Chapter 18: Unexpected Discoveries and Uninvited Guests

“Oh, my neck.”

Ethan stretched, rolling his stiff neck and shoulders. He realized he must have been in the same position for quite some time, lost in concentration.

“Perhaps you should rest a little.”

A low voice from beside him made Ethan subtly pout.

He felt as though he was under surveillance, unable to slack off, forced to genuinely work. Ever since Bliss had unexpectedly left various high-quality fabrics by his bedside, Chilbok’s services had become notably generous. Consequently, the crystal shards and gilded beads, meticulously hoarded from the chandelier, were gradually consumed with each errand he sent Oweol on.

Though his waking hours were still fraught with pain, Bliss now enjoyed deep slumber while he slept. Considering his unique physiology, his condition wasn’t entirely optimal, but it was, at least, the best he had been since his manifestation.

Perhaps due to this improvement, Bliss had taken to entering the study where Ethan worked. He would then idly assist with Ethan’s tasks, using the excuse that there was still much left to do.

Ethan felt a pang of unfairness. Chilbok crafted the pouches, but he was the one who imbued them with ki. Working without a moment’s respite felt truly unjust.

However, the undeniable truth was that Bliss’s presence significantly accelerated their progress, leaving Ethan with no room for complaint.

Ethan picked up a cookie from the table and flopped onto the long sofa. Just as he was about to take a bite, Bliss’s piercing gaze made him spring up irritably.

“Alright, alright.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“How am I supposed to eat when you’re looking at me like you’re going to re-bake the cookie I was about to eat?”

“I wasn’t going to re-bake it, but I did consider the crumbs on the sofa and your clothes. And—”

The tea from the teapot’s spout flowed in an elegant arc, pouring into the teacup.

“I wondered if you might choke if you ate while lying down.”

“Oh, well… I suppose that’s true.”

Receiving the cup of tea, Ethan felt his face flush slightly. He had expected a reprimand, so this unexpected concern took him by surprise. His earlier inclination to argue vanished completely.

Smiling awkwardly, Ethan quickly took another sip of tea. He then idly scanned the notes he had jotted down on his tablet, muttering to himself.

“The Aitoolia Empire is truly fascinating, I think.”

“What do you find so fascinating?”

“While this isn’t directly related to comparing data, I started looking at it from a different perspective and found it quite curious.”

Bliss waited in silence for Ethan to organize his thoughts. Ethan, who had been scribbling new observations on his tablet, lifted it so Bliss could see.

“Since the Green Dynasty, Espers and Guides have emerged in equal measure among the royal family. That includes those who are deceased, of course. The consistent manifestation of Espers within a single family has long been attributed to a certain genetic influence, hasn’t it? That’s how many noble families developed. I didn’t think that was particularly special, but…”

“A Guide… there was one in each generation.”

Ethan munched on his cookie, giggling as if he had unearthed a major scandal.

“The kings must have possessed quite the virility. I mean, for a Guide to appear in every single generation… it’s almost as if they kept having children until a Guide was born… Ah!”

Bliss snatched the tablet from Ethan, his eyes narrowing as he glared at it. Ethan, whose amusement at discovering a ‘royal scandal’ had been palpable moments before, now grew serious, carefully gauging Bliss’s expression.

“The information was obscured, overwritten, or simply erased with entirely unrelated content, which is why we never realized it. This was a pattern only discoverable when combining the deceased with all the names that had vanished from the records.”

Though it would only be truly complete by including those forgotten within classified documents, the pattern was distinct enough for Ethan to discern through his deductions alone, even with scattered omissions.

Bliss regarded Ethan with a complex expression. They hadn’t even finished cross-referencing all the data, yet, by some sheer coincidence, Ethan had approached it in a manner they hadn’t considered, unearthing a crucial fact.

A part of him felt that Ethan’s part-time work should end here, and he should be sent back to Uncle Hans’s house. Yet, another part of him relentlessly sought reasons for Ethan to remain, a self-contradiction he found utterly baffling.

“Lord Bliss?”

“You seem to be specifically compiling and saving information about the village lake and the battle that occurred in this village fifty years ago. May I ask your reason for this?”

Ethan set down his teacup. It was a question he had anticipated, especially since he had already disclosed that he was found by the lake, had no memories, and had settled in the village under Uncle Hans’s sponsorship.

“I hadn’t expected you to ask so suddenly,” Ethan began, “but as someone with no memories, I can’t help but develop a certain obsession. It would have been better if I were simply ‘a villager who lost their memories,’ but I am ‘a stranger who lost their memories,’ aren’t I? Unless I fell from the sky, there must be a reason I was found by the lakeside, and I’m intensely curious about that. Since I remember nothing, you could say I’m collecting every small, related story. Furthermore, as this was once the territory of old Neran, I feel it’s beneficial to know as much as possible.”

“Doesn’t it occur to you that you might be perceived as a spy for the anti-government forces?”

Ethan and Bliss’s gazes intertwined, and a sudden, palpable tension filled the air. Frozen for a moment under Bliss’s scrutinizing gaze, Ethan eventually offered a faint smile.

“…I hadn’t considered being a spy,” Ethan admitted. “I’m just an ordinary person who dislikes war; I don’t possess enough affection for Neran to engage in espionage for them. Besides, were the Nesjito Federation states truly so stable in their national foundations that spies would remain active even fifty years after the war’s end?”

