He, The Scumbag, Has Turned Over A New Leaf. - Chapter 11

After that day, Ivan and Tovis lived together in the Lake District villa in an awkward state of mutual tolerance.

Arui had successfully enrolled in a school on Harley Star, and to better integrate into his peer group, he had moved into the dorms. Lotte was constantly on the move, busy investigating the specifics of this year’s mineral mining competition.

Aside from Xiao Yi, the household robot, the villa was empty. Ivan only saw Tovis at mealtimes, and he had no idea what the other was busy with.

Beyond researching the competition, Ivan spent all his spare time focused on the rare piece of jade. Of course, he had already asked for and received Tovis’s permission to use it as he wished.

In the quiet garden, Ivan sat under the gazebo. The hum of a cutting machine filled the air as the fist-sized jade block was secured in the device. Ivan carefully guided his hands, sliding the jade under the sharp blade. With a faint metallic click, the stone was split in two.

Ivan exhaled, turned off the machine, placed the pieces in a box, and examined them closely. The stone was deep, dark green and crystal clear. Now that it was split, it appeared even more icy and transparent; one could almost see through the jade to the bottom of the box. It was completely free of impurities, clouds, or black spots. It looked as clean as glass.

Ivan’s heart raced; his mind was already constructing various small ornaments. Considering that this was an heirloom from Tovis’s female father, Ivan decided to take a small piece to gift to Tovis. Once Tovis had one, Arui would need one too, and Butler Lotte certainly deserved one as well.

Ivan divided the jade into four sections of varying sizes based on their natural shapes and began crafting the pieces. First, he chose to make a safety buckle for Arui. Arui was young and could not wear large jewelry, so a safety buckle was the most delicate and appropriate choice. Ivan cut a coin-sized piece from the jade, sketched the shape, and began the meticulous process of grinding.

Although the piece was small and required little material, grinding it was the most difficult task. Cutting, grinding, and polishing: a single safety buckle took Ivan the entire morning to complete. By the time Xiao Yi came to call him for lunch, the exquisite, understated piece was finally finished. Despite the exhaustion, Ivan smiled proudly at the small, elegant accessory before storing the remaining jade carefully and heading indoors.

Inside the dining room, Xiao Yi had prepared a rich lunch. Tovis was already waiting on the sofa. He wore light-colored loungewear, a far cry from the image Ivan had formed of the Marshal who would eventually lose his mind to a mental breakdown and become a violent tyrant.

When Ivan entered, Tovis stood up and politely waited for Ivan to take his seat. Ivan did not demur; he knew that even if Tovis despised him deep down, Tovis’s outward manners were impeccable. Xiao Yi served the final dish, and Ivan began to eat.

During the meal, Ivan chatted casually with Tovis.

“Is Arui going on break soon? Should we go out for some fun when he returns?”

“I have no idea how Lotte’s investigation is going; I have not seen him in days.”

“Xiao Yi, you made this dish quite well today.”

Ivan did most of the talking, while Tovis replied only with “Hmm,” “Oh,” or “Understood,” occasionally interrupted by Xiao Yi’s proud self-praise.

After the meal, Ivan spent his usual half-hour on his light-brain. Just as he was about to set it aside to rest, a sound came from downstairs. Ivan guessed Tovis had accidentally knocked something over. He was about to lie down, but he felt a strange sense of unease.

Ivan froze, set the device down, and walked toward the door, unable to control his urge to check.

The house was quiet. During this time of day, Xiao Yi was always busy cleaning the yard, leaving the interior silent. Yet, Ivan felt that the room at the corner of the first floor seemed loud. The noise made him feel flustered, dizzy, and anxious. He breathed rapidly and hurried downstairs.

As he passed the stairs, the anxiety intensified until Ivan found it difficult to breathe. He frowned at the closed door, reached out, and grabbed the cold handle. He twisted, but the door would not open.

Irritated by the inexplicable situation, he twisted the handle again, failed, and quickly returned upstairs to use his light-brain to unlock the door electronically.

Now, with the door unlocked, Ivan entered the room. Tovis’s room was plain: dark gray sheets, tidy, and empty. Everything seemed normal. Tovis did not appear to be in the room, but the clothes scattered on the floor indicated the owner was still present—likely in the more private bathroom.

