‘I’m okay, oppa.’
Regina comforted Lucas, who was crying heavily, weighed down by guilt. It wasn’t just empty words; she really was fine. Although it was inconvenient that she had to use a wheelchair or wear assistive devices to walk, from her perspective, it was well worth it to have saved her precious brother. If he had died, she would have been left alone in this world.
‘With Mom and Dad gone, if you had left me too… I, I would, sniff… I’m so glad you’re alive. Really.’
‘Regina…’
‘You, hic, have to stay with me. Okay? You can’t leave like Mom and Dad.’
‘…Alright.’
Lucas’s face crumpled with deep sadness at his young sister’s sincere words. That day, the boy who had become an adult vowed to live the rest of his life for Regina.
‘I promise, Regina. I’ll protect you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.’
‘Okay.’
‘I’ll definitely cure your legs too. Even if it’s difficult right now, we’ll find a way someday. No matter what it takes, for sure…’
Afterwards, Lucas made every effort to restore Regina to her original state. But besides curing her, he had one more thing he needed to do.
In the end, to achieve both avenging his parents and treating Regina, Lucas created a false identity and entered medical school. He also established Blake Medical Equipment and Pharmaceutical Company, using Thomas as a stand-in. Study, training, research, business… his days passed very busily.
Regina watched this process by Lucas’s side, missing nothing. She wanted to help him if she could, but there was nothing she could do.
Originally intelligent, she easily understood the situation despite her mind developing slower than others. So she chose to stay quiet so as not to worry everyone. She didn’t want to bother Lucas, who was already so busy because of her.
However, she couldn’t help the loneliness and helplessness that visited her from time to time. Of course, life confined to the mansion wasn’t lacking. The employees who shared her pain were always kind and devoted to her.
Even the fierce-looking, grim security guards were like gentle lambs in front of Regina. All her homeschooling friends were kind too. And Thomas, who took care of her in Lucas’s place, was beyond compare.
As long as she was inside Blake Manor, Regina had nothing to fear in the world. This place was practically a space just for her.
But sometimes, being constantly protected like a greenhouse flower felt stifling. The more this happened, the stronger her desire grew to help Lucas day by day.
Regina’s yearning grew even more after he enlisted in the defense force. Sometimes she was overwhelmed with self-loathing, thinking that if she had been stronger, her brother wouldn’t have had to shoulder all the burdens alone.
For this reason, Regina didn’t want to miss the opportunity that had come to her. It was her first chance to be of help to Lucas since that day 12 years ago.
“You’re right, Regina. My body isn’t normal right now.”
Feeling he couldn’t hide his condition, Iberis confirmed her suspicion. Then he added, as if to reassure her:
“But you don’t need to worry too much. I’m receiving treatment from Lucas. It will take time, but I’ll be healthy soon…”
“No. Our oppa can’t… um, it’s a bit confusing to call you both oppa. I’ll call you Major just for now. It seems easier to explain that way.”
Regina cleared her throat after stumbling over her words, then hurriedly continued:
“Lucas oppa is an amazing doctor, but… he won’t be able to completely cure you, Major.”
“…What?”
Iberis asked blankly, shocked by Regina’s assertion. His heart sank for a moment.
“What do you mean, Regina?”
Iberis asked in a trembling voice. Though he was neither a doctor nor a guide, it was hard to ignore Regina’s words. After all, she was a healing Esper with extraordinary talent, able to save people on the brink of death.
‘Not revealing your sister’s awakening… was to protect her, right?’
‘That’s correct. If it became known that she became an ability user, there’s a high chance our parents’ enemies would target us.’
Iberis bit his lip as a memory suddenly surfaced. Last night, he had talked with Lucas about Regina. And he learned why Lucas had raised Regina as an unregistered Esper.
‘Hmm, you’re right. You did well.’
