[167]
Chris rose from his seat.
There wasn’t even a hint of mockery. Just a plain gesture, like a farewell after a business meeting.
“To think that I was deceived.”
Kalmia muttered.
“That I. Was deceived.”
There was no trace of despair or anger to be found.
Just cold eyes that seemed to be ruminating on what had just happened.
Some might say Kalmia was being rational.
That she was preparing for ‘what’s next.’
But to Chris, she simply refused to admit defeat.
How could there be a ‘next’ for Kalmia?
‘To dare touch Yuri.’
Chris gave Kalmia a cold glance before turning away.
He didn’t want to waste time pondering an enemy who couldn’t acknowledge defeat.
He wanted to see Yuri, Yuri.
“Then, goodbye.”
Fortuna, who gave the final farewell, closed the door behind Chris as they left.
Peter, who had been watching the interrogation through the window, stared at Chris.
“Even watching it, I could hardly believe it. According to what I’ve seen and heard, to reverse-deceive the strongest mental Esper across all continents.”
He couldn’t believe what he’d witnessed with his own eyes.
“How did you come up with such an idea…?”
Peter had thought torture might take place in there. But what he saw was quite a remarkable play.
Chris, who said he had a plan, faced Kalmia together with Fortuna.
The mental Esper focused on Chris without noticing Fortuna’s true identity.
During that time, the Baekyah Esper infiltrated Kalmia’s mind and made her express her inner thoughts as if talking to herself.
Chris played along skillfully, pretending to succumb to the mental ability.
To Peter’s continuous amazement, Chris responded calmly.
“I thought that’s what Yuri would do.”
Peter was momentarily at a loss for words.
He knew Chris was a steadfast man. Still, it seemed peculiar that he would think of Yuri even in such a moment.
What dog in the world would be so blindly devoted to its master?
“…That was truly amazing.”
In the end, all he could offer was an awkward compliment.
“But it was dangerous.”
Fortuna said quietly.
“You saw how her control device turned red.”
It was quite a strong tone for someone who usually spoke little.
“If I hadn’t redirected Kalmia’s thoughts at that moment, your brain might have actually melted. Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Chris confirmed his well-being with a brief response.
“That’s fortunate, but…”
Fortuna muttered, somehow sounding unconvinced.
Even if Chris was an S-class Esper, there are blows no one can withstand.
Moreover, mental attacks were effective regardless of how tough one’s exterior was.
When your mind is being scrambled, who on earth could endure that?
“Do you know how birds eat turtles?”
Fortuna suddenly spoke.
“No, I don’t.”
Honestly, Chris had never seen a turtle in his life.
All he knew about turtles’ appearance and characteristics came from a picture book Yuri once showed him.
“Their shells are so hard that pecking at them with a beak is useless. But, you see.”
Fortuna lowered her voice.
“They grab the turtle with their talons and drop it from a very high place. Then the shell shatters, exposing the soft flesh inside. Not to mention it can’t move anymore…”
“I understand.”
Chris answered before Fortuna could reach her conclusion.
“I’ll be more careful in the future.”
Peter, who had been silently observing their conversation, narrowed his eyes.
‘He seems both clueless and clever at the same time…’
The more he saw of Chris, the more puzzling he became. Perhaps dealing with Yuri all his life had optimized him for anticipating others’ intentions and responding accordingly.
“…I suppose there’s no point in saying more.”
Fortuna took a short deep breath.
“You’re quite exhausted.”
“Although that Esper was under several restrictions, she was by no means an easy opponent.”
She showed signs of fatigue.
“We were lucky she was someone who knew she was clever. Such people don’t question what they’ve come to believe.”
We were really lucky, Fortuna repeated to herself.
Some humans cause tension just by their presence.
As the situation ended, pain rushed through her body as her tensed muscles relaxed. It felt similar to getting a cramp.
“I’m going to see a doctor. Chris, you should too.”
Fortuna nodded slightly and withdrew.
As her receding figure disappeared down the opposite end of the corridor, Peter cautiously opened his mouth.
“Wouldn’t it be good to go with her?”
Given how strongly Fortuna had suggested it, he thought seeing a doctor would be advisable.
“I’m fine.”
Chris declined with a brief answer.
“How is Yuri?”
For the first time, Chris looked quite cautious as he asked that question.
He even seemed somewhat afraid.
‘To think Chris Danil would look scared.’
It seemed almost crazy to entertain such a thought.
However, there was a considerable gap between the man who had just fearlessly interrogated Thorns Order’s Esper and the Chris standing before him now.
“…Nothing unusual happened. His vitals have stabilized now. I heard his body is resting for recovery.”
