Chapter 125: The Golden Crow's Glare x Netero's Special Treatment
Gotoh was a professional. Unlike Kurapika, he rarely smiled. He pushed up the glasses on his nose, carefully studying the golden crow, and silently committed the name "Goldie" to memory.
The inferno that had just consumed their surroundings was all Goldie's doing. The young butler wasn't about to underestimate the creature just because it looked cute and round. After all, it was the Young Master's Nen Beast.
Whoosh... Without the support of Nen, the fire gradually subsided. Roy leaned on Gotoh's shoulder and walked out of the dry lakebed. He used the time to activate Zetsu and recover his Nen, intending to dismiss Goldie.
But Goldie wouldn't leave, treating his hair as a nest and stubbornly settling in. Kurapika, smiling, even caught an insect and offered it, only to have Goldie scornfully incinerate it with a tiny jet of flame, making her jump.
"Presumptuous," was Gotoh's critique of Kurapika's "overstepping." The girl pouted, sulking at him. Roy ignored them both, letting them bicker, and hiked up the mountain. Halfway up, he paused and looked ahead.
Several shadowy figures emerged from the deep forest.
Gotoh recognized one of them instantly and subtly slipped his hand into his pocket, gripping his coins. It was her... the Kiriko daughter.
"The Young Master was kind enough to let you go, yet you dare return."
Kurapika frowned, also recognizing the woman. She glanced at the three figures accompanying her—their faces and arms bore the same markings. It must be her family.
The Kiriko daughter looked away guiltily, casting a pleading glance at her bald father. The Kiriko father, wearing a bandana, forced a smile and bowed from a distance. "I apologize for my daughter's rashness. Please understand, surveillance was not our intention. As the examiners and guides for this stage, this is the mission assigned to us by the Hunter Association."
"We are only following orders."
"Young Master, she's not lying," Kurapika, ever observant—or perhaps it's just that women understand women—could see that the fox-woman's panic and her guilt over dragging her family into this didn't seem faked.
"That doesn't excuse the fact that she spied on us and then fled when caught," Gotoh retorted, his sense of right and wrong firm. An offense was an offense. If apologies solved everything, the world wouldn't have so many conflicts and tragedies. Even if it was part of the exam.
Roy listened to their debate, his face expressionless, his gaze fixed on the Kiriko family. With a thought...
Goldie, perched on his head, suddenly opened its eyes. Two golden pupils shot out beams of light, shining on the fox family.
The Kiriko family froze, a vision from deep within their bloodline surfacing in their minds. In the vision, in a vast valley, countless foxes, hundreds of times larger than them—their ancestors—were bowing in worship towards the sky. There, a sun chariot, pulled by a Three-Legged Golden Crow with wings that blotted out the heavens, slowly approached. A man sat on the chariot, his face obscured by a gilded crown, but they could faintly hear their "ancestors" whisper the word "God"!
The man, one hand resting on the chariot, looked over as if glancing up from a book. BOOM!
The vision shattered. The Kiriko family felt the world spin, their minds went dark, and they collapsed to their knees. THUD. A sound like a great hammer striking a bronze bell echoed in their ears.
A "crow's cry" exploded in their souls.
The Kiriko father, mother, and children prostrated themselves, just as their ancestors had worshipped the sun, pressing their foreheads humbly to the ground.
What... Why did they suddenly kneel?
Kurapika, having no idea what just happened, stared blankly at the prostrating family. Instinct made her stiffly turn her head to look at Roy. On the boy's head, Goldie ruffled its feathers with its beak and gave a casual, indifferent caw.
Is that a sincere enough apology? Gotoh narrowed his eyes, stunned for a moment. An apology of this magnitude, sacrificing all dignity, left no room for further criticism. He glanced at his Young Master.
Roy stroked Goldie's golden tuft, a thought occurring to him: "Hierarchical Suppression"!
