Chapter 15: The Unseen Discrepancies

“I haven’t been working on this for long, so the findings aren’t extensive yet. Still, I’ve certainly noticed a few discrepancies.”

From the myriad of documents detailing the Unification War between Aitoolia and the Nesjito Federation, Ethan selected a hefty tome forthrightly titled ‘The Imperial Unification War’. ‘Unification’ instead of ‘conquest,’ he mused, a bitter smile touching his lips as he considered the title penned from Aitoolia’s viewpoint. He then turned to the pre-marked page and brought up the corresponding e-book on the monitor.

“Why begin with this Unification War? There is, after all, another conflict that falls within Aitoolia’s modern military history.”

Ethan promptly offered his pre-arranged response.

“Regardless of where we begin, don’t we need to cross-reference all the available data here? If the Aitoolia Empire’s history only stabilized fifty years ago, it seems logical to start with the most recent events.”

“A valid point. Had I not witnessed your usual verbal dexterity, I might have assumed you’d rehearsed that line.”

Though he inwardly winced, Ethan maintained his customary audacious expression as he gestured to the passage he had discovered.

“There’s a section here that discusses individuals who made significant contributions to the Unification War. Specifically, it mentions Princess Anna Green. What I’d learned at the Academy was that Princess Anna played a crucial role in the victory by commanding small, mobile Esper units.”

“Naturally.”

“However, the physical book—the first edition, that is—contains a few additional lines.”

“She was a Guide, wasn’t she?”

Ethan’s eyes widened in surprise at Bliss’s astute guess, realizing he had divined Ethan’s discovery.

“You knew?”

“The Academy imparts history, but the military reveals the true nature of war. Yet, even that isn’t the complete picture.”

Ethan’s expression became a canvas of unspoken questions. He wondered if he might find an opportunity to ask Bliss Moore about it, should their relationship deepen even slightly during his time here. Though Bliss wasn’t old enough to have personally fought in the war, his prominent position within the military surely meant he possessed more detailed knowledge about the lost village of Neran.

For Ethan, it was crucial to discern whether he had been cast into an entirely different world or merely propelled forward in time.

In the end, his mother had performed a spell designed to open the heavens and send the chosen vessel of consciousness to an unknown realm.

This forbidden spell, passed down through generations yet rarely performed, required the unanimous consent of all elders within the Bagua. It was a ritual that defied providence, demanding their very lives as sacrifice, making its execution inherently difficult.

As he delved into his studies at the local Academy, Ethan’s conviction grew stronger that he had, in fact, traveled through time. The progression of the war, save for a few final events that must have transpired after his arrival, mirrored what he knew with uncanny accuracy. Yet, minor skirmishes, such as the battle in his own village, were often condensed into a single line, overshadowed by the sheer multitude of other conflicts.

Fifty years had elapsed since the war’s conclusion—a span that could be considered brief. It was inconceivable that no traces remained. He understood that his ardent desire to discover even the faintest remnant of his parents or the elders, and to honor it, might now be nothing more than a pointless obsession.

Nevertheless, Ethan felt compelled to discover his roots and demonstrate his connection, no matter the cost. He yearned to show that the spirits of his mother, father, and the elders were watching over him from somewhere on this earth, that the ground beneath his feet was solid, and that he was undoubtedly living a life worthy of their legacy.

Yet, their current relationship, strictly that of employer and employee, left him feeling utterly frustrated. After a prolonged internal debate, he ultimately decided to approach the topic indirectly.

“I grasp the rationale behind cross-referencing first editions; it’s to uncover information that was updated and subsequently overwritten on the network. But why must the military specifically handle such matters? Even a collaborative effort with historians or the Academy would suffice…”

Bliss slipped his hand into his gown pocket, idly toying with its contents. Having finally enjoyed a full night’s sleep, he was in a remarkably good mood. This newfound ease allowed him to offer a relaxed, albeit guarded, response, something he wouldn’t typically do.

“If we were to do that, it wouldn’t remain classified, would it? While your current task involves open sources, these pieces, along with other fragments, must converge like dots to yield the outcome I desire.”

Though it wasn’t the precise answer he’d hoped for, Ethan, who hadn’t truly anticipated a direct response, lifted his gaze.

“You seem… more amiable than usual today.”

“I am as I always am.”

‘Impossible.’

Ethan stared at him, a slightly stunned expression on his face. He had simply remembered the Esper-specific painkillers Uncle Hans sometimes took and, hoping Bliss might find some restful sleep, had subtly arranged for Chilbok to acquire a small pouch, which he then had a crow discreetly deliver. It was astonishing to realize that this small gesture could, even slightly, soften Bliss’s perpetually sharp demeanor.

However, when Bliss produced a small pill bottle from his pocket, Ethan’s brows instinctively furrowed.

“Why are you taking painkillers already?”

Bliss paused, his hand still holding the pills.

“…Already?”

‘Oh, dear,’ Ethan thought, but swiftly concocted an excuse.

“I overheard Dale telling Philip that you’d slept soundly. I assumed you had received guiding at the center. Uncle Hans, too, sometimes opens his shop in the afternoon for a few days after a guiding session.”

Bliss offered a bitter smile. Uncle Hans, the D-grade Esper who ran the grocery store, was an enviable man; a mere 30% matching guiding session could sustain him for an entire month.

“To enjoy proper sleep for days on end… I envy you.”

He placed the pill in his mouth. Though bitter, it was a familiar medication, and he was about to chew and swallow it when Ethan extended a glass of water.

