Chapter 90: Cleanup

“Interesting suit,” Auren comments, crossing his arms, staring at Pariston’s crazy bright and glittering suit.“Oh, indeed! It’s absolutely one of my favorites. Only the most exquisite materials were used—handcrafted and tailored perfectly to fit me by one of the most successful tailors in the world,” Pariston replies with a beaming smile.

“I actually know a friend who also recently got into the... ‘tailoring industry’,” Auren says, his tone carrying a subtle hint of mockery.

“Oh, how interesting! I’d love to meet them! But as much as I’d enjoy discussing the finer details of tailoring, I’m afraid we should take care of the issue at hand.” Pariston says looking genuinely disappointed.

“A good idea,” Auren agrees. “I’ve already dealt with the hired help and the ones in charge, but a few people are still missing. I tried calling my friends earlier, but the call didn’t go through... let me try again.”

“Please do so. This is very important, Auren,” Pariston says before turning toward the men in black suits. “Go ahead! We need to help Auren’s friends. Be careful not to accidentally attack them. I’m holding you responsible.”

More people begin streaming into the warehouse while Auren steps aside, pulling out his phone. He dials Machi, figuring Pakunoda is probably busy digging through memories and Shalnark might need his phone for his Hatsu.

“Are you alright? Are there enemies around? We’ve got backup coming!” Auren asks, his voice still loud enough for others nearby to hear.

I hate it when I have to act like this! I have to go through this charade... I’ve got no other choice.

“...still busy. Done with the first. If you can, give us more time,” Machi replies in her usual flat tone.

“Don’t worry, backup is here. We’re securing the place,” Auren reassures her. “If possible, meet up with them.”

He ends the call and walks back to Pariston. “They’re in bad condition, but they believe there aren’t any more thieves around... though they can’t be sure.”

“I hope that’s true,” Pariston says lightly. “Good work so far! I still can’t believe both Orto and Laura turned out to be thieves... what a cruel twist of fate. This is simply a nightmare!”

Auren sighs, not even attempting to argue with him.

I realized something... a normal person can’t win against someone like him. If you try to argue, he’ll twist the conversation until you’re the one losing. The best way to deal with people like him is to avoid getting baited—just refuse to play his games. Not only won’t you lose, but you also piss them off. That’s what Pariston probably hates most... getting ignored.

“I’m wounded and exhausted,” Auren says, feigning weariness. “Sorry, Pariston, but I need to rest. Let’s talk again once your hunters have secured the premises and my partners are back.”

“Oh, of course,” Pariston replies with a grin. “Let’s go back outside and wait in the car.”

“I’ll stay here. I’m a little worried about my colleagues,” Auren answers flatly, not accepting his suggestion.

No way I’m stepping into a car with that guy if I can help it.

“Of course,” Pariston says again, still smiling widely. “I’ll see you later then. Once everything is secure, let’s talk in my office. If you’re staying here, I might as well look for your friends myself. After all, I should set an example for others.”

With that, he turns and walks deeper into the warehouse.

I hope things turn out okay.

Exactly ten minutes later, Pariston returns. A few hunters follow behind him—and with them, Shalnark, Pakunoda, and Machi.

Where is the rich guy and Laura? This probably means....

Despite Pariston’s ever-present smile, Auren catches a faint trace of dissatisfaction in his expression.

Looking closer, he sees the hunters carrying several corpses, among them the young man who had been leading the thieves, and Laura herself.

No witnesses. No clues. Looks like we did it.

“Well... this has been a unique experience,” Pariston says, brushing invisible dust from his sleeve. “Quite useful for my future decision-making. I’ll be avoiding scenes like this from now on and focusing on work inside the Association building—preferably my office.” He gives a light sigh, as though the night has taken a toll on him.

“How about you and your friends take a rest? We’ll talk in a few days, as soon as you’re ready. We have several things to address—most importantly, the matter of the stolen licenses. I’m sure you’ll surprise me... won’t you, Auren? After all, there are quite a few hunters depending on you. They need their licenses returned. I would be very grateful if you and your friends used the... fruits of your labor, namely your investigation, to accomplish what I initially asked of you.”

Exactly three hours later, with the sun slowly rising, Auren and the three Troupe members sit inside a hotel room in the centre of Swardani City. After Auren briefly uses Azure Restoration for a short round of treatment they begin to discuss the events of the night.

“I’m confused,” Auren says. “From Pariston’s expression, he seemed to see this as his loss, which is quite surprising. I doubt he’d ever explain what he’s really thinking, or what’s actually going on. I take it you learned at least something from those two?”

“We focused on the important things,” Shalnark answers. “The licenses are in a rented security locker inside a large bank. It just requires a number to open, which we got.”

