As Auren finishes his meeting with Rakshala, he slowly exits her room, turning back once to glance at her smiling, satisfied face.
He then walks through the office space, passing both Rosa and Mola, who glance at him as he goes by. A few others cannot hide their curious expressions either.
"Already done, little Auren? Are you alright, or are you still nervous?" Rosa calls out, laughing heartily.
"What is that supposed to mean?" he asks, stepping up beside her desk.
Even while seated in her chair, Rosa is nearly eye-level with him. Her huge, muscular frame makes Auren look like a child in comparison.
Auren smiles at her. "I believe I am witnessing a serious lack of respect toward your vice-leader. I have a special task for you—issued directly from said vice-leader. Since many of my friends have arrived recently, I need you to help the maids with cleaning duties. I expect you to report every evening from 8 PM to 10 PM for a night shift. Do not worry, I shall personally pay you 1,000 Jenny per hour from my own pocket. I expect to see you tonight."
"If you are late, I will consider it desertion. You had better be punctual," Auren adds as he walks away, leaving a stunned Rosa behind. The others' reactions are a mixture of surprise, amusement, and confusion.
"Hey, you! Wait!" Rosa yells, but Auren is already far down the hallway.
Feeling noticeably better, Auren heads straight toward his home. As he walks through the city, the people he passes smile warmly and greet him with politeness.
Why are they so polite to me? I have not really done much to justify my position. I would have expected more jealousy than this... It feels strange.
Doing his best to keep moving without appearing cold or distant, Auren eventually arrives at his home.
As he stares up at the large mansion built into the mountain, the renovations are impossible to miss.
His original house had been more of an annex—an attached side complex to Buno and Bunu's place, carved into the mountainside just a short distance away, connected via a small tunnel. Now, however, his home has more floors than his instructors' and appears far more imposing. There are multiple entrances—some leading through stairways on the lower and middle levels—while the tunnel connection to his instructors' house still remains. In addition, a large front entrance now dominates the facade at the very front.
As Auren inspects the upgraded structure, he spots Goreinu personally overseeing the unloading of his cargo. Dozens of people are busy carrying his belongings into the building through the front entrance.
Looks like Goreinu is already at work. Also, these simple workers are strong... I can see they are Nen users. Their Aura is weak, but that still makes them superhumans. They are carrying the crates without machines or tools!
Auren approaches. "Looks like you have everything under control."
"Yes, do not worry, Auren. I am keeping a close eye on your precious garbage," Goreinu says with a grin. "More importantly, this place is incredible. It's such a unique city—I'm honestly impressed. And you have so much space. I already have my own apartment, with a private entrance, and it's extremely spacious and luxurious. I would not even want to upgrade. I heard I can even hire a personal housekeeper."
He pauses, then adds with a grin, "You already have two cute maids, do you not? I am a little jealous, I must admit. Both Natsuko and Catherine are really charming. Natsuko is a bit cold and emotionless, but that just makes her more appealing. Catherine, on the other hand, is outgoing and easy to talk to. Your instructors are already searching for someone suitable for me as well."
"Well... enjoy yourself. However, I expect you to know your limits," Auren says, amused by Goreinu's childish behavior. "Do not mistake an employee for property, understood?"
"Sometimes I feel like a kid when I talk to you," Goreinu replies, rubbing his head. "Now that I think about it... is that not strange? Should it not be the other way around?"
"He can be a brat sometimes!" Konrad interjects, emerging from the lower floor entrance. "Despite our so-called friendship, I still haven't forgotten what he did to me during the Hunter Exam. And let's not forget he hasn't done a good enough job keeping my sister in line."
Auren turns toward him, clearly unimpressed. "Are you actually serious? It's your sister—you deal with her. She is actually quite obedient and reasonable when she's with me... at least compared to you. You might want to change your approach, or you'll keep suffering."
"Maybe," Konrad answers, though he already looks more than a little uncertain.
"I will trust you to transport the rest of the items into my vault. By now, it should no longer be called a vault, but rather a small warehouse carved deep into the mountain, at least that's what Buno promised me in our messages," Auren instructs. "Afterwards, hire someone to bring in a set of proper display shelves. I need to categorise everything and also need to display my collection properly. I also require lights. I hope the people here can set it up. I am paying, of course."
