When Fred and Jad arrived carrying Azalea drenched with her own blood, Mary and Brenda immediately took charge. Mark prepared one of the room and laid a mat with plenty of blankets and towels. Jad and Romi fetched buckets of water leaving it in front of the room.
Meanwhile, small magic circles sparkled around Azalea’s body nonstop. It looked magical, if only not for the blood covering her.
Mary, Brenda, and Leika took off what’s left of her armor and then wiped her cleaning the blood away. They also looked for any wounds. However, as they clean her, droplets of blood continued to form on her intact skin. Yet, they can only see faded tattoo-looking markings on her right arm and a coin-sized tattoo below her left collar bone that looks like a magic circle. There are no visible wounds.
“This doesn’t make any sense.” Mary mumbles.
Brenda wipes Azalea’s face with a piece of cloth. “There are no wounds. Only those weird looking tattoo-like markings.”
Mary does not fully understand what is going on but she knows that the bleeding in not due to an open wound. Upon realization her hands trembled at the thought. It looks like it may take a while to resolve so she wanted to take over the task alone in order to not traumatize the other children however Leika and Brenda vehemently refused. They insisted for the three of them to take care of Azalea until she stops sweating blood. Two hours of continuous cleaning passed. Meanwhile, the other kids are waiting anxiously outside while also providing whatever assistance they can give.
Two guests arrived while the girls are busy attending to Azalea. A moderately muscular medium built man with a nerdy-looking teenage boy knocks on their front door. The man has dark red hair tied in a ponytail and sharp, cyan-colored eyes. He is wearing a light armor, and carrying two swords. The boy has black hair and light brown eyes behind a round-framed glasses. He is wearing casual clothes, white shirt inside a red jacket, denim shorts, and rubber shoes. The two of them does not look like they are related however, they do know each other and arrived together. The boy leads the way, and he gives of a sense of authority. Meanwhile, the adult man who looks like he is in his forties, acts like a bodyguard. His body language shows alertness and caution.
“Who are you?” Mark asks cautiously. They have to be wary of who they invite into their house since they do not know the enemies that have been watching them since yesterday. “What brings the two of you to our house?”
When Fred heard him, he went to check on the situation.
“Oh… I’m Qin, Azalea’s friend.” The teenage boy replies. His voice is shaking a little. “She should be here… or on her way here?..”
“Azalea?” Jad peaks at the two uninvited guests outside.
Mark hesitates. “Is there something you need from her?”
“From her? No shit.” The older man answers brusquely. “But she sure needs something from us.”
“Cyan! You are being rude.” Qin tells him off nervously.
“Cyan?” Fred stands behind Mark while taking a look at the guests outside. “Right, I remember this guy. You’re a friend of Lone, Azalea’s mentor. The kid though…”
“I’m not exactly her friend.” Cyan responds with a smirk. “We just hunted a lot together before… Well, we also drunk a lot and hang out quite a bit. And this boy, you could say he’s her childhood friend but he’s not a hunter or a reveil. He’s a merchant.”
“Isn’t that what friends do?” Jad mumbles. “That kid’s a merchant?”
Qin furrows his brows staring at the kid peeking at the side.
“Mark, it’s okay. They are Azalea’s allies.” Fred reassures them.
Mark, though with some hesitation, lets them in. They served some refreshments while updating them about Azalea’s situation.
Qin left his merchandise and caravan in a Merchants Guild headquarters. It is considered the safest place for merchants to leave their valuables while staying in a city. He definitely cannot bring his caravan with him in the Zone-0 so he left it there with four other hired mercenaries who accompanies him in his journey. He only brought Cyan with him as he knows him best among them, and he does not want to attract attention by having so many guards.
The Merchant Guild supervises various groups of traveling merchants that registered under their guidance and protection. They keep the merchant's system organized and safe by providing safe zones, information, protection and mutual aid. They have established their own code of law to resolve conflicts among different merchant groups, as well as to avoid being unfairly prosecuted due the difference in laws across different countries. They also allied with several mercenary groups by establishing a mutual relationship with the Mercenaries Guild, so that they will be able to provide trustworthy protection. This is how they are able to promote the economic interests of their members as well as provide solid protection. As such, they all can conduct their business with less worries.
Qin is part of the group of merchants headed by Merchant Li, they are known as the Pixiu Alliance. They have established themselves as one of the most successful traveling merchants' groups in the past decade. They have also allied with the Silver-Feather Band, a mercenary group composed of both skilled ubliss and strong reveils. It is convenient for them to hire extra guards to travel with them.
