While Bill explained the issue to Kurapika and Ronnel in Room 1004...
A cold bead of sweat rolled down the forehead of Theta, the most loyal guard serving Fourth Prince Tserriednich—and one of the only two in his retinue to have learned Nen.
"This is unbelievable… From the moment he started learning Ten, he's nearly mastered the secret of Ren in just half a day…"
As Theta looked into the cold fury simmering in Tserriednich's eyes, she became even more certain: the prince was an outright genius.
He had arrived only moments ago, summoned directly, and what she witnessed was shocking—Tserriednich was already practicing Ren, and had made serious progress.
"Theta~" The anger in Tserriednich's eyes faded, replaced by a darker, unreadable gleam.
"I just got word from the guards of the Third and Fourteenth Princes. Apparently, they claim they can teach people Nen in two weeks. What do you think?"
"Is that so…" Theta bowed her head slightly at the question.
"Mm. It's quite different from what you told me, isn't it?" Tserriednich's tone slowed, suddenly chilly.
"You said learning the basics would take at least half a year. Isn't that right?"
"Yes, I haven't lied to you about that."
"So what—you're saying they're bluffing?"
"There… is that possibility."
Tserriednich's voice rose sharply. "Hey! Are you dense or just pretending to be?!"
Veins bulged on his forehead. "I'm asking you—who's lying, you or him?!"
"Do you want to die?"
Tap, tap, tap~
With his low, frigid growl, Tserriednich's grotesque beast—a high-heeled, human-faced horse—appeared once more, materializing behind Theta.
"There are indeed abnormal ways to learn Nen quickly… but they're extremely dangerous."
Hearing the beast's gurgling noises behind him, Theta struggled to keep her voice calm.
"Maybe his Nen has some kind of property that awakens Nen in others. At the very least, I can confirm—whatever method he's using, it's definitely not a standard one."
"And mine is the most correct shortcut."
Tserriednich exhaled through his nose, slowly.
"What I hate most…" Shadowy lines dropped from his forehead, covering his eyes. "...are liars."
"Can I trust you?"
"Of course," Theta answered, as steadily as she could, even as the warped beast leaned in close, drooling rancid saliva near her face.
She had no choice but to stay calm. Her instincts told her—if she wavered even slightly, death would be the only outcome.
...
While the princes schemed and maneuvered through palace intrigue aboard the Black Whale, the ship itself pressed forward through turbulent waters under a sun just beginning to rise.
After deciding to begin Nen training the following day, the princes had become unusually quiet.
Eighteen hours later, a new day dawned.
Inside Room 1014, Kurapika and Ronnel gathered with a number of guards who had recently defected to their side. In terms of security, this was now arguably the most fortified location aboard the ship.
But Queen Oito, the person under protection, didn't quite share that perspective.
On the contrary—she sought advice from Kurapika and Ronnel, believing that "the more I understand the situation, the better my child's chances of survival."
She wanted to learn how to use Nen—for the sake of her daughter, Woble, and to increase any sliver of hope in the brutal succession war.
Kurapika gave it some thought, then accepted the task.
Unlike before, he hadn't collapsed from overusing Emperor Time. Back then, turning it on for nine hours had cost him five years of his lifespan.
Now, with Ronnel by his side, Kurapika had far fewer burdens to shoulder. With proper rest and support, he was in better shape than ever.
He remained in this fully recovered state. After teaching Queen Oito the basics of Nen, he prepared to meet with guards sent by the other princes at 9:00 a.m.
...
Area 1014. In front of the queen's lounge—inside the conference hall.
The room was deathly quiet. Dozens of guards in dark suits stood inside, eyeing one another warily, but no one spoke.
Kurapika had imposed a strict limit: only two guards per faction could attend the Nen lessons. The higher-ups had taken this seriously, carefully selecting their representatives.
Some had been dispatched directly by their queens, like the two guards of the Thirteenth Prince, Marayam.
Marayam, still a child, spent most of his time playing or sleeping. The decision to engage with Nen came from his mother, Queen Sevanti. She gave differing instructions to each of her guards.
To her High Guard, Belerainte, she gave this specific order:
"Verify whether the method taught is real. Then report everything to me—verbatim."
Belerainte had joined Marayam's security detail through official channels, alongside Doppelgänger No. 5 and Leorio. He was a licensed Hunter.
Upon learning of Nen, Queen Sevanti began searching through Marayam's guard unit for anyone with cold-type Nen. That's when Belerainte came to her attention. She learned about Nen from him and trusted his expertise.
This time, she sent him to evaluate whether Kurapika's so-called two-week crash course was real.
If it was, Belerainte was to memorize the content and report back, so the rest of the guards could immediately begin training and better protect Marayam.
Belerainte was more than happy to carry out her orders, because...
"Hehehe~ I didn't miss a single word… Her Majesty is so adorable, ahhh~!"
Belerainte's eyes sparkled with in6fatuation. Just picturing Queen Sevanti made his face flush.
Well now… For a guy to harbor those kinds of thoughts toward a queen of the Kakin Empire—that's bold~
Standing beside him was a short, burly guard—Barrigen—one of Sevanti's soldiers and a rare confidant she trusted.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)