Chapter 50: Forbidden Drugs

Unlike his usual self, Zachary’s eyes were unfocused, and he leaned against the edge of the bed with one hand pressed to his forehead.

"My body felt like it was burning from the inside. Shit."

Although he wore a black panther mask, Lydia could still tell it was Zachary.

When Zachary noticed someone was standing in the doorway of his room, he hissed and threw an ashtray.

"Are you deaf?! I don’t need anyone! Fuck off!"

Lydia barely managed to dodge the ashtray as it smashed against the wall behind her, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.

"Kyaaah!"

"Wait. That voice..." His green unfocused eyes suddenly sharpened as he turned toward her. "Lydia?!"

Even with the butterfly mask, Zachary knew it was Lydia right away. He rushed to her and quickly checked Lydia for any signs of injury.

After making sure for the fifth time, he was relieved to find she was okay.

"What are you doing here, Lydia?!" he protested. "This wasn’t a safe place for you."

Without waiting for her answer, Zachary caught her wrist and pulled Lydia inside his room.

He locked the door behind them, then glanced toward the corridor to make sure nobody had followed her.

"What’s going on inside your mind, deerling? A lady of your standing shouldn’t be spending her time here."

Unlike Room 303, Room 302 was much larger and more luxurious. A huge bed with thick, fluffy blankets stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by expensive furniture.

There wasn’t a single CCTV camera in sight, either.

"Why are you here?" His voice was sharp despite his unsteady breathing.

Zachary reached for the control panel beside the door and pressed a button with a soft beep. Now, the faint music from the hallway faded until Lydia could no longer hear a thing.

He made this room soundproof.

Was Senior Zachary a regular here? He seemed to know exactly how to use the room’s privacy features.

Lydia barely had time to examine her surroundings before her attention returned to the man standing in front of her.

Zachary looked terrible.

He was a step away from turning into a Mindless. Senior Zach must be in a world of pain.

Several pills lay scattered across the table, with more containers nearby.

Wait. Wasn’t this the very same drug Lydia just purchased from those prostitutes? Just how many pills was he planning to swallow?

Her mind raced back to the naked fox Sentinel and sheep Guide.

"Senior, why do you have these... drugs?" Lydia asked, struggling to keep the alarm out of her voice. "You don’t look too good."

Zachary looked toward the table and said nothing for a moment.

His jaw tightened as though he had been caught doing something shameful, and his usual playful expression was nowhere to be found.

"Damn. I never want you to see this side of mine."

"These drugs...."

When Lydia was about to protest, Zachary raised his hand and stopped her words.

"How a lady from House Valendorf was familiar with this world?" Zachary interrupted with a bitter laugh. "Geez. Lydia. Come, let me escort you back to your mansion. How am I supposed to face your father and brothers if something were to happen to you? I wouldn’t be able to—"

"Senior! Please stop talking. Listen to me!!"

Her voice came out much louder than Lydia intended. Zachary stopped, but the brief silence did little to ease her anxiety.

It took everything Lydia had to raise her trembling hand to scan her senior.

[Resonance Stress: 93%]

Seeing Zachary in this condition was hard to believe. Her fingers tightened around her bracelet as Lydia remembered how dangerous high Resonance Stress could be.

The man who usually joked even in front of powerful opponents could barely hold himself together now.

"Senior, your Resonance Stress is—"

Zachary ignored her warning and reached for the water. His hand shook, but he grabbed several drugs before Lydia could stop him and brought them to his mouth.

"Senior, don’t!"

Zachary was about to swallow the drugs in one gulp when Lydia lunged forward and slapped him across the face!

SLAP!

The deafening sound rang through the room.

Some of the drugs flew to the carpet while most of it was scattered all across the sleek metallic table.

Water spilled from the glass, leaving a trail across the polished surface.

"I will never let you do that. Not when I’m still alive!"

Zachary’s head turned slightly from the impact. All of the drugs in his hand slipped away and scattered across the floor.

His green eyes widened behind the black panther mask. Lydia’s palm hurt, but she was ready to slap his hand away again if he reached for the drugs again.

Which he didn’t. Good.

The silence that followed slowly eased her anger. When Zachary didn’t reach for his drugs again, Lydia felt relieved and gently removed his mask.

"Never take these drugs again, okay? Please."

Her chest rose and fell as she stared at the man before her, unable to understand why he would willingly put himself through something so dangerous.

Lydia had seen the effects of suppressants before. She knew that drugs could temporarily take the place of a Guide’s assistance, but that relief came at a terrible cost.

"Why would you do that?" Her voice trembled with fear. "Do you even understand what those drugs are doing to you?"

Zachary turned back to face her, still holding the pills. He looked surprised that Lydia had actually stopped him.

Violence against a Ludenberg? That wasn’t something you saw every day.

Other nobles shuddered at their influence and wealth.

Even the Emperor was nothing more than their lapdog. The world was just their playground—and this continent, Ceras, was their favorite toy.

Lydia wiped her eyes, but a few tears still slipped down her cheeks.

"You’re poisoning yourself," she whispered. "Drugs won’t be able to clean your Stress like the way guiding does. What if you lose yourself before you even turned into a Mindless, Senior Zach?"

The words seemed to strike something inside him.

Zachary’s expression changed. He looked at her in surprise.

"How do you know this?"