By Zephyria 
A cold breath settled over skin that had grown burning hot. Sharp teeth, like those of a beast, nibbled on the tender skin.
“Ugh…”
A short moan escaped me at the pain digging into the nape of my neck.
Had he become aroused by the pain of having his lip bitten? Whatever had stimulated him, it was certain that he had been provoked in a very wrong way.
“Va, Vasily… wait, mmpf…”
I managed to push Vasily away, but our lips overlapped once more, swallowing my voice.
A cold mass of flesh invaded my mouth. Fearing that accidentally biting him would only stimulate him further, I simply pressed firmly against his shoulders to push him back.
As our tongues intertwined, the metallic taste of blood lingering in my mouth gradually faded.
I regretted drinking his blood, unable to withstand the boiling heat. But it was too late for regrets now.
“Please, just listen to me for a second!”
I jerked my head away to avoid the violent kiss. Taking advantage of the gap when our lips parted, I covered Vasily’s mouth with my palm and quickly poured out my words.
“My head was a bit out of it because of the fever! I’m back to my senses now, so please stop!”
“Because of the fever?”
Vasily’s brow slowly furrowed. His cold gaze looked so murderous that it seemed he might carve me up right then and there, so I continued my explanation while panting.
“My body was too hot and the thirst was severe… I acted without thinking, believing that Esper Vasily-nim’s blood would be cool.”
“…….”
“And it actually worked; the headache is gone.”
Even to me, it seemed like a flawless, impeccable excuse. As I finished speaking, I stole a glance at Vasily. Since it was true that the heat was gradually subsiding as the suppression chip cooled down, Vasily seemed to accept it.
Good, he’s completely fooled.
Just as I was preparing to stealthily slip away from Vasily, he spoke.
“Then you won’t need the medicine anymore.”
“Pardon?”
“As soon as we get home, throw away all the medicine you have.”
“Throw away the medicine? What do you mean by…”
“Whenever your condition worsens in the future, you can just drink my blood.”
Vasily gave a thin smile as he looked at my bewildered face.
This wasn’t part of the plan… I hoped it was a joke, but seeing Vasily’s calmly smiling expression, it seemed he was dead serious. Cold sweat trickled down my back.
“Even so, I can’t keep wounding your body every time… and my condition might worsen when Esper Vasily-nim isn’t around, so wouldn’t it be okay to keep some medicine?”
“No. Drawing blood is no big deal. I’ll draw enough blood to fill the refrigerator, so just drink it whenever you need it.”
“Ah, no… there’s no need to go that far…”
With those words, Vasily carried me out into the hallway. Seeing Vasily stride forward with long steps, I looked around in panic.
If I were to run into someone in this state, my reputation would plummet. I urgently grabbed Vasily’s shoulder and spoke.
“I can walk on my own now!”
“Your fever hasn’t completely gone down yet.”
Vasily answered and refused to let me go. I tried to escape his embrace several times, but the arm wrapped around my waist didn’t budge an inch.
Nevertheless, I didn’t give up and kept squirming until we were suddenly in the parking lot. Fortunately, I didn’t encounter anyone until Vasily sat me in the passenger seat.
During the drive home, the faint remaining heat completely vanished.
I fell into thought while rubbing the suppression chip, which had become quiet as if by magic. It had been half a gamble, but to think that Vasily’s blood actually worked. Knowing that the alternative to the medicine I had been searching for so desperately was right beside me left me with a strange feeling.
“Can you walk?”
Vasily asked as soon as I got out of the car. Seeing him open one arm as if telling me I could be carried, I turned my head in disgust.
Coldly ignoring Vasily, I boarded the elevator myself and walked into the house. I tried to head quietly to my room after crossing the threshold, but Vasily grabbed my arm.
“Bring all the medicine.”
“……Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
…No. The problem is that he seems serious.
Damn, I’ll have to hide a few and bring the rest. As I clicked my tongue inwardly, Vasily added.
“For your information, Guide Kwon Gi-dam-ssi, everything you’re thinking shows on your face.”
“…….”
“It would be best not to try any foolish tricks to hide the medicine.”
Twitch. My plan had been caught and I felt a sharp sting of exposure, but I entered my room pretending to be unfazed.
I locked the door firmly and opened the drawer where the medicine was stored. I let out a sigh as I lifted a handful of pills.
About a month’s worth left, roughly. I desperately wanted to sneak a few away, but Vasily’s warning kept ringing in my ears.
