CHAPTER 473: SECRET MESSAGE

It went without saying that Damien couldn’t be stolen from Lane. After the failed attempts, first with Nyla, then with Ethan, even the Allens had to recognize that fact. Damien liked, no, LOVED Lane, and no one could come between them.

However, just because they couldn’t lure Damien to their side through an arranged marriage or seduction, that didn’t mean that they would just let it be. Putting aside that he was a powerful and promising young Esper who would be a great addition to their Guild, he was also important for the Association. Perhaps he was just a Team Leader for now, but with his potential, both in terms of his ability and future career, he was someone the Allens didn’t want to see by Lane’s side.

So, when Nyla walked up to Clara, the first thing that was on Lane’s mind was: ’The Allens want to use Clara to spark conflict between me and Damien!’

The second was: Ethan. Whether it was about Clara’s disapproval of Lane, or about her crush on Nyla, the Guide must have reported it to them. Otherwise, how would they have known?

...He really should have gotten rid of Ethan earlier.

Either way, that wasn’t important right now. What mattered was...

’You look as if you’re about to be hypnotized’?

Really?

Lane looked his sister up and down. Even for him that line would have been too much (probably)! His insides all twisted from cringing as he listened to it...

Of course, Nyla couldn’t possibly have been the one to come up with the line. Obviously. She couldn’t even say it right without stuttering, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment at what she was doing. It was also obvious that she didn’t approach Clara on her own accord, as she had always been a shy type when it came to her crushes. Not to mention, the last time she and Clara had met, the atmosphere had been tense, as Nyla was angry at Clara for saying that Lane and Damien should break up! There was no way that she suddenly did a one-eighty and decided to hit on the woman.

It must have been the Allens who had forced her to do so. She was just... faking it. Very badly, at that.

But...

Not everyone thought so, it seemed.

"Wha-what?" Clara’s face turned bright red. She stared at Nyla, as if she couldn’t believe what was happening...

"Ahem, well." Nyla cleared her throat, getting even more uncomfortable. She had to stick to the act, since Miles was still nearby, seemingly checking on the monster, but likely also paying attention to what Nyla was doing... All of this put her in a difficult position, since on one hand, she couldn’t openly disobey the Allens, while on the other, she didn’t want to play with anyone’s feelings... Especially since it seemed that Clara was truly into her.

Luckily for Nyla, she didn’t have to think about what to do next, because Clara’s eyes soon grew hazy. It was difficult enough to resist the monsters’ hypnosis when staying focused, even with all the nets installed in the lake, which drained some of the Mana, reducing the hypnosis’ efficiency, let alone when Clara was distracted by her crush! Her mind was quickly overtaken by the monsters’ ability, and she unconsciously took a step forward, towards the lake...

"Ah, careful!" Nyla caught her, quietly exhaling with relief. Now that Clara had truly succumbed to the hypnosis, it made her earlier words sound like a genuine concern caused by her noticing Clara’s ’daze’, rather than an attempt to flirt.

"I’m so sorry about it," Damien stepped in to help Nyla. "Lane..." He was about to ask Lane to escort Clara out of the Zone (and remove him from the situation), but when he glanced back at the team, he noticed that two other members were also struggling, trying their best to keep their minds clear. It was only a matter of time before they also succumbed to the hypnosis... All while Lane was the least likely to do so out of everyone gathered.

Thus, he let out a sight. "Dixon, Lee, you two escort Moore out of the Zone and join in with the rest of the team waiting there," he commanded the two struggling team members instead. The fewer team members they sent out, the better it would look on them, so Damien had to think strategically.

The higher-ups wouldn’t want their elite team to embarrass themselves. Even if their idea of ’embarrassment’ was rather odd.

Dixon and Lee nodded their heads, relieved to be allowed out, and moved to take Clara out of Nyla’s hands. Just as they were about to do it, though, Lane’s eyes suddenly widened.

’Hmm?’ He blinked, staring at Clara, then at Nyla. His sister wasn’t looking at him, though, instead stubbornly looking into the distance, deliberately avoiding his gaze. Lane’s eyes shifted back to Clara’s chest...

It was almost imperceptible, but there seemed to be a tiny bulge in Clara’s chest pocket. A bulge that Lane was certain hadn’t been there before. Not necessarily because he had been paying attention to it - his future sister-in-law’s chest wasn’t something he had any interest in, not at all - but rather because...

He had seen it. Nyla pull something out of her sleeve, and quickly slide something inside. Something that looked like an SD card. She had tried to do it discreetly, but she couldn’t escape Lane’s eyes.

Well, she probably wasn’t trying to hide it, not from him. In fact, it was probably FOR him. A secret message, perhaps? Maybe an update on what was going on with the Allens... After all, she currently couldn’t contact him directly, as they were supposed to be careful, and passing messages through ManaTech also carried some risk - she needed a good reason to visit their Guild’s buildings, or else the Allens would grow even more suspicious.

Lane watched for a moment as Clara was being dragged away...

"Is everything alright?" Miles’ cold voice suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts, almost making him flinch. When he wasn’t paying attention, the man had finished checking on the monster, and was now approaching them in brisk steps. "Nyla, you’re needed back at the lake. The one we’ve just caught is a juvenile, so we need to capture one more."

Lane narrowed his eyes, furtively scrutinizing his father’s face.

...He hadn’t noticed anything, had he?