Their plan, which was not really like a plan, was decided with a few minutes of discussion. Without a lot of clues in hand, just planning unnecessarily would not yield as many results as directly searching for culprits or fighting the monsters.
The two espers divided the missions. Devion was responsible for killing the monsters; that was more his expertise. As for Khal, he was the one who would deal with unusual humans influenced by the curse.
Khal could not easily kill them, but immobilizing them was a piece of cake for him.
After making sure Ayen was safe and entrusting him to Oros, the two set off to do their respective tasks.
It was already evening, but the darkness was not a disruption for espers like them. The other espers were then tasked to guard the defense line.
Soldiers were to put the civilians inside their homes and were not allowed to wander outside.
Ayen watched Khal and Devion leave until he almost could not see their back. The two needed to be careful, especially Devion. For now, his curse was not acting up, and fighting would make his mind busy.
The two did not make so much noise once they began fighting. Devion had a tiny chance if he was very immersed in it, but Khal always had this flawless grace, and the beauty was unmatched.
The way he manipulated the particles in the air and created ice everywhere was so mesmerizing. Ayen heard exclamations below them, also amazed by this sight, but he paid them no mind.
He watched his espers totally dominate the battlefield until he could not see their figures any longer. Ayen’s gaze lingered on them for a while before he swallowed slightly.
His eyes blinked, seemingly not letting their images leave his sight. He knew that was impossible. After all, he did not have the capability for that. Yet, Ayen, a different kind of melancholy, dampened his emotions for a moment.
It was as though only by looking at them, by seeing them, would he feel absolute safety.
Thinking about this, Ayen could not help but feel strange. Why was he feeling like this? It was not like the two of them had left. Even though he could not see them, it was unlikely that the two would neglect paying attention to his side.
With them in the same location, there was no way something would happen to him.
Ayen took a deep breath. He tried to calm his increasingly restless mind. He reasoned about this all over.
Everything would be alright. Ayen repeated inwardly.
A few moments later, Ayen’s heart could not help but drop. This was unreasonable. His emotions kept on being agitated for unknown reasons.
Ayen lingered on the battlefield; the two espers were already on the far end. They were busy looking for any mastermind or the possible source of the curse.
Ayen bit his lips. Should he call for his espers? However, what should he say? He was restless, but he did not know why. Even for him, he already knew it was a bit ridiculous.
The two were on a mission, and being focused on the battlefield, Ayen was now conflicted about calling for them for his absurd, restless mind.
Just as he was lost in thought and calming himself, a voice made him snap out of it. His eyes quickly met another pair of eyes, Oros.
"Uh, I’m sorry to disturb your thoughts." Oros apologized, looking down. "It’s just that... Do you want to rest inside first? You look pale."
Oros could not neglect Ayen, especially so as two SS-class espers had entrusted his safety to him. It was truly a heavy responsibility.
Ayen touched his cheek. He could not see it himself, but his face must have gone truly pale. Ayen did not answer immediately. He looked from outside the wall first, where the mana concentration was the highest. The two espers should be in those places.
He sighed. No, I should not make them worry.
Perhaps because they were always together these days, he had not noticed how he was becoming dependent on their presence. Ayen then nodded to Oros.
"Alright."
Ayen did not stubbornly hold his post here, and it was not like he could help the two espers here. In fact, his presence was only pressuring the espers and staff around.
Oros and the others inwardly sighed in relief. Perhaps even Ayen did not know how much his status as the SS-class espers’ guide implied to everyone here.
When Ayen went inside the lounge prepared for him, he thought that he would be able to calm down. He was alone inside; the occasional glances of curiosity at him had disappeared.
The lounge was also quite comfortable; a lot of things were already prepared for him. He would not even go hungry. Ayen leaned back on the single sofa, wanting to immerse himself in the tranquility of the place.
For the first few minutes, he had managed to do so. However, it was only an attempt to pretend to do so.
"Why am I still anxious?" Ayen murmured, his expression darkening.
If he thought earlier that this was only because of a slight separation anxiety, then what he was feeling now was not something to be dismissed as such.
What was it? Was it... a bad premonition?
Ayen pursed his lips. His eyes swept the room. Where was this coming from? Was it because of the curse? Or... Ayen narrowed his eyes before he suddenly sat up.
The mastermind behind the scenes?
At this moment, not far from the building where he was. Two figures stood among the crowd. Judging from their appearance, they looked particularly ordinary. Even the people around them subconsciously ignored them.
"A guide? Those monsters truly have a guide?" Someone exclaimed beside the elderly man, who had a thoughtful look while gazing at a building.
His voice was not loud, but it was not low enough to not earn attention from the crowd. If it was a normal occasion, he might have already earned weird gazes, and people would disperse so as not to be associated with him.
After all, calling the two SS-class espers in front of these common people was truly just seeking death.
And yet, people seemed to not have heard of him at all. Most of the people who were still outside ignored them.
"So, in the end, they still found him."
The man blinked and looked at the elderly man beside him with a startled gaze.
"Professor?" He called out with a confused expression.
The elderly man paid him no mind, and his gaze was only at one place. Slowly, the corner of his lips twitched as his eyes flickered with a glint. One could faintly see a hint of absolute greed.