Chapter 73: Done For! Broken Legs x The Gate to the Dark Continent
"Young Master."
"Young Master."
"Young Master."
The security door slid open. Scarface, One-Eye, and Tsubone bowed, standing respectfully to either side and clearing the path for Roy. They bowed low, so low that Tsubone's pink pigtails almost touched her toes.
Roy pushed the cart forward. "I left the chrysanthemums inside. I don't want to see them wither."
Tsubone quickly replied, "I will find a vase and water them diligently."
Scarface added, "I will take them out for sunlight every day."
One-Eye finished, "I will weed and fertilize them."
The boy gave a soft hum. "Thank you for your trouble." He handed the cart to Tsubone, glanced around, and then walked away with his hands behind his back.
Tap... tap... The sound of his footsteps faded. The three straightened up slowly, Roy already gone from sight.
By now, the moon was high in the sky, the sunset long swallowed by the encroaching darkness.
Leaving the basement, Roy strolled through the weathered corridors of the old castle. Lamps were lit along the walls. At the end of the corridor, near the dimly lit small room, Roy looked up and saw Maha again. The old man was leaning against the window frame, gazing at the scenery. For a fleeting moment, Roy had the strange illusion he was looking at an elderly Zzigg... the resemblance was uncanny. Roy paused. "Great-Great-Grandfather."
Maha stared intently at the willow tree in the garden, seemingly lost in thought, as if he hadn't heard. He began to speak anyway. "[Re: Game of the Dead] is your Grandpa Zzigg's Nen ability. Through physical contact, he can forcibly pull a person's consciousness into a game woven from his memories."
Roy listened silently. This matched his earlier speculations.
"The year he died, he used his 'bloodline' as a catalyst to set a 'Vow and Limitation'. Any descendant of the Zoldyck family can enter and exit his mind. The price—excluding the source of the bloodline, which is me. At the time, I was so furious I wanted to beat him to death. Why wouldn't he listen? He just had to sneak off. But... before I could lay a hand on him, he closed his eyes."
So, that eye is Zzigg's brain, mutated after death? Roy listened quietly.
Maha sounded annoyed. "He always said the Zoldycks could lose anyone but me. He was afraid I'd look through his memories, go back to the Dark Continent, and seek revenge for him. That idiot! Did he really think I was that reckless?"
Yes! You absolutely are!
Roy picked up the thread, joking, "Perhaps Grandpa Zzigg thought you might accidentally kill the culprit, Great-Great-Grandfather, robbing him of the chance to get revenge himself?" In any case, the old man wasn't the type to let an enemy roam free while he did nothing. That wouldn't fit the profile of an Enhancer.
Maha shot him a glare. The boy forced a smile and quickly changed the subject. "So, Great-Great-Grandfather, is Grandpa Zzigg truly dead, or just pretending?" A mutated brain would still require energy. If he was truly dead, where did that energy come from? Roy suddenly thought of Scarface and One-Eye. As soon as the question left his lips, his eyelid twitched.
"Looks like you've figured it out." Maha, old and sharp, noticed the change in the boy's expression. "He's 'living dead'," he said softly. "And the ridiculous thing is... even though he hates it, he's become the very type of magical beast he despised most in life: a demonic eye that feeds on Nen."
Is it a curse? Roy thought of Nanika. The shadow hanging over the Zoldyck family hadn't fully manifested yet, but that didn't mean it would disappear.
"Then, Great-Great-Grandfather, when you told me to pay respects, did you want me to retrace Grandpa Zzigg's path and find his killer?"
"You?" Maha chuckled mockingly, clapping him on the shoulder. "Don't get ahead of yourself. What your grandfather and your father couldn't accomplish is hardly something that would fall to you."
Ouch. Though, he really had only lasted fifteen seconds, not even long enough to exchange a word with the memory of Zzigg.
The old man looked at Roy meaningfully. "This is just a warning, so you understand the dangers. If one day you truly get the idea in your head, then..." Maha smiled. "This old man will break your legs, and I won't feel a shred of guilt about it."
"That..." Roy remembered the dream, the image of Zzigg being dragged under the tree and beaten mercilessly still vivid in his mind.
"You overestimate me, Great-Great-Grandfather." Roy pointed to his black hair. "My talent is limited," he said sheepishly.
Fifteen seconds isn't exactly limited, you silly kid. Maha rolled his eyes. "Get lost."
Roy felt like he'd received a pardon. "Good night, Great-Great-Grandfather!" He scurried past the old man and hurried away. It was eight o'clock; Gotoh should have dinner ready by now. He needed to eat and replenish his energy.
Behind him, Maha stood with his hands behind his back, watching him walk further and further away. "Go visit Zzigg more often," he called out.
The boy agreed readily. Not just to alleviate Grandpa Zzigg's loneliness. At the very least... I need to be able to withstand that monster's Ren first.
The night deepened. The boy rounded the corner and vanished. Maha remained alone, lost in thought. The night wind rustled his clothes. Hurried footsteps approached from behind.
It was Tsubone.
"Oldest Master, the time is confirmed."
"I know. Fifteen seconds." Maha waved his hand and went inside, the door closing with a bang.
Tsubone bowed respectfully, unsurprised. Coming here was just a formality. She glanced toward Roy's bedroom, then hurried away.
Roy's Bedroom.
Tonight's dinner was Western-style. He had hoped to eat the offerings he brought back from the memorial, some proper Chinese food. Reality taught him otherwise; the world is full of unexpected things. Except for a few salad leaves, all the meat had gone into Zzigg's stomach.
Resigned, Roy could only bite into a sandwich, reflecting on how deep the Zoldyck family's secrets ran. Without sufficient strength, there were places he couldn't even go. And in the future, if he ever truly decided to explore the Dark Continent, judging by the old man's words... he would have to get past Maha first. Otherwise, just look at how badly Zzigg got beaten in the dream; the consequences were clear.
"Young Master, Zebro called. He said that Kastro boy managed to push open the first gate this evening." Gotoh handed him a glass of milk. "I've already arranged for him to report to the butlers' quarters."
Roy took the glass, downed it in one go, and handed it back empty. "His talent isn't weak. Train him well and assign him to guard duty." A guy who could hold his own against Hisoka in the original story was naturally no slouch.
Leaving Gotoh to clear the table, Roy finished eating, took a quick shower, and went straight to bed.
His mind was buzzing. He couldn't wait to see if the "Gate to the Dark Continent," which had appeared in his Sea of Cognition after disconnecting from Zzigg's consciousness, still existed.
If it did... the boy narrowed his eyes. He could easily imagine... once his strength was sufficient, even without the old man needing to break his legs, he could bypass all the limitations of this world and glimpse the true face of the Dark Continent before anyone else!
And he could come and go as he pleased, whenever he pleased.
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