As Auren watches Rakshala, curious about what she is about to ask, she takes a small breath and begins to speak, her eyes meeting his own.
"I have just told you about our earnings, have I not?" she finally asks.
"Yes, you did," Auren replies. "You could have sounded a little more satisfied, but I suppose you did."
"Now, my dear Auren, the follow-up question you should be asking should be quite obvious. I know you are far smarter and more reasonable than someone your age has any right to be, so I am sure you will understand what I am hinting at," she says, glancing meaningfully at him.
Auren shrugs. "Not really. Perhaps you are overestimating me. I suppose the only question I have is what you are doing with all these funds. As far as I knew, even back then—when we struggled just to earn a billion or two—we never seemed to lack money. As much as I have neglected actually doing my job as the so-called vice-leader, I have at least sat in a few meetings and paid attention. We never really required a vast fortune. That leads to the question of what we are doing with all that money. Aside from crashing the world economy… though I doubt you would spend the earnings on that, as the way you have chosen to earn money is doing that on its own."
"That is the only sensible question to ask, indeed," Rakshala says, smiling, ignoring most of Auren's comments.
Auren shrugs again. "So?"
"Now, what would you do with all of that money?" Rakshala continues, pressing him further.
How the fuck should I know? Nobody ever knows what she's thinking. It's a little scary, after all.
"This place does not seem to lack much," Auren says. "As far as I know, everyone here lives a fairly comfortable life. We also have airships, and our operations outside bring in income of their own, so they do not require heavy investment."
He continues, "I asked what this place was all about, and from what I understood, it is meant to be a shelter—a place where people can live comfortably among friends, without the so-called outside corruption. I can understand the reasoning, which makes answering your question a bit difficult…. Ah, you mentioned roses. Maybe you spent it all on nuclear weapons? Or maybe the price of roses continued to climb, so you spent it all on them, just like the price of the remaining Ben's Knives I am still after."
Unable to hold back a grin, he looks at Rakshala.
Obviously, I'm joking.
"The Roses are a favourite of small dictatorships for a reason, Auren. They are incredibly cheap and easy to produce. Money isn't an issue. While we did purchase a fair number of them, we also hired people capable of replicating them. These will be far more devastating, far more reliable, and we can produce them in greater numbers than the limited supply of Roses still out there—hoarded by governments and the V5, who claim they collect and 'destroy' them, while in truth keeping them for themselves," Rakshala explains calmly, looking entirely unbothered. "Now, try again. This time, give me a real answer."
Well… what do I know? Wait... hired experts to 'replicate' them?! Is she insane? I'll just pretend I didn't hear that.
Auren, now a little unsure, tries to come up with a better explanation. He thinks for a few seconds until he finally tries to come up with an answer that makes sense. He lowers his head, still deep in thought. "This place is expanding, but that is mostly Elder Rein's doing, so funding is only secondary. I truly have no idea. The only logical use would be expansion. Maybe recruiting more people… no, that would not work. You have very strict requirements, and everyone has to sign the Nen contract, just like the Troupe and we ourselves did. It would be unrealistic to do that on a large scale. Maybe… I do not know… if this place is meant to be a town and the centre of our operations, then perhaps it needs surrounding villages to support it? Naturally, the people there would be part of us, but with less information, less importance, and less direct attachment. That would reduce the risk and make it possible to even deal with betrayal or incidents."
Despite giving no clear answer, Auren looks up, having come up with at least a general idea.
That is not such a bad thought, right?
"Founding an outside faction?" Auren finally suggests.
Rakshala nods, satisfied. "Not bad. I am glad you are using your mind. You have strong intuition and logical thinking. However, your direction is slightly off. You suggested building villages around us. The true path I am aiming for is building a nation around us—a vast nation with as many resources as we can claim. This may be the heart of our community, but I have grander plans. All across the world, our people are carefully scouting for willing settlers and colonists, ready to found a new nation. There have been tens of thousands of people who are close to what we are requiring who have already signed up."
