Although Yuna put on a fierce front, deep down, she was still somewhat afraid of Alion.
The first time she’d seen him, she had been accompanying her father. At the time, she’d been thrilled to discover that such an exceptionally handsome man served under him.
She’d been just about to strike up a conversation with Alion when she happened to witness him interrogating a prisoner in the dungeon.
The prisoner had been suspended in midair while sharks that had been starved for three months were released to feed on his legs.
Once they’d eaten halfway through, the man’s limbs were restored with expensive regenerative fluid.
Then Alion would inject him with a dose of pain-enhancing agent.
Again and again, the cycle continued.
It only ended when the prisoner could no longer endure the agony and eventually bit through his own tongue to commit suicide.
There was definitely something cruel—and downright twisted—about this man. He was even crazier than Yuna.
Clenching her back teeth, Yuna glared at him.
"Just you wait!"
Once the spoiled heiress stormed away, Alion lowered his eyes and glanced at the tablet she had smashed to pieces.
"Find out everything you can about this Guide."
"Yes, Marshal!"
***
After finishing San’s mental soothing session, Bunny realized it was still fairly early.
Rather than going straight to bed, she decided to head to the stadium and get some exercise first.
This era was completely different from the world she’d once known.
Death could come at any moment. She needed to be stronger.
Training was only the first step. When she had the opportunity, she also wanted the sentinels to teach her how to handle a gun.
The protective dome above the stadium could automatically adjust the weather and lighting inside, creating different environmental conditions.
It couldn’t compare with the specialized training pods capable of simulating hundreds of extreme environments, but for someone just starting out, it was more than enough.
Sunny recommended that she begin with endurance training.
After changing into the workout clothes the housekeeper robot had tailored for her, Bunny completed a series of warm-up exercises.
Then she stepped onto the track and began running, one lap after another.
She had never been particularly athletic. Back in school, even an 800-meter fitness test had felt like a death sentence, so after every two laps, she had to slow down and walk half a lap to catch her breath.
After Bunny completed her tenth lap, Sunny rolled over and asked whether she wanted to play tennis.
Bunny immediately perked up.
"Sure."
The simulated environment shifted in an instant.
A tennis net rose from the artificial grass, and Sunny extended a mechanical arm, waving a tennis racket.
"Miss Bunny, I am very good at this!"
The little robot wasn’t exaggerating. After several rallies, Bunny had been on the receiving end of one brutal smash after another. Before long, she was running all over the court, drenched in sweat.
Another vicious shot came flying at her. Her return went sailing straight beyond the court.
Bunny turned around to grab another ball, when a loud woof! suddenly came from outside the court.
A dark blur bounded excitedly toward her feet.
Only then did Bunny realize it was an enormous, incredibly friendly dog.
Its coat was an unusual dark, shimmering with a cool silver-blue sheen beneath the lights. Its fur was thick and silky, while its icy-blue eyes were deep and crystal clear, resembling the frozen waters of a lake.
It was a Black Shepherd.
Considered an aristocratic breed among shepherd dogs, it was exceptionally elegant and handsome. It was also remarkably intelligent.
Back in Bunny’s old world, dogs of this caliber were practically impossible to buy. The rare ones could sell for well over a million.
Bunny had always loved dogs, but her parents had never allowed her to keep one.
She crouched down, and the dog immediately offered her the tennis ball it had been carrying in its mouth.
"What a good boy."
She happily reached out and ruffled its fluffy head. The fur was unbelievably soft and plush.
The dog seemed to enjoy every second of it. It kept nudging her palm with its muzzle, its wet little nose and innocent puppy eyes making it nearly impossible for Bunny to stop petting it.
Once it had gotten enough attention, it even rolled onto its back of its own accord, exposing its soft belly for her to rub.
"Oh my goodness. You’re practically human."
Bunny picked up the tennis racket and played with it for a while.
The dog was incredibly clever. Every time she hit the ball, it managed to chase it down and catch it perfectly.
Eventually, Bunny grew tired and sat down on the ground to rest.
"Where’s your owner, big guy?"
Why had he let his spirit form wander around on its own? If she remembered correctly, there was only one sentinel in the base whose spirit form was a canine.
Bran... something? There were simply too many sentinels for her to remember everyone’s name.
The dog sat panting with its pink tongue hanging out. Then, all of a sudden, it stood up and gave a long, plaintive awoo, signaling for her to follow.
This fella had clearly come here with a mission.
Bunny initially assumed it simply wanted her to keep playing. That was until the dog led her into a sealed training pod.
The wind inside was fierce. Even with the air filtration system running, the powerful airflow still stung against her skin.
In one corner, a sentinel with a silver wolf-cut ponytail sat cross-legged on the floor, his back turned toward her.
Empty cans of energy drinks were scattered around him.
The drinks contained low concentrations of ethanol along with trace amounts of an opiate-derived compound. They could temporarily dull the intense pressure in a sentinel’s overstrained mental domain, which was why sentinels often became dependent on them.
The dog gave a soft bark, apparently calling out to its owner.
Look! I brought you a pretty Guide!
Brandon turned at the sound. His gray eyes brightened slightly when he saw Bunny, but his overall condition looked terrible.
Dark-gray strands of spiritual energy surrounded him, tangled together into dense masses that writhed restlessly through the air.
Bunny walked over and asked out of genuine concern, "Are you okay?"
Brandon slowly raised his head.
Looking utterly exhausted, he gave her a quiet greeting.
"If it isn’t Bunny the Guide."