Möllerse transferred 1 billion yen to Kikyo on the spot as an apology for destroying the room and for the necessary repair costs. She then stated that she wanted to start working, reasoning that she wanted something to do.
Without a vocalizer, she communicated entirely through writing.
As promised by Silva when granting Möllerse extended leave (Chapter 143), she could resume work if she regained her condition.
However, whether she had “regained her condition” was up to Silva, the head of the Zoldyck family, to judge.
“…”
Möllerse stood before Silva, her eyes downcast, just as she did when she was a child, always deferentially averting her gaze to the floor. Kikyo stood beside her, a look of obvious worry on her face, as if Möllerse were about to be sent alone into hell to suffer.
After experiencing many trials and tribulations in raising her children, even Silva couldn’t help but think that Möllerse’s survival to this day, stumbling along, was truly a miracle.
In other words, Silva no longer had any expectations or demands of Möllerse. He just wanted her to live well, eat what she wanted, and play what she wanted. As long as she didn’t “harm family” or “damage the family,” she could do anything she pleased.
This was similar to how Kikyo treated Möllerse now, a special form of care akin to “end-of-life support.”
As Silva had anticipated, Möllerse would never make excessive demands, no matter the situation. This quiet child had rarely asked for anything since she was young. She seemed not to want to “cause trouble,” although the result was that she caused her parents more distress than her younger brothers.
“Möller, come here a bit,” Silva softened his tone, trying to make his voice gentler, as if addressing a snowflake about to melt, “Let me touch your head.”
“…” Möllerse remained motionless, her feet seemingly nailed to the floor. It was Kikyo’s encouraging push on her back that finally made her take a step forward.
Two steps.
Three steps.
Her hesitant gait was like that of a fawn taking its first steps.
“…”
When she finally stopped, Silva reached out, his large palm covering her silver-white hair, a trait inherited from the Zoldyck lineage.
The deep lines of his palm slowly brushed through her soft, fine hair. Silva restrained his strength immensely; Möllerse could barely feel the weight of his hand.
The second time, the pressure increased slightly, his palm pressing down the hair a little. Möllerse could feel the warmth of Silva’s palm.
The third time was a true head pat, and Möllerse could feel the slightly rough calluses on Silva’s hand.
Finally, Silva gently patted the top of Möllerse’s head and withdrew his hand.
“Möllerse, I will give you a relatively simple mission to get started,” Silva said. “Don’t rush, and it’s fine to try multiple times along the way. You just need to complete the mission within a month.”
“…”
“Do you have any other questions?”
“…” Möllerse shook her head.
“Good. If any problems arise, feel free to tell us at any time. Don’t worry, you can mention even the smallest thing.”
“…” Möllerse nodded.
Silva had no intention of making things difficult for Möllerse. When he said “relatively simple,” he meant it. The bodyguards of the assassination target were all low-level fodder.
Despite this, Möllerse gagged several times while waiting for the opportune moment due to excessive nervousness.
She hadn’t undertaken a mission assigned by the Zoldycks for so long that, after finishing the job, she forgot to notify them via phone as per procedure and simply went home.
At the Zoldyck family’s reunion dinner, everyone picked up their cutlery, while Möllerse, empty-handed, reached for the plate in front of her.
The next moment, a head appeared on the plate before her—the head of her assassination target. Its eyes were wide open in disbelief, its gaze falling directly on Milluki, who was sitting opposite Möllerse, nearly causing Milluki to choke.
Killua, to Milluki’s left, had not yet begun eating. He looked like an ordinary child witnessing a horror film, his mouth agape in shock.
Illumi, to Milluki’s right, being the pillar of the younger generation, showed no particular reaction, much like the elders.
The attending butlers, having undergone strict training, remained silent, none losing composure.
“…” The entire Zoldyck household fell silent.
Due to the [Save] feature of the game backpack, the head was as fresh as if it had just been cut. Blood continued to flow from the severed neck, spilling over the plate’s edge and onto the table, staining the pure white tablecloth crimson.
In the ensuing silence, Möllerse turned to look at Silva, who was seated at the head of the table, “…”
“Möllerse,” Silva said, putting down his cutlery, “Are you… intending to keep ‘this’ as a collectible?”
