Chapter 304: Back at the Zoldyck Estate—Hardcore Fan

Shortly after, the group exits the airship, Leroute now wearing a sleek black outfit made from the same materials as the rest of the group’s clothing, created by Neffi onboard the airship just for her.

Her face is full of doubt, but as she breathes in the fresh air, despite her annoyance, a certain hint of enthusiasm begins to build on her face.

Why is she even complaining... it sure beats prison, and she needs it. Train for a couple of years, and the rest of your life is bound to be successful. As a capable Nen user, there’s almost nothing that can truly prevent you from doing the things you want.

She knows that too...

Together, they stand right in front of the famous Trial Gates, seven gates, each doubling in weight and size, with a colossal wall running to the right and left, hundreds of meters tall.

“These are the Zoldycks’ famous Trial Gates... I don’t know how many assassinations it took to afford to build this world wonder of a wall and gate, but it’s impressive; I have to admit that,” Auren explains as the group, excluding Killua, stares at it in shock.

“In any case, have fun, you five...” Auren says, while he, Neffi, and Vanessa return inside the airship.

“Master!” Leroute yells, sounding desperate. “Don’t leave me alone with them... they might eat me up! They are beasts!”

“Shut up, it’s the other way around!” Vanessa barks back, not falling for her innocent act, while Leorio keeps smiling in delight, earning himself a quick punch in the face from the angry Leroute, causing him to stumble back and groan in pain.

Nobody pays attention to him, though, and all eyes remain fixed on Auren.

“What are we supposed to do?” Gon asks Auren.

“Simple... Killua will show you in. After he does, you’ll immediately know your goal. Once you can go inside the same way he does, you’ll pass. No... probably not the exact same way, but you’ll know what I mean. Train in the caretaker’s shack until you can do it. Killua, tell your employees to give them access, okay? I’ll get permission myself. When you’re done, come to the mansion, at least for a while. I’ll see you all very soon.”

“Okay,” Killua says, cracking his knuckles as he approaches the door.

With the airship lifting off, Auren sees Killua open three sets of doors, while the others stare at him in shock.

“That looks a little heavy... I need to try it for myself soon!” Vanessa says. “There are different doors that open depending on how much strength you use, right?”

“Exactly, the first two doors weigh two tons each, and the weight doubles with every set of doors,” Auren explains.

“16 tons... that’s not bad!” Vanessa says, looking down towards the ground as the airship flies into the Zoldyck estate. “Though it’s just pushing. Let’s compete on who can open more gates, Neffi.”

Should I try it out for myself while I’m here?

“I refuse to compete with you, bull; you might even be close to Auren in terms of sheer strength. Are you sure you aren’t an Enhancer after all?” Neffi jests.

“Haha, no, I am not... though I probably lean that way,” Vanessa clarifies. “It’s incredible seeing this estate from the deck... I can’t wait to see the top of the mountain and the mansion; they must be loaded to afford all that.”

“Assassinations tend to pay rather well,” Auren replies. “With their... work ethics, they’ve secured a rather unique position in the world. Tolerated by most governments and trusted by people worldwide, I believe nobody else can compare in the business. Ethical and reliable assassins who won’t betray you. They’ve existed for a very long time.”

“Ethical?” Vanessa asks. “You must be joking.”

“Not common ethics, but their own professional ethics, suitable for assassins.” Auren clarifies.

“Ah... that’s stupid,” Vanessa replies. “I can make up my own ethics as well and then call myself ethical.”

“She does have a point,” Neffi mutters. 

“Yes, but their ethics were created a very long time ago, and apparently they’ve stuck with them and built up trust. I’m just telling it how I see it; I am not endorsing or commending their behavior.” Auren replies.

As the door on the ground closes again, Gon, Kurapika, Leorio, and Leroute also try to open it, each failing while looking completely exhausted.

Killua, a soft smirk on his face, opens the door again so they can enter, for real this time.

With the four rookies and the reluctant Leroute entering the estate by themselves, Auren’s airship, maneuvered by Jolt, heads directly for the mansion.

“You can land on the clearing, a little distance away from the main mansion over there,” Auren says, pointing Jolt toward a suitable location. “At least for now.”

“Uhm, are you sure we can just fly in here?” Jolt asks. “I’ve got the feeling that many eyes are set on us; you know, call it a pilot’s intuition. Thankfully these weird clouds we’ve been dealing with for a couple of days now are hiding us a little.”

“Not bad,” Auren says, nodding at him. “I can feel it too, and you are quite right. Without a doubt, many people are eyeing us with suspicion, but we’re not unannounced guests. Illumi should have traveled with a smaller, private airship, or he might have been picked up by some of his butlers. He’s already back, and we traveled slowly so the rookies could rest a little. We’ll be just fine. Even then, little butlers are no concern of mine.”

“I sense a little bit of negativity in your voice, Auren; you don’t like them?” Vanessa asks.

“You are sharp...” Neffi mutters, looking closely at Vanessa before turning to Auren. “Is that really the case, Auren?”

“Yes. Let’s just say I’m looking down on them. I might as well tell you, these butlers live like slaves... if you can call it living. I’ve heard they’re picked up or recruited from places like Meteor City, ready to live and die for their masters, lacking any freedom and ambition of their own. I don’t understand how one can live like that,” Auren explains, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

“It’s also not like Hollow Blade, where we have many people doing difficult and dangerous jobs as well. We’re building something, and people are volunteering for most tasks. We’re fighting for a cause, though one that might be a little unclear, but in the end, everyone still has a greater goal to work towards, and as much as you can be doubtful of Rakshala’s and the Elder’s approaches, I sense a real feeling of community and contentment. You’ve all been at the new... no, it’s no longer a new settlement. I don’t know many places with more satisfied citizens.”

