Since the girls had already received information about Clare from Miria, there was no need for Clare to introduce herself.
That left only Raki.
"Uh… I'm Raki, I guess. Nice to meet you."
He spoke timidly, his voice low and somewhat hesitant.
There wasn't anything particularly noteworthy about himself that he could use as an introduction, so he decided to keep it simple and just give them his name.
It wasn't exactly an impressive introduction, but he didn't really have much else to say.
"…"
He received a brief glance from Helen before she promptly looked away, seemingly uninterested.
Seeing the disinterest on her face, Raki offered a weak smile before turning away. He quietly excused himself from the group and walked over to the nearby bench, taking a seat away from the others.
What else could he do, honestly?
She was a Claymore. If she wanted to, she could probably chop his head off in a matter of seconds.
And, to make matters worse, he found her rather intimidating.
Raki wasn't sure if it was her expression, her confidence, or simply the fact that she was a Claymore, but he couldn't bring himself to relax around her.
Once he sat down, Raki took a moment to catch his breath and calm the turmoil in his chest.
With some distance from the others, he began thinking about what he should do next.
After all, he needed to give Seth an answer by tomorrow…
Meanwhile, Seth glanced between Deneve and Helen.
"So, when do you guys wanna do this? Now or later?"
"If you can do it now, you won't see me turning down that chance!"
Helen's excitement immediately returned at the prospect of being healed.
She grinned widely, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she eagerly awaited Seth's response.
"Then let's move over to the seat."
The two of them, with Miria and Clare trailing behind, walked over to the bench. Raki quickly scooted toward the opposite end, making room for Helen.
Helen sat down and removed her shoulder armor, placing it beside her. She then loosened the front of her suit enough to expose the area around her collarbone and the scar Seth needed to examine.
"Is this good enough for you~? Or should I open it up further?"
She teased, leaning forward slightly with a playful smile, showing off her bunnies which also showed her scar.
On the side watching, Deneve watched Seth's face. And seeing his lack of reaction to the wound made her somewhat satisfied as she let out a soft breath.
"You didn't need to open your shirt that wide. Frankly, any part of your body will do, so you didn't even have to take off your armor."
"Eh?"
"Actually, I could've done it through your hand. Though, the process would've taken a few seconds longer since I'd be further away from your heart."
Helen blinked.
"Oh."
She glanced down at herself before looking back at Seth.
"So I really didn't need to do all this?"
"Not at all."
"Ah, oh. So… should I put my armor back on then?"
"No need." He waved her off. "Since everything's already out in the open, we might as well proceed like this. But first, let me have a small drop of your blood so I can understand your body before we begin."
"Oh, okay."
Helen nicked her finger with the edge of her sword and let a few drops of blood fall into Seth's open palm.
The moment they touched his skin, they disappeared.
Helen stiffened slightly.
Beside her, Deneve's eyes widened upon seeing black blood being dragged beneath his skin by tiny tendrils.
"Alright. Let's begin, shall we?"
Once Seth finished absorbing the genetic material, his index finger briefly morphed into a claw.
He dug his fingers between her breasts, allowing his Blacklight cells to enter Helen's bloodstream and begin the healing process.
Now that he had sufficient proficiency with the technique, the process was considerably faster than before.
Within moments, wisps of steam rose from Helen's chest as beneath her uniform, her wound rapidly repaired itself.
She winced briefly as the final traces of the scar disappeared.
By the time the discomfort faded, the wound had already been completely restored.
Seth immediately moved on to Deneve, repeating the same process.
Since Miria had already briefed them on what to expect, neither woman needed an explanation or demonstration of the process.
Instead, they focused on the results.
Helen slowly rolled her shoulders, twisted her torso, and took several deep breaths. Her eyes widened as she realized just how natural the abundance of yoki moved through her limbs.
"I feel like I could take on ten Claymores from the Organization right now!"
Deneve flexed her fingers before stretching her arms above her head. Her body felt noticeably lighter, and she could feel the newfound strength settling into her movements.
"The sentiment is shared between us."
Deneve glanced down at her completely healed body, still trying to process the sensation.
"It feels strange, though…"
Helen laughed.
"Strange? I'd say it's amazing!"
Both women continued testing their movements, gradually becoming more comfortable with their restored bodies.
"The increase in strength is dramatic," Helen smirked. "No wonder Miria could best me in one move."
She then turned toward Clare.
"You're ranked forty-seventh, right? The weakest in the Organization. You must've experienced a growth in your strength as well, right?"
Helen's grin returned as she tilted her head making her nose point upwards.
"How about a spar to see who's stronger?"
"I refuse."
Clare flatly rejected the offer without hesitation.
"Wha—T-then Miria, how about a rematch?" Helen quickly turned toward Miria instead. "I'm sure I won't lose this time… well, not as fast."
For a moment, Helen almost berated Clare for refusing. It was a habit of hers to single out lower-ranked Claymores and pick on them, especially when she had the opportunity to prove her superiority.
However, she ultimately stopped herself and turned her attention toward Miria.
"I'll have to refuse as well," Miria said. "Use this opportunity to familiarize yourself with your new body. We'll be leaving by evening to deal with the Yoma."
"Oh, right…"
Helen paused.
"We had a mission."
She scratched the back of her head, suddenly remembering the reason they had come here in the first place.
"I completely forgot about that for a moment."
It was then that Seth spoke up.
"By the way, what does she mean by Clare being ranked the weakest?"
"Clare never explained to you?"
Miria asked, seemingly surprised by this.
"I'll have to admit, I have no knowledge of any of this. So this seems so… bizarre," Seth said, glancing between them. "So I wouldn't even know what questions I'm supposed to ask about."
But even so, your highness Miria seemed more than happy to fill in the gaps.