“…” Möllerse turned back, looked at the head on the plate for a moment, then shook her head at Silva.
“Do you want to use it as a toy?”
“…” Möllerse shook her head.
“It’s alright,” Silva felt that his imagination might be lacking, so he simply said, “You don’t need my permission for this. You can do whatever you want with it—you should put it away first.”
“…” Möllerse shifted her gaze back to the head on the plate but made no further movement.
Before Kikyo could order the butler to deal with the head, Zeno, from the other end of the table, spoke up, “Möllerse, we knew you completed the mission even without you bringing ‘this’ back.”
“…” Möllerse looked at Zeno.
At this point, Silva and Kikyo also remembered that Möllerse hadn’t notified them via phone after completing her mission. However, they had specifically paid attention to Möllerse’s first mission after her return and had learned through other channels that she had completed it. They hadn’t waited for Möllerse’s contact, neglecting the expected communication step.
It seemed Möllerse might have forgotten, or misunderstood, the basic procedures of Zoldyck missions.
Indeed, it was their oversight to measure Möllerse by common sense; they should have reconfirmed and taught her.
Old ginger is spicier.
“We don’t need ‘this’. After you complete your mission, you can contact Silva or Kikyo via phone,” Zeno asked, “Do you need to keep ‘this’? Otherwise, we’ll dispose of it.”
“…” Möllerse shook her head.
Kikyo, relieved, resumed ordering the butler to clear the table, and then personally took Möllerse to wash her hands and change out of her blood-stained clothes.
Watching them leave, Milluki silently thought that if this kind of life continued, his weight might drop again—should he run away from home overnight?
In fact, Milluki was worrying unnecessarily.
From then on, Möllerse was always engrossed in her work, often not returning home for a month. Even if Milluki wanted to see her, he might not be able to.
[Zoldyck Missions Completed Independently (111/999)]
Möllerse sat on the edge of a rooftop, the evening breeze gently carrying away the scent of blood that clung to her.
“Sister,” footsteps lighter than the wind approached her from not far behind. The tall, slender humanoid figure held a briefcase. “I’ve brought what you wanted.”
Möllerse stood up and walked towards the humanoid, or rather, it was Möllerse’s first younger brother—Illumi Zoldyck.
*Snap*.
The latches of the briefcase opened. Illumi held the briefcase at a height that allowed Möllerse to look directly into it.
Inside were many small glass bottles, all identical in design, neatly arranged—a godsend for the obsessively neat.
“A total of 999 bottles,” Illumi said. “The count is correct.”
999 bottles of [Kurta Clan Eyedrop Replicas]. This was the final part of the transaction concerning the Scarlet Eyes between Möllerse and Illumi. Once Möllerse confirmed receipt, this long-term trade would be complete.
Möllerse’s index finger traced along one of the glass bottles, from the opening to the bottom, as if sensing the texture of the bottle. Then, she picked up the bottle and examined the clear liquid filling it.
“Do you need to conduct a sample check?” Illumi asked.
“…” Möllerse placed the glass bottle back in the case and shook her head.
You can’t outrun the monks, but you can’t outrun the temple. If Illumi’s products had quality issues, unless Illumi completely severed ties with the Zoldycks, Möllerse could always claim compensation and have them remade by Illumi.
“Then, our transaction is complete?” Illumi asked again.
“…” Möllerse nodded.
*Snap*.
Illumi closed the briefcase, the latches clicking back into place.
Möllerse cupped the briefcase in her hands, but Illumi’s hand remained on the handle, not letting go. Möllerse then raised her gaze to meet Illumi’s eyes.
“Sister. I have a proposal,” Illumi shed his business-like tone, his voice inexplicably gaining a hint of cheerfulness. “Let’s get engaged.”
“…” Möllerse remained unfazed, even drooping her eyelids with a look of exhaustion.
“Ah, that might be a misunderstanding,” a subtle smile appeared on Illumi’s usually expressionless face. “I mean my Nen ability—Engagement Ring.”
He seemed to think he was very humorous, but it was unlikely anyone other than himself found it funny.
“Sister, you’ve always yearned for death, haven’t you?”
