At the moment, Nio, Nero, and Notres were in an inn that had been reserved using clan funds. The inn was actually quite well equipped and even had a front view of the sea.
Nero and Notres had accomplished a mission that would normally take three days in a single day, and so, they decided to use all the funds dedicated to the mission to rent this luxurious room for a single night.
This allowed them to experience a hint of luxurious life that they never had. For someone like Nio that hailed from a more modern world, there wasn't that much difference other than the bed being more comfortable compared to their Squad's headquarters.
Both places still lacked a good plumbing system after all.
That was a bigger problem than he thought it would be at the start of his life.
Anyway, the three were now enjoying the luxurious sight of the moon's reflection in the calm ocean.
Notres was standing up, pouring a cup of tea into Nero's cup. As for her, she was now the one that was enjoying the view the most, her chin was being supported by both her hands.
As for Nio, he was the only one that wished he could properly enjoy the scenery, but right now he was being yelled at by his damned Captain, 9-1-2.
"What do you mean your communicator broke?! It is obvious that is only an excuse for joining 9-0-1 and 9-3-1!"
"They were the closest ones that I was aware of. If you were so kind as to allow me to have the information on the missions of our other siblings, I would've come to them."
As a Vice-Captain, he was forced to receive some of the reports of the teams belonging to their Squad. However, due to 9-1-2's suspicions of Nio and his weird obsession with him, he constantly tried to restrict Nio's authority over the rest of the Squad.
He had started by isolating the ones that were the closest to him, that is, Nero and Notres, by sending them on special missions that required more than one Team Leader.
He then restricted the number of reports that were given to Nio, leaving only the reports from Nero, Notres, and their teams. This was meant to prevent the other members of the Squad from seeing Nio as an authoritative figure. It was actually quite a good strategy.
Too good, actually.
'This strategy is meant for long-term goals. But 9-1-2's obsession with undermining me is too great to actually make him hesitate, especially with his hot-headed nature. Is there someone backing him up?'
Was it the one that had tried to kill him? Or was someone trying to undermine Nio's influence on the Stygian clan without previous grudges? Perhaps his abnormal talent had called some unwanted attention?
He really didn't want someone else to jump on the opening he was leaving for his hunter.
"Like hell I will! I know what you are doing. You are using this moment to create an excuse for me to once again give you contact to the other teams! HA! Too bad, I will not, no matter how many times you try."
As 9-1-2 turned off his communicator, Nio let out a chuckle.
It seemed that whoever was behind him had underestimated his stupidity. No matter how talented or academically accomplished he was, 9-1-2 had the bad habit of never questioning his own decisions.
If he reached the conclusion that something was right, then it surely was right.
And so, both he and the one behind him would think that he was actually trying to gain control over Squad 9, which he was not.
And if other misunderstandings kept piling up, in the end an entirely different image of him would be built.
'Is this the difference between a 1 and a 2?'
(Reminder: He is referring to the third number of their IDs that represents talent.)
"Seriously, why does that guy seem completely sure that you are going to try and overtake his position? Anyone in the Squad, and therefore grew up with you, should know that you dislike authority and want to get away from it, right?"
Nero was confused, it just didn't make sense to her.
"Nio was never one to approach the others, not everyone knows him as well as we do, Nero. Besides, members of the Stygian see strength as a show of authority. Nio is the strongest of our squad, it's normal to inwardly recognize him as the true Squad Leader, hence 9-1-2's desperation and fear of him."
Notres shared his toughts.
"Well, not that I care. The way this is going, he is going to drag himself down before I even need to do something, if I actually wanted to become Leader, of course."
Standing up and stretching completely, Nio turned to his siblings.
"Of course, if I want to keep away from any form of power, I have to make sure that he doesn't lose that position first."
"How?"
"Well, I have been editing my reports in a way that makes it seem as if I was being counseled by him during missions a lot, basically giving some amount of credit for everything that I do."
"Seriously?!"
Nero was flabbergasted. Notres . . . Not as much.
In a way, this was also a way to catch the attention of people in the Nell Family.
As they started drinking the tea that Notres had been serving, they suddenly started hearing a soft hum.
"Hm?"
The three raised their heads for a moment.
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"?"
Nio's and Nero's eyes widened.
"What do you mean, Notres? You reacted just now, you heard it too, right?"
Notres paused, thinking back to the situation.
"I... can't remember why I raised my head, nor did I realize that I had forgotten it until you mentioned it."
Hearing Notres, Nio widened his senses, trying to locate any changes that occurred or were occurring.
"Mental attack. There was something just now that messed with our minds. It must have been that sound."
As they started looking around, the sound was once again heard.
This time, not a soft hum but a clear note resonating through the air.
"Notres! Snap out of it!"
Nero shook Notres who seemed to doze off. They couldn't help but frown, it was a problem to see one of their companions already suffering severe effects of this mind attack, which was worrying.
'My Bloodline ability didn't trigger either.'
Or rather, he couldn't remember triggering, meaning that he was being affected in some way.
"Nero, is there any problem with you?"
"Huh? I don't think so? But then again, it would be pretty hard to notice, wouldn't it?"
"Tch, you are right. Remember the training, use the meditation techniques we used to do when stepping onto the Mind Tempering Stage. You should be able to do so while moving, right?"
"There is no problem with me." Nero answered rapidly.
"The effects seem to be strengthening, I might not be able to endure anyway." Notres was more hesitant.
Nio looked at him for a while before grasping his shoulder.
"Don't give up now. We'll make it as fast as possible. We need to locate the source of this sound, and what exactly are the full effects. Furthermore, we need to go to the streets."
Without any more words, they jumped off the balcony into what should be an empty street.
However, it was now full of dazed citizens helplessly looking at the ocean.
Then another sound was heard. This time it was more recongnizable.
A woman's voice.
It was enchanting, it was...
'What was I thinking about?'
Noticing the oddity of his thoughts, he slapped his own face.
"Damnit! There it was again."
Without waiting any longer, he began reciting the meditation techniques while looking around for Notres and Nero.
Nero was fine, although she seemed a bit worried about Notres. He was sweating and seemed genuinely scared.
"That was too close. Luckily, I was able to recite the techniques early on, otherwise..."
"They seem to be looking at the ocean. Do you think that's where the sound is coming from?"
Nero posed a question.
"Perhaps. The only alternative besides that is quite literally trying to drown the whole population of this city. Depending on what exactly the source of the sound is, its objective will change."
If it was a sea monster, attracting the people to the shores to eat them or directly make them drown was understandable. If it was a sentient being, like a cultivator or a... Siren, then their objective might be more complex.
"We should try to follow the sound and get to the source before anyone here reaches them first. We should also prepare something to actually stop them."
As Nio said this, he started to look around, trying to think of a plan.
"Nio, Nero, you two go ahead. I will set a barrier along the beach. I cannot resist the song that well, like you two, so once I'm done, I will rush out of its range and communicate with 9-1-2."
Hearing Notres' proposition, Nio stared at him in the eye for some time before agreeing.
"Fine." He reached into his pocket and threw something in Notres' direction." Contact the Stygian Clan itself, use that tablet on the communicator whenever someone answers and explain the situation."
The tablet was an artifact that was created for Stygian officials, Captains and Vice-Captains. It was engraved with a special Qi signature that could interact with their communicators, allowing an official to either prove their status or to make special moves, like contacting the whole Stygian clan for a city-wide danger.
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Author's note: Yay, a mini-arc is next!
Check Out my Original Novel: Unsealed Demonic Dragon Goes to the Academy