"Ha ha, well, being straightforward is indeed a virtue, but you should consider changing that habit. Otherwise, if you do become a butler, with your personality, you might not even know how you die." Noah didn't pay much attention to Wood's words; his strength had long exceeded that of ordinary people, and his mentality had also elevated accordingly. He simply smiled and reminded him.
"You're right, you're right." Although Wood still had some reservations about Noah, he could only nod repeatedly under Ashu's gaze.
Not caring about what Wood was thinking, Noah turned to Ashu and asked, "So, are there only three of them?"
"Yes, all the other subordinates were disbanded before I left." Ashu nodded.
"There are still seven missing." Noah leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh.
Sitting next to Ashu, Jerl glanced at Noah, recalling his earlier words about becoming a butler. A thought crossed his mind, and he whispered to Ashu, "Big Brother Ashu, you didn't just come back to visit us, did you?"
"Visit you? Ha ha, do you really think I have that much free time? I came this time to ask you three if you want to join me in becoming butlers for the Zoldyck Family. After all, I didn't arrange things properly for you three back then." Ashu chuckled and spoke seriously.
Becoming butlers for the Zoldyck Family?
Jerl and the others exchanged surprised glances, their faces showing disbelief.
"Gulp."
Wood swallowed nervously and pointed at himself, muttering, "Can we do it too?"
"Not now, of course. This is just an opportunity for you to become apprentice butlers for the Zoldyck Family." Ashu clarified immediately, seeing that he hadn't explained it clearly to the three.
"Training?" The three had a similar reaction to Noah when he first heard this word. The idea of an assassin family and training sounded quite strange.
"Training is training. Back when Big Brother Ashu went to participate in the assessment, we all admired it. The treatment of being a butler for the Zoldyck Family is so good, of course, we would be willing to go." Wood said excitedly.
Noah glanced at him and said with a half-smile, "Is that what you really think?"
"What do you mean?" Wood was puzzled, and Jerl and Ayan also looked at Noah.
"Becoming a butler for the Zoldyck Family is not as easy as you might think. Aside from what might happen to those who don't pass the training, choosing this path means selling yourselves to the Zoldyck Family. To put it bluntly, you become their tools, your lives entirely in their hands, and you'll be under constant restrictions. You might even lose your life for various reasons. That's as far as I'll say. Do you still want to pursue this career?" Noah casually remarked.
Noah?
Hearing Noah's words, Ashu looked at him with astonishment. He never expected Noah to say such things. Speaking ill of others behind their backs like this, especially about the Zoldyck Family, wasn't a wise move if the Zoldycks were to find out.
Noah himself didn't understand why he had said these things. Perhaps it was because he wanted desperately to leave the Zoldyck Family, while others were willingly offering themselves to such a dangerously controlled place. In an emotional moment, he blurted out a warning, and he regretted it right after.
My mentality is still lacking.
Noah sighed inwardly.
"Hahaha." Unexpectedly, the three of them exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
"Noah, do you know what kind of life we're living right now?" Jerl stood up, extended his hands, and pointed at their current surroundings. Then he continued, "We barely have a place to stay. Although we don't have to pick up garbage every day to make ends meet like before, having a decent meal isn't easy either. Everyone here is living from hand to mouth, never knowing if they'll see the sun of the next day."
"In such a situation, getting a chance to become a butler for the Zoldyck Family, isn't that something to be happy about? At least, we don't have to worry about these trivial matters anymore. As for the possibility of losing our lives, do you think we care?"
"Noah, you're really a good person, worrying about these things for us," Wood chuckled.
Noah looked at the three of them, all smiles, and couldn't help but sigh. He had been so focused on his own thoughts earlier that he had forgotten about their own predicament.
"Alright, that's settled then. Let's go find the other seven people." Noah stood up and walked toward the door.
"If you need to grab anything, do it quickly. We don't have time to dawdle." Ashu, seeing the situation, gave the order and also stood up, following Noah.
As the two of them reached the door, Ashu whispered softly from behind, "I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said earlier, and the same goes for those three."
Noah turned around and saw a strange smile on Ashu's face. He sighed and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. But I really didn't expect you to say those things. If I didn't know beforehand, I wouldn't have believed that you were once a part of this place. But I still want to thank you on behalf of those three. Letting them understand the situation is the best."
In Ashu's words, "this place" naturally referred to Meteor City. In Ashu's eyes, Noah, who was born in Meteor City just like him, saying such things was truly unbelievable.
"It was just a momentary lapse of judgment."
Noah turned back, about to open the door, but suddenly his expression changed.
Ashu, standing behind him, also had a change in expression. Both of them disappeared from the doorway in an instant, retreating into the living room.
Boom!
Just as they had left the doorway, there was a loud crash at the entrance. The old wooden door had been forcefully knocked off its frame and shattered into several pieces, flying into the living room.
"Hahaha, I've finally found you three. It's time to settle the score from a few months ago." In the midst of the dust and smoke at the entrance, a tall figure slowly walked into the room.
A pair of steel boots with spikes on them stepped on a piece of wood lying at the entrance, crushing it into splinters.
This voice?
Ashu, standing in the living room, frowned upon hearing the voice from the entrance.
Through the haze, the appearance of the newcomer gradually became visible to Noah and Ashu.
Steel boots, leather pants, a black vest, and muscular arms covered in numerous small scars, giving a terrifying appearance.
The man's face was also covered in various wounds, combined with his ferocious expression, making him look extremely menacing.
"Leol?" Upon seeing the newcomer, Ashu's eyes flashed with surprise.