Chapter 121: First Conjuration x Netero Gets a Warning
They weren't just Nen Beasts; they were Conjuration-type Nen Beasts.
Roy surveyed the old woman and her group of "children." They, like Kite's "Crazy Slots" ability, seemed to have physical substance, capable of being touched and perceived by ordinary people. Naturally, Kurapika, who hadn't opened her aura nodes, could also see them. This was the same reason Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika could see them in the original story.
Aboard the Hunter Association airship, Zeno, his white hair flowing, finally tore his gaze from Kurapika and turned to the "child Nen Beasts." He shot a surprised look at Netero. He hadn't expected the Hunter Association to be hiding someone like this. A single old woman supporting a whole group of Nen Beasts. She looked to be about his own age, but her aura quantity was anything but ordinary.
"Hohoho... No need to be surprised." Netero finished his cake and took a sip of tea from Bean. "Sachiko isn't a combatant. She wants to raise them, and this old man can't convince her otherwise."
"It's common sense that wantonly wasting Nen drains one's life force."
"She isn't an ordinary person. Bean, tell him..."
"Yes, sir." Bean, ever-perceptive, also poured Zeno a cup of tea and handed it to him carefully. "Sachiko Nakajima is the old woman you see blocking your grandson's path." 'Hmph, calling her an old woman...' Bean was actually far older than her. In terms of age, he was the oldest one in the room.
Bean suppressed his own strange feelings and briefly explained Sachiko Nakajima's past. Zeno listened quietly. She was a woman with a tragic history. She had once been the director of an orphanage in Yorknew City. A great fire took all the children. Traumatized, Sachiko awakened her Nen ability—"Heaven's Dolls"—which allowed her to mobilize her Nen to conjure dolls to fight for her. But at the time, Sachiko chose not to.
Before the ruins of the orphanage, she made a Vow: in exchange for "True Imagination," she would renounce "combat" and "never harm another person." She then did her utmost to replicate the faces and voices of the deceased children, conjuring them as Nen Beasts and pouring them into the dolls. Thus, the group of "children" on the screen was born.
"A Nen ability is the truest reflection of a person's heart. When the Chairman learned of this, he was moved by the depth of her love and found a separate sanctuary for her and the children... this very town you see."
"What a waste. With her aura quantity, she could have become an outstanding combatant." Zeno set down his tea, thinking of Milluki. According to Luke's reports, that child was also a lost cause—lacking in talent and lazy. Trying to guide him onto the path of an assassin would be a severe challenge.
Netero glanced sideways at him. "Not everyone is like you Zoldycks, obsessed with killing and fighting." The old man leaned back on the sofa, recalling his past with Sachiko. "The Hunter Association fully respects the dreams and choices of every Hunter. Sachiko likes being with the children. It doesn't matter if she can't fight."
"This old man isn't lacking for one more fighter..."
Zeno nodded in agreement. "If that Beyond kid were here to hear you say that, he'd probably be moved to tears."
"You shut your mouth!" Netero angrily threw his teacup, but Zeno just laughed and caught it. All those high-and-mighty words, and you can't even manage your own son. Zeno pretended not to see Netero's murderous glare and turned back to the monitor.
Sachiko Nakajima tapped her cane on the ground, her face contorting in an extraordinary expression as she shouted, "Tage, tage! A two-choice, heart-pounding quiz!"
The volume made Kurapika jump, and she grabbed Roy's arm even tighter.
Krak! Gotoh clenched his fists, his knuckles popping like roasted beans. He shot a look at Kurapika that could kill.
Roy remained unmoved, his gaze constantly shifting between Sachiko and the children, lost in thought.
Sachiko, wary of him, said, "Next, I will ask one question. You have only five seconds to answer. A wrong answer means elimination."
No doubt about it, she's an examiner, too. The red-jeweled cane in her hand caught Kurapika's attention. She saw it had the same examiner's mark as Mark Seam's. She frowned. "Do all three of us have to answer the same question?" What if one of them got it wrong?
