Seventeenth day of Sat’xahr, 4043 AOT

Wave 5, Arbhur City Zone-0, Aesbyl Region

The house at the edge of Wave 5 does not look old but it does look like it was poorly built. That is why there are plenty of tears and holes in the thin wooden roof. The wood used on the walls have termite holes in it and some parts are breaking down badly that they just covered it with cardboard boxes.

“Let’s go inside, I’ll introduce you to the gang.” Jad says while confidently marching forward leading them into the house.

“Great… brats raising brats.” Azalea mumbles as she follows along.

“You’re not that much older than us.”

When they entered the house, the children has prepared the table and arranged the chairs around it. All of them are wearing plain shirts and shorts that got dirty from playing outside. The table is old with scratches but it looks sturdy. The chairs are made with different materials and design, which only shows that they are not purchased as a set. It is like each one is only added some time after the others. They take a seat occupying all chairs except for one.

If Azalea excludes herself, as she has only joined them today, then there is two free chairs. There got to be two more people that completes their “family.” Does that mean their parents or guardians are working far away right now?

“Alright, everyone gets one bread each.” Jad says as they pass the bread around. “Let’s get down to business while eating. I picked up this kid outside rolling on dirt, her name is Lea.”

“If you aren’t too far I would have decked you.”

“Why are you rolling on dirt?” Romi asks.

“I wasn’t.”

“That noisy kid there is Romi, he’s my right-hand man.” He says pointing at the enthusiastic boy with dark red hair and green eyes. His skin is tanned and he looks quite thin. “He’s ten years old… Hm. Right an ubliss, but maybe he’ll awaken in his teen years. By the way, I’m an esper, my ability is stealth.”

“Boss, its invisibility.”

“Shut it, stealth sounds cooler.” He glares at him before moving on to the next kid. “That girl who’s hobby is to nag is Brenda. She’s eleven. She takes care of household stuff when Mark and Mary are working.” He refers to the girl with orange hair and dark brown eyes. “Mary and Mark are our big sis and big bro.”

“What do you mean my hobby is to n-”

“Next here is Leika.” He cuts her off to introduce the girl who is carrying a child. She has thick curly blonde hair and black eyes. “She’s nine years old and she’s the newest addition to our gang before you. By the way, she’s a strong contractor.”

“Mhm. That kid, how old is he?” Azalea turns to her.

“Around two.” Leika shyly answers.

“Your brother?” She asks as the child does not look like her.

The little boy has black hair, dark brown eyes, and fairer skin compared to Leika who has tanned complexion. There are noticeable scars on the little boy’s exposed arms.

“No… I stole him.”

“Kidnapping?!” She screams in her mind. “S-stole?”

“Mhm.” Leika shyly nods. “And I gave him a part of my name.”

“What’s his name?”

“He’s Lei.”

“Everyone around here have something about them that they’d rather not talk about… Right…”

“Baby Lei is adorable, right?” Romi joins in with a cheerful tone. “He’s quite small for his age so we’re taking very good care of him!”

“Lastly, those two boys over there are Kou and Raichi.” Jad continues while pointing at the kids who are having a competition who could finish their bread first. “The one with silver hair and blue eyes is Kou. The other kid with red hair and different colored eyes, green and yellow is Raichi. They’re both seven years old. They don’t really live here, they just come to play every day… for some reason.”

Kou finished his bread first and then bragged to Raichi who finished closely after. After drinking a glass of water they run outside.

“Don’t run around! What if you fall?!!” Brenda yells at them but it is not enough to stop them.

“Yeah, they’re kind of hyperactive too.” He adds.

Azalea looks at the bag that only has one bread left. “How about we get down to business?” She takes out a tiny pouch from her small bag. She drops the contents of the pouch and five transparent marbles rolled out. “I’d like to know more about the situation in this area.”

“Those are?..” Jad’s eyes are sparkling. “They look pretty… pretty expensive.”

