Chapter 157: The Ring After the Battle

Bang!

Jaeyul, who didn’t fully understand the situation, shoved the charging “X” away and knocked him down.

With Jaeyul kneeling on one knee, his body blocked the view below X’s face.

Judging by how his hand was still pressed against him, it seemed he was firmly driving the Light Bomb in.

“Keugh….”

Red blood burst out from the lips revealed through the cracked mask of “X.”

I couldn’t be certain, but it felt like Jaeyul and “X” were looking straight at each other.

What kind of emotions were they feeling as they faced one another?

I couldn’t even begin to imagine their feelings.

All I knew was that this situation was tragic.

Jaeyul killing “X,” who could be called another version of himself, and another Seon Jaeyul dying while carrying the burden of being branded a villain, without ever living a proper life.

I don’t have memories I could call shared experiences with him, nor any emotions we truly bonded over.

And yet, the fact that one Seon Jaeyul was facing death felt more painful than I expected.

It hurt to think that even that flimsy connection, something that could barely be called a bond, was disappearing forever.

If only I had realized his true feelings a little earlier, perhaps this wouldn’t have ended the same way.

No.

This wasn’t the time to stand here helplessly grieving.

If “X” was still breathing, couldn’t I save him using my healing ability?

It wouldn’t work if the injury was fatal, but at least I had to try.

Just as I reached for Jaeyul’s shoulder with that thought—

“Where do you think you’re trying to pull something funny?

Did you really think things would go your way?”

Who was he talking to?

“Hah… what a mess, both of you….”

Faint, but I could hear “X” struggling to speak.

For someone supposedly pierced by a Light Bomb, his voice sounded surprisingly okay.

…No, this wasn’t the time to think about that.

He was still alive, so healing came first.

“Jaeyul, stop for a moment!

I’ll explain later, just let me heal him first—.”

“There’s no need, hyung.

This bastard’s not fatally wounded.

He didn’t even get hit properly by the Light Bomb in the first place.”

“Huh…?

What do you mean…?”

I couldn’t quite understand just by listening to Jaeyul, so I turned toward where I could see “X” more clearly.

Only then did I understand what Jaeyul meant.

The Light Bomb hadn’t pierced “X.”

There was a serious wound on his side, but it was clearly not something that would kill him instantly.

Why had Jaeyul withdrawn the Light Bomb at the last moment?

He hadn’t known the hidden truth, and yet until just before I intervened, he had been fighting with lethal intent.

“…Why.”

It seemed “X” also couldn’t understand Jaeyul’s intentions.

At his strained question, Jaeyul finally spoke.

“How should I know.

I just… didn’t let you die because my hyung didn’t want it.

If my hyung doesn’t want it, you can’t just die on your own terms.”

We hadn’t even talked properly.

And yet he noticed that?

Jaeyul really understood my heart far too well.

Sometimes it felt like he knew my thoughts better than I did myself.

I had no idea how he could make such a judgment in such a short moment.

Still, thank goodness.

“Woooo!”

Suddenly, a huge cheer rode in on the wind.

It had started from quite a distance away, but grew louder and louder with time.

“This is a problem…

What are we going to do, hyung?”

Jaeyul looked at me with a troubled expression, asking how I planned to deal with this.

I felt just as flustered.

That cheer had to be from people who thought Jaeyul had killed “X.”

But not only had we not killed him—we were planning to save him and take him with us?

No one would understand that.

“Even if you ask me…

It’s not like I have a plan either…?”

It was embarrassing to admit, but I really hadn’t thought this through.

Even while running here, all I wanted was to understand “X” properly.

I hadn’t given a single thought to what would happen afterward, as long as neither of them died.

Viiiiing—

A drone hovered in the sky, observing the scene.

The cheers were probably caused by the footage it had transmitted.

If there was any silver lining, it was that from this angle, “X” likely wasn’t clearly visible.

“Why hesitate?

Just kill me, cough…

That’s all.”

Why was this bastard saying unnecessary things at a time like this?

“He’s right, hyung.

Let’s just kill him.

That might be better.”

“Huh…?

R-really…?”

“Why bother saving someone who wants to die alone anyway.

Don’t overthink it—just give him what he wants.”

Wow… what a cold thing to say.

He was the one who spared him earlier, and now he was saying we should kill him.

I couldn’t tell whether he meant it or not.

There was no way our kind Jaeyul truly meant those words, but still…

Before anything went wrong, I needed to think of a solution—fast.

“Ah!”

A sudden flash of inspiration struck me.

If this worked, we might be able to deceive everyone and escape this situation.

I couldn’t believe I’d thought of it.

It’d been a while since I felt this proud of myself.

“No way.

You’re really going that far just to save this bastard?”

Looks like Jaeyul had thought of the same method.

Or maybe he’d known all along and just hadn’t said anything.

“I’ll explain everything once we get home.”

Though he looked displeased, Jaeyul nodded.

Such a good kid.

He always followed my intentions so well.

With his approval secured, it was time to wrap this up.

“Poppy!”

