On the way down the elevator, Killua notices all of the roads have been shut down so they can arrive at the castle without going through traffic. After hopping into the lavishly decorated limousine, Killua stays silent during the entire ride to the palace. Even though no other cars are blocking the way, the group of vehicles is still traveling very slowly Finally, after ten minutes, they arrive at the front of the castle.
The chauffeur steps out of the car and opens Killua's backdoor. "This way, please."
Killua slowly steps out and looks at the massive palace in awe. "Wow! This thing is huge! And I'm going to be living in it!"
"Of course, all of this solely for you." The chauffeur agrees with a slight nod. "If you want, we'd be happy to give you a tour around the palace after the Ceremony."
"Nah. I want to explore this place with my friend. It'll be more fun that way."
"Sure thing. But before that, you have to be in the Grand Hall within ten minutes. So please pick up the pace a little bit. We're going to escort your friend to the Hall too, but he'll be sitting with the other viewers.
As Killua walks on the red carpet laid out in front of him, his eyes are glancing around all of the beautiful paintings and chandeliers on the walls and the ceiling. After ascending through countless flights of stairs. He arrives in front of the Grand Hall, on the fifth floor.
"The Ceremony will begin in five minutes. When it does, don't go in yet. The President of the Council will give a short briefing first. When it is your time, we'll open this big door for you, and you'll go in, give your speech, and you'll get crowned by the Elder of the Country."
"I haven't even thought of my speech yet! Man! What should I say?"
Killua paces through the long corridors of the palace, however, still not able to come up with anything to say. At last, when it is Killua's time to enter the Grand Hall, he whispers to himself silently. "I'm trusting you, Gon. I'll say my true feelings. I hope it'll work." With a slight nod, Killua takes his steps forward confidently and takes his stand behind the podium.
He has never seen so many gazes staring directly at him. There's gotta be hundreds, no thousands of people in this hall. The pressure is starting to make him crack. Among the sea of people, he doesn't look for the Elder who is going to be crowning him, he doesn't look for the Council. Instead, he searches desperately for his friend, Gon.
When Killua finally sees his friend, dressed up in a tuxedo, Gon shoots him a thumbs-up and provides him with the last bit of confidence he needs.
"He-hello, everyone." Killua says into the microphone. His voice trembling.
"Be myself! Talk about my true feelings!"
"Well, first things first, I must say I'm honored to stand here today, at this moment and...and be able to talk to you." He pauses and looks at Gon, as if asking "What do I do now?"
Instead of answering Killua's silent question, which is something Gon obviously can't do because he can't say anything, Gon nods at his friend confidently.
After receiving Gon's approval, Killua continues his speech. "Before we proceed on with the Ceremony, I want to make a confession." After pausing for a little bit, Killua says. "Many of you have though my last name as 'Freecss' right?"
The viewers begin to murmur quietly, some are starting to question Killua.
"'Freecss' isn't actually my last name." Killua says calmly. "My real last name is 'Zoldyck'."
The moment Killua says this, he feels like an invisible weight dangling half-way in his chest has finally landed onto the solid ground. To his surprise, however, none of them made any reactions when he said the name "Zoldyck".
"Looks like you haven't heard about the Zoldycks yet." Killua continues. "'Freecss' is the last name of my friend, Gon." Killua stops and waves at him in the middle of the crowd.
"Huh? Oh..Hey everyone!" Gon says awkwardly as thousands of pairs of eyes turn to him.
"You might ask 'Why are you telling us all of this right How?'" Killua continues. "Well, the answer is simple. If I don't even trust my own people with my secrets, how can you all trust me as a leader?...I'm sure some of you will doubt my abilities in the beginning due to my young age. I might need some assistance early on, but I promise, I won't disappoint you."
Even though this short speech is only about three minutes long, to Killua, it feels like three hours. But he gains fluency and confidence as he speaks. As a result, the end is really smooth and firm.
After finishing up, the officer next to him guides Killua to his throne on the right of the podium. Then he gestures to the elder, who is sitting on the left of the podium, to continue on with the Ceremony.
Suddenly, the entire hall is filled with music. Upon hearing it, everyone in the room stands up and begins to sing. Not knowing what the heck is going on, Killua quickly follows the crowd and stands up as well.
"Oh! I get it now! This is the National Anthem!...Crap! I have no idea how to sing it!...I guess I'll just have to fake it."
Because everyone is staring into the sky while singing the anthem, nobody notices Killua's messed up lip-matching.
The anthem ends after three minutes and everyone sits back down. The Elder walks toward the Podium and the Ceremony proceeds.
Silence falls upon the hall. The silence in this instant carries a new fire. Absent of tension, absent of zeal, absent of anything, this silence is legitimate. A quiet that falls equally upon the heart of Killua and of everyone in attendance. Only one person is granted the right to shatter it.
"—To the sun that gazes over the radiant world, to the stars that watch the realm in its sleep. To the winds, to the waters, to the earth, to the light, to the spirits residing in everything."
The silence shatters. The Elder sings the ceremonial rite.
"—To the grand world that received you, that nurtured you, that delivered you."
Trembling. Killua's heart is trembling. His teeth don't feel to sit right. What is his heart having trouble with?
"—To the pride that supports you, that you built, that you fostered."
He feels the heat in the gaze upon him compound. The passion burning inside him is ready to combust. His heart thumps wildly, maniacally, as he regardless waits for the question.
"—To everything that watches over you, to the world that raised you, to the pride that supports you, let your way cast no shame. Without fear, without dread, without doubt, be as you are in your heart."
The rite ends. The question is coming. This will complete the ceremony. Not even Killua knows the answer to this question. However,
"—With your will always strong, and as everything that surrounds you does, will you swear to lead this country and guide us through hardships from this moment forth?"
—His heart does know how to answer the Elder's question.
"To the sun, to the stars, to the world, to my pride—and."
He will announce his gratitude and determination to everything stated in the rites. Before he makes the pledge, he thinks of people who he assuredly must thank. And so the words come naturally from his lips:
"To the best of my friend, I swear. I will be the lighthouse, the beacon for this country. - My name is Killua Zoldyck."
The Elder slowly lifts the Crown from its cushion, walks over and hovers it over Killua's head. After giving a slight nod, he places it onto Killua's silver hair.
"Now the Staff of Command." The Elder says out loud. He carefully takes the one-yard long staff out of its wooden case, kneels down, and holds it high above his head with both hands.
Killua automatically stands up from his throne and places his right hand onto the staff. After taking a deep breath, he lifts out of the Elder's hands.
With the Crown on his head and the Staff in his right hand, Killua lifts his chin up a little and stares straight toward the sky and declares. "To the People of the Country of Yorlin. I am the new King!"