"On this ship carrying 200,000 living sacrifices, fight with everything you've got... until only one prince remains blessed by fate! Ash!!"
...
At the entrance to the corridor outside the banquet hall, two guards—Theta, who had previously made contact with Kurapika, and her colleague Salkov—stood by a public phone, discussing what had just been broadcast.
Kurapika's mention of a beast had stirred more than just the guards. The princes must have heard it too.
"So... how are we supposed to explain this to His Highness, the Fourth Prince?"
Theta crossed her arms, casting a sharp look at Salkov, who stood there looking like the picture of wide-eyed honesty.
The Fourth Prince hadn't awakened Nen yet. In fact, he didn't even know what it was.
And among his loyal guards, none wanted to be the one to tell him. Everyone knew too well what kind of twisted abilities a man like Tserreidnich might develop if he learned Nen. It could cause unimaginable trouble.
Especially given his warped personality and... tastes.
"How about we just say there are some kind of invisible beasts roaming the area... ones normal people can't see. So, for his safety, he should stay in his room. Would that work?"
Salkov scratched his head, looking relaxed.
The moment the words left his mouth, Theta's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"There are problems with every word you just said. Do you hear yourself?"
She counted them off coldly:
"'Normal people'? Are you implying the prince is ordinary?"
"'Invisible'? Are you saying the prince lacks the ability to see them?"
"'Beasts'? Are you trying to spark his curiosity even more?!"
"And 'stay in your room'? Are you actively trying to provoke him to leave it immediately?!"
Salkov: "...???"
His expression went blank, like a question mark hanging over his head.
He'd only said one sentence and somehow got hit with a verbal barrage from Theta, leaving his brain spinning.
This question's too hard. I'm tapping out...
"Yeah, forget it. You think of something," he said, giving up with a sheepish shrug.
Theta sighed, visibly annoyed.
Muscleheads... utterly useless when it comes to thinking things through.
"If we explain the N-beasts, the prince will definitely ask about Nen," she muttered, frowning.
"And if he learns about Nen, he'll want to awaken it himself."
"Well... among all his private soldiers, we're the only ones who can use it," Salkov said weakly.
"Then maybe we should just tell him it's something you're born with?"
Theta stared at him like he'd grown another head.
"What? What's wrong with that?"
She couldn't help but sigh again.
"I envy your simplicity, you know that?"
Simple people never overthink things. No complications. No stress.
"Hey! I might not be the brightest, but I know you're calling me an idiot! Don't look down on me!"
You want me to respect you? Then give me a reason!
Theta looked like she was about to explode.
"All the other guards heard Kurapika say 'Nen Beast' on the emergency line! You think none of them are going to talk about it to their princes?!"
"You think the other guards are going to spin fairy tales like you?!"
"Which is exactly why I said—if the prince asks, just say it's an innate ability!"
Salkov raised his voice, clearly missing the point.
Their shouting had begun to draw stares from nearby guards.
"You think His Highness Tserreidnich will buy that?!"
Theta clenched her fists, barely holding back.
"If you feed him a half-baked lie and he investigates, or if other princes do their own research, it'll backfire badly. You know how fast clumsy lies fall apart!"
Salkov finally rubbed his chin, thinking seriously.
"So basically... there's no way to avoid it. The prince will end up learning Nen."
"Exactly!!"
"...Why are you yelling at me like that?"
"Because I want to start talking about what to do next, and you keep dragging us back to the start!!"
Seeing Theta's clenched jaw and twitching eye, Salkov gave a nervous laugh and changed the subject.
"Well, then... why don't you teach him Nen? That way, you can slow his progress or mislead him however you like."
"Your biggest fear is that he'll become something monstrous with Nen, right?"
He coughed and continued, now with surprising seriousness.
"If it's inevitable that he learns, then the only option is to train him in a style that's completely incompatible with his actual Nen type. Or help him develop some harmless, impractical ability."
"We just bleed away his potential bit by bit... What's with that look on your face?"
Theta was staring at him, dumbfounded.
"...Nothing."
She shook her head with a strange expression.
She never imagined the so-called "honest brute" would be the one with the cruelest plan.
What Salkov suggested would cripple a Nen user's growth at its core—it was the deepest kind of sabotage.
But... maybe this really was the only way left.
Even if it meant turning against their own prince.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)