Chapter 34: The Gwi’s Preferences

“Uncle Hans!”

“Ethan!”

Though their ages varied, the aging process for Espers and Guides slowed once their bodies reached peak ability. This typically occurred when an Esper or Guide unlocked their powers beyond a certain threshold.

Some experienced this deceleration in their early youth, while for others, the slowing of aging began only after they had fully manifested their abilities past the age of thirty.

Though Hans was well over forty, he maintained the appearance of a man in his mid-thirties, a state he had reached when pushing his abilities to their absolute limit. Bliss, by contrast, looked to be in his late twenties.

At thirty-two, Bliss appeared younger than his actual age, yet he had never fully unleashed his abilities. He suspected he never would, meaning his appearance would likely age naturally, merely looking a few years younger than the average person.

He had never given it much thought before, but seeing Ethan rush into Hans’s embrace, Bliss was struck by how well suited they seemed.

A moment might even come when he would appear older than Hans.

‘Was it because I’ve been overworking myself lately?’

His chest suddenly tightened. Blaming his unusually strenuous schedule, he called out to them in a stiff tone.

“You haven’t been out of touch, have you? You’re acting as if you haven’t seen each other in years.”

“Haven’t a great many things happened since then?”

The good-natured Hans, uncharacteristically, frowned at Bliss while patting Ethan’s back.

“That matter was mutually agreed upon, however.”

“Rather than Ethan, who is oblivious to the ways of the world, Lord Bliss should have taken the initiative to resolve this preposterous relationship.”

Ethan hugged the sharply reacting Hans, trying to calm him.

“Uncle Hans, you promised not to get angry. You already nagged me for over two hours last time…”

‘Two hours?’

Doctor Sera and Philip cleared their throats in unison.

“But Ethan…! Are you truly alright?”

Ethan knew Hans’s concern wasn’t merely about superficial appearances.

“I’m fine. It was my choice, after all.”

“……I simply don’t understand it.”

A fluttering sound and Dongja’s giggle reached Hans’s ears. Though not proper words, the distinct resonance seemed to affirm his statement, infuriating him further.

‘Eight of them attached, yet they couldn’t stop it!’ It was a sentiment that would undoubtedly feel quite unfair to the gwi themselves.

“Don’t worry. If Lord Bliss hadn’t gone along with it then, the situation would have been even worse. You know my personality, Uncle Hans.”

“……”

Seeing Hans unable to refute Ethan’s words, Bliss interjected, shifting the focus.

“If this tearful reunion is over, I was thinking of introducing the guards who have been waiting outside for quite some time.”

Startled, Ethan and Hans separated, their faces apologetic. Feeling a slight easing of his exasperation, Bliss called for Dale, who had been keeping the guards waiting.

“It is an honor to meet Lord Bliss’s matched Guide. A pleasure. I am Kyle Evans.”

“I am Liam Stare. Since we will be residing here, you can consider us almost constantly by your side. Our matched Guides have also moved in. Guards will only accompany you when you leave the building or when guests visit. So, I hope you won’t treat us too formally. Haha.”

They were clearly highly trained Espers, B-grade or higher. Their movements, devoid of any superfluous gestures, suggested a military background.

“Oh, then, may Uncle Hans and I go see the riverside house in Ashilton that was contracted? The furniture and belongings were supposed to arrive, but I haven’t been able to check on them.”

“That is entirely possible. Should I assume you mean tomorrow?”

“I’m sorry, you should rest. But I’ve neglected it for too long. If it’s alright, I’d like to go tomorrow morning.”

“That’s fine. We’ll have a car ready around 11 AM tomorrow.”

“I hope we can greet your Guides later as well.”

“Certainly. My spouse and Kyle’s wife would be delighted. Oh, and for your information, my spouse, with whom I am married, is of the same gender as I am.”

” ‘Spouse,’ then.”

“Haha. ‘Wife’ would be rather ambiguous in my case.”

As Liam chuckled, showing the ring on his finger, Kyle likewise extended his hand to display his own. Hans and Ethan burst into laughter at the sight.

Suddenly, Bliss felt a sense of incongruity. Having guards constantly present was a deeply uncomfortable situation for anyone who hadn’t grown up with it as a daily reality, unlike the nobility.

