Does Spring Come Even for a Dying Esper

“You’ve been busy lately, right? If it’s too much to handle, I can help…”

“No, you don’t need to help. I was just complaining a bit.”

Brenda hastily cut off Iberis’s words and waved her hands. She’d rather overwork herself than have Iberis work like before.

“You’ve been practically doing our share of work until now, Major. Those guys should get their act together now.”

Brenda clicked her tongue, looking around at the visibly exhausted unit members. People who don’t know might think that the N-Zone, being on the frontline, would be staffed with capable individuals, but the reality was the opposite.

Soldiers were reluctant to work in the N-Zone due to its remote location and the danger of being adjacent to one of the seven demon realms. As a result, many unit leaders, like Major Iberis or Major Norris, came to the N-Zone as if they were exiled or driven out.

Many unit members were also those with low grades or lacking skills to the extent that no other unit wanted them, or those who had been passed over for promotion. It was truly a motley crew.

That’s why, until Iberis arrived, the number of casualties during missions and the frequency of failed rift attacks were higher compared to other defense zones. This situation completely changed with Iberis’s appointment.

After the Hidden Dungeon incident, Iberis, no longer wanting to see anyone get hurt or die, tried to solve all problems by himself. He actually had the power to do so. Thanks to this, after he took charge of the N-0 unit, the number of casualties drastically decreased and the mission success rate reached 100%.

Not only the N-Zone soldiers but even the residents were enthusiastic about Iberis due to his overwhelming power. Requests for cooperation frequently poured in from other units as well.

As this repeated, at some point, the entire N-Zone, including the N-0 unit, became dependent on Iberis alone. And he worked silently without a single complaint.

Some called him a workaholic, but Brenda and a few others knew that Iberis was pushing himself too hard. However, they couldn’t actively stop him. Brenda couldn’t break Iberis’s stubbornness, and others pretended not to notice for their own safety and convenience.

A few months ago, if Lucas hadn’t pointed out his mistake and reprimanded the unit members, Iberis would probably still be shouldering the work of an entire unit alone. Brenda felt ashamed of this fact.

“I did increase the intensity of training a bit yesterday and today. It seems everyone’s getting hurt a lot lately…”

Iberis mumbled, observing Brenda’s darkened expression. It was understandable for them to be tired, given that they had been conducting unit training whenever possible for the past two weeks.

“We’re sorry for worrying you due to our lack of skills, Major.”

“No, it’s not that. I should have trained you all thoroughly… What I did thinking it was for everyone’s sake turned out to be poison instead.”

Feeling awkward, Iberis rubbed the back of his neck. His recent enthusiasm for training the unit members was largely due to what he felt during the S-Zone support operation.

He had expected the battle wouldn’t be easy given the unfamiliar terrain of the sea and the use of unfamiliar items like earplugs, but the unit members performed far worse than Iberis had anticipated.

Although they only had one related training session due to the tight schedule, hardly any members responded properly to Brenda’s hand signals. They were also clumsy in dealing with sudden situational changes. If it weren’t for Lucas and Brenda’s efforts, probably half of the unit members would have been seriously injured from falling into the sea while floundering about. They might even have lost their lives.

In contrast, the S-Zone soldiers were systematic and experienced, unlike the N-0 unit members. They worked well together too. Even considering their familiarity with sea battles, the difference in skill was noticeable.

Reviewing the battle by watching the video recording of the Kraken subjugation operation, Iberis keenly felt the inadequacies of the N-Zone soldiers, including the N-0 unit. And he deeply reflected on this. The lack of skill among the unit members was ultimately the responsibility of the unit leader, himself.

This led to a sense of mission that he needed to make the unit members stronger before it was too late. Already, there was a clear trend of increased injuries due to going out in the field more often than before. The only way to avoid injuries was to improve their skills.

Above all, Iberis, being terminal, knew he could no longer protect them as he used to. If he died or retired, who would lead them?

Feeling a sense of crisis, Iberis decided to train the unit members. So that they could survive for a long time even after he was gone.

However, it seems his enthusiasm was excessive. Iberis clicked his tongue, seeing the unit members sprawled here and there on the training ground. It seemed inappropriate to continue training any further today.

“Don’t blame yourself. We’ve made it this far thanks to your sacrifice, Major. And you’re teaching us well now. We’re learning through these injuries and struggles.”

