"Young Master really spoils you."
Tap… tap…
The footsteps faded into the distance. Roy stepped into the butler villa and disappeared from view, leaving Tsubone, Kuraging, and a few other butlers standing where they were, seeing him off.
After a while, the old housekeeper straightened up, her two pink ponytails hanging behind her, and walked over to Kuraging.
A sweet smile still lingered on the girl's soft, pretty face as she watched Roy's back gradually vanish down the bright hallway.
"The young master has always been a gentle person."
'Except… back when I first met him…'
With her blonde hair tied in a single ponytail, the girl recalled all those moments from the Hunter Exam—the way she had first met Roy, then gradually come to know him—and spoke honestly.
At once, she felt Tsubone's gaze fall on her, full of envy and complicated emotion.
What the girl meant was obvious. She was like this, Gotoh was like this too—once the young master accepted someone as one of his own, he had never once been stingy about treating them well.
The only condition—
they had to truly be his people.
"That's enough. Disperse." The old housekeeper let out a soft sigh, waved everyone off, then turned back to Kuraging. "You'd better inform Mike ahead of time too about your brother coming."
"When he eats people, he doesn't stop to ask questions first."
Mike—the true guardian of the mountain gate, a dog-type magical beast, responsible for dealing with anyone foolish enough to sneak into the Zoldyck estate through the small gate.
But Tsubone's well-meant warning was clearly unnecessary.
Kuraging rolled up her sleeve, flexed her solid bicep, and said with a bright smile, "Don't worry, Chief. I can push open the Testing Gate now too."
Tsubone stared at her for a second, then burst into a helpless smile and gave her a big thumbs-up.
That fist was bigger than Kuraging's head, and her gaze was full of approval.
The women of the Zoldyck family were more than capable of holding up half the sky of the Zoldyck household.
The mistress had been like that. Back in the day, so had she.
And now… Kuraging clearly carried a hint of the woman Tsubone herself used to be. Added to the young master's guidance, it wasn't an exaggeration to say there would be worthy successors.
Kuraging gave a slight bow, nodded once at Tsubone, grabbed her cane, and headed off happily to guard the mountain.
Tap… tap…
Her golden ponytail swayed back and forth as the girl, unable to hide her joy, skipped off down the slope in light, springy steps under Tsubone's warm gaze.
"How wonderful…"
Only after a long while, once Kuraging had disappeared from sight, did the old housekeeper come back to herself. She looked east, where dawn was breaking and countless rays of sunrise were spilling across the sky. Then she thought of the new generation that had come after young Master Killua's birth—her own granddaughter Kanon, and an abandoned baby girl they had brought back from Meteor City and named Canary…
Everything felt so full of life.
Tsubone murmured softly to herself, then adjusted the surveillance glasses on her nose and headed for the kitchen to prepare Roy's breakfast.
Whoosh—
A cool breeze drifted over Kukuroo Mountain and blew onward into the distance.
…
Republic of Mimbo. Torqu City. Flight K8741, bound for Dentora in the Republic of Padokea, was boarding soon.
Beep…
The security gate opened in the middle of the vast departure hall, and in walked a small boy who looked to be around six or seven.
Most children that age would have an adult with them, but this boy came in alone. He carried himself like a little grown-up, his expression calm and heavy, his eyes quietly scanning the area with unmistakable caution. At such a young age, he already had a maturity that clearly didn't belong to a child, which only made it more obvious that he was no ordinary kid.
Beep…
The security gate opened and closed again. The boy, wearing round cloth shoes, traditional ethnic clothing, and carrying a backpack hugged tightly to his chest, found an empty seat and sat down.
Then, acting as if no one else existed, he opened the bag and pulled out a book. The cover read: Geography of Dentora, Republic of Padokea. He opened it and began reading quietly, stopping to study one particular tourist page with extra care.
[Famous Dentora Sight No. 5: Kukuroo Mountain… rumored to be the residence of the world's number one assassin family, the Zoldycks…]
[Fixed route. One bus per day. Between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m., tourists may take the mountain sightseeing bus to the site…]
[Note: Kukuroo Mountain may only be viewed from afar. Entry is forbidden. It is best to observe from a distance under a guide's supervision… Violators are responsible for the consequences.]
