Delroz carried the list Banteon had found, checking each item one by one as he moved things out into the hallway. If they were going to use telekinesis to move everything, Banteon would’ve only gotten in the way.
“You sure hoarded a lot.”
“Our father did his best, too.”
“Even with all this stacked up, it ended up being useless…”
Delroz’s pace slowed as he moved the items. He began to inspect each one more carefully, as if checking whether anything might prove useful.
“I plan on living a long time, so you don’t have to worry.”
“If you’ve got the energy to say that, just go to sleep.”
There was nothing to say in response. Sleep felt impossible, but Banteon closed his eyes anyway. Only when his vision went dark did he realize how dry and sore his eyes were, worn out ever since their time in the desert. He couldn’t even promise Delroz he was healthy in this state.
Even with his eyes closed, his body wouldn’t relax.
“Delroz.”
“I said sleep.”
“Thank you.”
Silence fell. The noise of moving items and even the sound of breathing faded into stillness. Then the shuffling resumed—the soft clatter of items bumping against each other sped up. Maybe now he could finally fall asleep. Just as he thought that and began to turn over, a red glow lit up the left side of his vision.
Ever since Delroz had learned to control his aura, red energy had become nearly invisible around him. Had something happened? Banteon quickly turned his head, only to see something completely unexpected.
A small, round orb sparkled brilliantly, as if the sun had been condensed into it.
“What’s this?”
Delroz held the orb in his hand, his voice tinged with intrigue. He shouldn’t have been able to see the red hue like Banteon could, yet his gaze was locked onto the orb without mistake.
“Looks like I found it.”
Engraved into the orb, which was about half the size of a palm, was a symbol—one that Banteon had seen before in the murals. He sat up.
The orb they had been so desperately searching for had been tucked away in a cabinet Banteon knew well. It was the one placed next to the bed where his mother always lay, right beside the chair where young Banteon used to sit.
And finally, it hit him—why that symbol had seemed so familiar.
That orb had been his plaything, something he used to roll around in his hand to pass the time while taking care of his sick mother.
“Why would something like this be in our estate?”
“…What exactly is it?”
“It’s a monster core… no, more accurately, it’s the heart of a Gate. Ordinary people wouldn’t realize it, but Espers would feel it as a concentrated mass of power.”
Delroz’s explanation resonated vividly with Banteon. A lump of power. Just like when Delroz lost control, the room now brimmed with red, shimmering waves of energy.
He recalled the investigator they had met at the desert ruins. Even in ancient times, there had been entities similar to monsters—and people akin to Guides who could calm them. The investigator had theorized that one among them was selected and trained as a priest. They were made to carry a special item over time, through which they acquired extraordinary powers.
And suddenly, everything made sense to Banteon.
Since ancient times, there had been individuals with heightened sensitivity to monsters. What they now called Guides had likely once ruled as a class above others. From among them, one was chosen and raised to become a priest from childhood.
Using a core like the one Delroz was now holding.
No one knew exactly when or how this had come into the Esrante household. Perhaps it was originally stored elsewhere and later placed by their mother’s side—or maybe it had been unknowingly collected along with other precious items. What mattered was that the monster core had ended up in the family estate, and that Banteon, the only one in the family to awaken as a Guide, had unknowingly played with it since he was a child.
Of course there were no other cases like his in any of the records—they never stood a chance of finding one.
The answer he had been searching for so long had revealed itself so anticlimactically. A mix of disappointment that all his efforts had been for nothing and a strange sense of relief that the mystery was finally solved swirled inside him. Banteon leaned back against the chair and looked at Delroz.
“Delroz. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
He smiled as Delroz gave him a puzzled look.
“You once said I acted like I could read an Esper’s condition.”
“I think I did.”
That had been back when Banteon tried to avoid Delroz, whose condition had seemed unusually stable at the time. It hadn’t been that long ago, yet it already felt like a distant memory.
“There’s something different about me. I’ve never told our parents either.”
Banteon let out a deep breath.
“The truth is… I can see an Esper’s aura. Each one shows up in a different shape and size of red light.”
“I see.”
Delroz simply nodded, unfazed by the confession Banteon had made with such difficulty. As if he had already known what he was going to say.
“You knew?”
“I figured you were different in some way.”
Delroz rolled the monster core between his fingers. Tossed it lightly in the air like a child playing with a toy, then caught it again before placing it back into the cabinet.
“So you’re like the priest from the mural, huh?”
“If the interpretation is correct, then yeah, probably.”
“I see.”
