Chapter 35: The River’s Embrace

To the east of South Jade District, quite a distance from Jade Bridge, lay an area abundant with luxurious homes. These residences, centered around Mane Bridge, approximately 17 kilometers from Jade Bridge, stood in stark contrast to the sprawling, opulent mansions of the central nobility. Instead, they were practical yet architecturally beautiful buildings, mostly belonging to commoner Espers or wealthy ordinary citizens. The house Hans and Ethan had contracted was also located here.

“Wow, the river is closer than I thought!”

While not directly outside their door, the river was within easy walking distance. Well-maintained parks lined its banks, creating an ideal environment for leisurely strolls.

Having arrived slightly earlier than the caretaker, they slowly made their way towards the riverside.

Samwol had already plunged into the river, splashing joyfully for quite some time.

Ethan’s guards, Liam and Kyle, maintained a respectful distance, following Ethan and Hans without intruding on their conversation.

“The caretaker will temporarily disable the security. He also received our luggage.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried we’d have to go to a storage facility.”

“They say the original owner of this house was a noble. Apparently, he invests heavily in real estate.”

“I see. That explains why they have a caretaker, managing it quite professionally.”

Having received ample guiding the previous night, after releasing Oweol’s shield and talking until late, Hans appeared relaxed. While the pouch Ethan had made for him proved useful when they were apart, it simply couldn’t compare to the direct effect of personal guiding.

This only intensified his worry.

“Ethan, couldn’t you truly reconsider being bound as Lord Bliss’s Guide?”

“I understand your concerns, Uncle. But it seems the gwi have already been half-exposed.”

Hans exhaled slowly, shaking his head.

“Was the problem that Lord Bliss was made to believe in the existence of gwi back at the village mansion in the first place, or was it you…’

‘Or had you allowed things to simply unfold that way?’

Hans swallowed the words forming on his tongue. If he voiced them, it would sound as if Ethan had liked Bliss for a long time, leading to this very situation.

If he couldn’t see Ethan’s beautiful children, then at the very least, he wished Bliss would cling to Ethan more than Ethan clung to him. That sentiment stubbornly reared its head.

Simultaneously, Bliss struck him as utterly vexing.

It was precisely then, just as Hans opened his mouth to nag once more.

“Oh dear, I didn’t expect to find you by the riverside. It’s a good thing I decided to check, just in case!”

The man, who appeared to be in his late thirties, was slightly out of breath, as if he had been running. Hans, who had contacted him earlier, watched him for a moment before stepping forward ahead of Ethan to greet him.

Dongja’s whisper reached Ethan’s ear.

[He’s an Esper.]

At the same moment, Liam and Kyle, who had been standing a little apart, suddenly closed in.

“Mr. Matthew Chen, I presume? I’ve only met you via video call, this is my first time seeing you in person. But… you were an Esper?”

The man, looking bewildered by the wary question, glanced between them before nodding.

“I am a D-grade Memory Esper. My memory is quite good and accurate, which is why I manage almost all of Baron Byron’s buildings.”

“Repair histories, monthly payment dates, and two months’ worth of complaints are all stored in my head. Of course, I update them online, but having them in my mind allows me to go about my day and update everything at once.”

Ah. Only then did Hans’s wariness somewhat ease. However, the guards who had closed in did not withdraw.

Matthew, casting a burdened look at the intimidating high-grade Espers, soon gave up and began to guide them.

“As requested, we’ve replaced the beds, kitchen, and part of the living room with the delivered furniture and tableware. The rest are existing fixtures, so please be careful not to damage them.”

As they walked towards the house, his skilled explanations were interspersed with boasts about the property. He rattled off information without pause, mentioning how it had the best view and thus the highest rent, and how it was fortunate that this single spot had been vacant.

When the man abruptly fell silent in front of the house, the surroundings were suddenly enveloped in an eerie quiet. Yet, no one present could easily break the silence.

“Ah, no! Who is this man?!”

A man with a face perfectly identical to Matthew’s pointed with a startled expression at the man who had been chattering beside Ethan and Hans.

[Ethan, this man is also an Esper.]

At that moment, Ethan moved fluidly, retreating behind Liam and Kyle. His body instinctively recalled the training he had received to the point of exhaustion in Hans’s village, now that a dangerous situation had arisen.

And it was an exceptionally wise choice.

Whoosh—!

A gust of wind brushed past Ethan’s nose, carrying the metallic scent of blood.

“Kugh!”

Matthew, who had been standing next to Ethan, collapsed, bleeding from his side.

