Need Help

Edited by: ASaltedFish

This chapter is sponsored by: Yaaslin, Sealunis, and RanDom_Chipmuck. Thank you for the support :D I hope you all enjoy this chapter. 

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After their date, they saw headlines and trending topics about it reading: Breaking news: Ellery and Adjutant Ito went out on a date. Are they together now?

The first picture that was used was a picture of Ellery smiling and Akimitsu laughing. It was unclear what they were talking about, but they seemed to be having fun. The second picture showed Akimitsu holding Ellery's hand while chatting about something that seemed to take a lot of his attention. The last picture was with Akimitsu and Ellery going on to a hover car together where Akimitsu helped Ellery into the vehicle. 

Many people thought they were a cute couple while others thought it was a bit of a waste because Akimitsu's potential ranking was only SS-rank. Still, there were a lot of people who were jealous of Akimitsu because he was a potential love interest for Ellery. 

Most high-ranking sentinels wanted to have at least average compatibility with Ellery and be his lover. Could they join his harem? Was Ellery looking for more lovers? A lot of single sentinels wanted to know the answer to these questions! 

There were also jealous guides who wished they were Ellery and wanted to take his place, especially Darian, who felt like he could never catch up to him now. Even Leonard, his boyfriend, felt bitter toward him.

Leonard was seething when he saw these headlines and trending topics. He should have been in Adjutant Ito's place! Ellery should have been his boyfriend, but no, his and Darian's families were pushing for them to get married. Darian's family was pushing for them to get married since they viewed him as their precious baby who deserved the best. Lenoard's family was also pushing for him to marry Darian because Darian's parents were their best friends and their dream was for their children to get married. What about him? Didn't he deserve the best too? Did his opinions not matter?

Now he was stuck with someone who didn't even have S-rank potential! Ellery was now an SS-ranked guide, but he could even become an SSS-ranked guide in the future! 

Bitter! Everything tasted bitter to him and there was only regret left in his heart… 

As for Marshal Caecius, he was happy for his friend, but he couldn't help but feel sad that he and Aster's situation was caused by him. Now, he didn't even know if Aster was still scared or uncomfortable with him. He didn't want to reach out for fear of upsetting him further. 

He didn't feel jealous of Akimitsu, but he was slightly envious. He could tell Aster wasn't the one in the photos, so there were no hard feelings from him… 

Aster… He was really sorry and he hoped that maybe one day, Aster would forgive him. 

Marshal Caecius continued to sulk in his office. Many of his subordinates thought someone angered him, but in truth, he was just angry with himself. 

*****

Ellery and Akimitsu didn't say anything about the date being broadcast and still chatted with each other every day. Many people at the academy asked Ellery about his date, especially his close friends, who wanted to know more about them. 

Ellery just told them that he had a really high compatibility rate with Akimitsu, and he wanted to see if they were compatible in a romantic way. 

As for Aster, he was in hibernation mode and hadn't talked in a while. Ellery knew he was there, but he didn't hear Aster at all. 

Though he was worried, he knew Aster needed time to decompress. 

As for his sister-in-law, Darya was adjusting to life in his childhood home very well. She didn't have to pay any rent, but still helped out when it came to bills. She made stabilizers every week for the people who needed them, and when she had to do guiding services, she went to the local guide center to help out. 

Since she was used to living there, Ellery felt a bit more relieved before his move. He worried about her mental health, so he decided to check in on her more often. 

"Are you really leaving today?" Darya asked while standing by the door. She was reluctant to see him go. It was nice to have another person around when she had been alone ever since her husband disappeared.

Ellery nodded and smiled at her. "Yes, my new home has been aired out, the plants in the greenhouse have been safely transferred and the furniture is arranged. I have also met up with everyone who will be working at the estate. The only thing left is for me to move in…"

Ellery had already shipped all of his things to the new place. This included his and Aster's clothes, the stabilizer plants that he processed, the tools he needed, and some sentimental items that reminded him of his parents and brother. 

All he needed to do now was go to his new home, make sure the greenhouses and vegetable garden were up to standard, and add things to his new home. He already let Aster pick out things for his personalized safe room, so Ellery could feel Aster's excitement. Aster needed a place for him to feel safe and reset which was why they decided to have a room dedicated to him in their new house.

"Darya, I will call you weekly to make sure you are doing alright. I will also visit you once a month to ensure you are taking care of yourself. Please, have faith that I will find my brother no matter what." 

Darya already had tears in her eyes while bringing Ellery into a hug. "Thank you, Ellery… I believe in you. And I believe that your brother is somewhere out there, just unable to come back to us." 

Ellery hugged her back. "I believe that as well…" 

Once they finished with their goodbyes, Ellery and Aster were escorted to their new home. There were a few bodyguards left behind to protect Darya and his childhood home. The rest went with them to their new estate. 

The bodyguards and other workers would be able to stay on the estate at a detached house, so they didn't have to live and work in different locations. If they needed to leave, they just had to apply for leave with Ellery or Aster. 

Aster was a bit excited to decorate his room. In his past life, he did have his own place, but because he was living paycheck to paycheck, he wasn't able to fill his apartment with his favorite things. Of course, he bought a few things here and there, but it was not as much as he bought in this life. 

