Chapter 48 - 47: Sticky
Warren Lynch was carried to the bed. Silas Lynch helped him change his clothes and bandaged his bloody and mangled hands, as well as the other minor wounds on his body.
"Miss Lowell, how is Warren Lynch? When will he wake up?" Silas Lynch asked, his face full of worry.
It was the first time he had seen Warren Lynch like this—pale-faced and breathing faintly.
That big lug might be a bit dense, but in their eyes, he’d always been full of boundless energy.
Even when training had them all wiped out, he’d still be bouncing around, laughing and joking.
Even with a gunshot wound, he could calmly joke with them. He’d even dug a bullet out without anesthetic, not even blinking.
Even when he made a mistake and was punished by their master, he had never ended up in such a sorry state.
Yvonne Lowell used her superpower to scan his body. "He’ll wake up in about three hours. He’s just asleep right now. It’s nothing serious, just external injuries."
Hearing her say that, everyone relaxed, and the atmosphere lightened up.
Leo Grant, however, looked at her with some concern. ’Creating an Illusion Realm requires a massive amount of spiritual power. How is she acting like nothing happened? Her face isn’t even the slightest bit pale. Is her power really inexhaustible, or is she just putting on a brave front?’
"Yvonne, so is he now...?" Nolan Crawford didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he was getting at.
Yvonne Lowell nodded slightly. "Yes, it was a success. For now, he’s temporarily an A-rank Power System."
"He... he’s A-rank right after awakening his superpower?! You didn’t misread it, did you?" Nolan Crawford found it incredible. "What kind of Illusion Realm is so effective? I want to level up too. Why don’t you whip one up for me, Yvonne?"
Silas Lynch desperately wanted the same. After all, he had only been B-rank when he first awakened his power. The unfairness of it all made him green with envy, his face twisting in resentment.
"His is an Enhanced Superpower, which is different from yours. Your type can only be improved through your own efforts. I can’t help you."
"Alright then. By the way, what did you even show him? A moment ago, he was acting totally possessed, crying one minute and laughing the next. He was even hammering that concrete pillar like his life depended on it."
Recalling what Warren Lynch looked like just now, Nolan Crawford couldn’t help but shiver. ’If those little fists of his had hammered on my chest, I can’t even imagine the outcome.’
Yvonne Lowell glanced at Leo Grant beside her and smiled. "When a truly devout believer sees the deity he worships willingly risk his own life to save him, even to the point of being on the verge of death, he will naturally strive to unleash his body’s greatest potential."
Leo Grant raised an eyebrow at her words but didn’t speak. It seemed he had already guessed the content of the Illusion Realm.
"What the heck was that? So cryptic. You might as well have said nothing at all!" Nolan Crawford pouted. "So, compared to before, what’s his combat power like as an A-rank?"
"Probably... the kind of level where he could kill you with one punch now?" Yvonne Lowell said, raising an eyebrow.
Nolan Crawford’s expression was indescribable. "Great analogy. Don’t ever use it again."
Yvonne Lowell stood up. "Alright, I’m heading back. Come get me when he wakes up."
"I’ll walk you," Leo Grant said, following behind her.
Nolan Crawford rubbed his arms in disgust and said to Silas Lynch, "Ew~ They just live across from each other, and he’s still so clingy over a few steps. Look at him, acting so cheap. She hasn’t even made their relationship official, and he’s already showing off and fawning all over her. Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Silas Lynch kept quiet. He couldn’t say anything, wouldn’t say anything, and didn’t dare say anything.
...
Once they were outside, Leo Grant finally asked, "Is that why you asked me about his background last night?"
"Yeah. What, did you think I was just bored?"
Last night, Yvonne Lowell had privately asked Leo Grant about Warren Lynch’s background—everything he’d dug up about him, both before and after they met—in order to weave such an Illusion Realm.
Leo Grant chuckled. "Risking my own life? On the verge of death? Am I that weak in your eyes?"
"Hey, I was just trying to give him a strong dose of motivation, but it seems I overdid it a little." Yvonne Lowell subconsciously rubbed her nose. "But to be honest, Warren Lynch might seem a bit slow, but his loyalty to you is the real deal. There’s no denying that."
"I know. Thank you for today." Leo Grant hooked her finger with his.
If Warren Lynch were to hear Leo Grant’s affirmation, even if it was just a few simple words, he’d probably be so thrilled he’d tear down a few houses with his bare hands to celebrate, as happy as if it were the New Year.
After all, Leo Grant always wore a cold expression around them and never spoke to them kindly, let alone praised them.
Yvonne Lowell’s lips turned down slightly. "Just a ’thank you’? Nothing else? There’s no sincerity at all."
Leo Grant raised an eyebrow. "Then what else do you want?"
"How about you pay me with your body?" A glint of mischief flashed in Yvonne Lowell’s eyes as she stood on her tiptoes and leaned closer to him.
’I should have known,’ he thought.
Leo Grant extended an index finger and pushed her forehead away. "Are you that infatuated with my good looks?"
"Yup. I heard from my brother that President Grant’s looks are number one on The Capital Circle’s bachelor ranking. How could I not be infatuated?"
Leo Grant touched his own face with mock solemnity. "If this face can win your favor, I suppose that’s a talent in itself."
"Mhm, mhm, so?" Yvonne Lowell thought she had a chance.
"So..." Leo Grant shot her a sidelong glance. "Not a chance. Don’t even think about it."
"Tch, you’re no fun." Yvonne Lowell pouted, opening the gate to her own villa. "I’m here. You can go now."
"Not going to invite me in for a bit?"
"You have legs, don’t you? It’s not like I can stop you."
Yvonne Lowell walked in on her own and plopped down on the sofa.
Seeing Leo Grant follow her in, she ordered him around without a second thought, "Go get me a bottle of orange juice from the fridge. If you want some, get it yourself."
Leo Grant didn’t get annoyed. He obediently went to the fridge, grabbed two bottles of orange juice, and handed one to her after twisting off the cap.
"Why do you like orange juice so much?"
Yvonne Lowell chugged half the bottle before saying, "I like it because I like it. Does there have to be a reason? I feel like I’ve... always been fond of orange-flavored things."
"Is that why you chose to add something that can channel spiritual power to the orange juice?"
Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow. "You could taste it?"
"Mhm. The bottle you gave me in Country A—I drank it last night. I could feel it was very soothing."
"Of course. Don’t you know who gave it to you? My things are always top-quality," Yvonne Lowell said with a smug smile.
After a moment’s hesitation, Leo Grant finally asked, "Your spiritual power... is there something wrong with it?"