The group enters the elevator and travels back down to the ground floor.
As he steps out, Auren spots someone in the distance. The tiger-like figure, Kanzai, is loudly arguing with Cluck, who still resembles a chicken, albeit a very erotic one.
I'd better avoid them… no need for drama right now. These two are trouble!
Activating Zetsu, Auren slips around the edges of the ground floor, sticking close to the wall, carefully watching as Kanzai and Cluck disappear into another elevator.
He quickly rejoins Shalnark, Pakunoda, and Machi—who is still holding the girls. They are now standing in front of the same receptionist they spoke with earlier, who offers them a warm smile.
"Welcome back," the receptionist greets them with a pleasant smile. "Hunter Hill just contacted me. I'll call someone to escort you to our basement. Our exorcist has a private space where she prefers to work. I'll be honest—it resembles a prison cell. It is sadly necessary to avoid accidents or escapes. Still, I can promise you the patients will be well cared for."
"Lucy!" she then shouts suddenly, her voice sharp and powerful—startling Auren and the Troupe members alike.
A young, slightly naive-looking blonde receptionist—wearing the same Association uniform—rushes in. "Yes, ma'am! I'm ready to leave. No overtime pay for me… again. Even though I've asked twice already. I need the money to pay my overdue credit cards… how nice. See you tomorrow."
She turns to walk away, but the head receptionist snaps.
"Come back here, you incompetent idiot! One more word and I'll have you fired and blacklisted from every office job in all of Swardani City!"
Lucy halts mid-step and turns back, visibly offended, a mix of fear and rage in her eyes.
"You need to learn to listen and not jump to conclusions! When will you finally learn? I was about to give you another task—one that would allow you to earn your precious overtime hours—and this is how you thank me?! Escort our guests to the fourth basement floor and introduce them to Lady Zamra!"
Then she turns back to Auren and the Troupe, blushing with sudden realization. "I'm sorry! Please excuse my behavior. That was quite unprofessional and unbecoming of me. Kindly follow my colleague… and if she says a single thing that annoys you, feel free to let me know. We can file an official complaint together."
These people… yeah, it's a cozy job working for the Association. They seem bored… a happy and cozy life. Really different from the hunters they are serving.
Auren sighs and looks at Lucy. "Just get us to the exorcist."
"Of course," Lucy replies, quickly putting on a bright smile as she leads them. "Maybe I can still buy those new shoes," she mutters, looking quietly pleased.
A few minutes later, they arrive at floor -4. Lucy promptly excuses herself.
"The entrance to Zamra's office is on the left," she says. "Just go in. She's bored—hasn't had a job in months. I'll spend a few hours lazing around and then clock out. See you around."
"I can't help but appreciate her attitude," Shalnark says. "She's as much a thief as we are."
"I'd call her a parasite, not a thief," Auren replies. "But I digress. It's not like the Association can't afford it. Let's just move on."
Auren knocks on the door and steps inside.
A woman wearing an ornate robe—covered in flowers and symbols Auren doesn't recognize—perks up as they enter.
"Ah, welcome! Hunter… Auren, right?"
"Indeed. You're Zamra, the Association's exorcist?" Auren asks.
"Yes, that's me. I've already heard some details from Pariston, and I'm more than willing to take the job. Please, show me my patients," she says, visibly eager.
Hasn't worked in a while… looks like she's excited to get back into it.
Pakunoda and Machi bring the girls forward, still holding them tightly.
Zamra steps up and inspects them closely, gently grabbing their faces and staring into their eyes.
She eventually closes her own eyes, maintaining contact with them for several long moments.
"This will be difficult… but the job is still well within my capabilities," she finally declares.
Good!
"I'll need around two months," Zamra continues. "I'll begin with this one first—her condition is more fragile, but the residual Nen is weaker." She points to Killi, the former host of the Entity before Chrollo coaxed it into switching to Ella. "There are two reasons for this decision. If she doesn't receive help soon, her condition will deteriorate. Also, with her current state, it won't be as difficult to fully purge the residual Nen possessing her. I'll need a few weeks for her. The other girl may take even longer."
This exorcist… her reasoning is solid. She's competent! A pleasant surprise. Realistic, logical, honest. I like this woman. Maybe I can… I'll try after we're done. Let's first see if she succeeds. If she fucks up I don't want anything to do with her.
"I assume… we're not welcome during the process?" Auren asks. "The receptionist mentioned something about cells. I am not criticizing your work, but… it's a little unusual for an exorcism to take that much time."
Zamra nods. "I require privacy. And to answer your question—many Exorcists place strict conditions on their abilities, often with quite nasty consequences. In exchange, they can remove curses or spiritual interference almost instantly. But they pay a long-term price. Usually they are stuck with their alignments and have to find a way to purge themselves afterwards or have to use certain hatsus to get rid of them."
"Purging Nen by absorbing the curse almost always comes with annoying or outright dangerous side effects. Instant results with lengthy and serious repercussions. My method takes much longer, but there are no repercussions at all. I simply require my patients to be fully subdued, and a lot of time," Zamra explains.
