"Per your instructions, young master, we're at two million volts today. You'll need to endure for the usual 2 minutes."
Inside the training room, Roy stripped off his shirt in one smooth motion, revealing lean, sculpted muscles.
Luke held the electric baton as he reported, sneaking careful glances. He couldn't shake the feeling that the young master had grown taller and stronger in just a few days.
It was like watching bamboo shoots grow after a rain, shooting up almost overnight.
Luke had keen observation. Compared to days ago, Roy's "Constitution" had indeed doubled. Even though he controlled the speed of his "Life Energy" absorption, sensory changes were inevitable.
"Come." The young man placed his hands on his hips, feet firmly planted on the floor, standing straight.
Luke said: "My apologies, young master."
One electric baton strike. Leveraging the "Divine Script" enhancement, electric light exploded, blinding onlookers.
"Creak~" Illumi pushed the door open. Noticing this scene, he silently counted... ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds, one minute, two minutes... wait, why hasn't he fainted?
Roy stood motionless, enduring the electric current coursing through his body without flinching. Not even a groan escaped his lips.
Inhuman!
"Young master, you've passed."
Two minutes up. Luke's hand began trembling.
"Continue. Don't stop unless I tell you."
This... Luke gritted his teeth and pushed more Nen into the baton. The display jumped to 2.1 million volts.
"Didn't you eat? Keep going."
The number jumped to 2.2 million volts.
"More! Let me see your limit!"
"Young master, you're pushing me too far!"
"Young Master Illumi, since you're here, witness this!"
Luke pushed his Nen to the max and roared, unleashing his Ren. The number shot up to 3 million volts!
The young butler unleashed his full power with the force of a lightning strike.
Electric energy exploded in blinding spheres. Roy finally staggered back two steps and collapsed.
His adrenaline surging, Luke turned to Illumi, his eyes wild: "Young master, how many volts do you want?"
Illumi fell silent...
After a long pause,
"I'll stick with the usual, one million volts... I guess..."
"Crackle..."
The electric baton struck. Darkness fell...
Two hours later, two figures in the garden slowly regained consciousness, glancing at each other before simultaneously turning away.
Nearby on the central lawn lay Milluki sprawled out like a beached whale... just collateral damage from Luke's session with Roy and Illumi.
"Three million volts doesn't prove your strength, only that you're electric-resistant."
A gust of wind blew, swaying the willow branches. Illumi said hoarsely, "Nen users ultimately rely on Nen. If I used Ten to defend, I could withstand it too."
Roy remained silent. Illumi turned his head, staring directly at Roy: "Why won't you speak?"
Roy closed his eyes.
"Am I wrong?"
"Shut up!"
"Fine."
Silence fell...
Evening came, and the sunset painted everything in golden light.
Roy finally regained sensation and climbed out of the pit, brushing dirt from his clothes.
Hearing the movement, Milluki grunted and opened his eyes, looked up at Roy, then over at Illumi. With a grunt, he heaved himself up and waddled over to Illumi, then pulled down his pants.
"You want to die!"
"BANG!" Dirt exploded. Illumi launched himself from the pit, seized Milluki, and hauled him toward the training room.
Still too light, Roy thought.
He could practically hear Milluki's frantic thoughts. Roy stood under the willow tree, watching as darkness slowly swallowed the last rays of sunlight. After a moment, he turned and walked toward his bedroom.
The castle corridor was already lit with lamps. Dim yellow light stretched the young man's shadow very long. At one moment, his steps paused, bowing forward in salute.
Maha stood before the window, admiring the night scenery. He turned to smile and beckon.
Roy hurried to his side. The old man squeezed his arm and nodded with satisfaction. "You were gone for several days, but you didn't lose weight. Now that you're back, make sure to cook more food. Look how thin you've made me. I can't even get up in the morning anymore..."
Hmm... could the inability to get hard be due to other reasons?
Roy pretended not to hear Maha's crude joke, nodding: "Okay."
"Mm... remember to cut some sausages in the dish. Your Grandfather Zigg loves them..."
"Okay...! Who?" Roy froze, staring at Maha.
The old man leaned on the windowsill, gazing at Kukuroo Mountain, repeating: "Your Grandfather Zigg."
His tone remained casual as he waved dismissively: "Go prepare. Tomorrow, someone will find you."
Silence.
Roy studied him intently: "Yes."
He walked past Maha, turned the corner, and vanished from sight.
After Roy left, shadows in the dark corner shifted, revealing white hair and beard. Zeno stepped forward, hands behind his back, and came to the window. He stood where Roy had just stood, joining Maha to admire the night scenery. He spoke softly: "Grandfather, isn't it too early?"
"The family has its rules. There are many ways to learn Ren. We don't need to immediately summon father..."
This is the treatment only family heirs receive. The former Zoldyck head left this sentence unsaid, but he believed his grandfather understood his meaning.
Every organization has its hierarchy, and following it maintains order in a large family. The main point is,
"I am the rule!" Maha turned to glare at Zeno: "You're too tall. Squat down."
Zeno's body stiffened: "Grandfather, I have grandchildren now. You should..."
"Who cares if you have grandchildren? Squat!"
"Yes..." Zeno squatted, bowing his head. Maha raised his hand and rapped his knuckles on Zeno's skull, making it buzz...
The old man snapped, "Rules aren't set in stone; people are flexible. Before, only you and Silva were available as heirs. Your father had no choice. Now... what, you think we'll abandon the family just because Roy doesn't have white hair?"
"Silva is working hard."
"Nonsense!" Maha kicked Zeno over: "This is my decision. Anyone who's dissatisfied can come to me... This old man wants to see if you've grown stronger these years!"
BANG!
The door slammed shut.
Maha vanished.
Zeno patted his clothes, flipping up from the ground. Standing silently at the door for a long while, turning to glance toward Roy's bedroom direction, shaking his head before strolling toward his own bedroom.
Night deepened. Cartoon sounds drifted from the small room. Roy returned to his bedroom, pulled out Maha's notebook, placed it on the desk, and stared at it in silence.
Behind him, Gotoh silently arranged dinner.
Roy spoke up: "Tomorrow, tell the kitchen to prepare ingredients. I'm cooking."
Gotoh produced paper and pen and began taking notes.
"I'll need a pig's head... 'forget it, I don't know how to braise it...' chicken, fish, fresh seafood, vegetables... and sausages. Remember to get several sausages."
"Anything else, young master?"
"One more thing..." Roy raised his head, gazing through the window at the bright moon reaching its peak, his eyes narrowing: "A bouquet of chrysanthemums."
"Yellow ones."