Chapter 112: Am I not allowed to? (Slight M)

Lucien was startled, his hand darting down to grab the hand that had somehow slipped inside his shirt and begun to wander as if it owned the place. The palm felt cool against his heated skin, moving down his waist with steady pressure that made his breath hitch.

Lucien broke the kiss and stuttered.

"W-What are you doing?!"

Zephyr blinked as Lucien suddenly pulled away and grabbed his hand. He quickly put on a puzzled, innocent expression, even as his thumb traced a deliberate circle against Lucien’s hip, his touch heavy with intent.

Leaning closer, he murmured against Lucien’s lips, his voice low and rough.

"Am I not allowed to?"

Lucien stared at the handsome face so close to his own. He swallowed hard, trying to calm his heart. In a way, he had already agreed to be together with Zephyr. Although he had asked Zephyr for some time, Lucien knew he could not exactly stop Zephyr from getting closer to him. Still, he had only just decided to be sincere with this guy, and he was already regretting it a little. Could he pretend he had never made that decision?

Before Lucien could dwell on the thought any longer, Zephyr’s fingers slipped into his pants, giving his buttock a light squeeze.

Lucien’s mind buzzed.

And the person who had just done such a roguish thing had the gall to look at him innocently and murmur against his lips.

"Let’s continue, hmm?"

With that, Zephyr kissed Lucien again. This time, however, a gentle kiss was not enough for him. He lightly nipped at Lucien’s lower lip, drawing his attention entirely to himself before deepening the kiss. His tongue slipped into Lucien’s mouth, moving in a quick, insistent rhythm as it tangled with Lucien’s, turning the sweetness of the kiss into something more intense and heated.

Lucien’s eyelashes trembled, and a small, muffled sound escaped him as his fingers tightened around Zephyr’s hand. The kiss had grown increasingly demanding, and for a moment, he found himself ready to let his embarrassment be damned and simply go along with whatever was happening. But just as he began to lose himself in the kiss, he finally remembered their situation. They were still inside the Association building, surrounded by the aftermath of what had happened earlier. Zephyr had even killed someone important to the Association!

Summoning strength he had not known he possessed, Lucien placed his free hand on Zephyr’s upper face and pushed him back.

A thin strand of saliva stretched between their lips before snapping, leaving Lucien breathless and painfully aware of just how disheveled he might look right now. He stared at Zephyr, whose eyelids blinked against his palm in surprise at the sudden interruption, and forced himself to speak.

"Not here!"

The words came out far breathier than he had intended. His face was burning, and his breathing was still uneven. Yet he hurried to finish what he had to say, afraid Zephyr would resume what they had been doing.

"Let’s leave here first!"

Zephyr caught the hand covering his eyes.

He had to admit, he was genuinely surprised.

Of all the ways Lucien could have stopped their kiss, this was certainly one he had not anticipated.

Regardless, he did not need to be told twice. With his attention finally drawn back to their surroundings, Zephyr took stock of the room. Apart from Onicus, who had been so quiet that Zephyr had almost forgotten the dragon was there, two other people remained. One had fainted earlier, while the other was pretending to be dead after witnessing Edwin’s death. Beyond them, Zephyr could hear approaching footsteps and distant commotion growing louder by the moment.

It seemed the disturbance he had caused had finally attracted the Association’s attention. That was hardly surprising. He had kicked the door open with enough force to make a scene, injured an Esper, and even killed someone. It would have been stranger if no one had come to investigate.

Still, the response had taken longer than he had expected.

Zephyr wrapped his arms around Lucien’s waist and drew him closer before effortlessly lifting him off the bed. Lucien’s eyes widened at the sudden movement, and he quickly wrapped his legs around Zephyr’s waist and grabbed his shoulders to steady himself.

Turning toward the exit, Zephyr glanced at the person in his arms and asked.

"Where should we go? Should I break through the wall?"

Lucien, who had only just begun to regain control of his breathing, stared at him in stunned silence.

Break through the wall?

