Does Spring Come Even for a Dying Esper

“I apologize if I offended you. But I couldn’t find any other suitable expression.”

Lucas immediately apologized when Iberis showed signs of being displeased. Even he thought his previous remark had crossed a line.

“Huff, what’s your basis for that judgment?”

Iberis, who had initially opened his mouth with an indignant expression, took a short deep breath as if trying to control his anger. It was more irritating that Lucas consistently apologized like this rather than if he had remained arrogant. If Iberis got angrier here, wouldn’t he be the one looking strange?

“According to the records, regardless of the monster’s rank or the rift’s size, you always stand alone at the forefront while your squad members only provide support from behind. Your combat contribution is several times that of others.”

“That’s to attack efficiently…”

“I understand that your combat style aims to end battles as quickly as possible. However, in other units, the contribution of reconnaissance teams, assault teams, and rear support teams is similar. Even on an individual basis, there isn’t much difference. But in our unit, you alone are overwhelmingly dominant. You’re handling 70-80% on average for rifts of any rank. If this isn’t overexertion, what is it?”

“…I’m just flexibly responding to the situation on the field.”

Iberis meekly refuted as Lucas compared him to other units, citing specific figures.

“Of course, you would. For B+ rank rifts or dungeons, it’s inevitable that higher-ranked Espers play a larger role. The problem is that you’re trying to solve things alone even when you don’t need to step in.”

“When did I…”

“Shall we take today’s incident as an example? What the N-1 unit asked of us was to block the monsters coming out of the magic boundary so they wouldn’t be disturbed in their rift attack. The species were C-rank Red Snakes and Flame Balls, opponents our squad members could have easily dealt with without you stepping in.”

“There were so many of them. I had the best compatibility with them.”

“Even so, there was no need for you to take them all on alone.”

Lucas said decisively. Thinking about what happened a few hours ago still made his blood boil. Since joining the Defense Force, he had supported various units on duty, but this was the first time he’d seen a team work so inefficiently. It was a unit in name only; in reality, it was practically Iberis’s one-man team.

“The biggest problem is that you’re currently in such poor condition that you’ve been given a terminal diagnosis. No, even assuming you were in good health, that level of contribution would inevitably raise controversy about overwork. And in reality, you are indeed pushing yourself too hard.”

Iberis’s lips tightened at the scathing criticism. Although he was reluctant to admit it, he was aware that he had a tendency to try to do everything alone. And that it had gotten worse at some point.

“Until yesterday, I didn’t want to judge hastily since I hadn’t seen it myself. But after watching you fight today, I could be certain.”

“From just one time? Isn’t that too hasty?”

“Records don’t lie. Moreover, Lieutenant Cali, your adjutant, agreed with my thoughts.”

“Brenda did?”

“Yes. She was blaming herself for not being able to stop you even though she knew you were pushing yourself too hard.”

“How could that be…”

As Brenda was mentioned, Iberis’s expression darkened. He knew she felt guilty after his terminal diagnosis, but he didn’t expect her to blame herself in front of Lucas, whom she had only recently met. It meant that Brenda was also stressed because of Iberis’s work.

“None of the other squad members could refute my point either. In the end, everyone felt that you were pushing yourself too hard.”

“…”

“As your attending physician, I advise you not to shoulder the burden alone like this from now on. Lieutenant Cali has also agreed to cooperate with me…”

“Brenda agreed to cooperate with you?”

“Yes, she said she would actively help as your adjutant to ensure you don’t overexert yourself and can focus on recovery.”

“Winning over my adjutant in just a few hours… Captain, you’re a formidable person, aren’t you?”

Iberis whistled briefly in admiration, then glared at Lucas.

“We formed an alliance because we want the same thing. And just as they say to make close people your allies to catch the enemy, there’s a similar saying among doctors. To treat a patient, you should win over close people like family or friends to build rapport.”

“So you targeted my adjutant?”

“She seemed to be the closest person to you at the moment. There were also statements from squad members that you listen to Lieutenant Cali even if you don’t listen to others.”