"Well, I am helping Goreinu anyway. I do not have much to do, and this way I can explore the city a bit as well," Konrad replies, before reluctantly adding, "Just leave it all to me."
Auren nods, then steps into Buno and Bunu's house.
Inside, his former instructors are seated on their sofas as usual, surrounded by their ever-present squad of maids, who quietly hold plates of fruit, snacks and tea.
"Done with your little private talk?" Buno asks, grinning.
"Yes... although I could have done without that one. The subject matter was heavier than I would have preferred," Auren answers.
"What was it about?" Buno presses. "Another plan to destroy the world?"
"Truthfully... a little. The joke really does not land if it rings true. Hopefully things won't turn out that way," Auren replies, looking uncertain.
"Really?!" Buno asks, his eyebrows raised. "I have not heard anything about upcoming plans... but there is an Elder meeting scheduled soon."
"I suppose you will find out then," Auren says calmly.
"That sounds somewhat concerning, though I have been craving something different to do," Bunu remarks.
"Before that," Auren says, pointing toward Bunu's eyepatch, "I will take care of that."
"I was beginning to get used to it," Bunu replies, "but if you're offering, I will accept."
"Also... I am grateful, and I am sorry for what happened," Auren finally says, his voice quieter. "Your wounds are because of me."
"It was our weakness that got us caught in that mess. There is no need to apologise," Bunu explains.
"As much as I would like to agree," Buno murmurs, "the Troupe was far beyond what we were prepared for. Why don't you tell us about your travels? They must have been interesting."
"Why not?" Auren says, taking a seat.
Buno gestures to the maids to leave the room, and they quietly slip out, leaving the three of them alone.
"How about I take care of that eye first?" Auren asks as he steps toward Bunu.
Bunu removes his eyepatch, revealing an empty eye socket.
"We had it removed. It was beyond recovery anyway," Buno explains.
Auren pauses for a moment, then steps back and sits down again.
"What is wrong?" Bunu asks, slightly confused.
"I might as well use this for training," Auren says, as his Aura changes, transforming into the vivid Azure hue of Azure Restoration.
However, this time, he does not simply place his hands over the wound. Instead, he uses Emission—separating his Aura from his body, shaping it from a distance.
I could have also used Transmutation... but that would not count as real training. I want to keep pushing myself.
Auren does not hold back. He uses his Aura recklessly, pushing it out with such force that the entire room becomes bathed in a vibrant Azure hue.
Despite the distance between them, Bunu's eye begins to recover slowly, as flesh begins to build up, the empty eye socket becoming fuller and fuller.
It takes nearly all of Auren's Aura and five full minutes before Bunu's eye is completely restored. Only then does Auren stop sending more energy toward him.
"That was more exhausting than I expected," Auren says, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
The efficiency dropped significantly... Still, this is viable now. I need to keep improving. I have to learn how to use even more Aura. I need to be able to heal certain injuries in mere seconds—so this ability can be used even during battle. With Eternity's help, I can even avoid using my own Aura entirely, as long as I land some hits and drain my enemies' Aura. This is promising. Give it a few more years, and this might make me almost immortal... as long as I don't run out of Aura.
"Heh, you certainly enjoy showing off, don't you?" Buno says, unable to hide his surprise.
"Looks like we will not be dying from injuries or sickness any time soon," Bunu comments. "Teaching you truly was a blessing."
"It is what we deserve," Buno replies, glancing at his brother, his expression a mixture of pride and smugness. "Anyway, tell us about your silly travels."
Auren shrugs, and—much like he did with Rakshala—gives them the short version of his recent adventures, explaining his progress truthfully but omitting a few details.
While Bunu listens quietly, Buno interrupts constantly, firing off dozens of questions—especially about Auren's battle against Netero. Auren answers them as best he can.
"So what is next?" Buno asks. "You will stay here, right?"
"Yes," Auren replies. "However, I will need to leave for a short trip in about a month. After that, I do not have any major plans aside from two: the next Hunter Exam, where I will participate as one of the Black Suits overseeing the exam, and the next Battle Olympia—which is actually scheduled to begin before the exam, in roughly five months. I need to send my intent to participate to the staff."
As soon as Auren mentions Battle Olympia, both Buno and Bunu's eyes change, and while Bunu smiles, Buno lowers his head.
Did I say something I shouldn't have?
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