The Han clan’s original territory was said to be a vanished peninsula nation in Asia, one of many engulfed in repeated conflicts. The Earth’s ecosystem was nearly annihilated, then reconfigured, fundamentally altering the global map.

Civilization, in fact, regressed, and a significant amount of time passed before it reached its present state. Even in an era where concepts like race and nation had lost their meaning, the Han clan managed to painstakingly preserve its lineage. This was largely because they received fervent ‘love calls’ from the newly established nations, which were then forming new systems and vying for territory.

“You must have been an honor student at the Academy.”

The nascent nations lacked the inherent legitimacy to truly represent themselves. Powerful individuals simply drew boundaries with their followers, declared those residing within as ‘citizens,’ and began establishing systems, all while actively forging their legitimacy. For ordinary people, faced with such a chaotic situation, they readily assimilated if there were competent rulers or a government capable of restoring order.

Indeed, Aitoolian records contained no accounts of fierce resistance from the populace when the Nesjito Federation states were integrated. While such forces might have persisted immediately after the war, fifty years later, the national foundations were simply too fragile to sustain generations of spies dedicated to national reconstruction.

“I would have been more surprised if you’d accused me of being a spy for the Jepes Republic or the Istoria Empire,” Ethan remarked.

Bliss let out a soft chuckle. Information regarding spies from neighboring countries was constantly updated. However, there was no intelligence suggesting they held any interest in a quiet, rural village located in the former territory of Neran.

“You have no affection for Neran, nor do you particularly seem to like this village. So, where does your resolve truly come from?”

To this question, posed half in jest, Ethan’s eyes shone with intense seriousness.

“People.”

The village Neran had artificially created for them was nothing more than a place. Captain Mark, who had protected him, the villagers, his mother and father, and the elders—all were incredibly precious to him. It was because of them that he could call the Aitoolia Empire, which had taken them away, an enemy nation.

Had they chosen Aitoolia or another nation, wouldn’t Neran have been the enemy instead? The memory of being confined to that village in Neran, barely allowed to leave, and constantly monitored under the guise of protection, could not possibly have remained positive for Ethan.

“Scott and Hans, then.”

A faint expression softened Bliss’s face, now that he had been getting some sleep recently. His blue-grey eyes, typically cool, held a warm light as they turned towards Ethan, who stared blankly before muttering a delayed response.

“Uh, well… there’s a significant difference in priority, but I’ll include you too, Lord Bliss.”

‘Ugh, what did I just say! I was so entranced by his face that I blurted out something so strange!’

Feeling his neck and face gradually flush, Ethan picked up his now-cold teacup and gulped down its contents as if it were water.

‘Ha, haha.’

It was then that Bliss’s booming laughter erupted. Bliss, throwing his head back and letting out such a hearty laugh? Ethan blinked, unable to believe his eyes.

‘Wow. When he laughs, he’s much, much more handsome than Enoch Cloud.’

Ethan, realizing he had thought this subconsciously, bowed his head deeply. ‘Damn it. I wish I were as handsomely masculine as Bliss Moore.’

“Haha. Thank you,” Bliss said. “In that case, let’s end this forced part-time work.”

“What?! But—!”

‘Is this man truly stabbing me in the back the moment I expressed a favorable opinion of him?’ Ethan shot up, poised to launch into a protest.

“Of course, I’m not telling you to go home; you’ll still need to help with the mansion’s affairs during the remaining time. Instead, you can examine the documents here as much as you wish.”

‘How utterly petty. He could have been more generous.’

Ethan grumbled internally, but a smile curved his lips. Bliss, seeing Ethan’s obvious pleasure, smiled back and instinctively reached out towards Ethan’s flushed neck.

“Then, can I briefly meet Uncle Hans in the middle?”

“…Yes.”

The hand, which had paused in mid-air, changed direction and ruffled Ethan’s hair.

“Ah! Lord Bliss, let go! Ugh!”

‘Why did I do that?’

As Bliss pondered, needlessly ruffling Ethan’s hair more forcefully, an urgent knock sounded from outside, followed immediately by the door bursting open.

“Lord Bliss!”

Philip, who had rushed in calling out to his superior, watched his eyes widen. His gaze fell upon Bliss’s hand, which was still caressing Ethan’s hair.

“…Philip. I haven’t given you permission to enter yet.”

Bliss frowned, and Philip, regaining his composure, spoke urgently once more.

“My apologies, Lord Bliss. Lady Annabelle has arrived without warning. Dale is currently receiving her.”

At that moment, Ethan flinched, startled by the strong grip on his arm, and looked up. Bliss’s face was contorted in a savage scowl.

“Mr. Ethan, please come this way for now. Before Lady Annabelle arrives…”

Just as Philip was about to lead Ethan away, a beautiful, middle-aged lady, the epitome of elegance, walked in gracefully. She delivered her ill-natured words wrapped in an elegant facade.

“I thought it was rather generous to inherit such a wretched, country manor, but it seems a harlot’s taste is simply unavoidable, isn’t that right, Bliss?”

Bliss stepped half a pace forward, shielding Ethan behind him. His expression had reverted to one of perfect impassiveness, devoid of any emotion, as he spoke through clenched teeth.

“Please choose your words carefully. Henry Grace was Father’s only matched Guide. Mother.”