Chapter 36: The Elusive Water Esper

Bliss projected the information he was viewing onto a large monitor. It was a file detailing the Esper who had attacked Hans and Ethan, yet many sections remained conspicuously blank.

“A copy-type ability combined with psychokinesis,” he murmured. “Truly, the optimal conditions for an assassin.”

Kyle, who had been reviewing the data alongside Liam, pointed to one of the few pieces of information that had been entered.

“The psychokinesis was quite advanced, making it difficult to disarm them quickly. This indicates a top-tier Esper. Though it was a brazen brawl in broad daylight, they exploited the vast, meticulously maintained private estates and the sparse foot traffic during that hour, acting with an audacious approach while minimizing bloodshed.”

“Fortunately, this individual was incapable of replicating voices. It seems they couldn’t directly imitate Hans, knowing that he and Matthew had been in contact.”

“What is the status of the caretaker Esper who was initially copied?”

“He is currently receiving treatment from Doctor Sera alongside Hans. We have also contacted the Byron Barony, who seemed quite shocked that their security was breached.”

“The caretaker had intended to go to the Center, but since Lord Bliss wished to meet them personally, we brought them here instead.”

“Have you located the water-elemental Esper who assisted them?”

Liam shook his head.

“We heard female laughter, and the assassin, once pulled from the water, repeatedly muttered about a ‘black woman,’ leading us to believe it was a black-clad female Esper. However, after the incident, no S-rank Esper could be found anywhere in the vicinity.”

“It’s frustrating, as the assassin’s mind is not sound, preventing us from initiating a proper interrogation immediately.”

The Esper, retrieved from the water, continued to repeat only the phrase ‘black woman’ with a dazed expression. While it was possible they were feigning their condition to avoid interrogation, even nerve stimulation elicited the same response, making it difficult to dismiss as a lie.

“You said they confined him within a vortex and dragged him all the way to your location?”

Liam’s face paled slightly.

“Neither the Center nor our intelligence network has ever encountered an Esper capable of such precision over that distance, especially considering the river’s width and current. While Lord Bliss might be able to manipulate a river and move a single person against its flow, it’s utterly impossible in his current condition, isn’t it?”

Bliss offered a bitter smile, assenting.

“Rather, I would have simply detonated the river’s surface at random and killed them.”

It was easy to kill, but difficult to keep alive. Moreover, a vast, flowing river was incomparably harder to control than a mere pond or tap water.

While it was simple to eliminate many at once with a powerful technique, precisely tormenting one person enough to keep them alive and then gently transporting them required Bliss to undergo extensive, repeated training, even with perfect guiding and in peak condition.

“Any news regarding the emergence of a new S-rank Esper?”

Kyle, projecting his own data onto the monitor, shook his head.

“We scoured the Center’s archives, but nothing turned up. We have no record of such an individual either. While it’s possible a noble has manifested such an ability, meticulously controlling water to this extent requires considerable training.”

“For now, the most likely scenario is an unregistered Esper who has been concealing their true rank.”

Kyle himself wore a perplexed expression as he spoke. If an exceptionally talented Esper had gone to such lengths to hide their powers, he wondered, why they would have simply aided strangers with no apparent connection.

“…Let’s take some more time to investigate if there are any connecting links. And the gun the culprit used, was it indeed from ‘Moore’ company?”

With a somber expression, Liam presented the gun. Though the Moore company logo was absent from the grip, it was a blatant deception. Bliss exhaled a short sigh and returned the weapon.

“First, I’ll attempt to trace the route this gun took. Given the brazen act of attempting to shoot a Moore family guest in Ashilton, yet conspicuously using a Moore company gun, it’s highly probable it has traversed multiple countries…”

“Investigate his mother’s side.”

Bliss interrupted Liam in a rigid voice.

“…Perhaps it could be from elsewhere…”

“No, even tracing the serial number will yield nothing. It seems they’ve been diverted from the manufacturing line since their inception.”

A gasp of shock.

“His Excellency the Marquis has attempted to trace and apprehend them numerous times, only to fail at every turn.”

“But why have you come to suspect the Marchioness? She is not Lord Bliss’s biological mother…”

At Kyle’s cautious voice, Bliss pressed his temples as if suffering from a headache.

“Because this gun is a ‘BS-52,’ and the model directly preceding it, the ‘BS-50,’ also appeared during the assassination attempt on Henry Grace.”

A collective gasp of shock.

Kyle and Liam exchanged wide-eyed glances. The appearance of that specific gun in one of Henry Grace’s many assassination attempts, coupled with Bliss’s instruction to investigate his mother, led them to a startling conclusion.

“Both His Excellency the Marquis and Lord Bliss, you both suspect the Marchioness as the mastermind behind… behind Henry Grace’s assassination?”

Though they spoke of investigating Henry Grace’s assassination, it was effectively an investigation into Seth Moore’s murder, which was why Bliss and Marquis Douglas were so deeply involved.

Bliss offered no reply. For the quick-witted pair, his silence was answer enough, yet he was reluctant to voice his suspicion and investigation of his own birth mother. Instead, he changed the subject.

“Was Ethan greatly shaken?”

“Shaken?” Liam scoffed lightly. “The nausea from the teleportation’s after-effects was probably his biggest concern.”

Kyle chuckled softly.

