"That's right, Your Highness! We're doing this from the bottom of our hearts!"
Seeing Ronnel approaching step by step, the group began to panic.
They didn't know exactly what those capsule tubes were, but in a situation like this, anything pulled out by a guy like him couldn't be anything good.
So they scrambled to declare their loyalty, showering Queen Oito with desperate vows and panicked flattery.
But...
Queen Oito didn't react at all. She simply stared at them, wary and distant.
The moment they chose not to side with Prince Woble, they had lost her trust. And in times like this, trust—once broken—can't be restored.
Meanwhile, Ronnel, having exposed the real traitor and laid out his deductions with calm precision, had earned the Queen's trust and respect.
She didn't resist his actions at all—letting him handle things as he pleased.
As for Kurapika and the three guards from the Hunter Association, they had no reason to interfere unless the client gave an order. For now, they simply observed.
Honestly, they were curious too—what kind of trick was this seemingly easygoing man about to pull?
"Aaahhh!"
With that cry, seven capsules were plunged into the necks of the seven suspects.
"All done~"
Ronnel clapped his hands, watching the twitching bodies of the seven figures strapped to chairs. He nodded with satisfaction at the results.
Moments later, under the cautious gazes of Kurapika and the three Association guards, those same seven suddenly surged with strange power.
They struggled violently—snapping ropes, breaking chairs—and stood up, stiff and unnatural.
"Their aura just spiked?!"
The guards moved quickly, forming a protective barrier around the Queen. Their faces were tense and alert.
"That doesn't feel like regular Nen..."
The three guards couldn't make sense of it. Kurapika, however, drew in a sharp breath.
He'd felt this before—back during the chaos at Heavens Arena.
Back then, he'd fought an opponent known as Gaki, who wielded this same twisted energy.
Resentment.
This man... he can control resentment?!
Kurapika's eyes locked on Ronnel again—but this time, a trace of fear surfaced.
That kind of energy—the aura of resentment—was unforgettable. Just sensing it again brought unease. Could Ronnel be connected to that incident?
"...Is he one of the remnants from the Shadow group that attacked Heavens Arena?"
As the thought circled in his mind, the seven infected men now stood in line, their heads bowed low, obedient.
"Your mission is simple: protect Prince Woble and Queen Oito. At all costs, their lives come before your own."
"Stay in contact with your former leader—the Queen—but you know what to say and what not to say. If anything changes on that side..."
"Report to me and the Queen immediately. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!!"
Their response was sharp and perfectly synchronized. Their tone carried no hesitation or defiance—only pure obedience.
But when the guards noticed the seven's eyes had turned pitch black, they tensed.
"Some kind of drug in those capsules that rewrites a person's will?"
The Association guards narrowed their eyes, watching Ronnel closely.
"Could be a condition-based ability," one muttered. "Maybe the number of capsules controls the duration... and the injection point matters. The neck, huh?"
They exchanged glances, then tugged up their collars in unison—just in case.
...
Kurapika knew better.
This wasn't some twisted Nen ability—it was resentment. Pure and unfiltered.
He looked at Ronnel again, doubts swirling.
"No... If he were a remnant of the Shadow group, their first target would've been the Hunter Association. Especially with so many top members aboard the Black Whale, it'd be the perfect opportunity to strike."
"But he boarded the ship openly, accepted a commission from the Kakin royal family... that doesn't line up with the Shadow's methods."
"So... he must have developed this power on his own? Maybe after studying footage of the Jed Rebellion at Heavens Arena?"
The world is vast—it's not impossible. If Jed and the others could uncover the secrets of resentment, then someone else could too.
But looking at how perfectly controlled those seven men were...
Kurapika began to suspect Ronnel had more than just surface-level knowledge. Maybe he'd fully mastered this method.
What none of them realized, however, was that this wasn't a Nen ability at all.
It was a potion—nothing more.
A specially crafted resentment-infection agent. Anyone injected would unconditionally follow the injector's commands, and their own Nen would amplify through resentment.
The effect would last until the injector was unconscious—or dead.
Prince Woble needed reliable protection. Ronnel figured this group was better than nothing... and they were available.
"Want to try it yourselves? It'll give you a nice power boost~"
He pulled out another capsule and gave it a casual shake in front of the three guards.
They gave him polite, tight-lipped smiles—and took a subtle step back.
Ronnel just laughed.
Kurapika was about to respond, but his Association-issued phone buzzed at his waist.
An incoming call... from the Hunter Association's top brass.
------------
Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)