Chapter 56: Unexpected Guiding

Thud!

The moment the car door slammed shut, Oweol the Crow’s shield completely dissipated. Before Ethan’s back could hit the cube car’s seatback and window, Bliss’s large hand intervened, absorbing the impact. The slight tremor from his rather forceful movement tautened the air inside the car.

“Mph… W-wait…”

Bliss, who had been kissing him with a tilted head, seizing the opportunity as Ethan’s lips parted, swiftly took possession of his mouth. As Oweol’s shield dissipated, a gentle energy, akin to a soft drizzle, began to permeate every part of Ethan’s body that Bliss held close, not merely their lips.

‘This felt so good.’

‘He had never imagined that the intertwining of tongues and the mingling of saliva could feel so intensely pleasurable. For so long, expending his powers had been followed by the everyday torment of needle-sharp pain piercing his entire body.’

‘Yet, now, kissing his Guide brought not greater agony, but profound pleasure and a deep sense of completeness.’

‘It felt as though the pain, which had previously carved into his muscles and skin like a blade, was now being smoothly honed away. Moreover, Ethan was someone Bliss had held affection for even before realizing he was his Guide.’

As Bliss’s tongue explored and stroked the inner lining of Ethan’s cheek, Ethan swallowed a sharp breath and stiffened.

When Bliss’s tongue, having freely explored the recesses of Ethan’s mouth, then rubbed against Ethan’s own tongue, Ethan let out flustered gasps and struggled. Bliss made no effort to suppress the corners of his lips, which kept curling upward.

He found everything delightful, even Ethan’s clumsy movements, as he was too unfamiliar with kissing to intertwine their tongues, instead busily trying to evade him.

To draw him even closer, Bliss slipped a hand behind Ethan’s waist, pulling him in tightly. However, embracing each other side-by-side in the car’s back seat felt frustratingly restrictive, limiting the extent of their physical contact.

As he sucked on Ethan’s plump, swollen lips, the hand that had been embracing Ethan now stroked down Ethan’s arm over his clothes. His palm, warm and slow, traced downwards, as if trying to memorize the contours of the muscles beneath the fabric, eventually reaching his side.

He aggressively rubbed Ethan’s tongue, drawing it into his own mouth, ensuring Ethan’s focus remained solely on the kiss. Then, his hand descended further, slowly approaching Ethan’s thigh. It was precisely then, as he was about to subtly lift Ethan onto his lap, facing him.

“Lord Bliss! There are too many fallen obstacles; I must drive…!”

Kyle, who usually took the wheel during normal driving mode, had been about to enter their car, but slammed the door shut with another bang and vanished. Ethan, who was not just startled but utterly frozen, heard urgent voices near his ear, frantically trying to stop Liam from opening the passenger door.

“Let’s just circle around for ten more minutes!”

“What are you talking about? I used a lot of power during the rescue. I need guiding. Just drive, quickly.”

“Liam, wouldn’t you die if you were hit with a Psychic Silence in that state?”

“……Is that, true?”

After a long pause, a voice finally spoke, as if everything had suddenly clicked into place. At its sound, Ethan’s face, which had been steadily reddening inside the car, flushed a deep crimson, reaching its peak.

However, Bliss, clicking his tongue in annoyance at the interruption, quickly realized he had about ten minutes of reprieve and immediately tried to resume what he had been doing.

“Ah, no, you can’t.”

Ethan desperately pushed Bliss away as he once again lowered his head, attempting to kiss him. Bliss feigned being pushed back, retreating slightly. However, seizing the moment Ethan’s arm strength loosened, he swiftly buried his face in Ethan’s neck.

“Hah…!”

As Bliss’s still-damp lips touched Ethan’s nape with a soft ‘chok’ sound, a suppressed moan escaped Ethan’s mouth, startled by the sudden contact. Bliss smiled silently, observing the goosebumps that rose on Ethan’s neck.

‘He longed to bite and gnaw, leaving countless marks of possession. Yet, his instincts, honed by experience, knew his Guide was more susceptible to his vulnerable side.’

‘So, covering his upturned lips, he lowered his head and feigned a pitiful demeanor.’

“It’s still not enough.”

“B-but, we’re in a car…”

Of course, Bliss knew they were in a car. But what did that matter? The car was narrow and cozy, perfectly suited for them to cling to each other, and any potential disturbances would surely be handled by Liam and Kyle, who were no doubt loitering outside, feigning disinterest.

Although he was fatigued from repeatedly unleashing Psychic Silence, it had only been used within a field radius of about 50cm. This was vastly different from employing Psychic Silence over a wide area of approximately 6km, targeting numerous Espers, both in terms of power management and application.

As evidence, his initial desperate attempts to kiss for mucosal contact guiding had vanished, subtly replaced by his lips pressing against Ethan’s body, though Ethan remained unaware of this shift. Anxious that someone might enter, Ethan nevertheless leaned in close to restore Bliss’s body through guiding, wrapping his arms around Bliss’s neck and concentrating on transferring his energy.

‘Unbeknownst to him, this only served as a further catalyst, exciting Bliss even more.’

“Ah… hnn…!”

