The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 119: Do You Still Like Him?

Chapter 119: Do You Still Like Him?

Lane’s words left Damien unsettled. He might have temporarily dismissed them, but they still stuck in his head. And, as a result, he became even more vigilant. Slowing down their already sluggish pace even further. The furry creatures might have seemed relatively weak and harmless, but who knew? Maybe they were just pretending to be so, in order to lower their guard? Either way, he didn’t want to risk getting ambushed.

And it wasn’t just him - the rest of the team also had heard Lane’s comments, and were now all mulling it over in their heads, coming with their own ideas. Were those cute yet stinky teddy bears friend or foe? What were they after?

They had no way of getting any answers, not yet at least. But, the next time they stumbled upon a settlement, they all jointly agreed to avoid it by taking a long detour around.

They had walked for hours, until Damien finally commanded them to stop. He didn’t need it, but the rest of the team weren’t S-rankers, and were quickly losing their focus, their eyelids getting heavy. Even Lane was tired, being in a body of a ’mere’ B-ranker.

"Here should be good." Damien stood on top of a small hill, scanning the surroundings. Staying out in the open made them easy to be spotted, but it didn’t matter. Their presence was already known anyway, and on the hill, they could at least see the whole area far into the distance. So, there was no risk of them caught by surprise by an attack.

A wall was instantly created around their camp with Tina’s ability, with some help from Tyler and Ruth, while the rest of the team started setting up a Smokeless Campfire - that is, a special Mana powered device developed by ManaTech, which allowed to set up campfires in dungeons without attracting much attention from the monsters - as well as seats and mats to sleep on.

"Gah!" Lane took a sharp breath, as he removed his mask, and instantly almost gagged. While the smell out in the field was nowhere near as strong as in the forest, but having been protected from the stench ever since the entrance, he wasn’t accustomed to it in the slightest, and it hit him in the nose with full power...

But it was difficult to eat with the mask on, and after so many hours - was it a day already? - Lane was dying to eat something more solid than the shakes he sipped through a straw till now. Even at the cost of exposing himself to the repulsive stench.

"I’ll help you," he offered to Arlo, scooting closer to the crackling fire and supplying the device with his Mana. He was hoping the fragrant scent of roasting sausages could cover up the dungeon stench a bit...

But just as he joined the man, an overwhelming chill passed through his spine. The weather wasn’t cold, not really, and he just moved closer to the fire, so he should be feeling hot, if anything...

If it wasn’t for the fact that the chill had nothing to do with the weather.

"Owens." Damien’s low voice was surprisingly cold and dark. So much so, that it made Lane feel guilty... Even though he wasn’t doing anything bad?

"Yes, Team Leader?" He glanced back at Damien’s frowny face. Their eyes met, and they maintained the eye contact for a moment...

Until Damien averted his eyes. "Nevermind," he shook his head and walked away.

"Hmm." Lane’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Damien’s back. He wasn’t so clueless as not to figure out what was going on, but he still found it hard to believe. Was Damien really getting jealous? Just because Lane was getting close to someone else? He wasn’t doing anything suspicious. Back in the forest, it was one thing, but right now, he was actually being helpful in a way?

So, wasn’t Damien a bit... unreasonable?

Still, Lane had to admit, it felt... good. Pleasing. That the man was so into him that his possessive side was showing, and he couldn’t fully maintain his serious, proper persona. It truly tickled his ego.

With a satisfied smirk tugging on the corner of his mouth, he grabbed two sets of pancakes and sausages, and chased after Damien, to the observation point. The wind blew their way, carrying more of the unbearable scent, but Lane just scrunched his nose with disgust and still went on.

"For you," he handed one of the meals to Damien, taking a seat next to the man. Positioning himself in a way that Damien’s large frame shielded him from the wind as much as possible. It didn’t stop the smell, of course, but if he were to quickly scarf down the food and bury his face in the man’s chest...

Damien just gave him a long look and accepted the food. "Thank you," was the only thing he said, as he proceeded to eat it slowly. Even when, from the complicated look in his eyes, it was clear he had much more to say.

So, Lane poked his cheek. "Why so frowny?"

"...That’s my usual expression."

"That’s..." Not entirely wrong. Damien indeed was wearing a frown almost 24/7. Heck, Lane wouldn’t be surprised if the man turned out to be frowning even in his sleep! However. "Different. Usually, you have a strict, serious frown. Now it’s more of a... jealous frown," Lane pointed out, pocking Damien’s cheek.

And earning himself a serious, somewhat... hurt? glance. It took Lane aback, so much so that he momentarily didn’t know how to react.

Until Damien quietly said, "Do you still like him?"

"...What?"

"Arlo Ross."

"What? When did I... Ah." Understanding finally dawned on Lane. He brushed his hair back with a heavy sigh. "It’s not what you think. I was just... bored. And he just happened to be there, you know? I couldn’t hit on you, as you seemed kind of exhausted, so I assumed you wouldn’t be in the mood to flirt... And he’s not bad looking, so he was an okay target for a fling, so I..."

Lane paused, his body freezing. He stared straight ahead, afraid to even steal a single glance at Damien.

What the hell was he rambling about? Yes, that was how it went on, but was it really a good idea to tell it to Damien? Shouldn’t he come up with some better excuse? Well, not like he HAD to, since he hadn’t done anything wrong, not as far as his sex life was concerned, but at this rate, wouldn’t Damien think...

"I already knew," Damien said, and Lane flinched, startled.

"Knew... what?" he asked cautiously.

"That you’re only after, well, ’flings’, as you call it. Short sexual relationships with no attachment. I knew it all along."

Lane couldn’t help but gulp. Damien’s voice was perfectly calm and collected, but for some reason, it scared him even more. He’d much rather the man yell at him, or get into an argument, or start crying, or blaming him... Not like Lane would enjoy that, but those were responses he was at least familiar with. That’s how people who didn’t get the hint and expected more from him typically reacted, while the rest peacefully moved on. So this calmness, it sparked unexpected anxiety.

"A-ah?" Lane’s throat was unbearably dry all of a sudden. "Oh. Well, yeah. That’s, uh, how I like it. It’s, well, convenient."

His heart was beating fast, thumping loudly in his chest. It should be a good thing that Damien understood, that there wasn’t any stupid misunderstanding... But why did he hate it so much?