Chapter 54: Summer Is Greedy

Ilya only responded with a low chuckle before starting the engine.

On the way to the prison at the edge of Zone 0, he ordered takeout for Summer.

There was fried chicken, spicy rice, fries, a box of grilled meat, a cold fruit drink, and even a few slices of sweet cake for dessert.

At first, Summer thought it was too much, but surprisingly, she ate almost all of it. Whatever was left, she casually fed to Ilya while he drove.

"Do you think the government will keep Archer locked up for long?" Summer suddenly asked.

Honestly, Ilya looked surprisingly calm for someone whose brother had just been arrested.

"He could blow up half a military base and they still wouldn’t keep him locked up for more than forty-eight hours," Ilya said. "And right now, with the number of polluted creatures going up, I think they’ll let him out even sooner."

Summer thought the same. It was impossible for the government to keep one of their greatest assets locked up for too long.

Unfortunately, the government could also tame them using some kind of unorthodox method, and she hoped they wouldn’t be able to do that to Archer.

"Ilya," Summer said hesitantly. "In Zone 41, I felt like they were just trying to find a reason to put you down."

"They were," Ilya said without any expression, which was actually unlike him. "The Defense Minister has been after my head since last year, so it’s not surprising that he was the one who pushed me to the edge."

Summer frowned. "Why would he do that?"

For someone who was under threat from a minister, Ilya looked strangely calm, or more accurately, like someone who had already accepted his fate.

"Well..." Ilya took a deep breath before saying, "Maybe I deserve it."

Before Summer could respond, he continued, "My last Guide, Zen, died last year. He was the Defense Minister’s only son. He died because of several health problems, but..."

His voice trailed off, so Summer finished it for him. "You think you had something to do with his death?"

Ilya stayed quiet for a moment. "Maybe."

He gripped the steering wheel tighter and took several deep breaths. "That’s why I want you to get checked by the doctors after this."

"I’m fine," Summer replied. "The last time I guided Archer, the doctor said there was nothing wrong with my body. So I’m probably fine this time too."

"I know, but still..." Ilya glanced at her for a second. "There’s nothing wrong with checking, right? Please?"

Maybe, aside from making sure Summer was fine, Ilya also wanted her to get checked to reassure himself that he wouldn’t become the cause of his new Guide’s death.

"Okay," Summer finally said. "We’re supposed to get a checkup after leaving a polluted zone anyway."

"Thank you," Ilya said with a smile. He reached for her hand and gave it a small squeeze. "I owe you so much, and I think you also marked me last night."

Summer gasped and immediately straightened her back so suddenly that her side hit the car door. "I did?!"

Why did she never remember marking someone again?!

Maybe she really shouldn’t bite people on the neck at all.

But whenever she did it, her body always seemed to move on its own.

"Do you want to remove it?" Summer asked hesitantly.

"If you don’t mind guiding two Sentinels at the same time, then maybe... we can make our own contract too," Ilya said. Then he quickly added, "But of course, that can only happen if the doctors say you’re completely fine."

To be honest, he looked pretty conflicted.

It was like part of him wanted Summer to become his Guide, but another part of him didn’t want to put her through that, especially after everything she had been through in the past.

"I don’t mind," Summer said.

Besides, the more Sentinels she guided, the more money she could earn.

After that, they chatted from time to time about simple things, like the weather, whatever they happened to pass along the way, or restaurant recommendations around Zone 0.

Surprisingly, talking with Ilya felt refreshing. It was also a lot more entertaining than Summer had expected.

When they finally ran out of things to talk about, Summer casually opened social media and the first thing she saw made her pause because their names were trending everywhere, not only on social media but even on several news portals.

#SummerIsGreedy

#IlyatheFallenAngel

#JailbreakforArcher

Summer clicked on the first hashtag, already expecting to see people throwing hate at her. But to her surprise, it was actually the complete opposite.

[@Zone0Tea: Imagine being compatible with BOTH Archer and Ilya. I would never shut up about it.]

[@SentinelDaily: If Summer becomes the Guide of both Noctis brothers, I’m officially calling her the strongest Guide in the entire world.]

[@BunnyWatcher: Sister Summer, please spill your skincare routine! You’re so pretty in every clip! I’m in love!]

Summer’s eye twitched. "What the hell..."

She kept scrolling, and that was when things got worse.

Someone had already drawn fanart of her standing between Archer and Ilya. Archer was holding her waist from one side while Ilya had an arm around her shoulder from the other.

Below it was another one where both brothers were fighting over who would do *censored* *censored* to her first.

And there were also some fanfictions with titles like "Fucked Raw by Two Brothers" and "Breeding: My Sentinels Want 100 Children."

Alright, that was it.

Summer immediately locked her terminal. She wanted to dig a hole, crawl inside it, and never come out again.

Actually, forget the hole. Just drown her or just kill her at this point.

Please, just kill her!

"What’s wrong?" Ilya asked when he noticed the troubled look on her face.

Summer quickly shook her head. "Nothing."

Then, after a short pause, she added, "Just focus on the road and don’t open social media for a while."

Ilya glanced at her. "Why? Is there—"

"Just don’t," Summer cut him off. Her expression turned serious. "It’s hell out there."