Chapter 46: Perhaps I killed that monster I

Jake’s heart sank.

Lucien’s heart sank as well. They watched as Zephyr’s pupils slowly began to dilate.

Jake frantically racked his mind for a way to rush Zephyr to a hospital. Unfortunately, all his skills were combat-type. Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, he froze.

"Wait! Healing skill!"

He turned and grabbed Zephyr’s shoulder.

"Zephyr, Lucien once said that you have a healing skill! Use it on yourself! Hurry!"

His voice was filled with urgency.

"None of us have a healing skill! You’re the only one who has it, so use it on yourself!"

Zephyr heard his voice and blinked.

"Healing skill?"

Seeing the dazed look on his face, Lucien immediately repeated Jake’s words, raising his voice to make sure Zephyr heard him.

Zephyr lowered the hand covering his nose. He did remember having a healing skill—the same one he had activated to save Lucien. But would that skill work on his own body?

He closed his eyes and focused.

After a moment, he found the skill ’Divine Restoration’ within his mind and willed to activate it. Immediately, a brilliant golden glow appeared in his blood-covered palm.

Jake’s worry deepened as he muttered.

"It might not be enough."

After all, Zephyr was only a B-rank Esper, and for most B-rank Espers, healing skills were considerably weaker than their other abilities unless healing was their primary specialty. Otherwise, even minor injuries could take considerable time to heal.

However, the concern on Jake’s face quickly turned to utter bewilderment.

The faint golden glow in Zephyr’s hand suddenly intensified, spreading outward until it quickly enveloped his entire body.

For a moment, the inside of the van was flooded with dazzling golden light, forcing both Lucien and Jake to shut their eyes.

When they finally opened them again, Zephyr was already blinking awake.

The lethargy that had weighed on him moments ago was completely gone. His breathing had steadied. Even the pain that had drained the color from his face had vanished as though it had never existed.

If not for the blood still on his body, Jake might have wondered whether everything that had happened moments earlier had been nothing more than their imagination.

Jake slumped back into his seat in shock, his gaze fixed on Zephyr as he struggled to comprehend what he had just witnessed.

That healing skill... Since when did B-Rank Espers start having such powerful skills?!

Confused by the sudden silence, the two Espers in the front glanced back, only to find themselves even more bewildered.

Lucien let out a relieved sigh.

Still shaken, his relief quickly gave way to anger. He cursed, completely oblivious to Jake’s intense stare as he helped Zephyr wipe the blood from his face and clothes.

"This is all because of that medicine those people injected into your body. If you didn’t have a healing skill, things could’ve ended much worse..."

Grabbing one tissue after another, Lucien completely forgot that now he could just hand the tissues to Zephyr and how much he disliked physical touch. In that moment, all he could think about was how his only hope of one day returning home had nearly died because of some damn old geezers!

Zephyr lowered his head toward Lucien, nodding along to his words. He even held out his hand toward him. In truth, he could have simply used his mana to make the blood dissipate, but he chose not to after feeling Lucien’s worry and care for him.

Not to mention, now that his mind was clear, he could sense his surroundings.

And right now, he could clearly feel Jake’s heart racing as he stared straight at him.

Yet Zephyr ignored him completely.

His attention was on Lucien alone.

His touch.

His voice.

His familiar scent.

For a long moment, Zephyr simply let him do whatever he wanted, absorbing every little detail as though afraid to turn away.

It was only after a while that Lucien finally realized how close he was to Zephyr. He stopped fussing and awkwardly looked away from Zephyr’s quiet, lingering gaze.

Silence once again settled over the van as Lucien wiped his own hands. He could feel Zephyr’s gaze, and his heartbeat began to quicken. He immediately forced himself to calm down, a frown appearing on his face.

He knew Zephyr was handsome, but being this affected by him wasn’t okay. He had to keep himself grounded. This wasn’t Lucien’s world. He could worry about Zephyr, but he could never let himself become attached.

With that thought, Lucien’s heart settled, calm and still like a ripplesless ocean.

Zephyr’s eyes darkened as he sensed the change. His mana still surrounded Lucien, allowing him to perceive even the slightest shift in his body. What had just happened, he didn’t like it in the least. What had Lucien been thinking to suddenly become so calm?

This wasn’t the first time Zephyr had noticed this unusual behavior in Lucien.

His thoughts were disrupted by Jake, who really couldn’t remain silent any longer.

"So, you really do have a healing skill?"

He continued before Zephyr could answer.

"I guess the story Lucien told everyone about what happened after that monster dragged the two of you into the dungeon wasn’t entirely made up after all."

Lucien rolled his eyes.

"I only shared what I remembered."

Jake ignored him. He had been away on a mission with two of his teammates when the incident occurred, and they had only learned what happened after returning. His sharp gaze remained fixed solely on Zephyr.

"Now tell me who happened to... No, who killed the monster that dragged you both in?"

Lucien froze.

That was a dangerous question.

He wanted to look toward Zephyr and give him a subtle signal, hoping Zephyr would understand and avoid revealing that he had killed the monster if he remembered. But then he recalled one very important detail.

Zephyr was blind!

Cursing inwardly, Lucien tried to discreetly pinch Zephyr’s hand instead, only to be caught red-handed by Jake, who narrowed his eyes at him.

Zephyr pondered the question for a moment. He could sense Lucien restlessly fidgeting beside him and felt amused.

Ultimately, his answer stunned both Jake and Lucien.

"Does it matter? I don’t really remember everything that happened in the dungeon. Perhaps I killed that monster."