“This is the last one.”
“…Finally, it’s over.”
Lucas quickly reviewed the contents of the last document he received, then picked up his fountain pen and signed it.
“Good work.”
Thomas smiled broadly, looking as relieved as if a troublesome tooth had been pulled. Then he turned his gaze to Iberis.
“You’ve worked hard too, Major. It must have been quite boring?”
“Not at all.”
Iberis smiled at Thomas, who seemed apologetic towards him, as if to say it was fine.
“Are you tired?”
“My eyes are a bit dry.”
Lucas answered, closing his eyes and pressing his eyelids with his hand. After reading all those documents at once with intense concentration, his eyeballs felt like they were about to pop out.
“We finished earlier than expected. Shall we go out for dinner together? You said you booked a hotel nearby, right?”
Thomas suggested dinner while organizing the documents, checking the sunset outside the window.
“Hmm, should we? The reporters will be lingering outside waiting for us to come out, so it might not be bad to show ourselves once more… What do you think, Major?”
“I’m fine with it.”
“Where are we going?”
Lucas looked back at Thomas after getting Iberis’s agreement.
“There’s a fine dining restaurant we often use to entertain guests who visit the headquarters. Let’s go there.”
Thomas called the secretary waiting at the door and ordered him to contact their regular restaurant for a reservation.
“You must be tired from the long journey… Shall we talk about the Mars Guild tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
Lucas responded halfheartedly while adjusting Iberis’s clothes as he stood up. They had plenty of time since they were planning to stay in England until the day after tomorrow anyway.
“Ah, an intelligence agent will come here the morning after tomorrow. I’ll introduce them to you, so be aware.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Our method of communication is a bit cumbersome, isn’t it? I know you prioritize safety, but I thought it would be better to exchange information promptly until we eliminate the Mars Guild. So I asked General Bismarck to send someone to use as a liaison.”
Lucas explained the situation to Thomas. Until now, the two had been communicating once a month through heavily encrypted business-related documents for secrecy. They would occasionally talk directly using secure phones for urgent matters, but they tried to refrain from this due to the risk of wiretapping.
This was necessary because Lucas Lowell Blake’s movements were being watched not only by Livio but by others as well. As Blake Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals grew rapidly, people with vested interests in the family, as well as competing companies, started paying attention to him.
As a result, there were hacking attempts on the company’s system every few months. Finding listening devices in offices and laboratories was common, and they had turned industrial spies over to the police several times.
They didn’t stop at Viscount Blake but even approached Luke Illum, knowing his significant contribution to the company’s extraordinary growth rate.
Because of this, Lucas had to deal with various scouting offers, attempts to break into his personal lab, and unauthorized photography until he was assigned to the remote N Zone.
Above all else, the true identity of Luke Illum must never be revealed, so Thomas communicated with Lucas by changing their contact method every month. Also, all documents were written in code in case they were intercepted.
While this method had the advantage of high security, it had the disadvantage of not being able to respond quickly when issues arose. Lucas had asked for Winfried’s help to solve this problem. They decided to borrow the communication network used exclusively by her direct intelligence agents until they eliminated their target, Livio.
“I understand. But won’t you be visiting the family home?”
Thomas asked suddenly, as if he just remembered, nodding with a reluctant expression.
“Hm? The family home?”
“Yes, Miss Regina misses you a lot.”
Regina. Lucas’s golden eyes wavered at the name of his sister that Thomas mentioned. In fact, he had considered meeting her briefly since he was in England, but the timing was too bad.
“Since you’ve come all this way, how about spending a night at the family home and spending some time with Miss Regina?”
“That’s out of the question.”
“Hmm, is it too much after all? Then shall I bring Miss Regina here tomorrow?”
Thomas carefully suggested while gauging Lucas’s reaction. Taking care of Regina in Lucas’s place, he knew well how much she missed her brother.
“I haven’t been able to contact her much lately due to various issues… Is she angry?”
“Well… She hasn’t said ‘I hate you, brother’ yet…”
“That’s a relief, at least.”
Lucas sighed in relief. If the words ‘I hate you, brother’ came out of Regina’s mouth, it meant she was very upset.
What should I do?
Lucas sighed softly, lost in thought. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his younger sister. After all, he hadn’t met Regina in almost a year.