Even high-matching Guides often experienced significant friction when first assigned guards.

Yet, Ethan displayed none of the usual reluctance or unease typically seen when guards were first assigned. Bliss, who had extensive experience managing Esper guards, knew Hans hadn’t served as Ethan’s personal guard.

Thus, Ethan’s striking naturalness felt all the more unsettling to him.

“…I have work to attend to now.”

Bliss shook his head and rose. ‘He claims to have no memories, yet these ingrained habits are emerging.’ ‘He might not be from Aitoolia, but perhaps he’s the child of a noble from another country or an autonomous lord.’

“It seems young Ethan was no commoner after all,” Philip remarked. He, too, seemed to have noticed, following Bliss towards the office.

‘It would be troublesome if he were the child of a noble from another country.’

Before he could delve into *why* it would be troublesome, the sudden thought startled Bliss. He quickly changed the subject and opened the office door.

“His Majesty the King’s illness has worsened.”

“He was up and attending to state affairs for about a week, but during a morning audience, he complained of chest pains, and His Highness Herace concluded the proceedings.”

“It seems His Highness Prince Devon is behind this Lingras conflict.”

“Indeed. He would want to separate His Highness Herace and me.”

“That’s a difficult situation.”

“Find out which nobles Devon Green is contacting,” Bliss instructed. “And it would be wise to tell Enoch to monitor the Esper awakeners at the center—specifically, if there are any with special abilities or high ranks, and how their Guide matching situations are progressing.”

“Understood.”

Less than five minutes after Philip departed, a knock sounded.

“Come in.”

Bliss, who was drafting a report and email for Marquis Douglas Moore, answered without even looking up. Believing Philip had forgotten something and returned, he waved his hand, searching for his painkiller bottle.

“If it’s not urgent, it’s late. Let’s do it tomorrow.”

“This might be better than that, though.”

A hand snatched the bottle, replacing it with something lighter in Bliss’s palm. Reflexively clenching his fist and pressing the pouch to receive the guiding, Bliss’s eyes widened slightly.

“…Is this a three-tiered lunchbox this time?”

He murmured, opening the top lid. Inside, a considerable number of pouches were neatly arranged in rows and columns.

“I asked someone to sweep through the mansion before I came to Uncle Hans’s.”

Bliss’s gaze, which had been piercing Ethan, finally softened into a gentle curve after a long moment. Ethan, meanwhile, averted his eyes, as if searching for a non-existent distant mountain.

“…Well, that’s certainly timely.”

“I guess some accumulated over time. Haha.”

“How remarkable a coincidence that what was utterly invisible when Doctor Sera and Philip went there, appeared only when Hans Palmer visited the mansion.”

“Oh, well, it’s a relief that they appeared at all, isn’t it?”

“…Indeed. The colors are inconspicuous and drab; they could even be used in combat.”

“Th-they could?”

“Now that I’ve gathered them, I wonder if all my clothes were always this drab.”

“…Ah.”

Ethan suppressed a sigh, racking his brain for a response. Bliss, observing Ethan’s transparent efforts, allowed a faint smile to grace his lips.

“Is the pouch gwi attached to you the spirit of Henry Grace?”

Guiding pouches perfectly suited for his Shadow affinity. Henry Grace, who had once covered his father’s A-grade Shadow ability.

Bliss had a logical reason for his assertion: he believed Ethan had offered a tribute, causing Henry Grace’s spirit to attach to him. However, Ethan, though feeling exposed, bristled at the subtle implication that credit was being given elsewhere, falling right into Bliss’s trap.

“No, why would our Chilbok be Lord Henry Grace!”

“……Chilbok?”

“……”

Chilbok, attached to the new wallet, seemed to flinch. ‘Damn it,’ Ethan thought, wanting to smack his own mouth, but the words were already out. Since the guiding pouches weren’t harmful to Bliss, and he didn’t seem to find the idea of a ‘pouch gwi’ strange, despite his misunderstanding, Ethan let out a sigh. He then snatched the box of pouches from Bliss.

“Oh.”

Bliss, momentarily stunned by the sudden loss of the box, stared at Ethan as if he hadn’t expected such a move. Ethan took a step closer, challenging him.

“Does that really matter?”

“……That’s not, exactly, the point.”

