Even though it was something Banteon had heard from Baiheron countless times before, this time, he couldn’t help but want to deny it. He had noticed the difference in those eyes, but to think he’d been gazing at a former lover… That kind of sentimental explanation— No, there’s no denying it.
He wanted to lower his head, but that would’ve made his feelings even more obvious. Instead, he subtly turned his head to the side. He tried to shift his gaze as naturally as possible away from Baiheron, but his perceptive younger brother wasn’t one to let odd behavior slide.
“What’s going on? Something happened, didn’t it?”
“Nothing happened.”
“Yeah, right. That’s a lie.”
Irritated, he shoved Baiheron’s face away as he leaned over to peer at him from the side. It wasn’t even a hard push, but the guy faked being hurt and recoiled dramatically.
“Ow! My handsome face is ruined!”
“Quit being so dramatic.”
“Hyung, seriously. I’m only trying to help, okay? Believe it or not, I’ve got more dating experience than you.”
Baiheron puffed out his chest as he declared this, his face brimming with pride. His attitude was so over-the-top, like he was some legendary Casanova, that Banteon couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.
“Your Guide is your first relationship. I’ve probably been with more people than you.”
“Sure, it’s my first real one, but it’s already been four years. Can you even call what you’ve had ‘relationships’? Those were just flings.”
“……”
“People who switch partners every few months don’t get to call them lovers. That’s barely even playing around. More like casual toys—use ’em a few times and toss them aside like pen nibs.”
“When you put it like that, I sound like absolute trash.”
“I won’t argue with that.”
Banteon sighed at Baiheron’s smug tone. Barely a few minutes had passed since they’d escaped a dangerous situation, and his brother was already back to his usual teasing self. As Banteon shook his head in exasperation, Petern cautiously peeked his head in from behind.
“Pardon the interruption, young masters. But I believe it’s time to move.”
“Ah.”
Banteon had gotten so caught up in Baiheron’s nonsense, he’d momentarily forgotten reality. Petern gave Baiheron a subtle nod, and the younger brother responded quickly, guiding Banteon down the hill with practiced ease.
Once they entered the encampment below, the agents deployed for the mission were busy tending to their wounded comrades. At the forefront stood Commander Sotenru, who had led the operation. He stepped forward to greet them.
“Are you injured anywhere?”
“I’m fine.”
“We did our best to prepare, but it clearly wasn’t enough. I apologize.”
“No, you’ve done well. Thank you.”
As soon as he received the letter, Banteon had gone straight to the Center Director. Even though the message asked him to come alone, he never intended to comply so naively. He’d thoroughly prepared the squad and countermeasures against brainwashing, but even that hadn’t been enough.
“For Lord Banteon to take on the bait role himself…”
Most of those who first saw Rohan’s letter had immediately suggested a swift raid and capture. It was Banteon who proposed the bait strategy, volunteering himself for the role. It was risky, but if not now, they might never get more intel.
Thanks to that, while Rohan’s abilities deviated from their predictions, they’d still managed to extract a fair amount of information.
“But who is he really? That man… Is he even human?”
“……Good question.”
The problem was, despite gathering intelligence, they couldn’t make sense of it. No matter how many times they replayed what he’d said, it sounded like the ramblings of a lunatic—disjointed and incomprehensible.
In the midst of that mental chaos, a deafening boom echoed in the distance. Though the sound rang out clearly, nothing could be seen. Banteon turned his gaze in that direction.
“Commander Sotenru, can you see what’s going on over there?”
“Shameful to admit, but it’s beyond my abilities. What’s certain is that it’s quite far off.”
“I see.”
“Then please, allow us to escort you back to the Center, Lord Banteon. This way.”
The sounds felt as though they were right next door, yet the battle was so far that even an A-rank Esper couldn’t detect it visually. Shaking his head at yet another inexplicable, uncanny phenomenon since dusk, Banteon followed the escort in silence.
In the distance, Baiheron was reunited with comrades he hadn’t seen in a while. He quickly broke away from them and came to sit beside Banteon in the transport vehicle. His bright, beaming face lit up the dim interior of the car.
Banteon hadn’t even realized how long it had been since they’d seen each other like this. After they became adults, he couldn’t even remember the last time they’d spent time alone together. He gently patted the head of his younger brother, now taller than himself. The silver hair—identical to his own—fluttered softly, as if soothing his frayed nerves.
“You’ve always liked petting people’s heads, even back then.”
