The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 85: Twin Daggers

Chapter 85: Twin Daggers

When they arrived at the site of the C-rank Gate they were supposed to raid, Damien’s eyes were still on Lane. He might not have neglected his search among the Guides, but... Despite Lane’s efforts, the man’s suspicion was only growing.

The danger was real, hanging in the air, and sinking through Lane’s skin, all the way deep into his bones. It was far more menacing than any dungeon could ever be... But also incredibly electrifying. Lane was constantly on edge, his mixed feelings tingling him from inside, tickling like a feather, until he could barely contain himself, wanting nothing more than to just roll around or shoot high up into the air.

And above all, he wanted to grab Damien, and chain him to the bed, taking revenge on him by teasing him until he could do nothing but tear his throat out screaming Lane’s name.

But he couldn’t. And it frustrated him so much that he thought he might go insane.

The only light in his current life was the dungeon raid. Although it was only a C-rank Gate, at least he was known as an Esper now. He could let out some steam, melting the monsters with his Toxic Ooze, or simply slashing through them...

"Owens, stick close to me," a low voice commanded, the tone serious and strict. Damien scrutinized Lane, the disapproval in his eyes palpable...

...Actually, not? That was what Lane expected to find in those emerald pupils, but he was up for a surprise. No matter from which angle he looked, there was not even a trace of that emotion. The frown was still there, wrinkling Damien’s forehead and brows as usual, but that was all. The disapproval he got so used to was simply replaced by an intense stare, not tainted by any displeasure, but with a hint of warm flickering flame instead...

Feeling all weirdly fuzzy inside, Lane had no choice but to avert his eyes, clearing his throat. "Ahem, but what if Team Leader freezes my Toxic Ooze? It won’t be effective then."

"Don’t worry, that won’t happen." Damien was persistent.

"Well, alright. Then, Team Leader, I’ll be in your care!" With a light shrug of his shoulders, Lane flashed the man a wide smile.

He already expected such a result, and, to be honest, it suited him well. That was his chance to show Damien a different fighting style, and therefore distance himself from his past possessions! It was only out of habit that he tried to raise any objections at first.

As they gathered in front of the Gate, checking their equipment for the last time, Damien gave a speech, going through all the information they had on the dungeon for the nth time. Lane didn’t listen, his eyes focused on the dark irregular crack in the space, with its kaleidoscope of faint colors, filled with anticipation. It was only a C-rank dungeon, but that was still better than what he had expected of the Association.

A few minutes later, Damien’s mellow voice finally came to a stop. They were ready to set off.

Passing through the Gate, Lane was hit right in the face by an oppressive heatwave. The climate of the dungeon was tropical to begin with, and coming from the Capital’s chill of the fall, the heat seemed even more intense. If he was in his real body, Lane would be able to easily withstand it thanks to his fire resistance, but it wasn’t the case when possessing Xavier. Just a minute in, and his skin was already damp, countless droplets of sweat glistening in the sun. He tugged on his collar, sweeping his eyes around.

Just as it was described in the reports, they appeared in the middle of a desert, surrounded by nothing but whitish sand. In spite of what the first impression might suggest though, the ghastly whiteness only made up just over half of the terrain. The rest was overtaken by oases, spread around so frequently, that seen from the bird’s eye view, the dungeon bore resemblance to dalmatian pattern.

"Everyone, remain on alert," Damien warned, his narrowed eyes scanning the expanse of the sand. "The monsters might-"

Before he could even finish the sentence, the surrounding sand stirred, the monsters emerging from all the sides. Pale greyish and blueish in color, they were only two or three tones darker than the sand, almost blending in. If one were to compare to any animals on Earth, they bore a striking resemblance to the praying mantis, except that they had tails alike that of a scorpion... And they were at least twice the height of an average human adult, towering over the group.

A refreshing frosty air swept over Lane. He took a deep breath, enjoying the breeze, as he glanced at the source of the sudden coldness.

Really, it was very convenient, being ’forced’ to stick to Damien, especially in such an environment. Although Damien didn’t use much of his ability - he never did, for some reason - just activating it was enough to bring Lane some relief.

"Owens, make sure to..." Brandishing his sword, Damien turned to glance at Lane... But all he saw was a white cloud of sand, fine grains swirling briefly in the air in their slow descent. Lane seemed to have vanished from the spot.

It was only a split second that Damien was overtaken by surprise though, his head snapping back to the front instantly after. Just in time to see Lane twirling in the air, slashing the nearest monster with the twin daggers he wielded.

This time, the shock was incomparably more intense. Although he had seen ’Evan’ wielding a sword with a significant skill before, his movements were nowhere as fluid back then. Not to mention the style - and the weapon, of course - completely different. Watching the man now, Damien couldn’t help but get the impression as if he was born with those daggers, like there were only natural extensions of his body...

He lifted his sword, blocking another monster’s front leg which threatened to stab him, but even when he himself was engaged in a fight, he was still unable to take his eyes off Lane.

Naturally, Lane could feel the gaze following his every move. Rather than make him nervous though, it only tickled his ego, egging him to put on an even better show.

Xavier’s body truly was a perfect fit. Just like Lane, he was an agility type - although his physique was still inferior, of course - and even their choice of weapon was similar - Xavier completed the Advanced Combat Training for Espers with a dagger as his main weapon. A single one rather than a twin, but still close enough. It wasn’t unbelievable for him to switch to dual-wielding since two years had already passed since his exam.

Hot air carrying hints of frostiness rushed into his lungs, as Lane took a deep breath, feeling his whole body relax. His lips almost unconsciously spread into a wide smile. A genuine one.

It’s been so long since he last could fight the monsters so free, so unrestrained... Way too long. For the past three or so years he had been spending most of the time at the Association, posing as a Guide, and therefore even on the rare occasions that he had the opportunity to face some monsters, he could only swing his weapons in a boring, Guide-like fashion... But now, possessing an Esper’s body, he could finally truly enjoy himself.

Even Damien’s watchful eyes focused on him as he flew through the air, moving between monsters while launching quick, sharp attacks, were no reason for Lane to hold back. The man had never seen him in action, not really, so there was nothing he could surmise from his observations anyway...