Does Spring Come Even for a Dying Esper

It’s cold.

Iberis groaned in pain, shivering as if his body was being torn apart. His vision blurred like a frosted window.

“Ugh…”

Between his pale, chapped lips, a frosty breath escaped along with a pain-filled moan. Iberis gritted his teeth as the chill spread from within his body. Uncontrolled mana was rampaging throughout his body, attacking its owner. It was a typical symptom of mana overload.

“Haa, ungh.”

Sounds of suffering continually leaked through his tightly clenched teeth. His body convulsed like an aspen tree, unable to withstand the mana raging inside. As his skin froze, the tingling and numbing sensation in his fingertips and toes gradually became more intense. Hot then cold, his senses were in chaos. His entire body was literally aching.

It’s too cold.

Iberis curled up into a ball, as if trying to escape the chill tormenting him. His teeth chattered audibly. A ringing sound echoed in his muffled ears. He tried to gather strength in his trembling body, clenching his teeth. Though he should be used to it by now, it was agonizing every time.

“Cough…!”

Suddenly, a dry cough erupted from between his now blue lips. At that moment, a hot liquid surged up.

Is there still something hot left in my body? Iberis unconsciously chuckled at the taste of blood filling his mouth. It was strange that he could laugh even in this situation.

“Ugh, cough.”

Red blood splattered into the air with another cough. Iberis exhaled tiredly after spitting out a dark red blood clot. Something felt off. Different from usual…

Ah.

A sound, unclear whether a sigh or exclamation, escaped his blood-soaked lips. His heartbeat, which had been pounding fiercely just moments ago, was gradually slowing down.

Iberis easily found the cause. The overloaded mana was moving like a snake through his blood vessels, emitting an icy chill. That’s why his body had cooled and his blood wasn’t circulating properly. With circulation issues, his heart’s movement naturally slowed.

No, it wasn’t just slowing down; it was freezing. If his heart stopped like this, his breath would cease.

Is this how I die?

Feeling death approaching, Iberis weakly opened and closed his eyes. His mind became hazy like his blurred vision. All his senses were dulling.

He wasn’t particularly afraid of death now. After all, he had been living a life where death at any time wouldn’t be strange. Although it was much earlier than the doctor had predicted, he thought it wouldn’t be bad to close his eyes like this.

Rather, he felt a slight sense of liberation. It seemed he could finally escape the terrible cold that had been tormenting him.

“It would be nice… if it were warm.”

Surely he wouldn’t have to shiver in the cold even after death? Iberis muttered, embedding a small wish. His lips were frozen and barely moved.

If he was going to die anyway, he hoped his breath would stop quickly with as little pain as possible. Iberis closed his eyes, waiting for the peace that would come to him. His face was unexpectedly serene for someone facing death.

As Iberis stopped resisting, the overloaded mana raged even more violently. His mind slowly fell along with his dying body. At that moment, someone roughly grabbed him by the collar.

“…!”

Iberis’s eyes flew open at the touch forcefully pulling his body. His body, abruptly raised, creaked and screamed. His lips parted involuntarily at the pain that felt like his entire body was breaking.

Who?

Iberis silently mouthed the word. His throat must have frozen by now, as white breath escaped instead of his voice. A blurry figure appeared in his hazy vision, as if trapped in thick fog.

Whoosh.

Before he could identify who had grabbed his collar, a soft warmth touched his cold lips. Then, hot breath flowed through the slightly parted lips. That alone was enough to snap him back to his senses. Even the mana that had been greedily swallowing Iberis momentarily stopped moving.

Unable to comprehend what was happening to him, Iberis blinked blankly. The chills that had been persistently tormenting him just seconds ago subsided, and his vision cleared as if fog was lifting. Then he saw golden eyes that seemed to hold the sunlight itself.

“What, are…”

Iberis’s lips moved with a bewildered expression. With just one breath, his stiffened throat loosened. Like a spring breeze melting winter snow, the warm breath had thawed his frozen throat.

“What do you mean, what?”

Lucas, who had breathed his breath into Iberis, replied in a calm tone. His stoic face, deep-set eyes, and even voice were the same as usual, but somehow he seemed angry.

“It’s guiding.”

“Gui…ding?”

Iberis blankly repeated Lucas’s words. A terribly cracked voice flowed between his moving lips. Lucas’s brow furrowed slightly, as if displeased by this.

“What do you mean by guiding?”

Iberis muttered with a dazed expression. He couldn’t believe what had happened to him. As his lost senses returned, he felt the arm firmly wrapped around his waist. Only then did Iberis realize he was in Lucas’s arms.

“You’re not asking because you don’t know, are you? These days, people always start by holding hands, but the original basic method of guiding is mucosal contact. It’s still the most effective method at present.”

“That’s not, what I, *gasp*.”

Iberis, about to say something, quickly closed his mouth, suppressing a cough. He was too close to Lucas. He swallowed a dry cough, curling his lips inward.

“Why are you… here…?”

Iberis asked bewilderedly, having barely stopped coughing. He had sent all his team members away just before fighting the boss monster. So why was Lucas here? His confused eyes trembled slightly.

“You didn’t come out after the battle ended, so I came to fetch you.”

Unlike the flustered Iberis, Lucas remained calm. However, the atmosphere was slightly different from usual. His blunt tone remained, but there was a strange irritation in his voice.

“You came to get me?”

“It’s a Pair’s duty to take care of their Esper after a battle.”

“Duty? Ah, cough!”

Recalling the recent contact at Lucas’s words, Iberis burst into another cough.

“Tsk.”

Lucas’s eyes hardened and he clicked his tongue, smelling the blood mixed in the shallow breath. The superior before him was clearly dying.

“You… *huff*, didn’t you say something about… premarital chastity?”

“Ah, yes.”

I did say that. Lucas’s lips twisted as he recalled the old memory. Apparently having the luxury to think about such things in a dying situation, he replied in a gruff voice, his judgment completely warped.

“You seem to keep forgetting, but I’m your Pair Guide and military doctor.”

“Huh?”

“I’m saying that protecting my Esper as your dedicated guide and following the Hippocratic oath as a doctor who saves lives is far more important than that premarital chastity nonsense.”

“What?”

“Premarital chastity or whatever, shouldn’t we save the person first? Do you know what state you’re in, Major? You’re on the brink of death. Hand-holding? Hugging? That level won’t cut it. If I don’t guide you now, you will definitely die.”

“Ah…”

“You weren’t planning to die like this, were you?”

At Lucas’s question, Iberis’s lips closed again. The silence was as good as affirmation. Lucas’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Iberis, who didn’t deny it.

Seriously, this person.

Lucas gritted his teeth, feeling a fire rising inside him. He knew Iberis didn’t value his own body much and lacked the will to live, but he had foolishly thought things had improved. This was no different from a breathing corpse.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t watch you die.”

“…Why.”

Why? What for? Why are you trying to save me? Iberis looked at Lucas with confused eyes.

The perceptive Lucas understood all the questions contained in that short word. So he answered nonchalantly, as if being asked something obvious.

“Because I want you to live.”

I can’t bear to watch you die before my eyes. I have to save you somehow. Lucas moved his hand without taking his eyes off the silver-gray eyes that had widened at his words.

Iberis instinctively shrank his shoulders as he felt the warm hand caress his eyes and cup his cheek. Along with the hot body temperature, Lucas’s mana seeped into his skin.

“So…”

Lucas, gazing at the slightly trembling eyes that seemed to hold snowflakes, lowered his head somewhat hastily. There was no time to leisurely chat. Gently overlapping his lips with the cold, chapped ones, he whispered commandingly to Iberis.

Open your mouth, quickly.