Auren nods. "I see your reasoning. If I were in your position, I'd likely choose your path as well—especially if I turned it into a business. Is there anything you need from us? All I want is for the residual Nen still clinging to Killi—and the entity still possessing Ella—to be removed, and for the girls to be well cared for."
"I'm ready to begin immediately… except for one thing, nothing is missing: payment," Zamra says, a diplomatic smile on her face.
"I won't lie to you. I only get a small percentage of the profit—that's the price I pay for the Association's protection and their referrals. I require 350 million for this girl. The other one would cost nearly a billion, but I won't be that greedy. How about a flat billion for both?" she suggests.
"Of course," Auren replies with a smile. "Please give me your bank information."
Zamra hands him a card, looking a little surprised, and Auren immediately pulls out his phone and transfers one billion Jenny to her account.
"I'd offer much more for someone as capable as you. If you ever grow tired of the Association… I can offer you a life of luxury and a high-paying position with absolutely zero risk. Not only that, but also the chance to deepen your Nen studies—with material from the 'outside'. Finish the exorcisms, and let's talk again. Show me your capabilities first."
"I… the Association… well… let me think about it," Zamra mutters, grabbing the girls, her face now visibly confused and torn.
She then pulls out her phone and calls someone, just seconds later, four sturdy-looking men barge into the room.
Auren notices immediately—though brutish, they clearly have at least some mastery over Nen.
Wardens…
She points at Killi. "Treatment Room 2." Then at Ella. "High-risk containment cell 7. If appropriate, sedate her and force-feed her so she can't harm herself. Use restraints."
"Thank you for your hard work," Auren says with a smile, handing Zamra his card—now updated with his phone number. "I'll excuse myself then."
Auren and the Troupe leave the basement and return to the corner of the main lobby, sitting down on a few chairs, sipping coffee kindly served by one of the receptionists.
"So, what's the plan? I'll stay in Swardani City for a while," Auren says. "Not like I have much of a choice."
"I'll stay too… maybe take a few private jobs," Machi replies. "I owe you a billion. I'm short 750 million."
"I'm fine," Auren says. "I wanted to save the girls too. Actually, once this is all over, I plan to invite them to join Hollow Blade. They'll be safe there. Not like there's much left for them in Meteor City."
"No, I will pay," Machi insists, her voice filled with determination.
Whatever….
"What about you two?" Auren asks, turning to Shalnark and Pakunoda.
"For now… I'll stay," Shalnark says.
"I'll follow," Pakunoda replies, sounding indifferent.
Auren pauses for a moment, then adds, "I owe Pariston for his 'generous help'—which turned out to be nothing at all. The exorcist was bored and didn't even have a job lined up. She was essentially idle, just waiting for business. It was all a lie, a scam from the start. Now that we're stuck here for a few months, I'll contact Chrollo and some other contacts. I might even take on a few jobs from Pariston. Since I'm stuck here, I might as well get involved with the Association a bit. That way, I can say I've repaid him. I'll focus on training and doing a few Temp Hunter assignments in the meantime."
"If you need help, tell us," Shalnark offers. Then he glances at Machi and Pakunoda with a grin. "Since we're here, we might as well make ourselves useful. I've got a few ideas for jobs. Based on what I've dug up, Swardani City's full of opportunities for daring and competent thieves with our skillset."
I can't believe these guys are discussing heists and robberies inside the Hunter HQ. Surely they've got cameras around here…?
"I'll get back to Pariston. I have all your numbers. Let's stay in contact," Auren says, standing up.
"Auren…" Machi calls out, "Thank you."
Auren just shrugs and walks back toward the elevator, heading once again to Pariston's office.
He knocks, and after a polite—almost mocking—"Enter," he steps inside.
"Already done, Auren?" Pariston asks, smiling. "Alone this time?"
"Well… my acquaintances will be leaving, at least for now. I'm stuck here for a few months, so I'll focus on training. Also, you mentioned problems? I've got time. If there's work available and you could use me, I'd like to try this whole Temp Hunter thing."
Pariston grins. "How commendable! I knew I didn't misjudge you. In fact, I've got the perfect mission for you. Think of it as a reward. How about earning back that billion you just spent—in one go?"
Auren raises an eyebrow. "Are you serious? Since when do Temp Hunters get paid a billion? That's about two zeroes too many."
"Hehe, I told you, Auren—I lack the personnel for the truly complicated problems. This is an important task. There's a black market targeting newbie and non-combat Hunters. They're being robbed—forced to give up their licenses."
Auren narrows his eyes.
I see… this guy really is a devil. He won't return those licenses to their owners for free. He'll probably offer them contracts—essentially turning them into his lackeys. All in return for their licenses. Unbelievable. It's simple, but really evil….
"I know," Pariston continues. "It's technically the Hunter's job to protect their license. But you know me—I like to help people. I want to give these poor souls a second chance. I'll pay you 100 million for every license you recover. You can also keep anything else you find during the mission. And… I'll publicly link your name to the license retrieval—assuming you succeed, of course. A great opportunity to build your reputation."
100 million for a Hunter-level slave… cheapskate. But this job actually sounds interesting.
"I'm in," Auren announces.
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