TGIC Ch 59

Chapter 59

While we were traveling for quite some time in the helicopter, I saw Vasily conversing with one of the association staff members. Had we arrived above the gate? Just as I was about to glance down, I caught sight of Vasily rising from his seat.

Was he planning to jump again?

I stared at him in horror, and Vasily reached his arm out to me.

What is he doing? As I watched his movements carefully, Vasily reached for my seatbelt and unbuckled it just like that.

“W-What the—!”

Before I could even protest, he grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. With a smile, Vasily stepped out of the helicopter.

The moment I witnessed that, I hurriedly tried to grab onto the handle beside me, but my body was forcefully pulled forward, my hand swiping at empty air.

The last thing I saw before falling out of the helicopter was the shocked expression on the association staff member’s face as he looked at us.

“U-Uwaaaah!”

I screamed and struggled. I wanted to shut my eyes tightly, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to react to what was coming next if I did, so I forced myself to keep them open.

As he held me in his arms while plummeting, Vasily looked utterly amused. And just below us, the shimmering blue gate had opened its mouth, waiting to swallow me whole.

Damn it. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted Vasily.

I failed to escape, and just one day after signing a contract that stated I wouldn’t enter gates, here I was, plummeting toward one. At this rate, I had no choice but to enter the gate.

Of all things, I wasn’t even wearing combat gear. Had he brought me this way to lower my guard? I had no weapons, no armor. In this condition, I couldn’t even guess how long I’d survive once inside.

“……!”

Just then, instead of the gate below, a giant pillar of ice suddenly rose beneath us. It was slightly tilted.

Before I could fully grasp the situation, Vasily landed on the pillar and slid down it smoothly, like riding a slope. In the blink of an eye, we reached the ground—without a hint of impact.

“Surprised?”

“F-First, put me down.”

Vasily asked with a smile. I blinked at him in confusion, then realized I was clinging to him in an awkward position and quickly shoved him away. When I struggled, he obediently set me down on the ground.

With trembling legs, I barely managed to stay standing before collapsing right onto the spot.

Seeing that, Vasily chuckled and said,

“Surely you haven’t forgotten already? Guide Kwon Gidam, you wrote in the contract that I can’t harm you, remember?”

“…….”

…Right. If Vasily causes me any harm, the contract is immediately nullified and I become a free man. But in that terrifying moment where I thought he was dragging me into a gate, who would’ve remembered that?

Once I caught my breath, Vasily asked calmly,

“Feeling a bit better now?”

“…If you’re going to pull something like this again, please give me a heads-up first.”

“But that wouldn’t be any fun…”

What the hell is he saying? One more “fun” moment like that and I’ll die from a heart attack.

“Why did you even jump out?”

“I told you, it’s the top of a mountain. Do you see anywhere around here where a helicopter could land?”

Just like he said, we weren’t on a hiking trail or anything. It was literally the peak of a mountain in a mountain range. Trees surrounded us on all sides—there wasn’t a single clear landing zone.

“Usually, they lower a ladder to climb down.”

“But that’s too slow and frustrating.”

“…….”

That’s what normal people do.

The helicopter hovered above us, its strong propellers whipping my hair in every direction. Soon, a ladder was lowered, and the staff member who had been with us cautiously began descending.

Admittedly, the slow pace was a bit frustrating. But it looked perfectly safe. That was exactly what I wanted.

“Well then, I’m off.”

“You’re going in alone?”

“Yeah. For places like this that are hard to access, they always send me alone. It’s a B-rank gate—kind of harsh, don’t you think?”

Vasily shrugged.

True, for a B-rank gate, the Association should have assigned more Espers. But Vasily had been such a pain to those around him that a little hardship was probably deserved.

A B-rank would probably take a while. But I was tired and really wanted to go home and rest quickly…

I glanced at him and asked cautiously,

“Esper Vasily, do you think you can finish the attack quickly and come back?”

“Hmm… not sure.”

