Now, for some unknown reason, it had grown two or three times in just two hours.
According to Leorio, when he applied to become Marayam's guard a month ago, the mind beast hadn't even hatched yet—it was still just an egg.
By the time he boarded the Black Whale and arrived at Marayam's side, the Pig Dragon Mind Beast had already taken form.
Back then, it couldn't even sense the aura of Nen users. But now...
Leorio and Hanzo stood in silence, watching the creature's bull-like eyes glaring at them. Its thick, powerful arms radiated a clear warning: stay back.
What the hell is going on with this thing? Is it about to evolve into some sort of super-being?!
Even Prince Momoze's hamster-bear Nianmon didn't show this kind of growth potential or intelligence!
Hanzo clenched his jaw in disbelief.
Still, what he didn't expect was that the more intelligent and rapidly developing a mind beast was, the less aggressive its abilities tended to be.
What a waste~
But that, too, reflected the fundamental law of Nen balance—power always comes with a price.
...
Meanwhile, Twelfth Prince Momoze was fast asleep in her quarters.
Outside her room, six royal guards in black suits—and one in a soldier's uniform—stood silently. They glanced at one another, then looked away in quiet understanding.
Their gazes fell on the door to Momoze's room, eyes sharp with cold intent.
"At any time, we can initiate the assassination. But if the royal army captures you, it's over."
"So don't get caught. And make sure to leave evidence that proves you're the one who did it."
"That's the only way the princes and Queens will recognize your loyalty—and reward you when a new king takes the throne."
"Concrete guilt and solid proof. That's the only way this assassination can succeed."
After Momoze's original guards had been reassigned by the Seventh Queen, Sevanti, six new ones were "specially appointed" for her safety.
Conveniently, each of these guards was sent by one of the six other Queens~~~
One, two, three, four, five, six—plus the seventh, who was a private soldier of First Prince Benjamin.
Seven in total. Each of them with bloodthirsty ambitions, just waiting for a chance to eliminate Momoze.
They'd do anything to gain favor—just avoid arrest, leave behind the right clues, and the reward would follow.
Of the original three guards Momoze had, two were pulled away under the excuse of "duty rotation." The third had vanished without a trace.
But in a dark corner none of them noticed, Clone No. 4 watched them silently. After a long glance, it shook its head, turned, and disappeared.
If the guess was right, just behind the door, the massive hamster-bear mind beast was standing tall, baring its fangs.
Its mouth opened and closed with rhythmic menace, ready to rip apart any intruder.
And yet, with Momoze's soft breathing in the background, its massive form began to flicker and fade...
...
Next door, in the Eleventh Prince's sector, Fugetsu knelt on his bed, clutching an old photo with teary eyes.
In it, he stood beside his twin sister, Tenth Prince Kacho—his only true companion besides their mother. The two had traveled together, played together, smiled warmly for the camera as if nothing could ever come between them.
Now, staring at that memory, unable to face the cruelty of the present, Fugetsu buried his face in his hands and sobbed.
Outside the room, the guards assigned by the Sixth Queen—Bachaem and Ryoji—stood watch, faces tense as they heard the prince's muffled cries.
"If this keeps up, His Highness won't be able to take it," Bachaem muttered, eyes full of worry. "He's going to break under the pressure."
"We're the only ones here who actually want to protect the Eleventh Prince. The rest are spies at best—or assassins at worst."
Fugetsu's mother was the Sixth Queen, and the two guards were handpicked by her to protect him. For that mission, they were prepared to give everything—even their lives.
Hidden in the shadows, Ronnel's Nen clone observed quietly. Nothing unusual—so he remained there, watching and waiting for the next move.
...
"It tastes like garbage!!"
In the room next door—Prince Sector 1010—Tenth Prince Kacho slammed the dish onto the floor, food splattering everywhere.
"Even the wild dogs in the streets of Meteor City wouldn't touch this crap! Do it over! Damn it—just take the money and do your damn job!!"
He glared at the trembling servants scrambling to clean up the mess. His face twisted with fury as he yelled and cursed.
The guards nearby stood quietly, neither reacting nor stepping in.
But—
"This guy's a prince? I wish he'd just get killed already."
"If only we'd been assigned to the Eleventh Prince instead. I heard Prince Fugetsu is actually kind."
"They're twins, for god's sake. How can two people be this different?!"
"I swear, I can't take this anymore. I'm this close to quitting."
Though they stayed quiet on the outside, in their hearts, the servants and guards were cursing Kacho with all the venom they could muster.
Listening to the cacophony of angry heartbeats and suppressed resentment, Melody turned toward Kacho.
Her eyes clouded with sorrow.
She could hear it in his pulse—agitation, fear, exhaustion. If all of this cruelty and rage was just a façade...
"If this is the result of everything she's trying to achieve by pretending—"
"Then doing this is absolutely wrong."
Clone No. 3, silently blending in with the crowd, calmly watching it all unfold.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)