Just as the pair left, Jake let out a laugh.
Having overheard Lucien, he was looking forward to seeing Erick's expression twist when Lucien squeezed money out of him.
But then, he stepped back into the testing room, his expression still holding a trace of surprise from Lucien's earlier revelation as he called over the man who had conducted Zephyr's test and went straight to the point.
A carefree smile tugged at his lips.
"I know Zephyr's compatibility with Lucien is perfect—100%. Separating the two might feel downright criminal, but it would still be wise to test his compatibility with the other Guides. Please, check the database."
The examiner was stunned.
Earlier, when he brought up this matter, Jake hadn't stepped in to support it.
He had even left the room!
But now, with Zephyr and Lucien gone, he suddenly came back and wanted Zephyr's compatibility tested with other Guides?
Still, the examiner kept his thoughts to himself and simply nodded to the man.
Jake sighed at the strange look the man gave him. In truth, he didn't care if Lucien was Zephyr's Guide, and he was sure the rest of his Esper teammates didn't either.
It was evident from how no one had ever intervened whenever Lucien was worked to the bone by Erick, who often made him go and guide other Espers in the association whenever he became a source of trouble.
Lucien was part of their team, so, like any Guide officially assigned to one, he would normally be spared from extra work in the Association—unless a sudden emergency arose. But Erick made sure he couldn't.
The association was more than happy to oblige and turn a blind eye to his abuse of power, especially since they still resented how Lucien had secured a place on Erick's team through his dear father's influence.
This was their way of settling scores—and it also benefited them, as an A-rank Guide was handling many Espers for meager pay. Not that anyone ever appreciated his work.
But...
Jake's team had four Espers—three A-rank and one S-rank—yet only two Guides. If an emergency arose and Lucien was nowhere to be found, they would all be forced to rely solely on Nana. And while Nana played the part of a saint most of the time, she largely avoided guiding anyone except their leader, Erick. That was why, despite Lucien's foul personality, the team could bear with him—because whenever Erick asked, he guided them without protest, like a smitten fool.
Even though Lucien had recently started arguing with Erick, he was still an A-rank Guide. Moreover, who knew if this was all an act—or how long it would last? After all, how could a stubborn man so obsessively devoted to Erick suddenly fall out of love?
Jake just smiled wryly at the irony as he watched the examiner quickly tap several buttons on the large machine in the room.
It had already recorded Zephyr's Esper wavelength while aligning it with Lucien's.
So, it didn't take long for the machine to compare his wavelength with all the other Guides working under the association.
Finally, the large machine emitted a loud buzzing sound—louder than when it had shown Zephyr's compatibility with Lucien.
The examiner froze as the results flashed before his eyes. Even Jake froze in shock.
Their eyes remained fixed on the screen, convinced it must be malfunctioning.
But how could that be? The machine had never erred—it had been rigorously tested and proven reliable by countless experts.
At the same time...
Across the entire association, the watches of all the Guides buzzed in a similar style, sending a single, alarming notification:
Compatibility with Esper Zephyr: 100%
Immediately, chaos erupted throughout the entire association—an uproar so intense it even captured the attention of the heads.