It was surprisingly simple to keep Maulius from sleeping.
The rigorous training of the Zoldyck family had long since forced her to adapt to various forms of torture. The irritability caused by severe sleep deprivation was, for the most part, suppressed by her. All her companions had to do was keep her constantly engaged in various activities, preventing her from being idle, thus accumulating fatigue until she reached her limit.
Machi accompanied her to trim her hair again. To compensate for the awkward gap burned into her bangs by fire, the hairdresser cut all of her bangs short. Afterward, they went shopping, ate, and visited a cat cafe to pet cats.
Shalnark watched TV with her and chatted. These were low-exertion activities because Shalnark was injured in the previous chapter by Feitan's brutal beating and needed rest.
Feitan played video games with her, including games that were banned in some countries, both old and new.
Chrollo, who was excluded from these activities, did nothing remarkable. He read, thought, and gazed into space, like a reclusive philosopher, his extraordinary mental world understood by no one and concerning no one. Only when ordering takeout did others remember that Chrollo was in the house. Yes, Chrollo was, after all, human, and he needed to eat, but…
You won’t even give me a plastic duck.jpg (Not)
During a brief walk outside, Chrollo visited a toy store and squeezed every toy that could make a sound, including a little yellow duck. Finally, he shook his head and left the toy store as a discerning ordinary customer, without causing any casualties. It seemed the leader of the Phantom Troupe was not as ferocious as the world imagined.
………………
…………
……
The situation was optimistic. It seemed that even if Maulius continued to go insane, it wouldn’t be a problem as long as there were troupe members willing to be her guardian.
Chrollo was not particularly surprised that Illumi, Maulius's younger brother, would come looking for her. What piqued Chrollo's curiosity was Illumi's reason for showing up – the secret deal between Illumi and Maulius was not yet complete.
Was the "secret deal" just an excuse? If it were true, would that transaction change the situation? This was a matter Chrollo needed to consider.
Chrollo required more information, and he had to invite Illumi in, even if this was precisely the development Illumi himself desired.
In many cases, one had to give first to receive. Moreover, Illumi, who was venturing alone into the spider's nest, bore significantly more risk.
Illumi had only two impressions of Chrollo.
The first was over ten years ago in Meteor City. Chrollo was skilled and intelligent, very cunning. At that time, Illumi already felt he would be a troublesome character in the future.
The second was this year, from intelligence reports. Illumi was not surprised at all to learn that Chrollo had become the leader of an A-class criminal group. He only regretted that the guy had lived until now, because…
Chrollo bore a striking resemblance to the host Maulius had been infatuated with. If Illumi hadn't taken matters into his own hands with Maulius, that host… that dirty, low-class thing… would have become Maulius's first man.
When they were in Meteor City over ten years ago, Maulius's attitude towards Chrollo was already a bit special. So, was Chrollo actually the starting point of Maulius's budding romance? After all these years, Maulius still sought out substitutes who looked like Chrollo. The requirement was not high; they only needed to resemble him.
Illumi thought that Maulius's reason for joining the Phantom Troupe was likely also because of Chrollo. Given Chrollo's character as the leader of a criminal group, he would surely take full advantage of Maulius. Furthermore, if Chrollo showed even a hint of willingness, Maulius would undoubtedly sleep with him without hesitation.
My sister has been completely played.
…How unpleasant.
“Would you like something to drink?” Chrollo asked, walking towards the open kitchen connected to the living room after inviting Illumi in. “Tea, coffee, or mineral water?”
“No, thank you,” Illumi replied faintly.
Illumi concealed his emotions extremely well. Even Chrollo could not detect the malevolent thoughts churning within Illumi at that moment.
If the Phantom Troupe were not such a tricky opponent, Illumi thought, he would have eliminated them all by now.
No, this free labor was too unprofitable. If he did it alone, it would be somewhat difficult.
With his family, it might be possible, but it would require sufficient reason—the Zoldycks rarely killed outside of commissions.
It was a bit troublesome. Although his family were the most reliable helpers at work, they would not approve of his current personal desires.
The "Needleman" was indeed useful, but not useful enough. Its capabilities were limited.
In the end, he had to rely on himself.
As Chrollo walked over with a cup of coffee, Illumi, having finished observing his surroundings, fixed his gaze on the second floor.
“I formed a team several years ago, the Phantom Troupe,” Chrollo said. “You may have heard the name.”
“En,” Illumi withdrew his gaze. “I have some understanding of it.”
“Your sister…” Chrollo smiled. “Maulius intends to leave the group.”