Liam shielded Ethan, blocking his front, while Kyle raised his head, intent on seizing control of the telekinetically wielded blade.

“Th-that!”

The fallen Matthew, still wearing an expression of shock from the sudden appearance of a man with his own face, clutched his bleeding side. Even as he did, he extended one hand to point towards Hans.

“Damn it!”

Another Hans had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Hans’s gesture of surprised recognition, as if seeing himself in a mirror, lasted only a fleeting moment.

In that mere one or two seconds, the fake Hans’s hand was already reaching for the real Hans.

Just as Hans, who could only use his telekinesis by grasping his opponent’s hand, seized the fake Hans’s arm.

Whizz— Bang—!

What the fake Hans held in his hand was not a blade, but a silenced gun.

“Uncle Hans!”

A surge— Palwol sensed Ethan’s emotions and tried to emerge. However, this was not a battlefield.

If Gwijang, who was said to have instilled fear in many Espers with his cruelty even on battlefields, were to manifest while Ethan was agitated, the surroundings could be utterly devastated.

Ethan gritted his teeth, striving to maintain his composure at all costs.

‘Stay calm. Stay calm. This is what you trained for every time. An Esper won’t die from a single bullet. Pull yourself together, Ethan!’

Bang—!

This time, the bullet was aimed at Ethan. Fortunately, there was a slight distance, allowing Liam to twist the trajectory of the incoming bullet with his telekinesis.

It struck the ground with a dull thud, gouging a divot.

“Ethan! We need to get out of here!”

As Liam gripped his shoulder and pulled him close, Ethan’s eyes widened.

“W-wait…!”

Whoosh—

Liam and Ethan vanished.

“f*ck! No one said there was a teleporter among the guards!”

Thud—Thud Thump—!

With his target gone, the unidentified Esper cursed, pouring all his strength into preventing the gun’s control from being wrested away. He fired bullets at Kyle, consuming ammunition as he moved towards the river.

Having been teleported to the opposite bank of the river, Ethan felt a wave of dizziness and sank to the ground.

“Ugh—!”

“I apologize, Ethan. Fortunately, we weren’t near Jade Bridge, which has an Esper shield, so teleportation was possible.”

Even as he lay prostrate, Ethan waved his hand.

“Go help them quickly.”

“That’s not possible. You could be in danger again, Ethan.”

“But Uncle Hans…!”

“He is an Esper. Although he was bleeding, he signaled for me to take you. I’m expecting a call from Kyle shortly… Wait! The enemy has jumped into the river!”

The Piato River was a wide and massive waterway, reaching up to 1 kilometer in width. Locating an Esper who had plunged into such a river would be exceedingly difficult.

Liam quickly moved to scan the opposite bank, but an Esper who had deliberately jumped in was unlikely to surface.

Ethan, still crouched, bit his lip as he glared at the riverside, then muttered softly.

“…Samwol!”

A cackling female laugh reached Liam’s ears as he watched the river. The fleeting sound held a chilling quality that made the fine hairs on his body stand on end.

“Th-that!”

In the middle of the river, about a third of its width from where Hans and Kyle stood, a distinct whirlpool was forming. It was clearly visible to the naked eye.

“What in the…?”

The whirlpool was even more visible from Hans and Kyle’s position. And within it, a single Esper struggled desperately to escape.

The unidentified Esper seemed to have attempted to move beneath Mane Bridge. The whirlpool’s position clearly indicated his intended escape route.

His flailing mouth gaped open. He appeared to be shouting something, but the considerable distance prevented them from discerning it clearly.

Kyle, who was closer and observing him, managed to read the man’s lips slightly.

“…Save me… black… wo…man?”

The man’s face shifted, morphing into several different countenances. Stones from beneath the water erupted to the surface before sinking again, indicating he was desperately using every ability he possessed to escape.

Yet, the whirlpool, which didn’t appear particularly strong, continued to drag the man deeper into the water.

Hans, who had finally arrived at the riverside, supporting Matthew—the first casualty who had collapsed in front of the house—saw this. He let out a noticeable sigh of relief.

Ethan, on the opposite bank, received the news that Hans and Matthew were safe, a slightly bewildered expression on his face. He continued to mentally call out to Samwol, who was thoroughly engrossed in play for the first time in a while.

‘Samwol, Samwol, please, don’t kill him. Huh? Stop playing. If you do more, he’ll die. Huh? If he dies, we won’t be able to dig into anything! He’s not your toy! Hey! You brat! Stop spinning him! Are you planning to churn the water like a jwibulnori in the river?!’