Owari and Noel did some work on clearing out the pathway Owari had chosen for the railway. They also released their aura’s in the area to claim it so other beasts would be wary from entering for a while. The rest of the work would be up to the government and mining company. Which Owari had some ideas about. When they made their way back it took a while since they were spending some of that time to clear out the area of dangerous beasts.
By the time they got back it was nearing mid-August. They sighed in relief and prepared to make their way home. On the way Noel received a letter which they quickly read. It seemed things were finally starting to heat up just in time for them to come back. There had already been some light skirmishing on both sides whenever either faction's members found members of the opposing faction out in the wilderness, but nothing concrete.
Things had changed though. One of Howling Wulf’s members openly murdered a member of the Amber Agency who shares the harpy territory with them. The Harpy territory is on the western edge of the continent just to the west of the Dragon territory. Since they shared the relatively small territory it was inevitable they would meet up eventually. A party from each side met up along a road. When they did the Amber agency intended to look the other way, but a member of the Howling Wulf party got a sneak attack on them and killed a member. Unfortunately for that party the Amber Agency was stronger and took them all out. But it still called for serious action.
Since the allies were given no choice but to retaliate or they would be seen as pushovers. The plan was for the allies to retake the city in which Howling Wulf had set up. They planned to kill off every member of the agency that didn’t surrender. And those that did would be imprisoned. Everyone had been given ample chances to jump ship and join the side they wished. There was no mercy left on either side for their enemies.
Owari wondered if they should get involved but decided against it. He and Noel had other business and wanted to go home and relax so they wouldn’t be taking part in this raid. When they arrived at the nearest city Owari took his considerable amount of money, about 300,000 credits by now, and bought the property rights to the adamantite mine. After that the two of them turned in all the information they gathered to the local government office.
The people at the office were shocked by this and the head of the office asked for them to come see him. Of course they agreed and soon enough they found themselves in an office on the third floor. It was a pretty ordinary office that was functional over fashionable. It really screamed ‘government office’ that was for sure.
“Hello. My name is Damian. Who might you two be?” He asked uncertainly. He wondered what could possess them to give over such valuable information for free.
“My name is Owari, and this is my wife Noel. We’re acting on behalf of the SIlverblood family currently.” Owari informed him.
“The Silverbloods?” The man heaved a sigh of relief. If it was the Silverblood family who was currently a major ally then it made sense that they would give over the information for free.
“Indeed. This is the information we gathered over months of scouting work. We’ve already bought rights to the mine and we plan to contract it out to you guys.” Noel informed him.
“Contract it out?” He was confused.
“You’ll pay us for rights to mine the materials within the radius of our property.” Owari answered.
“Isn’t that a little much?” He was shocked. They were taking advantage of the war for profit?
“If you’d like we could simply charge you for the maps too.” Noel glared at him causing the man to swallow hard.
“No no, that’s alright. I wasn’t thinking just now.” He smiled awkwardly.
“Now then onto business.” Owari stated, and like that the business talks began.
After some serious negotiations it was determined the minimum Owari and Noel would accept was 20,000 credits a month for rights to the mine. Damian wasn’t authorized to make such a decision so he could only send word to his superiors. Then they would have to go survey the location themselves. And only after all that would the decision be made. Owari and Noel agreed and told him where to find them, that being their house near Leviathan city. He was shocked to see they lived so far away.
“It was a pleasure doing business with you.” Owari stood up and shook the man’s hand.
“The pleasure was mine.” Damian easily agreed. After all if what was said was true then he would be getting a big bonus for this deal.
Owari and Noel made their way outside and rode the train back to their home city. It was a short trip compared to how long they had been away, but they were itching to relax. When they finally got back home they merely lazed around for a few weeks doing nothing in particular as they waited for an answer from the government. They eventually got a letter saying there were people on their way to confirm what they said was true. Owari just chuckled, he was very confident in himself.
The culture festival was drawing closer by the day so Owari and Noel were looking forward for the chance to go on a date. Lance had written to them that he wouldn’t be back in time for the event. He was still busy sieging down Howling Wulf’s city. They were trying to get citizens to evacuate so the coming battle wouldn’t implicate them, but Howling Wulf was being difficult and wouldn’t let the citizens escape. So they were at a standstill.
As the day started to approach Owari got a bad feeling for some reason. “What’s wrong?” Noel asked him as she noticed his mood was off.
“Don’t you feel like something bad is going to happen?” He knew her instincts were as good as him.
“I figured it was just my imagination. What would happen?” Noel chuckled.
“There’s no way you wrote it off so easily.” Owari’s mouth twitched.
“You’re right. But what can I do?” Noel shrugged.
“We can prepare.” Owari smiled.
