Chapter 77: A Troubled Awakening and a Friend’s Distress

His body felt light. Despite having experienced a seizure, Huey Cloud had vivid memories of struggling to breathe and enduring immense pain. Thus, when he awoke feeling surprisingly light, a frown immediately creased his face.

Though his eyes were open, darkness enveloped him as if he were in a blackout. An musty odor, reminiscent of neglected ancient tomes, assaulted his senses.

“…What the?”

Realizing his face was covered by cloth, he raised an arm to pull it away.

“Stay still. I’ll remove it for you.”

A woman’s voice spoke, and then the suffocating cloth was lifted, allowing a flood of bright light to pour in. The sudden stimulus temporarily blinded him.

During that brief moment, Doctor Sera swiftly whisked away a tattered pouch, roughly the size of a head, before posing a deeply perplexing question to Huey.

“Lord Huey Cloud, it’s possible a secondary manifestation occurred within the shelter,” Doctor Sera explained. “Because of this, your energy waves became tangled in a standard shelter, which wasn’t finely tuned for compatibility, resulting in a state of energy trouble.”

Huey blinked slowly, as if her words had failed to register. A short distance from his bed, Bliss and Ethan observed him.

Bliss’s dry gaze betrayed no emotion, yet Huey knew he harbored suspicion. Huey Cloud hardened his expression in response, though he quickly masked it.

“…How bitter it must be, to have worked so hard to save the Cloud family’s eldest son, all to avoid the rumor that he suffered an accident at the Moore estate. What a prime opportunity that was.”

At Huey’s immediate sarcasm, Doctor Sera, who had even proposed Ethan’s guiding—something Bliss would never favor—in a desperate bid to save him, contorted her face, ready to retort. However, Bliss did not rise to Huey’s provocation.

“To get back to the point, Huey Cloud,” Bliss interjected. “Were you aware of this secondary manifestation?”

“…No. I still don’t feel anything out of the ordinary.”

Huey offered facts that, to his knowledge, were largely true. With a woman who appeared to be an Esper researcher present, he couldn’t fabricate outright lies. It was a predicament, but he knew he had to play it carefully to escape.

“It’s possible your secondary manifestation is currently in its early stages,” Doctor Sera clarified. “It might have been forcibly triggered by the shelter’s malfunction, so the manifestation should soon be complete.”

“…I suppose I’m indebted.”

Huey, unwilling to prolong the conversation, rose to his feet. However, Bliss, feigning a question, intercepted him.

“If you wish, the Moore family could assist with your manifestation,” Bliss offered, his voice smooth. “Even with compatibility.”

Huey’s lips twisted into a sneer.

“I must decline. As you know, my Guide is the head of the Imperial Center.”

“Those are strange words coming from an Esper who had to borrow a shelter because their Guide wouldn’t cooperate.”

“Their position is quite unique, after all.”

“Ah, yes. His Highness’s ‘position’ is certainly unique.”

Bliss chuckled softly, then pulled his Guide into his arms. This gesture was meant to demonstrate how special Ethan was to him.

As Huey’s gaze involuntarily drifted to Ethan, who had gasped in surprise at the sudden embrace, Bliss held him closer, as if to shield him, and called for Dale.

“Judging by your words, you’re clearly doing much better,” Bliss remarked. “It’s late, so you should eat something and rest.”

“……”

Dale brought in a spread of food, ensuring Huey Cloud, who hadn’t eaten properly in days, could enjoy a comfortable meal. Once they had departed, Huey gazed at the table laden with food, his emotions a complex tangle.

Within the Cloud family, his interactions were severely limited. Yet, excluding the time spent in the shelter, he had been constantly surrounded by people during his brief stay.

It wasn’t that this was inherently bad, but as someone at a political crossroads, if he had truly intended to reach out, discerning their thoughts would have been no difficult feat.

“What exactly do they trust? Do they find me amusing?”

Was that truly important? The problem stemmed from experiencing his first seizure too late and failing to meticulously research shelters for Espers with rare compatibilities.

‘…They’ll be furious.’

A wry chuckle escaped him as he picked up a fork, then abruptly froze. ‘But how had they managed to calm him, given his state of energy trouble caused by a secondary manifestation in an Esper with rare compatibility?’

Huey Cloud remained lost in thought for a long while.

****

“…Thus, after the shift in terrain and the emergence of Espers and Guides, the primary minerals that often fueled territorial wars and expansion across all continents, including the Empire, changed. The recent conflicts in Zaisler, Veliki, and Riga within the Empire were directly due to newly discovered, high-purity Ekanetium ore veins. Next time, we will explore the ore veins and key resources that led to border changes, and the historical events that ensued. For your assignment, everyone, please…”

As soon as the longest class of the week concluded, Ethan and Maxon burst out, sighing deeply as they trudged toward their car. Kyle, who had been waiting outside, chuckled teasingly at them.

“Many assignments today, gentlemen? You have to go to the palace for festival preparations, and Maxon has training to complete, yet still more homework, it seems.”

