HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

At the Zoldyck estate, inside Silva's room…

"…There's no Water Sapphire under the volcano."

After a brief silence, Silva denied it outright.

What Water Sapphire? Where would Water Sapphire come from? What even is Water Sapphire?

Nope. Never heard of it. Doesn't exist.

"…"

Cyr pulled at the corner of his lips. He wasn't surprised by the denial—it was expected. But he spoke again with an unreadable expression:

"As long as you pay, the Zoldycks will accept any job, right?"

Silva stared at him. Unlike a child or a teenager, an adult man's eyes weren't wide—they were narrow, deep, and unreadable.

"That depends on whether your offer is worth it."

The seasoned assassin spoke calmly.

"Twenty billion?"

Cyr tossed out a number as a test.

They had only asked for ten billion to assassinate a single Phantom Troupe member, after all.

"Acceptable."

Silva considered it for a moment before replying.

"If you believe there's Water Sapphire beneath this volcano, you're free to search for it. If you do find some, you may take a portion—but anything beyond that must be purchased at market price."

It was a very practical deal—one that only benefited the Zoldycks.

And if Cyr didn't find any?

Well, then he didn't. It wasn't as if they'd be giving the money back.

The twenty billion only bought him the right to search the land.

"No wonder you've even turned your home into a tourist attraction…"

Cyr muttered under his breath.

They were just as bad as the system.

"Is food and lodging included?"

He asked after a pause.

He had no intention of camping outside for who knew how long.

"…"

Silva seemed to hesitate.

"Thirty billion. All-inclusive. I'll pay right now."

Cyr pulled out his card.

Money solved everything.

"What about the other one?"

Silva asked.

After all, the boy hadn't come alone—he had a magical beast and a companion with him.

"…Fifty billion. We'll only stay for a month at most."

Cyr said flatly.

Fifty billion. He could have bought an entire hotel with that.

This guy was an absolute scammer!

Even worse than the system!

"Deal."

Silva agreed to the terms and turned to issue an order:

"Gotoh, prepare two rooms. Take him and the other one there."

—

The head butler, Gotoh, stiffened slightly at the command.

Still, he bowed his head, instructed the others to ready the rooms, and personally went to receive the guest.

…Why had they suddenly decided to let this person stay?

What happened?

And why did he look so much like young master Killua?

Madam Kikyo had seemed furious earlier…

Could it be…?

Could it really be that their lord's illegitimate child had come knocking?

Would he be living here from now on?

If that was the case—what would happen to young master Killua?!

Killua was supposed to be the next heir!

—

"How should I address you?"

Gotoh asked, his voice polite but measured.

Cyr glanced at the neatly groomed, bespectacled man in a tailored suit.

His mustache was trimmed short—obviously well-maintained.

His widow's peak was sharp, but it didn't exactly make him handsome.

"Cyr is fine."

Cyr answered offhandedly.

"Understood, Lord Cyr."

Gotoh replied with exaggerated deference.

However, his attitude toward Maro was much more neutral.

He didn't even bother to ask for his name.

Cyr was assigned a room within the main estate, while Maro was taken to the servants' quarters.

Gotoh had placed him alongside the other butlers.

The Zoldycks had over two hundred servants. Naturally, they had more than one butler.

As head butler, Gotoh managed them all.

Neither Cyr nor Maro knew about the sleeping arrangements—Maro simply assumed it was normal for their rooms to be separate.

And so, a completely avoidable misunderstanding was born.

—

At the Zoldyck estate, meals were a family affair.

Even servants ate separately.

Illumi wasn't home.

Killua was still in the interrogation chamber, undergoing punishment.

And yet… there was a new white-haired figure at the table.

"…"

Fat and round, Milluki sat beside the white-haired boy.

For some reason… he was reminded of his rebellious younger brother.

Why did this random stranger also give him such an irritating feeling?

And more importantly—why was he even eating with them?!

Wasn't this table only for family members?!

Milluki turned to look at his father.

The silver-haired man's expression remained neutral, his emotions unreadable.

No answers there.

He glanced at his mother instead.

…Madam Kikyo looked furious.

But she was the only one who was.

Silva hadn't explained anything.

Kikyo hadn't said a word.

Kalluto, the quiet black-haired boy with violet eyes, sat in total silence.

The entire atmosphere felt off.

Milluki gave up trying to understand it—he simply shoveled food into his mouth as quickly as possible and bolted from the table.

He ran straight back to the interrogation chamber.

—

"A new white-haired brat showed up at the house today."

Milluki grunted between breaths, cracking his whip down on the suspended figure before him.

"Looks like your position as heir isn't so stable after all."

He continued, panting.

The boy hanging there didn't respond.

He looked like he had fallen asleep.

"…Bastard."

Milluki snarled and lashed him a few more times.

—

Cyr glanced at the meal in front of him before asking Gotoh a simple question:

"Where's Maro?"

"Please don't worry. He will be dining with us later," Gotoh explained.

…Why would Maro be eating with them?

Whatever. It was actually better this way.

After all… the food, drinks, and even the wine in front of him were all poisoned.

Cyr didn't feel like the Zoldycks were targeting him specifically—after all, everyone else's meals were poisoned just the same.

It made sense.

They were an assassin family.

Building up poison resistance was just standard training.

He just hadn't expected them to serve the same dishes to a paying guest.

With that thought, he expressionlessly ate his meal.

It wasn't too bad. The poison wasn't that strong. He could handle it.

After finishing, he casually took out a handkerchief, spat out a mouthful of bright red blood, wiped his lips clean, and got up.

Every move he made was practiced—like this was all completely normal.

He called Maro.

"Don't eat anything from the Zoldycks."

His tone was calm.

"If you don't want to die."

What was mild for him would be lethal for Maro.

…Wait a minute.

He was paying these people.

He might as well have them train Maro's poison resistance.

He wasn't going to let that money go to waste.

"Never mind. Forget what I just said."

His tone shifted instantly.

"Eat as much as you can."

He hung up.

Then he walked over to Gotoh and spoke with him for a moment.

"…Basically, I want them trained."

Gotoh nodded. "Understood."

So—gradually increasing the dosage instead of going straight for lethal levels?

Got it.

Cyr's natural way of ordering the Zoldyck servants around…

It seemed the rumors were true.

Especially since neither Lord Silva nor Madam Kikyo had denied it when he called the boy Lord Cyr.

A white-haired older brother…

For the white-haired heir who never wanted to inherit the family business.

Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

Perhaps this would lighten young master Killua's burden.

Perhaps he could finally do what he wanted to do.

Gotoh had watched Killua grow up.

His feelings were complicated.

Was this new person here to take everything from Killua?

Or would he be the one to free him?

Cyr had no idea what the butler was thinking.

Nor did he care.

After finishing his conversation with Gotoh, he decided that when searching for Water Sapphire, he wouldn't bring Maro along.

There was no point.

Maro wouldn't be of much help anyway.

Might as well have him learn some Zoldyck-style butler training instead.

—

The Zoldyck estate was massive.

The surrounding forests were vast.

Water Sapphire grew in dormant volcanoes…

But its exact location?

That varied with every volcano.

He would have to find it himself.

°°°

If you want to read ahead and access 20 advanced chapters, check the patreon

Link: Patreon/Moziel