He and Ellery were loaded. He didn't even have to budget because he was told to buy whatever he wanted regardless of the price! Well, he wasn't going to drain their finances… 

When they arrived at the estate, they found Marshal Caecius and Adjutant Ito were already there, waiting for them at the front of the mansion. Per their agreement, the First Fleet would protect Ellery and Aster, so of course, Marshal Caecius and Adjutant Ito scoped out the estate to make sure it was safe, and there were no hidden devices. 

Adjutant Ito excitedly ran up to Ellery to give his report. "Marshal Caecius and I have checked your home and the surrounding areas. There are no dangers, so you can live here safely." 

Ellery's face lit up, and his expression softened when he saw Akimitsu. If Ellery didn't know what Akimitsu's quantum beast was, he would think that it was a golden retriever. 

"Thank you, Akimitsu, and you too, Marshal Caecius. If it's not too much trouble, would you mind staying for lunch? I would like to ask for the First Fleet's help with something." 

Marshal Caecius and Akimitsu looked at each other and saw they both didn't know what Ellery was going to ask. 

"I understand. We do not have anything for the rest of the day… Also, tell Aster I said hello and that I hope he is doing alright." 

Aster, who was not paying attention, heard Ellery relay Marshal Caecius' words and he also said hello. He also told Ellery to tell Marshal Caecius that he was doing well and needed some time to recharge from social interaction. 

He relayed Aster's words to the Marshal who then nodded. "I understand. I am just glad he is doing well." 

Ellery looked at the pitiful aura around the Marshal and decided to just ignore it for now. What happens between Marshal Caecius and Aster in the future is up to the two of them, not him. 

The three of them walked into the mansion while the other bodyguards went to the detached building to pack up before they started their patrols. The workers helping him with his online store and garden were arriving the next day, so it was just them in the house. 

There were also three housekeeping robots. One was for the kitchen, and the other two were in charge of cleaning up the house. Since it was a large home, the two robots were assigned to designated areas. 

The Marshal usually had a person cooking his food, so he wasn't used to eating food that was prepared by the robot. It wasn't bad, just average. Akimitsu felt the same since he lived with the Marshal most of the time. 

Once lunch was finished, Marshal Caecius asked, "What do you need the First Fleet's help with?" 

Ellery wiped his mouth and sighed. "I need help finding my brother… His name was Orin Aster, and he was a scout for the First Fleet, but during one of his missions, he and my sister-in-law got ambushed by a large group of level 6 and 7 Ineks."

Akimitsu immediately knew who Ellery was talking about since he had done a background check on Ellery some time ago. "I remember his case… Wasn't he pronounced deceased? All that was left was the bottom half of his left leg." 

"I know, but I have a feeling he is still alive. I do not think it's just me grasping at straws. Only his leg was left behind, without his mecha or the rest of his body… If he's not on that planet, maybe he landed on a planet nearby and has no way to get back. That's why I want to search the surrounding planets and hopefully find and bring him back." 

Marshal Caecius and Adjutant Ito looked at each other, trying to figure out what to say. 

"Orin was an S-ranked sentinel. He may have been a scout, but he was strong and unwavering. He made sure my sister-in-law survived while fighting off the Ineks. The medical supplies he had were enough to stop the bleeding in his leg for a period of time. If he escaped to another planet while fighting the Ineks, it would make sense that he would still be alive but unable to contact anyone." 

"What you said makes sense." Akimitsu listened carefully and thought Ellery had made good points. "His squadron only searched that planet and couldn't find any other traces of him or his mecha. They had thought he had died when they only saw his leg and couldn't find his mecha anywhere…" 

Marshal listened to the both of them talk and nodded his head to say that he would help. "We can help you look around planet MPE48, but there are dozens of planets around it. Most are uninhabitable, and the ones that do have some semblance of civilization are not as developed due to how far they are from the Imperial Capital. These planets are on the border of the Zevaria Empire. It will take months, even years, to find him, and that's if he is still alive." 

"I am prepared for that… If there's anything the First Fleet needs whether it be guiding services, stabilizers, or wage assistance, I can provide some for those searching for him. For free, of course."

Akimitsu stopped Ellery before he could continue talking about providing free services and money. "No, we can take the guiding services and stabilizers at a discount. As for the wages, Marshal Caecius and I make enough money to make sure our soldiers are adequately compensated for their work. Think of this as a favor for saving Marshal Caecius' life. Without you and Aster, Marshal Caecius would have blown up on the battlefield in a few years…" 

What Akimitsu said was true. If Marshal Caecius could not get guiding services, even strong willpower was not enough to keep him alive for much longer. 

Ellery saw that Marshal Caecius agreed with Akimitsu and then relented. He didn't push any further and agreed to their conditions for this favor. 

"Thank you… If there's anything else I can do, just let me know." 

The more he talked about Orin, the stronger his gut feeling was that his brother was still alive… Before his rebirth, he didn't hear any news about his brother, but he was not that influential back then. 

Not only that but that bastard Leonard and Darian terrorized him until he died. His thoughts were preoccupied with Leonard and their child. After a while, he thought his brother died after years of no contact, but maybe this time, he could find his brother alive.

Brother… Could he really save him? Even Ellery wasn't so sure of himself this time around.