"The Third Prince's guardian spirit beast?" Coventoba glanced briefly at the roulette-shaped Nen beast behind Zhang Lei—then quickly averted his gaze.
With "Gyo," he could clearly see the coin being spit out from the creature's mouth.
"...I still don't know what its effect is, but there's no need to share this kind of information with people who don't need to know~"
Resolving to keep silent, Coventoba remained still and silent.
"These coins..." Zhang Lei examined the two coins that had mysteriously appeared in his hand over the past two days. Strange, ornate patterns were engraved on their surfaces. He stared at them, deep in thought.
"What can they actually buy?"
For someone as extravagantly minded as Zhang Lei, his first instinct upon seeing currency was to consider its purchasing power.
But these weren't ordinary coins—they weren't meant for transactions. The "410" markings made that clear. These were Nen mediums.
Zhang Lei's guardian spirit beast possessed a Conjuration-type compound ability that allowed it to activate different effects based on a variety of conditions.
Once certain conditions were fulfilled, the coins could trigger an unknown Nen ability.
In other words, it was like gambling. When someone unknowingly satisfied the necessary requirements, the coin would activate—revealing an ability tailored to the moment.
As for what those specific conditions were, and what abilities could be triggered? All of that remained a mystery.
...
Meanwhile, in the next room over...
"Good morning, everyone! Please, don't worry about me. Love will surely prevail!"
"Whether it's the night I trembled endlessly in yearning, or the days I prayed to the heavens to never return... one day, they'll all become beautiful memories!"
"This is the power of love! As it says in Chapter 2, Section 4 of Tyson's Canon!"
"LONG LIVE THE SIXTH PRINCE!!"
Yes, that room had clearly lost all grip on reality—and Kurapika's master, Izunavi, was close to losing his own sanity.
...
Elsewhere, Fifth Prince Tubeppa was conducting experiments in his lab.
Next to him, his guardian spirit beast—an enormous, toad-shaped cart—manifested beside him.
Tubeppa's guardian beast required a co-researcher to activate its co-existence ability. The beast itself could generate various Nen-enhanced drugs within its body.
In other words, it served as a research assistant.
...
As for Seventh Prince Luzurus, who had teamed up with Basho to research health and detoxification medicine, his guardian spirit beast had a semi-automatic Conjurer ability.
Its power allowed it to materialize a person's desire and then set a trap. Once that desire was satisfied, the trap would activate.
...
But all attention was on the Ninth Prince, Halkenburg.
His private guards had gathered under the influence of his guardian spirit beast's mutual assistance ability. Their aura output was immense—enough to catch the attention of nearby guards loyal to First Prince Benjamin.
They were stunned.
The soldiers quickly reported Halkenburg's abilities to Benjamin. Plans were already underway to find an opportunity to assassinate the Ninth Prince.
However, the one-eyed bull-like Nen beast on Halkenburg's shoulder had long since noticed the soldiers' malice. It remained vigilant, always watching.
If the soldiers approached with a clear intent to kill, it was unknown what sort of counterattack the guardian beast might launch.
Many of the spies sent by other princes had already been marked by the beast's feather engraving, but the marks vanished within ten minutes—they had no true loyalty to Halkenburg.
Notably, those who received the engravings retained the memories—none could be erased. This suggested that the beast had a semi-mandatory ability that could tamper with memory.
A beast with those traits was likely offensive in nature.
The soldiers feared that if they attacked the one-eyed beast, it could extract their innermost memories and allegiances—replacing them, turning them against their own prince.
And so, they resolved to observe more—to understand the guardian beast fully before making any move.
...
But their plans were quickly disrupted.
To their shock, Ninth Prince Halkenburg brushed aside his guards' warnings and insisted on meeting Nasubi Hui Guo Rou.
Guard: "Prince! Meeting the king outside of official dinners is forbidden!"
Halkenburg: "If I'm eliminated because of this, so be it! I will never regret it!"
Guard: "The king declared that once the succession war begins, it cannot be stopped. If you defy that decree again, you'll be imprisoned—"
Before the guard could finish, Halkenburg turned to him, tears brimming in his eyes.
"If I stay hidden in a room while people die outside... how is that any different from turning a blind eye to murder?!"
He wiped his face clean of tears. His gaze sharpened.
"I refuse to let another tragedy like this unfold!!"
He marched toward the king's room, determined to end this cruel war of succession.
Unfortunately, the guards told him Nasubi Hui Guo Rou was unavailable.
Halkenburg could tell it was a lie. But with no choice, he turned away—though not in despair. In fact, his resolve only grew stronger.
"Tomorrow. The day after that. Every day—I'll come here until I get to speak with the king!"
...
Elsewhere, First Prince Benjamin received a report of the incident and smiled faintly, incomprehensibly.
"The Fourteenth Prince's assassins... the Ninth Prince's little alliance... the Fourth Prince's collection of filth... What a mess~"
"The ship only just set sail, and already fools are digging their own graves—just like the Second Prince."
His subordinate, Captain Balsamilco, replied with a quiet,
"Yes, Your Highness."
...
Now let's turn to Camilla's guardian spirit beast.
Camilla's Nen beast: Once certain conditions were met, it could manipulate others at will.
What conditions, exactly?
Well, Camilla didn't care to figure that out. Her obsession with her cat left her largely uninterested in the guardian beast's power.
...
As for the abilities of Benjamin's own guardian beast, or Fourth Prince Tserriednich's twisted, high-heeled, man-faced horse beast... those remained complete mysteries.
...
With the topic shifting to the Second Prince, Benjamin chatted briefly with Balsamilco, then issued his orders:
Escort Camilla.
Send her to the Supreme Court of Kakin.
------------
Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)