By Zephyria 
Realizing that the man waiting for me inside the conference room was Huai Yan, I came to a dead stop at the entrance.
Damn it… I should have checked who called for me.
I never imagined that Huai Yan would seek me out through an association employee. I had naturally followed along, thinking Vasily had caused some kind of trouble.
If Vasily found out I had met Huai Yan, he certainly wouldn’t let it slide. Vasily had tried to kill Huai Yan just for looking for me a few days ago. What would happen if word reached him that Huai Yan had summoned me through a staff member? I didn’t even want to imagine the aftermath.
If the two of them clashed again, it wouldn’t end at the same level as last time. I pressed a hand to my forehead, imagining Seoul being turned into a wasteland.
Deciding it was better to avoid the situation entirely, I lowered my head.
“I’m sorry. I think I’ve come to the wrong room.”
“No, you’ve come to the right place.”
I spoke in English, but the reply came in Korean. My eyes widened at the unexpected, familiar language.
Huai Yan knows how to speak Korean…? There was a slight awkwardness characteristic of a foreigner, but his pronunciation was nearly perfect.
However, I didn’t have the luxury of just being surprised. Getting out of here was the priority.
“I have nothing to say to you, so I’ll be going now.”
“I didn’t call you for any other purpose; I just came because I was curious why a Guide is wearing a suppression chip.”
As I regained my composure and tried to step outside, an unexpected word hit my ears.
The hand that was about to turn the doorknob froze. I whipped my head around and locked eyes with a pair of slender, smiling eyes.
“How did you…”
“I’m the one who made that suppression chip.”
Huai Yan pointed at me with a grin. More specifically, he pointed to the back of my neck where the suppression chip was implanted.
Huai Yan made the suppression chip?
I hurriedly raised my hand to feel the back of my neck. I had grown my hair out to cover the area where the skin was red and swollen due to the chip. Even if Huai Yan had made the chip, there was no way he could know I was using one…
As if reading my doubts, Huai Yan continued.
“I knew because I smelled a familiar scent. You’re taking the medicine, right? My blood is in there.”
“Was it not monster’s blood…?”
When I asked in bewilderment, Huai Yan burst into loud laughter.
“Monster’s blood? Well, I suppose that’s not entirely wrong. S-class Espers are closer to monsters than they are to ordinary people.”
The moment I learned that the ingredient in the medicine was his blood, a fishy scent rose from within me, even though I hadn’t taken the medicine.
My head spun, and I felt a surge of nausea. To think that what I had been taking all this time was human blood. I felt it would have been better if it actually were monster’s blood.
While I covered my mouth, trying to calm my churning stomach, Huai Yan spoke as if lamenting.
“Since you had a suppression chip implanted, I thought you were an Esper… Do you know how surprised I was to find out you were a Guide? No wonder Vasily attacked me as if he wanted to kill me.”
“…Why did you go to see Esper Vasily?”
“An Esper who conquered the West Sea Gate with me told me that if I asked Vasily, I’d be able to meet you.”
The face of the S-class Esper who had forced the West Sea Gate conquest onto me flashed through my mind. I wondered why two people who had no reason to meet had crossed paths… It was your doing, wasn’t it? I gritted my teeth, feeling like I’d been stabbed in the back. Of course, I was the one who had screwed him over first.
I had felt a bit sorry for sending him to the Gate instead of Vasily, but those feelings vanished without a trace.
“Now, will you tell me why a Guide is using a suppression chip?”
“…I wanted to manipulate my matching rate.”
“The matching rate?”
“I heard a rumor that if a Guide uses a suppression chip, their average matching rate drops significantly. So, I used it to avoid matching with Espers I didn’t want.”
After some hesitation, I told him the truth. Silence was more likely to fuel curiosity. I knew this from my experience with Vasily.
Besides, I planned to remove the suppression chip soon. I was confident that even if the effect of the chip was revealed, it wouldn’t become a weakness.
Hearing my words, Huai Yan muttered something to himself. It was in Chinese, so I couldn’t understand the content, but his voice held a tone of admiration and curiosity.
The effects that occur when a Guide uses a suppression chip were scheduled to be revealed through future research, so it was information that even Huai Yan, the creator of the chip, wouldn’t know. Then again, what kind of insane Guide would implant a suppression chip in the back of their neck? It was a different story since I already knew the effect.