Ivan walked forward, staring suspiciously at the messy clothes, then turned his steps toward the bathroom. Behind the door, he heard the trickling of water. He walked closer and placed his hand on the bathroom door.

He stood there for a long time, hand on the handle, motionless. It was just a door, yet it felt like a massive barrier.

“Tovis?”

Ivan knew this was Tovis’s room, and his behavior was strange, but he could not shake the feeling of worry. Based on Tovis’s S-class mental power, Tovis should have sensed him and stopped him when he entered the room. The fact that Tovis had not made a sound suggested he was in trouble—perhaps too weak to even speak or block Ivan.

Ivan hesitated outside the door, knowing that Tovis’s condition was likely a mental power issue. As Tovis’s nominal male master, Ivan had an obligation to help him stabilize, but he was not prepared for this.

Still, there was no movement from within. After much deliberation, Ivan pushed the door open.

Steam rushed out, enveloping him in an instant. Ivan gasped, pulled back for a moment to take a deep breath outside, and then held his breath as he stepped into the bathroom. The narrow space was thick with steam and a strange, pervasive scent. His heart raced. Under the running shower head, he found Tovis slumped on the floor, dazed and incoherent.

For a fleeting moment, Ivan regretted coming. When a female Zerg’s mental power goes into a violent collapse, they lose control; Ivan remembered he was destined to die because of Tovis’s breakdown.

However, the moment he saw Tovis, that regret vanished into thin air. All his attention was drawn to the figure huddled against the white tiled wall. Tovis hung his head, his expression hidden. His right knuckles were bleeding from where he had struck the wall. The shower water dripped over his dark, short hair, which now clung wetly to his scalp. His body, usually hidden by clothes, was fully exposed—unexpectedly vulnerable and wounded.

Ivan was stunned. It felt as if a cat had swiped at his heart, leaving it itching. He did not have time to analyze the strange sensation; he stepped forward, turned off the shower, and crouched beside the naked Tovis.

“Tovis?” Ivan did not know where to start, calling his name again. But Tovis had clearly lost consciousness and did not react to his arrival or his voice.

Ivan hesitated, then grabbed a bath towel from the rack, wrapped it around Tovis, and picked him up. He carried him out of the suffocating bathroom and laid him on the bed. Tovis still did not react; his face was flushed, yet his lips were pale.

Ivan opened the window to ventilate the room, wiped the water droplets from Tovis’s skin with a dry towel, and carefully wrapped his bleeding right hand with gauze. The suppressors he had ordered on his light-brain should arrive soon. As long as he ensured Tovis did not have an accident during this phase, he would not necessarily have to offer himself to soothe the instability. Relieved by this realization, Ivan sat by the bed.

Tovis did not look muscular, but beneath his clothes, his body was taut and powerful. Seeing those well-defined muscles, Ivan felt a twinge of envy.

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang. Ivan was delighted, put down the towel, and got up to get the delivery.

As he reached the door, he heard a rush of wind behind him. He realized something was wrong and turned back in alarm. Tovis had woken up at some point, his eyes glowing a deep, bloody red, as he lunged at Ivan.

Although Ivan had sensed the danger, his speed was no match for the Empire’s only S-class Marshal. Tovis twisted Ivan’s arms and pinned him against the wall.

“Tovis?” Ivan’s heart jumped into his throat. His arms hurt, but he was more worried about whether Tovis’s mental state was in complete disarray.

Cold sweat slid down his face. Ivan’s cheek pressed tightly against the wall. He could feel Tovis’s hot breath on his neck, making his hair stand on end and his heart beat out of control.

Trapped in this vulnerable position, Ivan wanted to cry. If he had known this would happen, he never would have entered the room.

The doorbell outside rang persistently. Tovis, red-eyed, buried his face in the crook of the man’s neck and sniffed greedily. The constant ringing made him increasingly uncomfortable and irritable. He pressed himself impatiently against the cool object in front of him, rubbing against it slowly.

Ivan was not just getting goosebumps now; he was shivering.

“Tovis!”

Feeling the movement behind him, Ivan’s face changed dramatically. His mental power, as if by instinct, surged out from within his body and violently shoved the thrashing man off him.

Ivan spun around the moment he broke free, utilizing his mental pressure to pin Tovis to the floor by the throat.