He gave a vague answer, trying to gauge my reaction. So he wasn’t going to do it for free. I could see right through him. With a sigh, I reluctantly offered a deal.

“If you finish within three hours, I’ll give you an extended guiding session today.”

“You sure? Didn’t your physician say you should only guide for an hour?”

“The drug treatment doesn’t start until next week, so it’s fine until then.”

Hearing that, Vasily smiled in satisfaction. He must have been pretty annoyed about that one-hour restriction.

“Alright. See you in three hours.”

Negotiation successful. I watched him walk toward the gate and said,

“Make sure you manage your ability properly to avoid aftereffects. If you mess up your control after coming out early, I won’t be able to guide you right away.”

“Obviously. What do you take me for?”

With a leisurely attitude, Vasily disappeared into the gate.

Cold air drifted from the massive pillar erected beside the gate. I crouched awkwardly next to the Association staff member and waited. I had already contacted the helicopter team to wait nearby and return in three hours, so we’d head back as soon as Vasily came out.

Fighting off bugs, I passed the time by scrolling through my smartphone.

While waiting for Vasily to complete the raid, I searched for any news about him. I was worried there might be an article claiming he’d gotten a new guide—but thankfully, there was nothing like that. Even the incident at the airport had passed quietly, as if nothing had happened.

I had been a bit anxious that the internet might be in chaos after Vasily blatantly introduced me as his guide on the plane, but thankfully, things were still quiet. Of course, the rumors would eventually start to spread.

Maybe I should start wearing a mask when I go out. Since regressing, I occasionally get contacted by acquaintances from six years ago, but I barely remember any of them. I really don’t want my phone flooded with messages from unfamiliar people, so I’ll probably have to change my number soon.

I also have to move my belongings into Vasily’s place, change my number, wrap up things at the Guide Department, and start preparing for the suppression chip removal. Starting next week, I’ll have a full plate.

Will I have to follow Vasily to every gate he’s dispatched to now?

Normally, exclusive guides don’t accompany their Espers to gates. Since gates are dangerous, most Espers don’t want their guides anywhere near them.

But Vasily clearly doesn’t care about any of that. Just the thought that I might try to escape seems enough for him to insist on dragging me along. And judging by his intentions, he probably wants to get guided immediately after finishing each raid…

“Other people say having an exclusive contract makes life easier…”

That doesn’t apply to me.

Well, it makes sense—if I’m the exclusive guide of a busy S-rank Esper, I’d be just as busy. I was slowly mapping out the week ahead when I saw Vasily walking out from the gate.

I checked the time. It had taken just over two hours. For a B-rank gate, that was impressively fast—especially since I’d requested he finish within three. That was about as fast as he used to be six years ago.

I scanned him with my eyes. Since he wasn’t giving off any cold aura, he didn’t seem to be in bad shape.

I narrowed my eyes. As expected, ever since the day he froze the suppression chip and got guided afterward, his condition had looked consistently good.

“Finished with the raid?”

“Yes. As you can see, I’m in decent shape.”

“Then let’s head back and start guiding right away.”

“Sounds good.”

Vasily approached the massive ice pillar by the gate and pressed down on it with his foot. The ice slowly tilted, cracks spreading across its surface before it shattered entirely, with fragments falling back into the gate.

A clean cleanup job. I stared at the spot where the ice pillar had once stood, now completely erased.

The association staff called the helicopter via radio, and it arrived shortly after, saying it had been waiting down the mountain. At least they lowered a ladder for us to climb back into the helicopter. It shook uneasily with every step I took.

And so, we returned to the Association.

I had been starving while waiting for Vasily to come out of the gate, so as soon as we returned, we went to the usual nearby restaurant for a late lunch.

When we finally arrived back home, it was 3 p.m. Half of Sunday had already passed just from visiting the gate.

If Vasily hadn’t finished the raid early, it would’ve been evening by now. Not that I was particularly grateful. We had negotiated terms, and I’d promised to guide him longer in return.

I just wanted to lie on the couch and relax, but thanks to the promised guiding session, I couldn’t even do that…