Chapter 31: The Weight of a Shadow

“Everything here truly surpasses imagination.”

The architectural marvel, with its graceful, sweeping curves, sprawled expansively, its sheer width arguably comparable to a sports stadium. Yet, its breadth did not diminish its towering height.

Ethan, who judged it absurd to expect a tranquil garden or a serene lake from such a formidable, high-tech structure, let out a long sigh. He refused to even imagine what the underground levels of a building, which towered at least seven stories high, might contain.

‘I really need to go to that house by the river.’

“It merely filled a plot of land with a structure almost identical in scale to the mansion in your village. It’s odd to hear such a comment from someone who’s seen the Cloud family’s estate.”

Ethan recalled the sprawling Cloud family estate, which rivaled the size of his entire hometown, and acknowledged the truth with a wry grimace.

“If that’s the Cloud family, then I’m almost afraid to imagine what the Moore family’s main residence must be like.”

Bliss offered a faint, knowing smile, his thoughts drifting to the royal palace and his own ancestral home.

“Perhaps you’re right. Let’s go inside.”

The security measures were exceptionally stringent. From the moment they stepped through the entrance, a physical Esper detection system greeted them. Iris recognition was standard, and as they inserted both their palms and wrists into the scanner for fingerprint and vein identification, beams of light rapidly scanned them 360 degrees.

“The security seems as intense as the Center’s.”

“Well, we need to register your biometric patterns first, so let’s head to the security office.”

Though there were a few more advanced, formidable devices than those found at the Center, Bliss merely offered a vague reply.

“How many people must be in such a massive building…!”

After passing through two thick inner doors and stepping inside, Ethan could hardly believe his eyes. The geometric structure, formed by a series of twisted, interconnected discs, featured a doughnut-shaped central void. Within this void lay a colossal garden.

The domed ceiling, a double-layered structure of glass and an external membrane, was partially retracted, allowing a refreshing, cool breeze to drift in. It appeared to be a retractable design. The building’s incomplete circular shape seemed to be due to the compact aerial vehicles faintly visible from its protruding sections.

“We couldn’t forgo a garden, even with security in mind, so we constructed the building around it. Should an emergency arise, those working here must also have an escape route.”

“Escape, you say?”

As Ethan inquired while they boarded the elevator, Bliss casually gestured to himself, as if stating the obvious.

“From the uncontrolled rampage of an S-rank Esper lacking a Guide?”

“…!!”

The elevator doors opened, stopping on the fourth floor.

“Ethan Prescott. Although you are a civilian, you will now be in a situation where you must impersonate a Guide, so you will require extensive preparation. Doctor Sera will be assigned to assist you with this. However, before that, should you encounter other nobles, there is a paramount truth among the many things you must know beforehand. Should you choose not to flee after hearing what I have to say, we will proceed with your biometric registration in the security office. Only then will the true path unfold.”

Ethan swallowed hard. He knew a great deal about Guides in general, but he possessed a critical dearth of information regarding Espers and Guides in the context of Aitoolia’s current affairs. He had just been starkly reminded by Enoch Cloud mere hours ago that he could be utterly outmaneuvered in such circumstances.

No matter how mature he seemed, a mere twenty-four-year-old country youth was bound to find himself out of his depth when attempting to match the seasoned experience of a man over thirty who had navigated the intricate world of the capital’s nobility.

“Like Lord Huey Cloud’s ability, this is a truth whispered only among the nobility, isn’t it?”

Bliss gently brushed back Ethan’s hair, his gaze fixed on the young man’s wide, questioning eyes.

“More precisely, it is also known to high-ranking officials within the Center and the military establishment.”

“Isn’t it rather late to be hearing this and making a decision?”

Ethan’s eyes conveyed a silent question: he had already caused such a significant stir; wasn’t it too late to undo it all? Bliss let out a short, somewhat regretful laugh.

“It is, but the unfolding circumstances will prove quite arduous.”

“Just tell me.”

Driven by exasperation, Ethan pushed away Bliss’s hand and exclaimed sharply. Bliss let out a short sigh, then spoke with an air of resignation.

“Strictly speaking, I am not merely S-rank; I am SS-rank.”

Ethan, who had been holding his breath in anticipation, finally exhaled, a relieved, almost deflated laugh escaping him.

“So, distinct abilities manifested during both my first and second awakenings, and both are classified as S-rank. While certainly a rare occurrence, perhaps even singular within the Empire, and a formidable situation… it’s not unheard of for Espers to possess dual abilities, albeit typically with a difference in their respective ranks.”

“…You are, surprisingly, quite well-informed. There is, however, one more detail.”

“Oh, come on, you’re not implying it’s a *rare* ability, are you?”

Ethan, who had been prattling on, displaying his self-assured knowledge, suddenly sensed Bliss’s abrupt silence and slowly lifted his gaze.

“N-no way. Is that actually true?”

“…”

“What *is* the ability?”

“…Shadow.”

“…!!”

Ethan’s eyes widened to an almost impossible degree. He had heard his own father was an A-rank Shadow ability user. For Espers possessing rare abilities, rank held little significance.

Their very manifestation was so exceedingly rare that a comparable individual might only exist in a distant nation. Mental abilities were even more exceedingly rare; Lord Huey Cloud, for instance, commanded exceptional deference despite his C-rank status.

