Ronnel watched the show with interest, while Kurapika looked stunned—completely taken off guard. The hairs on the backs of the three Association guards stood on end, horror washing over them like a cold wave.
Suddenly, bizarre spirit beasts, grotesque in form and movement, phased straight through the wall and filled the room.
There were at least seven or eight of them. In an instant, the small hall was packed.
It looked just like one of those ghost parade scenes in a horror game.
Faced with a scene so far beyond comprehension, even Kurapika's mind blanked for a moment. The three guards behind him were drenched in cold sweat, utterly lost.
Only the Queen—unable to see Nen constructs—looked around, confused.
But even though she couldn't see the beasts themselves, she understood the gravity of everyone else's reaction.
Watching their faces shift from shock to dread, Queen Oito instinctively clutched the Fourteenth Prince tighter in her arms.
After her previous conversation with the guards, she'd vaguely grasped the existence of some mysterious power in this world—something called Nen.
Because of that, she grew even more uneasy. An invisible, intangible power was the most frightening thing of all.
And now, it seemed her worst fears were being realized.
The Queen took in everyone's behavior at a glance, then quietly moved to Ronnel's side. Among the seven royal guards frozen stiff, only Ronnel seemed calm—reassuringly so.
"Are these spirit beasts a signal that the other princes are declaring war? Or are they testing our strength?"
Kurapika snapped back to himself, his sharp mind immediately kicking into gear.
The three other Hunter specialists followed his lead, recovering from the shock a half-second later.
They hurried over to the Queen, who stood beside Ronnel, and quickly took protective positions.
Just then—
"Are you free? Are you free?"
A fluffy Nen Beast shaped like a puppet bear waddled up to the guard named Sayird and spoke in an oddly cheerful voice.
Sayird looked up, startled, then pointed at himself, unsure.
The puppet bear nodded.
Something had just triggered... though Sayird was completely unaware of it.
"N-No, I'm not free..." he stammered.
"Then when you are, be sure to tell me! You must tell me!!"
No one noticed the exchange—no one except Ronnel.
His gaze lingered on Sayird for a moment, then shifted away.
He turned his attention to the bizarre beasts now dancing wildly around the room, shaking his head with a wry smile.
"These things... old man Togashi's art style really is one of a kind. Distorted, surreal, almost Van Gogh-level madness..."
The beasts acted with no coordination—chaotic, like a fever dream made flesh.
Just as Kurapika and the others began thinking about how to respond, the beasts floated back through the wall, phasing into the next room as abruptly as they had come.
Clearly, they weren't targeting anyone in particular. They were simply... wandering.
...
"A large number of Nen Beasts detected near the Fourteenth Prince's sector. Stay alert!"
Kurapika grabbed the phone, switched to the public channel used by guards on this floor, and began issuing warnings and gathering intel.
"...W-What happened just now?" Queen Oito turned to Ronnel, her voice shaky. Kurapika and the others still looked pale.
"It's the Nen abilities tied to the other princes' seed urns starting to activate," Ronnel explained calmly, recalling the scene.
"Th-Then what about me...?"
Still unable to see anything, Queen Oito grew even more anxious. Her voice trembled with panic.
"Don't worry. I'm with you~"
Ronnel smiled gently, and a small figure materialized in his hand.
At a glance, it looked like a tiny version of himself—an exact miniature replica.
"As long as he's with you, it's like I'm with you. No strange power will harm you."
He tossed the little clone toward her, and it floated into her hair, hiding itself from view.
"...Really?" she asked, gently touching her hair.
Seeing Ronnel remain so calm and kind despite everything, her anxious heart slowly began to settle—though some worry still lingered.
"But... can I bring this to the dinner party?"
Every Sunday night, the Kakin royal family held a banquet aboard the ship. The goal was to showcase Kakin's power to foreign guests and ease the tensions of the succession war. All princes were expected to attend.
While the battle for the throne was a bloodbath behind the scenes, open conflict was forbidden during these public events.
Only the princes and King Nasubi were allowed to attend. The Queens and guards were not—though Queen Oito had been allowed to bring her young son by special exception.
Just earlier, the guards escorted Queen Oito to the entrance of the banquet hall. But then... the Nen Beast incident broke out, delaying everything.
"It's fine. This little guy is part of my ability. No one will notice."
Ronnel didn't go into detail—and he didn't need to.
"...Alright. That's good."
Once Kurapika and the others had confirmed the situation was safe and gathered their bearings, he personally escorted Queen Oito toward the banquet.
Among those attending tonight was Tserriednich—the Fourth Prince, and Kurapika's primary target.
...
As the pair left, the third guard finally let out a sigh.
"Glad that's over... those beasts were something else."
"Yeah. That was way too intense."
Bill and Kurton were still shaken, their nerves visibly frayed after the brief yet terrifying encounter.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)