Just like in the Chimera Ant arc, where a natural hierarchy existed between the King, the Royal Guards, the Squadron Leaders, and the grunts. Just like Muzan could control the life and death of all demons with a thought. For these magical beasts, the Golden Crow was a transcendent being. (Note: Demons like Tamayo, Yushiro, and Nezuko, who broke free from Muzan's control, are exceptions).
They could not look directly; they could only bow their heads in submission!
Grrrowl...
He was hungry. "Got anything to eat?" His Nen was severely depleted; he needed to refuel. Roy signaled Goldie to tone it down. The golden light faded from the crow's eyes, and the hierarchical pressure vanished.
The Kiriko mother could finally lift her head. "Yes... I've made curry. If you don't mind..."
"Let's go." Roy started up the mountain towards the towering cypress at the peak. Gotoh followed, expressionless. Kurapika nodded politely at the Kiriko mother, smiled, and hurried after them.
The Kiriko family, finally recovering, felt as if they'd been fished out of water, drenched in sweat. It was like a trip to hell and back.
"I thought I was going to die." They say your life flashes before your eyes... The Kiriko son, leaning on a tree, recalled the casual glance from the figure in his vision. His heart was still pounding.
"Was that real, Father?" the daughter asked timidly, scrambling to her feet as she watched the boy and his two butlers ascend the mountain.
The Kiriko father and mother exchanged a look but didn't answer. No time for that. "Wife, hurry back! Check the pot, don't let the curry burn!"
The Kiriko mother slapped her forehead—she'd almost forgotten. She instantly reverted to her true form and, with a powerful push of her hind legs, bounded after Roy's group.
Whoosh. A mountain wind blew, carrying the scent of smoke and burnt leaves, swirling around the Kiriko father. He turned, his expression grave. "Regarding that vision, you are not to speak of it to anyone. Remember... no matter who asks, you say nothing."
"What about the Hunter Association?" the son asked, gesturing at the scorched forest. "When the inspectors see this, they'll definitely ask questions."
The Kiriko father glared. "Just say I did it. It's cold; I lit a fire to stay warm, got a problem with that?!"
The son flinched and shut his mouth.
"Father..." The daughter sidled up, her eyes still on Roy's distant figure. "Didn't you think... that man on the chariot... looked a bit like that candidate?"
The Kiriko father fell silent. More than a bit. It looked exactly like him. "Keep those words locked in your heart. You understand?" He said no more, unfurled his wings, and with a powerful gust, flew after his wife. The son and daughter exchanged a look, then followed. Below them lay a ruined forest, a dry lakebed, and an unspoken, earth-shattering secret.
Six o'clock in the evening. In the cabin under the cypress tree.
A group of people served Roy his meal. He and Goldie each had a plate of curry. The crow pecked at its plate with loud tap-tap-taps.
"Sit," Roy said. This was the Kiriko family's home, and even as a guest, he had no habit of eating alone while the hosts stood by, despite the earlier unpleasantness. "Gotoh, you too. And you."
Roy glanced at Gotoh and Kurapika. They both replied, "Yes, sir," and sat down. The Kiriko family then formally sat, taking on the task of serving rice. The mother was thankful; magical beasts ate more than humans, and she had cooked a huge pot. It should be enough... But she had forgotten one thing: Goldie!
The fat golden crow, who turned its beak up at insects, loved curry rice. Tap... tap... tap... it pecked incessantly. One plate, then another, and another. Then one pot... two pots... Who knows how many stomachs it had in its tiny body? The Kiriko mother had to cook two more batches of curry before Goldie was finally satisfied, falling onto its back, feet in the air, with a contented burp.
"My... my Lord... what an appetite," the Kiriko mother panted, collapsing into a chair, ladle in hand, utterly exhausted. One bird ate more than the entire table combined. Perhaps that's why it can pull the sun chariot across the sky.
The Kiriko daughter watched as Kurapika, after asking Roy's permission, gently rubbed Goldie's little belly. The bird chirped and closed its eyes in enjoyment. The fox-girl was envious, wanting to pet it too, but a sharp glare from her father stopped her. Don't you dare treat that divine bird casually, you silly girl!
