Chapter 128: Golden Crow's Glare × Netero's Special Treatment
Gotoh was a professional. Unlike Rika, he rarely laughed.
He adjusted his glasses and studied the golden crow carefully, silently committing the name "Sol" to memory.
Everything around them had been reduced to an inferno entirely thanks to Sol. The young butler would not underestimate the creature just because it looked plump and adorable.
After all, it was the Young Master's Nen beast.
Whoosh. Without aura sustaining it, the fire gradually died down.
Roy leaned on Gotoh's shoulder and climbed out of the lakebed toward the mountain.
He used the time to activate Zetsu and recover his aura. He considered sending Sol back.
Sol refused to leave. It made a nest out of Roy's hair and settled in stubbornly. At some point, Rika, smiling sweetly, caught a bug and tried to feed it. Sol spat out a thin thread of flame in disgust and burned it to ash, startling Rika badly.
"Overstepping," Gotoh said, criticizing Rika's presumptuous behavior.
The girl pouted and sulked at him. Roy paid them no mind, letting them bicker as he hiked up the mountain. Halfway up, he stopped and looked ahead.
From deep within the forest, several shadowy figures emerged.
Gotoh recognized one of them immediately and slid his hand into his pocket without a word, gripping a few coins.
It was her. The Kiriko daughter.
"The Young Master was kind enough to let you go. I did not expect you to dare come back."
Rika frowned, also recognizing the woman. She studied the three who had come with her. Their faces and arms bore the same marking patterns as hers. No need to guess—they had to be her family or clanmates.
The Kiriko daughter's eyes darted away. She looked pleadingly at her bald father. The Kiriko father, wrapped in a headscarf, steeled himself and forced a smile. From a distance, he bowed slightly to Roy. "I apologize on behalf of my daughter for her recklessness."
"Please understand that monitoring you was not our intention. As examiners and guides for this stage, this is a task assigned by the Hunter Association."
"We are simply following orders."
"Young Master, the woman is not lying," Rika said. Her observational skills were sharp—or perhaps it was simply that women understood women.
The Kiriko daughter's panic, confusion, and guilt at dragging her family into this did not seem like an act.
"That does not erase the fact that she spied on us, got caught, and ran away," Gotoh said. He had a clear sense of right and wrong. Offense was offense. If apologies were enough, the world would not see so many conflicts and tragedies.
Even if it was part of the exam.
Roy listened to their argument expressionlessly, his gaze fixed on the Kiriko family. A thought crossed his mind.
The Golden Crow perched on his head suddenly opened its eyes. Two golden pupils shot out twin beams of light that fell upon the group.
The Kiriko family froze for a heartbeat. From deep within their bloodline, an image surfaced.
In the image, a vast river stretched wide. Countless foxes, far larger than they were—hundreds of times their size—resembling their ancestors, bowed toward a patch of sky. It was a sun chariot pulled by a Three-Legged Golden Crow with wings that blotted out the heavens, slowly crossing the horizon.
A man sat atop the chariot, wearing a crown of flowing gold. His face was unclear.
Faintly, they could hear their "ancestors" utter a single word: "God."
Then they saw the man rest one hand on the chariot, as if reading a scroll. When he heard them, he glanced down idly.
Boom!
The vision shattered. The Kiriko family felt the world spin. Their consciousness darkened. Thud, thud, thud. One by one, they collapsed to their knees.
Gong. It was as if someone had taken a mallet and struck a great bell beside their ears.
A crow's cry exploded through their souls.
The Kiriko father, along with his wife and children, fell flat on the ground, just as their ancestors had worshiped the sun, pressing their heads reverently into the earth.
What… why did they suddenly kneel?
Rika still had no idea what had happened. She stared blankly at the Kiriko family prostrated on the ground. Instinct drove her to turn her stiff neck and look at Roy. The boy stood calmly, the Golden Crow on his head preening its feathers with its beak and calling out casually, as if none of this had anything to do with it.
Is this sincere enough? Gotoh narrowed his eyes, clearly stunned for a moment. An apology taken to this extent, where even dignity could be discarded, left nothing more to criticize.
He stole a glance at the Young Master.
Roy stroked the single golden tuft of feathers standing upright on Sol's head, lost in thought. A phrase suddenly came to mind: rank suppression.
Just as in the Chimera Ant arc, there existed a natural hierarchy between the King, the three Royal Guards, the Division Commanders, the elite squad leaders, and the common ants. Just as Muzan could control the life and death of all demons with a single thought, the Golden Crow, to these magical beasts, was an entity whose rank far exceeded the norm. (Note: Exceptions like Tamayo, Yushiro, and Nezuko, who broke free of Muzan's control, do not count.)
