"Young master, you're truly cherished."
"Tap... tap..." The sound of footsteps faded away, as Roy lifted his foot and disappeared into the butler's villa, leaving Tsubone along with Kurajing and two or three other butlers standing at the spot for a respectful farewell.
Finally, the old butler straightened up, with two pink pigtails, approached Kurajing and said.
Kurajing's soft and elegant face retained a sweet smile, as she watched Roy's back gradually vanish in the bright corridor, softly saying: "The young master has always been a gentle person."
'Except for when we first met him...' The girl with blonde hair tied into a single ponytail at her back recalled the fleeting moments of "meeting" and "knowing" Roy during the Hunter Exam, speaking truthfully.
Instantly, Tsubone cast an envious yet complicated gaze upon her... What she meant was, she was like this, Wutong was also like this, the young master was never stingy with being kind to "his own people," the premise—
He/she/it must be his own person.
"Disperse now." The old butler sighed slowly, waving his hand to signal everyone to disperse, then turned his head to Kurajing again and said: "It's best to give Mikai a heads-up about your brother coming,"
"It doesn't differentiate between three or seven when it starts eating people."
Mikai, the true guardian of the gate, a dog-like Magical Beast, is responsible for handling those who attempt to sneak through the small gate into the Zoldyck Family's estate,
but Tsubone's well-intentioned reminder was clearly unnecessary.
Kurajing rolled up her sleeves, revealing a muscular bicep, smiling gleefully: "Rest assured, I can also open the Gate of Trial now."
Tsubone stared at her for a moment, then smiled quietly, raised a hand, showing a thumbs-up to the girl... Her fist was bigger than Kurajing's head, her gaze filled with admiration!
The women of the Zoldyck can also hold up half the sky of the Zoldyck Family,
The matriarch lived that way, she was like that back in the days, and now... Kurajing clearly has a trace of her at that time, plus the nurturing from Young Master Roy, it's not too much to say they have a worthy successor.
Kurajing slightly bowed, took another glance, nodded to Tsubone, grabbed her cane, and enthusiastically went to guard the mountain.
"Tap... tap..." The golden ponytail swayed as the girl, in delight, walked with a light bounce, then descended the mountain under Tsubone's gentle gaze...
"How wonderful~" For a long time, watching Kurajing step down the mountain and disappear, the old butler came to his senses, gazing eastward, dawn breaking, the sky ablaze with hues, and recalled when Young Master Killua was born, the new generation, the butler world having his own granddaughter Hu-yin, an abandoned baby just brought back from Meteor Street named "Canaria"...
An image of exuberant vitality...
Tsubone whispered softly, adjusting the surveillance glasses perched on her nose, heading to the back kitchen to prepare breakfast for Roy.
"Whoosh~" A gentle breeze swept across Kukuroo Mountain, blowing towards the distance...
...
Mimbo Republic, Nia-Qu City, the direct flight K8741 scheduled to Batorcia Republic's Dento Town is waiting to board.
"Beep..." In the vast waiting hall, the security gate opened, and a small boy, approximately six or seven years old, walked in,
At such an age, there's usually an adult accompanying, but the boy entered alone, like a little adult, with a solemn brow, his glances subtly surveying the surroundings, full of caution... At a tender age, he displayed a maturity beyond his years, clearly showing his uniqueness.
"Beep..." The security gate opened and closed again, the boy wearing round-headed cloth shoes, dressed in traditional ethnic attire, with smooth golden hair, backpack in front, tightly clutched in his arms, picked a spot with no one and sat down...
Then, he nonchalantly opened his backpack, took out a picture book, the front page imprinted with words "Dento Town Geography of Batorcia Republic" and quietly read, focusing on the introduction page of a particular site.
[Dento Famous Site No. 5—Kukuroo Mountain... Rumored to be... the residence of the world's foremost killer family, the Zoldyck Family...]
[Route fixed, one train per day, from seven to eight in the morning, can take a mountain-circling bus to reach the scenic area...]
[Remark: Kukuroo Mountain can only be viewed from afar, cannot enter... It's best observed under the guidance of a tour guide... Violators bear the consequences...]
[Special reminder: Kukuroo Mountain is a one-way entrance, any attempt to trespass is a great taboo]
At the page's end... a picture of the "Gate of Trial" was imprinted... The picture annotated as "Gate of the Underworld," tall, majestic, mottled with the weathered traces of time, just a glance makes one's breath paused, heart rate quicken...
The boy quietly watched, when suddenly, an ancient laughter echoed by, unnoticed...
"Ho ho ho... World's foremost killer family, ko-wa-inai (how scary)..."
"Little friend, if you're without an adult, don't run around carelessly~"
After the words fell, the boy's body noticeably tensed, leaning towards the chair, head turning to survey cautiously around... Suddenly, two enigmatic figures appeared on the previously empty chairs...
One of them was wearing broad garb, in wide Martial Arts attire appearing celestial, with elongated ears and brows, white hair and beard, a face peaceful and kindly smiling at him, seeming around eight or ninety years old,
The other had a peculiar appearance, or... was perhaps nothing like a human!
Except for those round beady eyes, and the suit impeccably neat, the rest of the body and covered in a uniform green skin, instantly made... Kurapika feel the urge to get up and distance himself.