Chapter 21: Just Say Yes to Her, Captain~

"That's enough."

Ace didn't seem to care, his tone even bordering on indifferent. "They aren't wrong, anyway."

Cassy immediately retorted, "That's not true! It was clearly because of that ambush by the corrupted entities during our last mission that your mental sea was injured, which is why your connection with your mental beast has weakened!"

Hal chimed in, "Exactly, Captain! You haven't become weaker; you just haven't recovered from your injuries yet."

Cassy hesitated, stealing a cautious glance at Ace before speaking his mind.

"If you ask me, Captain, why don't you just agree to Guide Lucy? She’s an A-rank. If she performed a mental soothing for you, you’d definitely recover! Even if she isn't exactly a beauty and has a nasty temper—always berating Sentinels and hoarding them for herself—she is an A-rank Guide. A few sessions of mental soothing from her might even boost your mental strength!"

He paused, ignoring the Captain’s darkening expression, and pressed on.

"If you keep refusing her, she’ll just keep pressuring other Guides to deny you treatment. If this drags on, the corruption in your mental sea will only get worse."

He didn't like Guide Lucy either, but he was terrified of his Captain’s condition deteriorating. Even if it meant facing Ace's wrath, he had to say it.

Hal couldn't help but give him a mental thumbs-up. Good grief, he really had guts. Couldn't he see the murderous look in the Captain’s eyes? Everyone knew how much the Captain loathed being threatened. Lucy was using these tactics to force him into submission; the Captain would rather kill her than become her personal Sentinel.

Sure enough, Ace’s gaze turned icy, as if looking at a corpse. "Are you looking to die?"

Hal quickly pulled Cassy behind him.

"Captain, please calm down. Cassy didn't mean anything by it; he’s just worried about you."

Ace let out a cold laugh. "Meddlesome."

He shot a frigid glance at the pair and turned on his heel, walking away.

Cassy looked dejected. "How can the Captain say that? Aren't we just worried for his sake?"

Hal sighed, unable to help himself. "Do you still not understand the Captain's personality? What else did you expect him to say? 'Thank you'?"

Cassy immediately pictured the scene and shuddered. That was too terrifying.

Forget it.

"Yeah, never mind."

Hal sighed helplessly. "Exactly. You’re truly bold, but don't say things like that again. The Captain didn't hold it against us this time, but there's no guarantee for the next!"

Cassy pouted, looking aggrieved. "Oh, I got it."

...

The next morning.

Lu Meng changed into a light blue spaghetti-strap dress, layered with a white bolero. Her slightly wavy, light-yellow hair fell loosely, topped with a white and blue patterned headband.

She looked fresh and beautiful, like a cool summer breeze that eases a restless heart.

After checking herself one last time to ensure everything was perfect, she finally headed out.

The apartment wasn't far from the Guide Bureau, but since the sun was quite bright, she hopped into one of the military district's autonomous vehicles.

That’s right! There were autonomous vehicles everywhere in the military district, available for use simply by booking them on a light-computer. She had only discovered this while out two days ago.

Before long, she arrived at the Bureau.

Wen Er had brought her here last time, but coming alone now, she felt more familiar with the place.

This was where the Guides usually worked, marked on the map as Silver Island Castle. From the outside, it did look like a fortress, but the interior was highly advanced.

She must have arrived early today, as the wide corridors were devoid of any Sentinels. She walked through the hall, following her memory to Director Marta’s office, and knocked gently.

A moment passed before a voice called out from within.

"Please, come in."

The door turned transparent, revealing the interior. Lu Meng saw that, besides Director Marta, there was another girl standing in the office.