The Fourth Prince's death was unexpected for some, while others anticipated it.
Battles for the throne have always been stained with blood, devoid of sentiment.
In the eyes of neutral faction officers, the deceased Fourth Prince had become a troublesome mess.
Yes, a mess.
If he had died after departure, it wouldn't be within his duty's scope, but it happened before departure.
He stood at the murder scene for a long time, staring at the Fourth Prince's corpse with unseeing eyes, occasionally listening to his subordinates' reports.
Those reports all became scattered fragments of information, then pieced together in his mind.
Among the many pieces of information, the most important was that all the precious collections the Fourth Prince brought had disappeared.
This meant the culprit's target might have been stealing the collections, and killing the Fourth Prince was incidental.
Of course, this could also be the culprit deliberately creating confusion.
'Which side should the conclusion lean toward?'
At this critical juncture, the officer had a headache.
If Kurapika hadn't taken all the collections except the Scarlet Eyes afterward, the officer might not have had such a headache.
But it was Kurapika who did it.
Both the timing chosen and the subsequent cleanup were enough to give any person in charge a headache.
If it weren't for the timing right before the Departure Ceremony, this matter wouldn't be so troublesome.
The officer frowned deeply. It was a sensitive period, and before making a decision, he had to be extremely cautious.
"Captain Sassha, someone from His Majesty has arrived."
At that moment, a uniformed man with a scarred face approached the officer's side.
"Oh?"
Sassha was inwardly surprised at how quickly they came.
"Let him in."
"Yes."
The scarred man left, returning moments later with a middle-aged man just over a meter tall.
The man had center-parted hair, cheeks resembling two tomatoes.
Though his height wasn't ideal, his suit didn't look comical because this person possessed an aura ordinary people lacked.
This was a Nen User. And the murder scene had another Nen User: the officer in charge, Sassha.
"Lord Nugui."
Sassha knew the visitor's identity and immediately saluted as a subordinate.
"Captain Sassha, you are too polite."
Nugui also saluted Sassha, then got straight to the point: "His Majesty is already aware of this matter and has ordered me to take over."
"I'll trouble you then, sir."
A glint of relief appeared in Sassha's eyes. Why say more? Don't mention credit, being able to toss this troublesome mess out was exactly what he wanted.
Nugui said no more, approaching within a meter of the corpse, looking down at it quietly.
"I thought you were one of the strongest contenders. Never expected you to be the first eliminated."
Nugui looked at the corpse, recalling the scene a few days ago when he personally brought the Seed Urn to the Fourth Prince.
He personally witnessed the Fourth Prince dripping blood into the pot.
He personally witnessed the spirit placing the 'parasite' into the Fourth Prince's mouth.
He personally witnessed the entire [Infestation] process to completion.
The ritual was complete, but the Nen Beast the Seed Urn would have bestowed upon the Fourth Prince died unborn.
He thought, given the Fourth Prince's personality and character, the Nen Beast born would certainly not be benign.
'Pity, pity.'
Afterward, Nugui took the Fourth Prince's corpse away from the scene.
Sassha escorted Nugui's team to their vehicle, only relaxing after the car disappeared from sight.
Minutes ago, he was worrying about resolving this… now he was carefree.
The vehicle didn't head toward the capital but to the port.
Arriving at the port, Nugui transferred the Fourth Prince's corpse to a helicopter, flying directly to the B.W. anchored at sea.
On the uppermost part of the B.W., an artificial sea area was created. In the center, a normally-sized luxury yacht was docked.
The B.W. had five levels. This was the first level, also the main activity area for royalty and important financial figures after departure.
The helicopter slowly landed on the luxury yacht's deck, its still-spinning rotors stirring up strong winds.
Nugui was the first off the helicopter. Then he watched as the coffin containing the Fourth Prince's corpse was carried off by two subordinates.
"Hurry."
Nugui instructed, then walked ahead.
The group passed through corridors, finally arriving at a bizarre, peculiar large room.
The floor was black, with long white streaks distributed across it, forming a maze-like pattern. From above, it looked like circuitry on a chip.
Fourteen coffin-like objects were arranged in a circle, each facing the center, with cable-like things extending from their bases, connecting to a circular pattern about three meters away.
At the very center of the chip-like pattern was a vertical, special device with a strong sci-fi aesthetic.
The Fourth Prince's corpse was placed inside one of the cold-air-filled coffins. Through the semi-transparent glass cover, one could vaguely see his face.
Nasubi and Nugui stood beside the coffin, silently staring at the Fourth Prince's faintly visible face.
A moment later, a soft click came from the circular pattern about three meters from the coffin's base. An oval glass cover slowly rose.
Poof.
A faint Nen Flame flickered within the glass cover, like a rootless fire.
Nasubi looked at the Nen Flame, his face calm, silently thinking: 'Better than nothing... But regardless of size, it can still be called dazzling.'
"I sincerely feel regret," Nugui said gravely.
"..." Nasubi remained silent for a moment, then calmly said, "No need for sorrow. He has become one of the foundation stones of the Kakin tree. Now, he continues living in another form."
There were fourteen Princes participating in the succession war, and the number of coffin-like objects in the room was also fourteen.
What did this mean?
Logically, the number should be thirteen, because the succession war would produce one winner.
Moreover, whose final resting place would that vertical device in the room's center be?
The extracted Nen Flame after death, transmitted via the [circuitry], ended precisely at the central vertical device. What did this foreshadow?
The true purpose behind this succession war about to unfold on the B.W. was probably known only to Nasubi.
…
Deep night. Law stood on a rocky cliff by the sea.
After about four hours and 167 coincidental events, the Misfortune Index attributed to him was finally cleared.
Regarding this cost, it could be considered significant, yet also minor.
In any case, Law deeply understood the price of the flute version of Dark Sonata.
In the future, even if using it, he would be cautious.
"Time to head back. Tomorrow, I still have to see Ging off."
Listening to the waves crashing against the rocks, Law stretched, then headed toward the hotel.