Ethan pulled out a single lucky pouch from the box, attempting to strike a deal.

“Then, can’t you take me with you? I have a pouch gwi, too.”

Bliss picked up the black lucky pouch, examining it, then let out a hollow laugh.

“We’re not going to play war games.”

“The Guides will be waiting in the rear anyway, won’t they? I heard that even with a matched Guide, if you leave your Guide in the capital and go, it’ll make things difficult for you, both internally and externally. Doctor Sera and Philip are going, so if I’m with them…”

“Ethan Prescott. I have no intention of deceiving an ordinary person into acting as a Guide and bringing them on a mission, simply to save face or reduce inconvenience. Do I really seem like such a scoundrel?”

Ordinarily, he wouldn’t bother explaining such an absurd request. A simple, firm ‘No’ would have been enough to cut off the conversation.

Considering Ethan’s bank statements and the timing of the pouches’ appearances, Bliss concluded that the gwi wasn’t attached to the mansion, but rather to Ethan himself. Moreover, when Dale casually mentioned that he had given Ethan his ‘good, unworn clothes’ and ‘fine handkerchiefs’—though unusable for their original purpose—for Ethan’s hobby, Bliss, who had once given his own handkerchief as a tribute, was certain.

Despite knowing it was obvious, presenting the suspicious three-tiered lucky pouch ‘lunchbox’ and seeing the worried look in Ethan’s eyes gave him an unexpectedly ticklish sensation.

“N-no, how could Lord Bliss seem like a scoundrel! It’s not that, it’s just… we’re in this together, so of course I’m worried!”

His hand instinctively reached out to Ethan, who was glancing at him, pretending not to care.

“Ethan.”

Bliss swiftly pulled Ethan into an embrace, patting his back. He had intended to mimic Hans, but his hand, unlike Hans’s, found itself slowly stroking Ethan’s back.

“Term is starting soon,” Bliss began. “Since we’re in this together, I should tell you that if you join graduate school after the battle is over, it will be hard to catch up with the curriculum. Also, my own condition is quite poor, so I’m increasingly reducing my direct involvement in combat. You might think me too young, but my promotion wasn’t merely for show.”

His rank was Colonel. After becoming the youngest officer ever commissioned, he had plunged into numerous battles. He did so to both appease the Center, which constantly sought to recruit him, and to avoid rumors that he received special privileges due to his unique powers, despite lacking a Guide.

Consequently, he had achieved his current position, but the side effects of using pain relievers several times stronger than recommended had left his body in a state where he could suddenly die from an outburst at any moment. Devon Green, meanwhile, was actively creating situations to push him further onto the battlefield, hoping he would either perish or be forced to choose him out of desperation.

Most likely, his Guide would never appear, not even until Bliss’s death. Perhaps that was why he found himself so inexplicably drawn to Ethan, an ordinary civilian.

Ethan thrust the entire box he was holding back into Bliss’s arms, pushing him away. Desperately hoping the distance created by the box would mask his pounding heart, Ethan made a date invitation for the first time in his life.

“Uh… then, after this mission is over…”

“Speak.”

“Would you like to go fabric shopping with me… and see the city?”

“……”

Ethan’s ears, as he earnestly mumbled about ‘fabric shopping,’ were a fiery red. Bliss looked down at him, chuckling softly.

“Shall we? But Ethan.”

“Yes.”

“Will buying just fabric be enough?”

“…Huh? I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

‘Surely not.’

Ethan felt a surge of anxiety, yet he feigned composure, offering Bliss a brazen smile.

Bliss felt a pang of disappointment as Ethan’s reddened ears quickly returned to their normal color. However, what he had heard from Dale seemed strikingly similar to phenomena he himself had experienced.

Of course, it wasn’t a matter of meat disappearing or howling sounds being heard.

“Rumor has it among the male servants not to fill the bathtub and take a bath,” Bliss recounted. “They say a black-haired woman laughs and pulls you into the water. When you struggle and wake up, it feels like you’ve just woken from sleep, but the entire floor is flooded.”

Ethan’s face turned ashen.

Dongja’s giggling could be heard.

[Samwol is quite fond of men.]

Samwol, whom he had always thought of as quiet and unusual, had been enjoying water play, in her own way, inside the building.