The Kiriko father, having warned his daughter, put on a fawning smile. "You've traveled far. The exam doesn't start for two more days. I'll have my wife prepare bedding for you to rest. It's not too late to leave in the morning."
"No need. You'll be having more guests soon." The Quiz Town wouldn't stop Illumi and Kite. Especially Kite; as Ging's disciple, Sachiko's unanswerable riddles wouldn't hold him.
Roy patted Goldie's head. "Goldie, can you fly?"
Goldie, enjoying Kurapika's massage, reluctantly stood up on its wings, indignant. Are you looking down on me? It waddled its fat belly to the edge of the table, spread its wings, leaped... and splat. It fell to the floor.
Roy: "..."
The Kiriko Family: "..."
Gotoh: "..." (He looked up at the ceiling.)
Beside them, Kurapika, who had tried to hold in her laugh, let out a "Pfft!" She slapped her hand over her mouth as air escaped. Seeing everyone looking at her, she quickly ducked her head, picked Goldie up, and placed it back on the table. The crow, however, seemed to have changed. It stared blankly at the air, then at its own round belly, splayed its legs, and sat down on the table like a person.
"Forget it." Guess I'm raising a freeloader. Roy grabbed Goldie, placed it back on his head, cleared his throat, and looked at the Kiriko father. "Resting won't be necessary. Please, do us the trouble of flying us there." Goldie was useless; he'd have to rely on the Kiriko family. Besides, only they knew the route to the official exam site.
"It's no trouble at all, my Lord," the Kiriko father said humbly. He signaled his son, told his wife and daughter to stay, and led the way out of the cabin. He and his son unfurled their wings and took Roy, Gotoh, and Kurapika into the sky, heading for the official site.
Midnight. The wind howled.
The Hunter Association airship was docked on a platform. The gangway was down. Bean, holding a case of film, walked down, crossed a straight street, and entered a steakhouse. He exchanged a brief glance with the owner, took an elevator down, and arrived in a spacious basement.
Two people were already waiting.
One was a woman with black hair and black eyes, her fiery, S-shaped-curve-body-figure sleeker than a slithering snake. She was engrossed in a pharmacology book under the light.
The other was a tall, imposing man wearing a Beijing Opera mask. He was practicing an unknown martial arts form. Hearing the elevator, he glanced at Bean, his gaze so intense it made Bean's breath catch, slowing his steps.
"You're here?"
"I'm here." Bean first greeted the woman. "Good evening, Geru." He then looked cautiously at the man. "Ging, the Chairman said to properly test the limits of these kids."
The man threw a punch. Pop! It broke the sound barrier, shattering the air. "Understood," he said, his voice muffled. He didn't ask why, just accepted the mission. He didn't even look at Bean again, his gaze lingering for only a second on the film case. "Does this contain the... 'Pigmen' that the Chairman said could rival elite Hunters?"
"C-Rank creatures... Pigmen." The woman, Geru, perked up, closing her book with interest. "A pity it's just a recording and not a live specimen. I'd love to extract their toxins and see their properties."
The woman took the film from Bean and pressed it against the faintly glowing "Illusion" (幻) character on her book cover. The Divine Script activated!
A vast, endless forest of giant trees spread out, instantly enveloping her and the man! Faintly, the sounds of battle and the roars of the Pigmen could be heard, rising and falling without end.
After a long moment, the "illusion" shattered, revealing a panting Geru and the man, his expression unreadable.
Geru glanced at Ging, looking a bit rough. "As if you're not enough, the Chairman is sending those things into the exam? It seems he really doesn't want anyone to pass this year." Those Pigmen were natural Enhancers; no candidate could possibly deal with them. That axe swing just now had nearly taken off her "Snake Hand." And the exam required candidates to survive in there for ten seconds? It was absurd.
"What else did the Chairman say?" Ging asked, his voice calm, looking at Bean.
Bean took a breath and reported, "The Chairman said... when you encounter the boy named Roy Zoldyck, you are not to hold back!"
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