This was beyond Illumi's expectation. Unless it was the time for their quarterly report, Maulius wouldn’t return home. He had always thought Maulius was having too much fun outside to think of home.
“I tried to persuade her to stay, but her attitude was rather firm… it’s a shame,” Chrollo said with a hint of jest. “Her position will become vacant. Illumi, would you like to join the Phantom Troupe and take her place?”
“Leave the group?” As if slow to react, Illumi’s pure black cat-like eyes stared at Chrollo for a few seconds before he asked unhurriedly, “What reason did she give you?”
“She wants to go back to her family.”
This statement was rather vague, as "family" could refer to "home" or a broader "clan." The latter had a wider meaning and didn't necessarily imply blood relation. Gangs that operated under a family-style rule also used the term "family."
Illumi appeared thoughtful. He didn't mind letting Chrollo know that he wasn't aware of Maulius's decision. Or rather, he didn't want Chrollo to understand Maulius's specific importance to him, making it an easily exploitable weakness.
However, displaying a degree of concern was also necessary.
Yes, even if it was something Illumi could abandon depending on the situation, he would not allow Chrollo to arbitrarily dispose of it.
Illumi's gaze returned to the second floor. “May I go up and take a look?”
“The third room on your left,” Chrollo understood Illumi's sole objective. “You can try knocking.”
Holding the coffee cup and sinking into the soft sofa, Chrollo watched Illumi's retreating back as he walked up the stairs.
His back was flawless, as expected. En, he would probably be a difficult opponent. Chrollo made a mental note.
Illumi stopped in front of the third door on the left, as directed by Chrollo, and knocked.
There was no response. He grasped the doorknob and found that the door was not locked, so he opened it.
Feitan had no habit of locking doors. Or rather, most of the troupe members did not. Usually, people lock doors to prevent theft, but most troupe members were transient and rarely kept valuables indoors, so it didn’t matter if a thief entered. Moreover, the Phantom Troupe was the most ferocious thieves in the world, and any thief who dared to steal from them would be the unfortunate one.
In their current temporary base, four spiders were gathered in total, with a regular number of two. It was almost impossible for outsiders to infiltrate the spider's lair without making a sound. When Feitan heard the knock, he assumed it was a comrade and paid no attention. Otherwise, he would have certainly refused to be disturbed.
The door opened and closed, but the person who entered was someone Feitan did not know.
…What the hell?
Feitan, facing the door, could see the intruder immediately. Maulius, sitting opposite Feitan, had her back to the door and therefore couldn't see the intruder.
From Illumi's perspective, although the back that met his eyes did not have the familiar waterfall of silvery-white long hair, the texture and color of the hair, the proportions and contours of the body, were undoubtedly his only sister—Maulius Zoldyck—whom he had watched since he could remember.
It was impossible not to recognize her.
……
When Illumi and Feitan met each other’s eyes, despite the years that had passed, they simultaneously recalled their past unpleasant entanglements and understood each other's identity.
This guy is still alive. x2
A scourge lives a thousand years.
Maulius, as if oblivious, did not turn around. Feitan narrowed his eyes and coldly questioned Illumi, “What are you doing here?”
Before Illumi could answer, Feitan continued, “Want to pry into your sister’s private life? Tsk, what an amusing interest.”
“Sister,” Illumi ignored Feitan. “You’ve cut your hair shorter again.”
As he spoke, he moved closer, reaching a position where he could see Maulius's face. Maulius remained deaf to his words, her eyes cast down, appearing somewhat drowsy.
“Maulius,” Feitan whispered in her ear, “Take a look at who’s here first.”
“……” Maulius cast a indifferent glance at Illumi.
Illumi had experienced that gaze, like that of a stranger, years ago, so he was not particularly surprised.
“Sister,” Illumi, as if not noticing this, went straight to the point. “According to the terms of our secret deal, I’ve brought what you ordered.”
“……” Maulius finally reacted, extending her hand towards Illumi, palm up.
Even if I don’t recognize him, free delivery is better than nothing.
She's not completely broken, just has cognitive impairment or memory loss? Illumi made this judgment.
“Sister, do you know my name?” Illumi didn’t move.
“……” Maulius did not answer.
“That won’t do, sister. We agreed that I would hand it over to ‘you’ in person and then verify the goods on the spot. With your current state, where you don’t even recognize me, you can’t make a correct judgment, so how can you ‘confirm receipt’?” Illumi’s tone was somewhat helpless. “You can’t accept things from strangers casually, you know. Sigh, you had a bad habit of picking up things carelessly as a child, even picking up a one-jen coin from the ground.”
