The two continued their trip the next day, it was relatively uneventful, though they did stop at a few small towns to sightsee. It wasn’t until about a little under a week after they left that something interesting happened. They were in a city a few days out from Leviathan city, it was smaller but still bigger than a town. It was built here because there was a decent hunting ground nearby in the form of a saltwater cave system that was rather large.

The interesting thing had nothing to do with the city’s history however. When they went to the hunter’s outpost as is standard when entering a city they found out some interesting info. This was of course after the clerk lady showed an appropriate amount of shock at their ranks. She still wasn’t all that composed as she gave them the news.

“One of the city’s in the Dragon territory has been laid to waste.” The clerk informed them.

“Which city?” Noel asked somewhat nervously. She doubted it was her home city, but you could never be sure with the calamities that exist out there.

“Wyvern city. It was destroyed by a large force of magical beasts. Apparently they are a special kind of beast of the ethereal type. They took the city off guard and killed most of the citizens and ran out a lot of the hunters.” She informed them causing Noel to both breathe a sigh of relief and equally one of regret. It was always a shame to lose people. “There is a force being built nearby to retake the city. The city itself is in good condition and can be salvaged as long as the enemy is pushed out. If you want to join you have a little over two weeks to get there. The offensive is being pushed from Silverblood city nearby. It’s the Silverbloods who are sponsoring the event.” She looked at Noel as she said this.

“Sounds just like grandfather.” Noel chuckled. “What do you think?” She asked Owari.

“We were going there anyway.” He shrugged.

“Might as well have some fun on our vacation. Thank you for the information.” She thanked the confused woman. She was wondering what Noel meant by ‘fun’ but decided not to ask.

The two made their way out of the outpost and made their way to the train. If they started heading there now they should just about make it. Of course it would give them minimal time back home, but that was fine. They were on vacation after all. So they got on the train and started their journey to Noel’s home city.

When they got back home they didn’t stick around for long. Owari went to visit Rebecca only to find her gone, same as Lance. Likely the two had already gone to the Dragon Territory. It was a big event after all. After that he went over and got Hebi. He decided to bring the hydra with him. It was currently too low in rank and he wanted to increase his available affinities. Ethereal magical beasts were hard to consume due to their nature. But Hebi has the ability to reinforce its fangs with mana and can bite down on them and eat them due to its powerful stomach acids. This would allow it to grow rapidly as it ate what is essentially pure mana. That is if he could bring it. That depended on the type of ethereal and how sneaky it was.

After getting Hebi and paying to have it ride along he met back up with Noel who similarly found Rebecca and Lance gone. They shrugged it off and boarded the train with the ever-faithful Morgana. As they made their way there they meditated the whole way. They wanted to be in peak condition for the coming event. Neither said it but they were both excited to fight a new type of enemy. Ethereals could supposedly only be hurt by mana. Owari wanted to put that to the test.

Eventually they reached their destination and saw exactly what it meant for such a large-scale expedition to be done. There were hunters all over the city. Usually hunters were on the rarer side, but now they were everywhere. You couldn’t walk down a street without meeting at least two hunters. Luckily the cities are all built with tamed beasts in mind so Hebi and the tiger were able to walk next to their masters just fine. Of course as always they attracted attention.

“I’ve been thinking and I finally have a name for the tiger.” Noel made small talk as they walked.

“What’s that?” Owari was curious.

“Guillotine.” Noel said proudly.

“You sure like dangerous names. Scythe and Guillotine?” Owari was amused.

“I like names that inspire fear.” Noel smiled smugly.

“Who would be afraid? They’d die before they knew the beast's name.” Owari just laughed.

“That’s the hope at least.” Noel admitted.

The two chatted until eventually they reached the Silverblood estate where Noel showed her ID and got them in easily. They made their way to the head building where Noel’s grandfather worked. When they arrived Noel and Owari walked up to the counter with her grandfather’s receptionist.

“Does grandfather have any openings today?” Noel asked with some respect. After all, to be a receptionist of such a high ranking person is worthy of respect.

“Let me check.” The woman didn’t discount her as she was his grandchild. “Seems so, at noon. Who is asking?”

“Noel and Owari.” Noel answered.

“Give me a moment.” She stood up and made her way to the back. When she came back she showed some surprise. “He said to go back immediately.”

“Alright.” Noel nodded and the two went towards the meeting room where they found her grandfather sitting comfortably.

“So I take it you’re here for the expedition?” He asked seriously.

“That’s secondary.” Owari answered. “We were actually on our way to visit since we were on vacation anyway.”

“Oh?” He was surprised.

“We came to tell you we’d be spending appreciation day here in the compound. We figured it would be more personal to tell you personally.” Noel answered this time.

