Gotoh is a professional. Unlike Kurajing, he doesn't laugh easily.
He pushed up the glasses on his nose, carefully sizing up the golden crow, and silently committed the name "Xiao Jin" to memory.
The reason the surroundings had turned into an inferno was all thanks to "Xiao Jin"... The young butler wouldn't underestimate it just because its round appearance looked cute.
After all, it was the Young Master's Nen Beast.
"Whoosh." The fire, having lost its "Nen" support, gradually subsided....
Roy, supported by Gotoh's shoulder, left the lakebed and went up the mountain.
Taking advantage of this time, he used Zetsu to recover his Nen. He tried to send "Xiao Jin" back.
Xiao Jin wouldn't leave, directly using his hair as a nest, stubbornly settling in. During this time... Kurajing, smiling, even caught a bug to feed it. It spat out a small tongue of fire in disgust, burning it to ash, which startled Kurajing.
"Acting on your own." This was Gotoh's criticism of Kurajing's "overstepping" behavior.
The girl pouted, sulking at him... Roy paid them no mind, letting them fool around. He walked up the mountain, and halfway up,
At a certain moment, he stopped and looked ahead.
From deep in the mountain forest, several shadowy figures emerged.
Gotoh recognized one of them at a glance. He nonchalantly slid his hand into his pocket, gripping a few coins.
'It's her... the Kiriko daughter...'
"The Young Master was kind enough to let you go, I can't believe you dare to return."
Kurajing frowned. She also recognized the woman. She quietly sized up the three who had come with her. Their faces and arms were branded with the same markings as hers. 'No doubt... it must be this woman's family or clan members.'
The Kiriko daughter's eyes darted away. She looked to her bald father for help... The Kiriko father, wearing a headscarf, braced himself, forced a smile, and bowed to Roy from a distance. "I apologize to all of you for my daughter's rudeness."
"Please understand, spying was not our intention. As the examiners and guides for this stage, this is a mission assigned by the Hunter Association."
"We are just following orders."
"Young Master, that woman isn't lying." Kurajing's observation skills were very sharp, or perhaps, it takes a woman to know a woman...
The Kiriko daughter's panic, helplessness, and guilt at having involved her family in clearing up her mess didn't seem like an act.
"That doesn't excuse the fact that she spied, was caught, and then fled." Gotoh was clear on right and wrong. An offense is an offense. If apologies were useful, there wouldn't be so many conflicts and tragedies in the world.
Even if it was part of the test.
Roy listened to their debate with a blank expression, his gaze fixed on the Kiriko family. With a thought...
The Golden Crow nesting on his head suddenly opened its eyes. Two golden pupils shot out two beams of bright light, shining on them.
The Kiriko family was dazed for a moment. A vision emerged from the depths of their bloodline...
In the vision.
In a vast valley, many foxes, hundreds of times larger than them—like their ancestors—were worshipping a part of the sky... It was a sun chariot, pulled by a Three-legged Golden Crow with wings that covered the sky, slowly driving over from the horizon.
A man sat on the chariot, wearing a gilded, tasseled crown. His face couldn't be seen clearly.
The word "God" could be faintly heard from the "ancestors"!
The man, one hand resting on the sun chariot, seemed to be reading a scroll. Hearing them, he cast a faint glance their way... "BOOM!"
The vision shattered... The Kiriko family felt the world spin, their consciousness darkened, and "Thump, thump..." they all knelt.
"Clang—" It was as if someone had struck a great bell right next to their ears.
A "caw" exploded in their souls...
The Kiriko father, with his wife and children, prostrated directly on the ground, just as their "ancestors" worshipped the sun, piously burying their heads in the earth.
'This.... Why did they suddenly kneel?'
Kurajing, still not knowing what had happened, stared blankly at the Kiriko family, who were prostrating with all five limbs. Instinct drove her to turn her stiff neck and look at Roy... On the young man's head, the Golden Crow preened its feathers with its beak and let out a casual caw, as if it had nothing to do with it.
'Is this considered sincere enough?' Gotoh narrowed his eyes, clearly stunned for a moment... 'An apology to this degree, where even dignity is discarded, leaves no room for criticism.'
He secretly glanced at the Young Master...
Roy stroked the golden ahoge on Xiao Jin's head, pensive. He suddenly thought of a term—"Rank Suppression"!
'Just like in the Ant arc, where a natural hierarchy exists between the King, the three Royal Guards, the Squadron Leaders, the elite squad captains, and the common ants. Or how Muzan can control the life and death of all demons with a single thought... To these magical beasts, the Golden Crow was an existence of overwhelming rank. (Note: Demons who broke free from Muzan's control like Tamayo, Yushiro, and Nezuko are not included.)'