“Doesn’t the center match you with a high-grade Guide? Even for a noble like yourself?”

“I don’t receive guiding at the center, save for when there’s absolutely no other option.”

Ethan’s eyes widened in disbelief. A powerful Esper without a matched Guide? He didn’t know much about Bliss, but recalling their encounter in the garden when Bliss was on the verge of a seizure, Ethan had estimated him to be at least A-grade, like his own father, if not higher. He certainly hadn’t realized he was dealing with Bliss Moore, an S-grade Esper with mastery over water.

Bliss sighed, accepted the glass of water, and, along with the pill, emptied the entire glass in a single gulp.

“Why, do you also perceive me as a ticking time bomb? Don’t fret. I merely took the medicine to prolong this pleasant sensation after finally experiencing a good night’s sleep.”

It seemed that the improved condition, a result of a rare night of deep sleep after receiving quality guiding, wouldn’t even last a day or two. To someone unfamiliar with Esper Guides, it might have sounded like a simple, acceptable explanation, but Ethan instantly grasped the deeper implication.

Having fully comprehended that Bliss had taken the painkiller to stave off the suffering that was slowly beginning to return like an oppressive weight, Ethan struggled to maintain his composure, his expression threatening to contort even more dreadfully than before.

‘It felt as though I had inadvertently trespassed into a forbidden domain.’

****

Emerging from the study, Ethan ascended to his room and lay on the bed, his eyes wide and restless. Regardless, today he had engaged in more conversation with Bliss Moore than he had in weeks.

‘Even if it’s not frequent, perhaps helping him sleep soundly might foster a bit more familiarity between us.’

Ethan sighed and turned onto his side. Though the hour was already quite late, sleep, for some reason, proved elusive that night.

****

A soft thud.

A faint thud on his blanket jolted Bliss from what felt like a deep slumber. His eyes snapped open, and he immediately unfurled his field. Though his abilities were severely restricted without proper guiding, he confined the field’s range to the room, meticulously scanning for any biological signatures within.

“Damn it!”

He muttered a low curse. There was nothing there.

‘Telekinesis? That, too, seems improbable.’ He mused, ‘A psychokinetic Esper sending me a mysterious pouch capable of guiding another Esper like myself—it’s something unheard of, unseen. If I were to tell Philip, I’d undoubtedly be dismissed as a madman once more.’

Extending his field to encompass the entire mansion would have been preferable, but such an exertion of his abilities would necessitate an immediate trip to a private guiding agency in the city. Compatible Guides for Espers with rare abilities were exceedingly difficult to locate, forcing Bliss to seek out a Guide aligned with his secondary, water-based ability and, by necessity, engage in sexual intimacy.

Even with that, he would endure seizures until his next guiding session, and only by heavily dosing himself with painkillers could he barely maintain a semblance of his normal state.

‘It might improve slightly if I had s*x every time, like Enoch.’

Enoch, a late-awakened Esper who had lived thirty-one years without ever experiencing pain, struggled to fully accept the suffering inherent to his new existence. The memory of the deal he and Scott had recently proposed to Bliss here only intensified his headache.

“This one is even smaller.”

Bliss picked up the tiny, thumb-sized pouch that had rolled onto his bedside table. This minuscule bag, stitched from four scraps of fabric smaller than a fingernail, bore the embroidered character ‘복’ (bok, meaning ‘fortune’ or ‘blessing’). He now recognized the script on the pouch as an ancient Asian character.

He regretfully turned the pouch over and over in his fingers; it had already opened, its guiding effect dissipated. ‘If I’d known I wouldn’t catch them, I might as well have enjoyed a comfortable night’s sleep.’

Retrieving a small box from the drawer of his bedside table, he placed the pouch inside. The box already contained several similar pouches—those he had discovered on his bedside table after enjoying a rare night of quality sleep over the past two weeks, and others found in the mansion garden when his seizures had finally subsided.

He lay back down, just in case, but after a sigh, he ultimately pushed himself off the bed. He took out a pill, swallowed it, and resigned himself to the lost sleep.

‘It’s late, but perhaps a walk might do me some good.’

Donning some comfortable clothes, he left his room with a leisurely stride and descended the stairs. He intended to exit through the back door, used by the servants, rather than the main entrance, when he coincidentally noticed a light on in the kitchen, adjacent to the dining room.

It was two in the morning.

Bliss instinctively muffled his presence, approached, and pushed open the kitchen door.

“Uh, ugh!”

Ethan, who had been certain Bliss was in a deep sleep, dropped his rice paddle.

“…You’re not going to tell me you did this because you were hungry, are you?”

Bliss’s gaze fell upon the table. Piles of rice, enough to feed all the servants, were portioned into several large bowls, and next to them lay several chunks of what appeared to be raw meat.

Ethan felt a trickle of cold sweat, squeezing his eyes shut before opening them again. Earlier, when the groceries arrived, he had asked Uncle Hans for an extra sack of rice, claiming he was craving white rice.

They were already on a tight budget, and he had intended this to be a one-time indulgence. Uncle Hans had even generously included meat, enough for the servants to share. Cooking the rice would take only ten minutes, and he planned to eat it quickly and cleanly. Now, however, he found himself in a situation where he had to feign madness.

“Ha, haha… Do you believe in ghosts?”

“…”

Watching Bliss’s expression shift strangely, Ethan wished he could find every mouse hole in the world to hide in.