Half an hour later, at the largest and most renowned hospital in City M, Erick hurried over to the elderly doctor in a coat as the man came out of the observation room.
"How's he doing?"
The old doctor wrinkled his nose, unsure which patient Erick was referring to.
It was the first time he had seen Erick this anxious since knowing him, so the doctor decided to report on the most critical one.
"He is unconscious. Lucien lost all his guiding energy at once, so he needs rest. Has he been guiding without a break? His body is extremely exhausted—"
Erick cut him off with an impatient look.
"No, no. Not him. The Esper! How is he? There was so much blood on his body. Lucien didn't even have a scratch. So tell me, is the Esper I brought in okay?"
The doctor was stunned.
It was rare to see the usually composed, most famous S-rank Esper of City M—one of the most powerful S-rank Espers in the Eastern Continent—this distressed.
The doctor wondered if Esper Erick knew the unconscious Esper, but he had never seen the man's face; it was unfamiliar.
Still, he answered professionally.
"The Esper is fine. There were no wounds on his body. The blood was his. But maybe he's a healing-type Esper? After the guiding, he stabilized. He probably fainted from the stress of the awakening and the trauma of being dragged into the A-rank dungeon."
Erick finally sighed in relief. Nana Parker and the rest of his teammates exchanged silent glances. Like the doctor, they had no idea who this Zephyr was. Erick hadn't said a word since bringing him to the hospital.
He had even called in his personal doctor—assigned to him by the head of association—to treat him. Lucien was just lucky to get treatment alongside the unknown Esper.
Nana cleared her throat and gently patted Erick's arm, wearing the sweetest smile she could muster. She and Erick were still in the 'situationship' phase, and knowing he was bisexual always made her a little anxious.
That's why she hated Lucien O'Connell.
Luckily, Erick had no interest in him due to his constant drama and clingy behavior.
"Erick, how do you know him?"
Erick blinked, then let out a sigh.
"He was my classmate. From elementary all the way through high school. But..."
He paused for a moment.
"Zephyr vanished before graduation, and this is the first time I've seen him since. I had no idea he ended up in prison. He was always so calm, kind, and gentle, so when I suddenly recognized him, I was shocked."
Erick ran a hand through his golden hair.
"Just what exactly happened? I remember hearing his family was rich. So why was he in prison? Even if he made a mistake or did something, they could've gotten him out."
Nana fell completely silent.
This was the first time she had seen Erick speak so much about someone from his childhood—something he usually avoided because of his abusive, alcoholic father who used to beat him constantly.
Something definitely felt off.
Her instincts told that something wasn't right. Whoever this Zephyr was, she had to make sure he stayed far away from Erick.
She forced another smile.
"Then we should assign a good nurse to him until he recovers. He needs rest."
Erick nodded right away.
"You're right."
He turned to the doctor.
"Can I see him?"
But his expression fell when the doctor shook his head with a serious expression.
"No. Just as Miss Nana said, he needs rest after everything he's been through. It's best not to disturb him for now. Also, since he is an awakened now, you should register him with the Association once he wakes up, or he could be fined for failing to register."
The doctor was about to leave but paused as he remembered something important.
"I noticed the patient was wearing a prison uniform. You will need to contact the Esper Bureau of Crime once he has recovered. No matter how close Zephyr is to you, he's still a criminal who must serve his sentence."
Erick nodded absentmindedly.
"I'll handle it."
Then he turned to his team and informed them that he'd be taking the rest of the day off. They wanted him to return with them to file a report about the A-rank dungeon they had just visited, but he declined, saying he had something urgent to take care of.
Left with no choice, the group could only watch as he hurriedly walked away. They didn't fail to notice the smile on his lips, though none of them knew the reason.
Nana's jaw tightened.
"I hope he's not going to get a pardon for that criminal he brought to the hospital."
One of the remaining three Espers on the team, a haughty-looking man with short hair named Jake, chuckled at her words.
"Looks like you've got another rival."
His friend, Nox, jabbed him with a smirk.
"But who's going to be on top? Erick and Zephyr both seem like possessive tops."
Nana shot the duo a glare.
"Stop talking nonsense!"
The last Esper on the team, a petite young woman named Olivia, just shook her head.
"Let it go, guys. Let's head back first and file the report. We can talk about the rest later."