Chapter 106: The Family Meeting

In the living room were Reinhard, Emily, Maki, Lily, and Yuna.

Emily looked at Reinhard. "You said there are three groups involved."

Reinhard nodded. "The Collectors, Silent Night, and the Baal Family."

Lily’s expression hardened at the first name. She already knew about the Collectors, while Yuna understood the danger surrounding Silent Night. Maki only knew the Baal Family by reputation.

"The Collectors are the easiest to understand," Reinhard explained. "I’ve had several encounters with them and investigated their activities afterward. They collect things they consider valuable, whether that’s rare Gnosis, unusual abilities, bloodlines, relics, or people who possess something they can’t easily obtain themselves."

Lily frowned. "They’re the ones who tried to take you."

"One of the groups involved, yes. Their previous operation wasn’t really about me, though. I was useful because I was connected to Emily, and they were willing to use the people around her to get information about the Black Moon Incident."

Maki’s expression became serious. "The Black Moon."

Emily remained silent.

Lily noticed the change in her expression and tilted her head. "Wait. If all three groups are interested in the Black Moon, then what actually happened with it?"

The room fell quiet.

Emily lowered her eyes before clasping her hands together. "It’s not something we should focus on right now."

Lily blinked. "But it’s the reason they’re looking for you."

Maki looked toward Emily as well. "Even if we don’t know everything, shouldn’t we at least understand what we’re dealing with?"

Emily sighed softly. "Yeah. I know you guys want answers, but it’s not something I’m ready to talk about yet."

She paused before adding, "Not until there are at least two S-Rank in the family."

Maki frowned. "Even though that’s the reason they’re looking for you?"

"Yeah."

Lily considered that for a moment before shrugging. "Then okay. It’s not like knowing will stop them from targeting us anyway."

Reinhard smiled faintly. "Then we’ll delay it."

Emily looked toward him.

"But you know we can’t do it forever, right?"

Emily nodded. "I know."

She looked around the table. "I’ll tell you when the time comes. I know you all want answers, but for now, I just need you to trust me."

Reinhard nodded. "Okay, then. We’ll leave it. We already know it’s a sore spot for you."

Emily’s expression softened. "Thank you."

She looked toward the others. "Thank you...everyone."

Yuna gave her a small nod before asking, "And Silent Night?"

"I’ve been looking into them since the first assassin came after Emily," Reinhard said. "I also had Eclipse cross-reference several names and incidents for me. The information isn’t complete, but there are enough connections to know their interest isn’t accidental."

Yuna nodded. "Silent Night isn’t simply working with Baal?"

"Not exactly. They have their own reason for investigating the Black Moon, although I couldn’t determine exactly what they’re looking for."

"Like what?"

"Twilight Star." Reinhard said, making them blink.

"I’ve heard the name before..." Emily replied. "Someone I knew mentioned an incident in Virelia that almost crippled multiple Syndicates."

Yuna nodded. "That’s what I’ve heard too."

Reinhard tilted his head. "Either way, it seems the Baal family has information on it for the Silent Night."

Emily’s fingers tightened around the edge of the table.

"And Baal?"

The atmosphere immediately changed.

Reinhard looked directly at her. "The Baal Family is more complicated."

Emily’s expression hardened. "How complicated?"

"I don’t know everything," Reinhard admitted. "But they’ve been investigating the Black Moon for years, and they’ve been investigating you along with it."

Emily narrowed her eyes. "What exactly did you find?"

"Enough to know they believe you know something about the Black Moon that nobody else does."

"They’re wrong."

"I know."

Emily’s voice became quieter. "You don’t understand. They don’t need proof."

Reinhard waited.

"If the Baal Family decides someone has something they want, they don’t simply ask for it. They investigate the person, pressure the people around them, and look for weaknesses until they find something they can use."

Maki looked toward her. "You know them that well?"

Emily shook her head. "Not personally. But everyone near the top of the Awakener world knew who they were."

She paused before continuing, "They were already a dangerous family when I was active. Powerful, wealthy, connected, and willing to do things other families wouldn’t."

Her gaze settled on Reinhard.

"There were families I could afford to offend. Baal wasn’t one of them."

Nobody spoke for a moment.

