Chapter 144: XXX

Words : 1746 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 144: XXX Xavier’s words echoed around the small cabin. "We’re married until one of us dies. In which case, we’d both likely die." Die. Technically, Luca first zeroed in on the dying part before repeating Xavier’s words in his head. "Huh?" Luca asked, his head tilted to the side, his eyes blinking slowly as his brain loads. It took a while, and D-29 worried that the Host had lagged. So, like the dutiful system it was meant to be, it decided to help by showing projections of its collective research on marriage. "Host, it seems like this is what being married is like!" D-29 prompted as the little system flashed its collected visual aids. It was then that Xavier noticed Luca’s complexion changing. He was turning crimson and fast. And eventually, it looked like he was about to explode. Was it that bad? Was he so bad as a marriage partner that Luca looked like he was about to go off? "Xavier! H—How?! But we didn’t do XXX!?" Luca was so red that if his hair wasn’t black, even that would probably be blushing. D-29’s visual aid for married couples were deeds seen in the later pages of that guiding book, had he turned past page 2. And the little chipmunk who was barely prepared for page 2 was definitely unprepared for page 69. He saw so many things that his face felt like he was on fire. "That’s impossible! To—to be married, they did it so many times! We only did XXX once!" He blurted out while covering his face with his hands. Xavier felt like dying inside, too. For the love of all that was holy, what the fuck was this ’XXX’ that he keeps on talking about!? This was the problem of a person whose sole concept of marriage was the Esper and Guide couples who were married through bonding. And bonding meant XXX. Lots of it. Because that was the easiest way to connect the sea of consciousness. Apparently, being vulnerable is the only way to do it safely, and there was no better way than that. But they said it wasn’t easy to do this because Espers were volatile by default, and so most needed multiple sessions just so the Guides wouldn’t be treated as invading entities. He knew this because the bonding department that matched Espers and Guides based on their match rates constantly taunted him about never finding an Esper to bond with. But this was a given. Because he was never allowed to be in the matching database. Even when the center actively sought Guides for the increasing number of Espers, he was still deliberately overlooked. "And what about match rates? People with bad match rates can’t be married!" Again, with that booklet. But who could be blamed when Luca was still a Guide even after he got back his original body? "We will have to explain things to each other because it’s all too foreign right now." Xavier slowed things down because the little chipmunk had already flown out of his chair and started pacing nervously. And that would’ve been fine. If he had been in his position, pacing would be the least he would do. But Luca kept looking back at him, then turned away like he was some giant pervert. Granted, he was a scumbag right now who just realized he had married someone who had no idea that they were about to get married. Xavier only thought he was hearing ’noble talk’ when they were talking about taking responsibility. Most marriages between noble families were arranged, not because nobility was only for the blue-blooded, but because most nobles could keep their titles easier this way. In the Solaris empire, where contribution was the basis of retaining nobility, it would be easier for noble families to keep their titles if they had stronger children. And with their situation of needing to get it right at birth as no one has had a breakthrough in so long, then the best way was to utilize the best possible genes. This concept has made it so that most marriages are discussed as if they were a topic in board meetings. Some were lucky to find romance, like his parents, but most would talk about marriage as an obligation. He assumed it was the same. Clearly a class-S bastard. And one that did XXX once, to boot. But to begin with, what the hell was XXX? "Luca, what’s XXX? And what do you mean by bad match rates?" The little chipmunk panicked. He was one of the unlucky people who was shipped to that religious school for the non-awakened. Granted, it shouldn’t have been that bad, but the problem was that everyone knew he was a Guide. It was like a slap to the face of everyone who studied there. Not to mention the Headmistress who didn’t support the idea of Espers and Guides, saying they were the devil’s way of infecting Tesseris. It was a conservative school that promoted selective morals and that sadly heavily oppressed the liberal teachings everywhere else. In fact, non-reproductive intercourse was condemned. It was basically a condemnation of the awakened who used physical contact to keep their abilities running correctly. So, Lucas’ only version of sexual education was that Magazine that one of the students forced into his bag during the inspection. This was only because no one wanted to touch Lucas or be near him; therefore, some students would use him to hide contraband. That was his first material before getting the booklets from the Guiding Center. But he didn’t even open it. So, how exactly was he supposed to tell Xavier about the problem? "Host, what about showing him the book?" D-29 offered a suggestion after seeing the Host’s hesitation. And that was how Xavier almost died again today. He vowed to try not to drink in front of the chipmunk in case he ended both their lives from choking. At this rate, he’d be lucky to die from something heroic. The blushing stick handed him a barely touched book, and Xavier flipped through it with his throat on fire. Sex. Different kinds of sex. That’s what the little chipmunk meant by XXX. Wait. If he’s saying they’ve done XXX once, then they really did it, right? Does that mean he was right in taking responsibility for Luca? "Luca, you said we did XXX?" "Once!" "Host, it was twice. The first one didn’t work." D-29 was bound to be factual and of help. Luca’s flushed cheeks puffed as the honest guy corrected himself, "T—twice! Only twice!" "Mn." Xavier nodded as he could only look at the photos and was unable to read the text. There was something that Xavier really wanted to ask, but he figured he needed to know about this match rate first. "Then what about this match rate?" Luca felt relieved it was a question he could answer, so he began discussing the match rate. "It’s the compatibility of an Esper and a Guide. If it’s high, then guiding would be instinctive and more successful, but if the rating is low, it would be impossible to guide without backlash." "You mentioned how Espers benefit from all of this, but do Guides get anything from guiding?" It was a typical question for a Prince who always conducted a cost-benefit analysis. Still, Luca was surprised to hear someone ask about the benefits Guides would receive, considering how they were just required to serve for the nation’s benefit. "Uhm, from what I know, this is how Guides could replenish energy." The little chipmunk could only recite what he’d heard. "It seems like there is a way to turn madness into useable energy for the guides. So the stronger the matching, the easier it is to increase in rank." "I see." Nodded Xavier, who now saw one positive reason to be selective about this matching. "So, how do you check this rating?" Xavier asked, his brow furrowed as he wondered if that would apply to them, considering he wasn’t even sure what an Esper was. "Using the machine, but we don’t have that." Luca’s shoulders drooped, and it was clear that this matching seemed to matter to the chipmunk. "Is there no other way?" Xavier asked, wondering how they figured this out before such devices were made. "Well, there is, but I have no basis for comparison. Even now, I’m not sure if I guided you properly." "It’s okay, but please tell me." There was no backing away from the fact that they were tied, so it would be better to know about this, even if it may be counterproductive. "I heard it’s by checking the resistance and rejection rate. Highly compatible pairs would encounter much less resistance and would have easier guiding sessions." Luca only knew this because this was the general requirement of Guiding pills. It must be as generic as possible so that all the Espers could use it. But that meant they wouldn’t get the benefit of gaining energy from Guiding, so most would generally still prefer having their own Guides. It was just a shame that Luca had no experience in doing it properly. Sigh. "So, let me get this straight: you don’t mind marriage for as long as the right conditions are met?" Xavier wanted to be dead sure this time around. If he assumed something, it would likely be wrong. And that would be unfair to the little chipmunk now that he’s aware of it. "Well... Would we really die?" "..." It was a surprising question, but not when it came from Luca, so Xavier answered thoughtfully. "Only if we betray each other. Think of it as a punishment for being a bad partner." Xavier answered, noting the things that troubled this little chipmunk. "Really? So, if you do something bad to me, then you’ll get punished?" "You make it sound like it’s a good thing, you know?" Xavier chuckled as he looked at this guy’s bright eyes. But maybe that’s a good thing for you. Maybe you’ll feel better knowing something would protect you from someone with bad intentions. Xavier thought as he looked at this easily satisfied money-grubber. "Then, do you want to test this matching rate?" "Huh? How?" Xavier had a hunch, which he proceeded to tell the little chipmunk. And it was a hunch that would change the trajectory of their lives. Provided they survive carrying the new pot. Sigh.

Chapter 144: XXX

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