Chapter 100: The Zoldyck View on Family x The Transport Ship Arrives
"Was the message delivered?"
"It was."
After Luke called Gotoh, relaying the instruction for Young Master Roy to look after Young Master Illumi, Luke immediately went to the second floor of the castle to report to Silva.
In the bedroom, Kikyo lay languidly on the sofa, flipping through a magazine. Beside her, a young butler attended to her, feeding her fruit. Her belly had grown noticeably larger; pressing close, one could even hear a strong, steady heartbeat. When she had nothing else to do, she would often cradle her belly and coo to Silva, insisting with absolute certainty, "This one will definitely have silver hair."
Silva always listened quietly, his mind inevitably drifting to the image of the stubborn boy who had stared him down, vowing to kill him.
The Oldest Master always said that spirit in a child was a good thing; keeping him cooped up at home would only turn him into waste. Silva understood this道理 and agreed with the old man, but... these past few days, without Roy, without Illumi, Silva found himself alone in the vast, empty training room, feeling a sense of emptiness and boredom he had never experienced before. As a result, he had trained Milluki particularly hard for several days. The boy was still lying in his room, unable to get out of bed, playing dead and foaming at the mouth whenever training was mentioned.
Nine o'clock in the morning. The sun rose, casting a ray of light through the floor-to-ceiling window, illuminating Silva. Today, he hadn't gone to the training room at all, instead staying in the bedroom to rest with Kikyo, sipping red wine while listening to Luke's report.
"What did he say?" The man stood before the window like a high wall.
Luke bowed slightly and replied truthfully, "The Young Master said nothing."
"He was displeased?"
Luke lowered his head, not daring to speak.
Silva drained his wine glass in one gulp and pondered for a moment. "Prepare the car. Book tickets." He thrust the empty glass into Luke's hands, pushed the door open, and left.
Downstairs, around the corner, through the long corridor... at one point, he paused, looking ahead. Outside the dimly lit small room, the rocking chair had been moved into the hallway. A thin, frail old man sat quietly, basking in the sun. The weather was getting colder, the daylight shorter; the rare appearance of the sun was something to be cherished.
"Great-Great-Grandfather..." Silva narrowed his eyes and bowed in greeting.
Maha lay feigning sleep, a blanket covering him. "Where are you off to?" he asked lazily.
"To Saherta."
"What for?"
"To see the children."
"Which child?"
"Both of them."
"Too late..." The old man slowly opened his eyes. "Your father left early this morning." Mentioning Zeno still irked Maha. Ever since Zeno took that kick, the damn brat had turned around and gone straight to the Hunter Association. Maha shot Silva an annoyed glare as well. "Always running around aimlessly. With him there, you should stay home and keep your wife company. When you finally have a daughter, bring her here for this old man to hold."
"Yes, sir." Silva straightened up, said nothing more, turned, and left. As he walked away from the sunlight, he heard a soft sigh from behind him. "I've watched him. That boy Roy, though stubborn, generally understands things."
"Even if you hadn't reminded him, he would still look after Illumi. After all..."
"These children... we can discipline them ourselves behind closed doors, but outsiders... they can't lay a single finger on them."
A cold wind blew, rustling Silva's silver hair. He listened silently, looking out the window. The sun shone brightly, high in the sky. After a moment, he said, "Understood." He turned and walked back the way he came, returning to the bedroom, his heart finally settling.
January 4th. Fishing. Nen formed a drop, failed to stretch into a line. [Nen Ability "Shape Change" +10... Current Progress: 21/100 → 31/100]
January 5th. Fishing. Nen formed a drop, successfully stretched into a line, but not long enough. [Nen Ability "Shape Change" +20... Current Progress: 31/100 → 51/100]
January 6th. Fishing. Nen formed a line, extended to the water's surface, broke several times, still not strong enough. [Nen Ability "Shape Change" +25... Current Progress: 51/100 → 76/100]
January 7th. The Hunter Exam begins. A loud ship horn sounded. The transport ship bound for the official exam site, Dolle Island, arrived at Dolle Harbor. The gangway was lowered, and candidates began boarding.
The bald ninja, the man in bandages, the snake charmer, the boy with the bow, and the Kurta girl followed the crowd onto the deck, instinctively keeping their distance from the figures behind them. One strange man, and Pariston, the one who had turned Donovan into meat paste at the airport. Clearly distinct groups formed as they walked towards the gangway, keeping to opposite sides.
Creak... creak... The pins in the strange man's face creaked audibly. His expression was stiff, almost inhuman, drawing Pariston's attention. The blonde boy, flanked by Clark and Golem, paused, allowing the strange man to board first. His gaze followed the man's back with keen interest. "Friend," he called out, "what's your name?"
The strange man didn't answer. His purple hair was styled into a mohawk, and the whites of his eyes were rolled up, giving him an incredibly eerie appearance. He completely ignored Pariston. The moment his foot touched the deck, he began scanning the area with his dead fish eyes. After a moment, finding no sign of the figure he longed for, disappointment washed over him. He stood frozen for a while before finally walking to the mast and sitting down cross-legged.
"Putting on airs!"
"Little Hill, want me to twist his head off?" Clark couldn't stand seeing Pariston ignored. That Roy Zoldyck fellow was one thing, but who did this guy think he was?
"Heh heh heh... No need." Pariston narrowed his eyes at Illumi, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards as he took an appreciative breath. Instinct told him things were about to get interesting. Besides the strange man, there was also the boy in the blue cap leaning against the ship's railing. It seemed there were quite a few interesting toys here. Of course... none compared to Roy Zoldyck!
Pariston composed himself and boarded the deck. Mimicking the strange man, he immediately scanned the surroundings. The smile gradually faded from his face.
"He doesn't seem to be here?" Golem touched the cross on his chest, his gaze sweeping the deck, a sense of relief washing over him inexplicably.
Indeed. Pariston searched again, unwilling to give up, his expression growing darker.
"There's still time. Let's wait a bit longer." He could only console himself with this thought. He found a corner, leaned against the railing facing the azure sea, and stared at the horizon, trying to dispel his frustration.
In the distance, the jungle was lush and green, flocks of seabirds occasionally flying past. Deep within... beside the lake... Roy continued to fish, lost in concentration, oblivious to the passage of time.
Visibly, at the end of the branch serving as his rod, a "Nen thread" pierced the water, extending freely, chasing an underwater shadow. It was a massive creature, at least five meters long by sight.
Gotoh watched nervously. He wanted to remind the Young Master that time was running out, but feared interrupting his training. He paced back and forth anxiously, wringing his hands.
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long.
January 7th. The Nen thread moved through the water with ease. At a certain moment, Roy's eyes flashed. "Up!"
The "Nen thread" deep underwater shot forward swoosh, piercing the shadow. With a powerful tug from the boy... water splashed everywhere, and a giant catfish burst from the surface, dragged forcefully onto the shore!
[Notification: Nen Ability Shape Change +30]
[Current Progress lv1: 76/100 → lv2: 6/1000]
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