CH 39

Chapter 39 – I miss you

Translator: Yonnee

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Throughout the meal, Ciel closely observed the young lady of the Closch Barony. He found that his eyes naturally gravitated to her.

Earlier, however, when he had first entered the mansion, he noticed that her expression stiffened as soon as she saw him, but she skillfully schooled her features in no time.

Even if she was the daughter of only a baron, it was at this moment that her roots as an aristocrat shone through. Rather, it could be said that the baron himself was more prone to revealing his innermost thoughts.

Throughout the dinner, it became evident to Ciel just how much they valued him as their guest. It was clear just by looking at the food on the table.

Besides that, he also got the chance to know Lady Closch a little better through observing her.

There was a moment when all she did was look at the steak, as if she was not used to seeing it.

And, as soon as she took a bite, she practically melted. Her expression had been stiff ever since she saw Ciel and Aiden earlier, but one bite of the steak made it unravel.

It took no time at all for her to completely focus on the meal in front of her, barely giving any attention to her surroundings. Nevertheless, it somehow pleased him to see this.

It’s true that he came to the Closch estate to investigate the baron’s daughter, but entirely unlike what he intended, his eyes just unknowingly kept being magnetized by her.

Aiden seemed to be in the same predicament. Perhaps it’s only because Ciel told him to use his power on the young lady, but the interest he had with her could be seen plain and clear.

He soon fell into a deep conversation with the baron. Sure enough, monsters frequently appeared at the Closch estate, and so the baron was knowledgeable about such monsters.

The same was true of Ciel.

No, on the contrary, perhaps if one were to also consider Ciel’s past, he might actually be more knowledgeable about monsters than the baron.

The monsters that appeared in the empire and the monsters that appeared in Korea differed in the way that they looked, but they were quite similar at a fundamental level.

All they did was destroy and devour everything that stood in their way. And their behavioral patterns were not all too different.

In terms of their characteristics, monsters of each type were pretty much the same. It’s just that they tend to have different outer appearances, and they would also show up in different places.

After the meal, which was neither too short nor too long, Ciel returned to the guests’ chambers with Aiden.

The baron seemed to want to have a drink together with him, but Baroness Closch, the madam of the household, stopped her husband, saying that he should give Ciel and Aiden some time to rest and relieve their fatigue.

Truthfully, Aiden was quite tired from the long carriage ride, so Ciel abided by the baroness’ suggestion.

In any case, Ciel had no intention of staying here for just one night, so he didn’t mind putting off the drinking session with the baron to another day.

He’s planning to come up with a good enough reason to stay here at the barony for the longest time possible.

This was a precious opportunity. Who was he to pass up on such a fortunate chance?

And besides that, his patience was already at the bottom of the barrel.

“Aiden.”

He was exceedingly curious whether his younger brother managed to peer into the young lady’s mind. At the same time, an unfamiliar sense of discomfort also surged within him.

“Yes, Brother.”

“How was it?”

Frankly, he felt a bit apologetic towards Lady Closch, especially because she was a woman, and they were invading her privacy. And he might have heard it wrong.

But still. It was suspicious how she knew the saintess’ name.

At the end of the day, however, Ciel’s interest had already latched onto her.

Aiden couldn’t answer right away. He hesitated a little before he opened his lips to speak.

“It’s strange, Brother.”

“What is?”

As Ciel was wrestling with his thoughts, he felt even more complicated as he heard Aiden answer like this.

His younger brother pondered for a moment, then after a while, he finally answered.

“I couldn’t hear anything from her. But it’s in a different manner.”

“What about her is different?”

With his impatience slightly leaking out, Ciel hurriedly urged the younger man again. In turn, Aiden eagerly explained what he had felt.

“I told you about it before, right? That there are some people I just can’t hear from back in the mansion. When I experienced that, I just simply couldn’t hear anything.”

“But?”

“But Lady Closch’s case is a bit different. It’s not that I can’t hear anything from her, and it’s not like she’s not thinking about anything. It felt more like… something’s blocking me? Like a wall that’s stopping me from digging into her mind. And the wall is so dense that I can’t even try to push through…”

Aiden tilted his head to the side, perhaps feeling that he couldn’t quite explain it better.

However, Ciel thought that Aiden was doing a pretty good job explaining what had happened.

Ciel himself could understand what he was talking about—and this was because it’s similar to what another psychic-based Esper said to him in the past.

He couldn’t read the minds of Espers and Guides who were of a higher class than him. He said that there was something like an invisible wall blocking his path, and he tried to pierce through one. Not only did he get shocked by the recoil, he even collapsed.

Unlike a physical-based Esper, psychic-based Espers had to engage in an invisible mental battle rather than a physical fight. He also heard that a big enough blow on one’s psyche was enough to threaten an Esper’s life.

Ciel felt a sense of incompatibility.

Indeed, even from the very beginning, Lady Closch was mystifying in so many ways.

She knew the name of the saintess.

She kept doing things that reminded him of his wife.

And now, she also had such a great barrier around her mind…

“Either an Esper or a Guide. One that’s of a higher class than Aiden…”