Chương 49: I Want Your Daughter

"We can even help the Nostrade Family replace Fanobi as the rulers of this town. You just saw what we can do." The words sounded like a devil's whisper to Light. A man willing to sacrifice almost anything to climb higher could not ignore that offer. Greed filled his eyes. Still, he retained enough reason to ask the essential question.

"What do we need to pay? Identities and lodging cannot be enough."

"You understand quickly," Aren said. The praise was edged with mockery.

"Identities and lodging are the price for sparing your lives. If you want us to act, of course that isn't enough." Light's expression hardened.

"Then tell me what you want. If I have it, and it isn't our lives, I'll give it to you." Perhaps the night's disaster could become an opportunity. It had happened before. When Light saved Bart, assassins slaughtered his parents and brothers. Once he survived that crisis, Bart became the foundation of his rise. The loss had transformed into an opportunity that changed his fate. Even without the Troupe, Fanobi's pressure would eventually destroy the Nostrade Family.

'Why not gamble again?'

'What do I have left to lose?' For a moment, Light felt like the ambitious nobody who chose to save a dying mercenary even while knowing the danger. That decision proved correct. Correct for Light, at least. Aren saw his resolve and smiled unpleasantly. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

"I want..." Every person in the room waited.

"... your daughter." Silence. Everyone stared at Aren differently. Machi glared openly. If she sensed anything truly disgusting in him, she would have strangled him with Nen threads on the spot. Light's thoughts crashed.

"Neon is only four..." He had expected Aren to demand submission or a share of future profits. Not this. His gaze swept over Aren's face. The young man was exceptionally handsome. He could hardly lack women outside.

'Why would he have that kind of preference?' Machi's expression became dangerous.

"Deputy leader. I think you still haven't woken up. Do you need help clearing your head?" A cold Nen thread gleamed between her hands. Chrollo analyzed the new information with complete seriousness.

"So Aren likes little girls. Noted." Aren snapped.

"What the hell is wrong with all of you? You're the perverts! When did I say I wanted Neon for anything like that?" He pointed toward the girl.

"Can't you see it? Neon is a genius. Use Gyo and look properly. Do something useful for once!" The Troupe focused aura into their eyes, half skeptical and half curious. Then they saw the difference. Most of Neon's body looked normal. Like any untrained person, she leaked a faint amount of life energy without realizing it. Her right hand was different. Aura had gathered there in an abnormal concentration. Aren used Gyo instinctively when Neon entered the room.

Once he noticed the anomaly, he estimated that Lovely Ghostwriter would awaken within a day or two. The timing made sense. In the future Aren remembered, the Nostrade Family would have faced destruction under Fanobi's pressure without the Troupe's arrival. Neon's awakening was the turning point capable of saving them. The aura gathering in her right hand was a sign that Lovely Ghostwriter was about to manifest. The ordinary people around her could not see it. The Troupe could.

Their expressions shifted from suspicion to understanding. Aren glared at them.

"I tell you to use Gyo more often and none of you listen. If you didn't use it now, you would miss a once-in-a-generation talent." Machi turned her head away with reddening cheeks.

"Who knows whether you have other motives?" Her expression said everything.

'I was wrong, but I refuse to admit it.' Chrollo nodded thoughtfully.

"Aren does not like little girls."

"Chrollo!" Aren abandoned the title captain and shouted his name directly. After the farce settled, Aren extended a hand toward the frightened but curious Neon. His expression softened.

"Neon, would you like to become my student?" Light did not understand Gyo or what made Neon a genius. He understood the word student. He also realized he had misunderstood Aren badly enough to feel embarrassed.

"If you mean taking Neon as your student, there is no problem," Light said.

"No. It would be an honor for her." He looked down at the girl.

"Neon, do you see the handsome young man with silver-white hair?" Neon followed his gesture. Aren was smiling gently at her. Her cheeks reddened slightly. She was a child, but she could already tell when someone looked good.

"I see him, Papa."

"From now on, he will be your master. Come with me and say hello." Light took her hand and brought her to Aren. Neon did not fully understand the word master yet, but she obediently spoke in a quiet voice.

"Hello, Master Aren." The sight melted Aren's heart.

'Too cute.'