It can’t be helped. Recalling Vasily’s threat, I let out a deep sigh and left the room with all the medicine.
“I brought them.”
In front of Vasily, who held out his hand as if demanding something obvious, I pointedly kept two pills and placed the rest in his hand.
Vasily flicked an eyebrow, looking at the red pills remaining in my hand. I notified him confidently.
“I’ll keep exactly two for emergencies.”
“Well, fine.”
Fortunately, I managed to save two.
It was only two pills, but this was better than hiding them and getting caught. Perhaps two were within Vasily’s range of tolerance, as he accepted it without further comment.
Stuffing the rescued pills into my pocket, I watched the fate of the remaining pills in Vasily’s hand. Vasily instantly froze the medicine he took from me and threw them straight into the trash can. I made a sour face watching the bright red pills, covered in ice, being discarded.
Sigh, how much did those cost?
While Vasily looked quite satisfied after disposing of the medicine, my face grew darker. Do I have to drink Vasily’s blood every time I guide from now on? The future looked bleak.
No, perhaps this was actually for the best. When the components of the previous pills were investigated, it was said that suspicious ingredients, including narcotic substances, were mixed in along with blood.
Lately, I had felt myself becoming increasingly dependent on the medicine. If I drank Vasily’s blood instead of the pills, I would be able to escape the addiction before it got worse.
However, the shock of having all my medicine stripped away in an instant did not fade easily. As I trudged toward my room with heavy steps, I heard Vasily’s voice from behind.
“Guide Kwon Gi-dam, prepare for tomorrow’s Gate conquest.”
“Was that tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’ll text you the conquest schedule. This Gate seems like it will take a long time to conquer, so you’d better prepare plenty of clothes.”
I frowned, remembering what I had momentarily forgotten.
Come to think of it, I lost the bet yesterday and agreed to accompany him on his Gate conquest. It’ll probably take a week, so there will be a lot to pack…
“Understood. Please share the Gate’s location so I can book a nearby accommodation.”
“Accommodation?”
“While the Esper-nim is conquering the Gate, I will wait at the accommodation.”
At my words, Vasily fell silent and tilted his head. Seeing his reaction, I had an ominous feeling.
“What are you talking about? Guide Kwon Gi-dam must also wait on-site.”
“The conquest will take a long time anyway, so can’t I just stay at the accommodation?”
“Didn’t I tell you? Guide Kwon Gi-dam must be on-site so that you can guide me at any time.”
“How do you intend to receive guiding in the middle of a conquest?”
Unless I followed him into the Gate, that was impossible. As I looked at him with a frown, Vasily answered nonchalantly.
“I’ll step out in the middle of the conquest to receive guiding, just like last time.”
“To do something so inefficient…”
“That’s because I can’t take Guide Kwon Gi-dam inside the Gate.”
“…….”
It was a choice that lacked efficiency, unlike Vasily. Even if he diligently took down monsters, the conquest would take a week; if he stepped out of the Gate periodically, the conquest would inevitably be delayed by the travel time.
It also meant the time I spent waiting on-site would be that much longer. I didn’t like it, but I had absolutely no intention of following him inside the Gate as Vasily suggested.
I guess I have no choice but to wait on-site.
Resigning myself to the feeling of being a temporary Guide again after a long time, I entered my room.
* * *
I left the house following Vasily, pulling my suitcase.
Since a week of camping was planned, I prepared daily necessities thoroughly. Fortunately, the weather was absolutely wonderful. It wasn’t too hot, and it didn’t rain. The only problem was that the Gate was halfway up a mountain.
“Are you okay? Your face is turning pale.”
“I think I could endure it if I just didn’t hear your voice, Esper-ni— ugh…”
Although the association had created a temporary path to the Gate, it was severely bumpy due to the rocks and tree roots scattered everywhere. I squeezed my eyes shut inside the car that had been rattling endlessly for an hour.
Just as my stomach was about to flip, the car stopped. It seemed we had finally arrived at the site.
As soon as I got out of the car, I grabbed a tree to calm my churning stomach. A site manager, who had noticed our arrival, approached the perfectly fine Vasily and the half-dead me.
“Hello, Esper-nim. Was the long journey uncomfortable for you?”
“I’m fine, but as you can see, my Guide doesn’t seem to be in very good condition.”
“I’ll bring some water right away.”
The manager, who had stepped away for a moment, returned and handed me a bottle of mineral water. I immediately opened the cap and gulped down the cool water.