Chapter 76: Bell of Fate—Zwardani City

Looking at Chrollo, who reveals a shocking amount of decisiveness, Auren is visibly surprised.Why would he even want this ability? Is he actually considering giving up his own body? Maybe as a last resort…?

Auren watches quietly as Chrollo and the others walk toward the room where they locked in the two girls.

I feel bad about this… but this is the only way to get rid of that damn devil. Even if we kill the possessed girl, the ghost will just return to its spectral form. It might take time, but eventually, he’ll possess another soul, relearn Nen, train his body, and probably choose a more suitable host. This cycle has to end. Once we steal his ability, he’ll be trapped inside that body. Maybe the Association has a solution for this? At the very least, I want to exorcise him. Looks like Machi’s interested too, so I won’t have to do it alone.

As the group approaches the door, Chrollo turns to the Troupe, including Auren. “I expect silence. Wait outside. If my plan fails, I’ll need your help, Feitan.”

Feitan cracks a cruel smile. “I’ll grab my tools and stand by the door. Don’t worry—if you can’t trick the ghost into fulfilling the conditions, someone that weak won’t last more than a few minutes.”

So torture is the backup plan, huh?

Let me think, if I remember correctly, he needs to fulfill four conditions to steal an ability:

Chrollo must witness the Nen ability in action with his eyes.

He must ask questions about Nen and be answered by the victim.

His victim's palm must touch the handprint on the cover of Bandit's Secret, his Conjured book that contains all his stolen abilities.

All of these steps must be completed within one hour.

Chrollo steps into the room—alone.

Damn it, I want to see what’s going on in there.

Auren activates his personalized En and sits down against the wall, narrowing its radius so it just barely covers the room. He’s conserving Aura, but even at this reduced size, his En still breathes—pulsing slowly, expanding and retracting like a living mist, resembling a sentient cloud.

“Oy!” Uvogin barks. “Didn’t you hear what the boss said?!”

Auren ignores him and focuses solely on the room.

Shalnark shrugs with a grin. “He never said anything about not using En.”

“Bullshit!” Uvogin screams.

“If he had a problem with it, he would’ve told me not to,” Auren replies calmly. “What’s the matter—jealous you can’t use this technique, Mr. Barbarian?”

“You know…” Uvogin’s voice darkens. “I offered you a spar earlier. I take that back. Accept a duel, or I’ll fucking kill you right here and now, brat!”

“Deal,” Auren replies without hesitation. “But first, I’m heading to Zwardani City with Machi. After that—get ready to be destroyed.”

“Is this brat serious?” Uvogin mutters, clearly caught off guard.

“You’re underestimating him,” Phinks cuts in. “He beat Jack and Pakunoda.”

“Interesting!” Uvogin grins, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Despite the tension, Auren keeps his focus trained on the room.

It doesn’t take long before Chrollo makes a move. He suddenly conjures a book, holding it firmly in one hand.

Skill Hunter...!

Then, he flips through the pages and materializes a large bell in his other hand.

A Conjuration Hatsu? I’ve never seen this one before…

Chrollo snaps his finger against the bell—yet even though Auren is sitting right outside the room, he hears nothing.

Paying closer attention, he sees Chrollo gently remove the blindfolds and earplugs from both girls.

They look calm—too calm. Their movements are sluggish and mechanical.

Auren narrows his focus. Chrollo continues snapping his fingers against the bell in a rhythmic pattern while subtly mouthing words.

Is he hypnotising them?

A few minutes pass—then Auren straightens up sharply. He sees a thin stream of Aura exit Killi’s body and drift toward Ella, slipping into her mouth like mist.

Ella then begins to speak, mumbling something.

Finally, Chrollo presses Ella’s hand against the cover of his book.

A soft, almost satisfied smile appears on his face as he removes her hand and flips through the pages.

The book and bell vanish, and Chrollo steps out.

“You can put the blindfolds and earplugs back on,” he says. “They don’t even know what happened.”

“Boss…” Nobunaga says, “You did it already?”

Chrollo shrugs. “The ability I used has conditions that are extremely hard to fulfill… but against tied-up children, it’s highly effective.”

Probably an ability that’s nearly useless in combat… did he use it to brainwash or confuse his target? I need to remember that bell—it seems dangerous. He’s lucky he had it… it was almost laughably easy to steal that Hatsu. This man is terrifying.

Machi steps forward, blocking Chrollo’s path.

