Journey to Find Heroic Spirits

"Let's go!" Yuxian patted his butt and stood up. The mission was complete, and it was time to reap the rewards.

Rentaro was curious and stepped forward, wanting to open the box to see what this so-called 'Seven Stars' Relic' was.

Yuxian stopped him. "Rentaro, don't be so curious. Sometimes, knowing too much will only bring you more pain."

Rentaro paused his actions, stunned for a moment. In the end, he didn't open the box, but the doubts in his heart only grew.

Carrying the box to the Ministry of Defense, they handed it over to the officials there.

After waiting for only a moment, they received confirmation that the commission was completed, and the bounty was successfully deposited into the Tendo Civil Security Company's account.

Seeing the extra digits in the account, Kisaragi Tendo paced back and forth in the office.

As soon as Yuxian and the others entered the office, she pulled them over and pressed them into their seats.

She exclaimed dramatically, "Tendo Civil Security Company finally has money!"

Seeing her so beside herself with excitement, it was clear how dire the company's situation had been before. However, one billion yen was indeed a huge sum; many companies might not earn that much in many years.

Kisaragi Tendo calmed down slightly and said seriously, "I've decided to give each person one hundred million from this money, and the remaining two hundred million will be used as the company's operating funds."

Rentaro raised his hand and asked, "Kisaragi-nee, did you miscalculate? There are nine people here. How can giving each person one hundred million leave two hundred million?"

Kisaragi Tendo replied with certainty, "I didn't miscalculate. There are nine people here, but I heard Rentaro didn't contribute anything, so he's not included."

"Hey, hey! I risked my life too! How can you say I didn't contribute!" Rentaro protested this unfair distribution.

Enju Aihara stood to the side, hands on her hips, and burst into laughter. "Rentaro, I'm going to be rich from now on! Hurry up and marry me, and I'll give you a little bit of my money."

The cheerful distribution of spoils concluded. Since Illya had also participated this time, Yuxian received six hundred million, another substantial income.

This time, he decided to find a place to live in the city to avoid the hassle of commuting back and forth.

Knowing Yuxian's plan, Rentaro enthusiastically took them around to look for suitable housing.

He was very familiar with the area and finally found a place not far from his own home. Yuxian felt the environment was good and decided to rent it as a temporary base.

The house was quite large, enough for the six of them, Yuxian included, to live without feeling crowded.

This time, they had informed Atalanta beforehand, letting her know they would be staying in the city and not to worry. They also gave her their location so she could find them if needed.

Everyone bought some daily necessities and excitedly decorated their temporary new home.

Seeing a row of beds in one of the rooms, Yuxian said helplessly, "There are so many empty rooms, why do you all want to crowd together?"

"Because Mom is here!" Jack immediately replied as a matter of course.

"Mhm, it's more fun with Master," Gretel chimed in.

"I... I want to be with everyone," Little Jeanne said hesitantly.

"Is Master going to drive Illya away again?" Illya looked at him with teary eyes. What else could Yuxian say?

He saw Mash, standing beside him, looking like she had something to say. He blinked and asked, "Mash, do you want to sleep here too?"

"I'll sleep in the room next door!" Mash said, her face bright red, and ran off.

Yuxian inwardly lamented, What a shame.

ps:

Mash: Okita-san! Okita-san!

Okita Souji: What is it, Mash?

Mash: Hurry and change into this outfit and come with me to see Senpai!

Mash: Senpai, Okita Alter is here!

Okita Souji: Zetsuken: Mumei... Mukei Sandan!

Section 31 Chapter 11 Jack, Night, Fog, Dismantling

Late at night, five people were sprawled haphazardly in Yuxian's room. The once spacious room had become quite cramped after being occupied by a row of beds.

Among them, Gretel had the most dominant sleeping posture. Despite acting like a little lady during the day, her sleeping habits at night were exceptionally unrestrained.

She sprawled out, taking up a huge amount of space, pushing her companions to the side.

Jack rolled over, her hands finding nothing. She hadn't touched the person next to her.

She opened her groggy eyes and found herself squeezed into the corner by Gretel. She immediately wanted to squeeze back to Yuxian's side.

Just then, she suddenly felt as if she were being watched, and she instantly woke up.

There was no abnormality in the room. The door was locked, and the curtains on the window were drawn. In the pitch-black space, only the breathing of a few people could be heard.

Quietly approaching the window, Jack gently pulled back a corner of the curtain and looked outside.

The night sky was covered by dark clouds, and neither the moon nor the stars provided any light. The entire city was shrouded in a faint mist, and visibility was poor.

Looking at the dimly visible high-rise buildings in the distance, her intuition told her someone was watching this room from there.

She entered her stealth state, intending to jump out the window and investigate.

Before she could make a move, she seemed to think of something. She quickly took off the cute pajamas she was wearing and neatly placed them on the bed, revealing a black cloak.

The cloak looked very old, with holes in its tattered edges. It was so ragged that no one would pick it up even if it were thrown by the roadside.

Jack hadn't worn this outfit in a long time. Yuxian didn't like her dressing like this; he preferred Jack in cute, pretty clothes like a little girl.

Little Jack was very obedient to her mother, but now she felt this outfit was better because it wouldn't get her other pretty clothes dirty.

She leaped out the window and landed silently, her footsteps swift as she moved through the city.

Night was her domain.

Especially tonight, with no moon or starlight, a sky covered in dark clouds, and damp air, the entire city was shrouded in a faint mist, making her feel even more at home.

Her footsteps were fast, yet made no sound, like a silent, invisible ghost. No one could detect her presence.

The slight breeze stirred by her running brushed against the faces of people traveling at night, the cool, refreshing wind making them instinctively pull their coats tighter.

Jack's target was clear. She sped directly towards a tall building, her instincts sensing the malice in the prying gaze that had drawn her out alone on such a late night.