After a short introduction, Qin explained Azalea’s plan to the rest of them and how he is supposed to help them. He is the one in-charge of gathering all the needed personalities through their connections as a merchant. They have also called for a few more people for protection. As they start this new venture, there will be plenty of trouble to deal with and the first thing they need is security.
∞×∞
Twenty-sixth day of Sat’xahr, 4043 AOT
Arbhur City, Zone-0, Wave 5
Three days had passed since Azalea fought the demon, Quia’el. Her injuries are healed except the one in her right arm. She had plenty of rest however, a different problem is bothering her. Since she woke up, she became unable to deactivate the spell, Pulse. It’s like the spell is being continuously casted subconsciously at the back of her mind. She can feel the movements of everyone around her. She has not left the room since she woke up but she knows that there are strange plants that have grown around the house. She can also sense the hostility of anyone who enters the range of pulse. This may sound convenient as it keeps her senses alert, but it does not allow her to rest.
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Currently, her body have recovered but her mind is still exhausted. She has been trying to deactivate the spell, unfortunately nothing has worked so far. She has decided to approach it differently by decreasing the range when she is not in combat or dangerous situation and regulating what information around should be prioritized so she can filter out the “noise.”
“Azalea.” Qin knocks. “Are you awake?”
“Y-yes? Come in.”
He opens the door and another man follows him. “Sir Renan just arrived, and he wanted to check on you as soon as possible.”
The man who looks like he is in his fifties entered the room with Qin. He has curly brown hair that has been brushed back though some of it seems to have been messed up by the breeze outside. “Azalea, how are you feeling?” He greets worriedly.
“Renan!” Azalea’s expression lightened up. “I’m recovering well.”
“Let me see your right arm.” He walks closer and holds out his hand.
Azalea shows her arm with tattoo-like markings that had gradually faded compared to when they first saw it.
“This…” Renan wears a grave expression while his forest green eyes are focused on the markings. “It must hurt a lot… It looks like your mana circuit was burned… but… This is unusual⸺ no, more like impossible? Burned mana circuits don’t heal.”
“W-what? I burned what now??”
He sighs. “What did you do?”
She tilts her head sideways. “W-well…I f-fought the demon… aaaaannnddd used Explosia. J-just once though… He, he…”
“You casted Explosia when the seals aren’t active?”
She smiles. “Well… this never happened before…”
Another knock is heard from the door that was left slightly ajar.
“What’s this about seals?” Fred asks as he enters the room with Mary.
“This is going to be a long discussion.” Qin mumbles. “But before that, what do you think of those marking?”
“Right. I’ll explain the seals later, and Azalea’s unique condition regarding her mana.” He then takes out some expensive looking accessories and gems from his bag. “For now, wear these. They’re not as efficient as your armor but this will do as temporary replacement to keep your leaking mana sealed.”
“Is my new armor not done yet?”
“I already brought it with me, but I figured it would be uncomfortable for you to sleep in. Right? So use these gems for now.”
“He, he, he… r-riiiiight.”
He glances at her right arm again. “Those markings… Burned mana circuits is a permanent damage. It’s like completely losing an arm. Once it’s gone, it doesn’t grow back… However, this… It seems Hol can heal even destroyed mana circuits.”
“Oh, that sounds cool! Does that also mean I can regrow my arm if it gets totally obliterated?” She asks excitedly.
“A-Z-A-L-E-A!!!” The sound of Renan’s voice suddenly became terrifying. “Don’t you even dare! I know you are reckless, but you better not be stupid!”
She clears her throat. “O-okay…”
“The problem with you is that you always try to solve everything on your own.”
“Now we know about those markings… How about we all go and have our lunch?” Mary says nonchalantly. “The food is ready. I’ll help Lea put those accessories on, you all can go ahead.”
“I can manage to wear these on my own.” Azalea sighs.
“You’re still a patient.”
“Hey! What’s explosia? It sounds so cool!” Jad asks while peaking from outside the room.
“A very powerful destructive spell.” Renan answers as he heads to the door. “So destructive, even the caster receives some backlash if not casted properly.”
He scoffs then followed Renan. “So, Lea made a mistake using it?”
“More like she hasn’t mastered it yet.”
“So, Azalea.” Qin looks at her with dismay. “I suggest you take a few months to cool things off. Take a rest, go on a PEACEFUL vacation, or make some progress on you magic thingies.”
“You mean my spells?”
