Chapter 72: The Aftermath and a Brother’s Plea

The fires set by Trisha Haxson gradually died out due to the gushing water. As the eye-stinging flames vanished, the central garden of the palace, left in a state resembling a battlefield, was revealed.

Acrid smoke billowed from the garden trees, their thick branches charred black and barely clinging to life, while black water, thick with ash, flowed across the ground.

Trisha Haxson, who had screamed and attempted to rampage even after her heart was pierced, was instantly killed as Bliss Moore’s Psychic Silence robbed her of breath and strength.

From where she had fallen, crimson blood seeped out, mingling with the black, ash-laden water.

As Ethan started to turn his head towards her, a large hand covered his eyes.

“Don’t look. What you’ve witnessed today alone warrants mental care.”

Ethan, having grown up witnessing Esper battles firsthand, was hardly one to suffer mental trauma from a blood-soaked corpse like Trisha Haxson’s.

Although Captain Mark’s unit had been stationed in the village to guard them, they hadn’t merely protected the village amidst an ongoing war, and Ethan was frequently deployed in battles that erupted nearby.

He had even seen his father and mother fighting together.

Often, when his mother’s gwi abilities were needed, it signified a large-scale battle.

Though he was young, the few peers who grew up with him in the village were also repeatedly exposed to sudden battles and corpses, becoming desensitized to such horrors.

Thus, Trisha Haxson’s neatly pierced corpse was, to him, nothing remarkable.

“It’s… a little scary, I suppose.”

[I’m a ghost, and I just got goosebumps.]

Ethan ignored Dongja’s words, burrowing unnecessarily into Bliss’s embrace.

Above Dongja’s head, a crow crossed its wings, mimicking a human’s gesture of wrapping an arm around a shoulder. As Ethan narrowed his eyes, the crow let out an unnecessary “Caw!” and then vanished.

While the guards cleared the corpse, Bliss kept Ethan embraced, his eyes shielded.

He moved through the blood-soaked scene, organizing the situation with a rather pleased expression that entirely contradicted the grim circumstances.

‘Lord Bliss seems even scarier today.’

Hearing the whispered words of the guard, Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Swan’s eyes widened, and the guard quickly scurried off to work.

However, Arthur, Kyle, and Maxon all found it equally chilling to see Bliss, usually expressionless, smiling amidst such a horrific scene.

****

[Breaking news! Trisha Haxson, an S-rank Esper imprisoned for attacking reporters, has been summarily executed on the spot after severely injuring a central high noble in a palace attack!

The incident occurred after most of the palace administration staff had departed, with only those preparing for Ashilton’s Spring Flower Festival remaining.

Unlike the main palace garden where the incident took place, the bodies of two Esper guards—one S-rank and one A-rank—were discovered in the special Esper prison located on the palace outskirts.

As the guards were also scions of noble families, investigations are underway to determine if another faction, hostile towards the central nobility, has infiltrated the palace, or if the incident was a result of Trisha Haxson’s unstable condition escalating into a rampage.

While the Center has withheld information under the Esper-Guide Personal Information Protection Act, our broadcast station has exclusively obtained her medical counseling records from a private psychological center she attended. She was habitually…]

Huey switched off the monitor displaying the news.

Lying on the bed, Enoch moved his arm, covered in regeneration patches, to turn the screen back on. The news had already transitioned to a segment about the joint funeral for the fallen guards.

“So, an Esper of common birth attacked two Esper brothers, who are political rivals, side-by-side. Does that mean the attack wasn’t politically motivated? This is certainly more sensational than Trisha Haxson attacking a mere reporter.

Attacking a noble so brazenly within the palace has resulted in a clean, summary execution. Just one question, brother: even if you’re being used in such a scheme, do you still adore that bastard, Devon Green?”

“……Ever since he became my matched Guide, it was no longer a choice.”

Contempt flickered in Enoch’s eyes.

“I knew you’d say that. You’ve completely changed since you imprinted on that bastard, Devon Green.

Don’t you feel it yourself? Ever since you started experimenting and reporting whatever that scoundrel ordered, even handing over our family’s data in the process!”

