Does Spring Come Even for a Dying Esper

“Wow…”

“How is this even…”

Amidst the people lost for words at the unbelievable sight, occasional exclamations of awe broke out. It seemed amazing no matter how many times they looked. Some shuddered as if getting goosebumps. Even the N-0 unit members, who knew Iberis’s abilities better than anyone, showed the same reaction as others this time.

And for good reason – Iberis had single-handedly stopped a tsunami, a natural disaster beyond human control. It was an incredible feat even for an S-class Esper like him, renowned in the Defense Force.

Moreover, for the past few months, Iberis had been visibly in poor condition to everyone. Although his complexion had noticeably improved after Lucas joined the unit, freeing him from excessive work and lack of guiding, no one expected such an overwhelming performance. The unit members felt intense pride that it was their commander who had astounded everyone here.

“…”

Lucas too was struck by a strange sense of emotion. He had seen S-class Espers from Central Headquarters, including Winfried, fight several times over the past few years, but he had never felt this kind of thrill.

He suddenly understood why the Defense Force leadership couldn’t completely discard Iberis, nor embrace him generously, leaving him neglected. He was a dangerous beast – too valuable to chase away, too risky to bring in close. If they couldn’t tame him, it was best to keep him in a suitable cage, occasionally throwing him food and leaving him be.

It also made sense that no guide capable of handling Iberis had appeared until now. He was clearly an irregular even among S-class. If the rankings were more detailed, wouldn’t he belong to S+ or SS class? Most guides wouldn’t be able to handle Iberis’s mana.

The thought of guiding such a person filled Lucas’s chest with an odd elation. Caught up in this unidentifiable emotion, Lucas unconsciously clenched his fist tightly.

Meanwhile, Iberis, standing atop the massive frozen tidal wave as if time had stopped, exhaled a white breath. He had used more power than expected. Sensing the mana beginning to surge within him, he squinted one eye. It was the dreaded runaway phenomenon.

Iberis clenched and unclenched his trembling hand, glancing downward. He could clearly feel the gazes fixed on him. If it were just his unit members, it might be different, but he couldn’t show weakness in front of others.

“It’s okay.”

Iberis muttered to himself, taking a short breath. In the past, he wouldn’t have been able to hide the aftereffects no matter what, but now it was different. Because he had Lucas to guide him.

With a calm expression, Iberis moved towards the people waiting for him to come down. As soon as he landed on the warship, Muriel approached him with a bright face.

“Major Hyun!”

“…Colonel.”

“That was truly amazing! Ha, I never thought I’d see such a spectacle in my life! This is… the sea has turned into the Arctic!”

Muriel kept marveling, looking back and forth between Iberis standing before her and the tidal wave that had frozen solid into a glacier. Even Alec, who was now standing behind her, was staring at Iberis with a pale face, as if overwhelmed.

“I’m glad I requested your support! I’m sincerely grateful! I’ll never forget this, so if you ever need my help, don’t hesitate to contact me.”

“Thank… you.”

Iberis barely managed to reply, suppressing the cough rising in his throat. At that moment, a large, firm hand gently gripped his shoulder. It was Lucas.

“I apologize, Colonel Louise. Our Major pushed himself a bit too hard at the end, so he needs to receive guiding right away.”

“Oh? Ah, right.”

Muriel agreed with Lucas’s words, looking a bit sheepish. As an Esper herself, she knew well that receiving guiding as soon as possible after excessive use of abilities was the best way to minimize aftereffects.

“Oh dear, I got too excited and interfered with the guiding. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. We’d like to use the guiding room within the warship.”

“Of course! There’s still some wrapping up to do… Right, leave the rest to us and you two get some rest! Renee! Quickly escort these two to the special room!”

Muriel, volunteering for the cleanup, hurriedly called for her adjutant, Renee.

“This way, please.”

Renee, with a face as flushed as Muriel’s, guided Lucas and Iberis to the cabin.

“Let’s go, Major.”

Lucas moved, keeping his arm around Iberis’s shoulder, following Renee. Even as they walked, his gaze never left Iberis. With pale lips and wan cheeks, Iberis looked quite strained.

“Please bear with it a little longer.”