They could not gaze upon it directly. They could only bow their heads.
Gurgle.
His stomach growled.
"Do you have food?"
His aura was severely depleted. He needed to replenish it urgently. Roy signaled Sol to tone it down.
The golden light faded from the Golden Crow's pupils. The pressure from its rank vanished with it.
The Kiriko mother finally lifted her head and said hurriedly, "Yes. I made curry. If you do not mind…"
"Let us go," Roy said, stepping up the mountain toward the towering cedar at the summit.
Gotoh followed expressionlessly. Behind him came Rika, who nodded politely to the Kiriko mother. The girl smiled and quickened her pace.
The Kiriko family finally snapped out of their daze. They looked as if they had just been pulled from water—sweat soaking their armpits, backs, and foreheads. It felt as if they had walked through the gates of hell.
"I thought I was going to die," the Kiriko son said, leaning against a tree and straightening his back. They said that before death, people saw their lives flash before their eyes and glimpsed certain things. Recalling that casual glance from the figure in the vision, his heart was still pounding.
"Was that real, Father?" the Kiriko daughter asked, scrambling awkwardly to her feet and swallowing hard. She watched the boy and his two attendants climb the mountain, then asked cautiously.
The Kiriko father and mother exchanged a glance but did not answer.
There was no time for that.
"Wife, hurry back and watch the pot. Do not let the curry burn."
The Kiriko mother slapped her forehead. She had almost forgotten. In a blink, she transformed into her original form, kicked off with her hind legs, and raced toward the summit, following Roy's path.
Whoosh. A mountain breeze swept through, carrying the scorched smell and burned leaves, swirling around the Kiriko father in a dance. He turned to face his children, his expression grave. "Do not speak of that vision to anyone. Remember…"
"No matter who asks, do not say a word."
"Not even the Hunter Association?" the Kiriko son asked, gesturing at the forest, nearly half of which had been burned. "When the inspection team sees this, they will definitely interrogate us."
The Kiriko father glared. "Say I set it."
"It was cold. I lit a fire to keep warm. Is that a problem?!"
The Kiriko son shrank back and shut his mouth.
"Father…" The Kiriko daughter hesitated as Roy's group disappeared into the distance. She edged closer and asked carefully, "Did you not think the person in the chariot looked a bit like that candidate?"
The Kiriko father fell silent. More than "a bit." To him, it was the same person.
"Keep these thoughts buried in your heart from now on. Just know them yourself."
Whoosh. The Kiriko father said no more. His wings unfurled, whipping up a gust of wind as he flew toward the summit, following his wife.
The Kiriko son and daughter exchanged a glance, speechless. They kicked off the ground and followed. Below them lay the ravaged forest, the dried lakebed, and a shock too great to be spoken aloud.
Six in the evening.
In the small cabin beneath the cedar tree, a group of people attended to Roy as he ate alone. He and the Golden Crow each had a plate of curry. The latter pecked at its plate with a rhythmic tap, tap, tap.
"Everyone, sit," Roy said. This was the Kiriko family's home. Even as a guest, Roy had no habit of leaving the hosts standing while he ate alone.
Even after the earlier unpleasantness.
"Gotoh, you too."
"And you."
Roy glanced at Gotoh and Rika in turn. Both answered affirmatively and pulled out chairs to sit.
Only then did the Kiriko family sit properly at the table, taking on the task of serving and refilling rice.
Fortunately, magical beasts naturally ate more than humans. The Kiriko mother had cooked a large pot of curry. She thought that if her family ate a little less, there should be enough. But she had overlooked one existence: the Golden Crow.
The plump golden bird did not eat insects, but it loved rice. Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap. It pecked without stopping. Soon, it finished one plate. Then another. Then another. One pot. Two pots. Who knew how many stomachs fit inside that tiny body?
The Kiriko mother had to boil two more pots of curry before it was finally full. It flopped onto its back, legs in the air, and let out a satisfied burp.
"Your… appetite is impressive," the Kiriko mother said, clutching a rice ladle and slumped in her chair, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.
One bird had eaten more than a whole table of people and still wanted more. Perhaps that was why it could pull the sun chariot and soar across the sky.
The Kiriko daughter watched as Rika asked Roy's permission and then rubbed Sol's little belly. The crow closed its eyes and hummed contentedly, enjoying the massage. The Kiriko daughter was tempted to touch it too, but a sharp glare from her father killed the thought.
