Killua dragged his weary feet through the long, gloomy corridor.
Although his father, Silva, had promised to set him free, the torture his body had endured in the interrogation room had been all too real.
With every step, the whip wounds on his back, which had yet to scab over, sent a tearing pain through him.
Yet his expression never changed. He did not even furrow his brows.
For Killua, who had been subjected to electric shocks and poison training since childhood, pain of this degree was as ordinary as breathing.
When he pushed open the heavy door to the butlers' room, the sight before him eased his taut nerves and left him momentarily stunned.
Gotoh, the head butler who usually wore a stern expression and carried himself with meticulous, almost arrogant composure, was bowing slightly.
With a solemn expression and exceptionally careful movements, he refilled the black tea for Lin Yan, who sat in the very center of the sofa.
His attitude was not one of servile flattery, but of reverence toward someone of equal standing-or an even more powerful figure.
Lin Yan leisurely lifted his cup and gently blew away the foam, as though he were the estate's honored guest.
Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika sat nearby. Though they still looked somewhat ill at ease, they had clearly been waiting there for quite some time.
"What... are you doing?"
Killua was a little dazed, his voice hoarse from thirst.
"Killua!"
Gon was the first to react.
His eyes lit up, and he charged over like a cannonball, wrapping Killua in an enormous, excited bear hug.
"Hss-"
Caught off guard, Killua felt the wounds on his back tear open under the sudden squeeze. He sucked in a sharp breath, his pale face flushing red with pain.
**"Ow, ow, ow! You