“Good news?”
“Yes. It’s the news you’ve been eagerly waiting for.”
“I have…?”
Lucas tilted his head slightly at Winfried’s words. Then, as if remembering something, he stared at him with a look that said, “Could it be…?”
“This afternoon, the approval for your official pair application came through.”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie about something like this? The official document should have been sent to the N-0 Unit by now. The approval should have arrived in your emails too, so check it.”
Finally. Lucas unknowingly gripped his drink glass tightly, realizing that something he had long wished for had come true. Although he no longer needed to be as fixated on becoming an official pair now that his relationship with Iberis was public, this would still serve as a safeguard for the future.
The Defense Force, which manages unclaimed lands around the world, is a very high-risk profession. As a result, cases of retirement from active duty due to injuries and such were quite frequent.
The problem was that even if either the esper or guide retired, many wished to maintain their pair relationship. Some even left the military to follow their partner. This was certainly not welcome for the Defense Force, which suffered from chronic manpower shortages.
Thus, a clause was added for official pairs stating that the esper-guide relationship could not be dissolved unless both parties agreed, even if one of them was no longer a soldier.
Even if a guide could no longer work in the field, it didn’t affect their ability to guide, and espers could take on less dangerous roles like training instructors or rear support instead of rift attacks. This was a way to keep them in the military somehow.
This meant that even if Lucas’s identity was revealed and he had to leave the military, the military leadership couldn’t arbitrarily separate the two.
It was also a shackle placed on Iberis. Although it shouldn’t happen, if the worst-case scenario occurred in the distant future and Iberis mentioned breaking up, this would give Lucas a justification to hold onto him.
Given Iberis’s strong sense of responsibility, it would be difficult for him to ignore and leave if Lucas didn’t agree to dissolve the pair.
“That’s great.”
Lucas smiled brightly, satisfied with the outcome in many ways.
“I didn’t expect the approval to come through so quickly…”
“How could they reject it when you exceeded the matching rate they set? Moreover, with the timely release of photos of you two dating… If they had rejected the official pair application in this situation, they would have faced criticism for forcibly separating a couple, so they reluctantly approved it.”
“That’s fortunate. If they had rejected it again, I was really thinking of going to the headquarters.”
“What?”
“I was going to show them the matching rate test results that were 10% higher than the condition they set and protest.”
“Oh? Did your matching rate increase again in the meantime?”
“Yes, we tested this morning, and the first digit changed.”
“The first digit? You mean it’s in the 90% range now…?”
“To be precise, it’s 93%.”
“Wow…!”
Winfried let out an excited exclamation at the number, which was much higher than expected.
“That’s truly remarkable. Although the average matching rate between Name partners is usually over 90%… How much has it increased in less than a month? If this gets out, scholars will all rush to study it.”
“I have no intention of becoming a research subject, though.”
“I’m just saying it’s that unusual of a phenomenon. You might break 100% soon at this rate.”
“Isn’t 100% the maximum for matching rates?”
“Come on, you know better than that. The machine can only measure up to 100%, but there’s a realm beyond that.”
Winfried lightly chided Lucas as if to say, “Don’t pretend you don’t know.” As he said, the matching rate that current machines could detect was up to 100%. However, the prevailing theory in academia was that the matching rate continued to increase even after that.
“Anyway, at this rate, you’ll reach 100% soon. When that happens, you won’t be able to hide the fact that you’re Name partners.”
If there was something to worry about, it was precisely that. Whether they were soldiers, guild members, or belonged elsewhere, ability users had to undergo mandatory annual physical examinations. For espers with exclusive guides or those in official pairs, the matching rate was also measured additionally. Like an awl in a pocket eventually poking out, it was inevitable that it would come out during the reporting process.
“100%…”
Lucas narrowed his eyes as he savored the sparkling water filling his mouth. Even for Name partners, it’s difficult to achieve 100%. That was a number only possible when the esper and guide infinitely trusted each other and shared a deep physical and emotional connection. It was a number that could never appear in a simple business relationship.
That’s why he honestly desired it. Although he didn’t think his feelings for Iberis could be quantified, it was a good way to prove his feelings to others with an authoritative result. Above all, it could be seen as a sign that Iberis had perfectly accepted him.
“For espers and guides who aren’t Name partners, even surpassing 90% is quite difficult. Even if you don’t reveal it, people will surely become suspicious.”
Lucas and Iberis had already shown an astonishing increase in their numbers. But surpassing 90%? There would be at least a few people who would have doubts and wonder, “Could it be…?”
Still, up to this point, it could be brushed off as them being exceptionally compatible. It’s not unheard of, and since it’s known that they’re in a relationship, people might just accept it. But if it exceeds 95%, that’s a different story. From that point on, it enters the “realm of Names.”
“Already 93%… Have you thought about how to respond to this going forward?”
“There’s nothing to think about. We won’t officially acknowledge it.”
“Hmm, so you’re going with the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ strategy. Many ability users choose that route.”
“There are people who have entered the so-called ‘realm of Names’ without actually having each other’s names. If someone asks, we’ll just say that’s how it turned out.”
“Well, it’s not like there aren’t cases of people surpassing the limits… They might be curious, but it would be hard to press the issue further. Not a bad plan.”
Winfried nodded. Baseless claims are difficult to give much weight to. As long as the parties involved don’t officially acknowledge it, it remains nothing more than rumors and gossip.
“Even so, you can’t avoid drawing attention. People will continue to suspect and pester you to confirm their guesses.”
Winfried wore a worried expression. Although the two S-class individuals wouldn’t be easily taken advantage of, he couldn’t help feeling anxious.
“Major Hyun, what do you think?”
Clank. Winfried set down his glass and turned his gaze to Iberis. As evident from the recent terrorist incident caused by the villain organization, there were quite a few people with ill intentions towards Iberis. This meant that even if Livio was out of the picture, the threat to his safety wouldn’t completely disappear.
“If someone targets you two, it’s obvious that the Captain would be in more danger than the Major. They’d consider an S-class guide easier to deal with than an S-class esper.”
“I suppose so.”
Iberis answered calmly, not flustered even though the question suddenly turned to him.
“Of course, given that the Captain single-handedly subdued an A-class esper, even if he was a drug addict, run-of-the-mill thugs wouldn’t dare to make a move… But you never know. There are many villains whose minds have gone haywire.”
“…”
“There are no perfect secrets in this world. I’ll try my best to prevent it, but rumors will spread someday. As you know, nothing is lighter than people’s tongues.”
Winfried leaned slightly towards Iberis. While he cared for both of them, if he had to choose one, Lucas was naturally more important.
“When that happens, do you have any other plans besides denying that you’re Name partners?”
“…I understand what you’re concerned about, General.”
Iberis, who had been silent for a moment, slowly opened his mouth. As he did so, he gently placed his hand on top of Lucas’s hand next to him.
“I promise you. I will protect the Captain with everything I have.”
“Huh?”
“As long as I’m alive, no one will be able to touch even a single hair on the Captain’s head. If anyone dares to harm him, not knowing their place, I’ll make them taste pain worse than hell.”
Iberis declared, looking straight at Winfried, emphasizing each word. Someone who didn’t know better might tsk at the arrogance, but Winfried knew this wasn’t an empty promise. He truly had the ability to do so.
So this was an expression of Iberis’s confidence, a noble vow, and a declaration to those who dared to target his lover.
“…Well, that’s reassuring.”
Winfried, who seemed to have lost his words for a moment, staring blankly at Iberis, soon made a sound like air escaping. Following his curving lips, the corners of his eyes also curved pleasantly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
