King's message turned out to be a fairly simple location. Ban recognized it as the current entrance of the new Fairy Realm, which was mostly closed off save to those with geniune hunter badges.
An agreement with the Hunter's association meant it was protected from idiot heroes or the more persistent villains who were trying to exploit the riches of the Fairy tribe. Most hunters were given a warning before they went into the area without knowing about the agreement and the smarter ones usually got express permission from the chairman before even attempting to go inside.
Considering the number of traps and illusions meant to ensnare or outright kill intruders who weren't invited, it was dangerous enough that most of the locals knew better than to go near the place without an escort.
Having Chastiefol meant an automatic entry, though it also meant she would be tested to see if she was worthy of having it from the older, more trickier fairies. If she could reach the inner sanctum, odds were she would undergo the ritual that would make her into the new Fairy Queen once she was rested enough.
Right now though, their main focus was to check on Killua. His disappearance worried Gon and to be honest, they were all quite fond of the kid. They wouldn't interfere if Killua spoke to them directly, but they weren't going to leave him when he left so abruptly without checking on Gon first.
In the Zoldyck mansion...
"You're saying this girl was able to affect Killua? And not only that was able to actually hug him for three minutes despite being in a heightened state and fully primed to kill anything that touched him?" said Zeno intently.
"Yes. I had already primed him so that he would fail the exam by interfering with the next fight, but shortly after it began she walked right up behind him and hugged him. I could sense his aura flaring for three seconds, before it steadily began to decline into a more stable state where he was in his rational mind again," reported Illumi. "The fact she was able to get that close to him for so long makes me suspect some form of quirk is involved."
"What is this girl's name?" asked Silva.
Killua was already being punished for leaving without permission, but the fact he managed to pass the Hunter's Exam on the first try due to this girl's interference was definitely something of note.
"According to the chairman, her name is Ichigo Midoriya. All official records state that she is quirkless, though it may be outdated."
"What are the odds they'll come here?" asked Kikyo intently, after she saw the picture of the girl in question.
"High. The girl's cousin appears to be fond of Killua, so chances are that they'll come here to find or 'rescue' him if necessary. At the very least it will be a good chance to measure their resolve in protecting him, however futile it may be," reported Illumi.
Silva looked at his wife.
"You're thinking of a possible betrothal."
"Any girl capable of getting near one of my sons in that state has potential. We can find out easily enough if she's a good match if they come here and if she would be open to the idea of being trained," said Kikyo.
Left unspoken was the fact she would love to have a little girl to train, as Alluka was considered ineligible ever since they made the mistake of awakening her Nen and it merged with her Quirk.
If Nanika had never been created, she would have been given the same training as her brothers, but right now she was too much of a risk to set free. Forget the Pro Heroes, who wouldn't hesitate to label her a villain the second someone failed Nanika's pestering...the villains alone would be a nuisance to deal with long before the Hunter's Association decided to deal with her.
Far safer to keep her contained within the family's mansion than to allow that to happen.
Besides, the last thing they needed was for the current wielder of All for One to learn about her ability and decide to claim it for himself. Particularly since there were rumors of a creature called "Nomu" being created that would be specifically designed to kill the current number one Pro Hero All Might.
In any case, Ichigo had come onto their radar. Whether she would be worthy of potentially being paired with Killua would be up for possible consideration.
Anyone capable of altering the mental state of a Zoldyck-trained assassin was worth keeping an eye on. Besides, finding anyone worthy of marrying into the family...much less the heir like Killua was...was so difficult these days thanks to the ridiculous Pro Hero class.
Ichigo had a weird feeling she was being observed, though for what she had no idea.
All she knew was that the feeling remained the entire time they were training on the Zoldyck estate just so they had a chance to get on the grounds to see Killua.
Gon refused to leave until he was sure his friend was okay, and they weren't about to leave him behind. Besides, the training in question was something that would help later once she was able to join UA.
Not that she needed the pro hero license, but it had been a dream of hers for years to become a student there and follow in All Might's footsteps. And since she was a Hunter now, that dream was almost certain to become reality.
Besides, the chairman had a request of her after learning what she planned to do in five years.
For some reason the standards for Pro Heroes had become ridiculously lax, particularly in Japan where All Might had his hero office. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, except All Might was very close to retiring age and in five years would likely be looking for a successor.
Which meant that once he was no longer on active duty, there would be a power vacuum that would be a pain to deal with.
Netero wanted Ichigo to go to UA and hopefully find out the problem...and learn why there were so few of the newer pro heroes that knew what a hunter was, much less about the phone application that allowed them to verify an active hunter's license.
Sure, most pro heroes would never actually use it, but the number of times the police arrested the Hero Hunter Stain because he was trying to raise the quality of pro heroes was getting ridiculous, regardless of how amusing he found it that the heroes got all pissy learning that Stain would be released almost immediately once his license was verified.
Netero was of the hope that secretly sending Ichigo to infiltrate UA would cause the standards to go back up.
Mostly because having hunters compares to pro heroes was starting to become slightly embarrassing, since the current crop was more of a joke than anything else.
