Chapter 12
Espers without guides usually had difficulty controlling their mana, so they would never release it this recklessly.
Being born with great power but without a guide was a painful shackle to carry for life.
Espers’ bodies were stronger than ordinary people’s, but the mana they were born with slowly destroyed both their minds and their bodies.
The stronger the Esper, the faster their body decayed, and the quicker their mind wore down into madness and death.
That was why Espers who hadn’t yet met their guides lived suppressing their mana as much as possible.
Even when they had to use it, they only used the bare minimum they could control.
But now—
Yurein’s expression hardened.
For Zarkal Beltheron to unleash this much mana… meant the situation had become so desperate that he could no longer think of the aftermath.
It also meant he’d already resigned himself to his fate.
“I heard His Highness, the Second Prince, died today protecting the Empire.”
Lampos’s words echoed in her head—
That Zarkal Beltheron was dead.
Then Yurein became certain.
Zarkal Beltheron was now fighting with the resolve to die, pushing his mana to its limit.
And that doing so would kill him.
But this moment—right now—was the only chance to stop it.
Yurein gritted her teeth and tightened her hold on the reins.
If his mana went berserk, there would be no way to save him.
If that happened, she couldn’t avenge Ayla.
Nor could she ever repay the humiliation she’d suffered in Tarbargen.
“No… no, don’t!”
She pulled hard on the reins with one hand and raised the other toward the air, shouting with all her might—
praying her voice would reach him.
—Krrrk! Krrrkkk!
From afar came the grotesque howls of surviving monsters.
The metallic screech made her skin crawl, but Yurein didn’t turn her horse around.
Instead, she focused her energy on her raised hand, gathering mana and spreading it wide in the direction where she felt Zarkal’s presence.
Her gentle mana drifted into the air—
and at last, she felt it connect with him.
In that instant, her mana began to be absorbed by Zarkal’s.
It worked!
Yurein cried out inwardly.
Even from far apart, she could sense him vividly—
and she could feel his raging mana beginning to calm.
She felt a powerful bond with Zarkal.
My Esper.
For the first time since falling into this world, she had found her own Esper.
That strange yet familiar sense of fulfillment that arose when a guide and an Esper connected began to overflow inside her.
Suppressing the tingling in her heart, Yurein narrowed her eyes.
This wasn’t enough yet.
She reached out along the invisible thread linking them and slowly let her mana flow through it.
As she did, the bond grew stronger, and his presence more distinct.
She gently caressed his turbulent mana with her own, soothing it little by little—
like taming a wild beast.
Though her mind was growing faint from guiding while riding, she kept at it.
Then suddenly—
the mana she had barely calmed flared up again, violent and wild.
Yurein’s eyes widened.
From afar, she could finally see Zarkal.
Around him were heaps of mangled monster corpses.
—Krrrk! Krrrrrrk! Kyaaaah!
The unholy roars of countless beasts shook the air.
Even after slaying so many, hordes still remained.
Through the haze, she saw him—Zarkal Beltheron—
fighting desperately to hold them back.
He was trying to subdue them with his mana, but exhaustion made it difficult.
Any moment now, they would swarm him and tear him apart.
The instant she saw him, Yurein called out instinctively—
“Wait—please!”
Zarkal turned.
Black hair, black eyes—
their gazes met, and Yurein smiled.
Finally… they met.
My Esper.
He didn’t know she was a guide, but instinct would tell him.
That the two of them were connected.
As she neared, the air shimmered between them with flowing mana.
Yurein felt something rise in her heart—
excitement, joy, relief, warmth—
the instinctive resonance of meeting a perfectly attuned Esper.
Even amid the chaos, he stood proud beneath the moonlight, gleaming like silver.
Zarkal raised his sword high; the moonlight lingered on the blade, glowing faintly.
He stared at her as if entranced.
His heart pounded.
A strange exhilaration washed through him, overwhelming his senses.
Yurein’s chest tightened under that gaze—
his eyes reflected only her.
It was the instinctive pull toward one’s guide.
Tap!
Yurein halted her horse in front of him, leapt down, and reached for his hand.
It was sudden, but Zarkal didn’t pull away.
He was completely bewitched by her.
Yurein clasped his hand and let her energy flow gently into him.
Their mana intertwined, melding together.
The bond solidified, the two becoming firmly connected through guiding.
Now, his mana no longer devoured him.
In fact, her mana began circulating through his body, slowly healing him.
“You’ll be fine now,” she said softly, letting out a small sigh of relief.
The once-violent mana had become docile again.
At her words, Zarkal snapped back to his senses.
The dazed look vanished, replaced by sharp focus.
He turned his gaze to the monsters.
The creatures that had moments ago shrieked and lunged at him now stood frozen.
Because Zarkal was no longer prey—
he was the predator.
A beast—
an elegant one with fangs and claws bared.
Zarkal raised his hand toward the monsters.
Ordinarily, he would never have tried something like this—
but now, with this woman beside him, he felt he could.
He gathered mana in his hand.
It surged out, crawling over the beasts.
—Kyaaaa!
—Crunch!
—Krrrk!
The air filled with their ghastly screams.
The sound of monsters being devoured by Zarkal’s mana.
Their bones and flesh shattered—
all in an instant.
Then—
Fwoosh!
The last remaining monster was crushed in a single blow.
Zarkal stared blankly at his hand.
Even he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
He knew only guides could make this possible…
yet his eyes were clouded with confusion.
Meeting that gaze, Yurein smiled faintly.
The one person who needed her—the once useless Yurein—stood right before her.
It felt strange to have her worth recognized,
yet the sweetness of the moment was undeniable.
She smiled, gently but confidently.
“I am Yurein of Tarbargen, Your Highness. Forgive the late introduction.”
Her voice was polite, but steady.
Zarkal’s expression grew even more bewildered.
Lifting her chin, Yurein met his sharp, doubtful gaze head-on.
This was the first moment she was ever acknowledged as a guide—
and she would not lower herself.
“I am a guide, Your Highness. I can treat… this ‘condition’ of yours.”
Zarkal’s eyes widened.
Yurein stepped closer, her tone soft yet sure.
She longed to take his hand again—but desperation had no place in negotiation.
Instead, she smiled leisurely, as though extending her hand as an equal.
“Let me be your guide, Your Highness.”