“For what?” Noel asked confused.
“For battle. I feel like a battle is coming soon.” Owari stretched and grabbed his sword. “I’m going to train a bit.” He made his way outside and began practicing his basic martial arts.
“Fine.” Noel sighed and joined him. She wanted to enjoy their vacation more.
As the days crept on Owari and Noel increasingly felt like something was about to happen. Suddenly the 19th arrived and it was a few days away from the festival. That was when what they had been waiting for happened. Suddenly the Luna family called for every hunter to attend a meeting. That meant everyone from the lowliest copper rank to the highest-ranking hunters. Of course Noel and Owari went early and received a rundown on what was happening.
“The city will be attacked soon.” The member receiving them said nervously. “The family wants all hunters prepared to defend the people. The one’s attacking are the Ignis Family from the Cockatrice territory.” He explained. The Cockatrice territory is just to the northwest of the Leviathan territory. The Ignis family all used fire arts like the Vermillion family. But they weren’t as good at it.
“Alright. So they intend to attack the city without giving the citizens the chance to evacuate?” Owari asked for confirmation.
“Correct, and we can’t evacuate them now as the attack will take place in two days. That doesn’t give us enough time to get them to safety. There’s no telling if the Ignis family will just go kill them if they’re left out in the open away from the city.” He sighed.
“We just got back too.” Noel sighed.
“Well it could be worse. They could have come when we were gone.” Owari looked on the bright side.
“True, at least this way we can contribute.” Noel nodded.
“Let’s move our date to tomorrow then since they plan to attack during the festival. Have you sent word out to cancel the festival?” Owari asked.
“What? Oh yeah, that will happen later in the day after plans are drafted up.” He lagged behind a second out of surprise. They still planned to go on a date with this emergency around the corner?
“Was that everything then?” Noel wanted to prepare something to wear the next day since now that she wouldn’t be able to wear her cultural attire.
“I suppose so. We can send a letter with the details to you tomorrow. It should have all the information about where you need to go and all that.” He just decided to let them go seeing as they were in a rush. He wasn’t nearly important enough to get in the way of their plans. He was afraid of what would happen if he displeased them.
Noel and Owari left shortly after that and made their way home. They eagerly awaited the next day which came neither slowly nor quickly. Noel got dressed early in the morning. Instead of her typical sundress, she was wearing a casual long-sleeved shirt with a skirt. She still wore gloves and leggings as usual to protect her skin of course. Owari just smiled when he saw her. He didn’t need to compliment her for her to know what he thought.
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“Even if I can tell what you’re thinking it would still be nice to hear it sometimes.” Noel looked at Owari with squinted eyes.
“Words would just cheapen it. Stunned silence is worth more than a million words.” Owari chuckled.
Noel blushed ever so slightly. “You’ve been reading too many romance novels. You’re getting better at this.”
“I thought you were over all that shyness.” Owari walked over and gently stroked her cheek causing her to blush more.
“Even I can be caught off guard sometimes.” Noel pouted.
“Let’s get going. I’ll let you off with just this much.” He leaned in and kissed her head.
“Let me off?” Noel scoffed. “You just reached the end of your rope.”
“You think I can’t cause you to blush more?” Owari asked with a hint of challenge in his tone.
Noel went to speak up before shutting her mouth. She deliberated for a bit before she raised her chin and looped her arm through his and dragged him off without a word. Clearly she wanted to get on with their date. After a quick drive into town they did just that. They did their usual rounds and decided to walk around observing the going ons in the city.
Unfortunately it was very barren. Everyone was holding up in their homes in fear of the coming war. It was such a shame, they should do what Owari and Noel were doing and enjoy their final chance at fun for a while. It was important to make use of what time you had. The battle wouldn’t occur until tomorrow at the earliest.
Owari and Noel observed the empty streets and silence. It was a bit eerie seeing the normally bustling city folk all holed up in their houses in fear. It really caused it to hit home that there was a battle coming. It really made one think, Owari and Noel would be fighting the next day to protect these people. They were people the two had watched for years now, yet they didn’t really know much about them. But they would be risking their lives to protect them. It was quite absurd.
The two walked arm in arm in silence as they watched the empty streets. Eventually they sat on a bench in the center of the city and leaned against one another in solemn silence. There was no telling what kind of enemy they would face the next day. In the worst case they could be faced with an overwhelming enemy and die. This could very well be their last day to do something like this. Normally they had the ability to choose the level of the enemy they faced, but that power to choose had been taken from them this time.
Eventually noon came around and they decided to give the restaurant a shot. When they arrived they were shocked to see it still open. When they entered they found the usual girl relaxing reading something. When she noticed she had actual customers she gaped. That was until she saw who it was.
