Honey-Coated S-Class Guide — Chapter 9
“Then is everything all right? I think you made that man angry…”
“Don’t worry. His guild leader will probably give him hell over this and never let him attend another gathering. The idiot doesn’t even understand his own leader’s temperament. We won’t be seeing him again.”
“…Is that so?”
As Ahn Dante nodded, Jin Hyoseop got the impression that he was accustomed to handling this sort of thing.
“Does this happen often?”
“Well, yes. We’re at the bottom even among C-class guilds, and there’s plenty people can criticize us for. We get picked on quite a lot.”
“…”
“But it’s just petty jealousy. You know how good-looking everyone in our guild is.”
As though sharing a secret, Ahn Dante brought his lips close to Jin Hyoseop’s ear and whispered.
“Ugly men like those two are especially jealous of us. It’s rather unfortunate.”
There wasn’t a trace of seriousness in his answer.
“Anyway, you don’t need to worry. Now that we’ve settled that, let’s head back.”
As casually as ever, Ahn Dante glanced at his watch and started walking.
Just then, Coda, who had remained silent, stepped in front of him. He apparently had something to say.
“What is it?”
“…”
“Are you curious about the meeting?”
Coda immediately nodded.
“Hmm. I was going to tell everyone once we were all together… But since you did such a good job looking after Mr. Jin Hyoseop, I’ll tell you now.”
Smiling, Ahn Dante announced the outcome.
“We’ve been assigned to an A-class dungeon.”
“Pardon?”
It was Jin Hyoseop, not Coda, who reacted.
He and Ahn Dante had already discussed the possibility of participating in a dungeon raid. Although Ahn Dante had said they wouldn’t, Jin Hyoseop had considered the possibility that they might, so that in itself wasn’t surprising.
But an A-class dungeon?
C-class espers entering an A-class dungeon?
No matter how he looked at it, it sounded far beyond their capabilities. He couldn’t understand why Ahn Dante had made that decision, or why the other guild leaders had agreed.
“I-is that even possible? A C-class guild entering an A-class dungeon…”
Even Jin Hyoseop knew how enormous the gap between C-class and A-class was.
Yet the man actually involved looked utterly unconcerned, as though an A-class dungeon were nothing.
“Don’t worry. We’ll just be cleaning up stray monsters near the entrance.”
Jin Hyoseop was about to ask whether that would still be dangerous when Coda spoke quietly.
“Who’s going in?”
He was just as calm as Ahn Dante.
“Flat and me.”
“Flat…”
Coda’s expression became slightly unreadable, but he didn’t object. He simply nodded in acceptance, while Ahn Dante remained perfectly relaxed.
Jin Hyoseop was the only one who seemed to consider the situation dangerous.
The two of them looked so unconcerned that he felt awkward for taking it so seriously.
Was this sort of thing common?
He had heard that C-class espers normally only entered dungeons up to B-class, but he wasn’t certain of his knowledge.
“Oh, right. Mr. Jin Hyoseop, just in case you’re worried, nothing will change even if we enter a dungeon.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean the level of guiding.”
As though to reassure him, Ahn Dante repeated that they would honor the agreed limits on guiding, and that Jin Hyoseop would never be placed in danger.
Jin Hyoseop nodded, fiddling with his nails.
In truth, he wasn’t particularly worried about that.
It was true that he had chosen Noapi because they didn’t enter dungeons, but he had considered the possibility that they might start after he joined. He had taken all of that into account before choosing them.
A guild made up entirely of C-class espers.
No matter how precarious their condition became, he was S-class. Simple skin contact would be enough to guide them.
Even in a dire situation, Jin Hyoseop was confident he could take care of them with nothing more than a kiss. That was why he wasn’t anxious.
Guiding was the one thing he had confidence in.
When they returned to the office, Czerny greeted them with a thoroughly sulky expression.
“What took you so long? You didn’t go somewhere and eat something good without me, did you?”
“We did. Something delicious.”
“Wow. I knew it.”
Czerny ground his teeth indignantly.
“I told you to call me when you finished!”
“Next time. You can eat with us next time.”
The lie and dismissive tone were obvious to anyone, and Czerny’s expression soured even further.
Just then, Jin Hyoseop cautiously held something out to him.
“Um… Esper Czerny. I brought you some of these.”
“Huh? Are those desserts?”
“Yes.”
Ahn Dante also looked surprised, apparently not having expected it.