[Special Warning: Kukuroo Mountain is a place you may enter but never leave. Any attempt to trespass is strictly taboo.]
At the bottom of the page was a picture of the "Testing Gate."
The caption beneath it called it: The Gate of Hades.
Tall. Majestic. Worn with age. Just one look at it was enough to make breathing hitch and the heart start pounding…
The boy stared at it quietly.
Then, at some point, an old man's laugh suddenly sounded in his ear.
"Ho ho ho… the world's number one assassin family. How scary…"
"If you don't have an adult with you, little boy, you really shouldn't run around on your own."
The moment the words fell, the boy's body visibly tensed. He shifted slightly closer to the armrest and turned toward the seats beside him with open caution.
Those two seats had been empty just moments ago.
Now there were two people sitting there.
One of them wore flowing martial robes that made him look almost otherworldly. He had long brows, large earlobes, a full head of white hair and beard, and a kind face. He looked to be in his eighties or nineties and was smiling warmly at the boy.
The other…
The other looked strange enough that he barely seemed human at all.
Aside from his beady little green eyes and the crisp suit he was wearing, every other feature—especially his entirely green skin—made Kurapika instinctively want to get up and leave.
As a member of the Kurta clan, a people who had chosen to live in seclusion, Kurapika was naturally sensitive. Combined with his inborn caution, the Nen leaking unconsciously from his crown immediately took on a wary yellow tint.
"Do you know the Zoldycks, Grandpa?" the boy asked, closing the book and quietly slipping it back into his bag.
The old man in martial robes smiled but said nothing. Instead, he flicked his hand—
and a strand of Nen snaked out.
In Kurapika's widening eyes, it was as if the old man were performing a magic trick. The thread of Nen reached into the backpack, snagged the book he had just put away, and neatly brought it back into the old man's hand.
"Where are your parents?" the old man asked casually as he flipped through the book.
"Why are you here all alone?"
Flip, flip—
The pages rustled, and to Kurapika, the sound was like an alarm bell ringing inside his chest.
My sister told me—if I ever meet something strange, or someone strange, I have to get away immediately. Does this count as strange?
He really wanted to go. Really wanted to get out of that seat.
But his stiff body and weak legs were telling him something else.
He couldn't run.
Was it fear? Curiosity? Maybe both.
Kurapika's mind raced. Assuming the worst of Netero, he suddenly raised a hand and pointed straight at the page the old man had turned to—still open to the Zoldyck section, the page showing the Testing Gate.
"My family's there."
Netero froze for a second.
Next to him, Beans leaned forward too, looking over with a strange expression.
Ho ho ho… how curious. Since when did Silva have an illegitimate son he didn't know about?
At Kurapika's apparent age, it could only be Silva's child—but then Netero took another look at the boy's golden hair and the unmistakable traditional Kurta clothing he wore.
The old man narrowed his eyes, a sharp gleam passing through them, and instantly recognized who the boy was.
One of the "Seven Great Beauties of the World" the most depraved body-part collectors lusted after—
a member of the Scarlet Eyes clan.
Netero closed the book and smiled, utterly unfazed. Then, feigning surprise, he said, "So… you're part of the world's number one assassin family?"
Kurapika had no idea what Netero was aiming at. But because he often heard his sister talk about someone named Roy Zoldyck, he forced himself to stay calm and said,
"That's right. My older brother is Roy Zoldyck."
"Is that so?" Netero's eyes smiled more deeply. He quietly exchanged a glance with Beans.
Beans was clearly stunned too.
He looked Kurapika up and down, still wondering when exactly Silva Zoldyck had produced another son… Could it possibly be Killua? Was he just born that big?
Absurd.
That kind of thing only happened with certain magical beasts, phantom beasts, or rare creatures. There was no way it would happen to a human…
Unless…
that "human" wasn't human at all—just like the beings that ruled the Dark Continent.
"Of course," Kurapika said, swallowing nervously but keeping his face steady. "My brother is meeting me at Dentora Airport."
The meaning between the lines was obvious. He was warning Netero not to try anything.
The smile in Netero's eyes deepened even more as he looked at the boy in admiration.
What a shrewd kid. If he didn't already know Roy, and if he didn't already have good relations with the Zoldycks, someone else might actually have been bluffed by the way this child borrowed their name to intimidate him.