Emily had once fought monsters most Awakeners couldn’t approach, yet even she had treated the Baal Family carefully. That alone told Reinhard how serious the situation was.

He reached across the table and placed his hand over hers. "They’re not going to take you."

Emily looked at him. "I know. But if they come, I don’t want us to be unprepared."

Maki straightened. "Do you know what they’re planning?"

"Not completely. I know they’ve been interested in Emily’s recovery and the Black Moon. The Collectors are gathering information, Silent Night has its own objective, and Baal has been investigating both Emily and the incident. I just don’t know what they’ll do next."

"Then how much danger are we actually in?" Maki asked.

Reinhard looked around the table. "Enough that I’m telling all of you this."

Maki immediately began thinking through their defenses. "If they know where we live, this house is the obvious target. The Barrier Signal helps, but we need more surveillance, an evacuation plan, and clear responsibilities if someone attacks."

Yuna nodded. "And the Teleportation Escape Relic?"

"It can move everyone almost immediately."

"Then we need another safe location."

"We already have the Aurelius residence."

Maki looked toward the training wing. "Then we should use the Family Training Array."

"If we’re being watched by organizations like this, sitting inside the house and hoping our defenses are enough isn’t a strategy," she continued. "We need experience."

Lily looked toward Reinhard. "Is there a way for us to get stronger quickly?"

"Well yeah through resources–"

"No, even with resources, Lily and Maki would still lack the experience. Just rapidly devouring mana isn’t going to help them in a real fight." Yuna pointed out.

"I agree. I also need to gain more experience in real combat to regain my lost senses." Emily said with a sigh. "We should go to Saint E... Elyndor."

"The city of combat?" Yuna said in surprise.

Everyone looked at her.

"Yeah, we will be staying there for a month," Emily added.

Reinhard raised an eyebrow. "You’re serious."

"Completely. We need real combat." She looked at her hands. "Before my Gnosis shattered, I didn’t think about every movement. I could read opponents, react, change tactics, and keep fighting naturally. I need to recover that instinct, and Maki and Lily need experience as well."

Maki nodded. "Real missions would force us to make decisions under pressure."

"Exactly," Emily said before looking toward Lily. "And Lily needs to learn when to attack, when to retreat, and when to trust someone else’s judgment."

"I can do that," Lily said.

Maki gave her a skeptical look. "You said that very quickly."

"I can learn."

Yuna smiled faintly. "That part I believe."

Emily continued, "We’ll also start taking missions from the Association in Elyndor. From what I can remember, a lot of them were field missions into the badlands."

Reinhard considered it. "How many?"

"As many as we can complete."

"That’s ambitious."

"That’s the point. If the Collectors, Silent Night, or Baal decide to make a move, I don’t want us sitting at home wondering whether we’re ready. I want us to already know the answer."

Reinhard smiled.

For months, he had been the one making plans, solving problems, and deciding how much danger everyone could handle. Now Emily was making that decision herself, and the others were already preparing to move forward with her.

Maki opened her notebook. "Then we should structure the month."

Emily nodded. "The first week should focus on adjusting to Elyndor’s missions."

"The second week, we increase the difficulty," Maki said. "Stronger enemies and less predictable situations."

Yuna added, "The third week should involve intelligent opponents and experienced Awakeners."

Lily raised her hand. "And the fourth?"

"The hardest missions we can safely take," Emily answered.

Reinhard laughed quietly. "At least you’re consistent."

"I want to get stronger."

"You will."

Maki looked toward Reinhard. "What about you? Are you coming?"

Reinhard looked around the table before smiling. "Of course."

Emily smiled. "Good."

"I should warn everyone that I have no intention of spending an entire month fighting every day."

Lily frowned. "Why not?"

"Because I need sleep."

"That’s boring."

"I like being boring sometimes."

Yuna smiled. "I don’t believe you."

Reinhard sighed. "Nobody respects my peaceful lifestyle."

Emily laughed softly, and the remaining tension finally began to disappear.

They weren’t sitting around wondering what would happen when the enemy came. They were preparing for it before it happened, and for Reinhard, that realization brought an unexpected sense of satisfaction. He had spent so long protecting everyone that he had almost forgotten what it felt like to have people willingly stand beside him.

