"Here you go, here's the meat you asked for. Do you need anything else?"
"No thank you, how much do I owe you?" Nicolas asked the vendor.
"Hmm, let's see… the total will be 2,500 Jenny, my dear~" the vendor said, holding out both hands with a smile on his face.
"2,500 Jenny? Why is it so expensive?" Nicolas questioned.
"My dear customer, our products are of the highest quality, raised on the finest farms in the region, with full respect for both the animals and the workers. That justifies the price~" he explained with a smile.
Confused by the salesman's fast-talking, Nicolas handed over the money, which the vendor quickly snatched, his smile vanishing and being replaced by a cold expression, staring at Nicolas as if to ask why he was still there.
As he walked away, Nicolas glanced at the shop sign: "Chez Frontera — Butchery."
He looked at the list Zebulo, the Zoldyck gatekeeper, had given him, checking off the last box.
With the errands done, Nicolas wandered through the streets while waiting for the next bus in 45 minutes. To his surprise, the butcher wasn't the only shop named Frontera, and all the vendors had the same unscrupulous behavior.
After strolling for about fifteen minutes, he sat on a bench in a secluded corner of a park.
The calm of these past few days had helped him get used to the sensation of using Ten. Unlike normal Nen users, he had first perfected his Zetsu before Ten, due to his unusual circumstances, and this had caused a slight imbalance, like a magician who knew how to make cards disappear but not how to shuffle them.
Lost in thought, a small smile crept onto his face. The sound of the fountain, the children's laughter, and the chatter of passersby blended into a satisfying harmony.
Most people quickly forget these small everyday moments, treating them as trivial. It's only when they're gone that one understands their true value. Nicolas particularly cherished these peaceful moments.
Fiou, fiou!
Intrigued by a strange sound, Nicolas turned his head. The source was a bird, the same one he had seen a week earlier in another city!
The compass in its eyes spun violently before suddenly stopping, pointing directly at Nicolas. And before he could react, the bird opened its beak wide and let out a powerful screech.
PIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!
Nicolas pressed his hands tightly against his ears, but the sound was so strong that it wasn't enough.
Too late, Nicolas activated his Ren, reducing the effects of the cry. That's when he realized, he was the only one affected. The passersby continued chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened.
'This is bad. I need to get out of here fast!' he realized.
Without wasting time, he reinforced his Ren and sprinted at full speed in the opposite direction of the bird. At this point, he knew he was being targeted by someone, someone who had the huge advantage of knowing his position while he knew nothing about theirs.
He immediately discarded the idea of hunting for the enemy. He had no leads, his earlier brief use of Gyo on the bird had revealed nothing, and he didn't know his opponent's strength or intentions. The most important thing now was to escape detection.
'I've been targeted specifically! It can't be Gon and the others, I'd know that from the manga… Unless the Zoldyck family is testing me after realizing I can use Nen? I never saw this bird in the manga, but I can't be sure… It could also be my family searching for me, or just a coincidence triggered by my presence?'
'Damn it! Speculating won't help. For now, I have to hide. If I get far enough away, I can use Zetsu and they won't be able to track me.'
Confident in the quality of his Zetsu, Nicolas darted into a dark alley. He spotted a dumpster he could hide in, only to freeze when a silhouette appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
He immediately turned to flee the other way, but after only a few meters the man caught up with him and stepped in front again, cutting off both his escape and his hope.
With terror in his eyes, Nicolas recognized a familiar face, one he had lived alongside for the past eight months.
"...Mr. Butler?" Nicolas whispered in shock.
The man nodded with a smile, surrounded by a violent, overwhelming Ren. He stepped closer. "You were difficult to find. My friend Usha is exhausted because of you," he said in a detached tone.
The butler had just implicitly revealed he wasn't the only one hunting him, crushing what little hope Nicolas had left.
"How did you find me?" Nicolas asked, trying to mask his nervousness.
"Hehe, thanks to me."
Nicolas turned toward the new voice and saw a haggard-looking man, about 1.5 meters tall. A small compass materialized in his hand, pointing straight at Nicolas. Suddenly, the compass-eyed bird swooped down from the sky and perched on the man's shoulder.
'So that's his Hatsu… does it let him track people?' Nicolas realized.
"Did my father send you?" he asked, stalling for time. Escape seemed nearly impossible. Even if he managed it, he suspected this man could track him down again.
The butler pulled a phone from his pocket, dialing a number as he replied, "I act under my employer's orders. Just follow us and you'll understand."
He pressed the phone to his ear. "It's done. We've found him… Alright, I'll put Usha on." He handed the phone to his colleague.
Nicolas couldn't hear the conversation, but suddenly the bird on Usha's shoulder melted like wax, vanishing within seconds until only a tiny bone remained on the ground.
Usha looked drained as he handed the phone back to the butler. The latter nodded and spoke, "Good work up until now. You'll be well paid. You can leave."
Satisfied, Usha wasted no time disappearing, leaving only Nicolas and the butler.
"You're surprising," the butler said. "I suspected you might have Nen abilities, but I didn't think you could actually use them."
"We all have our little secrets," Nicolas replied weakly.
"Hmm, true. I suppose even I haven't always been honest with you," the butler said with a faint smile.
"Is that so?" Nicolas pressed, while analyzing possible escape routes. If he could just reach the Zoldyck estate, maybe he could deter the butler somehow. The consequences would likely be severe, but that would be a problem for later.
Unaware of Nicolas's thoughts, the butler nodded, a sneer appearing on his face. "You see, I was never really working for your father. That useless pig has no talent, he only inherited his position thanks to his own father. But in our circles, connections are important. We can't just cut him off…"
Nicolas was only briefly surprised. He had already wondered how such a competent man could work for his family, of course there had to be more to it.
"My true employer owed your grandfather a debt. That's why I've been here. But now… certain people apparently have an interest in you. So you're going to come with me quietly."
Author's Note:
Hey, so I'm finally branching away from the main Hunter x Hunter storyline Zoldyck mansion → Heaven's Arena → back to Gon house… I didn't find that very interesting for the story. So I'm creating a parallel plotline. I've actually been planting hints since the beginning, but don't worry, there won't be too many new characters. It's mostly about developing existing ones from HxH and tying them logically to Nicolas. Some of you might already guess where this is going. I hope you'll enjoy it!
And again, sorry for the rare updates and relatively short chapters. The truth is, I'm traveling for several months, or even years, so I just write whenever I find the time, haha.
I saw that you seemed to like the story, I hope it continues like this!