Chapter 329 : Killua at the Most Critical Moment!!

Standing outside a mansion and chatting wasn't ideal. The members of the Zoldyck family led Germain, Shizuku, and the others inside, guiding them to a spacious and well-lit reception hall to sit down.

During this time, Maha returned to his room to rest. He claimed, "When you get old, you just want to sleep more." 

Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled away at a leisurely pace.

He looked just like one of those old men who retire and spend their days carrying birdcages around.

But the Zoldyck family members knew him well. In reality, he just didn't want to deal with the upcoming discussions.

Unlike Netero, once he had handed over the position of head of the family, he never interfered again—let alone micromanage everything.

When it's time to let go, you let go. Otherwise, the younger generation will always be held back, afraid to make decisions, scared of failure, and ultimately unable to grow.

After bringing tea and snacks, Gotoh adjusted his thin-rimmed glasses and excused himself, claiming he had unfinished business to attend to.

In truth, after listening to part of the conversation at the mansion entrance, he realized the upcoming discussion might not be something a butler should be hearing. So, he wisely chose to leave.

It was just a shame he wouldn't get to see firsthand how things would unfold.

Would Master Killua's freedom remain in Master Illumi's hands, or would it take another turn? That would depend on what happened next.

As the current head of the family, Silva sat in the highest seat. Despite being an elder, Zeno sat to his left, while Kikyo sat to his right.

Only now did Silva ask about the others besides Germain—who they were and why they had come.

Germain first introduced Shizuku and Kurapika, explaining that they had accompanied him for this visit.

Then, he moved on to Gon and Leorio.

Gon and Leorio immediately straightened their backs, unwilling to show any weakness in front of Killua's family.

Silva actually already knew about Gon and Leorio.

After all, they had been staying at Zebro's place for twenty days now. There was no way Zebro wouldn't report the situation, and naturally, Gotoh would have passed on the message as well.

It's just that they never really cared. They also never expected Gon and Leorio to actually push open the "Gate of Judgment."

Even so, Silva pretended to be surprised, as if he were meeting them for the first time. He gave them a polite and friendly smile.

"So, you're Killua's friends. You came all this way just to see him… As Killua's father, I must thank you for taking care of him."

For a moment, Gon and Leorio had a strange illusion.

So Killua's father was actually such a nice person?

If that was the case, then the only ones stopping them from meeting Killua must have been Illumi and that grumpy Gotoh!

Silva = Good guy! 

Illumi, Gotoh = Bad guys!

That was their simple conclusion.

Just as they expected, Silva smiled and turned his gaze toward Kalluto, who was standing not far away.

"Kalluto, go and bring Killua here. Tell him that his friends Kurapika, Gon, and Leorio are looking for him."

The black-haired, doll-like Kalluto stood up from his seat and respectfully bowed.

"Yes, Father."

He stepped outside, his wooden sandals making soft clacking sounds on the floor. Only after he had completely left did his footsteps speed up, fading into the distance.

Kikyo, dressed in her heavy Western-style gown and hat, noticed that something felt off. The red light in her mechanical eye flickered in agitation.

"Father… what are you doing? This is the most crucial moment for Killua! Illumi worked so hard to bring him back!"

"And now you're letting him go out at a time like this… This—doesn't this mean everything we've done so far was for nothing?! I absolutely won't allow it!"

She barely managed to hold back from calling Gon and the others "a bunch of bad influences" out loud. That was already quite restrained for her.

Silva, with his long silver-white hair draped over his shoulders, remained calm in the face of his wife's outburst.

"Killua was confined because he hurt you and Milluki, then left without permission. I believe that punishment has already been enough."

"More grounding is just a waste of time."

Zeno, slightly hunched over, stroked his mustache.

"I think so too. It's about time."

"Grandfather, Father, you… you… why are you both like this?!"

Kikyo was so shocked by their agreement that she almost stood up.

But in the end, she remained seated, only reaching up to touch the layers of bandages wrapped around her face.

The wounds on her face were caused by Killua. They had ruined her looks, forcing her to wear bandages just to be seen in public.

Yet, she held no resentment toward Killua. On the contrary, she felt relieved—proud even—that he could go so far as to harm his own mother.

This was the Killua she wanted to see. He was destined to become the most outstanding assassin in the Zoldyck family—the most capable heir.

Why couldn't Grandfather and Father understand? Killua was at a crucial stage of transformation, yet they were letting him interact with these people. It was nothing but harmful!

Killua was a good child—he was only being led astray by these outsiders!

The more Kikyo thought about it, the angrier she became. She glared at everyone furiously, the red dot in her mechanical eye expanding sharply.

Now, Gon and Leorio were certain—Killua's mother was just as opposed to them meeting him as his father had been.

After hearing Silva's explanation, they understood why Killua had been grounded. In a way, it even made sense.

But when Silva agreed to lift Killua's confinement, they couldn't help but feel relieved—and their trust in him grew.

Meanwhile, Germaine silently observed the exchange.

In just fifteen minutes, Silva had managed to extract all the information he wanted from Gon and Leorio.

There was no need to intervene. Instead, he turned to Shizuku and started chatting about Zoldyck family desserts.

He could tell that, despite her blank expression, Shizuku was genuinely enjoying the food—stuffing pieces into her mouth like a squirrel.

After a while, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.

Then, two figures burst into the room.

Up ahead was Killua, his silver-white hair slightly tousled. Behind him, clutching the hem of his kimono, was Kalluto, chasing after him.

Kalluto had followed Silva's orders and arrived at the torture chamber, putting a stop to Milluki's personal revenge-driven interrogation of Killua. He explained the reason for his arrival.

Milluki, plump and out of breath, was loudly complaining in confusion when Killua, having heard everything, cheerfully slipped out of his restraints. Barefoot, he landed lightly on the cold floor.

For him, these restraints were nothing more than decoration. The only reason he hadn't broken free was because he had willingly accepted his punishment.

"Milluki, since Dad called for me, I'll be heading out first. I really have been reflecting, so don't be mad, okay? Hahaha..."

Killua waved smugly at Milluki before motioning for Kalluto to follow him out of the torture chamber.

Left behind, Milluki was seething with rage, angrily throwing his whip to the ground.

Among the Zoldyck family, he was probably one of the few who didn't particularly like Killua. This time, because Killua had injured both him and their mother when leaving home, he had deliberately come to take revenge.

But to his frustration, after barely twenty days of confinement and torture, Killua was already being released. Naturally, Milluki was unhappy about it, but there was nothing he could do.

After all, their family clearly favored Killua the most.

As soon as they stepped into the hallway outside the torture chamber, Kalluto coughed lightly to get his attention.

"Killua-nii, you're still not dressed. Isn't it inappropriate to meet guests like this?"

Killua blinked and looked down.

Sure enough, his upper body was completely bare, covered in scars from the torture. The sight was unsettling, even frightening.

For him, though, it was nothing out of the ordinary. He didn't even flinch when the whip struck him.

However, he didn't want to worry Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio, who had come all this way to see him. So, he nodded.

"I'll go change first."

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