“Did I?”
“Remember that pitch-black hunting dog we had? Even when people told you not to go near it ‘cause it was dangerous, you always went and petted it.”
A vague memory surfaced—of the large dog they had as children in the family estate. It had been about as tall as young Banteon himself, and he’d been rather fond of the creature, often going to see it.
“Now that you mention it… Yeah, it was big, but it was gentle.”
“Gentle? Even the handlers had a hard time with that beast. But for some reason, whenever you showed up, it would lie down and roll over, begging to be petted.”
It sounded vaguely familiar. He’d probably heard something like that before but brushed it off with the thought, As long as it’s only gentle with me, it’s fine.
“Seeing your Esper kind of reminded me of those days. You’ve always had a thing with beasts, haven’t you? Still popular with the wild ones?”
“Don’t compare people to dogs.”
“Ohhh.”
Baiheron let out a deep, impressed sigh.
“So you actually like that Esper more than I thought, huh?”
“What made you think that?”
Banteon couldn’t understand why Baiheron would make such a comment after witnessing that awkward encounter with his own eyes. But his brother just grinned, clearly enjoying himself.
“You might speak politely, but when it comes to people, no one’s more strict than you. If you really didn’t like him, you would’ve snapped and said not to compare him to a dog because dogs are worth more.”
“……”
Banteon was left speechless at the logical deduction, turning his gaze to the distance for no real reason. Thinking back to his first impression of Delroz, Baiheron’s words rang true. Hadn’t he mentally ranked him lower than a worm at one point?
“Try getting along with him. He doesn’t seem like a bad person.”
Baiheron’s easygoing voice lingered in his ears. Banteon pretended not to hear, silently staring out at the scenery. The blood-red hue that had swallowed the sky bathed the full moon in crimson, as if setting it ablaze.
The car carrying the brothers drove smoothly toward the Center.
Later, they arrived at their destination, each heading to their own rooms to force sleep that wouldn’t come easily.
The next morning, news arrived that Rohan had been captured and imprisoned in a subterranean cell.
‘He was caught… that easily?’
That was Banteon’s first reaction—a spoiled thought, perhaps. Given all that Rohan had done and the viciousness of his powers, it was hard to believe he’d gone down without a fight.
But the Center Director’s message included his prisoner ID and exact cell location. Only then did it sink in that it was real.
His second thought: Now what? Even as he descended the prison stairs where Rohan was being held, he couldn’t find an answer. His footsteps echoed against the empty air, each step slow and heavy.
Some parts of the old prison, once used to confine regular criminals, had been renovated into isolation cells. But below those, the deeper levels remained untouched—still as harsh and neglected as ever.
The floor was so damp that even the soles of his shoes squelched with every step, and the walls were slick with moss, too filthy to touch. The faint, sporadic lighting flickered dimly overhead. Compared to the cell Delroz had once been confined in, this was far worse.
“You’re here already.”
Several people were already gathered outside Rohan’s cell. Among them was the Center Director, along with several senior officials.
Banteon offered a polite smile as he greeted the Director, who returned it with his signature kindly laugh.
“Hohoho, I couldn’t just sit around in a time like this. Would you like to see inside?”
Led by the Director, Banteon walked down a corridor so narrow that even two people passing side by side had to squeeze. After what felt like an eternity, they reached the cell where Rohan was being held.
Through the iron bars, he saw Rohan—bound head to toe.
A thick blindfold covered his eyes, and a leather gag was strapped across his mouth. His arms were tied behind the chair, and his legs were shackled to the floor. Completely motionless, he sat upright like a mannequin, unable to speak or move.
The lights were fully on, yet not a single shadow could be seen.
Banteon turned to the Director, who was watching Rohan.
“Is he conscious?”
“We gave him a sedative. It took more than double the dosage prescribed for an S-rank Esper to finally get him quiet.”
Double the amount used on an S-rank Esper. Sedatives for Espers contained toxic compounds—lethal to ordinary people in even a tenth of the standard dose. And they’d used twice the amount for an S-rank.
“So… what happens to him now?”
“Once we complete a few assessments and tests at the Center, he’ll be exiled to the Vernil Mountains along the border.”
After collecting every possible biological and research-related metric, they would send him to the far northern zone, where survival was near impossible.
Even farther north than the monster-infested regions where Baiheron was stationed, the Vernil Mountains were infamous for their brutal cold and perilous cliffs.