'Not to be looked at directly, only to be submitted to!'
"Grrr..."
His stomach growled.
"Got anything to eat?"
His Nen was excessively consumed; he urgently needed replenishment... Roy signaled Xiao Jin to rein it in....
The golden light faded from the Golden Crow's pupils, and the pressure from its rank disappeared with it...
The Kiriko mom could finally lift her head. She hurriedly said: "Yes... I've simmered curry. If you don't mind..."
"Let's go." Roy started up the mountain, heading for the cloud-piercing fir tree at the summit.
Gotoh followed, expressionless. Behind him, Kurajing nodded at the Kiriko mom, smiled, and quickened her pace.
The Kiriko family finally came back to their senses, looking as if they'd just been fished out of water. Their armpits, backs, and foreheads were drenched in sweat, as if they'd just walked through the gates of hell.
"I thought I was going to die." 'They say your life flashes before your eyes when you're about to die, that you see things...' The Kiriko son leaned on a large tree to straighten up, recalling the casual glance from the man in the vision. His heart was still pounding.
"Was that real? Father." The Kiriko daughter scrambled up from the ground, swallowed, and watched the young man lead his two butlers up the mountain. She asked cautiously.
The Kiriko father and Kiriko mom looked at each other but didn't answer.
'No time for this.'
"Wife, hurry back, watch the pot, don't let the curry burn."
The Kiriko mom slapped her forehead, she'd almost forgotten. In a flash, she reverted to her original form, kicked off with her hind legs, and chased after Roy, darting towards the summit.
"Whoosh" A mountain wind blew, rolling up the scent of char and burned leaves, swirling around the Kiriko father.
The Kiriko father turned, his expression stern, and looked at his two children. "Regarding that vision, you are not to speak of it to anyone. Remember..."
"No matter who asks, you are not to speak."
"What about the Hunter Association?" The Kiriko son glanced at the mountain forest, nearly half of which was burned, and threw up his hands. "When the inspectors see this, they'll definitely ask questions."
The Kiriko father's eyes widened. "Just say I started it."
"It's cold. Can't I start a fire to warm myself?!"
The Kiriko son shrank back and shut his mouth.
"Father..." Seeing Roy's group walk further away, the Kiriko daughter sidled over, hesitantly, and asked cautiously: "Did you feel... the man on the chariot looked a bit like that examinee?"
The Kiriko father fell silent... 'More than just looked like, it was him...'
"From now on, bury these words in your heart. It's enough that you know."
"Swish—" The Kiriko father said no more. He spread his fleshy wings, kicked up a gust of wind, and flew towards the summit after his wife.
The Kiriko son and daughter looked at each other, speechless. They pushed off the ground and leaped after them... Below them was a devastated forest, a dry lakebed, and an unspeakable shock.
Six o'clock in the evening.
In the small cabin under the fir tree.
A group of people served Roy as he ate. He and the Golden Crow, each had a plate of curry. The latter pecked at the plate, "Clack clack clack...," making a crisp sound.
"Everyone, sit." This was the Kiriko family's home. Even though he was a guest, Roy wasn't in the habit of making his hosts stand aside while he ate alone.
Even with the slight unpleasantness from before.
"Gotoh, you sit too."
"And you."
Roy glanced at Gotoh and Kurajing respectively. They both answered "Yes" and pulled out chairs to sit.
Only then did the Kiriko family sit down properly at the table, taking on the task of serving rice.
'Fortunately... magical beasts naturally have bigger appetites than humans.' The Kiriko mom had cooked a huge pot of curry. She figured if her family ate a little less, there should be enough. But she had overlooked one existence... the Golden Crow!
The fat golden crow didn't eat bugs, but it loved to eat rice. "Clack clack clack... clack clack clack..." It pecked nonstop. Soon, it finished one plate. Then, another plate. And, another plate. And then... one pot... two pots... Who knew how many stomachs it had in its small body.—
The Kiriko mom had to simmer two more pots of curry before it was full. It lay on its back, feet in the air, and let out a satisfied burp.
"Your... Your Excellency... has a healthy appetite." The Kiriko mom, holding a rice paddle, slumped in her chair, nearly exhausted.
'One bird ate more than a table full of people.' 'Maybe this is why it can pull the sun chariot and soar across the sky.'
The Kiriko daughter watched as Kurajing, after asking Roy for permission, started to rub the Golden Crow's little belly. It grunted and closed its eyes in enjoyment. She was envious and wanted to pet it too, but a glare from her father extinguished the thought.
