"How about going to see Cordelia?"
"If I go, she'll be uncomfortable. If it's alright with you, could Miss Hunter go to Lady Cordelia......."
"Alastair Renfrew, I'm a busy person."
That couldn't be true. Alastair blinked.
"I'm very busy. Sorry, but I don't have ti for that. What are you doing, hurry up and testify how incredibly busy I am."
"So she says."
Cider answered halfheartedly. Alastair sighed deeply. There was no escape route. Being pushed from behind was both annoying and grateful.
"Anyway, what aning would avoiding have? Right?"
At those words, the hesitating Alastair ran toward the corridor where Cordelia had disappeared.
Esperanza buried herself in the reception room sofa. Just thinking about how uncomfortable the already uncomfortable dinner would beco made her feel like vomiting. Rather than eat like that, she'd rather starve.
"I just want to go back to Nine Holder......."
But even the week that Alastair Renfrew had initially proposed hadn't passed yet. Until Sterling City, the military, and the central governnt reached a conclusion, it was right to endure here. Cider clicked his tongue pitifully and smoothed Esperanza's hair.
"Once Duke Dunbarton returns to Talmine, it won't be as difficult as you think. We'll be in the laboratory anyway, and if we just leave the two kids in the reception room, they'll figure it out themselves."
aning he'd be holed up in the laboratory all day whether the kids fought or not. His unnecessarily enthusiastic attitude continued to irritate like a thorn stuck in her fingertips. It hadn't even been an hour since he recovered his injured arm!
"So are you saying you're a patient now or not?"
"It depends on the situation."
Esperanza looked up at Cider with narrowed eyes. In the reception room bathed in bright afternoon sunlight, the shadowed contours of his face looked flawlessly intact. Unlike soone who had suffered a piercing injury just a few days ago.
But his insides couldn't be intact. The fact that he agreed to this research in the first place wasn't a philanthropic decision to gladly help. Rather, resignation, the lesser evil.......
When she reached out her hand, Cider silently bent his waist. The smile hanging on his lips was the sa as usual. She pulled his cravat loose and moved her fingertips about a span below it.
It was the place where he had suffered a serious injury piercing straight through from skin to organs. Though not a single scar remained, it was still vivid in her mind. Bright red blood soaking his shirt wet, unable to get up while leaning his back against her stomach.
Recalling that image, strength entered her hand. She could feel the presence of tightly tensed muscles under the skin beneath her fingernails.
"Miss, it's broad daylight."
Cider, who had stiffened montarily, gently grasped and removed that hand. His smile seed broken at the corners, unlike before.
"Do you pity ?"
Didn't you say you didn't need sympathy? he asked. Esperanza sighed.
"I'm worried about you."
"That I might get hurt again? It's not sothing that happens often."
It's not sothing that will never happen again either. Wounds can be healed. But there was no answer for a personality that had absolutely no motivation to take care of his own body. Getting a hole in his stomach and a broken arm, then saying he'll hole up in the laboratory after hastily patching it up with potions.
'If I'm not here, who will be by this person's side? Who will worry about his wounds, hold him?'
Soone else will appear. Not imdiately, but soday. Just the thought made her insides twist. It seed better not to think about this.
Esperanza exhaled deeply and pulled Cider's neck into an embrace. Anyway, not now. Until she returns, and probably for quite a while after that too.
Her stubbornly closed lips crumpled against his shoulder. Cider guessed the aning of this sudden display of affection and laughed helplessly.
"Esperanza. I know you better than you know yourself."
It was obvious what she had thought while touching the place where the wound had been. What that montarily distorted face had recalled. Yet the words about staying by his side never ca out to the end. Cider gave a bitter smile.
"Now, it's ti to go to the laboratory. If you help , I'll only work until dinner ti."
Esperanza replied grudgingly.
"Just don't get caught sneaking into the laboratory at night. I'll knock you unconscious."
"I'm still a patient, so it would be nice if you'd handle
gently."
Only a patient when he needs it. Esperanza ended up laughing despite herself.
??????°??☆????°??????
If it was fortunate, it was that Cider wasn't holed up in the laboratory from morning to dawn. He acted sensibly. Esperanza was considerably relieved.