Iberis thought Lucas had made a wise decision. If Livio was the culprit, he would likely have tried to eliminate the Blake siblings to avoid future problems. Even if he wasn’t the perpetrator, most would have made the same choice; in that respect, Lucas’s handling was excellent.
‘But it must be difficult to keep hiding it…’
In any country, concealing an awakening is a serious crime. Although they could avoid punishment by using the Blake family’s influence, they couldn’t avoid gossip.
Especially in England, where the royal family still exists and class culture is deeply ingrained in people’s lives. Because of this, the concept of noblesse oblige – that the nobility should contribute to society – was deeply rooted.
No matter the circumstances, if it became known that Regina, a direct descendant of a viscount family, had lived as an ordinary person for over 10 years, it would cause significant ripples. This was what Iberis was concerned about.
‘I suppose so. Personally, I wish Regina could live freely until the end.’
‘Why? England doesn’t forcibly mobilize ability users, right? They encourage activities in guilds or the military, but in Regina’s case, it’s special, so it should be enough for her to live as an ordinary person?’
‘Well… Regina’s ability is very dangerous. She’s not just a simple healing Esper.’
‘Huh?’
‘I mentioned before, didn’t I? That on the day our parents died, Regina healed me and became disabled… Personally, I still wonder how I survived then. At that time, I… had injuries so severe that it was difficult to avoid death. Honestly, I think I died once that day.’
‘What?’
Iberis’s eyes widened at the incomprehensible statement. He died once?
‘You mean… Regina brought you back to life?’
‘More precisely, you could say she revived me from a state of clinical death. My injuries were that serious.’
Lucas’s face darkened as he recalled the memory as vivid as if it happened yesterday.
‘Healing abilities work on the principle of abnormally accelerating recovery by activating the target’s body cells, like a potion. In other words, it means they can’t revive body parts that are dead or damaged beyond recovery. Even high-grade healing Espers, so-called healers, aren’t free from this limitation. But Regina was different.’
‘…’
‘Before I awakened as a guide, my body was already fully recovered by her ability. Perfectly, without even a small scratch. The ability Regina showed then was… closer to regeneration or restoration rather than healing.’
‘That’s impossible…’
‘The reason such a miracle was possible is that Regina used her own life force to heal me. It’s a kind of special ability.’
‘So the reason for Regina’s leg disability isn’t an after-effect of mana overload, but…’
‘Your guess is correct. In exchange for saving me, the nerves in Regina’s legs died.’
‘Ah…’
Iberis sighed softly, seeing Lucas’s painfully contorted expression. He didn’t know how to comfort him.
‘I’ve sometimes wondered if my dulled senses are more due to having died and come back to life rather than the aftermath of awakening. Anyway, if this ability becomes known, there will be many people targeting Regina.’
‘I see…’
Iberis’s face grew serious as he finally understood what Lucas was worried about. As he said, there were many in the world who would casually violate others’ lives to save themselves.
‘With that level of ability, she’s surely a high-grade Esper… It would indeed become troublesome in many ways, with kidnapping risks, scouting offers, and so on.’
‘Probably. Since she hasn’t taken a grade assessment, we can’t know for sure, but she’d be at least A-grade. That’s why I want to keep Regina as an unregistered ability user as long as possible. Someday she’ll have to go out into the world, but… unlike me, I want Regina to enjoy a peaceful daily life.’
Lucas expressed his earnest wish, his face marked with guilt and affection for his younger sister. All Iberis could do for him was to embrace him silently.
“Hmm, how should I put this… So, you know how there are things that are too severely broken to be repaired?”
Gulp. As Regina finally spoke after pondering for a long time, Iberis swallowed dryly, pushing away the thoughts in his mind.
“To my eyes, that’s exactly how you look, Major.”
A strange light flickered in the golden eyes staring intently at Iberis. Regina continued in a voice confident in her intuition.
“Right now, quite a lot of your body is dead. Even if Lucas oppa succeeds in treating you this time, unless the fundamental problem is solved, the illness will return anytime.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
