In This Rebirth, The Male Lead Is Mine [BL]
Chapter 35: Missing

Chapter 35: Missing

Rise would not forget just how Epsilon naturally suppressed him. Just like a script, the protagonist would always defeat the villain. No matter how he struggled and managed to explode with strength, the end was inevitable.

It was death. Just like his end in the last life.

His eyelashes fluttered slightly, gripping his phone tightly. His emotions were affected by the memory.

Gritting his teeth, he leaned once more on the headboard and closed his eyes, calming himself.

Taking a few deep breaths, Rise once more read the message. His mind recovered from the shock and began to ponder once more.

Strictly speaking, even if Epsilon was a late bloomer, his wavelength would still be detected, however weak it was. And Rise did not think Epsilon would be one. He was special, and also, as a S-rank, there was no way it would be buried just like that, and... wait...

Rise paused; his mind went back on track. S-rank... Right, Epsilon was also known as an S-rank. How the hell did he miss this important clue?

Closing the message screen, Rise searched for the current S-rank Espers. As a leading and powerful force for humanity, every S-rank Espers when discovered, would have headlines and become famous overnight.

Top Guilds like Dark Crimson were considered top guilds precisely because there was an S-rank that carried their mantle. Although being an S-rank was not required to be a Guild Leader, having an S-rank esper for a guild would immediately increase the status of a guild.

The list soon appeared before his eyes; some of the names were familiar to him. Currently, there were only known sixteen S-rank espers; the probability was indeed pitifully low compared to thousands of registered espers, although these numbers would increase significantly for the following five years.

Kamille’s name was at the forefront, followed by most names Rise knew, like the guild leaders of the top three guilds and their respective second-in-command.

Rise’s expression became so solemn looking at the list, enough not to admire Kamille’s name for too long.

There was no Epsilon in the list.

Why and how, Rise had no clue.

Rise went deeper into his memories. Epsilon was an S-rank, that was for sure. When he joined the guild, it also created a buzz since, from then on, the guild would finally have two S-ranks, and especially with Rise, who had an ambiguous rank that the public somehow thought was an S-rank.

They said the Dark Crimson finally deserved to be called a great guild, the Big Three being Big Four.

However, Rise at that time did not care about the background of the S-rank Espers, so he did not know where Epsilon was assigned or what his former guild was.

Epsilon’s background... Generally, he would not care, but this time he could not be ignorant about it.

Rise frowned heavily, wanting to think deeper. At least, he should have heard on the news.

Strange... Rise’s memory was still sharp, an Esper’s senses and memories were far advanced, and he also read the novel.

Right, the novel. Yet, in that novel, it only had the future events after the plot started. Rise finally noticed an anomaly, the author did not appear to divulge Epsilon’s back story.

This might be the author not focusing on that or their bad writing but... Even with little information, there was bound to be a backstory. Unless, Epsilon just appeared out of thin air with a blank past, which would not make sense at...

Rise again, paused.

Appeared out of thin air?

Come to think of it, Rise again remembered another anomaly. When Epsilon arrived in the past... It seemed it was really just random. No one questioned it, not even him. It was like... him joining the guild or his existence was a matter of course.

Like the world, no one made a fuss when an unknown S-rank appeared and suddenly created headlines for joining a top guild.

It was inevitable for the world to cater to the protagonist.

Then from then on, the anomalies around him and himself started, and the trajectory of his life was then decided.

Was it possible that there were no records of Epsilon at this point in time? Obviously, because the man himself was not present yet. How could the Union record a missing person?

Silence stretched and pervaded him. Rise could not think or say anything for a while.

This was shocking, but somehow, a rare calm settled within him. What was more shocking than his rebirth? So, these things, while unsettling, seemed more realistic.

At this point, Rise thought everything just made sense, and being surprised about them was just tormenting himself.

"So... The plan will have to be canceled, huh?" Rise mumbled, a little unwilling.

Aside from his plan to seduce... Uh, capturing Kamille’s heart, which was very important, and his plan to find Epsilon earlier was also another crucial part.

This was to measure just how the world could tolerate the change he was about to make. Everything about Epsilon was like a timebomb. Rise thought of getting rid of him, but he had to be cautious.

A protagonist was a protagonist in the end, who knows if the world protected him?

Still, having him monitored would already be a huge deal for his future plans.

However, if what he suspected was true, then the plan was useless.

He would be lying if he said he was not frustrated. This was indeed tricky.

Rise clicked his tongue. "It’s a pity..."

He even planned to make Epsilon unlucky for a while if he was not allowed to get rid of him.

All of this was mere speculation, but the chances of it being true were high. Nevertheless, it would not hurt to keep an eye on it. If his speculations were true, he had to know where and when Epsilon would arrive.

He also had to be on guard for unpredictable changes.

He opened the messaging app and made a reply.

[Keep an eye out. Update me for any news.]

Rise read it and was about to send it but added another sentence:

[Next time, I’ll treat you to a meal.]

After being satisfied, he sent the message. Rise still knew how to appreciate favors and return them.

He did not wait for the reply and threw the phone again inside the cabinet.

For now, he had to rest, he still had to meet Kamille tomorrow.

Rise laid down on the bed, closing his eyes.

Epsilon was a problem, and since his whereabouts were unknown, Rise would not waste his time to think too much about him.

Just about right. Rise could focus on his other plans, and most especially... Kamille.

The unpleasant memories were set aside, and he slept while thinking of their intense kiss.

Rise’s ability to adapt was impressive, indeed.