Kurapika looked around and said sharply, "Among everyone present, if you've learned how to use Nen, raise your hand!!"
Whoosh!
As soon as he spoke, two people raised their hands without hesitation.
One was Furykov. The other was Belerainte—a man affiliated with the Thirteenth Prince, entrusted by Queen Sevanti, and brazen enough to harbor delusions about the queen herself.
Their raised hands instantly drew the attention of the crowd.
"Those two... Why are they even here if they already know Nen?"
"No idea~"
Two of Prince Zhang Lei's guards muttered quietly to each other.
Just then, one of the guards—a woman with a square-shaped face—suddenly tensed. It was as if something in the distance pulled her gaze against her will.
Then—
"???"
Her eyes locked onto a masked figure in full armor, silently standing behind the guards.
The armored man seemed to have appeared from nowhere. Though his outfit was blatantly strange, no one else seemed to notice him at all. The square-faced servant froze.
If she could use Nen—particularly Gyo—she'd have seen that an eerie aura connected her to the armored man. But even skilled Nen users wouldn't have seen that connection. Because—
She was possessed.
The armored figure was a humanoid creature summoned by the user of Silent Majority. Only the target and the conjurer could see it.
...
"Noticed something? Good, good. As long as nothing gets disrupted, we're fine," murmured the Nen user hidden in the crowd, watching the servant.
He exhaled in relief, knowing the woman he'd selected had started reacting. A clueless servant like her—easily spooked and unaware of Nen—was the perfect decoy. Just seeing the beast should be enough to stir chaos. That chaos would be his cover.
Beneath the humanoid beast's feet, a white snake-like Nen beast slithered into view. It coiled and then vanished, stealthily moving toward its assassination target.
...
Back up front, Kurapika calmly acknowledged the two raised hands.
"In other words, you two are here to supervise—or rather, evaluate—my teaching methods. I welcome it. If either of you has genuine feedback, I'd appreciate it. I'm quite busy, so that would be helpful..."
Furykov listened, eyes scanning the room.
"Three Nen users still in hiding... and Belerainte just outed himself. The others must still be playing dumb…"
He'd already identified four individuals capable of using Nen. Belerainte was one of them. That left two hidden—still blending into the crowd.
As he scanned, his eyes fell on the square-faced servant—sweating, her eyes darting in confusion.
He followed her gaze.
"...What is it? What's she seeing?"
From Furykov's perspective, there was nothing unusual.
"Oh? What's wrong?"
The square-faced servant's companion noticed her distress and asked softly.
"That guy in the mask... When did he get here?" she whispered, clearly shaken.
"Mask?" her companion blinked. "What are you talking about? Who's wearing a mask?"
"No way—he's right there!" she insisted, now visibly rattled. The confusion in her partner's voice seemed real. So did the puzzled glances from other guards.
Unable to hold back, she thrust her arm out and shouted:
"Look! There's a weird guy in a mask and armor standing right there! Are you all blind?!"
Whoosh!
Everyone turned toward where she was pointing—Kurapika, Furykov, the guards...
"Where?"
"Here?"
"There's nothing there…"
Despite having Nen, not even Kurapika or Furykov could see anything.
"Huh? No way... Am I the only one who can see him?!!"
Her face went pale.
Judging by her reaction, Furykov and the others quickly realized she wasn't lying.
"If that's the case… Nen?" they all thought simultaneously.
"But if it's Nen, is it one of the four I sensed earlier? Or… the unknown assassin?"
Furykov frowned.
...
Meanwhile, in the frightened servant's field of view, the humanoid marionette slowly raised its hand.
"Perfect. Now—strike."
Following the user's command, the conjured white snake emerged and darted toward Barrigen, one of the Thirteenth Prince's bodyguards, just like Belerainte.
"Ah!!"
A scream tore through the room.
Everyone turned as Barrigen collapsed to the ground, clutching at his neck in agony.
"What's happening?!"
"There's something white around his neck!!"
"Barrigen! Let go—get your hands off!!"
Belerainte, who had some Nen ability, couldn't see the humanoid beast due to its specialized nature, but he could see the physical white snake constricting Barrigen.
He wasn't alone. Even the non-Nen guards could now see the serpent—and they all recoiled in horror.
Only Belerainte pushed forward, shrouding his hands in aura, desperate to tear the snake away.
However...