“They’re called Desert Pearls.” She explains while gathering all five in the middle of the table. “You can find them inside the plant-like monsters called Devresia. Harvesting these are dangerous because of the poison, I just happen to pass by a few of them some days ago. You can fetch a few thousand rimas if you sell them in the black market.”

“A f-f-few thousands?!”

“Are those real?” Brenda raises a brow.

“Oh, do I look like a scammer?”

“No, you look like someone who spent all her allowance on a custom armor but got in some falling out from her previous gang, so she got blacklisted and hunted. Now, your armor is not only broken, you’re also broke and is unable to earn money.” She responds in monotone.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“You’re a little close.” Azalea looks baffled. “Anyway, you can ask your guardian about it if you don’t believe me.”

“Just become a part of our gang, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.” Jad smirks.

“I plan to leave after resting for a bit.”

“Then do us a favor while you’re here!” He insists. “We don’t need the marbles. Help us in exchange of food and a place to rest. You’re an experienced mage, aren’t you?”

“What kind of shit did I get myself into this time?..”

Brenda sighs. “Leika, take Lei to the bedroom and get him to sleep. I’ll clean up and prepare the bath.”

Leika nods following Brenda.

“Just as I explained a while ago,” Jad explains once again. “That other gang of bigger kids are gathering strong little kids around here. They got their confidence because they are being backed by some strong group of adults.”

“Fine.” Azalea listens after noticing that there is more into this predicament. “But I can’t guarantee anything. I need to know more about the situation.”

“Great!”

“Fill me in with everything you know, and I’ll think about it.”

According to Jad, the boundaries of the edge of the Wave 5 territory has greatly increased in the past year. They noticed the unusual gathering to teenagers two months ago. That was after some disquieting events happened among the members of the mercenary group overseeing their area. Even though he cannot completely confirm because he is simply an ordinary resident, many of them has felt the change in the group’s structure and organization.

In the past six months, several hunters have disappeared. It is unusual because there would normally be some news where they could have gone or if there is high possibility that they got into an accident and died on the job. However, these past cases, there are just nothing. Most residents did not notice it but as the small gang of young adults grew bigger, they started to suspect that something dark is unfolding behind the scenes. Until two months ago, this new little gang started to look for and recruit young reveils into their group. Once a kid is invited to join the gang, they cannot refuse. In case they reject the invitation, they will get harassed, threatened, or beaten up.

So far, the new gang has only had their eyes on the known children with awakened ability. It seems that some of them are also being trained by adults on combat and ability control. They are determined to turn them into capable fighters as they grow up.

A month ago, rumors of a new demon in Elteb Canyon which is just outside Wave 5 have surfaced. It added more turbulence to their uneasy daily life. The mercenaries are already preparing to be called to join the hunt. In cases like this, they will wait until the demon threat has been declared and the local government arranges an organized hunt. At the same time that the demon’s presence has become more apparent, the recruitment of the new younger gang has become more aggressive.

“Are they planning to hunt the demon? But I still can’t connect this event well.”

Azalea ponders taking all these information into consideration. There might be some things that she missed and she will only discover if she observes the situation a little longer. But then again, she must leave as soon as possible. Does she have to concern herself with this matter? It should not be her problem anymore.

∞×∞

Evening comes, and before dinner is served, the eldest of the family returns home. Mary and Mark look tired as they lay their basket of rugs in the wooden couch of the living room. Both have black hair and green eyes. Their simple clothes are stained with dust and sweat after a long day of work. Looking at their similarities, anyone can tell that they are fraternal twins. They appear to be the oldest in this group, so they must be the most likely candidate to stand in as the guardians of these rowdy kids.

“These are all of them?” Azalea quietly examines the circumstances. “Didn’t they mention an old man earlier? Even the eldest are most likely only around… seventeen? Eighteen? This house have no adult guardian.”

Their gaze inspects the surroundings and then they notices a new face.

“Our family’s population has increased again.” The boy says while staring at her.