Delroz’s eyes curved as he smiled—not his usual gentle smile, but one blooming with genuine joy.
“Why are you so happy?”
Instead of answering, Delroz approached Banteon sitting on the couch and knelt before him. He met Banteon at eye level and gently took his pale hand in his own.
“In ancient times, the priest ruled by commanding monsters.”
Then, Delroz’s lips brushed against Banteon’s pale hand.
“For the first time… it feels like I’ve been granted permission to stay by your side.”
A radiant smile—one Banteon had never seen before—lingered on Delroz’s face. He had always questioned it. Would Banteon be happier, freer, more at peace without him? He could never shake the doubt that his presence might be a burden to Banteon.
But now, he was certain.
“You were meant to command me, and I was meant to follow you. That was always our fate from the start.”
The hand that had softly caressed Banteon’s wrist now moved up to his face. As if handling something sacred, Delroz looked upon Banteon with the gaze of someone who had found the master he would serve for life.
“I have no intention of ruling over you.”
“Banteon, you can do whatever you want.”
As long as Banteon kept loving him like this, showing he cared, that was enough. This was a vow Delroz made to himself alone. He was a monster. What he understood better than human love was blind loyalty—devotion that expected nothing in return.
“You can’t imagine how happy I am right now.”
Even with only their palms touching, it felt more fulfilling than when he had Banteon wrapped completely in his arms. Banteon smiled back as he looked into Delroz’s glowing face. The emotion might’ve been hard to grasp, but if it brought peace to Delroz, who had always been so unstable, then nothing else mattered.
Banteon pulled Delroz into an embrace and gently stroked his hair. When Delroz rubbed his head into Banteon’s chest like a massive dog, Banteon laughed out loud again.
“Shall we go home now?”
He wanted to leave this room full of his father’s regrets and return to the place that was now theirs. With reverence, Delroz lifted Banteon into his arms as if receiving a command from his master. They would never come back here again. He would never allow a future where Banteon was left behind alone, worrying over someone who wasn’t there.
If the sand in his hand ever slipped through his fingers, he would become sand himself and lie with it forever.
Delroz walked through the moonlit garden, holding the exhausted Banteon in his arms. Banteon looked around, taking in the scenery as if seeing it for the first time. Just this morning, they had been in the desert, and now, here he was breathing in the cool dawn air of the estate. Even thinking about it again, it felt unbelievable…
“Delroz.”
“What is it?”
“I just realized something.”
Banteon, who had seemed like he’d fall asleep at any moment, was now wide awake with a thought that had popped into his head. He looked up at Delroz.
“When I was kidnapped—and now—we traveled from the desert to here in just half a day, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then, back when we got stranded… couldn’t we have done the same thing?”
If Delroz had really wanted to, they could’ve returned to the capital even then. He might not have been as skilled at handling his power at the time, so maybe not in half a day—but there was no need to spend several days wandering around in a carriage.
“Now that I think about it, that was even closer than the desert.”
“……”
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Delroz didn’t answer—he just gazed into the distance. Sure, at first they might not have known where they were or which way to go, but after getting a map in the first village, none of it made sense anymore. Unless… he had some other reason for wanting to stay out there longer…
“Aha…”
Banteon gave him a teasing grin and asked another question.
“Since when did you start liking me?”
“……”
“Don’t tell me… it was back then?”
Was it just his imagination, or did Delroz’s earlobes look a little red under the moonlight? Back then, they’d barely known each other. And yet, Delroz had asked if he was experiencing Guide Awareness Syndrome and kept misunderstanding everything Banteon did, constantly getting pushed away.
“Wow… I was really slow on the uptake, huh?”
“…Thanks for noticing now.”
“Hahaha.”
Banteon’s laughter echoed through the quiet night garden. It was rare to hear him laugh out loud like that. Delroz, who had turned his eyes away in mild embarrassment, finally looked back at him.
“Delroz.”
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
Banteon reached both arms out toward Delroz, eyes wide with surprise, and pulled him close, planting a kiss on his hot lips. Deep and consuming—like he was swallowing Delroz’s breath, like he was taking his very soul.
He smiled blissfully as Delroz gripped his back tightly, almost desperately. He’d made Delroz suffer for far too long by being oblivious. From now on, he would make up for every lost moment, showing him just how much he meant.
Above them, the misty full moon hung in the sky—just like the night they had first met.
How to Avoid an SS-Rank Esper” – Side Story Complete
I absolutely loved the side stories more than main ❤️
Awwww, thank you so much! I enjoyed everything!
Thank you for translation. Yeah I love these side stories. I wished there was more