The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 323: Trailing Behind

Chapter 323: Trailing Behind

Damien, as well as the other members of the team, took the measurement, and soon, they moved forward. They proceeded slowly, the wind blowing straight in their faces. A thick layer of snow covered everything, hiding the path they had to take, which made the navigation even harder than usual... But most of the team members were fairly used to difficult weather conditions, as it was something that they had to deal with from time to time.

And Lane didn’t complain either, but somehow, his steps were even slower than most... Damien glanced back at him from time to time, and each time he noticed that Lane was further and further away, his brows furrowed. He didn’t say anything, though. As for Lane...

Well, Lane didn’t really realize what he was doing himself. He wasn’t tired, or slowed down by the wind and snow. He was an SS-rank Esper, after all. Even if he didn’t have any cold resistance, this little snowstorm still wasn’t enough to slow him down. And with Damien’s coat on, he didn’t even feel all that cold, just his face, which was partially exposed to the wind and snow, felt a bit tingling, that’s all. He thought that he was just walking at a normal pace...

It was only when he trailed behind the last person in the group that he finally realized what he was doing.

His slow pace wasn’t intentional, it was just the power of habit. In the past, whenever they went on inspections in the larger, higher-ranking dungeons, he would lag behind the team, so that he could sneak away and plant the Fertilizer...

As the realization hit him, his steps involuntarily faltered, until he came to a full stop.

That’s right, he should be planting the Fertilizer now. They were in a B-rank Gate, which was significant enough that using the Fertilizer on it wouldn’t be a waste of money and resources. And this was what he originally came to the Association for - to enter as many inactive Gates as possible. The easiest way to accomplish it was through the inspections... And no one could do it better than Lane, with his ability to change identities, and the selection of other abilities that helped him act undetected. Otherwise, why would he have bothered to do something so boring in person, when he had plenty of subordinates under his command?

Some time ago, when he had visited the Forbidden Zone, he had told Blanc that it wasn’t the right time to carry on the next phase of their plans. And he still stood by that - Lane didn’t want to throw the Capital into chaos, not now... But even if he didn’t want to push forward with their plans, shouldn’t he at least keep on planting the Fertilizer? The way he was right now, it was almost as if he abandoned everything he had been working towards for the past fourteen or so years...

He bit on his lip, looking into the distance, at the endless white fields and the snow dunes, with massive snowfall tossed around by the wind. There were still plenty of capsules with the Fertilizer hidden within his spatial bag...

He glanced back in the direction the team had gone. Their footprints were being quickly covered up with the fresh snow. The crunching of the snow under their boots, the rustling of their clothes, and some faint chatter, were almost drowned among the howling wind. No one seemed to notice his absence just yet...

Or so it seemed. Damien probably noticed, but he was used to it.

And perhaps Ethan also did...

Lane hesitated for a moment longer, until eventually, he turned back and quickly followed the disappearing footprints, soon catching up with the team. He passed by his teammates, pushing his way to the front, to where Damien was.

Damien immediately noticed his presence. He tossed Lane a glance, as if he wanted to ask something... But then, he noticed Ethan right behind Lane. Although the Guide seemed to be focused on observing their surroundings, Damien had a feeling his attention was actually elsewhere, intently listening to whatever Damien and Lane might talk about, so in the end, he thought better of it.

Even if he were to ask Lane something seemingly innocent, such as ’Are you not doing any sightseeing today?’ it might give Ethan and the Allens some clues, or new suspicions.

The less they said, the less their foes would know. It was better to leave any conversation for when the two of them were all alone.

He was just glad that Lane decided to stick by his side now, where he could see that the man was perfectly safe and alright. Even though he already knew that Lane was the stronger one between the two of them, he still couldn’t help but feel concerned about him.

Because of the unfavorable weather, the inspection took much longer than expected. Over 24 hours had passed, and they were still not done yet. Some of the weaker team members, especially the Guides (aside from Ethan, who had top-notch equipment which protected him from the cold, as well as the Recovery Pills, which helped him stay in a good condition despite the physical extortion from trudging through the snowstorm), and they had no choice but to camp inside the dungeon, in one of the small caves in the northern part. Not for long, of course, just two hours, to eat a warm meal, and have a short nap.

And once they finally returned, they still didn’t catch a break. It was in the middle of the day, and the weather was hot, which felt especially uncomfortable after over a day spent in the snow. Then, they had to get inside the minibuses, which were even hotter and more stuffy...

And drive to the C-rank Gate they had to investigate next. Although they were delayed so much, the inspection still wasn’t canceled. They just had to wait at the site for a representative of the Guild to arrive, since he had long gone home... And then spend more hours trekking around a humid tropical forest.

Such was the life of a Field Agent at the Association. Boring and tiring... And it didn’t even pay well!