The Greatest Treasure

A beautiful humming sounded rhythmically, slightly accompanied by the rustling of leaves from the trees outside of the office.

Behind a wooden desk, writing on some documents the source of the humming could be found.

A beautiful young girl, no older than 14.

If one had a quick look at her, the first thing they would notice would be her skin's pale tone, as if deprived of blood. A contrasting feature to her crimson eyes capable of rivalling the finest ruby. Her silver hair was tied in a ponytail as it moved around, in tune with the sounds she was making.

She looked busy, terribly so as one could see stacks of papers piled all over her desk. Yet, there was a joyful air around her that seemed contagious, capable of enticing anyone to believe that her every action, no matter what it was, was fun and entertaining.

Looking up from what she was doing, the girl's eyes fell on a portrait that hung on the wall close to her desk. In it, an angelically cute boy, with colorless hair and golden eyes that seemed to glow with life could be seen.

Then, as if it was all a mirage, a sudden aura of sadness and depression fell upon her.

Shaking her head, the girl continued with her tasks.

Her humming less apparent, and not as joyful anymore.

….

" Let me get this straight. I'm a prince, you are my grandfather, this guy is my great uncle and… this clingy lady is my mother?"

Ash was now sitting on a very sophisticated sofa, in what looked like to be a meeting room.

There were some refreshments on the table in front of him and, on the other side of said table, on an equally sophisticated sofa, Ray and Maxwell sat, facing Ash and Ingrid.

The room had a warm charm to it. A fireplace was at the side, which was appreciated since it was pretty cold on the north, especially now that winter was coming.

All in all, this place gave a sense of comfort.

And Ash would've had an even more comfortable experience if it wasn't for Clarice, who was hugging him as if she was a baby koala, refusing to leave his side.

Ingrid did not escape this fate either though. At the side, one of her hands was being held by Clarice's own free hand in a tight grip.

She was a very clingy lady indeed...

*Sigh*

" Yes, you got the gist of it."

Maxwell was happy, incredibly so, tears of joy would be raining down his eyes if it wasn't for the fact that Ingrid was here. No matter how much he knew her or how close she was to Clarice, he would never show this side to someone else apart from his direct family.

He had an image to uphold for God's sake!

Ray, on the other hand, wiped his crying eyes, unbothered. The idea of his image being damaged never crossed his mind for a second.

He was overjoyed about Ash's return, though his guilty heart couldn't allow him to approach the kid casually just yet, not before apologizing for being careless back on the church two years ago.

Even if there was no need and he had not fault on the matter, Ray was a very stubborn guy. Especially when it came to this topic.

"I …am a little confused though."

"Mmh?"

" Based on the summary you made, I lived on a village for my entire life. Clar- Mother was never publicly announced as a crown princess until recently, and based on what you said, my father is an Ex-hunter, an insanely strong one at that … "

Max knew where he was going, yet he didn't interrupt him.

" Why was I targeted? I would get it if someone betrayed you and gave my identity away, but logically speaking that would be counterproductive. Only a suicidal man would do something like that…"

Indeed, even Owen, an old friend of the crown, was under a silence vow via a contract. Chances of someone leaking his identity were extremely small, if not impossible.

Contracts worked through divinity after all, a purer form of mana obtained from a very taxing process.

" What's left is … revenge?"

"Revenge?"

" I mean, maybe my father did something to someone, and they came for me in order to get him. I'm lacking a lot of vital information here so this is all I can think of for now."

Max nodded, he also had a similar theory as his at some point, but nothing was clear enough for them to be sure.

Putting that aside though, Maxwell had to admit that he was very impressed by Ash.

The child who he believed to be around 15 was actually 12 years old, and based on their exchange so far, he could see that Ash was very mature for his age.

Anyone on his shoes would be crying of joy or trembling due to the fact that they found their family, but here he was, acting cool headed and analyzing his current position while coming up with a solution.

'This is just the peace before the storm.' Thought Ash with a slight frown.

He knew that though things were better now, it was just the beginning. Whoever did what they did probably knew his identity as a prince.

The betrayal theory involving his father was too simplistic for it to be considered for too long since no matter how strong the person behind the scenes was, what was truly needed to move such a specialized squad of assassins was connections and money.

Something not many hunters had a ton of.

But, regardless, the fact that Rolland was missing did not change.

' Though I have to admit, this momentarily peace is not that bad.' A small smile appeared on his face as his grip on Clarice's back got tighter.

Only Ash, and maybe Eve, knew how hectic his emotions were right now.

Ever since he woke up on that hut 2 years ago, he has had this pressure on his chest that wouldn't leave him. Maybe the reason why he kept searching and why he made such a risky move by coming to Ashia was due to this "feeling".

And now, although still there, it lessened by a huge margin.

He was sure of it, the woman on his embrace was without a doubt his mother.

Was he happy that he was royalty?

Sure.

This would make his life much easier. At the very least he knew that money was never going to be an issue again.

But those were all secondary benefits, for he had finally found his mother.

' I have look for father.'

[ They say he is strong but that only applies to their standards. Master, this world is full of beings that could even trample on that old man with but a mere attack, if you want to get out there and look for him you first need to get stronger.]

'How strong?'

[ I would say that reaching Master rank should suffice for now. Even a Supreme Master would not be a match for you by then. It is good to be cautious and to never underestimate others, but you are simply built different, never forget that.]

' Says the one who even looks down at the strongest human on Iris, way to go.'