“It is, and I’m thankful. I’d be glad to spend some time with you on the holiday. Or at least whenever I get the free time while you’re here. I hope you stick around a few days.” He knew he may not have the chance to see them right away.

“That’s fine. We will probably stay around a week.” Owari nodded.

“Perfect. By the way, when do you plan to tie the knot? I’d be happy to accept you into the family and the sooner it gets done the more time you can take in earning your place.” He asked with a kind smile. He seemed to really like Owari for some reason.

“Never really thought about it.” Owari considered it before turning to Noel. “How about our next birthday?”

“Sounds fine to me.” Noel agreed and thus it was done.

“Our next birthday?” Francis seemed amused.

“We share a birthday.” The two said at the same time with a smile.

“How coincidental.” He chuckled. “So you’re here to attend the expedition?” He got back to the point.

“Seems to be the plan.” Owari nodded.

“What about your vacation?” He was a bit confused.

“This is the vacation.” Noel answered as if it were obvious.

“You’ve spent your vacation fighting?” He felt like they were quite strange. He’d prefer to go to a hot spring and relax. Especially now that he had a private one. Something he again realized was because of Owari.

“That’s the best type of stress relief.” Noel sighed.

“Sure is, and it’s fun.” Owari chuckled.

“I see.” He couldn’t empathize with that these days. Maybe when he was younger but now he just wanted to relax. “Still, it’ll be good to have you helping out.”

“We’ll do our best.” Owari reassured him.

“By the way is father around?” Noel asked offhandedly, however based on how she interrupted the flow of the conversation she felt it was important.

“He’s one of the people heading the expedition so he should be around. If you go over near his place he should be there with anyone he has decided to bring along.” Francis replied.

“Alright.” Noel nodded and soon they went back to talking. After about ten minutes though Francis had to get back to work. Owari left with the distinct impression that Francis liked him. This was good news for him.

They immediately went over to Noel’s old home where her father was supposedly at right after. When they arrived they did indeed see her father with a couple people around him. They were all people Owari and Noel recognized. There was Max, Lee and Lin, and finally Lance. When they approached the four each had different reactions. Lance seemed to feel this was only natural, Max showed some surprise, Lee had an awkward smile, and Lin was shaking from rage.

“You!” She immediately locked onto Owari.

“I am in fact me.” Owari smiled calmly as they approached.

“What did you do?! The Amethyst Agency is furious with me.” If looks could kill then Owari would have been dead many times over.

“I showed the same amount of courtesy as their members showed me.” Owari said nonchalantly.

“My agency had nothing to do with that.” She replied.

“Oh but that’s where you are wrong. Whenever you go to events like that you represent your agency. So by insulting me there you were doing so on behalf of your agency. Learn your lesson.” Owari smiled with amusement.

“Just let it go.” Lee said with a sigh.

“Never.” Lin spat.

“Then I guess the embargo continues.” Owari chuckled, making Lin’s face scrunch up in rage. “If you had been more mature maybe I would have let it go.”

“You!” Lin couldn’t even speak she was so angry.

Everybody who had been watching seemed to expect such an outcome from their meeting. Everyone aside from Dustin who did know what was going on but didn’t know Lin as well as everyone else here. Max laughed and Lance chuckled, Lee had an awkward facial expression and Lin was enraged.

“Well this isn’t why we’re here.” Noel interrupted. “I came to see father.” She walked over to her dad with a smile.

“This is your father?” Max asked curiously.

“Yes.” Noel nodded.

Max was somewhat surprised as was everyone except Lance who already knew. It wasn’t like this was public knowledge. It had to be known her father is among the top five in his generation. That meant Noel was the daughter of one of the strongest people on the continent. He would be in the top twenty at least. That was just how strong the Silverblood family was to take so many spots so high up.

“It’s good to see you again Noel. And you.” He seemed calmer on the surface when he spoke to Owari, but he still seemed to be unable to accept him.

“It’s very good to see you too.” Owari smiled and expressed his genuine respect for the man. He may not get along with him, but he respected him as both Noel’s father and someone stronger. He was clearly able to feel it now. He was so much stronger than Owari he would die in one move.

Dustin for his part was unable to hide his surprise. Why was Owari acting so friendly with him? He didn’t show any of the same traits he had last time. The calm cunning young man from before was replaced with a simple warrior. Dustin wasn’t able to reconcile the conflict.

“So what’s going on here?” Noel interrupted her fathers thoughts.

“I was just talking to them about the plan we would be following. Would you like to join us?” Her father answered.

“Is Owari invited?” She asked more out of curiosity than anything else.

“If that’s the only way I can get you to join.” Her father replied, so Noel nodded. “Alright then. The plan is simple. We will act as a vanguard for the main forces and will go to one of the more densely populated areas to clear out the enemy. Remember to keep a close eye on one another. Ethereals have a habit of inhabiting bodies to hide their presence. This doesn’t affect the person but they will be radiating two mana types. When you find out you’ve been infected by an ethereal just use a body reinforcement technique and it will damage them.”

