New law of Beast Taming

"It's nothing like that. I am not trying to distract you but to figure out which part of the mission I want you to do. The mission is rather long, and I would rather not have you exhausted before our next big raid."

Reize sounded so reasonable that Melissa found herself agreeing with the leader. She had been with Reize long enough to know what kind of person she was.

And because Melissa respected Reize a lot, she followed her words.

The same could not be said for Amane. She knew this was a distraction and did not pretend otherwise. She remained quiet for Melissa's sake.

"If the mission is important enough for you to send us out right before the big raid, then I need to do my best to get it done. Fine, I will accept this mission."

Melissa agreed and held her hands out for the paper. A few papers were handed to Melissa, and Reize waved her hands.

"This is all the information I can provide you with. I just know that the one you are chasing after is a traitor who stole critical information. Make sure not to investigate the information you will retrieve. It is top secret, after all."

Melissa was warning the pair, but it was a psychological trick to make them more interested in the truth. And the thing was, it was working.

Amane was curious about the truth and what it meant.

"You both will head toward the former Tsurugi estate for this mission. That place is a treasure tomb of knowledge and a security hazard due to all the beasts that guard that place. It will be tough, but are you both ready?"

Amane stopped breathing as soon as she heard the family name.

She had not thought of the Tsurugi family until now, but that home should have been the first thing she thought about.

"Tsurugi family?"

Amane asked, and Reize decided to humour her.

"It is rumoured that Yoko Tsurugi was a beast tamer unparalleled by anyone. She also had a successor who could tame beasts. They were a prestigious family but did not take a stance when the war started."

"Once Yoko and her successor died, it became impossible for new people to approach the Tsurugi household. We do not even know what secrets and technology lie inside. The beasts guard those places as if they are guarding their treasure."

Reize explained, and Amane was surprised to hear all this.

"Yoko Tsurugi did not leave behind a successor? What about the elders and other people? Surely, they would have pressured her into having one."

Amane knew how the elders were. Once it was confirmed that Yoko had all the power and she was not going anywhere, they would have done everything they could to ensure Yoko had a successor.

"Elders? Somehow, they were all dead once the world started falling apart. Yoko Tsurugi and her assistant were the last to disappear."

Melissa finished the story instead of Reize. This seemed like public information if it was being told to an outsider like Yoko.

'I see. So, Yoko and Eclipse are dead. Stella is likely dead as well, and everyone I know is dead. Just what the hell is happening here? And where did Kori go?'

Amane felt lonely for the first time since coming back to this world. She could not help but clutch her chest as she allowed her feelings to be sombre.

"If the interrogation is done, I want you both to head out. I will also use this mission to judge whether you can work with beasts."

Reize's words caused Amane to quiet down even more, but Melissa looked energetic and ready to take on the word.

"I understand. I will make sure that I do not disappoint you. Once I am done, please permit me to own a drake."

Melissa begged, and Reize shook her hand. It was her way of dismissing the situation.

The pair walked out of the room with different but determined expressions. They would be heading out in about an hour, and Amane decided to be alone to gather her thoughts.

Finally, after an hour, it was time to head to the Tsurugi estate. Amane felt butterflies flutter inside her stomach as she prepared to head out.

Luckily, Melissa was there with her, which made Amane relax.

...

"We have everything ready. We should head out now."

Melissa assured as she did a final count of their supplies. There seemed to be nothing missing. They were about to head out when another person joined their group. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire

Sweat dripped down Kristia's face as he rushed to catch up with Amane and Melissa. He looked flushed and tired but determined to follow the pair.

"Hey, wait for me. I want to come with you. You both would need keen eyes looking over you while you look around the Tsurugi mansion. I want to be that person for you."

Kristia assured and bragged at the same time. Amane would instead not take him because she did not trust him, but Melissa had different thoughts.

"You want to come with us? Did you get permission from Reize?"

Kristia looked away, and Amane was sure he was about to lie to them. His heartbeat had picked up, but Kristia sounded assured.

"Yeah, I got the permission I needed. I want to accompany you on this mission since you are sometimes clumsy. I do not want you to fall and hurt yourself."

A slight flush on Kristia's face indicated he did not want to say all this cheesy stuff. But he still did not take his words back. He could not take it back because he wanted to be with Melissa.

'Ah, it's a messy, one-sided life I do not want to be a part of. I used to enjoy these situations a lot, but I think I am too old to enjoy them anymore.'

Amane looked at the pair in front of her with a tired expression. She sighed and noticed how Melissa was looking at her with concern.

"Hey, are you alright? You should tell me if you are feeling unwell. I will ask someone to help you out."

Melissa became alert instantly and looked at Amane with a concerned expression. It caused Kristia to look at her with jealousy, but he did not say anything.

This combination was dangerous and caused Amane to have a bad feeling.

'Perhaps I should not be thinking of such things. There is no way I will get caught in a love triangle at my age. I must be tired and seeing things.'

This was what Amane hoped. But she had a feeling that this was not the case. The barely-present blush on Melissa's cheeks indicated she felt something for Amane.

There was also jealousy aimed toward Amane, and this one was a little more obvious than the others.

'Looks like I will have to navigate this pair carefully. But first, let's take care of the stuff I need to do at the Tsurugi estate.'

Amane shivered as soon as she headed out. She felt terrible about this mission, and her instincts told her not to poke into the Tsurugi mansion.

'I should not be thinking about what is going to happen. I have enough power to deal with it all.'

That was what Amane believed. But nostalgia was a hard thing to deal with.

The Tsurugi mansion looked unchanged, and it felt like Amane had returned in time. She looked at the huge mansion, still standing tall, but it had no servants running around.

"Wow, this place is impressive. It has been more than a century since this place was last used. But it still stands tall without much sign of wear and tear to show for it."

Kristia sounded impressed, but Amane knew that the condition of the Tsurugi house could have been more impressive.

It was standing tall mainly because of all the ruins engraved into its walls.

Most of these ruins had been engraved by Amane since she wanted to give a lasting gift to Yoko for her parting.

'Is this what it feels like to come back home? The place is still here, but the people who were supposed to welcome me are no longer there. It feels so lonely to come back here.'

Amane tried to hold in her feelings of loneliness. Tears were beginning to hit her eyes, and Amane was unaware she could shed tears until now.

"Hey, are you alright? You can head back if you are scared. We can take it from here…"

"No, that is not what happened. I just remembered my home when I looked at this abandoned mansion. I think it might be somewhere like this."

Amane commented and got the pair to look back at her with a sympathetic smile.

"Don't look at me like that. I am not sad…just slightly disappointed that I can no longer return home or to the people waiting for me."

The pair who accompanied Amane went quiet. They could not say anything about it since they did not know Amane well.

*cough*

"I am sure your family is happy and misses you wherever they are. So, you should not be sad for them and do what you want. Don't let your past hold you back."

It felt ironic to hear these words from someone else. Amane could not help but throw her head back and laugh out loud.

It felt karmic to hear these words from the mouth of someone else. This was the same advice Amane often gave to the people she helped.