“It’s been a while.” Although she said that they had gone on a date or two since returning and had already stopped by before.
“Indeed it has.” Though for them they wished they could go on more dates so it always feels like it’s been a while between dates.
“Right. I’m surprised you’re open.” Owari said somewhat questioningly.
“We’re open this day usually anyway. It’s mostly habit to come into work. My dad is in the back using the day to clean up.” She shrugged.
“I see. So would it be troubling if we ate here today?” Noel asked.
“Nah, dad would be happy to get customers. Each customer is another sale and more profit after all.” She stood up and made her way to the back to check just in case. Noel and Owari sat down in their usual spot and waited. Soon she came back and smiled. “Yup, he says it’s fine. Do you have your order ready?”
“The usual.” They both said at the same time.
“I’ll never get used to how in sync you two are. I wish I could find somebody like that.” She sighed.
“I’m sure you’ll find someone one day.” Noel comforted her.
“Easy for you to say.” She grumbled, but she still had a smile on her face showing that it worked.
After a bit of time they were given their meals which they ate slowly to enjoy them. When they finished up they paid their bill and left a generous tip as usual before making their way out and back into the city for more walking around. Eventually they found themselves at the park. Noel strode over and sat on one of the swings and began pushing herself back and forth lightly. Owari quickly joined her on the other swing though he remained motionless.
“So what are you thinking?” Noel suddenly asked.
Owari chuckled. “Did it show so obviously?”
“I can read you like a book. So?” Noel pressed.
“I was just thinking in general. I love fighting.” Owari stated plainly.
“Of course.” Noel nodded. He loved fighting more than anybody she knew.
“But I’m kind of tired of it.” Owari continued.
“Tired of fighting?” Noel stopped her swinging.
“Yeah. I kind of want to do something different for a while. It’s always go out, kill a thing, get stronger, grow my beasts, then come home before repeating.” Owari sighed.
“Is that not enough for you?” Noel asked curiously.
“I want to spend more time with you. I’m not sure how you feel about it, but I’m gone so much. It must be lonely.” He looked at her seriously.
“It is. But I’m used to it. Plus I support your desire to grow stronger.” She smiled warmly.
“I guess that makes sense.” Owari nodded. She was very supportive. “But I think I want to spend some time home. I can always grow stronger later. I’m already out of the optimal growth period anyway, and I’m still young.”
“What caused this change?” Noel couldn’t help but ask.
Owari looked at her, unsure of what to say for a bit. “Have you been feeling well recently?” He suddenly asked.
“Mostly. Why?” Noel wondered where that came from.
“I’ve heard you in the mornings.” Owari said, causing Noel’s face to freeze.
“It’s nothing big. I’ve only been getting a little woozy.” She deflected.
“I’m not sure if you know yet.” Owari’s words caused Noel to be confused.
“Know what?” She asked seriously.
“It seems you don’t know.” Owari nodded. It made sense. It was still early after all. “You’re pregnant.”
“What?!” Noel said in shock. “How do you know?” She looked down at herself in surprise.
“I can sense it’s aura. It’s faint, but there is an aura of life other than your own.” Owari answered.
“I was starting to think it wasn’t meant to happen.” Noel rubbed her belly with a smile.
“You should sit out tomorrow.” He told her.
“If you think this will convince me not to participate you obviously don’t know me. It’s still early. I can move just fine. I want to protect this city so that we have a place to raise the child. I also have a bad feeling.” She couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed to be there tomorrow.
“I won’t be able to convince you otherwise?” He looked at her seriously and she shook her head. “Alright, but you take on a support role. No direct combat. If you got hit in the gut it would be a nightmare.”
“It’s our baby, it can handle it. But in all seriousness, I’ll be careful.” She nodded.
“Good.” Owari nodded back.
The two of them sat in silence for a little longer. Noel spent the entire time rubbing her belly with a silly smile on her face. It had been years and she still hadn’t gotten pregnant. She was starting to believe it was impossible. She was finally relieved having gotten the confirmation that it was indeed possible. She looked at Owari warmly and suddenly she gave off a different feeling. Owari recognized it as being similar to his mother.
He chuckled and stood up. As the sunset crept in he reached out and carefully lifted Noel into his arms. “Let’s go home.”
“Let’s.” She nodded and leaned into him.
The next day promised to be an interesting and action-packed one. When they woke up Noel and Owari made their way to the city. They took one final longing look at their home. There was no telling if it would be there by the time the fighting ended. It all depended on how malicious the attackers were. After leaving they quickly arrived in the city and got into their designated position.
