Chapter 9. 93%
“Did you see the article? Haha, I’m sorry.”
Iberis smiled awkwardly at Brenda’s squawking voice coming through the wireless earphones. His gaze shifted to the phone screen in his hand.
– You should have told me about this in advance! Do I have to learn about you two dating from an article?
“No, I was going to tell you, but the article came out first.”
– I’m really hurt. Shouldn’t I have known before everyone else? Right?
Brenda didn’t hide her disappointment. And for good reason—she had been acting as Iberis’s love counselor for months, cheering for the two of them. After all that effort, she hadn’t known about their relationship until the article came out. Honestly, she had a right to feel betrayed.
“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t intentionally hide it. I’ve been so busy lately that I forgot…”
– Sigh, alright. I’ll try to be understanding. When exactly did you start dating the Captain?
“After the incident with former Major Norris’s attack…”
– Ah, I see. As expected.
Brenda made a nasal sound as if her prediction had been correct.
– Adversity is essential for realizing love. I can guess the general situation.
“Really?”
“Yes, anyway, it’s going to be quite noisy when you return. Everyone in the unit is in an uproar. The whole unit has been turned upside down.”
“Huh? Why is the unit…?”
– Why? Because our 25-year-old perpetually single, romantically challenged unit commander is dating. Some are saying they’ve been suspicious for a while, others are certain you’ve been dating since the S-zone support operation. There’s even a betting pool on when you two became lovers.
“What?”
– Thanks to that, I think I’ll win quite a bit of money. Hehe, I bet on this vacation period.
Brenda’s cheerful laughter, having become the winner of the bet, came through the earphones. Only she and Caleb knew that Iberis had been contemplating Lucas’s confession until just before the vacation.
“What did the others bet on?”
– Let’s see… Ah, the S-zone operation and the villain organization’s terrorist incident were the most popular.
“The terrorist incident I can understand, but since the S-zone support operation? That’s a ridiculous guess.”
– Well, to be honest, the air between you two was a bit subtle around that time.
“Huh?”
Iberis’s eyes widened at the unexpected comment. Then, as if suddenly understanding, he let out an “Ah.” At that time, they had started doing mana showers in addition to level 1 guiding, so he had been a bit more conscious of Lucas.
– Even if you were like that, Captain Illum’s attitude was noticeably different…
“The Captain?”
– Yes, he was cold to everyone else, but in front of you… Well, it’s hard to describe, but it was like that. When I heard he had confessed to you, I was surprised but also felt like I should have known.
“Hmm.”
Iberis puffed his cheeks slightly and let out a sigh. At the time, he had been too busy adjusting to living with Lucas to notice his surroundings, but learning that Lucas had been conscious of him even then made his lips twitch involuntarily.
No, actually, he had vaguely sensed it. Being in the same unit, he had often witnessed Lucas training or treating other unit members.
Lucas was consistently cold to people who showed interest in him. He rarely let anyone get close, and Iberis had heard unit members complaining about being hurt by his behavior a few times.
Yet this same Lucas didn’t hesitate to meddle in Iberis’s affairs. He also took meticulous care of every aspect of Iberis’s daily life. While this was appropriate as Iberis’s guide and primary physician, it felt off to be just because of work. His voice, expressions, everything was clearly different from how he treated others.
Looking back now, Iberis felt he might have felt a slight sense of superiority at being treated specially by Lucas. At the same time, he had worried if he was being overly self-conscious. That’s how confusing Lucas’s attitude could be.
But hearing from Brenda today that others had seen it the same way made him smile foolishly.
– Anyway, not just our unit, but the entire N-zone is in a stir. Unit commanders are calling one after another to ask if it’s true.
“Huh? Ah, so that’s why I had so many missed calls. Since I’m not answering, they must be bothering you. Deal with them as you see fit.”
– Yes. …But will you be okay?
“About what?”
– The person behind the attack on the Captain this time is rumored to be Guild Master Logan again… Isn’t it dangerous for your relationship to be known?
“It’s fine. We discussed it and decided together.”
Iberis’s smile deepened at Brenda’s concern.
– Is that so?
“Yeah, we figured the Captain and I are already targets of former Lieutenant General Logan anyway… We thought it would be better to just come clean.”
