Silva was frowning deeply, lost in thought, when he waved at Killua.
"Killua, come here, to me."
Killua, hands in his pockets, walked over with a look of confusion. Silva then placed his right hand on Killua's head and gently stroked his silver hair.
Killua visibly flinched for a moment, seemingly not used to it, but soon relaxed, like a cat being petted, allowing his father to touch him.
Silva thought about the situation with the Zoldyck family. He wondered if their family's curse was connected to their involvement in the assassination business. For four generations, the family had been without a direct heir.
It wasn't until Silva married Kikyo that they had five children.
Among these five children, four inherited their mother's black hair, while only the third child, Killua, carried the silver hair that had been passed down through the Zoldyck bloodline.
This unique lineage made Killua especially special, which was one of the reasons everyone had such high expectations for him. Not to mention the talent and potential he later displayed.
With Killua being like this, how could people not be full of hope for him?
Illumi's words made sense. Germain had been out of the assassination world for a long time, and it was unlikely that he'd return to that dark business. Instead, he was likely to continue down the path of becoming a "Hunter."
Germain could still teach Killua some skills from his time as an assassin, but the "cold-blooded, heartless completion of missions" would probably be something he couldn't pass on.
But what did that matter?
No matter who Killua's future "Nen teacher" or "temporary guardian" turned out to be, it wouldn't change one fact.
My blood flows through his veins!
His great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and I—we all had our rebellious moments when we were young. We all wanted to break away from the Zoldyck family.
When his grandfather was young, he even abandoned assassination work and went with the similarly young Netero to the "Dark Continent."
But in the end?
We always come back. We always return to Kukuroo Mountain, inherit the family business, and fulfill our mission.
Just like how the moisture in the air turns into raindrops and falls to the ground, whether it becomes well water, a stream, a river, or the ocean, it will eventually return to the atmosphere.
This is because we are all members of the Zoldyck family.
Killua, like the rest of us, will not be an exception. Let him go out and see the world, enjoy freedom without restraints or responsibilities.
Eventually, he will understand.
"The gamily business."
Killua, with his silver hair, could never go against this rule.
"Killua."
"Yeah?"
"Are you willing to let Germain be your 'guardian' while you're out there? Will you listen to what he says?"
"Uh... I..."
Killua glanced at Germain, who smiled at him, and that smile quickly helped Killua make his decision.
Following Germain is definitely better than staying at home or going with Illumi, right?
"Father, I agree."
Upon hearing this, Silva gently patted the back of Killua's head, then released him, not intending to make him swear a "blood oath" in front of everyone.
"Good. Remember, this is your decision. You must listen to Germain when you're out there."
"Okay, I understand."
Normally mischievous, Killua now acted unusually well-behaved.
"Father!"
"Father..."
Both Kikyo and Illumi spoke almost at the same time, but Silva waved his hand to stop them.
"This is my final decision."
Then, Silva turned his gaze to Germain, ignoring the nearly tearing western fan in Kikyo's hands and Illumi, who finally raised an eyebrow in reaction.
"Germain, please take good care of Killua. If he does anything wrong while he's outside, feel free to discipline him without hesitation."
"Alright, don't worry. I can ensure his safety and his growth."
"That's great to hear. Haha, today is a good day. Our friends and Killua's friends are all here, so let's throw a feast and celebrate properly."
Silva rang the bell and summoned Gotoh, instructing him to prepare a lavish banquet for the guests.
Gotoh carried out the orders meticulously, never once turning his head to observe the people at the table.
However, he had already sensed the atmosphere and the outcome from this strange setting.
Dressed in a tailcoat, he adjusted his thin glasses and pretended to notice nothing. After bowing, he left without a word.
The banquet was indeed quite grand, and the table was filled with delicious food, which captivated Gon and Leorio.
At first, the two were a little hesitant, but after Killua encouraged them, they began to eat heartily.
Germain, Zeno, and Silva chatted casually. They subtly noticed the relationship between him and Shizuku, learned that Kurapika was his disciple, and spoke in praise of the events in Meteor City, all in a roundabout manner.
It was at this moment that Killua learned Kurapika was Germain's disciple, and that Germain had been invited here.
It was rare to see, but both his grandfather and father had taken the initiative to invite someone to their home.
This was getting more interesting. Killua thought to himself as he looked at Germain. I wonder how many more unique things I can uncover from him...
Laughter and joy filled the room, but there were exceptions.
Kikyo, wrapped in bandages, remained silent throughout, while Illumi's face stayed as stiff as a corpse.
The surrounding cheerfulness couldn't lift their spirits. They only felt disturbed by the noise.
Milluki looked displeased, but his eating didn't slow down at all. After he finished, he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his big belly.
At least in this regard, he was satisfied.
Kalluto kept his lips tightly pressed together, not daring to laugh. He had been scolded by Kikyo for some nonsense he'd said, so he dared not express his true thoughts now.
No matter what, as long as the result was good, that was enough.
The next morning, Killua excitedly woke up Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio, eager to take them on a tour of the entire Kukuroo Mountain.
Later, Killua introduced them to the apprentice housekeeper, Canary, and told her that these were his new friends.
Canary watched them as they went off into the forest to catch insects, understanding the real reason Killua had come to speak with her.
"Don't worry, Canary. I'm happy," Killua said with a smile.
Canary only allowed herself to smile after bowing to Killua's back.
Germain, on the other hand, had other matters to attend to. He woke up early but didn't wake up the person in the other bed, Shizuku.
After all, they were at someone else's house. They had slept in separate beds last night because Germain was worried Shizuku might not be able to control herself.
In fact, Shizuku couldn't control herself. In the middle of the night, she wanted to sneak over to Germain's bed without hesitation.
Fortunately, they had agreed to a truce, or else things would've been awkward the next day unless they hid away to clean the bed sheets.
Germain allowed Shizuku to sleep in, leaving the room himself to find Silva, as he had a second objective for coming here.
Gotoh led him to Silva and then calmly withdrew.
Silva was petting his hunting dog when he saw Germain. After hearing his purpose for coming, he wasn't surprised.
"My father and I were just wondering when you'd come looking for me. Didn't expect it to be so soon. Don't worry, with Chairman Netero's connection to us, we've already arranged this meeting. Follow me."
Silva's tall figure led the way, guiding Germain down a strange path inside the mansion. They passed several hidden doors and then ascended a staircase.
"Grandfather likes to sunbathe, so he lives at the top. He rarely makes an appearance and doesn't like to meet people. Even us, he's reluctant to even look at."
"But after receiving the message we sent from Chairman Netero, he decided to meet you."
On the seemingly endless staircase, every so often, a candle would light up as the two approached, only to extinguish when they moved further away.
"That's also another reason I had Killua follow you. There are very few things in this world that can get Chairman Netero to speak and stir grandfather like this."
Silva chuckled softly from the shadows.
The staircase eventually ended, leading to a simple-looking door.
There were no guards, no locks, no imposing seals.
Silva placed his hand on the door, turned around, and gave Germain a slight smile.
"I won't involve Killua in your matters, but it's clear he'll benefit from you, and that's enough."
"You can go in alone. Grandfather only wants you. It seems he likes you more than his own grandson and has more to say to you."
Silva laughed self-deprecatingly, stepped aside, and allowed Germain, wearing a triangular hat and a black robe, to open the door. Then, he silently descended the stairs.
********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 30 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/Unique_Writer