With last night's ordeal behind him, back inside his room, Auren immediately takes a shower, still feeling a little disgusted by what he witnessed earlier.
I'm getting a little jealous of the others... They just slept through the whole thing. Well, it turned out to be more dangerous than expected, so I guess it was the right choice to only bring Goreinu along.
Before going to bed, Auren steps in front of the large window and looks out over the city. The bright lines of the city center shine below him. He conjures Eternity once more, staring at his newly evolved weapon.
After admiring it briefly as it reflects the lights of the city with its slick black-green surface, Auren sits on the ground and begins to meditate, using Shu and focusing his attention on the katana.
I can feel the life force inside it. Now I just need to figure out how it works—and more importantly, how to control it. As Eternity's master, I should be able to use this ability myself. However, there is no need to rush... soon enough I'll know more. Maybe I'll experiment... today!
He keeps meditating, trying to get a better feel for the weapon. After a few minutes, he decides to stop for the night, knowing he has a lot to do in just a few hours.
He then lies down in his luxurious bed and falls asleep, aiming to rest for at least a couple of hours.
A few hours later, with the sun slowly rising in the distance, Auren opens his eyes again. The morning light spreads across the sky, and the view from his hotel room gives him a perfect look at it.
He watches quietly for a few minutes before finally getting up.
Taking out his phone, he reads a message from Zenji asking if 10 a.m. would be alright for pickup.
Auren checks the time, then replies: "Acceptable."
So I have around two hours left... I'd better do this alone. I haven't acted selfishly in a while. Today, I'm changing my approach—just this once.
The others should be up already—he might as well let them know he's taking a day for himself.
With a quick use of En, Auren senses movement in most of the other rooms and decides to visit Neffi first to give her a short version of what happened.
"What?!" she says, clearly confused.
"Something this dangerous happened...?" she mumbles, sounding a little shaken. "I... would have helped you! Why did you go alone?"
"I wasn't alone," Auren replies. "Goreinu came with me. And I chose him because we've been practicing a specific combination technique together. Sometimes, bringing more people just increases the risk. Honestly, the enemy we faced this time was terrifyingly strong—and if we'd taken the others, I'm sure there would've been casualties. We'd be mourning right now. You need to trust me on this."
"I see..." Neffi says quietly. "Well, I'm glad you're back and unharmed." She gives him a brief hug before asking, "So what are we doing today?"
"I'd like to take a day off," Auren says. "You can train however you like. I'll report last night's hunt briefly—and then I'm going to enjoy myself. Really, Neffi, you know me. I've enjoyed these past few weeks a lot, but sometimes I just need a bit of space."
"I see," Neffi shrugs. "If it's only for a day, I guess that's fair.... I'll train some more with the others then, I guess. Vanessa and even Eren are quite motivated lately—I don't want to fall behind. Just let me know if you need anything."
"I will," Auren replies. "Don't worry. Let the others know what happened as well, alright?"
"Sure," she says with a small nod, seeming to accept his explanation.
Auren heads back to his room, pulls out his phone, and stares at it for a moment—clearly thinking something over—before finally making the call.
I guess... I'd better tell a certain someone what I learned last night.
Just a few seconds later, he hears a familiar voice on the other end.
"Auren? What a pleasant surprise! How are you? Still in Swardani City?" A confident female voice says through the phone.
"Rakshala... I'm fine. Took a little detour to Glam Gas Land—training my students and polishing my resume. I want that promotion, so I need to put in the work."
"Glam Gas Land... it's a dark place," Rakshala says, her tone casual but edged with waryness. "Be careful not to get swallowed by its shadows. The lights might distract you from the danger underneath. Even Hollow Blade doesn't have any contacts there—it's a rough place."
I'm calling to warn you, not to be lectured.
"Don't worry about me," Auren replies, his tone turning a bit sharper. "In fact, I'm the one warning you. I've been in contact with a direct subordinate of Don Berto—the Mafia's making moves to take back control of Glam Gas Land. But more importantly, I've been hearing troubling things about a certain group manipulating global stock markets. Of course it doesn't have the slightest thing to do with you... but apparently, Pariston and Mizaistom—two Zodiacs—are involved in hunting down whoever's behind it. And the Mafia's been hired, too. They are investigating globally. Looks like the V5 is getting desperate and willing to pay a premium for information about the culprit."
