Seducing the Guideverse With My System — Raising an Anomaly [BL]

Chapter 183: _One Way Or The Other The Truth Surfaces

The hallways seemed to be caving in on Ambrose as he trailed through them. Each step felt heavier than the last—and the disciplinary officials flanking him sure didn’t help ease his chest.

Augustus glanced over his shoulder once they got to the floor leading to the Guild master’s office. "A quick reminder," his eyes scanned the Guide from head to toes. "Whatever you say in there had better be nothing but the truth. For your sake."

Ambrose’s throat constricted.

His gaze darted to the walls and the cameras mounted on them. There was no way to escape this, of course... but why did he feel like he was being monitored already?

Finally, they got in front of the Guild master’s office. Augustus and the three other officials made way for Ambrose to knock himself.

"It’s open." That familiar, domineering voice cracked from the other end.

Here goes everything.

Ambrose pushed the door open, keeping his expression blank as he inched in slowly. In the next second, his eyes landed on the desk at the other end of the room.

And there behind his desk stood Magnus Ferguson. The Guild master had his back facing Ambrose, his attention fixed on the tall glass walls which gave him a good view of the city below.

"Ambrose Hale." The man muttered without looking back. "Close that door on your way in."

Something tight coiled around the Guide’s chest but he had no choice but to obey. As the door clicked behind him, he carefully kept his arms in front of himself.

’This shit feels even more serious.’ His thoughts were chaotic. ’What could this be about? My bets are on that situation with Han’s lackeys. Fuck, did they find evidence against me? Wait... what if it’s about Orion? Is he going to ask where I brought the kid from?’

His fingers twitched uneasily with each thought that raced through his mind.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to be in suspense for long.

"I’d like you to sit." Magnus’ large form moved, turning to the Guide. Those blazing golden red orbs narrowed like slits. "Hopefully you don’t have to be in here long."

He gestured at one of the free seats in front of his desk for added emphasis.

Ambrose bowed his head a bit before creeping to the seat. As he lowered himself into it, he felt the need to keep his eyes on the older man.

The latter didn’t even try hiding the way he assessed him with his eyes. Like he wished to dissect this C-Rank and uncover the truth once and for all.

But if there’s one thing decades of being a Hunter and even longer of being alive have taught him... it was to be patient in situations like this.

One way or the other the truth surfaces with enough calculated digging.

"I hear you and my grandson have a... thing going on." Magnus folded his arms across his chest. "And while I understand the concept of him being with a man—I can’t help but wonder. How do you handle the uneven power dynamic that exists between you two?"

Ambrose’s brows knitted for a quick second.

Of all the things he expected to hear out of the man’s mouth first, questions about his complex love life weren’t one of them. Still, he had no choice but to answer.

"Power dynamics, sir?" Ambrose blinked.

"Yes. You know... You are a C-Rank Guide and him being an S-Rank Esper. One from such a reputable family who’s also older and more experienced."

Magnus felt a hint of amusement in his chest.

He’d asked that question to take the Guide off guard. And from what he could see it worked. The lad didn’t even bother denying being in a relationship with his grandson.

Not like he could anyway.

"Oh, that." Ambrose nodded in response to the Guild master’s explanation. "Well, sir, I feel the need to point out that Devon and I aren’t... exactly boyfriends. Not yet at least—"

"Ugh, what? Y’all call it something different these days?" Magnus barked a dry laugh. "Whatever he is to you, I’m aware of how close you two have been these past few weeks. Heck, the entire internet is aware from what I’ve seen."

An old man who uses the internet.

Lord, it’s going to be a long day.

"Well..." Ambrose’s cheeks flushed. "Our differences have never been much of a problem. He doesn’t boss me around and lets me make my own decisions."

"Sounds healthy indeed." The Guild Master’s fingers steepled as he sat. "Another question. You did know he was in a relationship with Guide Han before you, correct?"

"... Yes, sir."

"Did this ever bring any quarrels between you and Guide Han Jae-won?"

"I mean..." Ambrose slowed down so he didn’t say something he shouldn’t have. "Han didn’t take it lightly."

"Did he ever harass either of you?"

"S–Sir—"

"It’s a straightforward question," Magnus’ tone gained an icy edge as he leaned in from across the desk. "Answer it so we don’t waste any more time."

Ambrose’s jaw ticked. ’Not like I’ve got anything to lose if I admit it.’ he thought before speaking. "Yes. He did actually. I could list a couple of specific occasions."

"And you didn’t feel the need to report him to the higher-ups?"

"Sir," Agitation burned Ambrose’s chest. "You should be aware of how important a Guide like Han Jae-won is. Especially to this Guild. I took that into account and felt like... me reporting would be useless."

Magnus didn’t say anything yet.

He straightened on his seat, settling his arms on the armrests. Then, his eyes fell to the laptop in front of him. "Is that why you took matters into your own hands instead?"

The air in the room seemed to vanish for a few seconds. Ambrose’s pulse stuttered as he blinked. "What?"

Without explaining directly, Magnus spun the laptop to him and played the clip. It clearly showed Ambrose stepping out of his suite the night of the attack on Han’s team.

In a black hoodie.

’... Shit...’ He bit his gum as Magnus pulled the laptop back to himself.

"The assailant was described to have been wearing a black hoodie that night," The old man’s voice didn’t falter. "The same hoodie you were wearing. And from what you’ve just told me, you had more motives than anyone to send Guide Han a message."

Ambrose wanted to say something. Anything. But any excuse he thought of seemed to fall short, hooking in his throat before they could come out.

Fuck!

Just when Magnus’ mouth parted again, his phone rang with a notification. His forehead creased as he pulled it out and swiped open the message.

In a matter of a few seconds, his wrinkles drew into grim lines. He dropped the phone, bringing his gaze back to Ambrose.

"We’ll discuss this another time." He hurriedly got off the seat, moving around the desk.

Ambrose got up as well, about to ask what was going on. That’s when the TV mounted on a wall in the office flickered to life.

"Breaking news." A woman popped up on the screen with a solemn expression. "In a new development with the Void Entity, it has reportedly claimed the lives of eleven S-Rank Espers. During an attempt by the Federation to contain it. The Shawnee National Forest..."

The rest of the words dulled out in Ambrose’s ears as he gawked speechlessly at the live footage.

Well, shit.

"... and among the deceased is Federation Vice President Hillary Vaughn."