"Lord Zeno received a bounty from the Metropolitan Police Department. He's going to the neighboring Minbo Republic to deal with a terrorist called Jester."
"Tsubone's in charge of driving him to the airport and taking care of his daily needs."
At four-thirty in the morning, Roy finished his shower and sat down at the dining table. He chewed on a beef burger while listening to Gotoh go over the day's itinerary. This time, he'd specifically instructed them to make it well-done.
"The medium-rare one has already been taken away, Young Master. Please rest assured." Gotoh continued, "I had someone book the tickets the day before yesterday. Today, we'll visit Dr. Bennett at Provincial Hospital in the city, then we can take an airship to Heavens Arena."
"Tell me about this Jester," Roy interrupted Gotoh. He'd suddenly thought of someone who was good at growing apples and also dressed like a jester, though his nose wasn't red.
"He killed everyone aboard a ship!"
"What ship?"
"A pirate ship at an amusement park..." Gotoh pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose and said gravely, "According to information provided by the Minbo Republic's Metropolitan Police Department, nearly two hundred people died because of him. The story even made the news. You can look it up online, Young Master."
If a death toll that high hadn't even made the news, Roy could only say... the leaders of the Minbo Republic were blacker than crows.
"Anything else?"
"Besides us, the Hunter Association is also keeping an eye on this."
"Not surprising." Roy washed down the last bite of his burger with milk, pulled out a napkin, and leisurely wiped his mouth. "Terrorists should be dealt with by terrorists. If the Metropolitan Police Department is willing to pay, they can naturally hire someone else, too."
The Hunter Association was also known for its violent methods, and the counterterrorism organization led by three-star Terrorist Hunter Botobai wasn't there to make up the numbers... None of that had anything to do with them...
"Get everything ready. We're leaving..." Roy downed the last of his milk and stood up.
Gotoh had taken care of all the necessities, including the tickets and hotel, so Roy could take it easy. He picked up Snow Walk from the sword rack and headed out.
"Young Master, the airport has restrictions. You can't bring a controlled weapon." Gotoh reminded him in time, then handed Roy a wooden walking stick he'd prepared earlier.
Roy eyed him suspiciously, reached out, and drew a Cane Sword.
Gotoh hurriedly explained, "Don't underestimate this walking stick, Young Master. It's made entirely of ironwood, and it's as hard as refined steel. Besides, it isn't on the airport's list of restricted items."
So this was what they meant by "where there's a policy, there's a workaround"?
Roy swung the Cane Sword. It was actually a little heavier than Snow Walk, and its blade was etched with black flames. It would do nicely in a pinch.
"Shing—"
The Cane Sword slid back into its sheath, turning once more into an ordinary-looking walking stick in Roy's hand.
The young man set off with Gotoh, who carried two suitcases. They walked through the silent corridor to the front entrance of the Ancient Castle. Seeing someone there, Roy stopped.
Luke stood with his hands clasped in front of his stomach. He seemed to have been waiting for quite a while. When he saw Roy, he bowed and said, "The master said that you mustn't let your training lapse while you're away. You'll have to make up for every day you miss when you return."
"How?"
"Double."
"Oh."
Roy walked past Luke,,, Luke bowed even lower, stealing a glance at him from the corner of his eye. Once the young man had gone through the front door, he turned to look back at the second floor...
In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the second-floor bedroom, the tall man stood bare-chested, his silver hair falling loose behind him. He swirled a glass of red wine in his hand, quietly watching him...
Behind him, a slender hand emerged and slid down his chest. The man's body visibly stiffened, and even the red wine in his glass stopped swaying...
"Pfft..."
Busy... Everyone was busy... Being busy was great...
"Gotoh, let's go." Roy turned away and left without a backward glance.
Gotoh hurried to catch up. As they passed the garden, he saw a head sleeping peacefully beneath a parasol...
Then the head suddenly spoke...
"Two minutes and fifteen seconds. I passed, too." Illumi opened his eyes.
"Congratulations." Without looking back, Roy tossed him nothing more than a distant silhouette and kept walking.
Gotoh lagged behind, carrying one suitcase in each hand. He nodded to Illumi... Master and servant disappeared into Kukuroo Mountain, one after the other.
All of Kukuroo Mountain belonged to the Zoldycks. Only the sun in the sky, and the sunlight blocked by the parasol, did not belong to them.
Illumi watched Roy leave and saw it clearly: his aura was that same "cold gray"—"keeping others at arm's length, seeming to care but not really, always maintaining a certain distance"...
"Next time... when you get back, I definitely won't let myself be electrocuted unconscious again..."
Roy's back disappeared from view, and Illumi simply closed his eyes again.
In a dim little room on the other side of a wall, an old man slept off his nap and muttered, "Guess I'll be eating shit for a few more days..."
He rolled over and farted...
Lazy people had to pee and poop more often. When you got old, it seemed even your sphincter couldn't hold out anymore...
About ten minutes later, Zee came back from the bathroom and saw Roy standing with Gotoh in front of the Testing Gate. He hurried over and flexed his massive biceps.
"Don't worry, Young Master. I'll open the gate for you."
"No need." Roy tossed the Cane Sword to Gotoh, rolled up his sleeves, and stepped forward. He pressed both palms against the Testing Gate and pushed with all his strength... One gate... Two... Three...
The Testing Gate swung wide open. He'd pushed open three sections. The fourth trembled slightly, but remained firmly shut...
The absolute strength needed to open four sections—thirty-two tons—was equivalent to the strength of seventy adults... In terms of physique, that meant seventy points... A long road lay ahead...
Roy sensibly gave up.
He wasn't discouraged or dejected; he'd expected this. He let out a quiet breath, took the walking stick back from Gotoh, and headed straight out.
A black sedan was already waiting in front of the gate. A hundred meters beyond the security post at the mountain entrance, a red sightseeing bus was parked...
A crowd had gathered in front of the bus, pointing their "long guns and short cannons" at the Testing Gate and snapping away...
When the gate suddenly opened and a handsome young man walked out, followed by a tall butler carrying luggage, everyone froze!
Someone shouted, "That's the eldest young master of the Zoldyck family!"
A burst of light exploded, so bright Roy couldn't even open his eyes.
"Gotoh, do you think this was a bad time to leave?"
"Sorry, Young Master." Gotoh hurriedly motioned for the driver to open the car door and let Roy get in. Only then did he put the luggage in the trunk and climb in after him...
"They're just a bunch of commoners who admire your looks, Young Master..."
"If you're unhappy, I'll go kill them all right now!"
Don't go threatening to kill people at the drop of a hat... Roy stretched his arms out and leaned against the soft backrest, speaking languidly. "Forget it. It's not like this is the first time..."
"Just pick out a few of the people who put my photos online for sale and teach them a good lesson..."
"Yes." A cold glint flashed through Gotoh's eyes.
The Young Master was kindhearted and didn't want to stoop to their level.
Those despicable people had actually put him online and were selling his photos for a mere ten thousand Jeni each... It was practically an insult to Gotoh. They needed to be taught a good lesson!
(Note: 10,000 Jeni ≈ 60 yuan)
Before you continue