"Interesting," Rakshala says, her voice still playful. "I've heard some things too. I do hope they catch the culprit soon—so that the poor citizens of the V5 nations can continue suffering in poverty, while their elites recover their wealth and don't have to feel uncomfortable for too long."
Looks like she's having fun....
"Well... I just wanted to inform you," Auren says casually. "There's another topic, but it can wait. It's complicated—and involves Post-Mortem Nen."
"Now that's something I am interested in," she cuts in. "I'm still traveling, but I'll be heading home soon. As confident as I am, I don't want to put my subordinates at risk. They're working very, very hard. Eventually, someone is bound to make a mistake—and I plan to step away before that happens. When are you heading back?"
Quit while you are ahead? That's smart, I guess. She probably intends to pause her deals until the stock market and economy recover before striking again, this time even more coordinated.
"Soon," Auren answers. "We're nearly finished here in Glam Gas Land. After one more trip to Swardani City, I'll bring my students and friends back."
"Wonderful," Rakshala says. "I can't wait to meet them... and those little girls you mentioned. My offer still stands—if they ever need someone, I'd be happy to guide them."
"I'll ask them. Good luck—and see you soon," Auren says, ending the call.
After meditating for a while longer, the clock finally strikes 10 a.m., and Auren leaves the Royal Glam Hotel. Outside, the same limousine from the night before is waiting.
Zenji, now visibly tired, greets him without much energy—but Auren wastes no time and gets in.
They drive to the familiar government office, and as Auren steps out, Zenji and a few of his henchmen move to the trunk.
Zenji, his face contorted with visible disgust, grabs a large bag and hands it to Auren.
"This is the... target. We cleaned her up as best we could, but it's still a pretty ghastly sight," he says, his face growing a shade paler.
"It's fine," Auren shrugs. "I don't care how it looks, as long as I get paid and recognized for my efforts. I'll be back shortly."
He walks into the building, bag in hand. The moment he enters, the staff recognize him instantly.
Whispers begin spreading across the room. The same senior employee from before hesitantly approaches him.
"Hunter Auren... welcome back," she says. "How can I assist you today?"
"Well, you're actually the reason I came. You hinted at something during our last meeting, and by chance, I learned about a certain vile, disgusting hag committing atrocious crimes," Auren explains, then opens the bag to reveal the stitched-together head of the so-called Soup Switch. "I couldn't resist doing something good for society."
The woman and a few others stare into the bag, their faces turning pale. One employee lets out a shrill scream, clearly shocked.
"H-H-Hunter Auren... this is... unexpected!" the senior employee stammers, surprise and a hint of satisfaction in her voice. "Please, tell me the details."
Auren gives her a brief summary of the events, skipping over most of the specifics and focusing only on the outcome—and the rescued children.
"Since this is a special case," she says, trying to stay composed, "it'll take a little while to process and confirm everything. This is a big deal—I've never processed this kind of internationally wanted criminal. I'll do my best to wire the full reward—500 million Jenny—into your account as soon as I can. There's also a private bounty from various sources. I'll gladly handle that process for you as well."
"I'll trust you," Auren says, handing her a card before turning to leave. "Let me know if anything comes up. Goodbye."
Outside, he silently gets back into the car.
"Drive me to the clan, please. After that, you can leave. I owe you one," Auren says.
A few minutes later, Auren steps out of the car and turns to look at Zenji one last time.
"I hope you're taking good care of the kids," Auren says in a cold and firm tone.
"We are... don't worry. I promise they're in good hands," Zenji replies, his face still pale.
Walking up to the front gate, Auren takes out his phone and dials Jasoof—his contact from the clan.
The call connects within seconds.
"Hunter Auren! I've been hearing great things about you," Jasoof says. "Word just reached me that you rid our beautiful city of that child-murdering witch?"
"Indeed," Auren replies coldly. Then, with a quiet snicker, he adds, "Heh. Actually, I'm in the mood for a little more action. I'm standing in front of your mansion. You mentioned something about a Nen user... tell you what—if you drive me to the location, I'll take him out. Right now."
-----------------------------------------
A/N: Always thankful for Power Stones, Comments, and Reviews. Thank you for reading!
If you are interested, then please support me at patreon.com/FRWriter
29+ Early chapters available
New Chapters every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday!
Bored? Complains? Demands? Check out the Discord: https://discord.gg/puVqWsf3y9
Thank you for supporting the story with Power Stones!