“Oh... New kid.” The girl observes her. “You’re borrowing my clothes… they look a bit big for you. Jad’s shirt might have been a better fit.”

Neither of them looks fazed at all at the sudden arrival of an unknown new girl into their home. It seems like they are pretty used to this kind of situation.

“Can I get my armor back?” Azalea looks around unable to find her armor.

“You call those rugged junk an armor?” Brenda frowns. “One glimpse of it and you know for sure it’s about to go into the garbage bin.”

“J-junk?!! No, no, no, no, you didn’t throw it away, did you? It may look like junk but the protective spells are still working. It’s a hundred times better than an ordinary piece of fabric.”

“Don’t worry, Brenda is fixing it… as much as possible.” Mark interrupts.

Brenda shakes her head.

Azalea gets a sigh of relief.

“Do all hunters think like that?” Jad wonders.

“We want armor too! We want armor!” Kou and Raichi says while waving a piece of wood imitating sword swings.

“Why are you too still here? You should go home.” Mark then holds their hand leading them out. “I’ll send you two home now. Next time don’t stay so late.”

“But I don’t wanna go!” Kou protests. “Mom and dad are still awake!”

“Yeah! Me too! Me too!” Raichi follows.

“Do they always go home late? Or is it just today?”

“I always see them playing hide and seek outside every night!” Romi raises his voice.

Mark sighs. “Fine, you can stay a little longer.”

“Yey~!!!” The little boys celebrates as they run back inside the house.

“Hey, aren’t we talking about my armor?”

“Do all hunters think like they can’t be separated from their armor?” Jad wonders silently.

“Big sister Mary, you can take a bath now. Leika just finished washing Lei.” Brenda says after checking on the the younger ones. “You both needs to get clean and rest.”

“Romi, can you check on the rice?” Jad commands and Romi follows immediately. “We’ll have egg vegetable soup for dinner tonight. Are Kou and Raichi joining us?”

“Yes! Yes! Egg! Soup!” They reply happily while jumping.

“You’ll get your armor back tomorrow.” Brenda stares at Azalea.

“Do you really have to sleep with your armor on?” Mary’s brows furrow.

“Of course!”

“No!”

“But-”

“Anyone who haven’t contributed to the work today has no say in anything.” She adds ending their conversation before leaving to take a bath.

“Her firmness is frightening.” Azalea mumbles.

“Why don’t you help set the table so that you’ll have something to do?” Mark smiles at her while giving off a threatening aura as he is passing the plates to her.

“Mhm… ‘K…”

While eating, the kids shared stories of what they did and what happened in their day, except Mary and Mark. They are not even talking about their job, but they are sincerely listening. It has been a while since Azalea had a meal this noisy.

After the dinner that is prepared to be just enough for everyone, they all go to do their own thing. Mark left to take Kou and Raichi home, they live close by. Mary checks the baskets they use for work and then she writes in her small notebook. Brenda cleans the table and brings the used dishes and utensils to the kitchen. Jad tells Romi to go to sleep first then he goes and help Brenda to clean up. Leika is taking care of Lei and went ahead to the bedroom.

“I’ll help clean up too.” Azalea says as she follows them to the kitchen.

“You can go rest first.” Jad responds with a serious tone. “I don’t know what kind of situation you were in, but you looked really out of it and very tired this morning.”

“Also your right hand looks injured. You’ve been avoiding to use it the whole day.” Brenda adds while staring at her arm.

“Oh… And here I thought I was doing well.”

“I see…” Mary suddenly joins in. “I’ll rest first too, let’s go we only have one bedroom.”

“Then, I’d like to stay in the living room. I can’t sleep peacefully around so many people.”

“Ah-!” A thought comes in Jad’s mind. “Is it because you randomly attack people while half-asleep?”

“Something like that.”

“Okay, that’s scary.” Mary starts walking away to the bedroom. “Make yourself comfortable in the living room. But don’t touch the baskets.”

“Sure.”

“Good night.” Jad waves at her as she leaves.