Chapter 116: Sheila
The wildcard was Hisoka.
Kurapika carefully reviewed his strategy and found a discrepancy. Normally, after Hisoka helped Ronin find Shizuku, he should have called to press for his duel with Chrollo.
But Hisoka had gone radio silent. He wasn't looking for Chrollo; he was looking forward to October 1st.
The "Fruit Farmer" had officially shifted his obsession to Ronin.
This complicated things. It meant the plan to use the Heavens Arena match as a secondary trap to clear out the Troupe might not work as cleanly. Chrollo, being the analytical monster he was, would surely deduce that if Ronin was at the Arena, "Elder Ryan" in Meteor City was a sitting duck.
The best move now was to use Ryan as a springboard to compromise another Elder, further embedding their "nail" into the city's leadership.
But before they left Meteor City, Kurapika had one last stop to make.
The Church.
According to Ronin, this was the birthplace of the Phantom Troupe. Kurapika didn't intend to kill anyone there; he just wanted to walk through it.
To him, simply treading on that "holy ground" would be enough to drive Chrollo insane with rage.
Unless Chrollo had truly abandoned his sentimentality for his home. But based on his grief for Uvogin and his obsession with Sarasa, Kurapika knew the Spider's Head was far from heartless.
Ronin accompanied Kurapika to the site.
As they reached the gates, Kurapika froze.
In the center of the church courtyard sat a familiar figure.
She was tall, wearing a white dress and a hairclip with a small heart pattern. She held a book in her lap, surrounded by a group of ragged, filthy children.
The children listened with rapt attention as she read stories of adventure and far-off lands. Their gaunt faces were lit with a rare, fragile hope. The girl reading the stories had the same look in her eyes—a deep, persistent longing for the world outside.
Hearing footsteps, the girl looked up toward the gate.
She recognized the blonde teenager instantly, even without his traditional Kurta tunic.
"Kurapika!"
Her eyes widened with joy. She stood up, closing her book, and rushed toward him, ignoring the children.
But she was an archetypal "clumsy airhead." After only a few steps, she tripped over her own feet on the flat pavement.
Before she could hit the ground, a chain lashed out, wrapping around her waist and hauling her back to her feet.
"Why?"
Kurapika didn't wear a mask today; this trip was a deliberate message to the Troupe. His voice was thick with an unreadable emotion. Ronin glanced at him and saw his eyes—they were blood-red, a crimson so intense it burned through his colored contacts.
The sight of this girl had triggered a massive emotional spike.
"Sheila. Why are you here? Answer me!"
The girl's name was Sheila. She was the traveler who had "accidentally" found the Lukso Province and the hidden Kurta village.
She was the one who had given the book of adventures to Kurapika and Pairo, igniting the spark that made Kurapika want to see the outside world.
Kurapika had suspected her. She was the only outsider to visit the village in years.
But Sheila's clumsy nature, her constant habit of getting lost, and her pure dream of becoming a Pro Hunter had convinced Kurapika that she was innocent. He didn't think she was capable of such a cold-blooded betrayal.
Yet here she was—the person who should be anywhere but Meteor City—standing in the very church where the Phantom Troupe was born.
She looked entirely at home.
Sheila looked at him, her expression a mask of confusion.
"I don't understand what you're asking, Kurapika. I grew up here. It's normal for me to be in Meteor City. But you... Kurapika, are you here for me? And where is Pairo?"
She looked at the chain around her waist, seemingly too dazed to realize she was being restrained by a Nen ability.
Ronin scrutinized her. A faint layer of Ten shrouded her body. Sheila was a Nen user.
The question was: was she standing there because she trusted Kurapika wouldn't hurt her, or was she so confident in her own power that she didn't care about the chain?
Ronin was intrigued. He wondered if this mysterious girl was the missing link to the massacre.
"So, you know the Phantom Troupe?" Kurapika pressed, his voice trembling.
Sheila's expression turned serious. Even her airheaded nature couldn't ignore the gravity of the situation. "I know them."
"Did you give the village's location to them?"
As he asked the question, Kurapika's knuckles turned white from the strain of his grip.
"What?" Sheila gasped. "How could I? I don't even know how to find your village again! I was planning to take the Hunter Exam this year and go find you and Pairo to tell you the good news once I got my license!"
She stopped, a look of horror dawning on her face.
"Wait... Chrollo and the others... they went to your village? What happened?!"
Ronin watched her closely. She didn't seem to be lying.
But in the world of Nen, information can be stolen without a person ever speaking a word.
Ronin thought of Pakunoda.
If Sheila hadn't talked, had she touched the wrong person?
Besides Sheila, Ronin couldn't think of anyone else who could have pinpointed the village. The timing of her departure and the Troupe's arrival was too perfect.
Ronin looked at Kurapika's hand. The Dowsing Chain was extended, hanging perfectly still.
The chain confirmed it: Sheila was telling the truth.
That left only one possibility.
Ronin stepped forward, his eyes locking onto Sheila. "Since you returned to Meteor City... have you had any contact with Pakunoda? Physical contact?"
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