They were up on the wall looking down at the coming enemy. It didn’t take long to see them. Hundreds of people slowly walking towards the city wall. It must’ve taken a while for such a large force of people to be moved without using the train system. Unfortunately Leviathan city was built close to the cockatrice territory. Based on the aura they were giving off, they were likely made up of silver and gold ranks. There were a few platinum ranks, and most worrying of all was the singular electrum rank.
Unfortunately their section didn’t have an electrum rank stationed at it. They weren’t given enough warning to receive reinforcements, and the Luna family didn’t have enough to block every part of the city. However it was unlikely that the Ignis family had too many electrum ranks coming either. Which either meant they were unlucky, or someone knew where the weakest spots would be. In the end neither changed what had to be done. Owari and Noel were the strongest there so it was their job to stop the electrum rank.
Without waiting for the enemy to reach the wall, Owari used dark speed step to approach the enemy while Noel used her kinetic domain to speed up to the point where she was only a step slower than Owari. They arrived in an instant, but Owari didn’t attack the electrum rank. Instead he left holding him off for Noel. what he did was what he did best. He summoned his spirit blade and amplified his abilities to the max as he gathered metal energy to use silver wave. The electrum rank panicked when he noticed that.
He jumped to the side hoping to block the attack, but found he was unable to move as Noel arrived and sent a haymaker into his gut. He was smashed with an unstoppable force and was barely able to summon a barrier of brown energy to block the attack as he couldn’t move. The barrier shattered and he was sent flying. As he exited Noel’s kinetic domain he used the war hammer in his hand to stop his momentum by stabbing the shaft into the ground. He kneeled on the ground and started retching immediately afterwards.
Owari didn’t stop his own actions. He swung his sword with all his strength and a wave of silver energy rushed out along the path of his blade like a tsunami. The electrum rank stepped to the side in an instant and arrived in front of the wave. He slammed his warhammer on the ground and a wave of lava erupted from the ground and the two slammed into one another. However Owari’s attack was made up of metal mana and smashed the lava apart before traveling forward. However it was significantly weakened.
As the wave slammed into everyone it sent all of the lower ranks flying back while slicing them up. Nobody was spared and some even died from the force. Following the metal energy was the lava that had been smashed apart which rained down killing and injuring even more people. Just like that the enemies forces were decimated and unable to continue fighting. On top of that the electrum rank also received some minor cuts from blocking the attack just now.
“You! You have no honor!” The electrum rank was furious.
“There is no honor in war. You refused to give us the time to evacuate the innocent civilians despite knowing they would die in battle.” Owari chuckled.
The electrum rank remained silent. He had no way to retort. Instead he lifted his hammer out of anger and rushed Owari. However he noticed that Owari remained entirely still. As if he was unafraid to take on the electrum rank. That was when he felt something was wrong, but before he could figure out what he swung his hammer down and was shocked as he was locked in place. Owari swung his sword using dark steel fang, however the brown barrier appeared and instead of being cut the man was sent flying, though his neck hurt and had still been cut shallowly.
As he stood up he gripped his neck out of fear. That lockdown ability was horrifying. Nothing was scarier than losing the ability to defend yourself. He unsteady got up only to raise his head and see Noel right in front of him. He lifted his warhammer in the path of the attack and used a defensive art by spinning the war hammer forming a brown barrier. However when her fist collided with the barrier nothing happened. As he was questioning this, he felt a powerful force smash into his left flank sending him tumbling away.
As he reoriented himself he swung his warhammer scooping up a large portion of the ground and turning it into lava to envelop Noel. However all the lava stopped in place and suddenly fell to the ground. Meanwhile Owari had arrived behind him and swung his sword using earth breaker. The man summoned a spinning earth barrier from nowhere to defend against the attack. Unfortunately for him this was where earth breaker shined.
The attack smashed the barrier to pieces before smashing into the man's head and sending him tumbling across the ground, bouncing like a bouncy ball. His face had a massive gash in it now. He barely reoriented himself and landed on his feet. He lifted his hand to his face out of fear. He barely summoned a second barrier in time to save his head from being smashed to pieces. However he was given no time to rest as Owari appeared before him again.
He summoned another barrier only for Owari to cleanly slash it apart using dark steel bite which coalesced instantly on his blade. The barrier scattered into pieces as it was cleanly sliced. Then Owari got down to one knee and ducked. As he did Noel came flying over his head and punched the man right in the face. He hadn’t been expecting such an attack and failed to defend against it.
Just like that his head popped and smashed into bits. His body also went tumbling back leaving a large trench in the ground. Just like that an electrum rank died. This was what happened when two people at the peak of high platinum rank worked together in perfect sync to face off against a low electrum rank. Because they hadn’t updated their ranks the enemy probably thought they were still only mid platinum ranks. Little did they know that the two of them made massive strides while they were away.