Leaving the Association behind, everyone still looks shaken. Only Neffi smiles and cheers loudly, "Auren, that was great! Did you see their faces? I think they were actually surprised for a moment! Even the Chairman gave you credit!"
Auren looks unbothered. "You can't show weakness to people like that—and besides, I didn't do anything wrong! I picked up the Copperleaves from the jungle myself, and there was no patent in place. What Konrad and I did was neither illegal nor immoral. Even if money was our motivation, it doesn't change the fact that we created and supplied a beneficial product that probably saved a lot of people," Auren argues, in a calm voice.
"Cluck and Cheadle are being hypocritical. She's just angry because they lost money and had to buy out our company. They would have taken their sweet time making their perfect product while people died. Our move just sped things up. The only thing they really lost was their precious Jenny, and I don't give a crap about that."
Konrad, still visibly unsettled, says reluctantly, "Of course, you're right! But... saying all that straight to their faces? I'd be terrified. These are the Zodiacs!"
Auren looks at him firmly, seemingly a little disappointed. "A position doesn't mean anything. They're successful in their fields, sure, but that doesn't matter. I'm pretty sure I could take most of them in a fight. That's why I focus on combat. Their prestige, their rank, their experience, their reputation, even their precious Hunter Stars—it's all useless in battle. Anyway, let's hurry up. I want to take a look at the missions."
Back on the airship, the group gathers around one of the computers to check the mission site.
Auren takes out his phone and notices that he received information not only for himself, but for the others as well—including Neffi.
"How does that work?!" Auren wonders. "Neffi isn't even a hunter."
He logs into the site and sees that he and the others are listed, with himself registered as team leader. Strangely enough, Neffi, despite not being a Hunter, is also listed, albeit as an Amateur Hunter.
Satisfied, Auren comments, "You'll get credit this way, I guess. You'll need to take the next exam, but since I'll be involved, I can even help you out. Not that I think you'll have trouble passing."
"I wanna see what missions we can take!" Vanessa says, quickly grabbing the mouse.
Auren glances at the screen and his eyes nearly pop out. There are hundreds of missions listed.
"Incredible... so many missions. At first, I wanted to say that's a good thing, but considering these are all pending requests, it looks like Pariston is in real trouble. He can't keep up with the demand," Auren notes.
Konrad nods in agreement, smiling, already starting to scheme. "This is good for us, though. We can pick out the best ones. Maybe we should focus on missions around Swardani City."
"Why, Konrad?" Eren asks, not understanding Konrad's argument. "We have this airship, don't we?"
"I agree," Goreinu adds. "A little travel sounds interesting."
Auren shakes his head, dismissing the idea. "I'm here in Swardani City for a reason. I told you about the exorcism, didn't I? For now, I'd like to at least stay close. Short-distance travel would be tolerable."
"How about Glam Gas Land then? It's close, we just need to cross the ocean," Neffi suggests eagerly. "I've always wanted to go there! I've heard that the casinos are incredible, and the hotels too."
"Let's go to Jappon," Vanessa says, her eyes shining. "The culture there is unique. I never managed to visit because of some visa issues due to a few... accidents... so I didn't bother, but now, with our new status, we can just go whenever we like!"
"Heh, your visa issues are called crimes!" Konrad says, shaking his head.
"Shut up!" Vanessa yells, punching Konrad, who awkwardly blocks her punch, but still groans in pain.
What crimes?? Now I'm slightly curious... however, we need to get serious!
"This isn't a vacation," Auren cuts in, his tone sharp enough to bring their daydreaming to a halt.
Konrad, still rubbing his arm, backs him up immediately. "Auren's right! We can't just pick destinations for fun. We need to check what missions are available and whether they're actually suitable for us."
Goreinu chuckles, though his face shows he's not sure whether to laugh or stay serious.
Auren forcefully takes the mouse back, applies a few filters, sets a fixed radius around their location, and begins scrolling through the list of missions.
As he goes down the page, he stops at a set of offers. "Look at these—bodyguard work, all in Swardani City. Each mission is just a couple of days long. Looks like the same people posted several of them... protecting politicians. This seems suitable enough. The pay is decent, a few million per day, depending on the client. And usually, they want more than one bodyguard. This is a good start."