“Yeah, whatever. Just because you can heal easily doesn’t mean you have to neglect your defenses. Dad is worried too.” He then walks out of the room as well.
“You’re lucky you have these people looking after you.” Mary comments.
They proceed to the dining area. Cyan grilled the bird they caught this morning, and Mary prepared salad beforehand. Aside from that Renan brought some readymade food with him which they are also unpacking now. Brenda, Jad and Romi bring the food and arranges the utensils on the table. Leika assists Lei, Kou and Raichi. Mark gestures for their visitors to take a seat.
“Why did you bring cake?” Cyan furrows his brows.
Renan shrugs. “I don’t know what else to buy. Well, we can have it as dessert.”
While waiting for Azalea and Mary, Renan and Qin started to explain their next steps. They also talked about Azalea’s condition and the purpose of the seal. There is very little information they know about her unusual mana, most of what they know are things they have confirmed through observation these past years. Lone was the one who observed her and found a way to fix it albeit temporary. They learned everything from her master however her mana still shows changes as time passes.
“What’s up?” Azalea comes into the dining room; Mary follows behind her. “Wow. Everyone’s assembled already.”
“Just take your seat.” Fred responds.
“Ah-! Cyan!” She turns toward him as she walks toward her seat. “Junior’s not with you?”
“Mhm. I lost contact with him around a year or so ago.” Cyan answers nonchalantly.
“Who’s Junior?” Jad mumbles.
“Did he run away from home?” She snorts.
“Did he? I don’t know. Maybe. He’s a smartass. He’s old enough to take care of himself.”
“Isn’t he like… only a year older than me?”
Renan sighs. “You lost your son, and you act like it’s none of your business.”
“This guy’s worse than some of the people I know around here.” Brenda mumbles while shaking her head.
“I didn’t raise that little shit to be such a weakling. He might be caught up in some stupid stuff but at least he’s not dead yet.”
“Oh right!” Azalea claps her hand. “That’s why Fred!”
“Me?” Fred stares at her, and she smiles back at him. “Riiiight… I have decided to take legal means to officially adopt all of you.”
Everyone stops eating looking bewildered.
Jad coughs, almost choking on his food. “So you’ve suddenly decided to become a dad?”
“How does that benefit you?” Mark asks with a cautious tone.
“I don’t have a family to take care of anymore.”
“Oh, condolence.” Azalea responds.
“Hey! That’s not what I mean! I’m done taking care of my family. My grandparents are in peace. My parents and siblings are now able to get by on their own, even my relatives are fine now. They actually told me that it’s time for me to put myself before them.”
“They have a point; you’re already an old man.” Jad says with a smirk.
“This little brat has no manners.”
“And you want to spend the rest of your life taking care of kids that aren’t yours?” Mary asks looking concerned. “That doesn’t sound like putting yourself first.”
“I’ve lived my life taking care of people. I can’t just suddenly go get married with a random woman and start a family.” Fred explains calmly. “At least for now, the first step I want to take is settle down. Not just stop hunting and live alone. Taking care of you kids gives me a purpose. That should be enough for now.”
“I see.” Mark makes up his mind. “You can at least take care of us until Mary, and I are adults. Then you can find a wife once our business is operating smoothly. We’ll be rich by then so you can have as many wives as you want.”
The other kids giggled.
“You kids really have no manners; I’ll have to work on that first.”
“I’ll help with establishing the mine too.” Qin states after finishing his meal. “I won’t stay here for long, but I keep my lines open so that you can always contact me. For now… An investor wants to visit, three days from now… Her name is Daphne Treant, and her bodyguard Vaness Tinker.”
“Visit?” Mary looks confused. “All of a sudden? We haven’t even started anything yet.”
“Aren’t they suspicious?” Renan asks.
“I looked into their background. They’re allied with Sentinel. They said they just want to see the site before investing. It’s kinda weird… but there’s nothing bad about it either.”
“Well, if they do anything bad, I’ll just take care of them.” Cyan brags.
Renan shakes his head. “Let’s take it slow. With us here, nobody would randomly mess with the mines and these kids.”
Cyan and Fred agreed as they are all veteran demon hunters.
“Oh, by the way.” Azalea says after finishing a piece of grilled meat. “I plan to leave here the day after tomorrow. The sooner I’m gone here, the better.”
The kids’ expression are looking sad.
“Where are you heading?” Mary asks.
“For now… to Osnar. Then, I guess I’ll pass through Uar until I can get to Westar.”