“It really is simple.” Max noted.

“Simple, yes. Easy, no.” Dustin responded. “Ethereals can only be hurt by magic attacks so mana is going to be scarce. I hope all of you have mana that matches your rank.”

“We do.” Owari answered.

“How do you know?” Lin asked with annoyance.

“I can sense mana obviously.” Owari looked at her with pity.

“Don’t look at me like that.” She said with more than a little anger.

“Alright.” Owari fixed his expression and smiled calmly.

“I don’t want any fighting while we are carrying out our duties.” Dustin said seriously.

“Yes sir.” Owari nodded. It was obvious that this would be best.

“That depends on him.” Lin answered at the same time.

“No, it depends on you. If we’re going to have a problem then leave now.” Dustin said even more seriously.

“Yes sir.” She answered after some hesitation.

“Good.” He nodded. He clearly believed she really would do as she said. The group talked a little more about what was expected of everyone before Dustin called an end to the meeting. They would meet again in two days when they were leaving for the mission. Today was the final day to find a group otherwise you’d be on your own. “You stay here.” He motioned to Noel.

“I’ll leave you two alone to catch up.” Owari waved to them and prepared to leave.

“See you later then. You remember where we’re staying right?” Noel asked with certainty, Owari was good at remembering stuff like that.

“I do, no need to worry.” He left just like that allowing the father and daughter to catch up.

Owari decided to go on a walk around the complex to familiarize him with the place. If everything went as it was he would not only be here again soon, but would also be visiting often. Because of this it was important for him to be aware of the layout and what was where.

As he walked around he greeted the various people both Silverblood and ordinary hunters alike. He didn’t discriminate and was humble in his greetings treating everyone equally regardless of strength or status. He also met a few acquaintances from the party before whom he hadn’t spoke to in a long time and he decided to talk to them to reestablish a connection. As for the Silverbloods, most knew who he was, and those that didn’t were told by their relatives upon meeting him.

When the time finally came Owari went to the agreed-upon lodging. It was a guest house on the edge of the Silverblood family’s property. Securing such a location was easy enough for them given Noel’s position. When he arrived there Noel was already waiting for him inside on the couch relaxing. She seemed to be in a good mood as well which was always a good thing.

“It’s good to see you again.” She spoke as soon as she saw him.

“Same here. How did your time with your father go?” He asked curiously.

“It was nice, it’s been so long since we could talk so much. Though he kept trying to bring you up I would always divert the subject.” Noel smiled as if something was funny.

“I take it that it was amusing.” Owari sat down next to her.

“Of course.” Noel laughed openly.

“This is a nice place for a guest house.” Owari changed the subject before Noel hurt herself from laughing. She seemed to find her father’s difficulty hilarious. After all he would have trouble denying his daughter the chance to talk to him after so long so he could only put up with it.

“It is isn’t it? My family values our guests highly.” Noel took pride in her family as always.

“It makes me think. Maybe I should buy a house.” Owari considered it. He had been living out of a hotel room for a year now.

“Why so suddenly?” Noel was surprised. He never showed interest before.

“It just feels about time for it. Don’t you think?” Owari wondered how she felt about her own accommodations. She could easily afford it with the salary she got from her family.

“I suppose a house would be nice.” Noel agreed. She liked her homely little apartment, but it was ultimately not hers.

“It shouldn’t be too hard for me to buy one. I do get a good amount of money from hunting and eventually my salary will come back after next year. I could get a decent loan considering my rank and my affiliation with the Orion Tradecenter.” Owari could easily pay off a loan with his earnings from hunting. Even though his salary wouldn’t come until the year after next. He had borrowed his next year’s salary to invest in the music box.

“An interesting idea.” Noel wondered about it. “What kind of house would you be interested in?”

“Good question. Personally other than a bedroom and a study to put my books in I could care less about the rest of the house.” Owari wasn’t good at cooking and all he did to relax could be done in his room.

“I’d personally like to have a good kitchen and a decent living room to put some comfortable furniture in. It would also be nice to have a dining room for eating in when guests are over.” Noel gave her opinion.

“Plus an extra room for guests?” Owari asked her curiously.

“Not that I plan to ever have guests sleep over. Though I suppose it would be smart to get a room or two extra for kids.” Noel smiled mischievously when she said this.

“Right.” Owari nodded with the same calm smile as ever.

“You’re secretly freaking out right?” Noel said with a pout.

“Sounds about right.” Owari chuckled.

“Good.” Noel smiled happily. “I’d also like an extra room for Morgana. She currently sleeps in another inn nearby my place. She even pays for it herself.”