“Why...” Auren tilts his head. “They committed thefts over such a long time. Why didn’t they sell them yet? Why would they keep something like that? Not a single sold license?!”

“I asked the same thing,” Shalnark replies with a small smile. “Turns out they found a buyer offering ten billion per license.”

“So much... sounds almost too good to be true,” Auren mutters. “The licenses are expensive and valuable, but I don’t think ten billion is a reasonable amount. I’d estimate maybe two or three at most.

“The buyer paid one billion for each license upfront,” Shalnark continues. “For some reason, he avoided meeting the thieves directly and kept delaying the deal. But he still dutifully paid a billion for every new license they stole. Of course they offered proof for their thefts.”

“One billion is cheap compared to the full value of a license,” Auren says. “But I suppose it was enough. They didn’t lose anything, just held onto the licenses and still got paid a decent amount.”

“I believe it was a trap,” Shalnark says finally. “The so-called buyer remained anonymous. Payments were made anonymously too.”

“... I’m almost scared to ask, but... who would pay a billion and not expect anything in return?” Auren says.

“It’s a mystery,” Machi says.

“Nothing in return...” Pakunoda repeats softly.

“Not exactly nothing,” Auren interjects. “I have realized something. The buyer gained something, namely an opportunity to buy them for an insane price later on and the assurance that they won’t get sold to anyone else.”

Shalnark nods. “That’s what I think too. The buyer paid a billion, making the thieves celebrate and expect to earn ten times more. So they stole more and more licenses, but held onto them instead of immediately selling them, keeping them safe for now.”

He then glances at Auren and the others. “Now... who would benefit from that kind of setup?”

“Pariston...” Auren says slowly. “It’s insane. Does this really make sense? Did Pariston order the thefts himself, or did he just use the opportunity to act as an interested buyer? Maybe we are just overthinking things... but I could definitely imagine Pariston doing something like that.”

“Yes. Not only was he fully prepared for our little bust, but I think he kept those two traitors on the mission on purpose. Laura told us she wasn’t blackmailed—she joined them willingly years ago. As you probably guessed, she was under the rich leader’s Nen ability, which let her resist most hatsus that control or influence the mind. Even Paku’s. That’s why she avoided being exposed earlier. She made the perfect spy. Immune to most hatsus, unable to be controlled, and a strong fighter, capable of even putting up a fight against us!”

“I would never lose a fair one-on-one fight,” Machi mutters, still holding a grudge.

Shalnark folds his arms. “The thieves don’t impress me. Pariston, however, is a genius. He baited them. Now he gets to take credit for exposing a massive license-thieving ring, boosting his reputation. And on top of that, he’s expecting us to give him the licenses. If that happens, he’ll be able to win over every hunter who lost theirs, pulling them into his camp. I don’t know how yet, but with enough leverage, he’ll manage it, no doubt about it.”

“We should keep the licenses,” Machi says with a mischievous grin. “Or return them ourselves.”

“No,” Auren shakes his head. “I want to cut ties with him completely. To do that, I need the licenses for a deal. I don’t want to start an open conflict with him. Also, the girls are still in the Association’s grasp. I’m guessing you asked the boss I spared about the rest of their fortune, too, right? Take all of it as compensation. I only need the licenses. He’ll pay me one hundred million for each one anyway, which is more than enough for the exorcism.”

“Sounds fine to me,” Shalnark agrees.

“I’m staying here for a while, taking care of the kids. Afterwards, I’ll return to Meteor City for a bit longer,” Auren says.

“We’ll excuse ourselves then,” Pakunoda says. “Let’s retrieve the licenses, and I’d say we’re done.”

“I agree,” Shalnark nods.

“I... fine. Is that really okay, Auren? It was my idea to save those kids...” Machi says, looking conflicted.

“Yes. I’ll take care of them from now on. You’ll see them again when I return to Meteor City,” Auren reassures her.

He continues asking questions about their Nen abilities and training, but Pakunoda can’t tell him much. She only had time to dig into the most important matters.

Finally, the group arrives at a large, luxurious-looking bank. Auren retrieves the stolen licenses, while Shalnark empties the thieves’ fortune into his own accounts.

“This turned out to be surprisingly profitable,” Shalnark remarks. “If you use anonymous bank accounts, it’s child’s play to drain them if you get access to the right information.”

Auren shrugs, uninterested in the few billion Shalnark claims. He looks at the stack of licenses in front of him and gives a satisfied nod.

“I’ll see you soon,” Auren says, gathering them up.

The Phantom Troupe members nod back, and they go their separate ways.

I’ve got five licenses I won’t hand over. Orto’s, Laura’s, and the three belonging to the people I killed. They’ll probably be blocked sooner or later, but for now, I can at least give them to Hollow Blade. I’ve got a list of contacts, and they have people in Swardani City. Better to hand them over before I visit Pariston.