It was early morning, and Ethan, who was getting ready for work, decided to check the mailbox as usual. As a protector, they were obligated to check their mailbox in case any tasks were assigned to them. Opening the mailbox, Ethan noticed a piece of paper inside. "It doesn't look official," he said to himself as he unfolded the paper to read it.
As he read through the letter, Ethan couldn't help but be shocked. He was certain that Belle had stopped breathing and that he had buried him. "He can't be alive?" he muttered silently, rereading the line where Belle claimed he couldn't die. "This must be how he survived the county wipeout. He wasn't the one who killed them; he simply couldn't die," Ethan said, feeling a slight sense of relief that he hadn't ultimately killed an innocent boy. He wanted to take the paper and rush back to Lucy to prove their mistaken beliefs, but just as he took a step to go back, a voice called out to him.
"Ethan Smith, I thought I wouldn't run into you. As a squad captain, isn't it only right for you to show up to work before your squad members?" the owner of the voice asked. "Jason, are you the one the headquarters sent to pick up the boy?" Ethan asked, disregarding Jason's words.
"Yeah, I am. You've never improved since then, still stuck at the Ascendant rank and still stuck being a mediocre squad captain of low-rank protectors," Jason, an individual with whom Ethan clearly had a strained relationship, said.
"Yes, I am still stuck, just like you said. But let me remind you of something else I'm stuck with - Lucy. Oh, I forgot to mention, she is pregnant with my child now," Ethan said. Hearing this, Jason turned slightly red with anger. He used to compete with Ethan for Lucy's love, which caused the animosity between them.
"Where is the kid?" Jason asked coldly.
"Dead," Ethan answered with a straight face. He would have explained what happened if someone other than Jason had been sent by the headquarters. "What do you mean by dead?" Jason questioned.
"What else could I mean? He no longer exists. He showed signs of being a spatial zone monster, so I killed him last night. I can show you where I buried him if you're willing to dig," Ethan replied.
"I have no time for you. I'm going to report back to headquarters. Keep being the insignificant protector squad captain that you are," Jason said, stomping off.
"Goodbye, and keep being a defendant that can only be used as an errand boy," Ethan remarked, causing Jason's face to become even uglier as he left. Although Jason outranked Ethan, his connections prevented him from taking any action. Ethan had remained at the Ascendant rank due to his own circumstances.
As Jason left and Ethan held the paper in his hand, he contemplated whether to inform Lucy and expose her misconception or to keep everything to himself. He hadn't told Jason about Belle's survival not only because of their strained relationship but also because he wanted to keep Belle safe. Who knows what the headquarters might do to him?
"Telling Lucy will only make her feel guilty, and who knows if she might accidentally reveal the information one day. I trust her, but one can ever be too sure. Not telling her would also protect her from those who may have the ability to extract information directly from someone," Ethan thought to himself as lightning appeared on his hands, destroying the paper completely.