Enoch, who had cut himself off, practically shouting in a voice uncharacteristically agitated, took a deep breath as if to quell his anger.

“…If you become the head of the family, the Cloud Corporation will be swallowed by the Center, just like in the old days, and forced to do their dirty work.”

“That’s quite a leap.”

Huey frowned, but Enoch paid him no mind.

“Was I wrong? Oh, right, you’re still imprinted, so you must be feeling joy first that Trisha Haxson is dead.

Why would you ever let yourself be imprinted…?”

With a weary face, Huey poured water and swallowed an Esper painkiller.

He needed to receive guiding after using his abilities, but the royal family was preoccupied with the incident Trisha Haxson had caused.

Whether this incident was orchestrated by Devon or not, he was the type who never missed an opportunity.

He would undoubtedly be neutralizing anything unfavorable to himself while, conversely, seeking an opening against the King or His Highness Herace.

Huey stood up without a word.

Enoch, who always kept his Guide by his side, seemed to be in a more severe state than him.

“……I’ll call Scott.”

“Are you avoiding it?!”

As he opened the door, he paused, turning back with a faint smirk.

“That would be difficult. You’d need to have s*x with Scott immediately to even begin recovering, given your terrible matching rate with him.

He’d likely only try to restore you through mucous membrane contact, like a kiss, and then wait until you’re able to move before initiating anything further. All according to his orthodox Guide training, of course.”

“Huey Cloud!”

Bang!

Leaning against the closed door, Huey stood there for a long moment, his eyes shut.

He had tried not to provoke Enoch, who was more severely injured than him from saving him, yet Enoch’s cutting sharpness, piercing the rational facade of his Esper nature, had inadvertently made him bring up Scott.

An Esper’s instinct, imprinted on a Guide, rejoiced at Trisha Haxson’s death.

He knew another Esper would soon take her place, and that even without her, he couldn’t monopolize his Guide, yet it was true that witnessing her demise firsthand had brought him considerable pleasure.

‘How utterly despicable. Huey Cloud.’

“Lord Huey.”

He, who had been dry-washing his face, lifted his head to look at Scott.

Scott stood more than a meter away, glancing nervously at the door behind him. Despite several rounds of Guide training, he still feared Huey and couldn’t bring himself to approach.

“…Go inside.”

Huey straightened his body from where he had been leaning and stepped aside.

When he ceased moving, Scott, his face taut with tension, approached, quickly opening the door as wide as possible and slipping inside. He seemed to be trying to be inconspicuous, but his desperate effort to avoid any physical contact with Huey was evident, eliciting a soft, deflated sigh from Huey.

“Is there really a need to use my abilities when everything is already so exposed?”

Returning to his own quarters, opposite Enoch’s annex, he was greeted by Abberton, one of the few human servants and his butler.

Abberton had originally served his parents but had cared for him more closely than his own kin after his abilities manifested.

“Would it not be prudent to contact His Highness Devon?”

His voice, as he naturally accepted the coat, was tinged with concern.

Huey, by habit, read the fleeting emotions that passed. Thoughts consistent with his words flowed into his mind.

“Preparing a bomb shelter would be faster than that.”

Huey patted Abberton’s hand a couple of times.

Despite the unexpected touch, Abberton showed no sign of perturbation, merely looking at him with concern.

Abberton’s heart was filled with resentment towards Prince Devon, who knew Esper Huey Cloud was unwell yet did not summon him for guiding.

“The bomb shelter inside the mansion is too old.”

“Indeed.”

Huey offered a bitter smile.

His father was not an Esper, and he himself had never used his abilities to this extent since his manifestation at age twelve. Enoch had brought a Guide immediately after his manifestation, so it was unlikely the bomb shelter within the house would be properly maintained.

Walking as slowly as possible to prevent his head from throbbing, he entered his room, untied his necktie, and tossed it to a maid robot patrolling the house.

The robot, which managed the style room, recognized the tie’s color and pattern, checked its contamination level, and then carried it directly into the room.

“Shall we prepare the bomb shelter at the Cloud family’s Esper Guard Training Center on the outskirts, then?”