“Though he claims no memory, he certainly seems to be from a noble family. The moment he sensed danger, he retreated behind Liam and me. Honestly, even if one is trained in crisis response with guards present, most people would freeze if a blade flashed before their eyes.”

Bliss’s hand, which had been idly scrolling through the screen, paused.

“…Since no noble has reported losing a son, does that truly mean he could be a noble from another country?”

Noticing Bliss’s slightly serious expression, Liam sharply nudged Kyle’s side and blurted out, “Haha, if he was found in Neruan’s old village, there’s a high probability he’s a noble from the friendly kingdom of Elfast.”

“…Is that so?”

As Bliss’s voice seemed to soften slightly, Liam’s gaze drifted into the distance.

“Could it really be a marriage… *cough*!”

Stomping on Kyle’s foot for his tactless question was an added bonus.

“…I should go see Ethan. He must have been very surprised.”

They wisely refrained from uttering a single word of ‘But sir, we just told you Ethan wasn’t surprised at all!’ Instead, after Bliss had left, feigning nonchalance on his way to Ethan’s room, they began placing bets on whether Bliss and Ethan would ‘marry or not.’

****

“Uncle Hans!”

Having received Doctor Sera’s permission, Ethan entered the room where Uncle Hans lay. In front of Doctor Sera, he opened his pouch and placed it in Hans’s hand, removing Oweol the crow’s shield.

Hans’s injuries, sustained from a close-range shot by an Esper-grade gun, were more severe than those of Matthew, the caretaker who had been stabbed. The Moore company’s ‘BS-52,’ developed with an enhancer to increase its power, could only be loaded with specialized bullets designed for its barrel.

The sharp, umbrella-shaped bullets, which could pierce an Esper’s resilient body—typically impervious to ordinary firearms—earned the pretty nickname ‘Umbrella.’ Yet, their destructive power was immense.

Though slightly inferior in range and speed, the ‘Umbrella’ bullets fired from the ‘BS-52′ barrel boasted higher accuracy compared to previous Esper combat guns. Crucially, after embedding in an Esper’s body, the enhancer caused them to continue rotating for a period.

Thus, Hans had lost a significant amount of blood.

“W-wait, Ethan. Hans’s treatment is complete. You don’t need to open so many pouches…”

Doctor Sera tried to stop Ethan, who had opened five or six pouches at once, but Ethan paid her no mind. In truth, the pouches were merely a pretense, but he felt that opening this many would prevent suspicion when Hans regained his strength through direct guiding.

While guiding couldn’t heal stitched wounds, it could enhance the Esper body’s inherent regenerative capabilities. With sufficient guiding, Hans would recover much faster.

“Ethan, I know you’re worried, but he’ll recover quickly since there’s no organ damage. Right now, helping him means letting him rest comfortably.”

At Doctor Sera’s words, Ethan reluctantly released Hans’s hand. As he stood, Oweol’s shield once again enveloped him.

“Doctor Sera, are you leaving on the same day as Bliss?”

As Ethan asked this while leaving Hans’s room, Sera, assuming he was concerned she might leave with Bliss before Hans recovered, smiled softly and shook her head.

“Don’t worry. I’m not part of the main unit; I’ll be departing later with Philip. We are Lord Bliss’s personal team, not bound by military medical duties. Of course, even though I say that, I always end up helping. But our priority is always Lord Bliss.”

“If you’re part of the rear guard, does that mean you’ll be traveling with the Moore company’s guards?”

“Presumably? The additional supplies also go then.”

“…I see. And, Sera, could you tell me where the guards’ quarters are?”

“Area C on the third floor is the guards’ dormitory. Kyle and Liam are… let’s see… C-4 and C-5.”

After Doctor Sera checked her tablet and informed him, Ethan bowed politely.

“Thank you!”

The treatment rooms and laboratories were on the second floor. Ethan, about to take the elevator, instead ascended the stairs.

“What’s wrong? Did you forget something?”

“What are you doing alone in the hallway?”

“Oh my, you startled me! Lord Bliss?!”

Sera, who had been tilting her head, watching Ethan walk away, shrieked at the low voice beside her.

“My apologies if I startled you. Is Ethan inside? He wasn’t in his room.”

As he spoke, he reached for the doorknob of Hans’s room, then paused at Sera’s words.

“Oh, Ethan just went up to the third floor to meet Kyle and Liam.”

“…I see.”

He released the doorknob and turned away. He ascended the stairs to the third floor and visited Liam’s quarters without showing any particular urgency.

“Ethan? He was in Kyle’s quarters until a moment ago, then they parted ways.”

Hmph. His gaze darkened. He had been forced to circle both the second and third floors of the circular building just to catch a glimpse of Ethan.

When he finally returned to Ethan’s room, the place he had first visited, Ethan was asleep.

No one had intended to vex Bliss, but inadvertently, they had. Bliss, trying to quell a rare surge of anger, didn’t deeply consider why Ethan had gone out of his way to visit his guards in their quarters. He would, however, chastise himself for this oversight several days later.

****

Bang! Boom!

Amidst the explosions on the front lines.

“Extra supplies have arrived!”

Ethan, shouting as if delivering a package, shook a sack filled with fist-sized pouches, against the backdrop of his guards, Philip, and Doctor Sera’s resigned expressions.

“That damned temper.”

The usually calm and collected superior’s expletive, heavy with emotion, startled his adjutant.