As I shouted loudly, an ash-silver monster burst out from the tangled horde and ran toward me.

It was Poppy—our family, the one I’d been desperately looking for.

I’d been so angry at him for causing trouble that I’d planned to scold him the moment we met, but seeing him run over with such a bright smile instantly melted all my anger away.

Even his true form was this cute.

Who would ever believe he was a monster?

“Woof!”

He rubbed his head against my chest, even acting cute.

Ah… why is he this adorable?

I wanted to bury my face in his soft fur and play with him, but first, we had something urgent to deal with.

“Poppy, swallow him.”

Poppy tilted his head for a moment, then slowly began opening his jaws wide.

…Yeah.

No matter how many times I see this, it still sends a chill down my spine.

But just as he was opening his mouth, Poppy closed it again and looked at me.

“Woof, woof!”

Huh…?

Poppy was asking something strange.

Was it okay to swallow both of them?

Don’t tell me he meant Jaeyul too…?

For a moment, I imagined him eating Jaeyul and then saying, “Wasn’t this the one you meant?”

Sometimes, Poppy really scares me.

That fierce war ended in an instant, as if it had all been a lie.

Once “X” disappeared, the monsters that had lost control began rampaging freely, and dealing with the scattered ones wasn’t difficult for the espers.

The cleanup wasn’t completely finished, but just with “X” gone, the tide of battle turned decisively in our favor.

“Five fractures to the ribs and rib cage, causing severe pressure on the lungs and liver.

The thigh wound doesn’t look too bad on the surface, but the bone is shattered, so full recovery will take a long time.

The wound on his side had some hemostasis when he arrived, but….”

“That level of explanation is enough.

In other words, the treatment was completed safely, correct?”

The moment we put “X” into Poppy’s stomach, Jaeyul collapsed as if he’d been waiting for it.

Despite being badly injured, he’d forced himself to stay conscious.

I treated him in a hurry, but his injuries were more serious than I’d thought.

And internal injuries that weren’t visible couldn’t be fully healed even with my power.

With the monsters rampaging, breaking through them wasn’t particularly difficult.

But something strange happened—I could no longer kill monsters just by holding out my palm.

My ability had suddenly vanished.

It was a shame, since I’d grown quite fond of that skill, but it wasn’t important right now.

I’d been worried that Jaeyul wouldn’t receive proper treatment because the First Center’s medical ward was overflowing with the injured, but since they’d already seen the footage, they had a medical team and a private room prepared just for him.

For once, the center staff were actually helpful.

“His body is extremely healthy, so there’s no immediate danger.

However, since there are many severe injuries, full recovery will take quite some time.”

I looked at Jaeyul lying calmly on the hospital bed.

I’d healed all the wounds on his face, leaving him looking clean and unharmed, but it seemed his body was still far from okay.

Even after hearing that his life wasn’t in danger, my heart wouldn’t settle.

“When will he regain consciousness…?

You can’t say for sure about that either?”

If he stayed like this for days…

What if… just what if he never woke up?

My chest tightened with worry.

I pulled Jaeyul’s hand toward me and clasped it with both of mine.

“What are you talking about…

The patient is simply asleep.”

“…What?”

“He’s sleeping.

If you shake him, he’ll wake up.

He must have been very exhausted.”

Ah… really?

So he wasn’t unconscious, just sleeping…?

Then why does he look so serious even while sleeping?

If he’d at least snored or ground his teeth, I wouldn’t have misunderstood.

This is embarrassing, so doctor, please leave now.

Anyway, if it was just sleep brought on by fatigue, that was a huge relief.

He still had injuries that would take a long time to heal, but none were fatal.

A quiet hospital room.

Jaeyul’s warm hand.

A peaceful mind with nothing to worry about.

Maybe because my tension finally eased, sleepiness washed over me too.

No.

I couldn’t fall asleep too.

I needed to stay by his side and guide and heal him so he could recover faster.

Moments like this made me grateful that I’d awakened as a guide.

I could stop Jaeyul’s rampages and heal his wounded body.

Maybe there really was a reason I awakened as a guide.

In my past life, I’d suffered as an esper, so this time I wasn’t meant to.

This time, when the Jaeyul of this world was tired and hurting, I was meant to protect him as his guide.

I let out a small laugh at the absurd thought.

There was no way “X” had thought that deeply.

I’d been guiding him gently for quite a while when—

“…Hyung….”

A faint voice reached my ears.

He hadn’t been unconscious, just asleep, yet I couldn’t explain why I felt so happy to hear him.

“You’re awake?”

Still half-asleep, Jaeyul couldn’t even open his eyes properly.

But as soon as he gathered his senses, he pulled something out from inside his pocket.

A small velvet box.

With surprising dexterity, he opened it with one hand, and something sparkling caught my eye.

I knew exactly what it was.

A ring, reflecting the light with a dignified shine.

That was what made it strange.

Why was that appearing right now?

When I looked at him with confusion, Jaeyul spoke with a strained expression.

“…Let’s get married.

You and me.”

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