“…I’m not angry, I’m worried.”
Lucas lightly touched Iberis’s pale cheek with his finger, then gently pinched and released his slightly reddened nose bridge.
“Trying to smooth things over with your charm, when did you become so cunning?”
“When did I… You’re the one who’s good at using charm.”
“Me?”
Lucas tilted his head sideways in question. His hair, shimmering faintly despite being covered in ash and dust, flowed down gracefully.
“See? Even now… Ahem, anyway, if I’ve picked up any bad habits, it’s all because of you. I learned it all from you.”
Iberis averted his gaze as Lucas’s golden eyes, visible beneath his thick lashes, met his with a sparkling glow.
“Huh… So I’m the culprit?”
“That’s right. You know I’m weak to your face and you’ve been taking advantage of it, yet you’re pretending not to know.”
“Hmm, it’s a bit unfair, but let’s say that’s true. Anyway, even if you look at me cutely, I won’t let it slide. I worked hard to improve your complexion, and then you go and overuse your abilities… Even though I asked you not to…”
“It was necessary.”
Iberis quickly cut off Lucas’s words as he sensed the start of a lecture. If he didn’t stop it here, he’d be scolded for a long time.
“I had to show an overwhelming performance to prevent that man from doing anything strange.”
Iberis added the reason for overusing his ability as he slowly wrapped his arms around Lucas’s waist. Then he glanced sideways at Livio, who was talking with his guild members. Despite using his ability quite a bit, Livio seemed relaxed, suggesting his mana stability and stamina were probably better than Iberis’s.
“He kept glancing at you during the battle. If I had left him alone, he would have definitely tried something.”
Iberis spoke, vowing that if he had to fight Livio in the future, he would end it quickly. His tone was certain of his thoughts.
He couldn’t help but think this way because when Livio missed the timing to burn the Black World Tree’s roots, Iberis had witnessed him staring at Lucas, clenching and unclenching his fist as if contemplating something.
How dare he.
Anger welled up as he recalled the situation. At that moment, Livio must have realized that Lucas was the main contributor to Iberis’s recovery and was considering whether to eliminate him right then. Iberis easily guessed Livio’s inner thoughts.
What would have happened if I hadn’t called out to Livio?
Iberis bit his lip as he imagined the consequences. His arms tightened around Lucas’s waist. Then a large hand gently stroked his hair, as if to calm his excitement.
“Well, he did seem flustered watching you fight.”
Lucas, embracing Iberis in return, recalled the memory. As he did so, he drew up his mana. The body in his arms was so cold, he wanted to warm it up quickly.
He looked around for Yurina, the overall commander of this operation. As much as he wanted to take Iberis to the car right away, he couldn’t leave the battlefield arbitrarily unless it was an emergency situation like mana overload or injury. He needed her permission to leave.
“He must have been eagerly waiting for me to weaken… but the opposite happened, so it’s understandable.”
Iberis grumbled knowingly, completely entrusting his body to Lucas. The Livio he knew was typically strong against the weak and weak against the strong, and he hated losing. That’s why he hadn’t touched Iberis until now.
So it was all the more necessary to show him this time. To ensure Livio wouldn’t dare think of attacking them recklessly.
“He must have been quite surprised today. He’ll be quiet for at least a few weeks.”
Iberis let out a languid sigh as he felt the mana slowly thawing his frozen body. As the warmth like spring sunshine seeped into his cool skin, his body involuntarily shivered.
“How can you be so sure?”
Chup. Lucas whispered, kissing the reddened back of Iberis’s ear. As his hot breath tickled the earlobe, Iberis’s dry shoulders instinctively shrank.
“Heh, I know that man as well as he knows me. When he gets back, he’ll probably be busy re-analyzing my capabilities from scratch. Besides, he’s been under media attack lately. He’s not in a position to focus solely on us…”
Iberis snuggled deeper into Lucas’s embrace, whispering softly so only the two of them could hear. Winfried was making good use of the USB, Ryan’s keepsake. She was gradually releasing the information on the USB inside and outside the Defense Force, shaking up the conservative faction associated with Livio and forming public opinion that a special investigation should be opened.
