Does Spring Come Even for a Dying Esper

“Haha, you’re so reassuring!”

Armand burst into laughter at the cute sight and looked at Iberis with admiring eyes. His eyes, like warm spring sunshine, were full of affection for the child he had cared for over the years.

“Our Iberis, when did you grow up so much?”

“Well, I’m already 13 now, aren’t I? I can’t be a child forever.”

Feeling suddenly shy, Iberis shrugged and blurted out whatever came to mind. When Armand looked at him like that, it strangely made his heart flutter. Sometimes, it even reminded him of his late mother.

“That’s right, it’s already been three years.”

Armand murmured in a nostalgic voice. He recalled when he first brought Iberis to the Defense Force. The child was so traumatized he couldn’t even remember his own name, and would flinch at anyone who tried to speak to him. It was understandable, having lost his only family and being brought to an army full of scary adults.

Not only that, having just awakened his powers, he couldn’t control his mana well and would often collapse from side effects. To make matters worse, there wasn’t even a suitable guide for the child, so they had to resort to using sedatives and purifiers instead of proper guiding.

Armand remembered the first day he guided Iberis. The reason he, with only a 40% matching rate, ended up guiding the child was because he was more compatible than other guides. That day, Armand personally experienced how dire Iberis’s situation was.

The sensation he felt when holding that tiny hand was like the coldest winter itself. Armand performed the guiding through pain that felt like his entire body was freezing. However, he reached his limit after just 10 minutes.

‘Doctor, are you okay? I’m sorry…’

‘I’ll just take medicine. I don’t need guiding.’

Iberis whimpered, seeing Armand’s hands turn bright red from frostbite-like symptoms. From then on, the child refused guiding. But they couldn’t completely forgo guiding either.

Armand attempted guiding for at least a few minutes during his monthly counseling sessions with Iberis. And each time, he felt it – that the child’s world was like an endless winter.

Concerned about Iberis’s situation, Armand volunteered to be the child’s guardian. He couldn’t stand by and watch, seeing that if Iberis was left alone like this, he would be swayed by adults’ circumstances or become even more unhappy than he already was. His wife, Nadia, also supported his decision. It seemed she too was worried about the child who was the same age as their son.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“Huh? Ah…”

Armand snapped out of his old memories at the voice hitting his ears. As he blinked a few times, his vision cleared and he saw Iberis’s face waiting for his answer.

“Well, it’s just… I found out a friend is going down the wrong path, and I don’t know what to do.”

After hesitating for a moment, Armand indirectly shared the worry that had been troubling him for the past few months. Seeing the concern in those eyes, mysterious like layered snowflakes, made him open up without realizing it. Perhaps, as the child said, he too wanted to talk to someone.

“It was about a friend? Hmm, why don’t you know what to do? If a friend is going down the wrong path, shouldn’t you correct them?”

“You’re right. In principle, that’s correct. But if I do that, my friend will end up in prison.”

“Gasp, prison?”

That means they did something really bad. Iberis opened his mouth in shock. The child rolled his eyes around and then hesitantly asked.

“Do you… not want your friend to go to prison?”

“I don’t. But if they really did something wrong, I think they should face the consequences. It’s just that I’m not certain yet… I could be misunderstanding.”

“Ah, I see. Do other people not know if your friend did something wrong?”

“I’ve given some hints to a few people, but they’re all reserving judgment. As I said before, there’s no concrete evidence.”

“Then you should find evidence first, right?”

“Correct. That’s why I’m investigating now. I’ve found some things in the process…”

Armand trailed off. A few days ago, he had accidentally obtained a contract that seemed related to his friend’s misconduct. If he dug deeper into that, it seemed like something definitive would come out.

Finally having found a clue, Armand couldn’t be happy. In fact, he hoped his suspicions were wrong. However, the circumstances revealed as he investigated pointed to his guesses being correct.

“That’s the gist of my worry. I’ve told you quite a dark story.”

Armand composed his disheveled expression and forced a smile.

“Ugh, it really is a difficult problem. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help.”

“No, talking to you has made me feel a bit better. Thank you for listening.”

Armand reached out and patted Iberis’s head. The child flinched at the sudden contact but didn’t reject his touch.

“I wish I could give you advice, but I don’t have any friends yet…”

“Friends… Ah, come to think of it, I was supposed to introduce you to my son. I forgot because I’ve been busy lately.”

Armand made an ‘oops’ face as he recalled something he had forgotten when Iberis mumbled his words. He remembered suggesting to the child last month during counseling that he should become friends with his son.

“It’s okay. You can introduce us next time.”

“Yes, let’s do that. Actually, my son’s school starts vacation the day after tomorrow. Let’s make time to meet soon.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I showed you his picture before, right?”

“Yes!”

Iberis recalled the face of the child he had seen last month. Armand’s son was a boy with sparkling blonde hair and brilliant golden eyes.

“His name was Lucas, right?”

“That’s right. Lucas Lowell Blake.”

“Hmm, but why is his surname ‘Blake’? Yours is ‘Allis’, isn’t it?”

Iberis, hearing the full name, asked something he had been curious about for a while.

“Ah, that’s because I’m a son-in-law who entered the family.”

“Son-in-law who entered the family?”

Iberis tilted his head at the unfamiliar term. Although he was learning basic knowledge and history alongside esper training, there was still much he didn’t know.

“Yes. I entered the Blake family as a son-in-law. Do you remember my wife, Nadia? She’s the head of the Blake family.”

“Head of the family? What’s that?”

“It means the master of a family. Umm, do you know about nobility? It doesn’t have much meaning in modern times, but… In England, Nadia’s hometown, noble families still exist, and some people still consider it important.”

“Nobility… I’ve seen it in books. So you’re a really important person, Doctor?”

“What? Haha! These days, there’s no difference between nobles and ordinary people. Some nobles are just trying to continue their family lines. Anyway, because I entered as a son-in-law, the children’s surname is Blake, not Allis.”

“Hmm… It’s a bit difficult… but I think I understand.”

Iberis made a grumbling sound, still seeming confused even after Armand’s explanation.

“If it’s difficult, you don’t need to force yourself to understand. All you need to remember is that your potential friend’s name is Lucas Lowell Blake.”

“I got it.”

Lucas Lowell Blake. Iberis nodded vigorously, repeating the name of his potential friend several times. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked:

“By the way, didn’t you say you also have a daughter? What’s her name?”

“That’s right. My daughter’s name is Regina. She’s quite a bit older than you though…”

Armand, after telling his daughter’s name, started recounting anecdotes about his children. He was the typical doting parent.

Iberis listened to Armand’s stories with an interested face. The love for his children evident in Armand’s expression and voice made Iberis feel good too. And he felt a little envious of those children. To have parents who loved them so much still alive.

* * *

“…Mm, yeah.”

The eyelids that had been tightly closed trembled slightly at the gentle voice wrapping around his ears. A sweet voice flowed in between his consciousness rising to the surface.

“You’re eating well and taking your medicine, right? Health always comes first.”

Captain? Iberis, trapped between the boundary of reality and dreams, gradually awoke from his sleep at the soft laughter that followed. He easily recognized who the voice belonged to. It was Lucas.

“You have a test soon, right? Study hard…”

Iberis’s brow furrowed slightly at the conversation sounds that seemed to disturb his deep sleep. Since he couldn’t hear the other person’s voice, it seemed Lucas was on a phone call. He shifted his body as if wanting to sleep more. The soft touch of the blanket, the fluffy pillow supporting his head, and the warm spring-like mana enveloping his body all felt good. However, the next words made his sleepiness vanish.

“I love you too.”