“Yes, Lieutenant General.”
“How long has it been since we’ve met like this? You look healthier than before.”
Winfried, after ordering his aide to bring tea, examined Iberis with kind eyes. He had already heard reports of improvement in his health, but seeing it with his own eyes made him feel proud.
“It’s all thanks to Captain Illum.”
“Haha, I was worried when I sent the Captain… But seeing your face, I think I made the right decision in pairing you two, despite the criticism.”
Winfried laughed heartily when Iberis credited his health improvement to Lucas. Indeed, Winfried had received numerous complaints for assigning Lucas, an S-class guide, exclusively to Iberis.
Not only the officials who were uncomfortable with Iberis due to past incidents but also the Espers who wanted Lucas’s guidance expressed their dissatisfaction. They claimed it was unfair for Iberis to receive special treatment.
The guides at headquarters, whose workload and complaints suddenly increased due to Lucas’s absence, also pleaded for his return. Having an S-class guide, who could provide effective guidance even with incompatible or low-matching Espers, dedicated to just one Esper was significantly inefficient.
But Winfried stood firm. Once he knew Lucas’s guidance was effective for Iberis, he intended to support it at least until Iberis regained his health. Naturally, people didn’t understand his decision.
Winfried wasn’t helping Iberis out of pure goodwill either. He had long wanted to draw him into the reform faction. He was also interested in the evidence of Livio’s corruption that Iberis might possess. There was also guilt for not being able to help him until the end during the scandal.
Above all, it was a matter of life and death. Once he knew Iberis was terminally ill, he couldn’t just sit idly by. It was his duty as a superior to take care of his subordinates.
That’s why, after much deliberation, he sent Lucas to Iberis. It was the best solution Winfried could take. Fortunately, his choice proved correct. Iberis’s health improved rapidly, and Lucas performed brilliantly as both a guide and a military doctor.
Then one day, something unexpected happened. Lucas requested to be officially paired with Iberis. Although he didn’t show it, Winfried was quite surprised at the time.
“Have some.”
“Thank you.”
Complex emotions filled Winfried’s eyes as he watched Iberis pick up the teacup with a proper posture. He had hinted at the possibility of making Lucas Iberis’s exclusive guide, but he thought it was realistically impossible. Even Lucas himself had seemed reluctant when he was first ordered to do so.
But in a matter of months, Lucas’s attitude had changed 180 degrees. He seemed to have grown much more attached to Iberis than expected. Once he realized this, everything he had overlooked before suddenly became significant.
After that, every time Winfried talked with Lucas on the phone, he brought up Iberis and closely observed his reactions. He concluded that Lucas had developed an excessive fondness for Iberis.
That’s why he attended the medal ceremony, even adjusting his schedule forcefully. He wanted to know exactly how Lucas felt.
Since he was the one who actively advocated for awarding Iberis the hero’s medal, he had ample reason to arrange a meeting with the two. Thus, Winfried was able to confirm Lucas’s state, which had been causing him to agonize for the past few months.
“Don’t just sip the tea, have some macarons and cookies too. You didn’t even have a proper lunch because you went out to the field this morning.”
“It’s fine…”
Iberis rolled his eyes at Lucas’s behavior, constantly urging him to have snacks. He seemed conscious of Winfried observing them with an interested expression.
“It’s not fine. You’ve lost weight these past few days, so you need to eat better. They have mint chocolate and strawberry flavors that you like, Major. They’re quite big… Shall I cut them for you?”
Unlike Iberis, Lucas focused solely on him. His attentiveness seemed extremely natural. It was apparent that he was used to doing this.
“Hoo…”
Would you look at that? Winfried’s eyes lit up as he watched Lucas tend only to Iberis, even with him present. It felt like he was getting a glimpse of how the two usually lived, a fragment of their daily life.
Did I know that guy could make such an expression?
More than anything, Winfried noticed how Lucas’s demeanor had softened. It was a side he had never seen before, even though he prided himself on having been close to Lucas for the past decade.
Everything about how Lucas treated Iberis – his tone, attitude, even his gaze – was different from the Lucas Winfried knew. Not only did he take care of the other’s meals, but he even knew his taste preferences. Winfried wondered if this was really the same person who had been so obsessively reluctant to allow others close to him.
