Celsus's Worries

"My God..."

Celsus stared at the images relayed to him by the satellite. For a moment, he felt as though his head were about to explode. He swore he had never seen anyone so brutal and powerful.

Someone who'd start a fight at the slightest provocation, not only destroy his enemies so completely that nothing remained of them, but also blow up half the moon—and now Celsus couldn't get a read on this monster at all...

Celsus didn't even know whether Jupiter was fighting for Earth or simply looking for enemies to sate the combative drive inside him.

"Nolan, we need to talk."

Celsus looked at Nolan with utmost seriousness.

"..."

Nolan raised an eyebrow. He thought Celsus might have discovered something.

"Sure. How do you want to talk?"

Nolan nodded slightly, asking Celsus how he wanted to discuss it.

Celsus didn't answer. He merely glanced at Mark and Deborah, who stood behind Nolan.

"Deborah, Mark, could you give us a moment?"

"I need to discuss some work matters with Celsus!"

Nolan understood what Celsus meant by his look. He turned to his beloved younger son and beautiful wife.

"Okay!"

Deborah seemed used to this sort of thing. She gathered a few things and headed upstairs. It was about time for her to go to work.

"Hm!?"

Mark eyed Celsus and Nolan suspiciously. He wondered if the two of them had some shady deal going on behind his back, but remembering that it was best not to meddle in adults' affairs, he went back to his bedroom.

"All right, now can you tell me what this is really about?"

Only after Mark and Deborah had returned to their rooms did Nolan turn to Celsus.

"Listen, Nolan. Tell me what happened at Global Guardians headquarters that day!"

Celsus repeated his question.

"I've told you plenty of times. I received a distress signal from Global Guardians, so I went to help them. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when I arrived. Then suddenly, someone turned off the lights, and I fought that person until I collapsed. When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed. That's all there is to it."

Nolan repeated his story, full of holes.

"Listen, Nolan! Stop lying to me. Before this gets any worse, drop that pathetic act!"

Celsus fixed Nolan with a sharp gaze and spoke sternly.

"What have you figured out!?"

In an instant, killing intent surged through Nolan. Celsus had always been clever. He had no superpowers, but he was very smart. Nolan wasn't sure if Celsus had discovered the truth about him and Jupiter. If he had, then unfortunately, he would have to change his original, more gentle plan...

"I know more than you think."

Celsus's expression darkened, as though warning Nolan.

"..."

Nolan didn't answer. His expression only grew grimmer.

Just as Nolan tensed his muscles, ready to deal with Celsus right there before he could react and use his teleportation device, Celsus suddenly continued...

"Jupiter's condition is an illness. He needs treatment. If you keep pretending not to see it, you'll end up bringing disaster upon the whole world. So far, only Global Guardians has suffered. I hope it stays that way. I don't want Jupiter to blow up the Earth beneath our feet one day instead of the moon..."

"I know it's hard for you as his father, but you need to face reality!"

Celsus kept trying to persuade Nolan.

"Hm!?"

Nolan's body jolted at Celsus's words. Only then did he realize that Celsus's clever, balding head had completely misunderstood the situation. But that suited him just fine.

"Sigh..."

Nolan's tense muscles relaxed. He looked utterly dejected, like a father who didn't know what to do about his rebellious son.

"I hope you'll call me. We'll use the most advanced technology in the world to treat Jupiter's violent symptoms!"

"Nolan, remember this: Jupiter's condition is an illness. And it may very well have started before he got his superpowers. Perhaps this illness had been troubling him long before then. We should have noticed when he went to the boxing gym to vent his energy and beat his opponents half to death. This is our responsibility."

Celsus's mind kept analyzing Jupiter's records. He realized that Jupiter's violent, destructive personality might have emerged a long time ago...

"Thank you, Celsus. Maybe..."

Nolan sighed, his expression a little strange.

"Boom!"

Just as Nolan was about to say more, a roar rang out in the yard. Jupiter had returned to Earth after killing the one-eyed alien.

"What are you two talking about?"

Jupiter entered the house and asked Celsus and Nolan.

"Heh..."

"Nothing!"

Celsus smiled faintly at Jupiter. Putting on an easygoing air, he walked over to Nolan and patted him on the shoulder.

"We'll be in touch."

With that, Celsus tucked his hands into his pockets and walked out of Jupiter's home with a smile. He climbed into a black luxury car parked outside.

"..."

Jupiter watched Celsus leave without saying a word. His body felt sticky, and he needed a shower.

"Mom! Is there any food left? I'm starving..."

Before getting into the shower, Jupiter called upstairs.

"I have work, Jupiter!"

"Go find something to eat outside!"

Deborah had already changed and was getting ready to leave for work. As a champion salesperson, she wouldn't pass up a single potential homebuyer.

"All right~"

Jupiter said nothing more and went straight into the bathroom. He wasn't interested in what Celsus and Nolan had discussed. He just wanted to wash up and continue "drawing," searching for worlds that could help him.

As for Viltum's mission, and Nolan's plan to take over Blue Star...

There was no rush. He could wait until he was confident enough to deal with that Berserk Beast, who might suddenly show up on Blue Star...

"Phew~"

Soaking in the bathtub and feeling his muscles relax, Jupiter slowly let out a breath. He stared at the ceiling, his mind turning over and over.

Indeed, who could have believed that a henchman who looked like a third-rate villain's fifth-rate summoned thug was actually one of the strongest fighters at the pinnacle of the entire universe?