Finally the feeling culminated in a rather odd meeting that would set the tone for Ichigo's future interaction with the Zoldyck family.
Specifically the meeting with Killua's mother.
In the Zoldyck mansion...
Silva waited patiently for his wife to return.
"Well?" he asked.
"The girl might be a better catch than we hoped. Apparently she's been tapped as the successor of the Fairy King Harleyquin. She has Chastiefol and was able to use three of it's known forms."
That made Silva sit up slightly. Illumi failed to mention the girl was the Fairy King's chosen heir. Considering that any potential ruler of that realm had to be ready to deliver lethal attacks, her potential as a future wife for Killua just shot up exponentially.
The monarchs of that realm were known to be powerhouses, as they were often the final line of defense for the fairy realms. The only reason they had to relocate was due to King's absence at the time.
Having that sort of power in the bloodline would be a boon for the family and any future heirs.
"What was her response to the idea of training?"
Because none of the clan would tolerate weakness in the family. Anyone marrying into it had to be ready to earn the name. Assassination was merely a job for them, and they had to be stronger than anyone they were hired to kill. It was why they were considered above any paltry law enforcement and why governments avoided them when they were on the job unless they were prepared for a war.
Kikyo looked more amused than anything.
"She's more than willing to train with us, but only after she passes the succession ceremony to become the next Queen of the Fairy realm. Apparently she was quite impressed with Killua's skill level and believes that we would be her best bet to train her new powers to a 'proper' standard," said Kikyo.
Well that was heartening at least. If she couldn't survive their training, then she would never be good enough for Killua in the first place.
Sure it would mean unofficially giving their 'protection' to the Fairy Realms if she succeeded, but it also meant they would likely be given a free pass into them once she married Killua.
There were quite a few things in that realm that would prove beneficial to their family and often their line of work.
Besides, Silva's great-grandfather Maha was particularly fond of the alcohol made in that realm and would likely be pleased to get it at a massive discount or even for free. It was rather difficult to get any of it at a decent price when the old man was in the mood for it.
"Was she agreeable to a possible betrothal, should she survive our training?" asked Zeno.
Kikyo looked immensely entertained by this question, far more than she should. Then again, most children don't often know what is best for them.
She openly cackled.
"Her response to that was, and I quote 'Can we leave it a surprise for the boys? I would rather see Killua's being caught blindsided by the idea than have him stew over it.' I must admit, I sincerely hope the girl makes the cut...she seems rather delightful."
Ichigo was impish at times, a side effect of being trained by an actual Fairy. Their race was known to pull all sorts of mischief on mortals, long before King and his sister were ever born. That sort of prank was right up their alley, in a manner of speaking.
Killua had a shiver go up his spine, which was rather weird.
It took a great deal of restraint to keep from targeting the Butler that was keeping Gon from proceeding further. She did not like seeing her cousin being beaten up so badly.
It brought back unpleasant memories from before she moved to Whale Island. Seeing Kikyo was a bit disconcerting, but she was relieved when the news spread that Killua was heading out of the mansion finally.
Gon's injuries were mostly healed once they reached the outer mansion where the butlers lived. The Zoldyck clan didn't do guests. That was just asking for would-be bounty hunters to try and infiltrate the place.
Ichigo stepped aside to speak to Kikyo, since Killua was almost there.
"So I just need to wait for you inside the main gate after Zebro notifies the main mansion I'm there once I pass King's test?" she asked.
"Just for security reasons, you understand. We can't have just anyone enter the main mansion, and your training will take place on the opposite side of the mountain. I had to train for two years before I was even allowed near the mansion, and that was after a considerable amount of tests from Silva's father and great-grandfather put me through," said Kikyo.
"Perfectly understandable, considering the number of people who would kill you for the not inconsiderable bounty on anyone with the family name," said Ichigo. "If anything the day I would rather earn my entry into the mansion rather than have to deal with being monitored and my every move scrutinized."
"Oh that will still happen," said Kikyo. "After all, you won't be considered one of us unless you're married to my son and have at least one heir born."
"Yes, but I won't be considered weak and unworthy," said Ichigo.
"It's so nice my son found a sensible and potentially powerful female that we can train up," said Kikyo happily. "Especially one as adorable as you."
She was still disappointed that Alluka couldn't be trained, but she'd take a potential daughter-in-law as a replacement.
(Outside the butler's mansion, Killua had another weird shiver go down his spine. He really needed to find out what was causing that.)
"Plus side, if I pass whatever tests you throw at me we get to coordinate outfits with Killua," said Ichigo wickedly.
Kikyo's eyes gleamed behind her visor.
(The shiver turned into a bone-deep chill. Killua had a terrible feeling something was going to happen and it would give him nightmares for years to come.)
As the group began to disband, they all agreed to meet up in York New in six months.
Ichigo was very glad she had a hunter's license. Not only did it cut down on the amount of 'concerned adults' trying to bother her about traveling across countries, but it also meant she didn't have to pay a ridiculous amount of transportation fees to get to her destination.
Sure she could have floated there, but it was really far away and she was somewhat lazy. Besides, it would have taken forever and not come with so much free food. She was a growing girl after all.