"Well, it's rather simple. At any given time, there are only forty-seven active warriors within the Organization. This number may fluctuate as they die and more gets added."
Seth raised an eyebrow.
"Ah, that tracks. Only forty-seven though? Why not more?"
"Not counting the trainees," Miria clarified. "There are forty-seven regions under the Organization's control, and each region is assigned a single Claymore. Their purpose is to respond whenever a Yoma or Awakened Being appears within their territory."
"So each one has their own territory."
"Exactly."
Miria continued explaining how the Organization ranked the forty-seven warriors according to their overall strength.
Number One represents the strongest of the lot, while Number Forty-Seven represents the weakest.
"And Clare's assigned number is…"
"Number Forty-Seven."
Miria didn't need to say anything more.
Seth slowly turned toward Clare.
"So you're the weakest."
Clare's expression remained flat. Though the faint narrowing of her eyes displayed a rare expression of dissatisfaction at being called out by him.
She folded her arms,
"I'm ranked forty-seventh."
"That's just a more polite way of saying it."
Clare's eyes narrowed further.
"Is there a problem?"
Seth immediately raised both hands.
"Nope. I'll pass."
Helen snorted, amused by their interaction.
Miria continued.
"The rankings aren't necessarily a perfect representation of someone's abilities in every situation. Individual experience, techniques, and compatibility can make a difference. But generally speaking, a higher-ranked Claymore is considered stronger than one ranked below her."
Seth nodded thoughtfully.
"That makes sense."
His gaze then shifted toward Deneve and Helen.
"So if Helen is Number Fifteen and Deneve is Number Twenty-Two…"
His eyes moved between the two.
"You two must be pretty strong."
Helen proudly placed a hand against her hip.
"Obviously."
Deneve merely shrugged.
Seth then remembered something else.
"Wait. You mentioned something earlier. 'One hundred and thirty-fifth generation.' What's that supposed to mean? How many generations are there?"
Helen stared at him.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she slowly looked toward Deneve.
"This guy really doesn't know anything."
Deneve nodded.
"Apparently not."
Seth frowned.
"What?"
Miria smiled faintly.
"It seems we have quite a lot to explain to you."
Seth sighed.
"Yeah. I'm starting to realize that," he turned to Deneve and Helen. "It's still early so we have some extra time before we leave so you two should use the time to get used to your bodies."
"Already doing it."
"Don't have to tell me twice."
Both answered swiftly as they began stretching their limbs.
Seth then turned to the only other male in the room.
"Oi Raki. If you want something to eat, here you go. Go have fun."
He threw a couple silver rods which he took from Clare.
"Thanks. I'm starving."
Raki took the coins and left the building.
Clare quietly walked over and sat down and patted the area next to her, indicating that that's where Seth should sit.
Plopping down next to her, leaned back and relaxed.
Miria took the open spot beside Seth.
With Clare sitting on his other side, Miria now occupied the space to his left while Clare was on his right.
Helen and Deneve were standing in the open space before them, with both women continuing to stretch and getting accustomed to their new bodies.
Seth looked around.
Beauty on his left.
Beauty on his right.
And more beauties in front of him.
He couldn't help it.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
Man… I'm living the dream.
"Should I continue my explanation?"
"Huh?"
Seth's grin vanished as his head turned toward Miria.
She was looking at him with a faintly amused expression.
"Should I continue explaining about the organization and its structure?"
"Oh oh oh OH!"
Seth quickly straightened himself.
"Yes. Absolutely."
Miria's smile widened slightly before she continued.
Meanwhile, Helen, who had been stretching her arms behind her head, glanced toward Deneve.
She subtly nodded in Seth's direction.
"You can't tell me that that was not the look of a pervert, right?"
Deneve looked over.
Seth was now sitting upright, listening intently to Miria as though nothing had happened.
"What are you talking about?"
Helen snickered.
"…it's nothing."
Either Seth didn't hear her words or pretending to not to, he didn't pay them any more attention.
And for the next several hours, Miria gradually filled Seth in on the Organization.
She explained how Claymores were created, how their numbers were assigned, how missions were distributed, and how the Organization maintained control over the various regions.
She also explained the basic structure surrounding the warriors, the role of the trainees, and the dangers they faced when dealing with Yoma and Awakened Beings.
Seth asked questions whenever something caught his attention.
Some were simple.
Others made Miria pause before giving him a more detailed explanation.
His complete lack of familiarity with the Organization occasionally left the women baffled, but Miria seemed to find his curiosity more amusing than anything.
Clare mostly remained quiet beside him as she wasn't much outspoken to begin with, occasionally squeezing his side when he got too lively with Miria.
Meanwhile, Helen and Deneve spent the majority of the time moving around and adjusting. And every so often, one of them would comment on each other.
By the time the afternoon gradually faded toward evening, both had become considerably more accustomed to their healed bodies.
Eventually, Deneve stopped stretching.
She glanced toward Seth.
He was still listening to Miria, though his attention shifted toward her when he noticed her blatant staring.
"If it's not an issue, I would like to ask a question that's been on my mind."
Everyone looked at her.
"Go ahead."
Deneve's gaze remained fixed on Seth.
"Where are you from?"
The room became noticeably quieter.
Deneve continued.
"And what exactly are you?"
Seth's expression changed slightly.
Now everyone's attention was on him.
For the first time since their conversation had begun, the questions weren't about them or the organization.
Now, they were about him.
Chapter 33 end.
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Been watching some anime and thinking been gooning. Also been reading claymore manga and realizing I made a lot of mistakes. Bare in mind I'm writing this as I read the manga so I might do mistakes so I'm using AU as a plot cover up. As for the real reason why I didn't drop any chap earlier… I've been overthinking about how to get their personality accurate(I still can't do that)