Chapter 169: The Beautiful Past of the Spiders x Silva's Walkthrough
Under the organization of Chrollo, Sarasa, and the others, The Cleanup Brigade play was staged in an orderly fashion.
Perhaps the original author would never have imagined that in this trash heap despised by the world as a "waste dumping ground," a group of half-grown children would use his work to eke out a meager happiness while struggling to survive in Meteor City.
After Machi, Uvogin, Nobunaga, Feitan, Phinks, Franklin, and the others made their appearances. Pakunoda, whose figure was just beginning to develop despite her young age, watched from the audience, chin in hand... Everyone sang, laughed, and enjoyed the stage to the fullest... As the host, Chrollo would sometimes think...
If only we could stay like this forever.
"Ouch! Dammit, old man, you hit too hard!" Uvogin took a "slash" from Nobunaga. Suspecting the latter of harboring a grudge and abusing his role for revenge, Uvogin abandoned his "Bear Monster" act and nearly started brawling with Nobunaga again.
"What did you call me?"
"Old man... what about it?"
"I'm only one year older than you!"
"Older is older!"
"Fight... hit him hard... Uvogin, get him! Nobunaga... holy crap, that guy fights dirty, going for the crotch!"
Chaos. A perfectly good play turned into a chaotic brawl because of Uvogin and Nobunaga. Ironically, the children in the audience enjoyed it even more, cheering and hooting, making a lively scene.
"Heh heh heh..."
In the corridor outside the prayer hall window stood an old priest.
He watched it all with a smile, accompanied by a young woman with a veil covering her face.
"Renko, look how wonderful this is..."
The vibrant youthfulness of these green teenagers, bursting with endless energy... unlike him, old and frail, panting after just a few steps, his days clearly numbered.
The woman's expression was cold. She didn't respond to the old priest's comment, instead bringing up another matter. "Another group of human traffickers has arrived 'outside'."
Renko watched through the glass window as Uvogin used a "bear rubbing against a tree" move to pin Nobunaga to the ground. She said calmly, "I wonder how many of these children will remain when the time comes."
"Trash," "Weapons," "Corpses," "Abandoned Infants"... This was the bloody, cruel reality of Meteor City.
The old priest sighed softly. "Respect the fate of others, let go of the need to save everyone."
"All we can do is provide a small stage. As for the future, who can know... how far these children will go?"
Life is a long road. Dying early, dying late... in the end... just a handful of yellow earth.
"Like Kikyo. Your teacher never imagined back then that she would have the life she has today, did she?"
"That woman..." Renko's cold gaze rippled, and she fell silent.
The old priest chuckled. His thoughts drifted away on the wind, crossing mountains and oceans, spiraling into Kukuroo Mountain, landing in a garden.
It was evening. A man with silver hair cascading to his waist was supporting a woman on a walk in the garden. Perhaps because she had eaten a bit too much for dinner, the woman sneezed inadvertently. Her belly trembled with the motion, startling her. "Baby, I'm sorry. It's Mommy's fault. Mommy apologizes."
Nearing her due date, the woman's nerves were taut, clearly much more sensitive than usual.
Silva gently rubbed her back, whispering comfort. He looked up and noticed Tsubone, her pink pigtails swinging, standing silently under a streetlamp, waiting...
Silva calmly helped Kikyo back to the bedroom. After some effort coaxing her to sleep, he took the old butler to his study.
"Master, Scarface sent word. The Eldest Young Master successfully passed the first stage," Tsubone said, pushing up her glasses. "The Young Master stayed in the basement for a full two hours this afternoon."
Silva pulled out a chair and sat down, clasping his hands under his chin, silent.
Tsubone opened a file compiled by Scarface and One-Eye, sliding it gently across the smooth desk to the man. "This records the time the Young Master spent paying respects to Master Zzigg each visit. Please take a look."
Silva stared blankly out the window at the deep night, waving his hand lightly.
Fast... too fast... Even without looking, he knew the boy entered and exited the basement fewer times than he or his father Zeno had, yet he was faster than both of them, passing the [Sandworm] test in record time!
Unless you run the household, you don't know the cost of rice; unless you experience it, you don't know the terror of the [Sandworm]... What did this signify?
Silva picked up a strand of his own hair, holding it up to the light, gazing at the silver color. He was silent for a long time. Then, he opened a drawer, took out a small booklet from the bottom layer, and tossed it over. "Give this to him."
"Yes, sir." Tsubone caught it with both hands and bowed, retreating.
Creeak~ The door closed.
When she reappeared, she was in front of Roy.
She held the booklet out with both hands. "Young Master, from the Master."
Dong~ 9 PM. The grandfather clock chimed.
Roy was hunched over his desk, writing and drawing, planning his "preaching" strategy for Meteor City. He glanced up at Tsubone, smiled, and took the booklet. "Get some rest."
