“Yes, Major.”
Lucas answered as he met the unfocused silver-gray eyes after separating his lips. He rubbed the reddened corners of Iberis’s eyes with his hand.
“…?”
Iberis blinked slowly, as if not understanding the current situation. His head felt foggy, as if submerged in water. He couldn’t remember where he was or why he was in this state.
“Ugh.”
Trying to raise himself to assess the situation, Iberis groaned as he felt the world spin. As the drowsiness faded, an intense headache came on as if someone was hitting his head with a hammer. Not just his head, but his entire body ached.
“Are you alright?”
“Urgh, ha, where, why am I here…”
Iberis rambled incoherently while leaning on Lucas for support. He looked around with his eyes and made a puzzled expression upon seeing the familiar surroundings. They were in Iberis’s bedroom.
“Cough, cough! When did I come to the quarters?”
“Don’t you remember?”
Lucas placed a pillow behind Iberis’s back and helped him lean against the bed’s headboard. It was understandable that he was disoriented after being ill for an entire day since returning to the unit.
“Hmm…”
Iberis furrowed his brow slightly and slowly traced his memories. He recalled losing consciousness in the crack, returning to the unit, having the poison removed and his wounds treated in the infirmary. Then he returned to his quarters with Lucas, and…
“I remember showering…”
“Ah, yes. You insisted on bathing alone, saying you didn’t need my help.”
“It’s more comfortable to shower alone…”
Iberis mumbled in a hoarse voice. Not long after awakening as an Esper, when his mana control was still poor, he often caused accidents in the bathroom.
Because of this, Iberis had been using a private bathroom since his days as a boy soldier. Even without this reason, he had a strong aversion to showing his naked body to others.
“I can’t remember anything after showering.”
Iberis wiggled his right foot, which felt oddly sore, and looked at Lucas as he spoke of the gap in his memory.
“You fell asleep right after coming out from the shower. Then you were ill for a full day.”
“A day has passed?”
“Yes. On your attending physician’s judgment, you’re currently on a week’s sick leave. Lieutenant Cali is handling various duties as acting unit commander. The N-9 unit has taken charge of cleaning up the terrorist scene caused by the villains.”
“Ah…”
Iberis bit his lip upon hearing about the events that had occurred while he was unconscious.
“Don’t bite.”
As he habitually set his teeth on his lower lip, a blunt thumb pressed firmly on the bitten flesh. Then it lightly wiped away the moisture at the corner of his mouth before pulling away.
The touch felt strangely erotic, making Iberis momentarily feel odd. He unconsciously avoided Lucas’s gaze and cleared his throat, covering his mouth with his hand.
“Do I have to rest for a whole week?”
“It depends on your recovery speed. If not careful, you might need to rest even longer.”
“Then former Lieutenant General Logan’s suspicions will increase…”
“Don’t worry about that man. Everyone knows you pushed yourself too hard this time. We’ve leaked to the press that you experienced mana rampage symptoms due to consecutively handling the villain arrest and hidden dungeon clear. Without decisive evidence, he can’t make hasty conclusions.”
“The villains…”
“They’re all in custody. Currently, Caleb is interrogating them one by one.”
“Ensign Denver?”
“Yes, he has some expertise in that area. Once your condition improves a bit, I also plan to interrogate them, so don’t worry about this for now. Your job right now is to rest well and recover as quickly as possible.”
Lucas clicked his tongue as he placed the back of his hand on Iberis’s flushed cheeks. The fever had risen again just from their brief conversation. He took out fever reducers and painkillers he had brought and asked,
“How do you feel?”
“Well, I’m cold but hot… Cough, cough! It’s somehow different from usual…”
“That’s because your fever is very high. Having been on death’s doorstep, it’s no wonder your body isn’t normal.”
“Shouldn’t I feel hot if I have a fever?”
“High fevers usually come with chills. Add to that your unique constitution, and it’s bound to be more severe.”
“I see. I rarely get fevers, so I didn’t know.”
Iberis clenched and unclenched his hand, from which cold energy was leaking, with an embarrassed expression. At that moment, he clearly remembered feeling death. If Lucas hadn’t appeared, he might have died. No, he definitely would have died. His silver-gray eyes sank into darkness.