While Bliss’s ability was indeed physical, its rank was an astonishing S.

“Is this, then, an inherited trait?”

“It is not inherited. My father possessed only Shadow, whereas my second awakening made my case entirely distinct.”

“I see.”

Ethan fell into a contemplative silence. Nothing definitive was known about the Shadow ability. Not only was there a scarcity of research data due to its rarity, but because ‘Shadow’ was crucially instrumental in Esper warfare should conflict arise, the ability itself remained a state secret, undisclosed to the general public.

Such was the policy of every nation during wartime. The first time he had truly experienced its touch, having only fleetingly encountered it in theory, was during the attack on Han’s village.

Bliss, observing Ethan’s unexpectedly subdued reaction, found himself slightly taken aback. Even if his knowledge of ‘Shadow’ was limited, from a civilian’s perspective, an Esper, without a Guide, possessing two S-rank abilities, would be perceived as nothing short of a catastrophe. That was the normal reaction.

The answer, after a prolonged silence, was utterly unexpected.

“That must have been incredibly difficult.”

Their gazes met. It was a single, unadorned sentence, yet for some inexplicable reason, Bliss found himself unable to avert his gaze from Ethan’s clear blue eyes.

“…Shall we proceed, then?”

Bliss’s low voice resonated, still holding his gaze. The security office door opened.

****

Philip, Doctor Sera, and Dale, whom he hadn’t encountered in some time, forewent any initial pleasantries.

“Lord Bliss! Unable to secure a Guide, have you finally lost your senses?!”

“Ethan! You were simply *accepting* that?!”

“To declare a mere civilian a Guide! Should His Excellency the Marquis discover this…!”

Bliss, a man who loathed commotion, immediately narrowed his brow in displeasure.

“Silence.”

“But this constitutes a grave problem!”

As they showed no signs of relenting, Bliss habitually pressed his temples, a fresh headache beginning to throb.

“Have you not yet fully comprehended the air-raid shelter system within the mansion Henry Grace bequeathed?”

“Based on the mansion’s blueprints, we are currently renovating the interior and upgrading the facilities to perfectly suit Lord Bliss’s needs.”

“Then, when an attack approaches, if I retreat into my personal air-raid shelter installed here, who would be the wiser?”

“Lord Bliss, you know better than anyone that merely entering an air-raid shelter won’t resolve everything once an attack commences!”

“With a Guide now publicly associated with you, it will become exceedingly difficult to procure private guiding services!”

Witnessing Bliss’s expression, which had momentarily softened, now steadily vanish as Sera and Philip’s voices grew louder, Ethan squeezed himself through the gap between the three people surrounding him.

“Bliss.”

“Ethan!”

Dale gasped softly, startled by the newfound familiarity in Ethan’s address. Ethan, however, did not spare them a glance.

Bliss, too, lifted his head, appearing unconcerned by the interruption, his gaze soon fell upon the pouch clutched in Ethan’s hand. It was noticeably larger than the blue pouch Bliss had received at the mansion, marking its sudden appearance.

“Your hand.”

Bliss lowered the hand that had been pressing firmly against his temple, extending it open before Ethan. Upon it, Ethan gently placed a fist-sized pouch of white silk.

“At this rate, I won’t have any pouches left. The episodes of losing control… seem to have accelerated somewhat.”

Doctor Sera flinched visibly at Ethan’s quiet murmur. Bliss, a hint of urgency in his movements, swiftly opened the pouch’s mouth.

As he rapidly returned to composure, Philip and Dale felt a wave of relief, yet their eyes remained fixed on Ethan, Bliss, and the pouch clutched in his hand.

He narrowed his eyes, discerning the familiar Moore family crest upon the pouch, alongside the character for ‘fortune’ (福).

“It was my handkerchief, then.”

Suddenly, he moved, seizing Ethan’s arm and pulling it open.

“H-huh! What, what are you…!”

“Philip. Check his inner pocket.”

“Stop it! There’s nothing, I tell you, nothing!”

Yet, no matter how much Ethan struggled, he could not overcome an Esper’s strength. Philip searched Ethan’s inner pocket and pulled out a worn wallet. A small ‘fortune’ (福) character was embroidered on its corner. When no pouch was found, Bliss himself began to search Ethan’s clothes.

“I-it tickles, hahahaha, get away! Agh!”

“You don’t need that. How on earth did two pouches, one this size and one small, end up in your inner pocket? Is your luggage full of pouches?”

Laughing through tears of ticklishness and exasperation, Ethan collapsed onto the floor. Bliss, undeterred, pounced on Ethan, continuing to search his person.

“There’s n-nothing… Agh, why are you reaching for my back pocket?!”

“…It doesn’t matter. Give me the pouch.”

“Agh, hahah, you ungrateful Esper!”

As they tumbled and wrestled, their gazes suddenly met in mid-air, and their movements froze. It wasn’t a moment of romantic tension, but rather a shared awareness of the murderous intent emanating from the civilians around them.

“…”

Ethan, his face flushed, gasped for breath and subtly rolled his eyes. Behind the forced smiles of the three standing individuals, the rotten smile of Dongja overlaid them.

[What a spectacle.]

The words that living humans, with their lives, salaries, and much to lose, dared not utter, were finally spoken by a ghost long dead.