Among the Zoldyck elders, this was already an open secret.
“Working so diligently, is it to escape, or to repay? If so, either work until you collapse, or until you complete a certain goal, you can achieve what Sister desires most… a dead end.”
“Before that, if Sister and I ‘exchange rings’ and form a contract, I can help Sister better realize her wishes, including the final death. Of course, I will try my best not to let Sister feel any pain during the process of dying.”
“As a ritual for ‘holding the wedding ceremony,’ I will kill Sister myself.”
Where did he get the confidence that Möllerse would accept his proposal? Furthermore, “killing family members” was strictly forbidden by the Zoldycks.
Unless Möllerse had already been excluded from the definition of “family” by the family, did Illumi think he could deceive everyone?
“Yes, ‘killing family members’ is prohibited,” Illumi slowly leaned down. “But…”
“Sister isn’t truly dead. Sister will ‘live on’ with me as my ‘partner,’ and death will not separate us.”
“Sister’s body and abilities in all aspects will be preserved, except for thought—after all, it’s a corpse. No more thinking about death, a lifelike Sister, who can now stay with everyone forever. Everyone should happily accept it.”
His breath came close enough to touch Möllerse’s forehead.
“To make Sister understand and accept my ‘love,’ the conditions I’m offering are exceptionally generous,” his breath trembled slightly with his laughter. “Nine hundred and ninety-nine, Sister’s favorite number. I will fulfill Sister’s 999 wishes as the terms of the ‘engagement ring,’ and only then can we ‘hold the wedding ceremony.’”
Nine hundred and ninety-nine wishes. This was likely even more outlandish than Illumi’s belief that “the whole family would happily accept Illumi killing Möllerse.”
Möllerse genuinely thought Illumi had a serious illness, or had gone mad, or was lying.
“If it were anyone else, I certainly wouldn’t set such troublesome terms. It takes a long time to complete,” Illumi remained still, but his Nen was stirring. “After all, Sister is my important family member. How could I wish for… Sister to die sooner?”
Where did he get the confidence that Möllerse would accept his proposal? Möllerse didn’t lack money or strength. If it was something beyond her personal capabilities, it would be better to seek help from the family than from Illumi.
“I know,” Illumi lowered his head, his nose touching Möllerse’s forehead. “I’ve been watching Sister since I was little, so I know there is one thing Sister wants to do the most, but can never achieve.”
His tone was extremely confident. However, his actual confidence in his guess was 80%; he still needed to take a gamble.
“Sister, you know I can use Nen for disguise, to change appearance, height, build, and voice, right?” Illumi whispered intimately in her ear, “Wait for me here for a moment.”
…He wished.
As soon as Illumi left, Möllerse expressionlessly [picked up] the briefcase into her game backpack and left directly.
She didn’t have time to waste with Illumi; she had to head to her next mission location.
The nearest helipad had the Zoldyck private airship she had called. She had constant missions and needed to travel around. Using a private airship was convenient and time-saving, allowing her to avoid the hassle of detouring to various airports to catch airships.
At this moment, a tall figure stood before her airship.
As she approached, she gradually discerned the familiar training outfit, the silver, slightly curly long hair, and the chiseled facial contours.
…It was Silva Zoldyck.
She stopped about two meters away from him, looking up, waiting for him to speak.
The lights on the helipad were installed on the ground, used by pilots to identify the helipad boundaries.
With the ground lights shining upwards, the shadows on the face were all inverted, making Silva Zoldyck’s smile exceptionally sinister at this moment.
“Wait for me here for a moment,” he said.
“…” Möllerse seemed completely stunned. When Silva Zoldyck reached out to stroke the top of her head, then touched her cheek, she remained frozen.
The person who understands you best is often not your friend, but your enemy.
Silva Zoldyck lifted her chin, his thumb stroking her lower lip.
As if crushing a flower petal, he applied pressure with his fingertip to Möllerse’s lower lip, but his path was ultimately blocked by her tightly closed white teeth.
“Möllerse,” his deep, authoritative voice, and his cold expression, were almost identical to the real Silva Zoldyck.
“…” Möllerse, as if bewitched, blankly opened her mouth and bit down on his thumb.
Confidence: 99%