The moment Bliss lost his grip on reason, he immediately acted on what he had only ever contemplated but never dared to do. He lifted Ethan’s body onto his own, wrapping his arms around him like ropes and pulling him into a tight embrace.

With every inch of them pressed together, he lowered his head and licked Ethan’s nape. Ethan’s head tilted back as he tried to evade him, but the Esper’s encircling arms held his body in an unyielding grip.

[Hey, what is this! What should we do!]

Dongja, who had secretly hoped they would deepen their relationship at this opportunity, cried out in a panicked voice, but by then, Bliss’s teeth were already embedded in Ethan’s neck.

Crunch—

“Agh!”

From the sheer physiological pain, tears welled up in Ethan’s blue eyes. Startled back to his senses by Dongja’s voice and the pain, he stopped actively transferring energy.

[Summon Iwol!]

As blood appeared on Ethan’s neck, Dongja’s eyes, which had been indistinguishable from a human’s, turned completely black, leaving no trace of white. The energies of the other gwi stirred, influenced by Dongja’s aura. Ethan, to the extent he could move, shook his head towards Dongja’s increasingly palpable aura.

“If we summon Iwol now, the car body will be completely destroyed and collapse.”

Subduing Bliss, an Esper, would be impossible with just a little force. However, Bliss did not possess telekinesis.

If the car they were alone in collapsed and disintegrated, it would certainly attract attention. Even if they were lucky enough for Liam and Kyle to be nearby and claim they exerted their power, there would be no way to explain it.

As guards, they could not justify violently exposing Bliss and Ethan in such a disheveled state during guiding.

Bliss strongly sucked on Ethan’s neck where he had bitten, then stroked it with his tongue. A subtle sexual sensation, accompanied by pain, vibrated through Ethan’s neck.

Suppressing the moan that threatened to escape, he reactivated Oweol’s shield and gently stroked his Esper’s head.

As the shield enveloped them and even the guiding, which was initiated by the Guide’s will, ceased, Bliss, who had been licking and sucking Ethan’s neck like a beast, gradually began to calm down. A moment later, Bliss buried his face in Ethan’s neck and let out a long sigh.

“……Hah… I did it again…”

His murmured voice, unable to lift his head, was steeped in profound self-reproach.

Through the kiss with Ethan, he had, for a moment, become overconfident, almost forcibly drawing energy from Ethan via mucosal contact. Since the kiss had been successful, he had naturally assumed the next step would also be fine.

‘He had been unaware that the sense of fullness from a Guide focusing entirely on him, pouring out their energy, could act as a mental aphrodisiac for an Esper.’

‘This was especially true when guiding occurred after expending a significant amount of power.’

No, it was only now, after the incident, that he vaguely recalled Doctor Sera mentioning it before they departed for Morapolio City.

“I’m sorry.”

Startled by Ethan’s apology, which reached his ears, Bliss lifted his head.

“…I believe I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

As Bliss couldn’t tear his eyes away from Ethan’s neck, Ethan slid off his lap, subtly pulling up his collar and fastening the undone buttons all the way. While this didn’t make the prominent mark disappear, it succeeded in diverting Bliss’s persistent gaze. Ethan offered an awkward smile as Bliss finally met his eyes.

“Everything we practiced until now was when Bliss hadn’t used his powers, wasn’t it? I knew it was better to only attempt either mucosal contact or physical contact when guiding an Esper who’s unfamiliar with it, especially after a sudden depletion of power.”

“But in the actual situation, my mind just went blank.”

‘No, in truth, he had been temporarily rendered senseless by how utterly good Bliss’s kisses and ministrations felt.’ Vowing never to utter that truth, Ethan recalled the knowledge he had acquired in Han Dynasty village.

“…It seems Doctor Sera also told you.”

Ethan blinked for a moment but did not correct Bliss’s misunderstanding. Assuming that his own knowledge and the information Doctor Sera had given Bliss were similar or identical, he simply turned his head to look out the window.

More than ten minutes had already passed, and Liam and Kyle were approaching the car.

The wound left on Ethan’s neck was starkly visible. The injury, which had been slightly obscured when Ethan turned his head, now barely concealed its edges, drawing Bliss’s gaze.

His white nape was now a wretched crimson, marked by his own teeth. Even amidst overwhelming guilt and self-reproach, a creeping, primal satisfaction began to surface.

Bliss, who had never experienced complex emotional categories due to family circumstances or Esper awakening, felt a confusing mix of regret and pleasure.

He was concerned for Ethan’s wound, yet also satisfied, experiencing these conflicting emotions simultaneously.

The car door opened, and Liam and Kyle entered.

“We heard the Marchioness’s car was damaged. If we delay any longer, we might have to escort the Marchioness in this car.”

At Liam’s voice, delivering unwelcome news, Bliss consciously moved slightly away from Ethan, adjusting his posture. Then, in a subdued voice, he gave a quiet command.

“…Let’s go.”

Feigning weariness, he covered his face with both palms as if dry-washing, his expression hardening rigidly. ‘He was still unable to control himself, no different from a wild beast cub that could endanger Ethan.’

‘He began to fear the part of himself that would recklessly reach out to Ethan.’