When Gon asked his question, several people around leaned in, curious to hear Ronnel's answer.
"Yeah," Ronnel admitted openly after a moment of thought. "One of our members was captured by Kurapika. He escaped but left his name behind, which is how I realized Kurapika had begun his operation."
Seeing the sadness on Gon's face after this, Ronnel smiled and asked, "What's the matter? Do you think I did something wrong? Planning to scold me?"
Killua's body tensed up at Ronnel's words, but Gon shook his head, disappointment in his voice.
"No, Ronnel. You've explained it before. We each have different roles to play. As a member of the Phantom Troupe, you have to stand by your own."
Gon glanced toward Nobunaga, sitting nearby. "I didn't understand why you joined them before. But after meeting the members of the Troupe, I get it a little more."
He sighed. "They're human too, with feelings—grieving when they lose one of their own. But…"
Gon turned his gaze back to Ronnel, his eyes intense. "But why? Why can't that sympathy and sadness extend to the people they killed? Why can they just end the lives of innocent people?!"
Gon's voice rose, catching Killua off guard, who flinched beside him.
"This kid…" Feitan muttered, closing his book with a sigh, his irritation barely hidden. He found Gon's questions naive and disruptive, having seen many people who self-righteously tried to condemn others. Feitan didn't feel provoked—just slightly annoyed by the interruption.
The other Troupe members seemed similarly unbothered, though Nobunaga looked at Gon with a curious glint in his eyes, seeing a faint echo of Uvogin in him.
Ronnel, taken aback by Gon's sudden outburst, shook his head with a faint smile.
"Why? Because it doesn't matter to us," he replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Our leader would say the same."
Gon, frustrated by Ronnel's detached response, was about to press further when Ronnel cut him off, turning his attention to Killua.
"Why don't you ask Killua?" Ronnel challenged. "Before he met you, didn't he kill people who had nothing to do with him? Yet, you're still friends with him."
"...That's different," Gon stammered. "Killua was born into an assassin family. He had no choice, he was forced into it!"
"Really?" Ronnel shrugged, his expression unfazed. "Then tell me, Gon—do you know where the Troupe members come from, what kind of lives they had? Maybe learn that first before asking your questions."
Ronnel glanced away, leaving Gon visibly unsettled and Killua awkwardly silent.
Turning to Killua, Gon asked, "Hey, Killua, do you know where the Phantom Troupe comes from?"
Killua hesitated, a complicated expression crossing his face. "Yeah... I know. My dad told me a little, and my mom and one of the butlers are actually from the same place as them."
Gon looked at him, puzzled. "Where?"
"It's called Meteor City," Killua replied, his voice low. He felt an unease not because of himself but because of his mother, Kikyo.
His mother Kikyo, along with several generations of family servants, including Canary, originated from Meteor City. The senior servants, like Tsubone, carried their loyalty and values over to serve the Zoldyck family. But Kikyo infused her teachings to Killua and his brothers with the harsh philosophy of Meteor City.
In particular, Illumi bore the brunt of her influence, embodying the intense loyalty and ruthless pragmatism characteristic of both Meteor City and the assassin's life.
Kikyo took pride in Illumi's progress and aimed to shape her other sons in much the same way. But her second son, Milluki, who had now reached seventeen, stood as an exception. Though tall and heavily built, he rarely left the Zoldyck estate, immersed in his computing and tech skills. Despite his recluse lifestyle, Silva and Zeno valued Milluki's expertise, letting him manage the family's cyber security. His role kept him out of the family's fieldwork, an anomaly for a Zoldyck.
Kikyo's influence extended to Kalluto, her obedient fifth son, whose natural aptitude for the assassin arts was still developing, though his loyalty and admiration for Killua ran deep.
Killua, as the family's prodigy, had become the focus of Kikyo's high expectations. The family held off teaching him Nen, prioritizing building his physical abilities to peak performance first.
Kikyo's intense methods did have side effects, however. Killua, under her stern training, eventually rebelled and fled, driven to carve out his own path. Kalluto, though drawn to both Killua and Alluka, had his own quirks but shared a fierce attachment to his brothers.
With Illumi now sporting an engagement ring alongside Hisoka, it was no surprise that Silva chose to allow Killua the freedom to be with Gon. Perhaps, amidst the tumult of family expectations, he saw the need for his youngest son to find his own way.
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