Lucas tried to placate Iberis, undaunted by his growing hostility.

“Seeking cooperation from Lieutenant Cali was solely for your treatment. I hope you don’t misunderstand.”

“I guess it’s beneficial to Lieutenant General Bismarck if I don’t die?”

However, Iberis, already upset, responded sharply to Lucas’s words. He asked sarcastically, crossing his arms.

“Why are you suddenly bringing up the Lieutenant General?”

“Because I don’t understand why you’re so eager to treat me. We just met yesterday, didn’t we? It’s too short a time to build trust as superior and subordinate, or to form rapport as patient and doctor… You’re so aggressively enthusiastic it’s suspicious.”

“Are you suggesting that I received a secret order from Lieutenant General Bismarck to recruit you?”

“Well, only you know the truth.”

“Doctors fundamentally want to cure the patients they’re in charge of. There’s no other intention in my desire to save you.”

“Is that really so?”

“Huff, alright. I’ll be honest within the limits of what I know. I don’t know what the Lieutenant General’s purpose is either. Even the matching rate test with you was conducted unilaterally by him, so I only found out about it after the results came out.”

Lucas sighed with a tired face, having read the distrust and suspicion in Iberis’s transparent gray eyes. He then revealed what he knew. To treat Iberis, he first needed to gain his trust.

“However, Lieutenant General Bismarck is greatly concerned about the Defense Force’s strength being diminished due to your absence. After all, there’s been a steady exodus of Espers and Guides for several years now.”

Iberis’s eyes trembled slightly at Lucas’s words. He knew what had triggered the mass departure of ability users from the Defense Force.

“As you know, the Defense Force is currently suffering from chronic manpower shortages and funding issues. It’s getting worse as time goes on.”

Lucas calmly recited the Defense Force’s situation. The World Defense Force was a military organization established 80 years ago after a large-scale rift occurrence event, to manage areas that had become no man’s land and to deal with disasters like magic boundaries or dungeon breaks that were difficult for a single country to handle.

However, as time passed, the number of awakened individuals increased, and many countries gained the strength to protect their own territories without the Defense Force’s help.

Countries didn’t stop there; they spared no expense to retain as many high-ranking ability users as possible, offering various benefits. As a result, talented and outstanding ability users preferred to belong to specific countries or join guilds rather than the Defense Force.

The Defense Force also tried to prevent talent drain, but there were limitations. Although they collected taxes from defense zones, it wasn’t stable, and they were dependent on member countries’ support. For this reason, the money available for ability users was limited.

In the end, only those overflowing with a sense of mission, those pursuing honor, or those with tremendous hatred for monsters and rifts remained in the Defense Force until the end.

“So you’re trying to save me because of that? I guess you don’t think I’ll retire and go somewhere else like others?”

“That’s only possible when you’re healthy, isn’t it impossible with your current physical condition?”

Iberis’s gaze turned fierce at the annoying retort. Lucas was quicker than whatever Iberis was about to say.

“Let me continue. While there’s a reason to prevent the Defense Force’s strength from weakening further, in my view, the bigger concern is about ‘Livio Logan’ potentially shaking up the military again, and they want to keep him in check.”

Livio Logan. The gray eyes wavered greatly at the name that came from Lucas’s mouth. Iberis tried to stay calm as he spoke.

“Why former Major General Logan? What did he do…”

“He’s been quiet so far, but his recent activities have been a bit suspicious. I understand you have a bad history with him as well.”

“…I do.”

Iberis gritted his teeth as he answered. Just hearing that name made him feel murderous. He clenched his fists tightly, suppressing the rising anger.

“You know that former Major General Logan naturalized in Japan and created a guild, right?”

“I know… Mars Guild, was it? I remember quite a few people followed him then.”

“That’s right. Currently, 90% of Mars Guild members are former Defense Force personnel.”

“That’s a lot.”

“Although the relationship has cooled somewhat… former Major General Logan still maintains connections with conservative figures. Using those relationships, he’s recently been eyeing positions as a cooperative guild and military supplier for the Defense Force.”