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Even though Sheila didn't know who Ronin was, seeing him show up right beside Kurapika already put her on edge.
Especially after Kurapika got dead serious and started grilling her about the Troupe. She had a bad feeling about where this was headed.
So when Ronin asked his question, she thought it over carefully and answered, "Yeah, Paku probably helped me up at some point."
"Did she ever ask where you've been lately?" Ronin pressed.
"She has. Paku always likes digging into that stuff. She's a good person and always worries about me." Sheila gave a genuine smile. "Me, Sarasa, and Paku—we all grew up together right here in the church. After Sarasa got killed, I kinda drifted away from Chrollo and the rest, but Paku's still my good friend. Every time I come back from traveling, we stay up all night just talking."
Ronin glanced over at Kurapika.
Kurapika asked the question that really mattered. "Sheila, do you know what Pakunoda's Nen ability is?"
Sheila shook her head. "Paku never told me. Probably because I'm not actually part of the Troupe Chrollo started. They don't really talk to me about that stuff, and I don't ask. I just know they became A-rank wanted criminals on their own terms, thinking it'd help them track down Sarasa's killers.
But I don't think hitting violence with more violence is the right way. That's why I've spent these years looking for better ways to find the real culprits. Becoming a Hunter felt like one of the smartest moves I could make."
Sheila was completely open and honest, answering every question without holding anything back.
It was obvious from the way she talked that her views didn't line up with the Troupe's at all.
The key seemed to be Pakunoda.
She'd clearly been using her ability to pull information out of Sheila this whole time. But why?
Ronin studied Sheila carefully but didn't see anything special about her. Was the real clue in Sheila's own ability?
Kurapika's shoulders relaxed a little as he listened to her answers.
He hadn't expected Sheila to have grown up alongside the Phantom Troupe. But he could tell there'd been a split over how to handle Sarasa's death. They'd gone down completely different paths.
Still, years of friendship didn't just vanish because of differing beliefs.
"So… what happened, Kurapika?" Sheila's face turned dead serious.
She already had a terrible suspicion forming, but she was desperately hoping she was wrong.
If she was right…
Then what Chrollo and the others had done wasn't any different from the monsters who'd murdered Sarasa back in Meteor City.
"The entire Kurta Clan—everyone except me and Ronin here, including Pairo—was wiped out by the Phantom Troupe."
Kurapika finally said the words Sheila had been dreading most.
Shizuku, standing beside Neon, learned for the first time that Ronin and Kurapika were Kurta Clan survivors.
It didn't bother her much. Just meant the Troupe was another enemy on the list.
Since Ronin had helped her get revenge, helping him in return felt right.
She didn't have any real attachment to the Troupe anyway. She only knew they were some group a lot of people in Meteor City looked up to.
If Ronin hadn't shown up, she probably would've ended up working with the Troupe to take down Spence, just like he'd said.
With her current strength, she might've had a shot at Spence alone. But facing both him and his butler inside that manor? Her odds would've been terrible.
Spence's ability wasn't weak. He'd gone down so fast mostly because Ronin was on another level.
When Sheila heard the news, her face went pale.
She'd grown up with Chrollo and the rest. She knew their ideals didn't match hers, but she never thought they'd go this far.
How were they any different now from the demons who'd killed Sarasa?
Sheila felt deeply disappointed.
"I'm sorry," was all she could say, repeating it over and over.
Kurapika let out a heavy sigh. "It's not your fault."
Just like Ronin had told him before—even without Sheila or Ronin involved, once the Troupe set their sights on the Scarlet Eyes, finding the Kurta village was only a matter of time.
If Ronin had possessed his current strength back then, they might've stood a chance.
But the truth was, if the Troupe never came looking, Ronin never would've gained the power boost from merging with the Scarlet Eyes.
It was a twisted loop with no clean way out.
Unless someone could actually turn back time and send Ronin back to that day with all his current power.
But abilities like that… did they even exist?
Kurapika shook his head, pushing the messy thoughts aside.
"What are you two planning to do here?" Sheila asked, suddenly more guarded.
She believed the Kurapika she knew wouldn't drag innocent people into his revenge. But after losing his entire clan, she had no idea how much someone could change.
Chrollo had turned into something demonic just from losing Sarasa.
Could Kurapika still be the same positive, bright person?
"Don't worry," Ronin stepped in. "We're not here to mess with the church. We just wanted to take a look. Or more accurately, it's a message for Chrollo."
"He won't care," Sheila said with a bitter smile, shaking her head. "He's not the same Chrollo anymore. I don't know exactly what changed him, but the boy who used to lead his friends in putting on shows and bringing laughter to Meteor City… he's been gone for a long time."
Sheila turned to look at the kids behind her, eyes full of helplessness. "We call it a church, but it's really just an orphanage. After the nun died, Chrollo basically stopped coming back here altogether."
The children watched Ronin and the group warily. Several of them had clear hostility in their eyes.
They'd obviously picked up from the conversation that these visitors were enemies of the Phantom Troupe.
Ronin could see admiration for the Spiders in many of their young faces.
In their eyes, the Troupe weren't villains at all. They were Meteor City's real heroes.
From their perspective, it made sense.
Ronin looked away from the kids. From his point of view, he just hoped Sheila would guide them properly. Otherwise, once they grew up, they might end up dying pointlessly in some back alley somewhere.