"... that sounds... rather complicated," Auren says. "And more importantly, extremely risky. You might be able to control everyone here, because most of us—including myself—genuinely like this place and the community, especially the people. However, once it reaches a certain size, there will always be traitors, opportunists, backstabbers, and the insane as well. I would bet there are even a few people here who would stab you in the back if it were not for the contract."
Rakshala nods, grinning. "You are indeed correct—however, things have changed. We constructed our haven, Hollow Blade, in just ten years. I founded it with the other elders when I was only eighteen years old. In that time, we have done a tremendous amount of work, and thanks to you, I have finally had the opportunity to pursue the creation of a nation—and a solution that directly addresses all of your concerns," she explains.
I doubt that. We are talking about a nation here.
"You seem to doubt me," she says. "I may not see it in your eyes, but I can read your Aura. You are such an honest boy. Please never change."
What?!
"My Aura is as calm as can be!" Auren snaps back, now clearly annoyed.
"Yes, it is," Rakshala replies, holding back her laughter. "Because you intentionally calmed yourself in an effort to hide your emotions. The very fact that you needed to do so tells me everything."
"..."
Wouldn't that make me a liar? A bad liar? At least against people like her, you really can't hide a thing.
"Whatever. Now, what is the solution?" Auren asks. "Or is it too much of a secret to tell me?"
"I have very few secrets—almost none, at least when you are involved," Rakshala answers immediately.
"Do you know why I like roses?" she suddenly asks.
"How should I know? That's a twisted question. I certainly do not like them—why would I?" Auren responds, before pausing to consider it further. "Maybe because they are relatively compact, and despite having a controlled and average blast radius compared to similar weapons, they infect a large number of people—making them not just devastating, but also destructive to the morale of your target? With the spread of toxins from the explosion and so on. The Rose would instantly shatter the unity of any country, and those within the blast radius would be treated like cancer cells—shunned and seen as something that must be cut off from the rest of the nation."
"Not quite," Rakshala says, "though I can certainly see the appeal. I like roses because they can be cultivated into endless varieties. Throughout history, they have been bred and reshaped again and again, and from simple villagers to noble people, everyone certainly enjoys their appeal. My favourite type of rose is the ground cover rose. It requires little maintenance, spreads over large areas, and can sometimes take root on its own—colonising new spaces as it grows. With just a little bit of help, it would not be difficult to create an endless stretch of roses."
"Huh?! Wait... you meant actual roses this time..." Auren says, looking annoyed. "That is a rather strange choice. Ground-covering roses? I suppose I need to look them up. I do not know much about them—or roses in general."
Never heard of them before...
"There is no need for that, my dear Auren," Rakshala says, giggling. "I shall show you exactly why I like them so much."
She is kinda scary when she is like that... why is she so different before me now... she has certainly changed a lot.
Then, in one swift motion, she removes her crimson-red dress. Beneath it, she wears only black undergarments.
"What are you doing?!" Auren exclaims, before finally noticing the anomaly on her body.
Her entire body is covered in a single, massive rose bush tattoo—etched almost entirely in deep black. The only untouched areas are her face and hands.
He also notices several vivid red roses blooming across the design, nestled among thorny vines and leaves. Most striking of all is a single, vibrant, scarlet-red rose directly over the left side of her chest—positioned over her heart.
Her Aura begins to rise, growing more intense by the second, until the rose bush tattoo begins to take physical form, unfolding into real vines that spread out around her, making the entire tattoo look real.
Auren immediately jumps back, alarmed by the sudden transformation.
"Do not be scared. As long as you do not recklessly touch the thorns, you will be completely fine," Rakshala says in a calm tone.
"Even if you do, nothing dangerous will happen," she adds quickly.
"Another Specialist ability?" Auren asks in shock. "How is that even possible?"
What kind of monster have I unleashed... without my interference, this would have never happened... she and the entire Hollow Blade would have remained in hiding...!
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