With no more identities needing to be concealed, and the negotiation with the Third Prince completed, even with guards from the Second Queen and Prince Zhang Lei now present, Joey had no logical reason to oppose a new bodyguard from Prince Benjamin entering the Twelfth Prince's quarters.
Knowingly stepping into a trap was something a fool with a death wish would do.
Joey wasn't that kind of fool.
Still, he was curious—just what kind of trap Prince Benjamin had prepared?
But he had no intention of sending a beetle camera to spy.
Instead, what Joey really wanted to see was how Benjamin's soldier would react to the Twelfth Prince's Guardian Beast.
Guardian Beasts acted entirely based on their Prince's intent.
Since Woble and Zhang Lei were in a truce, her Beast wouldn't target Zhang Lei's men.
But Benjamin's troops were another matter entirely.
Plus, it wasn't just the Guardian Beast in the room.
Joey was there too. And if he wanted, taking out Benjamin's man wouldn't be hard.
The real challenge was doing so without leaving evidence—without handing Prince Benjamin a justification to retaliate.
After a full day of tension and multiple Guardian Beast manifestations, Woble had collapsed from exhaustion, falling into a deep sleep right after Kurapika awakened her Nen.
Joey stationed himself just outside her room.
He had a beetle camera hidden inside for monitoring and would periodically scan with En.
Sure, that would blow his cover as a non-user...
But at this point, revealing he was a Nen user wasn't the worst thing.
The true problem was Benjamin's soldier—not Slakka.
Slakka had no combat authority, and his goals aligned with theirs: protect royalty.
So even if Joey's En passed over him, he'd tolerate it.
But if Benjamin's private soldier had an aggressive or reactive Nen type—
then even using En might be taken as provocation.
Joey flexed his left wrist.
After all, Kakin wasn't the only group with Guardian Beasts on this ship.
Kurapika had begun his Nen lectures with the Third Prince's guards.
He planned to teach slowly—deliberately stalling progress so they wouldn't truly grasp Nen until two weeks later.
Half an hour later, the knock came.
Kurapika stood to answer the door.
A sharply groomed man entered.
"I'm Sheurikov, a Royal Guard of Prince Benjamin. As of today, I'll also be stationed here as a guard for the Twelfth Prince."
In mere seconds, Sheurikov's eyes swept across the room, committing everything to memory.
He tapped the comm in his ear and began reporting intel in a low voice.
What drew his attention the most? Joey's complete lack of concealment.
There had been no indication in Bicort's intel that Dio (Joey) was a Nen user.
And knowing Bicort, he would've used Gyo upon entering—he was a seasoned soldier.
That left two possibilities:
Joey had somehow concealed his aura perfectly from Bicort.
Or... Joey's mastery was so advanced even Bicort couldn't detect it.
Either way, Dio was a Nen user, and not a weak one.
Which meant their previous assessment of the situation—of Bicort's death—had a major hole.
Adjustments would be required.
Sheurikov's primary objective was now clear: analyze the Nen abilities of both Kurapika and Dio.
Only then could he formulate a strategy targeting the Prince herself.
This mission would not be easy.
And Sheurikov was also aware of Juan's return.
By tomorrow, the Twelfth Prince would have three Nen users at her side.
After basic introductions, Sheurikov took his post—right beside Joey, by Woble's bedroom door.
Joey immediately noticed: Sheurikov's En had been active since he walked in.
How long could he maintain it?
Joey smirked.
Unless his Hatsu was tailored to En usage, keeping it active would consume aura constantly.
"I'll be using En to protect the Twelfth Prince," Joey said lightly.
He expanded his own En, enveloping Sheurikov's.
"Understood," Sheurikov replied, narrowing his eyes.
With Joey stating it outright, he couldn't object.
After all, he was using En too.
Still, he cast a brief, scornful look in Joey's direction.
But for now, the Twelfth Prince's quarters settled into a tense calm.
The next royal gathering was still seven days away.
Joey would use this time to gather intel.
At midnight, he switched shifts with Kurapika.
Beetles returned to his command, and Joey began sorting the data.
Elsewhere, however, many aboard the Black Whale remained awake.
First Prince's Quarters
Prince Benjamin frowned at his commander.
"So you suspect the ambush in the corridor was the Twelfth Prince's work?"
Balusa Mielko nodded.
"When I intentionally baited them with a provocative message, there was no retaliation.
This suggests the attacking Guardian Beast doesn't belong to Woble—it's an independent Nen user's doing."
Benjamin frowned. "But according to Gobendeba's report from Zhang Lei's room, his Guardian Beast may generate coins—it looks similar."
"True. But at this stage, Zhang Lei shouldn't be targeting us.
Also, the presence of animals supporting the attack makes it unlikely his Guardian Beast was involved.
According to Gobendeba, Zhang Lei has no Nen users at his side.
Which is why he welcomed Kurapika."
Benjamin fell silent, considering.
"It's possible someone's using Zhang Lei's Guardian Beast."
Balusa continued.
"Sheurikov confirmed: Dio is a Nen user.
Juan, the one taken away, is as well.
Which means all three of Woble's guards are Nen users.
And more suspiciously—none of them were appointed by upper queens.
The original guards from upper queens?
Gone.
Assuming one of them can identify or manipulate other Guardian Beasts, that would explain the coordination."
Benjamin followed his logic.
"One detects Zhang Lei's Beast.
The other two: one controls an explosive vehicle, the other controls animals.
