The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving

Aisha’s next destination after leaving the Novalis family was the residence near the academy. It was her temporary abode until she found a place of her own.

”Thinking about it... I should look up for a house to buy.”

With that in mind, Aisha started looking online through her terminal. Much like in her previous world, some marketplaces sell houses and rent apartments. But they were all outside the higher sectors. Meaning she would have to move at least a few or couple sectors down to buy a house.

There was also the problem of gaining an ownership registration from the Imperial Household Affairs. According to the requirement, a Guide can’t own a house without a paired Sentinel. This was to ensure the Guide’s safety since they were more at risk of abduction and danger from Otherworlders and people who wanted to profit from their abilities. It was the same for renting an apartment.

As unfair as it was, there was no leeway to own a house as a Guide. In addition, she was still a student. No one would take her seriously.

Most guides like her also lived with their families or paired with a Sentinel. There were also dormitories that took in Guides, and they lived in a bedroom with two or three other people. But how could Aisha accept that?

She was used to living alone, and after what she had just gone through, who knew if being around other people would only make it peaceful for her?

Thus, she decided it was best to live in the residence the admiral had lent her.

Naturally, she knew there was a time limit to how long she could live there. After the duel, she’ll have to look for other places to stay. But for now, she didn’t want to worry about that.

After unpacking some of her stuff, Aisha headed for the kitchen and started to clean another meat part from a monster carcass.

After practicing a couple of times a few days ago, she was able to get more used to doing this, and it no longer gave her a slight headache.

The meat this time was brown—a strange color for meat and something she had never seen before. Was it a native in this world? Aisha supposed that it might be the second time she’d ever tasted something that didn’t have any resemblance to anything in her world.

The dark, oily miasma pulsed inside the meat. It was still very alive and if she was not careful with it, it might end up spreading around like a spider’s web.

Starting to draw up some of her purification ability into her hands, she pierced through the meat and started to cleanse it of the miasma corruption. Then moved the lively and dark, gooey miasma to another jar and sealed it around a circle of light

Finally, she looked at the purified meat and felt hesitant.

After taking out the miasma from it, the color still didn’t change. But Aisha didn’t want to throw it away just because it didn’t look as good as the previous meat she had cleansed before.

Nibbles and Kylin sat on the kitchen counter and watched her work. Even after eating the meat she cooked from before, they still could not stop giving her and the meat a strange look. They were still unused to seeing a human being trying to fill herself up with meat carcasses that came from the contamination zone.

Aisha was tired after spending an entire day outside, so she decided to boil the meat, cutting them into tiny pieces to ensure that they cooked thoroughly.

While boiling her food, Aisha decided to take a bath. She took off her clothes and lay down in the bathtub, which was already provided inside the bathroom. Nibbles and Kylin also went with her and swam in the tub with her.

”Guru...?”

The tiny spiritual beast sat on top of her knee. It tilted its head slightly to the side as it looked at her.

”I’m fine, Nibbles. Just felt like I’m forgetting something.”

”Gurugu... guru?”

Aisha shook her head. ”No, it’s not the meat. I’ll have it boiled for a couple more minutes before checking it.”

Kylin stopped waddling through the water with its tiny limbs and used its paws to hold onto her calf. Just like Nibbles, it looked at her with worry.

”Chuuu~?”

Kylin patted her leg as though it wanted to comfort her.

Aisha stared at it for a second. She’d already noticed this before, but Kylin looked so much like a toy with squishy paws. She had the urge to grab it and hug it tightly, but held back anyway. And much like Nibbles, she could understand what it was saying.

Looking at the furry toy-like beast, Aisha patted its head and finally arose from the tub. She covered herself with a robe and walked toward the kitchen directly to check the meat while wringing her hair with a towel.

The meat looked quite cooked, but the water in the pot had turned dark. Even she suspected it hadn’t been cleaned thoroughly for a second there.

Thankfully, the smell of meat was enticing enough for her not to eat it. She drained the water and started to test the meat by biting a small piece. Unexpectedly, the meat was much tastier than the other meats she had prepared a few days ago. This one had a nutty aftertaste and slightly sweet. And the most surprising thing about it is that it had a bit of spice in it.

She really can’t judge anything just by its appearance.

”Nibbles, Kylin, have some of this.”

Aisha shared the meat with her little companions, who shared the same reaction as her. Kylin’s tail twisted quickly until it looked like a helicopter’s propeller.

When she had finally finished with her food and stepped into the living room, the sky was already filled with stars. She felt a bit drowsy from having been through a long day.

Aisha staggered toward the sofa in the living room. She had only meant to close her eyes for a moment, but she ended up falling too deeply into sleep.

Half an hour later, the door to the house opened, and white shoes started walking in.

A tall figure had entered the house clad in a white cloak and finally stopped right in the middle of the living room. The spiritual beasts that had silently taken their spots beside Aisha’s sleeping figure raised their heads and looked at the intruder.

Kylin stared before trotting toward the person, rubbing its adorable head against their chest.

Zeke patted his own spiritual beast, feeling an influx of relief from their connection. The erratic pulse in his chest had also started to subside, albeit still noticeably there.

”Let’s go back, Kylin.”

The spiritual beast raised its head with wide eyes before looking back at Aisha. But it didn’t insist like it did last time to stay with her, turning into specks of light and merging with Zeke’s soul.

Without its beast friend, Nibbles stared at the admiral before lowering its head to continue its rest. Like its partner, it chose to sleep instead.

But...

Nibbles sensed the man standing before Aisha and opened its eyes. It watched as he bent down and scooped her into his arms. When it was certain that he meant no harm, Nibbles clung to Aisha’s sleeve and was carried along with her upstairs.

After taking her to lie on his bed, Zeke stared at Aisha for several seconds before he silently left as if he had never been there.