Chapter 167: Children

The Elders stare at Auren, who just promised them ‘treatment,’ an offer that visibly confuses them.“Why do we need treatment in the first place?” Elder Rein asks. “I do not have any injuries or missing body parts. In fact, thanks to diligent training, dedicated care and recovery periods, and a few expensive and potent herbs, I believe I am in excellent shape. I still feel as though I grow stronger with each passing day, despite my age.”

“I could explain,” Auren says calmly, “but it will be easier—and more importantly, faster—if you simply trust me. You will see what I mean once we are done here.” He pauses, letting his words sink in. “Let us finish the meeting, and then we will begin.”

“Accept his gracious offer,” Rakshala adds, smiling as she speaks. “This is certainly a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity. You will not want to miss it. It will make you feel many years younger. Any lingering injuries, any adverse conditions—they can be healed. I need every one of you at your best for what lies ahead. Health scares, weakness, fatigue—these are luxuries I cannot afford. If there is a simple solution to prevent them, we must use it now.”

“Now I consider this discussion over,” Rakshala continues, her tone firm, not leaving room for further discussion. “You will receive treatment immediately after we are finished here. Some among you may finally begin to understand why I value Auren’s contributions so highly afterwards. Without him, none of this would even be possible.”

She then goes on to explain her recent acquisitions—the land, the airships, the cargo ships—and even the power of her new Hatsu. Her words leave the Elders stunned.

“Some of you were already aware of these things, as I’ve instructed you to look for settlers, with loyalty towards our case,” she explains. “This is where my Hatsu comes into play.”

She continues going into detail about her hatsu, and the moment she finishes describing the conditions, several Elders immediately volunteer to receive the tattoo.

Rakshala activates her new Hatsu. Her body suddenly grows the same mysterious vines, thorns, leaves, and rose-flowers, as Auren had seen last time.

Fascinated, one after one, starting with Elder Grunah, the Elders willingly receive a mark.

Some choose their arms, some their necks, and a bald elder even selects his head for the location of the mark. It doesn’t take long, and seemingly not a lot of Aura either, as the process is over within a few minutes.

To Auren’s surprise, every single Elder’s mark blossoms into a fully opened rose. Only Buno’s and Bunu’s roses remain half‑open, making Auren smirk in amusement.

Hehe, so the only ones not fully loyal are these two, that’s funny. Looks like these two won’t have to do any work again.

A few of the other Elders exchange glances and scoff at Buno and Bunu, clearly disappointed by their results.

I would fail this so-called test as well. This is not so much about loyalty as it is about fanaticism. At least that’s what I’m guessing.

“I am pleased with these results,” Rakshala says, her voice cold but satisfied. “We require at least a few Elders to remain inside our new territory. With your marks, you will act as catalysts for my ability. You will be able to spread it. It would be preferable for some of the senior members to qualify as well, so the burden on the rest is eased. To bloom a full rose requires not only unwavering loyalty to our cause—not just loyalty to me—but also significant skill in Nen. I am glad that each of you qualifies. Every person within our territory will require a mark, or a suitable item. I will provide these to key members later if, for some reason, they cannot receive the mark directly.”

“You never told us what the mark does,” Auren notes, interrupting her. “Aside from its conditions restricting the target from betraying us and exposing possible plants.”

“Every single mark acts as a small marker. With enough markers, my En will increase in range, sensitivity, and precision, as long as it comes into contact with them. Imagine it as an expanding net, not too dissimilar to radio waves, each person acting as a small utility pole, extending my coverage. However, there can’t be large holes inside my extended En radius. It needs to be connected to me, so a lot of people are required. I estimate that with millions of markers, I can extend my En range to cover half of the continent—provided enough of our people are evenly spread out over it. It becomes like a vast beacon system.”

“What would happen if hundreds of millions were spread over the entire world… no… the entire lake?” Auren asks.

“Simple. My En would cover the entire lake as well,” she replies, provoking gasps of shock from the Elders, who look more than just impressed.

Can a human brain even process that amount of information? It’s certainly useful, but these Elders... they adore her. They would probably agree with everything she says—their reactions are so exaggerated.