Was that seriously the first solution that came to Zephyr’s mind?

Before he could even formulate a response, the approaching footsteps grew louder. Voices carried through the corridor, and among them, Lucien caught a voice he recognized all too well.

It was the real Lucien’s father’s voice!

Lucien’s entire body stiffened.

Panic seized him before he had time to think things through. He could not let that cold bastard get his hands on him again! The man had not only allowed his own son to be captured by someone like Edwin but had even given Edwin permission to do whatever he wanted with him. Even if that man let Zephyr go because of his strength as a powerful Esper, Lucien would undoubtedly be the one to suffer the consequences.

Acting on instinct, Lucien raised his wrist and activated the dark symbol etched into his skin.

The next instant, before Zephyr could ask what he was doing, the two of them vanished from the room, along with the little dragon, which had leaped forward to grab Zephyr’s clothes just in time to go along with them. They left behind the approaching footsteps and the shocked, middle-aged Esper who had been pretending to be dead ever since Zephyr killed Edwin.

At that moment, a cold, aged voice rang out from the doorway.

"What’s going on here?"

The four heads of the Association entered the room, accompanied by several Espers.

Everyone was stunned by the state of the research room. However, when the Association’s heads spotted Edwin’s lifeless body lying on the floor, their shock deepened.

Lucien’s father was the first to react.

"Check on him!"

Immediately, one of the Espers standing behind him rushed toward Edwin’s body. He knelt beside him and checked for a pulse, then leaned closer to check his breathing. A moment later, he shook his head at the four heads, his expression grim and solemn.

The color drained from their faces.

Edwin was dead.

For a brief moment, no one spoke.

The room fell eerily silent.

At that moment, the middle-aged, injured Esper who had been pretending to be dead ever since witnessing Edwin’s death finally lifted his head. Still trembling with fear, he struggled to speak, his words coming out in broken, frantic bursts.

"It was... It was that Esper! Zephyr! He killed Doctor Edwin! He did it because Lucien asked him to! That guy is crazy! No, they are both crazy! One gave the order, and the other killed a human without the slightest hesitation!"

The four heads of the Association immediately turned toward him, their expressions growing even grimmer. The revelation that Zephyr had killed Edwin was shocking enough, but the fact that he had done so at Lucien’s request made the situation even more alarming.

Lucien’s father stepped forward, his face darkening with fury. Fixing the injured Esper with a sharp glare, he demanded through gritted teeth.

"Where are they? And where is Lucien? That useless thing!"

The injured Esper’s expression went blank.

He desperately wanted to give an answer. Unfortunately, he had no idea where the two had gone. One moment, Zephyr and Lucien had been in the room, and the next, they had vanished right before his eyes.

"They... just vanished..."

He stammered.

"Perhaps that Esper has a space-type skill? No, wait! Maybe it was Lucien! He might have a space-type skill!"

He hurriedly raised his head, as though another thought had just struck him.

"That makes sense! Lucien has a water-type skill, too! We saw him use it earlier!"

Lucien’s father’s expression changed.

"Lucien has a skill? How is that possible?"

Standing beside him, the white-haired, middle-aged woman—the only female among the four heads of the Association—immediately shook her head.

"Lucien is a Guide. He can’t have a skill. This man probably hit his head and is imagining things after getting injured."

She gestured toward the Esper who had checked Edwin’s body.

"Take him and the other unconscious researcher to a healing-type Esper."

However, before anyone could carry out her order, the injured Esper began protesting frantically.

"No! No! I’m telling the truth! Lucien really did use a skill! He did!"

He was so anxious that he wanted to tear his hair out. How could they refuse to believe him when he had witnessed it with his own eyes?

To make matters worse, there wasn’t even a camera in the room. Edwin had been too paranoid about his crimes being recorded or discovered to allow any surveillance equipment in his private room. Now, the injured Esper had no evidence to support his claims.

The woman merely frowned, clearly unconvinced.

"Take him away. We will talk about this later. Right now, we need to find out where Lucien and Zephyr went."