Killua's voice was strained, held back by chains.
Two metal cuffs bound his wrists, each connected to a length of chain that stretched to the stone wall. His entire body hung suspended in midair.
Bruises and welts already covered his body—fresh marks from the whip.
And the one wielding the whip? Absolutely absurd.
The older he got, the more his body expanded horizontally. Compared to the other members of the Zoldyck family, it was downright comical.
Whether it was Illumi, Killua, Alluka, Kalluto, or even Kaizen—every one of them was exceptionally good-looking by any standard. Only Milluki didn't seem to care about appearances.
Soda, chips, spicy snacks... any kind of junk food was fair game.
And it's not like Milluki lacked money. Before he even learned Nen, he'd already built a network of contacts through his skills in cyber-intelligence.
After teaming up with Kaizen, he came to understand the existence of Nen and eventually learned it from Silva.
Blending his mechanical expertise with Nen, he developed his own assassination techniques. Like his signature: flying micro-bombs.
Against skilled Nen users, they're useless. But when it comes to ordinary targets, they're deadly.
Sure, the bounties weren't high—but volume made up for it.
Because of his "unorthodox" approach, the number of commissions the Zoldyck family took on increased substantially in recent years. From a business standpoint, it wasn't a bad thing.
That's why neither Zeno nor Silva made a move to stop him.
Even though they believed he'd strayed from the traditional assassin path, they remained surprisingly tolerant.
Illumi was Silva's eldest son.
Killua, the silver-haired heir to the Zoldyck family.
Kaizen—personally trained by Maha Zoldyck himself.
Alluka, bound to a creature from the Dark Continent.
For those individuals, the Zoldycks had high expectations. If they went off course, the family would correct them without hesitation.
But Milluki? And Kalluto?
The family placed no such burdens on them. No obligations. No responsibilities. They were allowed to do as they pleased.
Milluki's growth was left entirely to his own whims.
As for Kalluto—Zeno and Silva rarely intervened. It was mostly Kikyo who placed expectations on him.
Snap!
The whip lashed Killua again.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Footsteps echoed down the hall.
But Milluki was so immersed in his "session" that he didn't even notice.
"That's enough."
Zeno's voice cut through the space.
"Grandfather?"
Milluki snapped out of it and turned toward Zeno.
"Killua, go to the main hall. Silva's waiting for you."
"Yes."
Killua flexed his arms, snapping the chains effortlessly. He dropped to the floor, landing lightly on his feet.
"Second brother," Killua said, glancing at Milluki, "you're right. I haven't been reflecting on my mistakes. But I know I did something wrong—so I let you whip me. Just this once.
"But only for today."
With that, he turned and walked toward the hallway.
Zeno and Milluki stood in silence as Killua's silhouette disappeared down the corridor. Then, they turned and started walking outside.
"Grandfather," Milluki said.
"Hm?"
"Killua doesn't know about Nen yet, does he?"
"No, he doesn't."
"Grandpa, when do you plan to teach him?"
"Why? You care?"
Milluki nodded. "After learning Nen myself, I realized the world was a lot deeper than I thought. Since you and Father think so highly of Killua, I just wonder...
"What level could he reach if he learned Nen? Could he surpass Older Brother? Or Kaizen?"
Zeno was silent for a moment.
"In our family, Killua has the highest potential—even greater than mine or Silva's. As long as he's given time, surpassing Illumi is entirely within reach.
"But Kaizen... that's harder to say."
Milluki frowned slightly. "Killua's potential is undeniable, but Grandfather—why do I get the feeling you haven't raised him to be a pure assassin?"
Zeno gave him a bemused look.
"And what do you think a pure assassin looks like?"
"Well, Older Brother's one. And you, Grandfather. Father, too."
Zeno chuckled. "There's no such thing as a 'pure assassin,' Milluki. That's just an illusion. Don't worry about Killua. Focus on your own path.
"Whatever direction you choose, just follow through."
Milluki nodded.
"Yes, Grandfather."
...
By now, Killua had reached the mansion's main hall.
"Father."
Silva sat on the couch, calm and composed.
She gestured for Killua to sit.
He obeyed, sitting silently beside her.
Killua didn't fear Kikyo, Milluki, or even Kalluto. But Illumi? He was afraid of him. As for Silva—Killua held her in deep respect.
His entire posture became cautious the moment he entered.
"Killua, I heard you've made some friends?"
Killua lowered his head and gave a slight nod.
"What kind of people are they?"
"I don't really know how to describe them... but being around them is fun."
"Really? What about the Hunter Exam?"
"The exam itself wasn't too difficult, but..."
"But?"
"The appearance of cousin Kaizen—and Older Brother—made things way harder than they should've been. That's not what a normal exam looks like. Father... can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Did you know about Kaizen from the start?"
"I did."
"Back at Heavens Arena... was I sent there because Cousin Kaizen was there too?"
"No."
"Then... why didn't you tell me the truth about him?"
"Because you never asked."
Killua blinked.
"So... everyone else already knew about him except me?
"Older Brother, Second Brother, Father, Grandfather, Mother, Kalluto, Alluka—even the butlers? They all knew?"
"Everyone but Alluka."
Silva replied, "But we never meant to keep it a secret. The others knew because they'd met Kaizen before.
"Just like you did during the Hunter Exam.
"Kaizen builds connections. That's how people learn about him."
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