Chairman Isaac Netero remained at the edge of the airship long after Kitse had returned below deck. The wind moved steadily across the open sky, pressing against his robes without resistance. His expression was relaxed, but his thoughts were not idle.
The Argus Covenant had been dismantled years ago.
The Hunter Association had moved decisively once its structure was mapped. Facilities were raided, operatives were detained or eliminated, and financial channels were permanently severed. The organization collapsed within months of the operation's conclusion. In the official archives, it was listed as dissolved.
Netero had accepted that conclusion.
However, there had been eight individuals who had never been accounted for during the purge. Intelligence at the time suggested that the leadership had deliberately distanced itself from operational branches, which was why they had not been present when the Association struck. Without infrastructure or coordinated support, the remaining leaders scattered.
Netero believed the Covenant had ended there which made Kitse's inquiry unusual.
The boy had not spoken the name recklessly. He had spoken it with precision. He was sure about the organization's existence and he was not asking for simple knowledge. The killing intent and the hatred in the boy's eyes were concealed well but not enough for him.
Netero stepped inside and requested a secure line to Beans.
The connection routed to Kukuroo Mountain.
""To what do I owe the call, Chairman?" The voice was steady and controlled.
"It's bean a while, Zeno-boy." Netero said lightly.
On the other end, Zeno Zoldyck sat in a dim chamber within the estate. His posture remained upright, hands resting calmly on his cane.
"I encountered an interesting candidate today," Netero replied. "Sixteen years old. He mentioned the Argus Covenant."
Zeno's calm eyes narrowed at the name.
"That organization no longer exists,"
"I am aware," Netero answered. "The Association ensured that."
Yes. The Covenant's operational body had long been destroyed. Whatever ideology had once bound it had fractured beyond repair.
"The name should not be circulating," Zeno said evenly.
"That is precisely why I am calling you. That boy you cast out knows things beyond what he is supposed to know."
"The boy is not affiliated," Zeno said confidently. The boy was no longer a Zoldyck but he still carried the blood of one.
"I did not assume he was," Netero replied calmly. "If the Covenant were active, we would have seen evidence. We have not."
That was the truth. The surviving leaders had vanished into isolation after the purge. One by one, they were removed over time. Some by rival factions. Some by their own former allies. Some by contracts placed quietly and fulfilled without publicity.
One of those contracts had come through the Zoldyck estate.
Zeno remembered it clearly.
Shiro had once been counted among the Covenant's eight leaders. He had been disciplined, methodical, and cautious. When the organization collapsed, he had attempted to distance himself from its remnants. Unfortunately, distance did not erase liability.
The contract had been precise, and Zeno had handled it himself, concluding the matter without spectacle or resistance.
Shiro had understood the inevitability of it the moment they met.
On the line, Netero's voice remained light. "I assume you are aware of the boy's participation in the exam."
"I am," Zeno said.
He had always known of Kitse's existence. That knowledge had never interfered with family operations. The boy had been permitted distance. That distance had been intentional.
"What concerns you?" Zeno asked.
"Only the origin of his information," Netero replied. "Nothing more."
Netero genuinely believed that to be the extent of it. The Covenant as an organization was finished. Its command structure had dissolved permanently. There was no centralized authority left to fear.
If Kitse knew the name, it was because someone who had once carried it had spoken.
Zeno's expression did not shift, but the memory of Shiro surfaced with clinical clarity. If the boy had learned of the Covenant through him, then the knowledge was inherited, not discovered.
"He is young," Zeno said. "Young people pursue fragments of the past without understanding their weight."
Netero smiled faintly.
The conversation did not escalate. There was no urgency in it. The Covenant was gone. There was no board left to move pieces upon.
After a final exchange of formalities, the line disconnected.
Netero returned to the window overlooking the sky.
Below deck, the exam advanced into its next stage.
In Kukuroo Mountain, Zeno remained seated for several moments after the call ended.
He did not question the Covenant's destruction. He had seen enough of its aftermath to be certain of that. What remained of its leadership had been eliminated over time. Shiro had been among the last.
"Sigh!"
At that point, he remembered Kilua and Illumi had also gone to take the hunter exam.
"I can only hope Illumi's action doesn't piss off this young lion too much."
The moment Netero mentioned Kitse, Zeno understood the direction events were moving. If the boy had begun asking questions about the Covenant, the next logical step would be the Zoldyck estate. He refused to believe Netero, that old fox would give Kitse any necessary information.