Chapter 16

3. Esper Ash

The medical ward of the Awakener Management Center was busy almost every hour regardless of the time. Different people came for treatment after getting injured during each training session. While there were people who really came because they were hurt, conversely there were also Espers who feigned illness.

"Ah, I really have a headache! My head feels like it's going to explode, so why won't you let me see a doctor!"

"It's troublesome if you act like this when everyone's busy. I told you we could prescribe headache medicine."

"Headache medicine won't solve it. I need to be hospitalized right now. I need to go in and see a doctor, not you! I'm going to rampage right here. Ah, I'm really going to do it?"

"Your guiding levels are normal, Esper-nim. According to the records, you received guiding the day before yesterday."

At Nain's point, the Esper hesitated briefly before changing his words.

"Come to think of it, it's not a guiding problem... I think I have a fever too. A c-cold. A fucking bad cold."

"You don't have a fever either. Your temperature is showing as 2 degrees lower than normal body temperature."

"...Doctor! Tell the doctor to come out! I think my organs burst!"

"The bathroom is in the back."

"Fuck, you want me to shit my organs out?"

If it had been another Esper pretending to be sick, he might have been fooled, but this Esper was someone who always feigned illness while complaining of false symptoms, so he was already rumored to be a troublemaker in the medical ward.

Getting rid of such troublemakers before they reached the reception desk was one of Nain's jobs. Nain muttered for him to have a good bowel movement while pushing the troublemaker Esper toward the bathroom, then turned off the lights and closed the door.

'He looks healthy no matter how I look at him...'

Just in case, he examined him thoroughly, but he had neither external nor internal injuries. Rather than healthy, he was too robust.

The Esper eventually left angrily. Wondering if his response had been too harsh, he glanced around nervously, but another staff member gave him a thumbs up as if he had done well.

'I'm doing well!'

Nain brightened up and quickly gained confidence.

The place he was assigned to was the reception desk on the first floor of the medical ward. This job was very suitable for Nain. Nain knew all the ailments of people visiting the medical ward before even approaching them to ask about symptoms.

Headache. Ankle sprain. Indigestion. Chronic rhinitis...

And if symptoms looked serious enough to require the emergency room, Nain could provide guidance in advance to prevent situations from escalating.

'This is all I can do. I should work hard at this at least.'

All morning, he loitered around the medical ward entrance, checking the condition of newcomers and helping them get to the correct reception desk.

Nain really worked hard. His efforts were actually effective. The reception desk staff chattered happily, saying that for some reason there were no troublemakers today and work seemed to go smoothly.

* * *

What Nain learned about his benefactor wasn't much. At most, it was his name and gender, and the harsh evaluations of him by center staff.

"Give it up. That bastard's just going to shove the bouquet straight into the trash can anyway."

As soon as people heard the news that Nain had sent a large bouquet ordered with half his entire fortune to his benefactor's hospital room, they flocked over and seriously warned him. Nain asked.

"Then what would he like besides flowers?"

People told him firmly.

"Nothing."

"He'll throw away anything?"

Nain was puzzled by their words. While personal preferences about flowers might exist, he thought no one would refuse a modest gift expressing gratitude. Still, since they told him not to, he decided not to send anything more.

During lunch time, after finishing his meal and completing his revolving door walk, Nain sat in front of a powered-on search computer.

Although magic wasn't widespread here, it was quite advanced in other ways. This machine in front of him was like that. With just machines and communication networks, you could communicate with people no matter how far apart through the network.

Mirage mirrors for remote communication existed in Nain's country too, but they were magical tools so expensive that even ordinary nobles could hardly obtain them, limiting users to just a few people.

In comparison, the fact that numerous people all had personal communication devices and simultaneously communicated was remarkable. It was excellent in terms of the quantity and quality of information, and the speed at which it was transmitted.

'This aspect is amazing.'

Nain muttered to himself. If magical tools enabling such remote communication became widespread in the Empire, it would be wonderful. He had made detailed notes of things to learn to tell Cheche when he returned. However, the problem with computers was that staring at the screen for long periods quickly tired the eyes.

"Nain, what are you doing? Should I help you?"

The assistant staff member who had returned after brushing his teeth approached Nain, who was assistant to the assistant. He was someone who enjoyed helping Nain and feeling proud, considering himself somewhat of a senior in odd jobs. Nain, who had been waiting for someone's help, nodded.

Nain still found everything in the world unfamiliar and clumsy, needing someone's help with even the most trivial things. But he wasn't passive about requesting help.

Thanks to the dragon language ring, he could somehow read written text, but characters separated into phonetic units weren't infused with human meaning and were completely unreadable. So even when he turned on the computer, he needed other people's help for word combinations.