As Abberton, the butler watching him, quietly asked, Huey, instead of removing his shirt, unbuttoned a few buttons to ease his breathing.

He then dipped his hands into a ceramic bowl brought by another maid bot and murmured.

“It’s not like the Moore family, where everyone is a military veteran and completely controllable.

If I were to use a bomb shelter in a place full of people who know I’m His Highness Devon Green’s Esper, unfavorable rumors could spread. The same goes for the Cloud family’s collateral branches.”

Abberton’s expression darkened.

“Indeed, the Cloud family’s internal affairs are in a worse state now.”

The political rivalries were already fully exposed.

However, the Cloud family’s succession issues, entangled with the interests of its collateral branches, fueled fierce power struggles that even Huey and Enoch were unaware of.

Relatives had died. Whispers of elders being poisoned constantly circulated. Enoch’s near-imprisonment of Scott for protection was one such reason.

Just as he was pondering this, a hand that had unhesitatingly grasped him suddenly came to mind.

“…Lord Huey?”

When Abberton called out to Huey, who had stopped creating foam and paused his movements, Huey rinsed his hands.

“It would be better to ask Bliss Moore instead.

His private building is closer than the training center on the outskirts, and it’s thoroughly prepared for any potential eruption, equipped with everything from a guard training ground.”

Only then did Abberton’s expression relax.

“Since you were both at the scene, there’s ample justification. And with the Moore family, no rumors will leak. In that case, it would be best for you to go this very evening.”

Abberton’s gaze fell upon Huey’s trembling hand, which had failed to unfold a neatly folded towel and let it drop.

Huey, using his shaking hand to brush back his short, fallen hair, spoke in a dry, nonchalant voice.

“I’ll contact him myself.”

****

“I can’t sleep. I wasn’t even that shocked, so why is this happening? No, before that, why are you perfectly fine, Ethan?!”

Maxon, emerging from the counseling room, poured strong coffee, his face haggard from lack of sleep, and demanded.

It turned out Ethan was not the one who needed mental care after the session. Instead, serious mental care had begun for Maxon, who had seen such a corpse for the first time.

Bliss, unlike with Ethan, had made a vexing remark—’To lose so much sleep over that, I’ll have to reconsider your unit’s training’—yet he still allocated afternoon training time for Maxon’s counseling.

“Ethan possesses a superior mental fortitude than the Ancaster family’s spoiled brat.”

Bliss did not forget to deliver a double or triple blow to Maxon with these words, spoken with a perfectly calm, unexpressive, and utterly serious face.

“Bliss, stop teasing him, brother.”

‘Brother. That ‘brother’ again.’

Bliss’s lips twitched, twisting, and he was about to open his mouth to Maxon once more when he spotted Dale standing by the dining room doorway. He pushed away his dessert plate and stood up.

“It seems Huey Cloud has arrived.”

“Ugh… Do I not have to go out?”

Maxon asked with a slightly disgusted expression, and Bliss nodded.

“As you wish. Ethan?”

“I’m fine.”

Bliss’s lips twitched again, but only Dale noticed it. Dale wisely stepped forward before his master could explode.

“While preparing Lord Huey’s room, I moved Lord Ethan’s bedding to Lord Bliss’s room.”

Of course, all of this was done at Bliss’s instruction after agreeing to lend the bomb shelter to Huey Cloud.

“Is he lacking guiding?”

Ethan’s eyes widened as he looked at Bliss. Dale chuckled, feigning ignorance.

The excuse was also Bliss’s instruction: to speak naturally.

“He received adequate guiding, but didn’t the two of you agree to imprint within two weeks? Furthermore, while he is coming to borrow the bomb shelter, it would be best for the two of you to appear to be staying together, given that Lord Huey’s room is being prepared separately.”

“That’s… unavoidable, I suppose.”

Dale’s eyes narrowed as he watched Bliss utter a reluctant reply. He glanced over and saw that this time, both corners of Bliss’s mouth were subtly trembling. Others might not have noticed, but Dale, a veteran butler, clearly saw Bliss’s lips struggling to suppress a rising smile.

He apologized to Ethan inwardly. He was, in essence, pushing Ethan right into Bliss’s mouth.