The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving novel Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Touring the Association’s Floating Island

Ares drove them through what Aisha initially assumed was just the entrance district, but the further they went, the more she realized her assumption had been wrong from the start.

"The Association isn’t just the tower," Ares said, gesturing out the window at the sprawl of buildings stretching in every direction. "That’s just the command center. This whole thing—" he waved a hand vaguely at everything, "—the entire floating island, all of it belongs to the Association."

Aisha looked out at the massive scale of the territory. Towers and residences, training grounds, and what looked like small parks were tucked between buildings. The streets were filled with people in uniforms and others clearly dressed in ordinary clothes.

"How big is it?"

"Bigger than most cities on the ground," Ares said proudly, like he’d built it himself. "We’ve got our own weather regulation, protective wards, and weapons. If the empire ever went to hell, this place could probably survive it."

He kept talking as he drove, pointing out buildings—the medical wing, the archive tower, a residential block reserved for ranking officers. Eventually, the conversation drifted toward Zeke.

"You know, the Admiral’s not really the type people expect," Ares said. "I mean, look at him. Cold, doesn’t talk much, looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. But I owe him my life."

Aisha glanced at him. "How so?"

Ares grinned, clearly pleased she’d asked. "Years back, I was just a regular soldier. Our squad was sent into a contaminated zone that turned out way worse than intel said. Half my comrades didn’t make it out. I got pinned down by something I couldn’t even see straight. I think I remember the miasma inside the zone was seeping into my body."

He tapped the side of his head. "I would’ve died there if he hadn’t shown up. He cut straight through the danger like it was nothing. The admiral looked so cool back then! Then, he dragged me out."

"And since then?"

"Since then, I decided wherever he goes, I go. Simple as that." He said it without hesitation, not someone who was too embarrassed by what they had to go through and survived.

Aisha considered his words for a moment before asking the question that had been sitting in the back of her mind since learning Zeke’s true identity. "Then why is he... why is an Admiral like him working as a combat instructor at the academy??"

Ares’ easy expression faltered slightly. He glanced at her sideways, clearly debating something internally. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Aisha wasn’t the type to fill silences unnecessarily, so she waited.

Finally, Ares opened his mouth, "That was the Chief Master’s doing."

"The Chief Master of the Association?"

She’d heard and seen him once at the Imperial Palace during a party. He was standing right next to the Emperor with another two men. And in Aisha’s memories, these men who were with the Emperor not only did not fear him. Instead, they acted as if on equal terms with the Emperor.

Moreover, every awakened Guide and Sentinel should have heard of him.

Lucas Valearion.

He was someone every Guide and Sentinel on Gaia planet looked up to.

"Yeah." Ares’s grin came back, though smaller this time. "As for why, that’s between the two of them. Even I don’t know the full story."

He didn’t mention that the Chief Master happened to be Zeke’s father. That wasn’t his to tell.

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