“You woke up at just the right time. I was wondering how to give you medicine and treat you…”
“Medicine?”
“Yes, there’s a limit to what can be resolved with IV fluids.”
“IV? Ah.”
Only then did Iberis notice the IV inserted in the back of his hand. The fact that he hadn’t been aware of it until Lucas mentioned it showed just how poor his condition really was.
“What’s this?”
“Glucose and vitamins. It also contains some sedative and antipyretic components.”
Lucas explained while brushing away the hair stuck to Iberis’s forehead. Then he brought up the main point.
“If you’re alright with it, I’d like to proceed with guiding right after you take the medicine.”
“Guiding…?”
Iberis’s eyes widened at Lucas’s words. Scenes he had momentarily forgotten started unfolding in his mind. The sensation of their breaths mixing, saliva intertwining, and his entire body being forcibly heated up vividly came back to life.
“Yesterday, due to the urgency of the situation, I performed guiding without your consent. I’m sorry. Were you uncomfortable?”
“No, it was… fine.”
It was problematic because it felt too good. Iberis tried to act nonchalant, forcing strength into his face. As he recalled the sensation of that moment, his fingertips and shoulders tingled as if electricity was coursing through them.
“That’s a relief. Then it seems we can continue with level 2 guiding from now on.”
“Huh?”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Of course I’m surprised…! What do you mean you’re going to do level 2 guiding again?”
“I mean exactly what I said. Level 2 guiding is no longer an option, but a necessity.”
“A necessity?”
“Yes. Yesterday, you nearly died. All the various indicators, such as your internal mana contamination level and physical damage rate that had improved over the past few months through guiding, have all been ruined. Perhaps because of that, the level 1 guiding I attempted while you were asleep to calm your unstable mana showed no significant effect.”
“…”
“Fortunately, the simple test conducted this morning showed that yesterday’s level 2 guiding was very effective. Your matching rate, which had been stagnant, also increased by 1%.”
Lucas informed Iberis of the simple test results, arguing for the necessity of level 2 guiding.
“Therefore, as your attending physician and exclusive guide, I recommend level 2 guiding.”
“Huh…”
It was more of a notification than a recommendation. Iberis gaped blankly at Lucas, who seemed to have already made his decision.
“Wait, are you allowed to do that? Weren’t you all about premarital chastity?”
“Are you still concerned about that? It seems you’re more fixated on it than I am. My premarital chastity is already gone after yesterday’s events.”
“That’s why I’m saying this. Because of me…”
Iberis trailed off, feeling a shadow fall over his head. Lucas had leaned his upper body towards him.
“You know, don’t you? My talk of premarital chastity at first was just an excuse to reject those who pestered me for personal meetings and to prevent unwanted approaches in advance.”
“That’s…”
Iberis’s eyes trembled as a warm, firm hand grasped his slender chin. Even with this insignificant touch, the pleasure and heat he felt yesterday kept coming back, making his body tense up repeatedly.
“If you’re so concerned, why don’t you take responsibility?”
Thump. Lucas whispered softly, as if sharing a secret, as he pressed his forehead against Iberis’s. A heat like a mirage rose in his golden eyes illuminated by the light, creating a strange gleam. He moistened his lower lip with his tongue, feeling an unbearable thirst.
“…What?”
“You can take responsibility for taking my first kiss.”
“What…”
Iberis’s eyes flew open, momentarily at a loss for words. Then, as if feeling wronged, he squinted one eye and protested.
“If, if you put it that way, it was my first kiss too, you know?”
“Is that so? Then we can fairly take responsibility for each other.”
Lucas gently curved his eyes towards the visibly flustered Iberis. Following the delicately folded eye lines, his lips also drew an elegant arc.
Momentarily captivated by the beautiful smile like a flower blooming under moonlight, Iberis soon came to his senses. Then he looked at Lucas with an expression that seemed to question if he had heard correctly. His words just now…
“What do you mean by responsibility… Are you saying we should get married?”
Iberis moved his lips, unable to hide his bewildered expression. He was so surprised that his voice cracked miserably at the end.
“Hmm, isn’t it a bit strange to become a married couple just after a few kisses? Unless we’re dating with the premise of marriage.”