Perhaps because interest in Iberis and Lucas hadn’t waned yet, the media eagerly discussed the allegations whenever they were raised. Internet news sites obsessed with views and cyber wreckers were even more intense.
Thomas also played a part in maintaining the fervor over the Defense Force’s corruption and the misconduct of former military personnel, topics that ordinary people might not be very interested in. Whenever news about Livio was broadcast or articles were published, advertisements for Blake Medical Equipment and Pharmaceutical Company appeared on those broadcasting stations and newspapers.
“Hearing you say that makes me a bit disappointed.”
“Hm? About what?”
“If the Guild Master had caused trouble today, we could have arrested him right away…”
“Don’t say things like that. You could have been hurt.”
Iberis frowned slightly and slapped Lucas’s back with his hand. If Livio had deliberately attacked Lucas, he might not have been so unscathed.
“I’m not so weak as to be helplessly defeated by trash like that.”
“You’re probably the only one who can speak of an S-class esper like that.”
Iberis shook his head as if to say he couldn’t help it. He knew that Lucas was much stronger than the average guide. He had seen with his own eyes how Lucas had subdued Carlos, an A-class esper, without major injury, making him wonder if Lucas had become a drug addict.
But the difference between A-class and S-class was enormous. Even Iberis had to be prepared for injury if he fought Livio, so there was no way Lucas could come out unscathed.
“Even if I can’t kill him, I’ve trained for a long time to be able to subdue him. I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
Lucas smiled reassuringly as Iberis’s expression darkened. From the moment he suspected Livio was his parents’ enemy, he had been researching how to defeat espers. His superior marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat skills were part of that effort. He wanted to catch Livio with his own hands when the truth came to light.
“Are you saying you can win without getting a single scratch?”
“Well, that’s a bit…”
“See? That’s why it’s not okay.”
Iberis said firmly with a stern expression. Then he added in a lowered voice.
“…I’m enough to be the only one who can leave marks on your body.”
“Pardon?”
“…What.”
“What did you just say? I didn’t hear it clearly.”
“Liar. You heard everything.”
Iberis buried his face in Lucas’s chest as if trying to hide his blushing face. The shoulders and back under his fingertips were covered with nail marks he had left the night before. There were also several bite marks and bruises he had left on Lucas’s neck and chest.
“I really didn’t hear… Say it again, please?”
“No. *cough*!”
As Lucas’s voice, tinged with amusement, wrapped around his ears, Iberis shook his head, feeling even more embarrassed. Suddenly, he burst into a cough. The mana that seemed to be settling was stirring up again.
“Are you alright?”
Lucas, who had been grinning, turned serious as soon as Iberis started coughing. He knew that light guiding like a hug wouldn’t be enough to resolve the overuse of abilities, but he had foolishly let his guard down because Iberis seemed fine.
“This won’t do. Let’s not wait for Major Russell and just go for guiding.”
“Don’t make a fuss. It’s just a little cough.”
“Your mana isn’t settling. Your body is still ice-cold… If you insist on staying, I’ll proceed with stage 2 right here.”
“What? No!”
Iberis raised his voice in panic as Lucas lowered his head as if about to kiss him right away. He might die of embarrassment if they kissed, not just pecked, in front of people.
“Wait! Okay, I’ll receive guiding, let’s go to the car.”
“Major Hyun!”
Just as the two were bickering, Yurina Russell, who had returned from checking on the injured, came running with a broad smile.
“Thank you! Thanks to you, the operation ended successfully!”
“I’m sorry, Major Russell. Could we postpone your conversation for later?”
“Huh?”
“We were just about to go for guiding.”
Lucas explained the situation to Yurina on Iberis’s behalf, seeking her understanding. Otherwise, they might be held up for several minutes listening to her unnecessary words of gratitude.
“Sorry, Major Russell. Could I ask you to handle the clean-up? I’m a bit tired from using so much power…”
“Oh, of course! Go and rest!”
Yurina hurriedly stepped aside as Iberis, peeking his face out from Lucas’s embrace, asked for understanding. Everyone knew that guiding was the most necessary thing for an esper who had just finished combat.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
