On the night before departure, Kisho sat at the doorway of Anida's room, carrying out his final night-watch duty.
Ever since he accepted Jitt's task a few days ago, Anida had not given him a single pleasant look. Every time she saw him, she would snort, then turn her head and leave.
Kisho shook his head helplessly.
Well, there was nothing that could be done about it. Even if he hadn't agreed to Jitt, this group of people would never have let him go.
Better to agree "straightforwardly" — at least it would mean less trouble.
But it was already so late, and the soft light inside Anida's room was still gently spilling out through the crack of the door.
From time to time, "sizzle sizzle" sounds came from inside her room — no idea what the little girl was doing in there.
With a "click" — the sound of the door lock turning.
Kisho opened his eyes and saw Anida step out of the room barefoot.
"Hey."
Anida walked up to Kisho, stared at him, and said irritably:
"It's been so many days already. If I don't talk to you, you don't even know to come talk to me on your own?!"
Kisho raised a hand to scratch his head and smiled.
"Wasn't I afraid you'd get even angrier if you saw me?"
He blinked.
"And besides, that day you said you never wanted to talk to me again."
After hearing someone's painfully straightforward remark, an angry "vein" popped up on Anida's forehead. For a moment she couldn't find anything to refute him with, and stomped her foot in frustration.
Kisho looked at her puffed-up cheeks.
"Don't be like that. Getting angry gives you wrinkles — then you won't look pretty."
Anida fell silent.
After a while, she finally spoke:
"Every year, Dad spends a long time away doing business. He's almost never home; and even when he finally comes back, he still doesn't have any time to spend with me."
Her voice sank lower.
"Even though Dad sends people to stay with me, I know they don't really want to keep me company. They're just accompanying the 'young lady of the Bankro family.'"
"Always respectful, always keeping their distance…"
She shook her head.
"I don't like that. I want someone who's willing to be friends with 'Anida,' not someone whose eyes only see 'the young lady of the Bankro family.'"
She fixed her gaze on Kisho again.
"So… you really can't not go?"
Kisho shook his head.
"Anida, there are many things I don't get to decide."
He looked at the dejected Anida.
"…Maybe this time it'll go especially smoothly, and I'll be back very soon."
Tsk — it wasn't impossible.
Once he destroyed all the goods and dealt with a certain researcher, Vervik, with no business left to do, would naturally return very quickly.
Anida still didn't look any happier. She stayed silent for a long while before speaking softly:
"…I hope so."
She slowly raised her head and held out the thing in her hand toward Kisho.
"This is for you."
Kisho took it. It was a fiery red stone wrapped in a layer of transparent gel on the outside, with a cord attached.
"This is… what?"
"It's a raw spice stone with extremely high purity. Isn't it pretty?" Anida replied.
Her answer made Kisho's pupils shrink as he stared intently into her eyes.
But Anida's gaze was as clear as ever, her expression completely natural.
She continued explaining:
"Dad's business is all related to this, too."
"…Is that so? I understand."
"Red" like flames, burning flesh and soul alike.
Kisho closed his hand around the fiery red stone.
He smiled at Anida.
"It's a very beautiful stone. I'll take good care of it. Thank you, young lady."
Anida stared at Kisho and said softly:
"…Can you call me by my name?"
"All right, all right, my young lady."
Kisho smiled helplessly. Under Anida's dissatisfied stare, he reorganized his words.
"Thanks, Anida."
...
Early morning…
Kisho changed his clothes and took the elevator down into the courtyard, where four or five sedans were already parked side by side.
Following the instructions Jitt had sent, he got into the sedan marked accordingly. There were already two other people inside. When they saw Kisho, they exchanged a glance but didn't speak.
Kisho returned their look without changing expression, sat down comfortably in his seat, and closed his eyes.
After quite a while, the sedan started up and began moving slowly down the mountain.
In the night, the scenery swept rapidly backward. Only when the sky grew faintly bright did the convoy arrive at the largest port outside Lashan Mountain.
The salty, fishy sea breeze mixed with the constant, chaotic noise of the harbor woke Kisho from his cultivation.
He opened his eyes just as the sedan came to a stop.
After everyone got out of the cars, they gathered toward the Bankro family's group ahead — roughly more than twenty people.
Using Gyo, Kisho checked them. Most of them were Nen users; the smaller portion without Nen abilities still had aura radiating from their bodies far beyond ordinary people — clearly carefully selected fighters.
He withdrew his gaze and looked toward the sea.
The sun hadn't fully risen yet, and the sky was still gray.
Gray-blue seawater surged onto the beach, frothing white. Along with the sound of the waves came the cries of a few seagulls, drowned out amid the crowd noise.
Huge cargo ships were docked at the pier one after another. Sailors and workers were lifting container after container with cranes, hoisting them onto the decks and then sending them into the holds.
The most eye-catching was a gigantic ship nearly two hundred meters long — embedded with the Bankro family's badge. Two smaller tugboats were moored alongside it, one at the bow and one at the stern.
Aside from its massive hull, there were also buildings on the main deck, rising a full three stories high.
Kisho stared at that cargo ship.
That was the battlefield he was about to reach. Everything would soon come to an end.
He shifted his gaze and looked at the security captain standing at the front of the crowd — Roy Kuhl.
Roy spoke:
"Is everyone here?"
His eyes swept over the group. When they passed over Kisho's face, a trace of something unusual appeared in his expression.
Though he adjusted quickly, Kisho still caught it.
"Then, I'll explain this mission."
He spoke slowly:
"There are two objectives. First: protect the safety of the family head. Anyone suspicious who has mixed into the ferry and cannot produce proof from the Bankro family is to be executed on the spot."
"Second: the goods in the warehouse. Ten people per team, two per pair. Guard and patrol your assigned areas. Rotate every twelve hours. Without proof from the family head, no one is allowed to approach the warehouse even a single step."
His gaze swept across everyone's faces. After a brief silence, he said:
"If you have any questions about this mission, you may raise them now."
The response was silence.
Roy was very satisfied with it. He paused, then turned around.
"In that case, please follow me."
Everyone followed behind him, boarding the massive ferry docked at the harbor through one of the passages.
...
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