The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 138: The Gala (2)

Chapter 138: The Gala (2)

"Gascht ... up spachulken?"

"Koshssam im pognant. Kisch... aberthaim..."

"Kompt pamcht..."

Lane furrowed his brows, instinctively shifting closer, pretending he wanted to pick up some of the mini sandwiches over there. It was pointless though - what good would him do to hear the conversation better... when he couldn’t even understand a word? His target and the people with whom he was with were speaking in a different language! And while Lane was actually conversational in three to some extent - it was one of the rare academic things he was somewhat good at - the language they spoke unfortunately wasn’t one of them.

Well, it wasn’t like he expected to overhear anything particularly secretive or important. Molzen might have been unhinged, but he wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t be sharing any sensitive information in public, where anyone could overhear.

If it even was Molzen. Lane hadn’t been able to confirm his identity yet. The man was wearing gloves on his hands, so the scar on his hands wasn’t visible.

What Lane did manage to notice, was the badge he wore. The Striders, quite a powerful Guild, ranking somewhere in the top 5 in country K. Lane read about them before he arrived, as he prepared for the summit, so he recognized it easily. Well, if the man was indeed Molzen, then it would be expected he’d choose a powerful faction if he led a double life, given his rank. With this information, Lane should be able to figure out his real identity easily once he got back to his room...

He only needed to confirm whether he truly was Molzen first, so he wouldn’t waste time on some random guy.

His eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for anything he could use. He needed to see Molzen take off his gloves. He could wait for Molzen to go to the toilet, and follow him then, but it would be a risky move. If the man noticed, it was bound to cause Lane some trouble... ’Molzen’ would at least start keeping an eye on him, and his attention was the last thing Lane wanted.

Then, perhaps if something spilled on his hands. If his gloves got dirty and wet, he’d probably change them. Although there was no guarantee he would do it on the spot instead of heading for the restrooms first...

But it was at least worth a shot.

The problem now was how. Technically Lane could knock a glass or something with one of his abilities, it was easy enough thing to do. Except, in a venue stuffed to the brims with the Awakened, it was almost certain that someone would sense his use of Mana... And how would Lane explain himself then?

The other option was to do it physically. As in, pass by Molzen, and ’accidentally’ spill his drink... But once again, it could attract Molzen’s attention! And Lane didn’t want that!

Rubbing his temples, Lane let out a heavy sigh. Back in the past, he would just go with the second option. If something went wrong, he could always just ditch his identity and get himself a new one.

But that was before Damien. Now that they were dating, things got... much harder for Lane in this particular aspect. Switching identities would leave him with a lot of explaining to do.

...Should he just find a member of the staff to hypnotize and do it for him?

No, that wouldn’t work as well. There were bound to be plenty of Mana meters installed everywhere, with so many Espers prancing around. Lane would have to figure out where they are located first, and potentially even break them, so that they wouldn’t sound out in alarm. By the time he was done, the gala would likely be over...

’Agh, whatever,’ Lane clicked his tongue in annoyance. At this rate, with worrying so much, he wouldn’t get anything done! He promised Damien not to cause trouble... But surely one tiny, innocent ’accident’ would be fine... Right?

Having made up his mind, Lane moved along the table, picking various snacks to add to his plate. He moved slowly, step by step, rubbing his chin in contemplation, his eyes fully focused on the food...

Until he bumped into someone with his back.

"Ah!" he exclaimed in surprise, energetically turning around. And bumping into the person once again. "I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking!"

It took a lot of effort to suppress his smirk as he glanced down at the man’s hand. They were dripping wet, his black, silk glove, as well as the edge of his sleeve, soaked with champagne.

"I’m really sorry... Uh, here are some tissues, please wipe your hand!" Lane bowed down in apology, grabbing some tissues from the table and handing them to the man.

The man’s face was really dark. He was most certainly not pleased, staring daggers at Lane. Still, it was an accident. He had no reason to think otherwise. The person in front of him was a stranger, there should be no reason for them to target him...

So, he let out an exasperated sigh. "It’s alright," he said...

And then he took off his gloves, and started wiping his hands.

Lane bowed his head once again, his eyes furtively examining the man’s hands.

And there it was, the scar! The shape, the size, the location, it was a perfect match! Too perfect to be a coincidence.

Lane bit on his lip, feeling nervous all of a sudden. He wasn’t afraid of Molzen, not at all, he was without a doubt the stronger one. But his presence here... Was it just to maintain his identity as a member of the Straiders? Or was there something more going on?

For now, he apologized one final time, and excused himself, quickly vanishing in the crowd. It would be nice if Molzen didn’t take a good look on his face, because if he remembered him, it would be harder for Lane to spy on him from now on...

He wandered around for a while, planning to let some time pass, and then return to observing Molzen, although from a distance this time - he couldn’t exactly circle around the man, or he would end up raising suspicion.

He waited half an hour or so, before he decided it was time to spy some more. Just as he was about to look for a new observation point, he spotted Nyla. Approaching Damien.

Molzen’s plans or the Allens’ plans...?

Lane stood in place for a moment, his eyes wandering back and forth. Truly, a tough choice...

’Damn it!’ he swore inwardly, and turned on the spot, directing his steps toward Damien.

No matter what Molzen was planning, the Allens were still more important, all things considered.