“Sounds like we’d need a big house.” Owari chuckled. He felt it was fitting for people in their position, though he was surprised they would have the need for it.

“Sounds like it.” Neither Noel nor Owari questioned that they would buy a house together. “If we both applied for loans we could buy a decent house in the city I bet. Let’s look when we get back.”

“Of course.” Owari agreed and the two began talking in more detail before going to sleep together.

When they woke up the next morning they went for a walk around the city, they were curious what kind of city housed the famous Silverblood family. Noel was unaware as well as she never left the family compound until she moved to Leviathan city. The day was spent casually observing the city. It was relatively ordinary, culturally diverse buildings and districts separating the various parts of the city. It was still a fun walk. Soon the day was over though as it always passes fast when one is enjoying themselves. Noel and Owari made their way back and slept, excited for the next day.

When they woke up the next day they immediately made their way to Dustin’s home where they found nobody had arrived yet. Owari was always an early riser, and while she was definitely not a morning person Noel had picked up his habit of waking up earlier. They were so early Dustin had yet to appear.

They both sat down against the courtyard wall of the house and discussed various unimportant topics until the time came. Soon enough people started to show up starting with Dustin who was surprised to find them so early. He knew Noel didn’t really like mornings so he was shocked that she would be up so early. After him it was Lance, Max, then Lee and Lin in that order.

“Looks like everyone is here. Just on time too. Let’s get going, I’ll explain on the way.” Dustin ordered and everyone listened.

On the way to the larger meeting he explained their role, and after arriving they learned of the overall plan. The plan was to send out scouts to determine the danger levels of various locations. Then the vanguard would be sent in to clear out the more dangerous areas, and finally they would send in the cleanup crew made up of the weaker hunters to clear out the stragglers.

Some people wondered why the powerhouses of the Silverblood family couldn’t do it themselves. Though none dared to ask. The answer was twofold, one was that they needed people to stay behind and protect this city. The other was that they would probably destroy the entire city if they went out. Of course some like Dustin would go as backup and to do the leading, but they would likely not do much fighting for the sake of the city.

As they left Owari asked a question. “So what happens if we accidentally destroy buildings?”

“You shouldn’t need to worry about that. You can probably deal some damage to a building but destroying it is unlikely.” Dustin answered.

“No, I can definitely destroy a building.” Owari argued.

“What makes you think that?” Dustin was curious.

“Because I’m a platinum rank. Not even that, as a gold rank I could do it. My attacks are incredibly destructive.” Owari answered.

Dustin shut up at that. He had forgotten Owari’s rank because of his age and due to his dislike of the kid. He had to admit that Owari’s ability was likely unsurpassed for his age. Some people like his father were able to reach the same rank by around his age. But it was definitely impressive even if he didn’t want to admit it.

The group made their way to the city which took about half a day by express train, which was free for the sake of the mission obviously. When they arrived outside of town the group waited for the go-ahead from above. However they curiously observed the city from afar. There were some ethereals floating in the sky above the city looking for new prey. The city itself was a ghost town, both literally and figuratively.

Owari sensed something weird from the ethereals. He couldn’t pinpoint it but something was familiar about these beings. However he was too far away to recognize it. Soon though he would find out what it was as his group was given their orders and made their way into the city. They were heading into the central district where they would take care of a group of gold-ranked ethereals with some silver ranks.

When they arrived at the city they carefully observed the ethereals and checked their properties. They were humanoid-shaped specters that looked like grey fire that was constantly burning. They had glowing red eyes and black maws that seemed to suck in everything including the light. They had no legs and instead floated off the ground, and their hands ended in claws instead of hands.

When they arrived at their designated location they were able to tell the difference between silver and gold ranks. Silver ranks looked as described. But gold ranks also have a pair of wings behind them. Owari was curious why they would need wings, but it was pointless to ask. Nobody had any idea what these even were. They were an entirely new species.

When the ethereals noticed the group they rushed immediately. Unlike the previous silver ranks they seemed to be more sure of victory over the group. However this was because Owari and Dustin hid their real strength. Soon the group of twelve gold ranks rushed the group. Lee and Lin who were only just in mid gold rank panicked. But Max who had been in mid gold for a little while was more confident, as was Lance who was similar. However the only two completely unbothered by the group of ethereals were Noel and Owari.

Owari stuck behind planning to support whoever needed it while Noel led the charge. She rushed forward even faster than the ethereals and took on a group of three alone. That left nine for the other four. Lance and max joined up and took on five together, while Lee and Lin took on the last four. This was likely a losing battle. After all the groups were lopsided. Even if the ethereals were only low gold rank it was still difficult to fight two enemies of lower rank than you. Only Noel who was much higher in strength to the ethereals would have it easier and even then it would be difficult.