'Don't you dare treat it as if it's not a divine bird... you silly girl!'
The Kiriko father warned his daughter with a look, then forced a fawning smile as he looked at Roy. "There are still two days until the exam begins. I'll have my wife prepare some bedding for Your Excellency to rest. It's not too late to set out tomorrow morning."
"That won't be necessary. You'll have more people arriving here soon." The quiz town couldn't stop Illumi and Kite. Especially Kite.
He was Ging's registered disciple; Nakajima Sachiko's unanswerable questions wouldn't stop him.
Roy patted Xiao Jin's little head. "Xiao Jin, can you fly?"
Xiao Jin, which was enjoying Kurajing's massage with its eyes closed, stood up unhappily on its wings at these words. 'Are you looking down on me?'
It puffed out its fat belly, waddled to the edge of the table, flapped its wings, and... "Splat," it fell to the floor.
Roy:
The Kiriko family:
Gotoh:
He looked up at the ceiling.
Beside them, Kurajing, who couldn't hold back a "Pfft," desperately covered her mouth, but the laugh escaped anyway.
Seeing everyone looking at her, she quickly buried her head and reached down to scoop Xiao Jin off the floor, placing it back on the table.
The Golden Crow, however, seemed to have become a different bird. It stared blankly at the air, then at its own round belly. It spread its legs...
...and like a human, plopped its butt down on the table.
"Forget it." 'Just pretend I raised a freeloader.' Roy grabbed Xiao Jin, placed it on his head, cleared his throat, and looked at the Kiriko father. "Rest won't be necessary. Please trouble yourself to see us off."
Xiao Jin was unreliable; he could only count on the Kiriko family.
Besides, only they knew the route to the official exam site.
"Your Excellency jests." The Kiriko father was very humble. He gave his son a look, told his wife and daughter to guard the house, and stepped out of the cabin.
He spread his fleshy wings, and along with his son, flew Roy, Gotoh, and Kurajing toward the official exam site.
In the middle of the night.
The late-night wind howled...
The airship with the giant Hunter Association logo was docked on a platform.
The gangway was lowered. Beanman walked down, holding a box of film. He crossed a straight street, found a steakhouse,
...pushed open the door, exchanged a casual glance with the owner, took the elevator down, and arrived at a spacious basement.
Looking closely...
Two people were already waiting...—
One had black hair and black eyes, a hot body, and S-shaped curves smoother than a slithering snake. She was holding a book on potions, reading intently under the light.
The other was a tall, imposing man wearing a Peking opera mask. He was practicing a set of unknown punches with disciplined movements. Hearing the elevator, he looked back at Beanman, which instantly made Beanman's breath catch, and he slightly slowed his pace.
"You're here?"
"I'm here." Beanman first greeted the woman: "Good evening, Geru."
Only then did he carefully look at the man. "Gigant, the Chairman said you should properly test the depth of these kids."
The man threw a straight punch. "Bwoop!" It broke the sound barrier, shattering the air in front of him. He said in a booming voice: "Got it."
He didn't ask why, just treated it as a mission. He didn't even look at Beanman again, his gaze only lingering for a moment on the roll of film in his hands. "Is that... the pig-headed man who can rival elite Hunters, the one the Chairman mentioned?"
"C-Class creature, pig-headed man..." The woman named Geru's ears twitched. She closed her book, her interest piqued. "A pity it's just a memory, not a live one. Otherwise, I'd really like to extract its venom and see what its properties are."
The woman took the film from Beanman and pressed it onto the faintly glowing character "Phantom" engraved on the book's cover.
The "God" character activated!
A vast, boundless forest filled with towering trees slowly unfolded...
Instantly, it enveloped both her and the man!
Immediately after, the sounds of fighting could be faintly heard from within, along with the savage howls of the pig-headed men... rising and falling, seemingly endless.—
After a long while, the "Illusion" shattered.
It revealed the panting woman and the man whose face couldn't be seen clearly.
Geru glanced at Botobai, looking a bit disheveled. "Even with you holding down the fort, it's not enough. The Chairman is sending those guys into battle too...
"It seems he really doesn't want anyone to pass this time."
Those pig-headed men were natural 'Enhancers'; there was no way an examinee could deal with them. That axe swing just now nearly chopped off Geru's "Snake Hand."
Yet the test required all examinees to survive inside for ten seconds... It was simply impossible.
"What else did the Chairman say?" Botobai, in his silence, looked at Beanman.
Beanman took a breath and said truthfully: "The Chairman told you, when you encounter the young man named Roy Zoldyck, do not hold back!"
'?!'