Do not treat it like it is not a Divine Bird, you silly girl!
The Kiriko father used his eyes to warn his daughter, then forced a flattering smile and looked at Roy. "There are still two days until the exam begins. I will have my wife prepare bedding for you to rest. It will not be too late to set out tomorrow morning."
"No need. You will have more people arriving soon," Roy said. Q&A Town could not stop Illumi and Kite. Especially Kite, as Ging's unofficial apprentice, Nakajima Sachiko's unanswerable questions would not hold him back.
Roy patted Sol's little head. "Sol, can you fly?"
The Golden Crow had been enjoying Rika's massage with its eyes closed. Hearing the question, it stood up on its wings in displeasure. Are you looking down on birds?
It waddled to the edge of the table with its plump belly, spread its wings, and leapt. Thud. It hit the ground.
Roy: "…"
The Kiriko family: "…"
Gotoh looked up at the ceiling.
Nearby, Rika snorted, unable to hold back her laughter. She desperately covered her mouth, but giggles still leaked through.
The girl noticed everyone staring at her and quickly ducked her head, scooping Sol off the floor and placing it back on the table.
But Sol seemed to have become a different bird. It stared vacantly at the air, then at its round belly. Its legs splayed, it plopped down on the table like someone sitting on the ground.
"Forget it," Roy muttered. He had just adopted a useless thing. He picked up Sol and set it back on his head, cleared his throat, and turned to the Kiriko father. "There is no need to rest. I will trouble you to take us partway."
Sol was useless. He would have to rely on the Kiriko family.
Besides, only they knew the route to the official venue.
"You jest, sir," the Kiriko father said humbly. He gave his son a look, instructed his wife and daughter to stay home, and stepped out of the cabin.
He spread his wings. Along with Kiriko son, he carried Roy, Gotoh, and Rika toward the official venue.
Midnight.
The night wind howled.
The airship bearing the giant Hunter Association logo docked at a platform.
The gangplank lowered. Beans, carrying a box of film reels, descended and walked down a straight avenue. He found a steakhouse, pushed open the door, and walked inside. He exchanged a casual glance with the owner, pressed the elevator button, and descended to a spacious underground chamber.
He looked around.
Two people had already been waiting for some time.
One had black hair and black eyes, a voluptuous figure with an S-shaped curve smoother than a slithering snake. She sat under a lamp, absorbed in a pharmacology book.
The other was an imposing older man, tall and broad-shouldered, methodically practicing an unknown set of martial forms. When he heard the elevator, he glanced back at Beans, and Beans' breath caught. His steps slowed slightly
"They are here?" the woman asked.
"They are here," Beans replied, first greeting the woman. "Good evening, Gel."
Then he turned cautiously to the man. "Botobai, the Chairman said to thoroughly test the depths of these youngsters."
The man threw a straight punch. Pop. It broke the sound barrier and shattered the air in front of him. He rumbled, "Understood."
He asked no questions, simply accepting the task as an order. He did not even glance at Beans again, his gaze lingering only briefly on the reel in Beans' hands. "Does this record what the Chairman mentioned—the Pig-Headed Man capable of matching elite Hunters?"
A Class-C creature, the Pig-Headed Man. The woman named Gel's ear twitched. She closed her book, her interest piqued. "Too bad it is only a recording and not the real thing. Otherwise, I would love to extract its toxins and see what properties they have."
The woman took the reel from Beans and pressed it against the faintly glowing character for "Illusion" inscribed on the book's cover.
Her ability activated.
A vast, boundless forest of towering trees slowly unfolded, enveloping her and the man in an instant.
Then, faintly, the sounds of slaughter and the Pig-Headed Man's savage roars echoed from within, rising and falling, ceaseless.
After a long while, the "Illusion Realm" shattered.
It revealed the woman, panting heavily, and the man, whose face remained obscured.
Gel glanced at Botobai and said, a bit disheveled, "Is having you here not enough? The Chairman even deployed those things…"
"He really does not want anyone to pass this year."
That Pig-Headed Man's innate Enhancement was simply beyond what candidates could handle. One swing of its axe had nearly chopped off Gel's Snake Hand earlier.
Yet the exam required all candidates to survive inside for ten seconds. It was nothing short of a pipe dream.
"What else did the Chairman say?" Botobai asked in silence, looking at Beans.
Beans took a breath and answered honestly. "The Chairman said that when you encounter a boy named Roy Zoldyck, do not hold back!"