Chapter 6

"What made you teach so many at once again? Even though I can take a glimpse at your mind, I don't quite understand you sometimes, Byleth." The green-haired goddess looked a bit impressed.

"I'm not quite sure either. Maybe I am still a bit human after all."

Sothis chuckled softly. "Even when you were human, you were stoic most of the time. Maybe turning immortal made you more human in a way."

The azure haired teacher smiled softly. "I suppose you're right. But did you see the look on the group leader's eyes? That little boy reminds me of Claude, Dimitri, and Edelgard. I couldn't change their terrible past so maybe I can at least make a better future for that boy and his friends. Isn't that what children need? A parental figure to look up to?"

At those words, both Byleth and Sothis froze up as if something that should be unsaid was spoken.

"Forget that I said that, Sothis. I think I'm tired from the journey we took to come all the way here."

Sothis nodded hesitantly. Immortal beings don't get tired from a journey even if it took several months. But it was better to leave the box of suppressed emotions and memories untouched for now.

.

Byleth looked toward the auction house, showing an impassive look that betrayed none of her emotions.

"Is there anything going on?" She asked aloud.

Kurapika and Senritsu looked to her with a curious look, wondering if the question was for them. However, seeing that the Professor absentmindedly nodded as if she has received an answer, Kurapika realized that Bereto must be inside the auction room as well. Senritsu blinked and seeing that same silent nod, she guessed that it must be a part of the azure haired woman's Nen.

Kurapika didn't expect an explanation from his teacher. He knew a little bit about her powers but she didn't like to say anything without certainty.

The trio continued their watch, but it seemed like nothing was wrong.

However, Byleth's eyes narrowed slightly, as if she heard something unsavory.

"I can't hear anything clearly, but there's a real commotion inside the building," Senritsu said as she focused her hearing onto the underground auction house.

"Something must have happened," Kurapika responded as he saw heaps of mafia members running toward the building. "Contact the leader."

"Two… no three? I would guess that there are others who are waiting for them nearby in a getaway device." Byleth talked to herself.

The blonde Kurata's eyes adverted from his phone and turned to his teacher, wondering what kind of information she was getting from her Nen abilities.

"There are three people that are attacking the guests at the auction house," Byleth finally addressed the two Nostrad bodyguards. "However, there is no doubt that there are more people waiting for them to be done."

"Franklin and Feitan. And a new leg," a new male voice rang out next to Byleth. He appeared suddenly as he just apparated next to them.

Senritsu was once again frightened at how this new intruder could approach her without her noticing or that he, too, was missing a heartbeat.

Kurapika's eyes narrowed with confusion. "Do you know the attackers, Master?" He didn't really understand his master's powers but Bereto—no, Sothis—appearing wasn't something that surprised him anymore. What mattered more were the people that

"Only in passing," Byleth said as she brushed him off. She looked to Sothis. "It was good that you left before they noticed. It would be best if we stayed cautious." And Sothis, in Bereto's body, nodded back to her in agreement.

The blonde Kurta held his onslaught of questions as he knew that demanding answers from his teacher wouldn't get him anywhere. It would only make her peeved and refuse to share any more information.

"Oh… and I apologize Kurapika and Senritsu-san. It seems like your co-workers were caught in the crossfire. Bereto can't exactly take people along with him when he comes back to me," Byleth said with a small frown.

"I… see…" It wasn't like Kurapika would miss his co-workers or feel too sad about their deaths. They've only known each other for about a month and every job a Hunter took came with the risk of their lives. But it was interesting to see how… how should he put this into words? How human his master seemed at this moment giving her condolences. "Thank you for letting us know, Sensei. First, we need to survey the site."

And they headed toward the auction house.

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"Sensei, are you planning on going with us?" Kurapika asked as he finished reporting the missing people and missing auction pieces in the auction house to Dalzonelle.

Byleth also finished surveying the empty auction house and using Gyo, she could see the remains of the Nen bullets that destroyed the building in very obscure ways that were unnoticeable to people untrained to Nen.

"Yes, but separately. The Ten Dons will send their Shadow Beasts but these Thieves have Nen powers that surpass them."