While it was wrong to do other things during work hours, it wasn't work time now so it seemed fine. And other people all secretly did other things too.

The assistant staff member sat close beside him and moved the mouse. Nain shook his head, stopping him from naturally entering a shopping site. He asked back with a puzzled face.

"Why? Weren't you going to look at magic supplies again?"

"It's magic, not magic tricks."

Since learning how to use computers, the staff member had warned Nain, who constantly searched for the word 'magic' with a serious face while only looking at useless sites.

"Sorry, but Nain... There's no such thing as magic in this world."

"There is..."

"There isn't."

"There is..."

"I said there isn't. Magic tricks that cut people's bodies are actually not one person but two people crammed into a pre-split box, and card tricks aren't really duplicated but tricks that require dexterity."

"..."

"No matter how much you search for magic, only such scammers will come up, so wake up from your dream now?"

Though Nain was a bit disappointed at having interesting magic tricks spoiled instantly, he didn't lose his composure. He didn't forget his original purpose and conveyed it properly.

"Not that. Today, please search for Ash."

At Nain's words, the other person made an expression as if he had much to say.

"Ash... you said?"

Nain nodded. He was about to say something but just closed his mouth and sighed.

"Fine. It would be better for you to see for yourself..."

In a half-resigned voice, he entered Ash's name spelling in the search box and pressed enter. After a white screen slowly loaded for a few seconds, related articles and photos soon filled the screen. The dense photos commonly contained the image of one man.

'So this is what he looked like.'

Seeing Nain lean his upper body close as if he might enter the computer with his eyes wide, the assistant staff member shook his head hopelessly. People who see that face for the first time all act like that. Not even knowing they've been fooled by that bastard's exterior. He picked up his mug and left his seat.

Nain belatedly pulled back his waist to sit properly and clicked on one photo from the first page. Then another window newly opened, and the man's photo almost filled the entire computer screen. After staring intently at the monitor for a while, Nain barely blinked his strained eyes and came to his senses.

"..."

It was a man with a mysterious atmosphere. The man wearing special gear exclusive to gate agents was glaring this way with half-lidded eyes. Though he was a person in the screen, he somehow felt like their eyes had met, making him flinch. He didn't know if this photo had turned out particularly that way, but the area under his sharply slit eyes was dark and his complexion was quite pale.

When Nain gripped the mouse tightly and pulled down the scroll bar, small text was attached below the photo.

[Photo_Ash coming out of an urban gate]

The man was a wanderer drifting through an ashen city. Standing alone at an angle among completely bleak building forests and broken road debris, he stood out particularly, like a wildflower that had accidentally bloomed among rubble.

The article title he confirmed later had nothing to do with the photo.

[Scrap][Article] Esper Ash, irresponsibility controversy erupts again

(Photo)

[Photo_Ash coming out of an urban gate]

Esper Ash, belonging to the 11th Branch of the Awakener Management Center, has once again failed to participate in matching test schedules, sparking irresponsibility controversy.

On the 8th. A staff member belonging to the Awakener Management Center posted an article titled "That Esper who skipped matching tests again" on a certain anonymous community.

The author revealed that he belonged to the examination room and repeatedly emphasized the importance of Esper matching tests.

The 'matching test period' is a designated period when all awakeners who haven't formed pair contracts participate in testing. Espers and Guides with high matching rates form pair contracts after mutual agreement.

Meanwhile, Ash is presumed to have stayed at a resort near the equator. Sightings and photos of him were posted by tourists traveling locally, and the timing coincides with the center's matching test period.

All the times he has been spotted at resorts so far have been during matching test periods, and according to internal staff, Ash has never participated in matching tests even once.

Netizens are showing negative reactions, saying this corresponds to a kind of dereliction of duty as an Esper. The Awakener Management Association also acknowledges the problem and explained that since the Esper's behavior is habitual, they will follow strict internal procedures.

Article source - BBN(click for link)

[Comments]

-Strict procedures my assㅋㅋ They'll just flap their mouths saying they'll do something but won't be able to do anything anyway

⤷Rightㅋㅋ They said the same thing when there was a similar incident before. Nothing's changed from then.

-Last time they also said internally they'd impose strict disciplinary action. But what the center actually did was confiscate his passport^^

⤷Yes yes... rightㅠ But he secretly got his passport reissued and ran off abroad again the next weekㅠ Ash didㅠ

⤷⤷Really? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ So ridiculousㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

⤷⤷ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Did he go restaurant hopping again? Share the list please

⤷⤷At this point he's not a professional Esper but a tourist

-Ash again...

-Living the sweet life,, fuck I should've become an Esper tooㅋㅋ