Even if rain swallows didn't do anything in Barbomaina's report, they were likely the eyes guiding the vehicle.
Or maybe the real power is controlling insects."
Balusa nodded.
"Summing it up—there are two primary abilities:
A conjured vehicle bomb.
Insect manipulation.
As for how Lihan vanished—likely Zhang Lei's Guardian Beast, linked to the coins."
"Send out orders," Benjamin commanded.
"Kill any insect approaching this room.
And tell our operatives to stay vigilant."
Balusa relayed the orders without hesitation.
"One more thing," he added. "Kurapika teaching Zhang Lei's men Nen... it's dangerous.
We should eliminate Woble's guards before they do something reckless—like publicly revealing Nen."
Benjamin smiled confidently.
"Sheurikov understands what's at stake.
He'll act accordingly.
And once Barbomaina returns tomorrow, he'll relieve Sheurikov.
The info Sheurikov collects will let Barbomaina strike hard."
Benjamin extended his hand.
In his palm were three stars, glittering faintly.
"Before he's relieved, have Sheurikov assess them.
If any can be turned, offer them full honors."
"You're after whoever coordinated Zhang Lei's Guardian Beast?"
Benjamin nodded.
"Exactly."
Second Prince's Quarters
Camilla was fast asleep.
But her brows were furrowed, locked in a grimace—like she was having a nightmare.
A beetle camera sat silently in the vent above her bed.
Third Prince's Quarters
Gobendeba, Benjamin's embedded soldier, looked up at the ceiling.
There it was.
A beetle.
He narrowed his dead fish eyes, condensed aura at his fingertip, and fired.
Silent. Precise.
The beetle dropped—not as a carcass, but as a piece of black tech.
"Camouflage?" he muttered.
Before he could investigate, the device hit another soldier on the head.
"Prince! It's a bugged listening device!"
Guards swarmed the spot.
Gobendeba relayed intel back to Benjamin.
Fourth Prince's Quarters
Tserriednich stared at the woman before him.
"Well, Tita? You know what that power is, don't you?"
Tita, a Hunter Association member, had debated hiding Nen.
But the grotesque Guardian Beast now mere inches from her face—mouth split open, exposing a second, inner face with tongue-like tentacles tipped with eyes—left her no choice.
She couldn't lie.
"Yes," she answered.
"It's called Nen."
Tserriednich smiled like a collector eying a rare find.
"And you... can use it?"
"I can." She stared straight through the monster into Tserriednich's eyes.
Fifth Prince's Quarters
Prince Tubeppa sat before a wall of monitors and whiteboards filled with formulas.
"Have you learned anything about that power?" he asked, not looking up.
His guard captain, Maor, replied.
"It's linked to the Twelfth Prince. Shall I call them?"
"Try. Doubt they'll say much.
But maybe we can make contact."
Tubeppa's gaze flicked to Buchi, Benjamin's spy.
"He's a nuisance," he thought. "Can't act openly with him here.
We'll need to eliminate him quickly.
So... the Twelfth Prince's group, huh?"
Sixth Prince's Quarters
Izunabi frowned at the book in his hands.
"Tyson... is this your holy text?"
"Yes!" the Sixth Prince beamed, wearing a tiny crown.
"You should read it! You'll understand me!"
Izunabi and Juliano stared at the book like it was a lemon they'd bitten into.
Seventh Prince's Quarters
Basho sat beside Prince Luzurus, surrounded by monitors and ashtrays.
They puffed on joints like old friends.
"If you became King, this whole process would be way easier," Basho said.
"Nothing's that simple," Luzurus replied. "Becoming King... helping junkies reform... it's all the same."
He exhaled a smoke ring.
"Can't believe this stuff's legal…"
Eighth Prince's Quarters
Debauchery incarnate.
Scattered clothes, the stench of excess, moans, and grunts filled the room.
Outside the door, the Fifth Queen hesitated—unsure whether to interrupt her son's "activities."
Ninth Prince's Quarters
Guards lay unconscious.
Prince Halkenburg stumbled to bed and collapsed.
Tenth Prince's Quarters
Melody was troubled.
She could hear emotion in people's tones—and everyone in the room hated Prince Kacho.
But she knew Kacho wasn't as vile as she pretended to be.
"She's wearing the wrong mask," Melody thought sadly.
Eleventh Prince's Quarters
Prince Fugetsu slept soundly.
Two guards from the Sixth Queen stood watch outside—alert and professional.
Thirteenth Prince's Quarters
Bisky frowned at the sleeping Marayam.
She still had no idea what had happened to his Guardian Beast.
But she was sure—it had been destroyed.
With the Seventh Queen gone, only Bisky and Belreinte remained to protect him.
And they weren't alone.
Two guards loyal to the Seventh Queen still held command authority in the room.
Worse, something strange had just happened.
If word got out, Benjamin's troops would descend like sharks scenting blood.
She glanced toward the bathroom.
Two corpses lay inside.
Completely drained of blood.
Killed within the last half-hour.
There were no leads.
They'd have to wait for the Royal Military.
But Bisky knew—no one would be sleeping tonight.
And by morning...
There might be even more corpses.
She sighed and settled next to Prince Marayam.
Fourteenth Prince's Quarters
Queen Oito was in full panic.
Hanzo and Bill dared not relax for a moment.
In addition to them, two others remained:
A guard from Prince Benjamin, and the maid Daio.