The X Guide-Chapter 54: Arrival (2)

"I can’t believe Cly—he’s Nolan’s esper," Lucian whispered in disbelief. Even when half an hour had passed, he was still surprised by what happened.

Ayen did not inwardly mock him. He was also quite stunned when he found out, and then he suddenly understood why Nolan did not want the guiding session to happen in an institute ward.

It was safe to say that if Devion and Khal were out of the equation, then Clynne was considered the most powerful esper acknowledged by humanity.

He was not the ace of the Institute for nothing. Unlike Devion and Khal, who rarely had media appearances, Clynne was the face of the institute, and so he often received interviews and was the spokesperson of the institute when a huge issue had arisen.

Calling him the current leader of the Institute was no exaggeration either.

Ayen stared at Lucian and suddenly thought... If he was already this surprised to see Clynne, what would happen if he found out that Ayen’s espers were Devion and Khal?

That kind of thought emerged, and Ayen could not help but look forward to it somehow.

"Aren’t you surprised?" Lucian held his hot coffee.

They were currently sitting in the lobby. Since it was a bit early, a few were lingering around.

"I’m surprised."

"Really? But I can’t see it."

"I’m not good at expressing emotions."

Lucian thought and nodded. "Yeah, I noticed it too."

Ayen should have been offended, but he was not. He was aware of it, and so he could openly say it.

"Do you think they’re done?" After a moment, Lucian asked.

Ayen merely shook his head, indicating he did not know. Lucian had grown used to Ayen suddenly becoming too lazy to talk. More often, he only nods as an answer.

Lucian leaned on his chair and looked up before murmuring. "I suddenly missed those guys."

Ayen glanced at him and the longing in his look. He looked away and lowered his gaze, then landed on his wrist, where his bracelet was.

He reached out and absentmindedly caressed it, like a habit.

Ayen also began to wonder where the two espers were now. Were they already near or still quite far? He had thought of contacting them, but if that would distract them, then he would only wait for them to come.

And talk, facing each other.

And as Ayen was wondering what the two were doing, Devion and Khal were currently in their third car. They only use some abandoned ones and modify them for use for a short time before discarding them.

This also helped to lose their trail, which already pissed Khal off more than usual. Between the two, Khal had always been the one who hated being tracked down the most.

Devion did not like it, of course, but not to the point that he would kill them on sight. Khal was different in this regard.

If Devion had not stopped him then, without any conversation, those espers tasked to follow them would be frozen alive without any time for them to react.

"This is why I’m always confused," Devion muttered, reclining casually on the passenger seat, lacing his fingers behind his head.

Khal, who was driving, glanced at Devion.

"What?"

"How Ayen thought your voice sounds soothing." Devion grimaced at the smile that appeared in Khal’s voice after he mentioned that. "Look, you’re the most ruthless person I’ve known; how can you have a soothing voice? It doesn’t make sense. So, you just know how to flirt, that’s all."

Khal’s grin widened in exchange, making Devion’s grimace deepen.

"What are you smiling about? You’re not denying it." Devion jabbed at his shoulder multiple times before his hand was grabbed by Khal’s right hand.

Khal did not let go, however, and instead intertwined them. Devion glanced at it for a second, but he did not pull away either and tightly gripped them. Towards each other, doing intimate actions seemed like a habit at this point.

After all, they had done a lot of things, what was more, holding each other’s hands.

"You’re still grinning," Devion commented.

"What of it?" Khal turned on him.

"Ugh, it’s pissing me off."

Khal chuckled. "Stop being a brat."

Devion stared at him, and he looked absolutely offended. "Me? A brat? Are you serious?"

Khal only laughed, not responding. They drive like that, talking about nonsense as they pass by any dangerous area without being disturbed.

Just a mana fluctuation they released would make the surrounding monsters cower and flee; there was no need to fight unnecessarily.

Because of the pursuers, they made a lot of detours, and so there was an area where they could only walk. They could also use their abilities, but doing so might tip off those old foggies in the capital to their location.

After all, their mana wavelengths were so distinct from those of other espers. Usually, they could wander around the world faster with an aircraft, but that was out of the question; it was too high profile, and Ayen forbade them to do so.

And since they did detours, at their pace, they might reach the red zone 21 by noon the next day. Given that no other pests decided to follow them around.

"We can rest here." Khal looked around, and seeing there was no trap or anything, he called Devion.

Devion nodded and brought out the ingredients from his bag. The two prepared their dinner. While they packed dried rations, Devion was uncomfortable eating them after a few days.

Once in a while, even when they raided a dungeon for weeks, Devion would cook a fresh meal for them. They were not picky about where to camp, and after decently combing some dried grass and stones away, they put a mattress on the ground.

They ate peacefully, and after that, Khal put some safety measures around them. Devion put an electric lamp on the side. With this, the two sat beside each other silently.

"What do you think Ayen’s doing now?" Devion shattered the silence and whispered.

Khal turned to him and stared. "Don’t worry. He’s doing okay." If something happened, Renji would make sure Ayen was safe.

Devion stared back at him; suddenly, the space between them seemed far narrower than intended. "Aren’t you worried?"

"I am," Khal calmly responded, licking his lower lip. Devion subconsciously glanced at his lips and swallowed.

"Why are you..." He was about to say something else, but it was muffled by a sudden kiss; his eyes had yet to even close when Khal withdrew.

Devion stared at him, and so did Khal. The two stared at each other before they forgot everything else and claimed each other’s lips; it was such a devouring and hungry kiss.