Sachiko's eyes crinkled. "Isn't this faster and better?"
Whoosh. A ghostly wind blew through the derelict street, making their hair stand on end.
"Young Master..." Gotoh looked at Roy. Kurapika tilted her head back, also looking at Roy. Sachiko, too, squinted at Roy. Highly perceptive, she instantly understood: this boy was the leader.
'Mark Seam said this kid practices his sword in storms. He must have known this old woman wouldn't fight and was worried I'd be at a disadvantage.' But the old woman never made things difficult. She let everyone pass, regardless of their answer. Of course, if they answered wrong, got lost, and ran into a magical beast... that wasn't her problem.
All eyes were on Roy. The boy seemed lost in his own world, oblivious to his surroundings. After a moment, his pupils refocused. He smiled at Sachiko. "Granny, how about we make a deal..."
"No deals—" Sachiko began to refuse, but before the "no" could even leave her lips, she saw the boy's eyes suddenly change. It was as if two suns had climbed into his sockets, radiating a blinding light that shone on her. She instantly felt as if she'd been stripped naked and thrown onto the street, seen through from the inside out. She swallowed and glanced nervously at a shadowed corner.
A red light flashed from the camera there, just before it captured the searing, sun-like gaze Roy sent its way. The glare was palpable even through the screen!
"Hohoho... what a kid! He's even threatening the examiner!" On the airship, Netero felt like he'd regained some ground. His gaze lingered on the boy's bright red eyes. They reminded him of one of the "great beauties"—the Scarlet Eyes of the Kurta Clan. He glanced casually at Zeno. "What's his Nen type?" An eye-based Nen ability is rare.
Zeno: "Not tested." He added truthfully, "He says it's his trump card. He'd rather take three whips from his father than tell anyone."
"Hoho... a stubborn one." Netero paused. He looked back at the monitor. Roy, having "warned" a certain someone via the hidden camera, turned back to Sachiko, awaiting her answer.
The old woman, shocked by his sharp perception, fell silent for a moment before wisely agreeing. Roy then smiled, bowing respectfully. "Please don't be offended, Granny. Ask whatever you like. I'll answer. If I'm wrong, we'll turn back. If I'm right..." The boy straightened up, his gaze deep. "I must ask Granny to enlighten me on the method of conjuring Nen Beasts."
So he saw through it. Sachiko glanced at the cane sword in Roy's hand and chose to trust Mark Seam's judgment. She steeled herself and said, "Alright."
She collected her thoughts and posed her question: "Listen closely. My question is: if your 'mother' and your 'wife' both fell into the water, which one would you save?"
"I think you're deliberately messing with the Young Master!" This question was an old, tired cliché. There was no right answer! Gotoh glared dangerously at Sachiko, his killing intent for Kurapika now completely redirected to the old woman. Kurapika felt the pressure lift. She looked at Roy, her pretty eyes filled with curiosity. It really is a question with no right answer. But... for some reason, she suddenly wanted to know how the boy would respond.
Who is more important, 'mother' or 'wife'?
The answer is... both are important, and neither is important.
"5... 4... 3... 2... 1..." Sachiko began to count down.
Roy, a smile on his face, remained completely silent.
Sachiko's expression went from "confident" to "dejected" in the span of a single breath. After five seconds, she finally sighed and forced a smile at Roy. "Congratulations, you answered correctly." She beckoned for Roy to follow her to the side.
Gotoh: "..." He was frozen in place.
Kurapika felt a strange sense of loss. She glanced at the butler, then, understanding dawning, explained, "There was no right answer to that question. Remaining silent was the optimal solution."
"I don't need you to tell me." Gotoh glared at her. While the Young Master was "consulting" with the old woman, "Let's talk about... your presumptuous behavior."
Kurapika: "..." She was completely stuck. She swallowed and took two steps back, then darted after Roy. Gotoh snorted and followed.