“I’ll take them to Swardani City, then,” she declares.

Chrollo simply walks around her. As he vanishes from sight, he silently speaks, “Do as you wish.”

“Auren… you’re coming with me,” she says, turning towards Auren.

“I promised you I would. I want to see that damned spirit suffer—get dragged right back into hell,” Auren replies. “Though I’m surprised you actually want me to come along. Are you really not interested in me?”

Machi glares at him. “Your license… I might need it.”

Auren sighs. “Fine, I should have guessed you solely want me for my beauty and my material possessions, you are such a gold digger, Machi. I just hope this doesn’t get me into trouble. Technically, I’m supposed to be supervising a prisoner right now.”

“You’d better get back quick… My fist’s itching to punch that arrogant face of yours!” Uvogin yells, throwing a punch into the air.

“Use the time to learn En!” Auren fires back, standing up.

“Don’t worry, Uvo… I’ll hit him in your place as soon as this is over!” Machi says, clearly angry.

“He has a point, Machi, you are using him for his license and connections. You are indeed a gold digger,” Feitan jokes.

“Hehe, it’s touching seeing Machi awaken her feminine side,” Phinks says.

Machi stares daggers at them, her eyes trembling in anger. She manages to regain control of her emotions and looks at Auren. “Let’s go, Auren. Anyone else interested in coming along? I could use the help.”

“I’ll go,” Shalnark offers. “Maybe Paku should join us, too. It’s important we don’t get tricked.”

“Of course, I’ll help,” Pakunoda responds, not hesitating even a little.

“Thank you, Shal… Paku…” Machi says, looking genuinely grateful.

With the two kids securely bound and restricted, Auren, Machi, Shalnark, and Pakunoda gather some supplies and board the airship.

“Swardani City, huh?” Auren says. “It’s in the Kingdom, right?”

“I… don’t know,” Machi replies bluntly.

“Yes, it should be in the Kingdom,” Pakunoda says. “I remember it being somewhere on the west coast.”

“It’s one of the largest cities in the world—definitely the financial center of the Kingdom. Quite impressive, almost on par with Yorknew,” Shalnark explains, raising a finger. “It’s located at the very southwestern edge of the continent. Luckily, that means the flight will take just under two and a half days.”

“It’s funny that this was your idea and you don’t even know where the damn place is,” Auren says, shaking his head at Machi.

“Stop teasing her,” Pakunoda chimes in, patting Machi on the head. Machi blushes slightly but doesn’t retaliate.

“We’ve got a few days, right?” Auren asks. “Then pay me back, Machi. You owe me. How about some sparring?”

“Heh. I won’t miss the chance to smash that smug face of yours,” she replies.

Auren spends the next two days sparring with Machi. Even with his usual confidence, he has to admit—he’s still somewhat outmatched. Though he holds the advantage in raw strength and can almost match her in Aura output, her refined technique and battle experience make the difference.

Despite Machi’s smugness and how much she enjoys winning, Auren notices something. She’s holding back—and more than that, she’s guiding him. Each spar helps him adapt, and after two days, he can finally hold his own, adjusting to the level of someone as skilled and sharp as her.

As the airship finally nears Swardani City, Auren remarks, “I guess this trip wasn’t such a bad idea after all.”

Machi snickers. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’ve still been holding back. You’re not on my level.”

Auren smiles.

Unarmed combat’s one of my weakest areas… If I were to use a few knives or Eternity, this wouldn’t have been close. I guess I still owe her one. I will keep my mouth shut.

“What now?” Auren asks, glancing toward Shalnark.

“Simple,” he replies. “We’ll access the Hunter website and schedule a meeting.”

“We, huh?” Auren says with a raised eyebrow.

I guess I’ll play along… for now.

As the airship approaches the city airport, Auren gazes out at the skyline. Towering skyscrapers, polished roads, and sleek, modern architecture greet them—Swardani is clearly one of the major hubs of the Kingdom.

In the distance, he spots the massive Hunter Association Headquarters. Even from afar, the logo emblazoned on it is unmistakable—anyone, even someone with only vague knowledge of hunters, would recognize it instantly.

Using Gyo, Auren studies the building more closely.

Just for a moment, he thinks he sees someone on the roof—someone using an absurd amount of Nen. He blinks, and the figure’s gone.

Am I hallucinating? Or was that really… No. Doesn’t matter. I’m not here for that old guy.