from the forest dungeon. Thank you, Logi.”

Thanks to Airok’s help, incidents of her shop or flowers catching fire had significantly decreased. She was incredibly grateful.

“…I don’t understand why you keep worrying about him when you’re in this condition.”

However, unlike Seo Jae-yi, who was relieved, Airok looked at her with sad eyes. He climbed onto her lap, settling on her pale knees.

“Logi, I’m soaked.”

“It’s my water, isn’t it? Is that really important right now?”

Airok sprawled on her wet knees, as if asking what she was going to do about it.

“…Everything will be fine if you become his Pair, Master. These things will heal quickly if you receive proper Guiding.”

Airok wiped the blood from under Seo Jae-yi’s nose with his tiny paw. She realized she had a nosebleed.

“You’ll be paired soon, so don’t worry!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Seo Jae-yi nodded, smiling, wanting to believe him.

The dragon water she had been drenched in calmed her raging ability.

Before, she had to refrain from using her ability for a day to regain control, but now she could use it immediately. Logi’s water was truly effective.

“Ah, right. I have something to ask you.”

Seo Jae-yi, having cleaned herself and the waterlogged shop with her heat, entered the greenhouse.

“Look at this.”

She showed him the moss they had collected from the dungeon and briefly explained what had happened.

“What? The Greenrolls were agitated? But this moss is completely ordinary.”

Airok pawed the moss, sniffed it, even tasted it, but shook his head, saying he didn’t sense anything unusual.

“Their agitation wasn’t caused by the moss.”

“Really? Then what was the problem?”

She couldn’t think of anything else suspicious besides the moss…

But then she remembered something.

“Could a Guide’s ability affect monsters?”

Most people hadn’t noticed because of the chaotic battle, but Seo Jae-yi, who was hyper-aware of anything related to Baek Joo-won, had noticed.

‘That boss monster was definitely looking at Baek Joo-won.’

The boss monster had charged directly at Baek Joo-won, ignoring Joo Seon-min, Seo Won-yeong, and Seo Jae-yi, its eyes fixated on him alone.

It had even stared at Baek Joo-won until its dying breath.

“W-what? A G-Guide? A monster being affected by a Guide? What are you talking about?”

“It wasn’t the monster affecting the Guide; it was the Guide affecting the monster.”

“Uh, uh, is that, is that even possible? I don’t know everything about Espers and Guides.”

“Really? But I’m sure that boss monster sensed something from Baek Joo-won.”

She hadn’t even mentioned it to Seo Won-yeong, fearing others might find it strange.

A Guide who could affect not only Espers but also monsters. It wasn’t a good thing, no matter how she thought about it.

“If that’s true, Baek Joo-won definitely shouldn’t enter dungeons.”

It was a relief for Baek Joo-won, as he didn’t want to go anyway.

‘I’ll have to tell him discreetly later.’

“I-I think that would be best.”

“But Logi, why are you stuttering?”

“Uh, sleepy…?”

Airok yawned widely.

She was suspicious, but she refrained from questioning him, considering he had helped her today. She placed him in his designated house in a corner of the greenhouse and carefully tucked him in with a handkerchief blanket.

“Go to sleep. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

“Don’t overwork yourself. Go straight home and sleep!”

Seo Jae-yi kissed Airok’s forehead and left the shop.

But as she drove home, she couldn’t forget the boss monster’s gaze, fixated on Baek Joo-won in the dungeon.

It wasn’t just anger or a loss of control.

It was greed, or perhaps hunger.

The monster had wanted to devour Baek Joo-won.

***

Unlike Baek Joo-won, who went home, Joo Seon-min went straight to Center Head Kwon Yi-soo after leaving the dungeon.

It was rare for her to seek him out first. She had something important to discuss.

She marched into his office, her combat boots still covered in dirt and monster fluids, and casually settled on the sofa.

Kwon Yi-soo, accustomed to her behavior, didn’t bat an eyelid.

“We had quite an eventful dungeon raid.”

“I see.”

“I sent the moss to the lab, so we’ll have the analysis results soon. Have you ever seen anything like it before?”

Joo Seon-min was a Guide with more dungeon raid experience than most Espers. She might have encountered a similar situation.

“I have if I have, and I haven’t if I haven’t.”

She didn’t understand what he meant.

“I’ve seen plenty of moss. But I’ve never experienced anything like today in any of those places.”

“So it might not contain any drugs.”

“Right. Then what was the cause?”

It was a concerning issue for her, as she primarily focused on dungeon raids.

She tapped the armrest of the sofa and spoke again.

“You’re investigating Baek Joo-won, right?”

“Yes, but…”

“Any findings? He’s stateless, you said.”

Why was she suddenly bringing up Baek Joo-won? Kwon Yi-soo’s eyes narrowed.

“Nothing, sir. We couldn’t find anything. Not his entry records, not his current address, nothing.”

Even Joo Seon-min seemed surprised, frowning. She knew Kwon Yi-soo wouldn’t conduct a half-hearted investigation.

“He’s suspicious. That’s why you’re trying to keep him at the Center. You’re worried he might be a fraud.”

“…”

“I understand your noble intentions, but hand him over to Haeil.”

Kwon Yi-soo clicked his tongue at Joo Seon-min’s words.