Huai Yan seemed to be lost in deep thought. I tried to quietly leave the conference room but stopped in my tracks. Since I had already started talking, it seemed better to finish the business before leaving.
“I should expand my sales target to include Guides. Thanks for letting me know something useful.”
Huai Yan met my eyes again and smiled brightly. That smile felt somehow unsettling, so I avoided his gaze while pretending to nod.
“I didn’t expect to meet you in a place like this, so unfortunately, I don’t have a gift to give you. As a substitute, shall I draw some blood for you?”
“I plan to remove the suppression chip soon, so it’s not necessary.”
“Ah, if that’s the case, shall I introduce you to one of our experts?”
The last offer was slightly tempting. Since he was the one who made the chip, wouldn’t he be able to remove it more safely?
However, I didn’t know how his attitude would change if I were discovered to be an S-class guide during the removal process. Rather than taking such a risk, it was better to trust Korean medical technology. I was already receiving injections, so I should be able to remove it soon.
I shook my head, expressing my refusal.
“The suppression chip wasn’t made for Guides, so there might be side effects. Contact me if a problem arises or if you need help.”
Huai Yan lightly snapped his fingers. A flame escaped his hand and fluttered toward me like a butterfly.
When it reached me, the small, burning red ball of fire vanished in an instant, and a small piece of paper fell before my eyes. I caught it and checked; it was Huai Yan’s business card written in English.
As Huai Yan said, since I didn’t know what side effects might occur, it seemed best to keep this. Of course, I would have to hide it well so Vasily wouldn’t find it.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Goodbye.”
I stuffed the business card into my pocket and stepped outside.
As soon as I left the conference room, I locked eyes with the association employee who had been waiting by the door. I looked at him with a lukewarm expression as he gave a slight bow, as if avoiding my gaze.
I thought his expression seemed strange from the moment he guided me to the room… But I had no intention of blaming the employee.
From the employee’s perspective, he had no choice but to grant the request of an S-class Esper from another country. Especially if that person was the victim who had been suddenly attacked by Vasily a few days ago.
Friction often occurs during Gate conquests, so fights inside the Gate are mostly overlooked, but it’s a different story if the attack happened outside the Gate. Korea had to ensure that the incident where Vasily attacked him passed without issue, meaning they had to keep Huai Yan pleased until he returned to China.
“Could you please not report to the association that I met with Mr. Huai Yan? I won’t tell Esper Vasily either.”
“Yes, I understand.”
I absolutely had to hide what just happened from Vasily. If it were reported to the association and reached his ears, it would be a disaster, so I needed to silence the employee.
When I made the proposal first, the employee’s face brightened considerably, and he hurried away. I also walked in the opposite direction of the employee and checked the time.
Perhaps the conversation with Huai Yan had been longer than expected, as quite a bit of time had passed. If the examination wasn’t finished by the time the meeting ended, Vasily might get suspicious. I moved my legs as quickly as possible to make up for the delayed time.
* * *
As soon as I arrived at the Attending Physician’s office, I took an image of the area where the suppression chip was implanted. The result was shocking.
“To remove it safely, you’ll have to wait another six months.”
“What? It takes six months?”
My expectation that it would take a month or two at most was completely wrong. Six months meant I wouldn’t be able to remove it until at least next year.
A sense of despair washed over me at the unexpectedly long period.
So, for the next six months, I have to suffer from headaches every time I perform guiding, and I have to take medicine containing human blood?
It seemed that the very deep and intense guiding I had with Vasily a few days ago was the biggest cause. Damn it… if I had come to my senses and stopped halfway, it might have been moved up by a month. It wasn’t certain that the act had an influence, but I was overcome with extreme regret.
“Are you still being examined?”
While I was clutching my head, Vasily opened the door and walked in.
Whether he had properly vented his anger on the association executives, his face looked almost refreshed. He was the complete opposite of me, whose complexion had turned ashen after hearing the thunderbolt of news.
“It just finished.”
“So, the result?”
“They say I have to wait six months to remove it safely.”
I couldn’t be the only one in despair. Emphasizing the words “six months,” I delivered the shocking news to Vasily as well.
As expected, the moment he heard the duration, Vasily’s brow furrowed miserably. Only after seeing the smile vanish from his face did I feel a certain sense of satisfaction.