The meeting continues with detailed plans concerning the upcoming expansion into the Northeastern Yorbian Continent. Maps are spread out, routes marked, and possible locations for cities, ports, and supply stations are discussed in detail.

Eventually, Rakshala turns to Auren. “Auren, would you be interested in helping with the expedition? Before we can settle there, we need to clear the wilderness first. I have already scouted a large portion of the area, using a few members, but there are dangerous beasts inhabiting the forests of that region.”

“Sure,” Auren replies. “That sounds like a proper job for a Hunter. I need the training, and I need targets with strong life force... you know why. As long as I am free to leave at any time, I’ll gladly help. I might bring some of my students and friends along—of course, they’ll all sign the contract. I already made them aware of that before they entered our base, so there's no cause for worry. Most of them have already shown interest in joining officially.”

“Excellent. We will need a full month of preparation, so there is no need to rush,” Rakshala says. “We shall go over the details in the upcoming meetings.”

“I will focus on recovering our personnel until then,” Auren continues. “It would be ideal if you could send over the injured people soon, maybe in a week or two, because I have a very important meeting in approximately three weeks. In the meantime, I will work on the patients currently in hospitals, then move on to those in our hospices. Please give me that list, or send someone to assist me with it.”

The meeting continues. After a total of eight long hours, most of the time Rakshala speaking, it finally comes to a close. She hands out thick folders to everyone, each labelled ‘Classified – Project Root.’

“Time to get to work then,” Auren says, standing and stretching his legs as he looks over the elders. “Who’s first?”

Confidently, Elder Grunah steps forward. “Thank you. Neffi keeps bragging about it, so I’m curious. I suspect that Hatsu is one of the reasons she fell in love with you.”

“What are you even saying?” Auren replies, shaking his head slightly.

Even if that were true, it would be harsh to say it directly to her. Neffi would blow up if she heard her Master say something like that.

Ignoring the remark, Auren activates Azure Restoration. His entire Aura glows in the familiar Azure hue, the colour filling the entire room. All the Elders watch him with keen interest.

Without hesitation, he stretches out his hands and places them on Grunah’s shoulders. His Aura spreads into her body, enveloping her completely.

Within a few minutes, she looks visibly refreshed and even a couple of years younger. Some blemishes on her skin, scars, and a single prominent wart on her neck, suddenly gone, erased out of existence.

Grunah exhales deeply, staring at her own body in astonishment. She steps aside carefully, raising her arms and legs to test herself, carefully examining the changes in her body. Most strikingly, her bent back is now completely straight, making her appear far younger and inadvertently taller.

“This is… now I understand,” she says softly. “Maybe we can do that again sometime soon.”

“Give it a few years, and we can do this again. Any sooner, and the changes would be minuscule,” Auren explains, confidence firm in his voice. “Anyway, next!”

Suddenly, the Elders all step forward, glaring at each other.

“My children... proceed in an orderly fashion!” Rakshala warns them, her voice slightly raised.

Children… is that how she sees them? Maybe... just a little.

Auren attends to every elder—some require only a few minutes, while others, mostly the Elders approaching a hundred years, demand more than twice that amount of time.

After Auren finishes with everyone, his body is slick with sweat, and his head spins with dizziness.

His entire Aura is nearly depleted.

“Barely made it,” he breathes out, visibly relieved.

“I’ll head home now,” he announces, grabbing the small mountain of documents distributed during the meeting. “I am ready to start tomorrow.”

Without looking back, he swiftly departs the meeting room, descends to the ground level, and exits the administrative building, making his way home.

After a satisfying dinner, cooked not only by his maids but also by Marsha, who is unable to sit idle and has to help, Auren surveys the room.

Despite everyone focusing on their own individual pursuits, everyone has come together for dinner. Even Goreinu and his maids have joined, a sight that, for some reason, pleases Auren.

It’s not so bad... even if we all have our own things to focus on, as long as we can convene once in a while, I think I am satisfied. I’ll do my best tomorrow, healing patients. I’ve waited for an opportunity to use my ability without holding back, and thanks to the oath and the marks that everyone will be receiving, there is no risk of exposing my ability.