Chapter 58: A Normal Date, or Not?

“Baron Rex’s Guide is perfectly fine…?”

Ethan, listening to Philip’s report alongside Enoch and Bliss, questioned with an air of disbelief.

“I tracked the Baron Rex’s Guide’s movements that day, but found nothing out of the ordinary,” Philip reported. “This woman, a party planner by profession, was preparing for the Baron’s upcoming birthday celebration. She visited a large shopping center to buy his gift, met with catering and florist representatives, and then, in the afternoon, accompanied the Baroness to a salon.”

“…She must have been quite close with the Baroness, then?” Enoch, who was also present, lightly scoffed as if making a trivial joke, but Philip nodded in confirmation.

“Apparently, their relationship was quite good,” Philip affirmed. “This Guide even refused to become a second wife, choosing to live alone and only entering the Baron’s mansion when guiding was necessary. In fact…”

As Philip’s words trailed off, Bliss’s head lifted, prompting him to hesitate before adding.

“It’s rumored among the nobles they associate with that her relationship with the Baroness was even stronger than with the Baron himself,” Philip explained. “When this incident turned the Baron’s household upside down, the Guide reportedly remained inseparable from the Baroness. She has apparently decided to stay at the mansion for the time being to comfort the grieving Baroness.”

“Oh!” Enoch let out a short exclamation of surprise.

“Whether ‘for the time being’ will last remains to be seen,” Enoch mused. “Perhaps that’s why Baron Rex could change women so frequently without any fuss…”

“What about the runaway induction drug?” Bliss interjected, cutting off Enoch, who had seemed about to delve further into the unexpected gossip with an amused expression.

The runaway induction drug was a substance used even in wartime. While it required a meticulously delicate process—securing a significant amount of an uncontaminated matching Guide’s blood or bodily fluids to conceal an Esper’s sensitive gwi and administer it—no other bomb was as effective once successfully deployed.

The tremendous advantage of an Esper’s body exploding, thus making it impossible to even detect the drug’s use, was one reason Guides were often targeted first. Yet, in this incident, the Baron survived. Though his mind was no longer sound, reducing him to merely a living doll, his physical body remained entirely intact.

Philip shook his head, a troubled expression on his face.

“His Highness Herace has confined him in the royal palace’s special prison with life support,” Philip began, “but Prince Devon’s faction has formally requested his transfer. They argue that since he’s a prisoner who cannot be interrogated, the runaway induction drug component analysis falls under the Center’s authority. Furthermore, they claim they wish to research him, as he is the first Esper to survive a rampage with his body intact…”

Bang!

Enoch sprang to his feet, his face now grave.

“Damn it! The drug’s effects can become diluted over time!”

Seeing Enoch react more animatedly than usual, Ethan inadvertently asked.

“…Did you receive guiding?”

Enoch’s face, which had been drawn and reliant on Esper-specific painkillers during the party, now gleamed. When he had been taking the painkillers, his expressions had slowly vanished, leading Ethan to wonder if he was transforming into someone like Bliss. Yet now, the lighthearted aura Ethan had first observed around Enoch Cloud had naturally returned to him.

Enoch flinched, his body reacting candidly to the sudden, unexpected jab. Witnessing this, Bliss nodded, as if finally understanding after a long pause.

“…I see. If they’re engaging in such relations, Scott Kenton must have fully recovered by now.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. Enoch Cloud inherently despised the relationship between Espers and Guides. He had witnessed Huey Cloud’s life, swept along by Devon Green since childhood, and Enoch himself was a late-bloomer who had lived a long life as an ordinary person, freely dating and sparking scandals. Thus, when he awakened as an Esper, he chose a precarious Guide whose compatibility was barely adequate, with a matching rate of less than 30%.

“…Did you apologize?”

Ethan had been infuriated upon learning that Enoch had chosen Scott Kenton, deceiving him and fulfilling his 30% guiding requirement through s*x. This was precisely because Enoch detested even the imprinting phenomenon that occurred in 30% matching relationships—a bond one could sever, as Uncle Hans had resolutely done. However, in the wake of Enoch’s incomprehensible actions, Ethan had merely observed.

If Bliss’s words were true, Enoch seemed to have developed genuine feelings for Scott. However, the key to their continued relationship had to lie with Scott. By Ethan’s reckoning, only a miraculous romantic, capable of forgiving his friend who had nearly died in an assassination attempt, even after hearing from Enoch that their relationship could end at any moment, would make such a continuation possible.

And yet, they had s*x.

Enoch feigned nonchalance.

“Our relationship is fine, Ethan. It will continue to be fine,” Enoch asserted. “I know you’re concerned about me, but I have a Guide. If you have the leisure to worry about an unrelated Esper, why not focus that time on Bliss instead?”

“You’re a coward.”

“I’m simply efficient.”

“No matter how much you hide it, it won’t cease to exist.”

“What’s the problem if I’m being genuine now?” Enoch retorted. “As long as you and Bliss don’t do anything strange, there’s no benefit to dragging me, who’s working towards the same goal at this time, through the mud.”

