Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

The middle-aged butler's every expression and tone exuded an air of superiority.

There's a saying that a dog's behavior reflects its owner. While not entirely accurate, it held some truth.

Judging by this butler's behavior, it can be preliminarily concluded that the employer whom Law has never met should be a very arrogant person.

The dispute among the group temporarily ceased as Law and the others boarded the black stretch Lincoln.

This car is not actually a Lincoln, but it looks very similar. However, the interior is luxuriously decorated with sofas, a refrigerator, a table, and a television.

After Law got on the car, he chose a seat in the corner and sat there comfortably. In his previous life, he had been in cars more luxurious than this one.

In contrast, Kuri and the other three seemed a little restrained, as if it was the first time they were riding in such a luxurious car.

After everyone got on the car, the car smoothly started moving, made a turn, and accelerated rapidly, heading toward the distant horizon.

The car reached a speed of 100 km/h in seconds, yet the ride was remarkably smooth, even on the uneven road.

The middle-aged butler sat next to the main seat inside. Even though this car was just an insignificant one and the master and the young lady were not there, he wouldn't dare sit in the main seats.

This behavior stemmed from an innate sense of respect, one that didn't require external acknowledgment or attention. It was simply something he upheld himself.

After getting in the car, the middle-aged butler has been observing the five people sent by Meteor City.

Among them, the presence of a boy who appeared to be no older than fourteen unsettled him. However, unlike the spiky-haired man and the horse-faced man, he was not foolish enough to openly question Law's abilities.

He felt that the other four seemed reliable enough, but as for the strength of their Nen Mastery, the butler couldn't tell at a glance.

After the car drove for some distance, the middle-aged butler's discreet assessment came to an end.

The butler confirmed that these five people are all Nen Users, so they meet the basic requirements.

Although Law was young, since he was able to use Nen too, the middle-aged butler suppressed his initial disdain.

Calm and composed.

This was the evaluation given to Law by the middle-aged butler. It's because, after getting in the car, Law was the only one who remained relatively calm. As for the other four, they were actually affected by the interior of a car.

Although this reaction is not a big deal, it still left a slightly negative impression, especially when compared with a young boy like Law, which further highlights this insignificant influence.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the master's butler, Kenda Garfield."

Ten minutes since they left Meteor City, the middle-aged butler finally spoke, and the first sentence was to introduce his name.

After saying that, Kenda's gaze shifted to Law.

"Law." Law understood the meaning of Kenda's gaze and briefly gave his name.

Kenda's gaze then moved to Kuri, who followed up with, "You can just call me Kuri."

Hearing this, Law thought to himself, 'So his name is Kuri…'

The butler continued down the line, addressing the remaining three, who each introduced themselves in turn.

After learning their name, Kenda nodded slightly and said calmly: "Our destination is the airport in Yan Zhong City. We should arrive in about four hours. From there, we will take an airship directly to Yorknew City."

At this point, Kenda raised his index finger, looked at everyone in the car, and said, "When we arrive at the airport, Master should also be arriving too. However, before we get to the airport, there is something I want to explain."

Law raised his eyelids slightly and glanced at Kenda. His interest was piqued by this. The others also straightened up, giving their full attention to Kenda.

'No meaningless interruptions, which is good.'

A faint trace of satisfaction flickered in Kenda's eyes, and he continued, "Neither Master nor I are familiar with your capabilities, nor do we know if you are truly suited for the role of bodyguard."

"Therefore…"

Kenda's expression gradually became solemn. He stretched out his second finger, a cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said, "During our flight to Yorknew City, any enemy attempting to approach Master or Young Lady must be dealt with... on the spot!"

Law's eyes changed slightly, and he resisted the urge to ask questions, because he knew Kenda still had more to say.

Though Law restrained himself, the impulsive spiky-haired man couldn't and asked directly, "Do you have any information about the enemies?"

Kenda's face darkened slightly, and his eyes fell on the spiky-haired man as he said coldly: "Shut up and listen quietly."

The spiky-haired man's expression changed, but he forced himself to hold back and not get angry. He was quite sensible in this regard.

Kenda withdrew his gaze and continued, "The airship we're taking is not a private one, but a public vessel. This will provide the enemy with an excellent opportunity for assassination."

"While I personally disapprove of this method of evaluation, it is Master's decision."

"You must understand that Master has countless enemies and there are countless assassins targeting him and Young Lady."

"Even we don't know how many enemies there are on the airship. Even the stewards might be disguised assassins."

"What you have to do is very simple, that is to nip the danger in the bud."

"No matter what means you use, and regardless of whether your judgment is right or wrong, the enemy cannot be allowed the chance to reveal their true colors. It is better to kill the wrongly than to let one slip by."

"Do you understand?"

With that, Kenda concluded his briefing.

'So, the upcoming voyage on the airship to Yorknew City was a test for the five of us.'

'In order to conduct this test, the employer even chose not to take a private vessel but instead to risk themselves on a public one. It was either a display of immense confidence or sheer arrogance.'

Law believed it was a mix of both, with the key emphasis on the directive: eliminate threats on the spot.

'Regardless of whether the judgment is right or wrong, and without any intelligence indicating the identity of the enemy, one must rely on personal subjectivity and kill the opponent on the spot when one determines that they are a threat.'

'This kind of test is probably the first of its kind in the history of this partnership.'

Law thought as he observed the reactions of Kuri and Vogt in silence. He could see the surprise on their faces.

In fact, this is the first time that Barney and the Elder from Meteor City have worked together, so it is not wrong to say that this is the first case of such test.

"Are there truly no details about potential enemies?" Vogt suddenly asked at this time.

Since Kenda had finished speaking, this appeared to be the appropriate time for questions.

"As I said, the enemies are too numerous to count, so you can't rely on intelligence. You just need to... kill any potential threats that could harm Master and Young Lady in advance." Kenda replied coldly.

"What if we kill the wrong person?" Kuri asked calmly.

Kenda's previously composed face twisted into an unsettling, almost demonic expression as he smirked, "Even if you kill everyone else on the airship, we have ways to handle it. You don't need to have any concerns that are not related to Master and Young Lady's safety."

"Before your mission ends, all you should think, do, and consider should only concern Master and Young Lady's safety."

After hearing this, the four, along with the horse-faced man and the spiky-haired man, all felt a little relieved. As this made things easier.

After all, once they identify an enemy, there is no need to worry about anything and just kill them on the spot. As for the consequences, the employer will take care of it.

'What kind of test is this? It's so simple.' The spiky-haired man thought to himself, and it was clear that the other three had similar thoughts.

It seems that taking lives without much hesitation or justification was second nature to them.

'Judging solely by subjective feelings is enough reason to kill, and the employer has even removed any restrictions.'

Law's brows furrowed slightly, 'This effectively allowed us to openly embrace their killing intent, all under the guise of a test.'

'Such a test could easily have been avoided with a controlled sparring match. Or, does this test have another purpose?'

'But no matter what the purpose is, the callous disregard for the lives of the other passengers on the airship...'

"So this is... how the Mafia operates?"

Law's furrowed brows relaxed quickly and he kept his dissatisfaction in his heart without showing it.

In addition, he noticed one crucial detail from the information given: There were not just one target to be protected, but two.