“I don’t think I’m teaching well enough…”

Iberis trailed off, observing the unit members again. Seeing them still panting heavily, he wondered if he should start with basic physical training rather than combat training.

“You’re doing more than enough. And because we’re directly facing monsters every three or four days, all the unit members’ practical sense is better than ever. The only flaw is that our physical strength is a bit lacking.”

“So physical strength is the problem after all…?”

“Ahem, by the way, why didn’t Lieutenant Illum participate?”

Brenda subtly changed the subject as Iberis’s face didn’t brighten. The reason she asked Iberis about Lucas’s whereabouts was because she knew they were currently living together.

“Luke has a meeting of all N-Zone military doctors today, so he went there.”

Iberis naturally mentioned Lucas’s schedule. Living together, they were well aware of each other’s routines.

“I see. The Lieutenant seems to be very busy these days.”

“It can’t be helped since he has many responsibilities.”

Lucas is currently the guide team leader and medical office director of the N-0 unit. Doing two jobs simultaneously, he was inevitably busier than others. This was actually an improvement since his work as a special inspector for the N-Zone had ended with the disciplining of Major Norris and several N-Zone unit leaders.

‘I won’t be able to have lunch together today. I’ve told Lieutenant Cali, so make sure to eat and don’t skip it.’

Iberis’s expression became peculiar as he recalled Lucas leaving the unit to attend the meeting right after finishing breakfast. Recently, he had been feeling a strange sense of discomfort towards Lucas.

While he still fussed over things like making sure Iberis ate every meal, dried his hair thoroughly, or refrained from sparring with Caleb, there was something strangely irritating. Maybe it was just a feeling, but it seemed like he was avoiding Iberis? As if he was being cautious about something.

Iberis felt that there had been a subtle change in Lucas’s attitude, difficult to pinpoint exactly, starting from when they returned from the S-Zone. However, he couldn’t understand why. It seemed like Lucas had something on his mind, but since he didn’t show it openly, it was hard for Iberis to press him about what was wrong.

Feeling inexplicably frustrated, Iberis pouted his lower lip. There was one more thing bothering him. He unconsciously clenched and unclenched his hand, from which a cold chill flowed.

For the past two weeks, Iberis had only received Stage 1 guiding from Lucas. This was because his physical damage rate had increased due to overexertion during the battle with the Kraken. Lucas explained that they could only do mana showers again once Iberis’s physical damage rate returned to a moderate level.

Hearing this, Iberis felt both relief and disappointment. While it was good that he wouldn’t have to show embarrassing sides of himself to Lucas for a while, he felt disappointed that he couldn’t receive mana showers, which were more effective than Stage 1 guiding.

Now, two weeks later, Iberis found himself in a strange state of frustration. For the past few days, he had been feeling that Stage 1 guiding alone wasn’t enough. Like a child unable to forget a sweet taste once experienced, his body increasingly craved mana showers as time passed.

However, he couldn’t bring himself to tell Lucas that he wanted to receive mana showers. Not only because his physical damage rate hadn’t dropped to a moderate level, but also because he felt like he would come across as a pervert, which made him hesitant to speak up.

More than anything, Iberis himself couldn’t decide if he really wanted to do it or not. Apart from the desire to receive more effective guiding, he disliked the idea of moaning and panting beneath Lucas. Feeling stifled, he let out a small sigh.

“Speak of the devil, he’s back,” Brenda said.

“…Huh?” Iberis blinked, snapping out of his thoughts at Brenda’s words.

“Lieutenant Illum.”

“Ah.”

Turning his head, Iberis let out a small gasp seeing Lucas getting out of the car. His feet moved on their own as soon as he laid eyes on him.

“Major?”

Lucas’s eyes widened slightly as Iberis approached him first.

“Did you have a good trip?”

“Yes, I did. Thank you for your concern. Were you in the middle of training?”

“Yes. How was the meeting?”

“It was just okay. Nothing special happened.”

Lucas answered curtly, briefly glancing towards the training ground. Looking back at Iberis, he opened his mouth as if he had something to say.

“Are you done with the training?”

“No, not yet… Why?”

“I have something important to tell you.”

“Me? What is it?”

Iberis swallowed unconsciously, thinking Lucas looked upset. Perhaps because they had been living together for quite some time, he could now read Lucas’s expressions and moods to some extent from his slightly lowered voice tone and subtly hardened eyes.

“The approval for the official pair application I mentioned a few days ago has been put on hold.”