“Hmm? When did you pack those, Mr. Jin Hyoseop?”
“While you were in the meeting, I took a few…”
“Wow.”
Czerny’s eyes sparkled.
“No one’s ever treated me like this since I joined the guild. So this is why having a guide is so great.”
Like a child, he threw his arms around Jin Hyoseop’s waist.
Since he was considerably taller, he had to bend deeply at the waist, making for a rather awkward sight.
The sudden physical contact could easily have been unpleasant. Yet perhaps because the red curls brushing Jin Hyoseop’s arm were so soft, his troubled thoughts seemed to ease a little instead.
Without realizing it, he gently ruffled Czerny’s hair, as though petting a puppy.
Czerny’s head shot up, his eyes shimmering gold.
Something about that gaze held Jin Hyoseop’s attention. He had seen that color somewhere before, and the thought drew him in.
Just then, the door burst open with a tremendous crash.
It creaked as though screaming in pain.
Jin Hyoseop was the only one who startled. Everyone else looked toward the door indifferently, as if they had expected it.
“Maybe I really should replace it with a steel door…”
As Ahn Dante sighed, four men strode into the office wearing Hawaiian shirts, just as they had when they left.
“We’re back.”
They must have enjoyed themselves, because every one of them was sunburned red.
Perhaps because it had suddenly become so crowded, the office felt smaller than usual.
“Did you have a good trip?”
“Yes. So much fun I nearly died. You wouldn’t believe how many people hit on us.”
“Oh dear. I’m jealous.”
“Then why didn’t you come with us, boss? It would’ve been even more fun.”
One of the guild members, a man with unusually long hair, loosely tied it back and sprawled on the sofa. Small gold hoops lined his ear.
His name was Flat.
Since he was the only one with bronze skin, Jin Hyoseop had found his name easy to remember.
“Ah, I’m exhausted.”
As the other three began heading toward their usual places, Ahn Dante’s next words stopped them all.
“Sorry to spring this on you as soon as you’re back, but we’re entering a dungeon in four days. I just accepted the assignment.”
Flat, who had tipped his head back over the sofa, stared at Ahn Dante with wide eyes.
“Seriously?”
“It’s been a long time since we did anything. We should go at least once so people get off our backs.”
“What level?”
“An A-class dungeon.”
“Oh. How did you manage that? It’s hard for C-classes to get into those.”
“They actually told us to do it. Said to shut up and stick to cleaning up near the gate.”
Flat cackled like a villain.
“They were trying to screw with you. Sounds like you took them up on something they only said to piss you off.”
“You have to seize a good opportunity when it comes.”
“So who’s going in?”
With a cheerful smile, Ahn Dante pointed at Flat.
“You.”
“Me?”
Flat frowned, though he didn’t look particularly displeased.
“Wasn’t expecting that. Who’s my partner, then?”
“Me.”
“…What?”
“You and I are going in together.”
This time, Flat’s face instantly hardened.
“Boss, have you lost your mind?”
“Why? I’d enjoy going with you.”
“No, why me of all people? Take someone whose abilities work well with yours.”
Even Flat’s voice had gone stiff, but Ahn Dante merely shrugged.
“Well, I happen to think we work best together.”
“Seriously, what kind of bullshit is that?”
With his fierce scowl, Flat looked like a thug from a back alley.
“Our abilities are a fucking terrible match. Take Coda instead. Or pair me with some other bastard.”
“No. This time it has to be you and me.”
“But why?”
“I’ve already put both our names on the roster.”
“Ah… Fuck. This is so annoying.”
Flat pressed a large hand to his forehead.
Unperturbed by his guild member’s irritation, Ahn Dante announced the time with a smile that left no room for argument.
“The gate opens in four days. Seven in the evening. Be ready.”
“And it’s fucking late, too.”
“Stop whining.”
“Hah…”
Apparently deeply dissatisfied, Flat let out a long sigh and leaned his head back against the sofa again.
He really seemed to hate the idea of entering a dungeon with Ahn Dante.
“Oh, then I should get some guiding beforehand.”
As though the thought had suddenly occurred to him, Flat sat up and looked at Jin Hyoseop.
Jin Hyoseop, who had been standing there blankly, widened his eyes.
“Give me some guiding, would you? I have to go into a dungeon in four days.”
“Oh…”
Jin Hyoseop glanced at Ahn Dante, remembering how he had stopped him from guiding Czerny before.
For some reason, however, this time Ahn Dante simply smiled and nodded.