“……” Maulius looked confused.
Why wouldn't you pick up something shiny?! Why wouldn't you?!
“But it’s okay, I’ll tolerate all your whims,” Illumi offered a smile devoid of warmth. “Because we are family.”
“Are you done with your rambling?” Feitan interjected, cutting off Illumi’s words with a cold sneer. “If you’re done, then get out quickly.”
“Impatient, are we? I suppose so.” Illumi nodded in agreement. “After all, it’s rare that you’ve reunited with my sister, but every day before this, she belonged to me. I can understand your current feelings to some extent now.”
“Have you made my sister happy?” Illumi’s smile remained on his face. His eyes looked neither at Feitan nor Maulius, as if gazing into the void, delivering a monologue. “When I gave my sister her ‘enlightenment education,’ she was very happy.”
“It was me, it was me who drove her mad. She went mad for me,” Illumi’s smile widened slightly. “When she’s mad, she tends to forget me. She forgets everyone but me, so I’m the most special.”
“……” Feitan frowned.
“……” Maulius lay quietly on Feitan’s shoulder, dozing, as if she hadn’t heard anything.
“Self-important,” Feitan pierced through Illumi’s essence. Then he said, “Maulius has always been crazy. When you were a conceited brat in Meteor City over ten years ago, she was already crazy. And her current madness has nothing to do with you, yet you remain ignorant. Hmph, you haven't seen each other in a long time, have you? How long has it been since you last saw her?”
“En, it has indeed been a long time,” Illumi dropped his smile, his tone still carrying a faint hint of amusement. “But compared to the time we’ve spent together, this is just a brief separation. And your loss… is eternal.”
As if out of goodwill, Illumi used a gentle, persuasive tone. “So I suggest you don’t get too attached to my sister—it won’t do you any good.”
“Sister,” Illumi chuckled, this time with a genuine touch of emotion. “Don’t forget to report home on time.”
“If the deadline passes, I and Father will come to take you home together.”
After speaking, Illumi turned and left.
The door opened and closed, leaving only Feitan and Maulius in the room.
“Relax,” Feitan patted Maulius’s back gently.
Illumi’s last words finally elicited a reaction from Maulius. Her body tensed at that moment.
However, her reaction was not very strong. With a little soothing from Feitan, she relaxed.
“What are you nervous about?” Feitan asked her. “Don’t want to go ‘home’? Or is it something else?”
Illumi’s last statement contained more than just one piece of information. Perhaps, what made Maulius nervous was actually the consequence of "the deadline passing."
“……” Maulius half-opened her eyes, her face a picture of laziness, silently forming words with her mouth: “Don’t know.”
As expected.
Never mind.
……
Don’t know. Yes, Maulius preferred not to know anything. She just wanted to play, without any burdens.
Then Feitan would play with her.
Feitan’s life was originally about pursuing pleasure, what else? At least, the meaning of Feitan's existence was the pursuit of pleasure.
……
As Illumi descended the stairs, Chrollo had only taken a sip of his coffee.
“Transaction completed?” Chrollo asked, seeing that the other party seemed ready to leave.
Unlike Chrollo, who deliberately showed his middle-parted bangs, Illumi’s bangs were slightly longer and covered his entire forehead. Coupled with his androgynous appearance, his nod of acknowledgment made him appear reserved and gentle.
“No, I’ll come again next time,” Illumi politely yet distantly offered his business card, his tone formal. “This is my business card. If you have anyone you need to kill in the future, you can commission me.”
Chrollo accepted the business card just as politely.
When Feitan walked out of the room and downstairs, he saw the business card on the table.
Feitan’s gaze settled on the surname part of the business card.
“It’s a very famous family,” Chrollo exclaimed. “A legend in the underworld, the world’s number one assassin family, the Zoldycks.”
“This family is full of lunatics,” Feitan said emotionlessly.
“What a pity, she was a Zoldyck from the very beginning,” Chrollo glanced at his empty coffee cup and then got up to pour another.
This statement indicated his stance as the leader of the Phantom Troupe: when the Zoldyck family requested the person from the Troupe, he would hand over Maulius depending on the situation, to avoid unnecessary losses—the existence of the Troupe was far greater than individual thoughts or interests.
“Then don’t you dare interfere with me,” Feitan made a decision based purely on his personal will, unrelated to the Troupe.
Not just for Maulius, he also wanted to see how renowned the Zoldycks truly were, whether they lived up to their reputation. Being able to defeat Illumi… would be even better.
“Of course,” Chrollo agreed calmly.