Someone who didn’t know Lucas well might say this was natural behavior towards an Esper and patient under his care, but Winfried, who had countless times observed him guiding and treating Espers assigned to him at headquarters, could definitively say it was not.
Until now, Lucas had always been businesslike with whomever he was in charge of. He overflowed with responsibility as a guide and a sense of duty as a doctor, but nothing more. He had never once progressed to anything beyond that kind of relationship.
Moreover, he mercilessly rejected those who approached him with romantic interest, even using the excuse of premarital chastity, which was uncommon for the current generation.
‘Isn’t it a relationship that will end anyway when I return to being Lucas Lowell Blake after my revenge is complete? Besides, I didn’t enlist to play house.’
‘It might not end. Most people would understand if they knew your circumstances.’
‘I doubt it. If it were just an acquaintance, maybe, but if it were a relationship close enough to call friendship, wouldn’t they feel even more betrayed by the fact that they were deceived?’
Worried about Lucas not making even friends, let alone lovers, Winfried had said something, but he only received a cynical retort asking what the problem was.
‘Do you know when your revenge will end? Even if you use the name Luke Illum, your existence as you doesn’t change. Lucas, humans can never live alone. I don’t want you to isolate yourself.’
‘Yes, as you say, Lieutenant General, humans are social animals. That’s why I want to finish my revenge as soon as possible. I hope to return quickly to the house where Regina is, and spend peaceful days with my true people like Thomas and Caleb.’
‘……’
‘Thank you for your concern, but what’s important to me is finding my parents’ killers and getting revenge, and tracking down everyone even slightly involved in the incident to make them pay for their crimes.’
From that conversation, Winfried realized that Lucas’s time had stopped after his parents’ death. He still hadn’t moved a step away from that day.
That’s why Winfried continued to search for Lucas’s Name partner, even though Lucas himself said he wouldn’t look. He believed Lucas needed someone to thaw his heart, which was as bleak as a barren winter.
Knowing well the psychological stability that comes from a soul-bonded existence, Winfried desperately hoped for Lucas, who was like a son to him, to have at least one place to attach his heart.
To think that wish would come true in this way.
Winfried gazed at Lucas, who was meticulously caring for Iberis, with a face full of emotion. It was hard to believe, even though he was seeing it with his own eyes, that Lucas was so anxious about not being able to do more for Iberis, like a mother bird tending to its chick. If people who knew him saw this, they would all be shocked beyond belief.
“Captain, the Lieutenant General is watching. I appreciate your help, but, um, please restrain yourself a bit. I can eat on my own…”
Finally, Iberis nudged Lucas’s arm with his elbow, cautioning him. Winfried’s gaze seemed to be quite burdensome.
“Hm? Ah… The Lieutenant General isn’t the type to mind such things, so it’s fine.”
Only then remembering Winfried’s presence, Lucas spoke as if telling Iberis not to worry. As he said this, he cut a macaron into four pieces for easy eating, speared it with a fork, and offered it to Iberis.
“That’s right, don’t mind me. I was just thinking how glad I am to see you two getting along so well.”
Winfried smiled generously, gesturing with his chin as if to say ‘go ahead and eat’.
“To be honest, I was quite worried even after sending the Captain. As you’ve experienced, Major, he has a strong tendency to do things his own way…”
“Ah, yes. There is a bit of that.”
Iberis awkwardly replied as he put a piece of macaron in his mouth. A refreshing yet sweet taste spread throughout his mouth, but he didn’t have the presence of mind to savor it.
“Sometimes the Captain’s words or actions might seem impolite, but I hope you’ll understand with a broad mind. He doesn’t mean any harm.”
“I know.”
“You do?”
“Yes, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t surprised at first… but I’m used to it now.”
“That’s a relief. When he was at headquarters, there were occasional troubles with those who misunderstood the Captain’s attitude… My old man’s worry made me talk too much.”
“You don’t need to worry too much. I, and all the unit members, like the Captain…”
Iberis, stumbling over his last words without realizing it, sipped the hot, steaming tea as if his throat was blocked. Perhaps because he was still holding off on answering the confession? Even though it wasn’t meant in that way, he felt quite embarrassed telling Winfried that he liked Lucas.
