Chapter 132: Fellow Hometown
But clearly Mord had worried unnecessarily.
Though Zeno held a special status within the Zoldyck Family, even Gotoh, as the chief butler, wasn't privy to his whereabouts.
Despite knowing it was impolite, Mord still expanded his En.
The truth was, Zeno was indeed within the Zoldyck estate.
"Father, what do you think?" Silva asked, sensing Mord's aura.
"Very powerful. I haven't seen a young person this strong in many years," Zeno said with a slightly tense expression.
"According to Gotoh, he's waiting for someone here. Should I make contact?" Silva asked.
"Waiting for someone? How interesting," Zeno shook his head. "Not necessary for now. Let's observe and see how things develop."
...
In the guest room of the Zoldyck Family villa.
Knock knock knock—
"Come in," Mord said.
The door opened, and a black girl in butler uniform entered pushing a meal cart.
"Mr. Mord, this is your lunch," the black girl bowed toward him.
Noticing her distinctive hairstyle and the ever-present cane, Mord smiled and asked: "What should I call you?"
"You may call me Canary. I'm a trainee butler here, and I'll be taking care of your daily needs for the next few days," Canary said respectfully.
"Just call me by my name."
"That wouldn't be appropriate. You're the master's honored guest, while I'm merely a servant."
Seeing Canary's serious expression, Mord didn't insist—he was naturally easygoing anyway.
"Do all members of the Zoldyck Family, both masters and servants, walk without making sound?" Mord asked casually while eating his lavish lunch. "Is that a habit of assassin families?"
Canary shook her head.
"That habit developed naturally for me since childhood, probably because I grew up in Meteor City."
"That's my hometown—a place erased from the world."
Thinking Mord might not understand, Canary added an explanation.
But what Mord said next completely surprised her.
"I know, because I'm from there too," Mord said calmly.
Canary had left Meteor City and come to the Zoldyck Family only three or four years ago, meaning she and Mord's predecessor should have lived together in Meteor City at some point.
However, Mord had no memory of Canary in his mind.
But that made sense. Being directly taken away by the matriarch of the Zoldyck Family and possessing such exaggerated strength at just ten years old, Canary must have lived in the core area of Meteor City.
She was likely one of those individuals groomed from childhood by the elder council.
Mord casually asked, and indeed, it was as he suspected.
Canary never expected to meet a fellow from Meteor City here.
"From what you said, you've been working here for four years. How come you're still a trainee butler?" Mord asked.
Canary replied truthfully, "Because my current strength isn't sufficient yet. I don't have the ability to handle responsibilities independently. Only by passing Head Butler Gotoh's assessment and gaining his approval can I become a full-fledged butler."
"Let's go." Mord stood up directly and headed outside.
"Mr. Mord, where are you going?" Canary clearly hadn't processed the situation yet, quickly trotting to catch up.
"Considering we're both from the same hometown, I'll give you special training."
By the time Canary reached the doorway, his voice had already faded away at the end of the corridor.
Canary eventually found Mord in the courtyard downstairs.
"Since you're here, let's begin."
How did it start already? I haven't even agreed.
Canary complained inwardly.
"Because teaching should be tailored to the student, before the special training, I need to understand your current strength first."
Mord held a book he'd picked up from the room, flipping through it boredly as he spoke: "Attack me with all your might, as if I were an intruder in the Zoldyck household."
Canary initially wanted to refuse, because as a servant, she absolutely shouldn't attack a guest of the family under any circumstances.
Just then, she spotted Gotoh standing in the distance. Receiving instructions from her superior, she had no choice but to brace herself and proceed.
Canary swiftly twirled the staff in her hand, stepped forward with her right foot, and charged fiercely toward Mord.
"Speed is acceptable, airflow circulation is smooth, and the basics of Nen are fine too."
As Canary's staff pierced through the afterimage Mord left in his original position, his voice came from behind her.
Excellent combat instincts made Canary immediately choose to retreat, creating distance between them.
She looked at the man reading a book before her, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Not just her—even Gotoh, watching from afar, couldn't clearly see Mord's previous movement. In their eyes, Mord's speed was so fast it seemed like teleportation.
Canary took a deep breath and decided to go all out.
After all, the person before her was a monster capable of opening the seven testing gates.
Holding her staff, she angled it toward the ground and began circling around Mord.
Canary's figure gradually multiplied, eventually transforming into more than a dozen identical copies of herself, completely surrounding Mord.
Mord glanced up and remarked.
"Rhythm Echo, is it?"
Only then did Gotoh in the distance notice the book in Mord's hand. The cover read "Encyclopedia of Assassination"—since when had that book been in the guest room?
Mord closed the book, then performed the "Rhythm Echo" technique under Canary's astonished gaze.
The principle behind Rhythm Echo wasn't particularly complex—it merely incorporated rhythmic variations in pace and intensity into the basic "Silent Gaits" technique, artificially creating the illusion of afterimages.
When combined with Zetsu, it could prove effective even against Nen users.
"You can use Rhythm Echo too?"
"I just learned it. Is it supposed to be difficult?"
As the words fell, all of Canary's afterimages on the training ground vanished. Mord had somehow appeared behind her, placing his left hand on her head.
"Against ordinary people, your Rhythm Echo would indeed be effective. But before Nen users, your true form would be completely exposed, because they rely on more than just their eyes."
"To deceive Nen users, you must master your Zetsu to perfection."
"If you want to approach enemies undetected, simply eliminating footsteps is far from sufficient. This will be your assignment for today."
"Starting tomorrow when you bring my meals, you must use Zetsu every time. We'll proceed to the next stage of training only when I deem you've passed."
After speaking, Mord turned and left, casually tossing the book in his hand before departing.
Canary instinctively caught it, staring at the retreating figure, unable to speak for a long time.
In the presence of this man, she felt as if she had returned to her childhood—being led back to the Zoldyck Family by the Madam, meeting the family head for the very first time.