“Maybe they like serving?” Vanessa wonders.

“Stupid...” Neffi mutters. “And I was so impressed just a moment ago.”

“She is correct again,” Auren replies, shocking Neffi. “If you pick up a dog that’s constantly starving and getting into life-and-death fights in the wild, as long as you feed it a couple of times and only beat it up a little, it might be happy. At this point in their lives, they might be happy with how they’re living... no, surviving here. Others are also merely opportunists, waiting for a chance to escape; I believe the butlers are all controlled through various means. They have weaknesses to exploit, like family, I believe. In any case, don’t be too open with them. They can’t be trusted.”

“I’m not trusting anyone here in the first place,” Neffi replies.

“If someone annoys me, I’ll simply beat them up, simple as that,” Vanessa adds, grinning.

Neffi looks at Auren hopelessly. “Please hold her back. If she ends up attacking the wrong Zoldyck here, we’ll be in deep trouble.”

“I can only think of three, no, two potential targets where that would happen, and both would probably be inclined to respect her for doing such a thing in the first place. Chances are the others would simply try to flee, or be taken out in a single hit,” Auren muses. “If anyone messes with you, tell me. If things go wrong, it will be their loss.”

Meanwhile, Menchi joins the group excitedly. “I’m getting out as well. I want to check out what kind of plants and herbs they’re cultivating here. This mountain looks like a fine place for various other ingredients too.”

“Just be careful, and before you wander off on your own, let me tell the people here about you first before you end up getting into trouble,” Auren replies, seemingly to Menchi’s satisfaction.

“Fine,” Menchi says, walking back off.

The airship lands at the back side of the mansion, just a short distance away.

As it descends, Auren, Neffi, and Vanessa, standing on the deck, already see a pair of butlers exiting the mansion and approaching the airship. Far in the distance, close to the mansion, there is a large table where numerous people are sitting, seemingly drinking tea.

Auren can see that a few butlers are hurriedly running around, preparing a few large umbrellas to cover the Zoldycks from the rain, caused by the suspicious cloud that is still hovering about Auren.

Having a tea time? Really?

“Who are they, huh? That one in the front is huge!” Vanessa notes, drawing Auren’s attention away from the family in the distance.

Huh?

Taking a closer look at the butlers, Auren indeed sees the “huge” butler Vanessa mentioned, an elderly woman with twin tails and a massive frame, not only tall, but also muscular, with an almost unnaturally large pair of breasts and extremely wide shoulders. Somehow, she still has an hourglass figure and wears the classical black dress worn by all butlers of the Zoldyck family.

Escorting her is a rather normal-looking young woman with straight black hair, wearing a similar outfit, but with a body that could not be more opposite to the first one.

I vaguely remember them. I only remember a couple of butlers, but this is a grandmother and granddaughter pair, if I remember correctly. They’re both Nen users.

Accompanying the two women is a fat man wearing short pants and a black hoodie. Auren instantly recognizes him as Milluki, Killua’s older brother, aside from Illumi, of course.

Why is he rushing towards the airship? The others are waiting in the back.

As the airship reaches the ground, Auren, Neffi, and Vanessa step off the ship and walk towards the mansion, the two butlers already bowing down.

“Welcome, Master Auren and guests,” the older, bulky one says. “I’m Tsubone, and this is my granddaughter, Amane. The master has ordered us to welcome you and lead you to him.”

“Tsubone!” Milluki yells from behind, even sweating a little as he has run all the way to the airship, which is notable despite the rain.

“What is it... Master Milluki?” Tsubone asks, a little confused by his behavior.

“Introduce me as well!” he says.

“I’ve been told you already met Master Auren; I don’t believe introductions are in orde—”

“Do it!” he yells angrily, his face turning red.

Tsubone looks visibly displeased and simply glances at her granddaughter, who apparently realizes that she is being told to do something.

“This is the second oldest child of the current head of the Zoldyck family, Master Milluki Zoldyck,” Amane introduces him in a calm and polite voice.

“At your service,” Milluki says, stepping forward, trying to appear polite.

As he does so, Auren can’t help but stare at his slit-like eyes, greasy skin, and overall sloppy appearance. 

However, instead of approaching Auren, he nervously walks towards Neffi and Vanessa, passing by the former and stopping directly in front of Vanessa.

“Huh?” Vanessa wonders aloud. “Me? What... what is it?”

Suddenly, Milluki bows down his body, stripping off his hoodie and revealing a white shirt with a bright and colorful motif on it, partially stained by sweat.

It doesn’t take long for Auren to immediately recognize a giant flattering portrait of Vanessa printed on it, where she is posing in a black dress, playfully raising her right fist, while holding a bottle of wine in the other. At the bottom is a sloppy signature.

“That’s my merch!” Vanessa blurts out, looking a little disturbed. “Even a signed one... only available to platinum members of my fan club...”

“You have a fan club?” Auren asks.

“This is so stupid...” Neffi cannot help but say.

“P—p—please! Listen to my lifelong request... please model for a figure, I beg you!” Milluki blurts out, and everyone, even the butlers, looks at him with visible disgust.