The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving

Far across the academy grounds, inside the Resources Department, an old man hunched over the Divine Branch. If Aisha were there right now, she would have recognized him as the old man whom she had met at the time when she retrieved her sample there.

But he wasn’t alone.

Surrounding the branch of the Divine Tree, a few more people were looking into a translucent screen that showed different numbers indicating its current status. The Resources Department was rarely this crowded. Usually, it was deserted, except for the old man who oversaw the building. But today was special.

”The readings have come back as normal, with the stored pure energy being at the highest numbers,” a woman in the Association’s uniform said, examining and comparing the data retrieved several days ago to today.

Her fingers swept across the screen, pulling up graph after graph, each line spiking sharply before leveling off. ”If Ser Julian hadn’t called us here, we wouldn’t even know an anomaly happened. What do you think, Lieutenant?”

Pinching his chin as he crossed his arms over his chest, Ares stared at the branch of the Divine Tree. Even now, hours after arriving, he still couldn’t sense anything from the branch. He shrugged before he replied, ”There’s definitely a trigger here. The branch wouldn’t just recharge its pure energy on its own without the help of the guide sent by the Association. Even the original Divine Tree inside the imperial palace only acts like a spoiled sponge there, so how could this small branch replenish itself?”

Having been cut from the Divine Tree, there was definitely no way the branch could have that miraculous regenerative ability. If it did, the imperial palace would have come and retrieved it from the academy long ago—guard it and wring every last drop of use from it. Though Ares doubted that the academy would be willing to give up this branch if it were the case. Politics ran deep even in a place like the academy.

Turning to the old man, Ares called him, ”Ser Julian, aside from what you’ve accounted for on that day the branch produced that light, was there anything special that you think might have triggered it to act like this?”

Ser Julian lowered his head to think carefully, then shook his head. ”There aren’t any. Though this is where most of the academy’s specimen samples are stored, it’s practically an abandoned place! What kind of special thing could possibly happen?”

He gestured around him, supporting his words with the fact that this place couldn’t possibly be somewhere people would want to remain.

Ares nodded in understanding. Since the samples stored in the building were all parts that came from corrupted monsters inside the contaminated zones filled with miasma, students and even professors from the academy tried not to get close to this place. Only when it was necessary would they find themselves in a place like this.

Faced with a tall wall, Ares couldn’t help but look at the branch once again.

There was no way to find the truth behind this when even their most advanced tools couldn’t find out. To think his visit here would return with no result, Ares felt conflicted. He had come here to get answers after being ordered by the admiral. He felt that this was by no means a simple matter, yet they couldn’t prove anything that might have caused this!

Was it all just a miracle then?

”Samanthe, get a permit to check the Divine Tree from the Imperial Palace. We need to know if there are any changes there as well,” Ares ordered the few soldiers he brought in with him to investigate this matter. Since the branch had acted differently from its course, the source, which was the Divine Tree, couldn’t have avoided that strange behavior.

”Yes, Lieutenant!” Samanthe turned on her heel, already making her way to get the permit. Her boots echoed sharply against the stone floor as she disappeared through the doorway, leaving the rest of them in a silence broken only by the faint hum of the readings screen.

”Ah!”

Just as they were packing their things to leave the building, Ser Julian suddenly made a noise. Ares turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow. He said, ”You remembered something?”

Ser Julian hesitated. He parted his lips a few times, yet no words emerged.

Ares frowned. ”If you’ve got something to say, say it now. If you don’t, you might be punished for keeping important information from the Association.”

With that, Ser Julian no longer hesitated and replied, ”It’s just that I don’t think it’s worth your attention...”

”That’s up for me to decide.”

”Well, on the day the branch suddenly produced that strange light... someone came by.”

Ares’ frown deepened. He thought the old man was going to reveal some grand detail that could tip over their investigation. Turns out it was just someone...

Sighing, he gestured for the old man to stop. ”Are they a Sentinel or a Guide?”

”A Guide, but...”

Feeling his patience running thin, Ares glared at the old man, who immediately spilled the rest of his words in quick succession.

”But that day, she stood right next to the branch and stared at it for so long!”

Samanthe returned and uttered her doubts, ”If standing and staring at the branch could make it absorb an abnormal amount of pure energy, then that guide must have been someone an S-rank or above.”

Ares didn’t respond and thoughtfully looked at Ser Julian. ”Was she a professor?”

Before the old man could answer, Samanthe supplied, ”There’s no such rank amongst the professors in the academy, sir. No, I was wrong. Someone is teaching here with a high rank, but he’s a Sentinel, right?”

There was no need to mention who it was. Ares nodded at her before looking at the old man.

Finally, the old man revealed, ”No, it’s a student.”

”Oh?” Ares murmured, leaning forward with sudden interest. If a high-ranking Guide truly existed within the academy, the Association needed to scout them immediately.

”A... D-rank Guide,” the old man’s voice turned softer.

A heavy silence followed his words. No one spoke for a moment. It wasn’t that they couldn’t; rather, they found the situation utterly absurd. The idea that the old man considered this information important—and worse, that he held them responsible for the branch’s strange behavior—was nothing short of incredulous.

”A D-rank Guide?” Ares repeated the words before throwing his head back as he laughed.

Ser Julian couldn’t help but laugh along with him as well, albeit awkwardly, his laughter sounded forced and nervous.

Ares patted him on the shoulder and said coldly, ”If you’re going to throw a joke, please do warn me first. I almost had an urge to open your skull to check if there’s some intelligence left inside it.”

Ser Julian choked up between laughs, almost on the verge of tears. He stammered, ”But—but I’m telling the truth! She’s the only one who came by this place that week! That’s right, I heard she’s from the elite class before she was demoted... What was her name again... Ai... Aira? No, it’s... umh... Ah! I remember now! Aish—”

”Aisha Novalis,” Ares finished the old man’s words, receiving their gazes at once. ”You’re saying the guide who came here last week was Aisha Novalis?”