However, he couldn’t readily agree given the current situation where many eyes, including Livio’s, were on him. If Regina were to become Livio’s target by mistake, it would be disastrous.
“Hmm.”
Lucas hesitated, unable to make a quick decision. While his head told him it was better to just return as is for his sister’s safety, the desire to see her, even if briefly, kept welling up inside him.
“I think it would be okay to go see your sister…”
At that moment, Iberis, who had been listening intently like a rabbit with perked-up ears since Thomas mentioned Regina, gently interjected into the conversation.
“Pardon?”
“We don’t know when you’ll be able to come to England again after returning to the unit. You should at least see her face while you’re here.”
Iberis cautiously expressed his opinion. Lucas and Regina were such close siblings that he had once misunderstood their relationship.
Especially Lucas, who regarded his younger sister almost like a daughter. It was understandable, given that she was his only remaining family after their parents passed away, and there was quite an age gap between them.
‘If it weren’t for Regina, I would have lost my life along with my parents.’
‘I only feel sorry for that child. She became disabled because of me, and I kept leaving her alone while pursuing revenge…’
Iberis tightened his lips, recalling what Lucas had told him about Regina on the plane to the European branch. Lucas’s phone gallery was full of Regina’s photos and videos sent by Thomas. It was a clear indication of how much he cherished his sister.
Above all, Iberis knew that the reason Lucas couldn’t visit Regina, unlike when he was at headquarters, was because of him.
After all, N Zone was a dangerous area where rifts could open at any time, and monsters from the demon realm could cross the boundary. If a high-level rift occurred while Lucas was away and Iberis had to overexert himself, the tower they had carefully built could crumble.
So, from the moment Lucas became Iberis’s guide, he stayed by his side every single day without fail. It started with a sense of duty to successfully carry out the mission, but as time passed, affection mixed in, and at some point, it turned into a desperate desire to save Iberis at all costs.
As a result, Lucas increasingly became like Iberis’s shadow. Like a thread following a needle, he followed Iberis around except during work hours. It was the same on holidays.
Knowing how much effort Lucas put into him, Iberis felt a strong sense of indebtedness. That’s why he wanted Lucas to meet Regina even more. The happiness one can get from family is different from what a lover can provide.
“I think it would be fine to stay a night at your family home.”
“But…”
“Luke, I understand what you’re worried about… Um, couldn’t we make it look like I’ve been invited to Viscount Blake’s house in others’ eyes?”
“You, Major?”
“Yes. The original purpose of coming here was to let those involved in your parents’ death know that the Blake family and I have formed a friendly relationship, right? Inviting someone to your home usually means you’ve become close, so it should have a big effect.”
“Ah.”
“Besides, you’re my guide, so no one will find it suspicious if you accompany me. Everyone will probably be too busy wondering why the notoriously reclusive Viscount has opened his heart to me enough to invite me to his home, and what kind of deal has been made between us.”
As if to say he could relax, Iberis gently grasped Lucas’s hand. Then he added words to end Lucas’s hesitation.
“And I want to meet Regina too.”
“…Regina?”
“Yes, your family is practically my family now. I’d like to greet her on this opportunity… Is that not possible?”
Iberis threw out his trump card towards Lucas, who was almost convinced by his persuasion. His eyes, shining as brightly as sunlight, wavered as he spoke the clinching words.
“That’s a great idea!”
Thomas, noticing Lucas wavering, chimed in at the right moment.
“Let’s do as the Major suggests, young master. We were planning to discuss strategies to bring down the Mars Guild tomorrow anyway. Why don’t you have lunch with Miss Regina at the family home, and then we can make detailed plans in the afternoon?”
“Hmm.”
“I’ll formally send a lunch invitation to the hotel where you two are staying later tonight. That should spread the rumors on its own.”
“…Alright.”
With Iberis and Thomas joining forces, Lucas had no choice but to give in. He finally nodded his head.
“Regina might be surprised if we suddenly show up, so let’s stay at the hotel as planned tonight… As you said, we’ll visit the family home for lunch tomorrow. Make sure to tell Regina in advance.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll send a car at the appropriate time. Miss Regina will be overjoyed to hear that you’re coming, young master.”
Thomas beamed with an excited face. He could already picture how happy Regina would be. And so, Lucas and Iberis’s visit to the family home was swiftly decided.