Lucas bit his lower lip and whispered, leaning his head slightly towards Iberis. He wanted to carry Iberis in his arms, but there were too many watchful eyes. After a moment’s hesitation, he lowered his hand from Iberis’s shoulder and firmly grasped his waist. He judged that this level of support wouldn’t be seen as strange.

“I’m fine… *cough*!”

Iberis tried to answer as if telling Lucas not to worry, but broke into a cough. He clenched his mouth shut and straightened his back, putting strength into his toes. Given how rumors could spread, it was necessary to appear robust, contrary to the rumors of his ill health.

“You don’t need to support me.”

“The stairs are slippery, that’s all.”

Lucas made an excuse about the stairs and pulled Iberis a bit closer to himself. Fortunately, the guiding room was right at the bottom of the stairs.

“You can use this room. If you need anything else, please press the bell on the wall.”

Renee, who had guided the two to the innermost room, bowed politely.

“Thank you.”

Lucas quickly surveyed the room while thanking Renee. Typically, a guiding room consists of a bedroom with a bed large enough for two people and a bathroom for basic washing.

However, this special room had a living area in addition to the bedroom and bathroom. The living room was equipped with a comfortable sofa for relaxation, a coffee machine, a table with snacks, and a wall-mounted TV. On the bedside table, simple medical supplies like ointments and potions were prepared, along with items for intimate activities.

“How long can we use this room? Other people will need guiding too…”

“Don’t worry, there are plenty of guiding rooms on the warship. Our Colonel paid special attention to this. First-stage guiding can be done anywhere.”

“Can we continue resting here after the guiding?”

“Ah, yes. Of course. It will take a few hours to deal with the remaining monsters, clean up the corpses, and for the ship to return to the base and dock. You can use it freely until then. We’ll make sure no one disturbs your rest until you come out.”

“I see. Thank you for your consideration. Please tell Lieutenant Cali to take good care of the unit members.”

“Certainly. Have a good time.”

Renee, with a broad smile, bowed to Iberis before leaving the two alone.

Click.

As soon as the door closed, Iberis’s body crumbled. Free from people’s gazes and with tension released, he could no longer hold on.

“Major!”

“Cough! Ugh, haa…”

A startled Lucas quickly lifted Iberis into his arms. He went straight to the bedroom without delay.

“C-cold…”

Iberis, burying his face in Lucas’s broad shoulder, shivered. He instinctively sought warmth, burrowing into Lucas’s embrace. Then he rubbed his ice-cold cheek against Lucas’s neck. He now knew who could save him from this pain and cold.

“I’ll warm you up right away.”

Lucas was about to lay Iberis on the bed but changed his mind and removed Iberis’s clothes and gloves. After taking off the combat uniform soiled with seawater and monster fluids, leaving only his underwear, Iberis’s body shivered even more.

Lucas roughly threw off his own coat and combat uniform, then wrapped Iberis’s body in a blanket and held him tightly. In this state, he grasped Iberis’s hands, from which cold was seeping out, and Iberis’s mana rushed in as if it had been waiting.

“Cough, cough! C-Captain…”

“Yes, I’m here.”

Lucas answered Iberis calling for him and slowly began guiding. The more urgent the situation, the calmer the actions needed to be. He suppressed his impatience and drew up his mana.

“Ha, ugh…”

Iberis groaned as mana flowed into his body like warm water. As a warmth like gentle spring sunlight spread throughout his body, his frozen muscles relaxed and the pain gradually subsided. The extreme chills also slowly disappeared as the mana raging in his stomach settled down. He blinked his cold eyes slowly, feeling his lowered body temperature starting to rise.

“Are you feeling a bit better?”

As Iberis’s shivering in his arms subsided, Lucas placed the back of his hand against Iberis’s cheek. It was still cold, but much better than before.

“Mmm…”

Iberis, making a sound that could have been a groan or an answer, leaned his cheek into the soft palm. He seemed to be unconsciously seeking warmth.

“If you’re tired, get some sleep.”

“I’m fine…”

Before Iberis could finish his reply, a warm palm covered his eyes. A languid breath escaped through his slightly parted lips at the warmth transmitted from both his hand held by Lucas and the hand covering his eyes. As his already hazy consciousness rapidly sank, his body relaxed. Eventually, he fell asleep as if passing out.