“That’s a relief.”
Chris muttered as if to himself, then repeated with emphasis.
“A real relief.”
When facing Kalmia, he wasn’t entirely at ease either.
‘Your power might excel at destruction and killing, but it can’t save people.’
That sentence echoed in his mind like a curse from the distant past.
He could have laughed off whatever that woman said.
But perhaps due to Yuri’s absence, he was paying too much attention to nonsense that didn’t need to be dwelled upon.
‘She’s an enemy, but she’s right.’
If something truly happened to Yuri, the most Chris could do would be to stop the bleeding.
He swallowed a hollow laugh and moved forward.
Peter, who Chris thought would go his own way, was walking alongside him.
Judging by his anxious gaze, he seemed to be checking on Chris’s condition.
Chris didn’t bother to stop Peter.
Finally, they arrived at the bedroom where the unconscious Yuri was staying.
Despite the distance not being very long, each step had felt incredibly lengthy.
As Chris reached out to turn the doorknob, he hesitated and searched his pockets.
He pulled out a white handkerchief and somewhat hastily covered his mouth.
Hack.
After his body jerked greatly as if coughing, he checked the handkerchief and raised one eyebrow.
Roughly crumpling it, he said to Peter:
“Could you throw this away for me? I’m sorry.”
“This smells like… blood…”
Peter frowned and looked at Chris.
He recalled Fortuna’s interrogation.
“So you were affected earlier after all?”
Chris stood straight as if nothing had happened and replied.
“Please.”
He was thinking of going to see Yuri right away.
“…Alright.”
Peter mumbled, his resolve weakening.
‘Yet Yuri hasn’t even woken up.’
Having received confirmation, Chris immediately opened the door and went inside.
Sunlight streaming through the window settled on Yuri’s face with closed eyes.
If not for the medical equipment placed beside him, he would have looked quite peaceful.
But something seemed different to Chris’s eyes; he strode in and drew the curtains first.
Then he returned to Yuri’s side.
Peter, who had been secretly observing Chris, saw him kneel beside the bed.
The expression with which he gazed up at his master was, quite unfittingly, vulnerable.
It felt uncomfortable to spy on someone’s private moment. Peter quickly closed the door.
Nevertheless, he would likely ponder the reason Chris was being so cautious, long and deeply.
***
When Yuri opened his eyes, he found himself in darkness.
The moonlight seeping dimly through the gap in the window curtains was reflected off something.
That thing, which looked like platinum drawn into threads and woven together, was Chris’s hair.
Yuri tried to reach out but closed his eyes tightly at the pain he felt in his shoulder.
‘To think I’d faint from just this much.’
Even when he was consumed with vengeance, he had never fainted from being shot.
Even when he had to stitch up his own flesh without painkillers, he had endured with a gag in his mouth.
He did smoke some cigars, but Yuri had been fully conscious then.
Pain may sharpen the mind, but it sickens the soul.
He had treated his body roughly in the days when he didn’t know this fact.
After being freed from revenge, he was returning to the sensibilities of an ordinary person.
Without even realizing it. Instinctively.
‘To think that someone like me needs rest. How amusing.’
Honestly, discovering his own growing weakness wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
The ceiling he gazed up at felt dizzyingly high.
Perhaps it was because his body felt so heavy, giving the sensation of sinking deep into the bed.
Taking a deep breath, Yuri raised his upper body. A call button appeared from the medical device connected to his wrist, but Yuri terminated it.
Instead, he looked at the sleeping Chris.
‘No matter how clueless he is, this is a bit much.’
It looked like he had simply waited by Yuri’s side until he collapsed into sleep.
‘Unexpected.’
Yuri had thought Chris would be awake even in the middle of the night.
For an Esper, staying up all night was nothing.
Suddenly, Yuri frowned.
‘Even if he fell asleep briefly… not to notice me sitting up at all?’
It wasn’t like Chris at all.
Yuri tentatively reached out and firmly gripped Chris’s shoulder.
“Chris. Wake up. Chris.”
He was unconsciously tense.
Then, Chris opened his eyes. Meeting those half-opened blue eyes, Yuri felt relieved despite himself.
It seemed Chris felt the same way; despite just waking up, he smiled drowsily.
It was truly a harmless smile.
“…Yuri. You’re awake.”
After finishing his words, Chris’s body collapsed forward as if a string had been cut.
His neck was drenched in cold sweat.
Yuri, who had frozen in confusion at the weight falling on him, called out urgently.
“Chris, Chris!”
Yuri’s hand repeatedly hit the call button on the terminal screen he had terminated earlier.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