"......Don't tell
you stayed up all night?"
"As if."
At nine in the morning, Cider, who was sitting in an armchair, quickly stubbed out his cigarette. He was holding a morning newspaper in his hand. Quite suspicious. Esperanza looked around. Millen, absent. Alastair, absent. Cordelia......, she didn't know how the situation turned out, but absent anyway.
"The fact that you're the first one up in the morning makes it impossible not to be suspicious."
She had set traps in front of the laboratory, so it was certain he hadn't gone there. But she couldn't find any particular clues on Cider's face. Esperanza decided to look at that face a bit more under the pretense of searching for invisible clues. Cider smiled broadly and waved the newspaper in his hand.
"If you're done looking, want to see this too? It's interesting."
What could be so interesting? Esperanza approached behind the armchair where Cider was sitting. Over his shoulder, she could see the title written in large bold letters above the article he was reading.
With witnesses numbering in the thousands, they're really talking about mass hallucinations. Esperanza clicked her tongue. Though it was an article proudly displayed on the front page of a famous daily newspaper, the title seed like sothing for a gossip magazine. Fortunately, the content was more decent than the title.
Though the quality was poor, there were also photos. They were taken from a distance showing people isolated after hitting an invisible wall. Her brow furrowed involuntarily.
"To think of taking photos in that situation."
Cider held a teacup to Esperanza's lips as if to calm her. Below that were several more photos of monsters. Though the quality was poor, it was possible to confirm they were giant marine creatures. After putting this up, they used words like 'mass hallucination' in the title....... She hadn't expected dia ethics anyway.
"With so many witnesses and evidence, they couldn't completely hide the incident."
"Then what was all that talk about aligning stories?"
"It's this part."
Esperanza frowned as she looked down at the part Cider pointed to.
"I really hate this......."
Below that were interviews with survivors. Testimonies about red hair, large build, wielding a giant sword, and monsters that wouldn't die even when shot being cut down left and right. She read roughly and passed over it. Cider laughed low and lightly touched Esperanza's nose tip.
"The real one is right here."
Though this side also dealt with the boss, anyway, being conspicuous is the best. Thanks to that, there were no stories about Esperanza, who had entered battle in this very appearance. The reporters probably had no reason to approach soldiers whose lips were sealed when they could sufficiently recruit civilian witnesses.
Long fingers turned the newspaper to the next page. It was the sa topic but with a slightly different focus, paying attention to post-incident handling.
"Damage recovery is naturally sothing that must be done....... In the end, it seems like they want to acknowledge monsters but pretend not to know about hunters."
"With photos taken, there's no choice. Besides, even if they block this once, there's no guarantee similar incidents won't happen again."
Pri Minister Tempton seed to sense that such incidents wouldn't end with just this once. Rather than make a half-hearted lie and deal with the aftermath when caught, it's better to acknowledge it. Perhaps dungeons other than the Sterling incident have already been reported.
"Since experts are gathered in large numbers in Finley, they might form research teams. It's extrely fortunate we're not going there."
"Because you didn't go there, you got a hole in your stomach."
"I'm fine now."
What an annoying person. Esperanza pinched Cider's arm and rolled her eyes. Cider cupped Esperanza's cheek with one hand. However, Esperanza slightly turned her head and avoided it.
"I don't like it because you smoked Paoran."
Cider's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Really."
Though they were still close enough for their noses to touch, Esperanza was firm. Having no choice, while placing his lips on her cheek, Cider slipped his hand between Esperanza's fingers.
As he was stroking the tender skin and looking for an opportunity to slide his lips to her nape, the door burst open.
"Esperanza, I'm going back tomorrow...... Ugh."
Cordelia, who had entered energetically, slamd the door shut.
"Are you laughing right now?"
Esperanza, who had gotten up after pushing away his chest, sat on a nearby sofa and grumbled. Of course, Cider didn't bat an eye.
"Cordelia, co in now."
Even so, the door barely opened after quite a while.
"......Next ti, please do it where I can't see."
"So, what were you trying to say?"
At those words, Cordelia exhaled deeply. And said resolutely.
"I'm going back tomorrow."
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