In the corner, the boy listened quietly as Sachiko spoke, the old woman reminiscing, explaining her feelings when she first awakened her Nen. Her voice was filled with a faint, yet pervasive sadness.
"That day, I returned from buying food and saw the house on fire... a complete ruin. My mind went blank. All I could think about was saving the children. Then... I felt something open up inside me. When I came to my senses, a doll had appeared next to me." Sachiko took one of the children by the hand, patting its little head. Its body was the largest of the group; it must have been the first Nen Beast she conjured on the day she awakened her ability through intense will and emotion.
"Later, I named him Ryota... in memory of my dead child. And then... Fuka... Shizuko... Juro... Kenya..." One by one, she called the names of the children, who gathered around her, surrounding her completely. She stroked one, patted another, her voice full in_love. "Later, I met someone who told me that the thing I had opened was called 'Nen', and that I had 'imagined' the dolls into existence because of my fervent hope."
So... [Ask the Heart], then [Visualize], and finally [Practice]... Is that it?
Roy listened quietly, his hand rising to his earring. He clearly recalled... that day Tanjuro had taken him behind the house, put the earrings on him, clapped his shoulder, and smiled, "Very spirited!" That had triggered an intense emotional response in him, causing him to unconsciously conjure them.
Then, according to what Sachiko said, as long as I "want" it, and delve deep into my mind to construct what I "want" to conjure... theoretically, I should be able to transform "Nen" into a physical object through "imagination."
The boy was lost in thought, standing motionless amidst the children. Gotoh and Kurapika flanked him. Further in, Sachiko watched him intently. The old woman signaled the children for quiet and summarized, "The 'thing' you conjure determines the difficulty. Imagining a pen is much simpler than imagining a car. In my experience, you can start with the simplest, most familiar object, try to conjure it, and then develop your own Nen Beasts."
Simple? What is simple and familiar to me?
Roy rubbed his cane sword, a bright light in his eyes. He understood. The blade. The one hanging in his master's house. The partner he used for his 'Ten Thousand Swings' every day. The weapon he would rely on to move through the Demon Slayer world. His brother. His bond.
The boy opened his palm, his eyes brighter than ever. He let his Nen flow into his hand, concentrating, thinking of the training blade's shape—from the scabbard, the hilt, the blade, the tip, down to the very pattern on its steel. He pictured it in perfect, minute detail—
In the parallel timeline of the Demon Slayer world...
While Roy slept, Giyu Tomioka was meticulously detailing the day's battle with Sakonji Urokodaki. Under Sakonji's guidance, he sat at the table, writing a reply to Master Kagaya Ubuyashiki. He hesitated, wondering if he should add a recommendation: to skip the "Tsuguko" (successor) phase and promote Roy directly to Water Hashira.
Sakonji, hearing this, was silent for a moment. "There is no precedent for such a thing."
"You can certainly recommend it. As for whether the Master will agree..." The old man looked back at the sleeping Roy and smiled warmly. "That's not important."
"As long as Eiichiro is unwilling, no one can force him. Including... the Master."
"Senpai, your opinion?"
"I think the same as Master," Sabito wrote, taking the brush and writing on the table beside Giyu. "Knowing Eiichiro, joining the Demon Slayer Corps isn't what's important to him."
"For him, as long as he can kill demons, he doesn't care about titles or positions. Including..."
"The Master!"
The brush paused. A possibility occurred to Sabito, and he wrote again: "Giyu, when you go back, you must watch him. Eiichiro doesn't seem like the type to kneel before anyone. When the Hashira meeting happens, I'm afraid..."
"There is no 'afraid'," Giyu Tomioka cut in, his voice firm. "If he doesn't kneel, the other Hashira will definitely make trouble for him!"
Under the lamplight, the mood grew heavy. They could all predict what a chaotic and fiery scene that would be. Suddenly, a vibrating sound broke the silence. They all snapped their heads around and stared in shock. The training blade belonging to Roy, hanging on the south wall, was glowing faintly... and in an instant... it vanished!
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