[ This and that are two different things master...]

'Sure, sure~ Thanks for the advice, Eve.'

[ Mmh~]

A silly smile morphed on the blue haired girl who sat at the white dimension. Getting praised/thanked by her master always got her on a good mood.

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

Coming out of their hug Clarice stood up. The reddened eyes and snot filled face she adorned were remnants of the crying session she just had.

" We gotta call Betty!"

Clarice, in a comical way, pointed at her father as she said this.

Her way of acting, coupled with her peerless beauty made it hard for Ash to accept she was on her thirties.

" Elizabeth? I don't think that is a good idea for now. Ash just arrived, he should take some rest and get accustomed to his new life before meeting his friend."

" I agree with brother, Clarice. Also, he does not remember her, the poor thing might get devastated by that alone. She will see him eventually so there is no need to rush."

The two brothers agreed with each other, to what Clarice pouted in annoyance.

" You old folks don't understand a maiden's heart, do you?!"

The two froze in place at her blatant response.

" Who is Betty?"

Ash asked, fighting the urge to laugh at the brother duo who didn't fight back against Clarice's statement.

" Hoho~ Betty is your one and only friend, baby. Don't you want to meet her ~?"

A playful smile formed on Clarice's face.

" W-was I that antisocial?"

" You never liked playing with kids your own age, you have always been too serious, so they never approached you."

" This Betty girl most really like you then..."

Ingrid expressionlessly said in a not so low voice as she took a sip from the fine porcelain teacup she was holding.

[ Hehehe~ I like where this is going!]

" She does! And this guy liked her too, he would get all funny when talking about her."

"Oh~..."

A smile that wasn't a smile appeared on Ingrid's face, as the teacup she was holding shook a little, forming visible cracks that quickly ceased from spreading any further.

' It is a little disturbing that she is jealous, but it makes me happy nonetheless.'

[...]

Looking at his overexcited mother's puppy's eyes he internally sighed in defeat.

" Sure, I don't mind meeting an old friend."

"Fufufu~ Leave it to me!"

Clarice gave Ash a thumbs up and stormed out of the office.

Seconds later though, she returned and started pulling on Ingrid's arm, saying they had a lot of catching up to do, to which she adamantly agreed before leaving the office as well.

" She is something else..."

" You tell me..."

A sense of camaraderie surged in the room as the three nodded in unison.

" Speaking of which..."

Max decided to change the topic as there was something he really wanted to ask, and now that Clarice was gone it was the perfect time.

" Those eyes, we didn't bring it up before for obvious reasons but now that things calmed down do you mind sharing it with us? If you don't want to talk about it is fine, we just want to make sure you are alright."

Ash nodded and proceeded to explain, he could see the interest on Max and Ray's eyes.

" This is what you would call a trait."

Pointing his right index finger towards his right eye Ash noticed the sudden change in their expression.

If before they were curious, now they were stunned.

He did not give them time to ask as he continued explaining.

" This trait seems to have awaken after whoever kidnaped me failed on completing their job. I don't have any memories about it but seeing how Uncle Ray seems to be as confused as you are, my theory might be correct. Am I right?"

Ray nodded at this, confirming that Ash indeed did not awaken a trait during the awakening ceremony 2 years ago.

Composing after his younger brother's response, Max asked with newfound interest.

" What does it do?"

A sly smile morphed on Ash's handsome face when he heard that question.

' Should I tell them?'

Shrugging her shoulders Eve answered sincerely.

[ I don't see why not; they are your family. You- I mean, someone once told me that one's family is the greatest treasure any being could ever have. If mana is crucial for the world to function, so is a family to any individual.

If you can't trust them, then who?]

' That person most have really loved his family.'

[ They did not have one. That's why you should cherish this treasure that you now have, only a fool wouldn't.]

' I see...'

A bitter feeling invaded Ash's heart, as he could feel Eve's sorrow from this exchange.

He decided to keep this at the back of his mind for now and began to explain his trait's effect.

" I like to call it "Eyes of Origin", as it allows me to see the "origin" of everything and everyone."

It took a while for the brother duo to process this information. When the atmosphere began to become awkward Maxwell coughed lowly before asking with a hint of disbelief.

" The origin? Ash, could you explain what you mean by that?"

" I think is better if I show you gramps..."

Ash's eyes glinted for a second and a visible golden glow was noticed by Maxwell and Ray.

Then, a creepy smile emerged on Ash's flawless face.

"Mmh~... Gramps you are pretty strong, aren't you?"

Max could only shake his head at this.

' This guy is a battle maniac at such a young age. That Ingrid brat broke him.'

" What do you see Ash?" Ray asked, fighting the urge to not gulp at the aura that was being released from Ash.

' So young, yet so strong! Is Ingrid out of her mind?!'

[Master, you are doing it again.]

"!"

'Shit! I really have to do something about this battle lust. I haven't hunted in a week so it's becoming more uncontrollable.'

" Sorry about that, I got a little too excited after seeing gramp's 'origin'."

" My origin?"

" Yeah, and yours is the strongest one I've seen so far..."

[ Identified Target (Non-Hostile)

Name: Maxwell Dorian

Age: 65

Gender: Male

Race: High Human

Rank: SS (Legendary {Peak})

Talents: PT (4)

MT (4)

Affinity: Lightening, Wind

Danger Level: 7

Current State: Confused, Happy, Relieved]

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(A/N: PT: Physical Talent, MT: Magical Talent.)