Chương 59: Every Last One

"I said: kill every last one of them." Aren spoke one word at a time. The gentle smile on his face slowly turned wicked. Angel and devil exchanged places in an instant.

"Wait-" Jeff's eyes widened in terror. He only managed a single word before the Troupe swarmed him and killed him on the spot.

"So this is an outside Nen user?" Uvogin said, shaking out his hand in dissatisfaction.

"He felt weak."

"He was weak," Aren said, walking over.

"All right. Since the matter here is finished, we should head back." He stretched.

"Oh?" Chrollo came to his side with a faint smile.

"You don't plan to take their money and goods back? We are a band of thieves. If we leave empty-handed, we'll be a disgrace to the word 'thief.'""There is no need," Aren said. Chrollo glanced at him.

"Planning something?"

"Planning? Barely. But that depends on whether Nostrade passes my test." It was only a casual arrangement, but it could be called a plan. For now, Aren did not intend to explain too much. Whether Light Nostrade qualified or not was still uncertain. After the fight ended, Aren created medical supplies. With Machi's skilled hands, the wounds the others had taken during the battle were stitched and bandaged. Uvogin and the others tried to act tough and say they were fine.

After Aren chopped each of them on the head, they obediently lay still. While they were being treated, Aren opened En again and searched the entire mountain for leftovers. He did find quite a few. After handling those stragglers, the Troupe withdrew. The cleanup could be left to Nostrade. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. At the foot of the mountain, they found that Nostrade had already arranged a large number of men.

When Aren's group came down, the Nostrade Family members split into two lines, forming a passage. The moment the Troupe stepped into it, every man bent his knees, braced his hands on his thighs, and shouted at the same time.

"Thank you for your hard work!" Bart stood at the end of the passage and bowed ninety degrees. Behind him, the luxury van waited with its door open. Aren raised an eyebrow. Nostrade really knew how to flatter people. He had even learned a bit of Yakuza-style ceremony. Light was not present, probably because he was busy handling Fanobi territory. The Troupe did not care much about ceremony or status, but they had to admit this treatment felt good. They were still only teenagers.

Their mentality had not yet been forged by the long years of slaughter they would experience in the original future. They had also only just left Meteor City and were still full of curiosity toward the outside world. Aren finally got to experience the kind of treatment Kazuma Kiryu received in Yakuza. No one felt embarrassed. The Troupe naturally accepted the Nostrade Family's grand gesture and walked through the passage into the van.

Only after they left did the Nostrade men stand and begin cleaning and counting the Fanobi headquarters under Bart's command. When Aren's group returned to Villa 21 in Chinkola Point, Light Nostrade was already waiting at the entrance.

"Welcome back, everyone. I have prepared a victory banquet. It is only a small gesture of gratitude." His attitude remained deeply respectful. Aren patted Light's shoulder.

"There is no need to thank us. This was a deal between us."

"Even so, Neon is lucky to become Mr. Aren's student. No matter how I look at this transaction, we benefited greatly. Please allow us to express our gratitude." Aren did not refuse any further.

"Fine. Then we'll take you up on it."

"It is no trouble. Serving you is my honor." Light walked half a step behind the Troupe as he led them into the dining room. Inside, Neon was alone, bored as she ate a piece of strawberry cake. The moment she saw Aren, her eyes brightened. She ran over on her short legs and hugged his thigh.

"Master Aren, Master Aren, didn't you say you would come find Neon? Didn't you promise to tell Neon a story?"

"Ah..." Aren scratched his head awkwardly.

"Stories are told before bed, Neon. When you sleep tonight, I'll tell you one, all right?" Neon held out her little finger.

"Then you have to pinky promise."

"All right. I'll pinky promise with you." Aren laughed at her childish seriousness and patted her head.

"Now let's eat. You need to eat more if you want to grow quickly." After resolving the Fanobi matter, Aren had begun preparing Neon's training plan. Neon was still too small. The future Aren remembered had not said whether opening Nen this early would have negative effects. It would be better to wait until she had a certain amount of physical strength before opening her aura nodes.

'She will probably cry when training really starts.' Watching Neon happily run back to her strawberry cake, Aren thought with a mischievous smile. Although Aren had reassured her, Machi still looked away with a slight pout when she watched him interact with Neon. Neon, who was eating strawberry cake, suddenly seemed to remember something. She set down her fork, picked up another piece of strawberry cake, gathered her courage, and carefully approached Machi.

"What?" Machi asked coldly. That was how she acted toward unfamiliar people. Neon was no exception.

"This... this strawberry cake is for you, big sister. You can try it. It is really good." Neon held the cake up in front of Machi with expectant eyes.