– So did you purposely let yourselves be photographed?
“Let’s say we were okay with being photographed or not…”
Iberis trailed off, scrolling through the article on his phone screen with his thumb. In fact, he found it strange that journalists would consider this a scoop. Why was the romance between a Defense Force Major and Captain so important? They weren’t celebrities.
Of course, the journalists probably didn’t intend to write such an article at first. The reason they had been loitering in front of the hospital yesterday was to get an interview with Lucas, the victim of what was being called a terrorist attack on the European branch of the Defense Force by a former soldier.
However, no one had the courage to approach the two S-class ability users and get permission for an interview. Iberis and Lucas had subtly leaked mana to prevent the reporters from disturbing their private time. As a result, they ended up just taking countless photos before leaving.
And today, along with reporting that the victim Lucas appeared to have no health issues, they published photos of the two with an added note suggesting they were dating.
“The Captain is famous in Paris now. As the guide who defeated an A-class esper.”
– Ah, I saw that article too. Billy, was it? The interview with the guide who was with the Captain on the day of the incident is causing quite a stir.
“Right. Because of that, interview requests have been pouring in, but we’ve rejected them all. So now they’re staking out near the hotel.”
– Wow, you’ve practically become celebrities. Well, with the recent terrorist incident bringing your story back to the surface, Major… And both of you have been attracting global attention for your looks, right? Your photos have been spreading on various community sites, and several fan pages have popped up? I guess it’s good material for journalists.
Brenda spoke as if she understood. While Iberis and Lucas had fans before, their recent consistent media exposure over the past few months seemed to have significantly increased their recognition. It was enough to make click-hungry journalists follow them around like paparazzi.
“Yeah, that’s right. I spoke with Lieutenant General Bismarck this morning, and he suggested we make good use of public opinion since things have turned out this way. You know how some newspapers have been persistently raising suspicions about Mars Guild’s involvement for the past few days? It seems that’s his handiwork too.”
– Lieutenant General Bismarck?
“Yes, he says that while people might dismiss it once, if similar controversies arise twice, they start to believe it’s the truth… He plans to keep applying pressure this way to push Mars Guild out of its position as a Defense Force contractor. He says that would make their return impossible for good.”
Iberis relayed Winfried’s plan as he had heard it from Lucas. The reason the commotion in the European branch could be reported so extensively was because the military’s security system had been breached, and the award ceremony had been attended by famous figures including politicians and corporate executives. Since there could have been issues with their safety, media outlets connected to related political parties and companies showed interest.
As the investigation into Carlos made no progress, Winfried actively used the situation where public attention was focused to tarnish Livio’s reputation. And he informed Lucas of his future plans.
“He says the probability of former Lieutenant General Logan being behind this is high, but it doesn’t matter even if he’s not. Whether he planned this incident or not is not important, apparently.”
– Hmm, I think I understand what you mean. It’s better for us if we can take them down, whether they’re guilty or not.
“Right. Anyway, I might have to extend my vacation because of this. It looks like I won’t be able to return until next month… Is that okay?”
– Don’t worry about things here. These days, rifts aren’t occurring often… and with villain organizations being wiped out, public safety is stable. Above all, Mars Guild is working hard.
“Mars Guild?”
– Yes, it seems they’re trying to make up for the bad public opinion somehow. There’s a use for everything, they say… Thanks to that, work has been very easy lately.
“Who would have thought the day would come when they’d be helpful to us.”
– Indeed. After the articles about this European branch incident came out, the guild’s image, which had been recovering, hit rock bottom again. They must be feeling pretty bitter about it.
Brenda giggled as if to say “serves them right.” She then relayed a few matters that needed Iberis’s review. After chatting for a few more minutes, the two ended the call with smiles.
“Alright. I’ll contact you again when I have a definite schedule. Call me immediately if anything happens.”
After pressing the end call button, Iberis leaned back on the sofa with a slightly tired expression. He then calmly organized in his mind the events that had unfolded while he and Lucas had been holed up in the hotel.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind. Soon, silver hair that seemed to hold starlight flowed down, tickling his cheeks and shoulders. Then, a soft warmth touched the nape of his neck.