No one could hurt their mother. Absolutely no one. Anyone who dared would be killed.

In Jack's limited memories, the person who had treated her the best was Yuxian. She depended deeply on him. Though she didn't know why she felt this way, she was happy and liked it.

"Found you."

On the rooftop of the tall building, a man in black stood on the terrace, facing the direction of Yuxian's rented apartment, observing the distance.

Tools were placed beside him, indicating he was a night-dweller engaged in dark work. It was he who had been monitoring Yuxian's room.

Jack didn't attack immediately. She slowly approached him, silently positioning herself behind the man in black, like his shadow.

The man in black was completely unaware of Jack's arrival, continuing his surveillance.

Jack tilted her small head, drew two daggers, and held them in reverse grip, contemplating where to strike.

Just then, the man in black took out his phone and answered a call, addressing the person respectfully, "Sir!"

A low voice came from the phone's receiver: "How is the investigation?"

"Sir, I've confirmed their location. They didn't return to the outer districts. They rented a place in the city and are all staying there now. There are six of them: two adults and four children."

The man in black respectfully reported Yuxian and the others' situation to the caller, his body unconsciously straightening as if the "Sir" he spoke of were standing right in front of him.

Jack, who had been about to act, paused again. She listened quietly, her keen hearing allowing her to clearly discern the voice from the phone.

At that moment, her mind raced. She immediately realized that the person on the other end was the true enemy, the greater threat.

Silence stretched for a long time. The man in black dared not rush him, standing rigidly still, awaiting the "Sir's" command.

Finally, the voice spoke again: "Don't draw their attention. Find a suitable moment and quietly eliminate them... find a secluded place."

"Yes, Sir!"

With a beep, the call ended.

The man in black let out a long sigh. The "Sir's" imposing presence made him nervous even over the phone.

After putting away his phone, he prepared to resume monitoring Yuxian's apartment. Suddenly, a thick fog enveloped him, the surroundings shifted, and he found himself in an unfamiliar environment.

Facing this sudden, unknown change, he became extremely flustered, raising his weapon warily, guarding against a potential attack.

"You can't hurt Mommy!"

A little girl's voice sounded from behind him. He quickly turned, trying to see who it was.

He succeeded in seeing the little girl's face.

Simultaneously, the sounds of splattering blood and scattering internal organs filled the air, and his consciousness began to fade.

And in his despairing final moments, what he saw was a pure, angelic smile.

The thick fog dissipated. Jack sat on the edge of the terrace, her legs dangling in the air, dozens of meters above the ground. A slight misstep could send her plummeting.

If Yuxian saw this, he would surely scold her and tell her how dangerous it was.

Behind her lay the man in black's dismembered corpse. Yet, strangely, his face showed no contortion from pain. Instead, it looked eerily peaceful, as if he had died contentedly.

Jack swung her legs in the air, cupped her cheeks with both hands, and muttered softly, "Where are you?"

Suddenly, she stopped swinging her legs, executed a backflip, and landed steadily on the rooftop. Her eyes sparkled as she said, "Jack found you."

A gust of wind blew, and Jack was no longer on the rooftop. Only the man in black's mangled corpse remained.

Section 32 Chapter 12: We Will Protect Mommy

Kikunojo Tendo, the aide to Seitenshi and the most powerful person in the Tokyo area, had ascended to the highest position a politician could achieve.

Ever since his wife died in the Gastrea War ten years ago, he had harbored a deep hatred for all Gastrea.

He equally detested the Cursed Children, who carried the Gastrea Virus and would eventually turn into Gastrea.

Seitenshi intended to enact the "New Gastrea Law," attempting to grant these Cursed Children equal social status.

Kikunojo Tendo outwardly said nothing, but he was vehemently opposed in secret. To this end, he did not hesitate to hire Hiruko Kage胤, hoping to incite widespread chaos and trigger a great extinction.

However, Hiruko Kage胤 failed. The Seven Stars' Relic was recovered by Yuxian and his companions, and his meticulously planned conspiracy was resolved without causing even the slightest ripple.

He was annoyed that he had to once again take a huge political risk and swap out the Seven Stars' Relic.

This time, he absolutely wouldn't allow anyone to disrupt his plans again. Yuxian and the others had become obstacles to him, thorns in his side.

Kikunojo Tendo knelt quietly in the room. He lived alone. His son had already been designed and killed by him. All his grandsons held important positions, and his granddaughters viewed him as an enemy, having left home with their adopted brother, Rentaro.

This was the Tendo Style dojo, located in the most central, prime spot of the entire Tokyo metropolitan area, yet he could only live there alone.

He had heard about the changes in the outer districts, but that wasn't important. Those children were nothing more than monsters in his eyes, insignificant.

Instead, Yuxian and the others had to be dealt with. He wouldn't allow uncontrollable individuals to exist.

Kikunojo Tendo used the power at his disposal to send people to handle the matter. Now, he just needed to wait quietly for the results.

The night was already very deep.

The entire Tendo Style dojo was silent, eerily so, to the point where even the sound of insects was barely audible.

Kikunojo Tendo keenly sensed that something was amiss. He didn't move, but his entire being became highly alert.

As the current head of the Tendo Style, his combat skills were formidable, and his perception of danger was acute.

A strange mist rose in the room, and the surrounding scenery began to shift.

Kikunojo Tendo was unaffected by these illusions. He sat there composedly, motionless, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.

"Are you the one who's going to hurt Mama?"

Jack's voice echoed from within the mist. After hearing Kikunojo Tendo's voice on the phone, she found it somewhat familiar, and it took her a long time to remember she had heard it on television before.

Kikunojo Tendo's residence wasn't difficult to find, but Jack still spent a considerable amount of time locating it.