Maki closed her notebook. "Then it’s decided."

"One month," Emily agreed.

"We should leave soon," Yuna added.

"I’ll arrange everything," Reinhard said.

Lily stood up. "I’ll start packing."

Maki immediately caught her arm. "You’re not packing yet."

"Why?"

"Because if I let you pack alone, you’ll bring three refrigerators."

Lily looked offended. "Two."

Reinhard laughed while Emily covered her mouth to hide her smile.

The meeting gradually broke apart. Maki went to prepare their mission requirements, Yuna checked their equipment, and Lily followed Maki while arguing that two refrigerators were perfectly reasonable.

Emily stayed behind.

"They’re worried," she said.

"They should be."

"Are you?"

"Always," Reinhard replied with a smile.

Emily studied him. "You don’t look worried."

"I’ve gotten good at hiding it."

She stepped closer. "Then don’t hide it from me."

Reinhard’s smile softened. "I’ll try."

Emily nodded before taking his hand. "We’ll be fine."

"I know."

She squeezed his hand once before leaving.

Reinhard watched her disappear before turning toward the hallway. For once, he wasn’t the only one thinking about how to protect this family. They were thinking about it too, and more importantly, they had chosen to move forward with him.

He smiled.

I like this.

The familiar blue window appeared in front of him.

[Investment Objective Completed.]

[D-Grade Investment Successful.]

[Reward Calculation Complete.]

[Legendary Returns Granted.]

Reinhard’s eyes brightened. "Finally."

[Legendary Reward Granted: Enhanced Family Resonance.]

[Effect: Strengthens the natural connection between members of the Ashcroft Family.]

[Effect: Mana circulation, recovery, coordination, and awareness of one another’s general condition are improved when family members act together.]

Reinhard’s expression softened. The reward wasn’t flashy, but it fit the family perfectly.

The next notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Advanced Family Training Array.]

[New Function: Individual Simulation.]

[New Function: Team Simulation.]

[New Function: Environmental Simulation.]

[New Function: Difficulty Scaling.]

[New Function: Battle Recording.]

Reinhard’s eyes widened.

The upgraded array could now create individual and team simulations, reproduce environments they had experienced, adjust difficulty, and record their battles for later analysis. Their training would no longer be limited to simply repeating the same exercises.

The third reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Combat Enlightenment.]

[Effect: After experiencing combat, the user may enter a brief enlightenment state.]

[Effect: The user gains a deeper understanding of combat mistakes, enemy patterns, inefficient techniques, positioning errors, ability combinations, and teamwork opportunities.]

Reinhard stared at it for a moment. "That’s going to save us a lot of time."

The final reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: High-Grade Recovery Crystal ×10.]

Reinhard smiled when he saw the quantity.

"Ten."

A month of continuous missions would put considerable strain on everyone, especially Emily as she relearned how to fight with her restored Gnosis. The crystals would give them room to push themselves without constantly worrying about recovery.

Every reward had a purpose.

Training, coordination, combat understanding, and recovery were exactly what the family needed. Reinhard walked toward the training wing, and the moment he entered, the Family Training Array reacted.

Mana circuits illuminated across the floor as new formations appeared around the central structure. The array expanded, incorporating the new functions into its existing framework.

Reinhard turned away from the array and headed back toward the main hall.

A month in Elyndor meant professional missions, real combat, Emily rebuilding herself, Maki and Lily gaining experience, and the entire family learning to fight as one.

Their return to the public eye also meant Elyndor wouldn’t treat them like an ordinary family looking for missions. People already knew Emily Ashcroft had returned, and they had seen her break records with Reinhard standing beside her.

Now the Ashcroft family was going to enter Elyndor’s mission network together.

Reinhard smiled. Let’s see what happens when we stop hiding.

Another blue window appeared.

[Investment Opportunity Detected.]

[Target: Emily Ashcroft.]

[Current Rank: D.]

[Current Value: E+.]

[Objective: Help Emily and the family complete their first mission in Elyndor.]

[Difficulty Grade: C.]

[Success Probability: 82%.]

Reinhard stared at the notification before slowly smiling.

The next investment had already begun.