"Boring," Neffi complains, crossing her arms.
"I agree," Vanessa says without hesitation.
Now they're suddenly getting along....
"This is reasonable work," Eren says, glancing around at them. "It's good to start out slow, and the pay isn't bad, right?"
"Don't forget why we're doing this," Auren reminds them, fixing his gaze only on Neffi and Vanessa. "We... no, you need experience and a proper record. Training is still our main focus, but this mission is acceptable. It's perfect to do a mission once in a while between training—you can even view it as an opportunity to rest."
He leans back, deciding the matter. "Once the first exorcism is finished, then we can look for something more unique and challenging. It shouldn't be long. Until then, this will do just fine."
"..."
The group resumes its training regime.
From time to time, they accept bodyguard jobs, all of which follow the same pattern: meet the client, shadow them for a set time, provide security during events, then return. For missions that require more than one person, Auren makes sure Konrad, Vanessa, and Eren are never left alone and are always paired with either himself, Neffi, or Goreinu.
Meanwhile, Auren's own routine remains unchanged. Assisted by Goreinu, he devotes several hours each day to refining his Manipulation technique. He focuses only on Aura Manipulation, ignoring the other branch of manipulating objects or even people entirely. Of course, he still works hard to improve his current Hatsus and dutifully trains intensively, steadily improving the basic and advanced Nen techniques, along with keeping up with his physical training. Step by step, he ensures that he does not neglect a single area and improves in a balanced manner.
I want to meet the old man... but I need to be ready first! I'll stay here a while longer. I can wait. I'll use this time to prepare myself.
Finally, during their daily training, Auren receives a new message—this time from Zamra.
As soon as he sees the name Zamra, Auren grabs his phone, opens the message, and skims through it in an instant.
Just a single sentence: "Patient Killi has fully recovered."
Auren immediately types back: "I'll be there in 30 minutes."
"Keep up the training," Auren says to the rest before glancing at Neffi, who looks a little restless, seemingly a little bored by the training. "Come with me, Neffi. I could use a girl's touch—I'm probably not the best person for this task."
Neffi, looking pleased, agrees right away and walks to his side.
Together, they head back to the Association Headquarters.
By now, Auren knows the place well. He doesn't even stop at the reception desk and decides to head straight to the elevator and descends to the floor where Zamra works.
Down there, he approaches her office and knocks. Inside, Zamra is seated with Killi, who looks pale, exhausted, and deeply confused.
"What's her condition, Zamra?" Auren asks, concern showing on his face.
"She's exhausted—spiritually, mentally, and physically," Zamra explains. "It'll probably take a few weeks before she fully recovers. But with proper care, I believe she can live a normal life. Except... there's one thing you should know about her current condition."
"And that is?" Auren asks.
Don't tell me all of that was still not enough?
"Her Aura Nodes are open. She's a Nen user now," Zamra states.
Auren shrugs. "Makes sense. She was possessed after all. Anyone who receives or becomes the target of a Nen attack ends up this way, as far as I know."
"Exactly," Zamra confirms. "Make sure to teach her enough so that she doesn't cause problems."
Finally, he turns his attention to the girl herself, who still looks completely lost.
"Do you know who I am?" Auren asks calmly, making sure to keep his voice low.
"No..." she mutters. "I mean... I've been told your name... but that's all. Where is Ella?! I'm so worried about her."
"She's fine," Auren assures her. "She's receiving treatment right now. If everything goes as planned, you'll be able to see her in a month or two. You're safe now."
"Thank you..." Killi whispers, closing her eyes. Even with her eyes shut, Auren notices the tears sliding down her cheeks.
"Let's get something to eat. Afterwards, I'll bring you to our current place, where you can live with the family of my employee. Jolt and his wife, Martha, will take care of you, and you can also spend some time with me and the others. There are some things I need to explain to you," Auren says, gesturing to Neffi, who gently extends a hand to her.
Killi hesitates, then grabs it and slowly stands up.
"Good work, Zamra. I'm grateful," Auren says, nodding to the Association Exorcist, who remains calm and composed and just nods at him, before turning her attention back to her computer.
Just another day at work for her, huh?
"Come on, let's get something to eat," Auren suggests. This time, Killi perks up ever so slightly.
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