Chapter 76: Reward...?

Sitting across from Lucien, Zephyr sensed several hostile gazes directed at him from behind, causing his brows to furrow slightly.

However, he did not bother turning around.

There were simply too many people watching him at that moment. Trying to determine which of those stares carried hostility among so many others would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Rather than waste his time on it, Zephyr kept his complete attention on Lucien.

"Lucien, have you recovered?"

Lucien immediately snapped out of his daze and nodded instinctively.

Then, remembering that Zephyr could not see, he quickly answered.

"I—I feel better now."

A faint smile curled on Zephyr’s lips when he heard the slight tremor in Lucien’s voice.

He leaned a little closer, amusement flickering across his expression.

"Did I cause enough chaos?"

His deep voice carried a teasing note.

"Should you not reward me?"

Lucien blinked and instinctively leaned back as Zephyr’s face suddenly filled his vision.

They were far too close!

At this distance, he could clearly see the dark lashes framing Zephyr’s empty eyes.

He swallowed nervously.

"Reward...?"

Zephyr’s smile deepened.

For a brief moment, he considered asking Lucien for a kiss, but in the end, he decided against it, thinking he should not push him too far, only to end up scaring him off.

He simply leaned back.

"I mean, I did what you asked me to do, so shouldn’t you praise me? Hm? Also, guide me. I feel like my head is going to explode."

Lucien stared at the faint smile lingering at the corner of Zephyr’s lips, and his eyebrow twitched in speechlessness. He desperately wanted to ask, ’If your head hurts so much, then why are you smiling so handsomely?’

With that face, he should not smile at all!

It was practically criminal!

Still, he forced himself to calm down and quickly reached out to take Zephyr’s hand.

"Okay, I will guide you. And..."

He paused for a moment, his ears turning red before he finally added in a quiet voice.

"You were amazing back there."

Zephyr pressed his lips together, feeling a strange warmth spread through his heart. It was the first time in his life that someone had praised him so openly and sincerely.

Although he had practically asked for the praise himself, the fact that it had come from Lucien made it feel different. Just a single straightforward compliment was enough to make him inexplicably happy.

As Lucien began guiding him, Zephyr’s thoughts gradually paused until the only thing he could focus on was the pleasant sensation flowing through his body. It felt electric, spreading through him in gentle waves. He closed his eyes, savoring the sensation as his exhausted mind relaxed.

Unlike him, Lucien’s face had turned completely crimson.

Although having a 100% compatibility with Zephyr, this powerful SSS-Rank Esper was undoubtedly a good thing, there was one problem. Every time he guided Zephyr, the sensation was far more intense, making it difficult for him to keep his thoughts clear.

Lucien frowned, trying to maintain his concentration amidst the pleasure.

He needed to find a way to lessen this effect before it became too concerning.

What if one day he lost all control and pounced on this innocent side character?

He would have no face left!

This time, it did not take long for Lucien to guide Zephyr. To his relief, the corruption in Zephyr’s mana was not too much. It did not drain Lucien’s guiding energy dry, unlike the first time. More importantly, Zephyr’s mana no longer surged toward his wavelength like a tsunami and greedily swallowed it whole.

Instead, it gently flowed around Lucien’s wavelength, gradually intertwining with it without causing any violent reaction.

Lucien’s expression turned strange.

It seemed Zephyr had listened to him. The moment he sensed something was wrong, he had immediately returned, just as Lucien had asked. Because of that, the corruption had not progressed very far. But he could not help wondering about something else.

Zephyr had used an enormous amount of mana earlier. Why did he seem completely fine now? A while back, just killing Slar had pushed him to the brink of going berserk.

Yet this time, despite everything he had done, Zephyr seemed remarkably stable.

Was his strength... improving?

How strange.

After making sure Zephyr’s condition was stable, Lucien finally let out a quiet breath.

"Feeling better?"

Zephyr did not open his eyes immediately.

Only after a while did he give a soft response, his voice huskier than before.

"Hmm."

With a comfortable sigh, Zephyr opened his eyes, feeling the throbbing in his head ease.

He slowly stood up, rolled his shoulders, and stretched his arms behind his back.

Then, his psychokinesis skill spread outward in every direction. It first quickly reinforced the barrier surrounding Lucien before expanding far beyond it, sweeping across the battlefield like an invisible tide.

Zephyr narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the direction of the dungeon. The monsters pouring out of the dungeon had stopped after he killed all the lower-ranked monsters in the surrounding area. However, the five S-rank monsters were still running rampant, their intense battle with the many S-rank Espers continuing to cause chaos.

Zephyr turned toward Lucien.

"I will be back after handling the S-Rank monsters with the other S-Rank Espers."

He had barely taken a step when Lucien suddenly reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

Zephyr paused and looked back at him.

The moment Lucien saw his calm face, he realized what he had done and immediately let go. He cleared his throat, trying to hide his embarrassment, before finally speaking.

"I want to go into the dungeon."

He had already prepared himself for Zephyr to question him. He had even come up with several excuses in his mind to explain why he wanted to enter such a dangerous place.

But to his surprise, Zephyr did not ask a single question. He simply nodded.

"Okay. Wait for me. After those S-rank monsters are killed, I will take you there."

He paused, then added.

"Let’s go together."

Lucien blinked, momentarily stunned.

That was it?

What about all the excuses he had prepared?

Why did Zephyr agree so easily?

Was it because their relationship had improved?

Well, they were friends.

But...

Thinking about how obediently Zephyr had followed his words so far, Lucien could not help but feel a little smug. Hehe, it seemed his efforts had actually worked! Although Lucien did not really know which efforts, he had managed to grow much closer to this powerful SSS-Rank side character! Maybe... Zephyr had become so attached to him that he was now willing to do anything he asked!

Suddenly, Lucien lightly slapped his own cheeks, watching Zephyr’s leaving figure.

"Shh... do not start daydreaming already."