One of the men had center-parted hair, his brows tightly furrowed. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, and his expression was stern.
The other wore his hair in a side part. His face was long, with a flat chin and a prominent jawline that formed a trapezoid shape along the lower half of his face. He stared at Ivan with open curiosity.
Ivan's gaze shifted slightly.
On the right side of the shorter man's neck, he spotted a bright rose tattoo.
The moment he saw it, he immediately recognized their identities.
They were members of the Gashaya Family.
As expected of the Seventh Prince's mafia allies.
From the moment the Seventh Queen contacted the Second Queen to arrange the meeting, Luzurus must have already reached out to the Gashaya Family and had them send people over.
"They'll accompany you from now on," Luzurus said casually.
"They'll clear obstacles out of your way. And with them around, you won't have to worry about the mafia targeting you anymore."
He seemed quite satisfied with the shock and tension on Ivan's face.
Of course, if Ivan wanted protection, he would have to pay something in return.
From the Gashaya Family's boss, Yetsuka, Luzurus had already learned certain things.
If he could obtain the documents Lyman had been investigating, they might become a useful trump card.
Possibly even something he could use against the Fourth Prince.
Not that he had any intention of competing for Kakin's throne.
Still—
Even if the information couldn't threaten the Fourth Prince, it might be worth something to the Fifth Prince, Tubeppa.
There was no reason to let such an opportunity slip away.
Ivan's expression looked unpleasant.
At least on the surface.
But in truth, he had already anticipated that he would be monitored.
In fact, he had been more worried about the opposite.
If no one monitored him, it would mean the Seventh Prince had no interest in Lyman's documents.
And if that happened, the protection he sought would become meaningless.
Now that the Gashaya Family had appeared, things were actually better.
The mafia problem had been neutralized.
And if necessary, Ivan could even use these two as human shields.
"Forget the title of royal guard," Luzurus said suddenly.
"Your identity as an investigator suits you better."
Then he seemed to remember something.
"Do you smoke?"
"No," Ivan shook his head.
"Good," Luzurus said with a faint smile.
He seemed oddly pleased by that answer.
Seeing the prince's interest beginning to fade, Ivan quickly spoke up.
"Your Highness, before I leave to handle this matter, there's one last thing I need to confirm."
"What is it?" Luzurus asked, holding his pipe.
He looked as if he wanted another puff but was holding himself back for some reason.
"I want to confirm whether the Gashaya Family has any cooperation with the Phantom Troupe."
Luzurus studied Ivan carefully.
"You know quite a lot."
Then he looked toward the center-parted man who had stepped forward.
"Watts. What do you say?"
Watts bowed slightly.
"Your Highness, there has been contact," he replied.
"But they've already left."
"The one who dealt with them earlier was Vice-Boss Itoku."
"Should we contact him and terminate further cooperation? Perhaps issue a warning?"
Luzurus turned back to Ivan, clearly waiting for his decision.
"No need," Ivan said immediately.
"Just leave them alone. Their target is me, after all."
"Wouldn't it be easier to tell them you're under my protection?" Luzurus frowned.
He had heard the name Phantom Troupe, but only in passing.
As far as he knew, they were simply a notorious band of thieves.
And he didn't believe such a group could oppose him.
"They're extremely arrogant," Ivan said calmly.
"If conflict breaks out, it'll only cause unnecessary casualties."
"It's better to give them some face."
"If the situation demands it later, they might even become useful."
Inside, Ivan was ridiculing Luzurus for his arrogance.
But outwardly, he spoke as if everything he said was for the prince's benefit.
That attitude pleased Luzurus greatly.
Meanwhile, the two Nen users from the Gashaya Family glanced at Ivan with renewed interest.
If Ivan hadn't spoken up, they would have advised the prince themselves.
Because if conflict broke out, their vice-boss had already predicted the outcome.
Even if the Gashaya Family could defeat the Phantom Troupe, they would suffer serious losses.
Risking that much over a document they weren't even sure existed simply wasn't worth it.
Luzurus nodded but said nothing further.
Judging by his expression, he still clearly believed the Phantom Troupe posed no real threat.
Which was understandable.
Without knowledge of Nen, and as a prince of Kakin, he had every reason to feel confident.
When Ivan left the club, Wilge looked at him seriously.
"I'm heading out," Wilge said.
"Take care of yourself."
He mimed a phone gesture with his hand before waving and getting into his car.
But Ivan caught the concern in his eyes.
Wilge genuinely cared about his safety.
He might seem rigid and old-fashioned, but he was a good man.
At that moment, the two Gashaya Family members finally approached.
The trapezoid-faced man didn't bother introducing himself.
Instead, he went straight to the point.
"So, where are we going?"
"You understand what the prince expects, right?"
"Of course," Ivan nodded.
"We're going to the Judicial Bureau."
Ivan didn't believe Lyman would go through the effort of resurrecting his son without leaving some kind of clue behind.
Especially after learning from Monica how dangerous Kojima Foods was.
That only reinforced his belief that Lyman must have left something behind.
And that clue was definitely not inside Kojima Foods.
It was far too dangerous.
Lyman knew his son's limits very well.
If he expected the resurrected Ivan to charge recklessly into danger, resurrecting him would have been pointless.
So the real question was—
How had Lyman arranged for the clue to reach Ivan?
Ivan could think of two possibilities.
First—
The clue had been hidden in a place only he and Lyman knew.
Second—
Certain conditions had been set so that the clue would only appear once they were triggered.
If it were the first case, then Pakunoda's memory reading would have exposed those locations.
The Phantom Troupe would have already searched them.
Which meant the documents would likely already be in the Troupe's hands.
But if that were true, Ivan doubted they would still be pursuing him this aggressively.
Tracking down Heinrich.
Contacting the Gashaya Family.
Even splitting up to chase him relentlessly.
After all, their true objective had always been the documents.
If they already had them, Ivan's life or death wouldn't matter.
At most, they might feel curious about his resurrection.
But it wouldn't justify such a large effort to hunt him down.
Which meant—
The clue must belong to the second scenario.
Something Lyman had arranged in advance.
Something that would only activate once certain conditions were met.
As for those conditions, Ivan could think of two possibilities.
Either his resurrection…
Or the moment he had secured powerful backing.
Which meant his next step was simple.
He needed to test whether those conditions had been triggered.
Only then could he obtain the real lead.
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