Chapter 85: Ch 85: Have a Good Night

"It is quite late, so you should go to sleep now. We both will likely have a busy day tomorrow."

Professor Erin said this with a small smile on his face that did not reach his eyes. Something seemed to be bothering him, but he did not tell Noah what it was. And Noah did not feel like he was in a position to ask either.

He closed his eyes and forced his body to relax. But the sleep he had been waiting for did not grace him.

Instead, Noah kept lying in the bed with his eyes closed and breathing regularly.

He sensed a presence nearby and someone’s eyes looking at him, but he made sure his body did not tense up as a result. He was sure he was doing great when...

"Can you not fall asleep like this? Then, allow me to help you out. I will make it easier for you to fall asleep."

Professor Erin placed a hand on Noah’s face, and he forced his abilities to work. Noah felt his eyes slowly fluttering shut until he could no longer keep them open.

"Shhh. Just go to sleep and don’t think about anything. I want you to rest as much as you need to." ℯ

Erin’s words were sweet...almost too sweet, to the point where Noah felt a little uncomfortable. He felt like he should not be seeing his professor like this.

But at the same time, the nostalgic feeling that had been embracing him became even harder to ignore.

’I...I am sure I know Professor Erin from before. But why...do I not recall?’

Noah questioned, but instead of being able to think of an answer, his body decided it was time to fall asleep for good.

...

The bed under Noah was hard when he woke up, and his back hurt a lot. He tried to move, but he realized that the hurt he was feeling was not normal bed sores but the pain that came after a huge injury.

He forced his eyes open, only to see glass covering his vision, and when he tried to look around, he saw people in white lab coats outside that glass enclosure he was in.

Noah reached out to touch the glass carefully, but the people around him started to flinch and speak up loudly.

He could not hear what they were saying, but he could tell that they were not happy that he was trying to move around.

The machine started to make a sound, which meant that the experiment was finally over, and Noah’s mind slowly started to recall where he was and what he was doing.

’This experiment...right...what was it for?’

Most such experiments where he was put in a machine for observation were performed when he was semi-unconscious. That was why he hardly ever recalled what it was about.

But what he did know was that his whole body was aching and throbbing, making his mood worsen.

Sigh

"Noah, I have told you again and again not to move since it interferes with the data we get. But every time...well, never mind! I doubt you even understand me right now. After all, you are just a B-class guide."

The scientist in charge of today’s experiment looked crushed at the fact that Noah had moved while the experiment was ongoing. But wasn’t this the scientists’ fault? They were the ones who should have strapped Noah down if they wanted to keep him down.

However, his tongue felt too heavy to say all this, and the scientists looked even more betrayed by his lack of action.

"Tsk, why did we have to be left with a defective product after that fire? Moreover, the head researcher has also cut our budget in half because we are not producing any results."

The normal researchers were not aware that the test subjects they were mourning had escaped.

Noah had made sure no one knew the truth except the head researcher. But it was impossible to keep anything a secret from that man. However, since he had not interfered, Noah could only assume that he was on Noah’s side.

Not that it mattered right now because it was up to Noah to make sure they all somehow survive.

"Anyway, we have the result data that matters. You should feel lucky because you will get a companion soon. We found a unique thing in the dungeons that I am sure will help you develop as a guide."

The scientists looked excited about something, but Noah did not trust their excitement. Whatever was making them happy could not be good for him.

Soon, the scientists came back with a blue egg that looked unassuming at first. But Noah could feel the aura of a monster...no, rather, an esper, coming from the egg.

It was a small but terrifying existence that asked Noah to reach out his hand toward it, and he lightly touched it.

The egg responded by sending waves of esper energy back, which made Noah flinch and tense up even more.

However, as terrifying as it was to feel that foreign energy, it felt nice and familiar as well.

"Are you fascinated by this egg? I had a feeling that might happen. We fed it your guiding, and now it has evolved to match you as a perfect being. Do you feel like touching it now?"

The scientist asked, and Noah’s first instinct was not to touch anything they told him to touch.

But this egg...it felt familiar and lonely. It made Noah want to reach out and pet it.

So he did. And as soon as he held the small thing in his hand, the egg started to crack.

"What? The monster decided to come out now of all times? Why now? Is it because it is finally with Noah?"

A scientist questioned, but Noah was not paying attention to him. His attention was on the egg in his hand that was throbbing with a familiar energy.

When it stopped cracking, a blue bird reared its small but adorable head out from the shell, and Noah...fell in love.