“…My stomach feels glued to my back, and we have to eat sandwiches in the car on the way straight to the palace.”

Maxon grumbled, and Ethan tried to soothe him.

“Let’s eat these sandwiches, and once we arrive at the palace, we can grab something more substantial at the café before heading into the hall. We should have about thirty minutes to spare.”

“True, it’s better to arrive at the palace early and eat briefly than to have a proper meal here and risk being late, even with that little extra time.”

They crossed the campus, heading towards the parking lot. Ethan summoned Samwol and Ilwol, who had been waiting by the lake throughout class.

As Kyle went to retrieve the car from the parking lot entrance, a familiar voice reached them, interrupting their fervent discussion about the palace café’s menu.

“Ethan!”

Their gazes landed on Scott.

“Scott… What’s wrong?”

There was no bodyguard behind Scott. Nor was the car provided by the Cloud family visible. The moment Scott saw Ethan, his eyes welled up with tears.

“I… I might not be Enoch’s matched Guide after all!”

“…!!”

“What are you talking about?!”

Maxon exclaimed, but Scott, bursting into heart-wrenching sobs, threw his arms around Ethan.

“I just wanted to maintain a suitable level of contact, to ensure Enoch wasn’t uncomfortable, but he keeps insisting on… on intimacy. *Hiccup.* Lady Wendy… *hiccup*… I know it couldn’t be true, but… s*x guiding is something offered by those providing low-quality services at private guiding agencies, isn’t it?”

“…!!”

Scott’s words were utterly shocking. Seeing Ethan’s expression, Maxon let out a long sigh. It seemed their hopes of a proper meal at the palace were now dashed.

Kyle’s car pulled up before them. After asking Kyle to wait a moment, Maxon took the sandwiches and brought them over to the bench where Scott and Ethan sat.

While he was hungry himself, the special sandwiches, prepared by the chef at the behest of a certain high-ranking individual who fussed over Ethan’s health, were essential sustenance for Ethan, given his demanding schedule.

“Ethan, eat this while you listen.”

“Thanks, Brother Maxon. Scott, you should eat too.”

At Ethan’s greeting, Scott’s tear-filled, reddened eyes glared at Maxon.

“When did you two decide to be ‘brothers’? I’m your best friend from Morapolio City, and lately, it’s been so hard to even see you… *hiccup*…”

Maxon clucked his tongue. Ethan had been incredibly busy lately, but he was not the type to turn away a friend who came to him.

It was always Scott who felt inadequate, so it didn’t make sense for Ethan to deliberately seek him out to resolve his issues. The truly infuriating part was that Scott’s actions, despite everything, seemed entirely devoid of malice.

“How did you come alone? You usually have bodyguards and a driver.”

As Ethan took a small bite of his sandwich, Maxon devoured his own in just a few mouthfuls, then poured Ethan a drink. Scott, munching on the sandwich Ethan had shared, continued to speak.

“Wendy’s fiancé is an electricity-type Esper, so I got a little help from him.”

A sigh.

Ethan, who had been watching Scott for a moment, let out a deep sigh. At his intense demeanor, Scott flinched and darted a pleading look at Maxon, whom he had been glaring at moments before.

But before Maxon could do anything, Ethan’s barrage of scolding began to fall like a carpet bombing.

“Listen carefully, Scott, you blockhead. I don’t know anything about what this Wendy—or Ghandi, for all I care—does, but I can tell that the means by which she helped you aren’t exactly legal. Yes, Lord Enoch might be quite a jerk, but do you even understand half of the situation you’re in? The moment you decided to come find me without an Esper bodyguard, you could have already encountered trouble a couple of times.”

“B-but Enoch…”

“Did you ask Lord Enoch directly before coming here?”

“That wasn’t…”

“Then go. Go talk to him properly. You need to hear his side of the story too.”

Wow.

Maxon’s eyes widened as he looked between Ethan and Scott. It felt less like best friends interacting and more like an older sibling dealing with a naive younger one.

Just then, Kyle signaled from the car, indicating it was truly time to head to the palace. “Ethan, we need to go now.”

At Maxon’s words, Ethan helped Scott to his feet. “Just get in. I’ll drop you off on the way to the palace.”

As Scott got into the car, he pleaded earnestly with Ethan. “Ethan, could I possibly stay at your house? Please? The one you bought with Uncle Hans. Just for a while.”

Kyle hesitated, unsure how to proceed, but Ethan’s firm voice cut through. “No. Go to the Cloud family estate. Both you and Lord Enoch are being cowardly. Lord Enoch is the person you love, so why are you acting so rashly, just listening to what others say?”

Indeed. Maxon finally understood what Milo meant by the term ‘babysitter.’ He gave a bitter smile.

Dropping Scott off near the entrance to the Cloud family estate, they continued straight to the palace. That night, they received news that Scott had not entered the Cloud estate but had disappeared somewhere, and that Enoch, still not fully recovered, was frantically searching for him.