The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Aftermath

"Miss Novalis, are you sure you are unharmed?" The nurse asked. Her eyes swept over Aisha’s arms, neck, and face, searching for injuries that weren’t visible at first glance.

"I’m really fine," Aisha replied, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.

The grass and bloodstains on her hospital gown were the only proof of anything that something had happened at all.

The four guards weren’t as easily convinced. They stood behind the Daisy and the nurse, their expressions tight with tension beneath their helmets. One of them had already pushed his visor up to study her more closely.

"You were alone with a berserk sentinel," the guard closest to her said. His tone was unnecessarily harsh, even considering he was asking questions of a patient. "Do you know who he was?"

"No," Aisha replied, looking directly into his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he repeated.

Once Aisha nodded, he asked, "Where did he go?"

Aisha shook her head and responded, "I don’t know that either. Everyone should have seen what happened earlier. He was there for one moment, and then he was gone."

The guards exchanged a glance. It wasn’t the answer they wanted, but it was consistent with what they had witnessed before.

"Why were you with him?" Another guard asked, stepping forward. His gaze landed on the tree where the blood was still on the grass. "A patient wandering into a secluded part of the garden, right where a berserk sentinel happened to be hiding. And you’re a guide, isn’t that, right? That’s quite the coincidence."

Something in her eyes flickered. Annoyance at how she was being treated like a criminal needed to be investigated. Some of this guard was treating her unfairly without even knowing fully what happened.

But she kept her expression blank. "I was just getting some air before my maid returned with the nurse. I didn’t even know he was there until I nearly stumbled into him."

"And he didn’t attack you?" The first guard’s gaze narrowed, taking in the fact that she had not a single bruise or tear in her gown. "A sentinel in that state doesn’t discriminate between threat and bystander. To them, anyone’s a target. He should’ve torn through you the moment you got close."

"I suppose I was lucky," she answered slowly. Keeping a perfect hesitation that looked like she was recalling something. "I only saw him for a few seconds before you all arrived. He might’ve gotten scared before he could do anything, and the guards appeared quickly, anyway."

It wasn’t entirely a lie. Time inside his mental landscape and time outside of it clearly didn’t move the same way. What had felt like a very long time had barely been a handful of breaths in the real world. She just didn’t elaborate on the part where she fought and won inside his mind. The kiss. And the words he left behind.

"You don’t remember anything else? He didn’t leave behind a name or anything?"

"Nothing." Aisha frowned, her face turning white. She looked like a fragile and weak woman who faced a disaster. "I was more concerned about getting away than memorizing details."

The guards didn’t look satisfied, but there was nothing they could pull from her. One of them sighed and gestured toward the hospital entrance.

"We’ll need you to come inside. We need a full statement, and have you examined." The guard turned to the other guards and barked an order. "Sweep the area for any residual contamination. Make sure you get the blood checked and match with any registered sentinel."

Aisha didn’t resist, nodding and allowing Daisy to support her arm. They were guided forward by one of the guards and the nurse. The young maid remained silent during the whole conversation, her hand tightly clutching Aisha’s arm as if fearing Aisha would disappear if she released her.

It must have been because I used too much of my power before I could completely control it.

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