And he was only six or seven.
To have that kind of caution and scheming at that age… Compared to his own Beyond… kids were really all different. The contrast was maddening.
While those thoughts flickered through his head, Netero handed the book back and made a show of apologizing.
"My apologies. I didn't know."
Kurapika visibly relaxed.
He took the book back, stuffed it into his bag, and gave a cold huff.
"I'll let you off this once."
"Sorry, sorry…" Netero quickly raised both hands in surrender, all while casually shifting sideways to block Beans' twitching expression completely from the boy's line of sight.
And just like that, Kurapika found nothing else to be suspicious of.
So the old man and the boy sat in that huge departure hall, watching the crowds and listening to the noise around them, waiting in silence until—
Ding-dong.
The airport announcement sounded.
"Attention passengers: check-in is now open for Flight K8741, bound for Dentora in the Republic of Padokea…"
Kurapika stood up at once.
And so did Netero—with Beans rising alongside him.
"You're on this flight too?" Kurapika asked, stunned.
He looked up.
Netero twirled his white beard and gave him a playful blink.
"Yep."
Then the old man, sleeves flowing, walked right past the boy with Beans at his side and headed for the gate.
Buzz—
Outside the departure hall's huge glass windows, the airship was already preparing for takeoff. The propellers churned the air with a deep hum as the last safety checks were carried out, clearly urging the remaining passengers to board.
Seeing that, Kurapika had no time to think too deeply. A quick look told him there were only a few dozen other passengers, all on the same flight to Dentora.
After hesitating for two seconds, the boy tightened the straps of his backpack and silently joined the boarding line.
Ding-dong.
The airport announcement sounded again, stating that the gate was now closed.
The boarding stairs were withdrawn. The airship's propellers sped up, lifting the entire vessel into the sky.
Kurapika found his seat by the aisle and sat down.
It just so happened to be right beside Netero and Beans.
The moment he looked over, the old man smiled at him and said,
"What a coincidence."
Kurapika immediately lowered his eyes and sat down without a word.
Buzz—
The airship accelerated upward with another great hum, climbing steadily into the sky.
A boy. An old man. A strange green-bean-like creature.
Sitting side by side, and none of them said another word.
Nearly two hours passed.
By the time they landed, Kurapika didn't even touch the in-flight meal. The second the airship touched down, he sprang up from his seat and rushed for the stairs, only vaguely catching Netero's cheerful reminder from behind.
"Slow down, young master."
Kurapika's face turned bright red. He kept his head down as he hurried off the ship, rushed out of the airport, found the red bus bound directly for Kukuroo Mountain, and climbed aboard.
Just when he thought he could finally relax, the bus doors opened again.
The boy's eyes widened at once.
There was Netero's smiling face.
And right behind him, Beans climbed onto the bus too, holding the rail.
"You…"
"What a coincidence, young master. I'm just sightseeing."
The bus doors shut.
Then the sweet voice of the ticket attendant rang out.
"Attention, passengers. Our next destination is the world-famous residence of the number one assassin family—the Zoldyck estate on Kukuroo Mountain…"
"It is said that as long as you can pay them, there is no one in the world they cannot kill…"
Netero walked over and took the empty seat beside Kurapika. Feeling the boy's forced calm and obvious discomfort, he turned his head and looked out the window at the lush scenery of midsummer.
For an instant, his memories slipped back decades.
Back to when he was at the height of his power, full of spirit, venturing into the Dark Continent with Zigg and Linne in search of the Nitro Rice—
only to be driven into a dead end, surviving in the end solely because Zigg prayed and made a wish to some unknown existence.
The old man's eyes were full of age and weather as more and more of the familiar mountain landscape came into view.
Softly, almost to himself, he murmured,
"Zigg… I've come to see you."
Not long after,
with a screech of brakes, the bus rolled into a broad platform and left two faint tire marks behind.
They had arrived at the Zoldyck estate.
Creak.
The bus doors opened.
The guide's sweet voice rang out again.
"Everyone, please remember—do not approach the large gate."
"If you'd like to take photos, you may do so from right here by the bus doors…"
Netero stood at just the right moment, stepped aside to clear a path for Kurapika, and said with a smile,
"Go on, young master. You're home."
Kurapika: "..."
~~~
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