The old butler froze. A rare look of confusion appeared in her wrinkled eyes, quickly softening. She bowed her head. "Yes."
Just as she had done in the study with Silva, she turned on her heel and bowed out.
Creeak~ The door closed.
Tsubone faced the door, her back to the night, standing still for a long time. She suddenly recalled her brief conversation with Gotoh that day, gradually realizing... the Young Master was beginning to change.
He was no longer awkward or distant. He didn't hold himself apart from this family, these people. He was more integrated, more caring. It seemed as if he had matured a great deal in an instant...
At the very least, the old him wouldn't have smiled at her, let alone occasionally dropped a word of "concern and greeting."
It seems people get sentimental when they age. Tsubone rubbed her stinging eyes, took a breath, and walked away softly. She cast one last deep look at the boy through the window, leaving Roy alone with the bean-sized lamp, opening the booklet Silva had given him.
The booklet wasn't large, actually quite thin, with only a few pages. Looking closely, Roy realized... this was part of a "game walkthrough" Silva had made when he participated in [Re: Game of the Dead]. It contained maps hand-drawn by Silva, events he had experienced, and interactions with key "NPCs." At one point, the boy's gaze sharpened, landing on a familiar name...
Benjamin Frederick. It was the "Lord Benjamin" who had cast a projection using Frank Capone's corpse!
Roy frowned. Then...
Below, he saw his father's evaluation of him...
[Benjamin Frederick: Member of the "Colorless House" Security Knights. Honest, brave, skilled in battle. Reliable.]
[Note: "Colorless House"... A collective term for a territory carved out in the Uzuki Great Forest by "outcasts" banding together to defend against magical beasts... The leader, "Kohler Wilson," is powerful, suspected "Transmuter."]
[Suggestion: Start with the "Colorless House," strive to pass the "Knight Selection," join the Security Knights, and stabilize your footing before exploring deeper into the Dark Continent.]
[Attached: Map of "Colorless House" and topography of surrounding known magical beast territories...]
Reading this, Roy noticed Silva had even circled "Benjamin Frederick" in red.
Understood—
Whether it was Silva, Zeno, or even Great-Great-Grandfather Maha, they all likely still believed that [Re: Game of the Dead] was simply a game created by Grandpa Zzigg based on the Dark Continent and combined with his own Nen ability, specifically for his descendants to "hone their Nen abilities."
Perhaps, years ago, because he realized Maha might notice something, Grandpa Zzigg used a "Vow and Limitation" to forbid him from entering... partly out of fear that Maha would seek "revenge" for him and go to extremes, and partly... perhaps to protect the Zoldycks.
Unfortunately...
"People change."
The man who once protected outcasts from magical beasts, a man even his father—who rarely approved of anyone—relied on, had turned into an Archbishop hunting those same outcasts...
Roy didn't know what had happened in between, but learning this news filled him with immense irony and sorrow...
Grandpa Zzigg once said... The world of man belongs to humans; the world of beasts belongs to beasts. But he never said... that humans could lose their minds and become "animals" one day...
Roy thought of Little Mary, of the "Thunder Spear." His heart felt heavy, a mix of five flavors, leaving him speechless for a time. Just then, the night wind lifted a corner of the curtain, rustling softly...
He leaned back in his chair, trying to let out a breath. Suddenly, a panel notification chimed...
[ "Faith Power" +1 ]
[ Source: Kyojuro Rengoku ]
[ Note: Moved by time, moved by events. Your "Believer" Kyojuro Rengoku's "fate" has changed. He sincerely thanks you for saving his father from alcoholism and guiding him away from his decline and back onto the right path. ]
Roy: "?"
He suddenly smiled, the knot in his heart unraveling. Yes, time flies like a white horse passing a crevice, fleeting. People naturally change to varying degrees along with it...
Body, state of mind, perspective... all differ. Just as there are those like Benjamin Frederick who fall, there are naturally those... like Kyojuro Rengoku's father... Shinjuro Rengoku, who "reclaim their lives"...
"And what I need to do next is simply shine the warm sunlight into everyone's heart and guide them upward."
The corners of his mouth lifted. Once the mind is unlocked, the world feels wide... He stopped reading the booklet and the book, turned off the light, and went to sleep.
Hss... yah... Snores rose in the chilly night...
Demon Slayer World.
Since bidding farewell to Roy and having a heart-to-heart with him...
Kyojuro Rengoku, Nichirin Blade at his waist, wearing his white haori with the flame-patterned hem, left the Ubuyashiki estate. As usual before a mission, he went home to visit his father Shinjuro and his brother Senjuro.
This time, he made a decision that had been buried in his heart for a long time but had never taken shape—to draw his sword against his father!
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