6 The Guardian

At a certain place while Alagarassi was enjoying her first day in The Establishment...

Despite being at the topmost level of the most prestigious medical institutions in the country, it was quiet and very eerily so. I was in the middle of a long and empty corridor. On both ends are VIP Elevators which housed prana recognition software.

It was designed to function as a simple lock system meant to keep out people whose prana signatures didn't match those who were authorized.

I was assigned a Master-rated mission and its contents were simple: The person inside the room must not be harmed.

It was simple enough to be able to be written on a small piece of paper but what worried me was the minimum requirement to be able to take up the quest.

I've been thinking about the identity of the person who I was supposed to guard but I couldn't think of anyone that would require a security detail with the stopping power of a city-wide guided missile.

I massaged my temples as I sighed in resignation, "Assigning me here is a bit of an overkill, isn't it?"

Despite my misgivings about the job, it was simple enough for me to be able to take it easy for a while but also well-paying enough to be worth my time.

I perked myself up and stood in attention as I operated my prana to do a sweep on this floor as well as the five others below it.

A vivid image appeared in my head as I saw a lifelike recreation of the floors I was currently sweeping with my abilities. It wasn't accurate enough to be able to pinpoint invisible enemies but it was effective enough to be compared to a high-end CCTV system.

So, for this reason, my ability was good enough to be at least passable for this job.

[Analyzing.]

[Analyzing.]

[Analyzing.]

[Analyzing.]

[Analyzing.]

[…Analysis Complete.]

After reviewing the internal feed numerous times, I was finally able to relax and release the tension I was holding in.

I pressed my index and middle fingers, "Fox reporting. Floors 110, 109, 108, 107, and 106 are clear. Resuming stand-by. Next report in 60 minutes."

A boisterous and lazy voice responded, "Roger that. I will just finish up here in the Establishment's testing center and get rid of the criminals as per our agreement."

I could hear gunfire and quite frankly, a horrible mess of things from the other line, "Besides, an interesting newbie has just arrived."

Interesting newbie, he says. Well, if it's him then I'm sure it's someone extraordinary – but I didn't really care so it didn't make much of a difference anyway.

"Roger. Maintain radio silence until the next transmission. Over." I put down my hand and lazily leaned against the wall. It was cold to the touch but it was also strangely comforting.

A few minutes later, I heard the clicking of heels against the cool floor and I turned my attention to the elevator from the east side of the corridor.

"Sylvia Lee, huh," I muttered under my breath.

The doctor who was steadily approaching me carried herself in a dignified and aloof manner. She had porcelain-like skin with the demeanor of a cold ruler.

She was deftly moving her fingers around a tablet and her eyes hurriedly scanned each image and then immediately moving forward to the next. I knew that it seemed irresponsible but she is a Master Rated Healer after all so I guess she knew what she was doing.

Her legs were long so simply watching her walk was pleasurable in itself but the bopping of her strawberry blonde hair tied up in a neat ponytail betrayed a hint of girlishness that was a stark contrast to her normally dignified appearance.

Her gait was undoubtedly that of a civilian's but her body was extremely tight. It was as if her hobbies were all centered around researching and working out.

It was vexing to see a supremely beautiful woman who was both intelligent and attractive but I knew that everyone around her was insignificant – at least compared to the man she admires.

After a short while, I found myself face to face with the aforementioned woman.

She gently folded the tablet and placed it under her arm as she placed her eyeglasses in her front pocket. Her amber eyes peered into mine and she examined me from my head to my toes.

"It seems you're quite fatigued, Commander Ford." She appraised my face as she nodded to herself.

I politely smiled at her and nodded, "I've been on standby for over three days now so even with my enhanced physique, I was bound to get tired eventually."

"I see." She placed her right hand on my head and her left hand on my chest as she closed her eyes in concentration. "Rejuvenate."

A flash of warm energy flooded my body and I could feel energy seeping into my soul. A cold current coursed through my spine but it was comfortable. It was similar to a full body massage but all of this happened in just a moment.

I bowed my head in gratitude, "I feel much better now, Doctor. Thank you."

Sylvia gave me a small and polite smile as she hurriedly cast cleaning magic on herself. "It was the least I could do seeing as you're guarding this room after all." She gestured to the suite behind me.

I scratched my ears in embarrassment, "Who's so important to have the best doctor in the world attending to them personally?" I sensed a small glint of caution in her eyes so I hurriedly added, "I'm just asking out of curiosity, that's all."

Sylvia shook her head twice, "I understand where you're coming from but for them not to tell you anything…bureaucracy is annoying."

I don't think you should be saying anything like that as a noble but I decided to keep that comment to myself.

She continued, "The person you are guarding is the sword of humanity." She bit her lip and added softly, "also one of my dearest friends."

Oh. That person is definitely worthy of Sylvia's attention then. It was an open secret after all that the uniquely talented trio of The King, The Empress, and Sylvia were childhood friends and that the Empress and Sylvia shared everything – even their love of a man.

The King and The Empress were engaged to be married but, in a world where polygamy was allowed especially for the talented and the rich, people knew it was only a matter of time before Sylvia was added to the Hero's family register.

Alas, that day did not come as The King and The Empress took on a job that got them stuck inside another world where who knows what happened and for how long but despite the lack of info, one solid piece of info was made known to the world: The Empress had died and The King was broken.

I took a good look at the good doctor and despite her beauty, her countenance was tinged with worry and desperation. All I knew was that The King was currently undergoing extreme psychological and physical therapy but he wasn't harmed.

The Empress on the other hand…well I heard from a buddy of mine who helped with her case that it wasn't pretty. She was barely recognizable as her body was heavily damaged when they recovered her.

People might think that the world of the strong was an ideal place but as someone who was barely able to touch that ceiling, I knew that the strong were isolated and lonely. More so these kids who were barely older than my kids.

I clicked my tongue, "Don't worry Doctor. Whatever happens, I'll stake my name on the line and protect the man inside this room with everything that I've got."

Sylvia looked a bit confused by my declaration but she soon recovered and gave me a genuine smile. "Thank you, Commander Ford. You really are a kind person."

She gave me a slight bow as she entered the room.

Her angered voice seeped through the door as it closed, "You. I told you to stay in bed! Why is an injured man doing sit-ups!"

I smiled to myself as I thought, "To be young, huh." Placing my hands in my pockets, I recovered my small electronic cigarette.

Despite its name, it wasn't a nicotine product nor did it have any harmful ingredients. It was simply made to mimic the gesture and act of smoking. In truth, it was a device used to help people addicted to nicotine ease off the stuff.

"I'm already in my fifties, after all."

Taking a look at a picture of my kids, I smiled wryly to myself as I took a long drag from my electronic cigarette.

"Now that I think about it, today is Josephine's first day at The Establishment eh? I hope she makes some good friends."

I exhaled the vapor from my mouth and took another drag. "They grow up so fast."

The Guardian - End.