“This shouldn’t be happening…”
Lucas muttered in a low voice. Even though there was no need to be too hasty, he kept getting an ominous feeling. The unchanging figures for a week seemed to be saying that Iberis’s body could no longer improve.
As if trying to shake off the negative thoughts, he lightly shook his head and rubbed his face. For a doctor who should be trying to cure the patient by any means, thinking that further treatment might be impossible was unacceptable for an attending physician.
Lucas fell into deep thought, pressing his temples firmly. In fact, if Iberis couldn’t be fully cured at this rate, there was one final method they could try.
Something he wouldn’t have even considered before knowing Iberis was his Name partner, but now a possible option. It was the ‘Imprinting’ that connects the souls of an esper and a guide.
“Hmm…”
Lucas hummed lowly, recalling the topic he had been pondering for weeks. He then moved the mouse to display the papers and data he had collected on his laptop screen. Despite decades of research, there was surprisingly little data on Names and Imprinting.
This was inevitable because Names were a phenomenon that only appeared in high-ranking ability users. Not only were there very few espers and guides capable of Imprinting, but most ability users tried to hide their Names even if they had them, making it difficult to find participants for experiments. The research done so far was mostly to solve special cases like the death of an Imprinting partner or failed Imprinting attempts.
What Lucas focused on were papers collecting cases of guides saving espers on the brink of death through unconscious Imprinting, and research reports recording physical changes in ability users who had Imprinted with their Name partners.
Looking at the contents of the papers and reports, there were many cases where various indicators such as the esper’s mana contamination level and physical damage rate changed dramatically after Imprinting. Scholars argued that this was because espers and guides shared souls through Imprinting.
They presented evidence of changes such as mana properties becoming similar, tastes aligning, or right-handed espers becoming left-handed like their guides after Imprinting. They claimed it was the result of two souls merging into one. They also explained that this was why people became incapacitated or their health rapidly deteriorated when their Imprinting partner died.
Regardless of the reason, assuming Imprinting was successful, it seemed worth trying for Iberis’s complete recovery. After all, Lucas was the picture of health.
The problem was that the opposite case also existed – when one of the esper or guide was in poor health, the other’s body could deteriorate as well.
Moreover, there were quite a few cases of accidents occurring during Imprinting. Excluding unconscious cases, the only known method of Imprinting was for the esper and guide to have a relationship while exchanging each other’s mana to the limit.
In this process, Imprinting failures often occurred, such as getting injured from being unable to handle the partner’s mana. This usually happened when there was a big difference in power, like when the esper was S-class but the guide was B-class, but even the same rank couldn’t be completely safe. After all, there were differences even among S-class users.
That’s why Lucas couldn’t bring up this treatment method to Iberis, even after thinking of it. He anticipated Iberis would object.
Would Iberis agree to the treatment after hearing that not only might his illness not be cured, but his lover’s body could deteriorate like his?
From what Lucas had seen, Iberis was definitely not that kind of person. With his kindness that put others before himself and his fear of losing any more loved ones, Iberis wouldn’t ignore the possibility that his beloved partner could get hurt.
“What should I do…”
Lucas sighed deeply, feeling a tightness in his chest. He had no intention of giving up on this method he had finally found. The problem was how to persuade Iberis.
Iberis’s cooperation was essential to proceed with Imprinting. Without his consent, they couldn’t even attempt it. But no matter how many days he racked his brain, he couldn’t think of a suitable way to convince Iberis.
“Huu…”
Lucas leaned back in his chair, feeling a throbbing in his head. It was a headache that had developed over the past few days. He crossed his arms and glared at the innocent laptop screen. It was a day of deepening concerns.
Chapter 11. 100%
“…Is this true?”
Winfried asked, putting down the report brought by his direct intelligence team leader. His voice trembled despite trying to appear calm.
“Yes, we’ve already completed cross-verification.”
The intelligence team leader bowed his head with a devastated expression. He was someone who had been tracking Livio with Winfried for a long time. As such, he knew well how important this matter was to the superior he had served for nearly 20 years.
“Although I can’t say it’s 100% certain as there’s still additional investigation to be done… my team and I are all convinced that former Major General Logan is the culprit.”
“Huh…”
A heavy sigh escaped Winfried’s lips. Given the cautious nature of the team leader, if he spoke like this, the credibility of the report was beyond doubt.
“Really… Livio Logan…”
Winfried closed his mouth without finishing his sentence. Despite being on the verge of fulfilling a long-cherished wish, he didn’t look happy.
“The data provided by Major Hyun was a great help. Without that USB, we wouldn’t have been able to put together the final puzzle piece.”
The team leader expressed gratitude towards Iberis. On Winfried’s orders, he had been digging into Livio Logan’s background for over 10 years, collecting numerous records of corruption and data.
However, they couldn’t find the truth about the death of the Armand couple, which was Winfried’s ultimate goal. Although circumstances clearly pointed to Livio’s involvement, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t find decisive evidence to break his alibi.
Livio was the one who had slipped away like a loach, not going to prison even when his corruption was exposed. To ensnare him, they needed to grasp irrefutable proof.
Unable to find evidence to disprove Livio’s alibi, one year passed, then two… After more than 10 years, the team leader became skeptical about uncovering the truth behind the Armand couple’s unjust deaths. He even advised to exclude their case when reporting Livio.
‘Twelve years is enough time for people’s memories to fade and evidence to disappear. The investigation into the Blake mansion fire has been stagnant, to the point where we don’t even know when we last obtained useful information. Especially in the last two or three years, there’s been no progress at all.’
‘…And?’
‘In my judgment, continuing the investigation will only waste time. I hear Livio is gearing up to return to the Defense Force. Shouldn’t we focus on preventing that first?’
‘How?’
‘With the evidence we’ve gathered so far, we could bring Livio Logan before a special prosecutor. We should arrest him first and then proceed with a reinvestigation…’
‘No, the military will never accept a request to reinvestigate the suspicious deaths of the Armand couple. It’s already been ruled an accident, and unlike Major Hyun’s whistleblowing, it wasn’t a case that shook the world. They won’t want to stir up trouble unnecessarily.’
‘Ah…’
‘Besides, you know there are people who helped former Major General Logan cover up the incident. What if we mention the case prematurely without evidence, and those feeling threatened act first? What if the evidence we haven’t found yet disappears?’
‘I’m sorry, my thinking was short-sighted.’
‘No, I understand your intentions. Honestly, I too… Huh, anyway, let’s try a bit harder.’
‘Yes, Major General.’
‘You’ve suffered a lot under an incompetent superior. I’m always grateful and sorry to you and your team members.’
‘Please don’t say that.’
‘It will continue to be difficult for a while, but… please try a little harder.’
A few months after concluding that conversation, Winfried gave the team leader a USB drive.
‘Copy this right away. Examine every bit of its contents thoroughly.’
‘What is this?’
‘You know Iberis Hyun, right? I received it from him. He says it’s a file compiled by the late Major Jackson, collecting evidence of Livio Logan’s corruption.’
‘Gasp. He handed it over to you, sir?’
‘Yes. So move quickly. We need to return the original.’
The stalled investigation gained momentum with the USB Winfried received from Iberis. The data left by the deceased Ryan instantly filled in gaps that the direct intelligence team had been searching for over 10 years.
The team leader and members cross-referenced the information on the USB with the data they had gathered so far. And they were able to obtain very significant results. They secured a clue to solve Livio’s alibi, which had been their biggest headache.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