Ethan sighed deeply. Bliss reached out and took his hand. It was frustrating, but Enoch was right. Ever since Ethan became Bliss’s Guide and earned the title ‘Flower of the Empire,’ he could no longer remain a bystander. The mountain of invitations that had piled up in just two days since attending the royal banquet was proof enough. Skipping the academy was also out of the question.

“Then let’s talk about effort, Enoch Cloud,” Bliss said sternly. “Get the Baron’s blood sample, no matter what it takes, before it’s handed over to the Center.” Watching Enoch seize his coat and vanish outside, as if he had been waiting for Bliss’s harsh words, Ethan murmured weakly.

“I truly… I just want a normal relationship.”

That had been his dream.

Philip, who had been observing them, wore a slightly regretful expression.

“I will try to minimize them as much as possible, but… social engagements are unavoidable now.”

Bliss chuckled, burying his lips in the nape of his Guide’s neck, who was no longer ordinary. He suppressed the instinct to suck a little more, finding the red mark that had developed over time quite appealing, and then made what he considered a relatively normal suggestion.

“Shall we go fabric shopping?”

Ethan’s eyes sparkled.

“Shall we visit Lau Confectionery after so long? Oh, and the jewelry store that sells processed crystals too!”

“Lau Confectionery probably doesn’t have many types of sweets,” Bliss mused. “Let’s ask Dale if there are other places. It would also be good to pre-order small gold fragments… And how about stopping by the riverside on the way?”

[Oh, yes, yes, yes! Bliss is so passionate, isn’t he?!]

Ethan’s eyes widened, then subtly narrowed. The cawing and the excited yelps of Ilwol rang loudly in his ears. A date with Bliss, just like other couples! It was delightful to experience for the first time, but the gwi were already fussing before he could even express his own joy. Since he wasn’t wearing a jacket, his wallet, casually tucked into his back pocket, twitched. Ethan promptly plopped back into his chair, crushing Chilbok, and enacted his petty revenge.

“There’s enough meat and rice at the mansion, right? Good.”

Bliss, who had been nodding, added seriously.

“Tell them to prepare liver dishes too. We’ll likely be doing some walking, so why don’t you wear comfortable clothes?”

“Wow, perfect! Bliss, you should get ready and come out soon too!”

Ethan rushed out, his face alight with excitement. After successfully achieving ‘mucosal contact guiding,’ Bliss would always try to touch or stick close to Ethan whenever he saw him within the mansion. Doctor Sera, who could rationally restrain an Esper’s instincts when they were aflame and seemingly ready to ignore guiding shock, was still days away from arriving, having excitedly shared the news that a late-blooming Guide from Ethan’s village was compatible with Violet.

Bliss himself acted unconsciously, but his close associates were constantly on edge, wondering when he would devour Ethan, feeling as if a predator was testing the waters whenever Bliss fiddled with him. Bliss, with his heightened guiding satisfaction, was oblivious to his aide’s anxieties. He even showed Philip an emotional expression as he asked,

“Is this what a normal date course looks like?”

Philip, still unable to leave the room and forced to observe them, broke out in a cold sweat.

“…Buying fabric instead of clothes, going to a general confectionery instead of a dessert cafe… and going to buy gold fragments instead of a ring… is that what you mean?”

“Quite similar, I’d say.”

“…Usually, one buys clothes, dines at a fine restaurant, and visits a cafe, doesn’t one? And shouldn’t you get a matching ring? Moore Corp must also consider Ethan’s standing internally.”

A kiss in the middle of the royal banquet hall! It was fortunate that the media was controlled at the royal banquet; if it had been a public event, it would have been broadcast live throughout the empire. Rumors had already spread among the nobility, and individuals with their own agendas were approaching Ethan.

The internal dynamics of the Ancaster family were also stirring. There were those who supported His Highness Herace alongside Marquis Douglas Moore and were willing to accept Ethan, and those who, led by Annabelle, supported Devon Green, whom they considered slightly easier to handle than Herace. More than half of the old-fashioned family elders, who desired a suitable king rather than an exceptional one, supported Annabelle, even though His Highness Herace possessed charisma and ability as a leader. The conflict between those seeking to leverage their noble lineage, honor, and the royal family for profit, and those led by Marquis Douglas Moore, was destined to surface due to the royal banquet incident.

For this reason, Marquis Douglas Moore, who had been abroad, was hastily returning. To protect Ethan, who had no background, it would be best to announce an engagement to demonstrate Bliss’s intentions.

“I don’t intend to buy a ring from a jewelry store. I’ll have Dale find a gem dealer, and commission the design directly from the Bicolor family.”

“That’s a men’s ring. Even without going through a gem dealer, a gem of that size, even a rare one, can be acquired without much difficulty. Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Swan wouldn’t like an overly large gem.”

“I never said I’d only get a ring. He seems to dislike receiving money without reason, so with an engagement as an excuse, he’ll probably accept it as if he can’t refuse. Ethan is quite fond of money.”

Philip, observing his boss with eyes that seemed to ask why he would entertain such an absurd idea, fell silent. While it didn’t quite explain a date involving buying fabric scraps and gold fragments, it was strangely convincing.

“…I will go to Dale.”

He then bowed politely and, pretending to leave, turned his back, dropping his head, and let out a silent scream.

‘Oh, Doctor Sera. Please hurry. At this rate, I’m the one who’ll need mental care!’