At once, Kurapika understood what she said and nodded his head. "If our co-workers could not even defeat one of them, it would be difficult to see how even the most skilled ones would be able to beat a group of them."

"Also, it's best not to make your boss know who I am. I will keep in contact with you but remember what I said, Kurapika. unless you are an inch away from death, I will make no move to save you."

"That would be favorable for me too, sensei. I wish to get revenge myself, even at the cost of my life."

The blonde Kurta believed that his teacher has already done the best she can by teaching him Nen. He knew that she didn't exactly like the Spiders either but there was no reason for him to drag her to his own battle.

Byleth merely nodded back and seemingly disappeared through the shadows.

.

The azure haired professor didn't even need binoculars to see that it was just Uvogin who was fighting against the heaves of Mafia grunts that came at him. She knew his destructive powers quite well.

Standing upon a lone stone structure in the desert, she overlooked the Shadow Beasts fighting against him and she knew that the Mafia's assault was futile.

Regular Nen users, no matter if they were skilled or not, could not defeat someone like Uvogin.

She was the one who trained him, after all. He was strong, powerful, and unlike the stupid buff troupe he floundered around in, Uvogin was very smart when fighting.

And she looked to where Kurapika and his companions were standing, almost 500 feet away from her amidst his Nostrad Family coworkers, observing the battle anxiously.

She knew that not even Senritsu who had a keen sense of hearing could sense Byleth watching them from a distance; nor could any of her former students.

But she could sense Kurapika's burning wrath and Uvogin's animalistic frenzy.

A thought occurred to her that she shouldn't just be an observer. If she made her move, then so many lives that were saved. And if she made her move earlier, many more wouldn't have already died.

But as quickly as that thought flashed by her, she shook it away just as Sothis gave her a saddened frown.

Byleth ignored the sad look her companion gave her.

The dead were already dead anyway.

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"Dammit," Kurapika gritted out as he stood in the hallway of the hotel he was staying at, just finished with Uvogin's interrogation. He gripped his fists together tightly, the chains jangling lightly. They didn't get a single piece of helpful information from him and Kurapika didn't want to just hand him over to the Mafia because he wanted to kill him himself.

But the time will come when he would do so.

"You did well reining in your emotions, Kurapika." A familiar woman's voice called out down the hallway.

Kurapika turned his head to the voice. And he looked down at his hands.

"Sensei… He has no care for life. He has no care for the misfortunes of others as long as it benefits him," he said while gritting his teeth. "When will I finally get revenge for what he and his group did to my family?" And the blonde looked to his teacher with such a painful look.

Byleth's eyes furrowed sadly and she walked closer to Kurapika and hugged him gently.

"I'm so sorry Kurapika. You were hurt so much by them. Maybe… maybe I should defeat them myself." She said softly.

She really should.

She definitely needs to.

"No, professor. I need to be the one to do it. I need to kill them with my own two hands and get back my clan's eyes. I'm already thankful that you have taught me how to use Nen. I can't bring someone who is unaffiliated and untouched by these criminals to do the deed for me."

Although Kurapika could not see it, Byleth's eyes went wide and she clutched him a little more tightly, mouthing I am so sorry.

Because she wasn't unaffiliated with these criminals.

She was the one who taught them and their leader.

Author's Note:

I mean I think it's pretty much common knowledge that Byleth taught the OG Phantom Troupe members from the reader's POV... but Kurapika doesn't know that. He just thinks that his teacher thinks that they are unsavory people and is just at Yorknew to check up on him and help if needed.

As for Byleth's Nen powers, hopefully, it'll make more sense as I explain it in chapters that are coming up. It's convoluted but at the same time, it only works for her because of her immortality and her powers from the goddess. Or else she would have died due to the limitations placed on her already. However, her strength really comes from her training and lifelong experiences, not her Nen powers.

I'm hoping to finish the Yorknew arc in 3-4 more chapters (it's going slower than the Hunter Exam Arc just because I'm trying to improve my writing skills to add more narrative to the story).

Thank you for reading!