Slaka hadn't been idle in Area 12—he'd gathered a fair amount of intel.
Even though Joey and the others were being cautious, Slaka regularly activated En for observation, and his own Nen ability played a role in identifying useful clues.
Once it became clear that the curse-based assassination required confirmation that no Exorcist was nearby, the Second Prince ordered that all his direct soldiers—brought in by the Second Queen—focus on detecting the presence of Exorcists above all else.
All Exorcists were typically Specialist-type users and often excelled at using Gyo to observe Nen in their surroundings.
Because they could perceive aspects of Nen that other users couldn't, even though most Exorcists lacked combat capability—Specialists being far from Enhancers, Emitters, and Transmuters in terms of physical combat potential.
A Specialist could develop a combat-based ability, like Neferpitou, whose strength leaned more toward Manipulation despite being a Specialist. Or Chrollo, leader of the Phantom Troupe, who used stolen abilities in intelligent combos to compete with top-tier fighters from the higher three Nen categories.
In most cases, lower-tier types fared better using trickery and assassination—their abilities often came with instant-kill potential.
The higher types were more straightforward but less tricky in such methods.
With some basic traits and enhanced observation protocols, Slaka quickly concluded that Joey and Kurapika were not Exorcists.
He couldn't define Joey's exact ability, but he leaned toward Emission—given the unrestrained use of large-scale En and unusually intense Ten aura output, both of which were signs of an Emitter.
Kurapika was even easier to analyze—he didn't even try to hide the chain on his right hand.
And the Ten around that arm clearly radiated strength. Everything about him screamed "Conjuration," and the chains likely represented different abilities he'd mastered.
But abilities spread across multiple chains usually leaned toward utility, not power.
However, Exorcism wasn't just a utility—it was a rare, innate talent.
So Slaka struck Kurapika off the Exorcist list too. That left Biscuit and Juan—Biscuit was busy protecting the Seventh Queen in Area 13, while Juan had been replaced by Hisoka and vanished.
So Slaka's final report to the Second Queen before his death was clear: There is no Exorcist in Area 12!
After hearing the report, the Second Prince turned to the private guard commander beside her. "Who's assigned to the Twelfth Prince? It's time to act."
Captain Sarahiel frowned slightly. "Kabichi."
Despite his doubts, Sarahiel didn't question the order. As a loyal private soldier, his job wasn't to understand—it was to execute.
If the prince ordered the Twelfth Prince's death, then there must be a reason.
"Very well," the Second Prince nodded.
Seeing no further instructions, Sarahiel left the dining room.
Kabichi was a man who seemed timid by default. His brow was perpetually furrowed, his lips turned downward. After receiving his orders, he simply nodded and wordlessly exited Area 2.
Of course, he couldn't enter Area 12 directly—that would expose him as the assassin.
Instead, he needed to find a place near Area 12—or more precisely, near the Twelfth Prince.
Only then could his curse activate quickly after the ritual, increasing its kill rate and minimizing exposure.
Even close-range curse-based techniques weren't instantaneous. That's why confirming the absence of Exorcists was essential. The closer he was to the target, the faster the curse would erupt, the higher its success rate, and the lower the risk of being discovered.
And with the Twelfth Prince not being the only threat, hiding his technique for future use was also tactically sound.
Still, the thought of dying soon lifted the corners of Kabichi's downward-curved mouth.
Ever since he'd been selected, he'd studied photos of the Twelfth Prince every day, dreaming of the day they would die together. Now, that moment felt closer than ever.
He was thrilled at the thought of dying.
The hallway was empty. Kabichi made his way unimpeded to Area 10.
With the Tenth Prince now missing, the zone had been locked down. His guards had all been transferred to the VVIP area for interrogation.
Afterward, they would be reassigned to serve under the Sixth Queen, either remaining in the VVIP zone or returning to the residences of the Tenth or Eleventh Prince.
The Sixth Queen would obviously choose to return to the residential area—since Kacho and Fugetsu were only missing, not confirmed dead.
Still, she wouldn't return to Kacho's room—she preferred Fugetsu's space. Even as their mother, she found Kacho's sharp, guarded demeanor distasteful, and favored Fugetsu's gentle kindness.
This information wasn't hard to acquire for the intelligence team in Area 2, so Kabichi had set his sights on Area 10 from the start.
Area 10 bordered Area 12, and Kabichi knew its layout well.
If he killed himself there, the curse would trigger and strike the Twelfth Prince.
This was the best way he could think of to assassinate her. It wouldn't be instant, but the Second Prince surely understood that as well.
Whether the curse succeeded or not, the Prince's broader plan wouldn't fail.
But Kabichi wanted it to succeed—because then he'd be eternally bound to the Twelfth Prince.
Grinning to himself, he stepped into Area 10 and pulled out a photo of Momoze from his breast pocket.
Staring at her gentle expression, his grin deepened as he shut the door behind him.
He sat down in a planned spot against the wall, pulled out a dagger, and aimed it at his heart.
He had already embraced death—and even longed for it. The blade sank in without hesitation.
———
Back in Area 12, Joey's clone noticed something: another of the Twelfth Prince's small Nen Beasts had appeared on his shoulder.
Just like last time, it chirped about "helping" him—but Joey knew it simply saw him as a tool. The creature's true purpose was to attack those it deemed a threat to the Twelfth Prince.
What Joey couldn't confirm was whether this new beast appeared because the last one had been removed, or because the prince's Nen Beast periodically assigned copies to her supporters.
If the former, then someone must've exorcised it. That would imply there was an Exorcist somewhere—possibly in Area 1.
But that seemed unlikely. After all, Shurikov had died under the influence of a Nen Beast.
If Area 1 had an Exorcist, why wouldn't they have saved Shurikov, who'd pushed himself to the edge trying to endure the Beast's burden?
Still, Joey couldn't be sure. Maybe the Exorcist's power had limits or costs—some situations might not be worth the trade.
After all, to the First Prince's private soldiers, only the prince was irreplaceable.
But Joey leaned toward the second theory: that the Twelfth Prince's Nen Beast regularly deployed duplicates to her followers.
These clones could attack enemies or spy on allies—after all, "help" and "harm" were just a thought apart.
If Joey ever developed ill intent toward the Twelfth Prince, the beast on his shoulder might whisper madness straight into his ear.
As for whether an Exorcist existed in Area 1—Joey doubted it.
Otherwise, Shurikov's death was truly senseless.
There was a simple test: wait to see if Kurapika also got a new Nen Beast.
If one appeared, that would confirm both that Area 1 lacked an Exorcist and that Momoze's beast auto-replenished its support network.
After all, the First Prince's soldier Gangidoll—previously afflicted—had already returned to Area 7 and hadn't gone back to the frontlines.
Also, the only possible Exorcist in Area 1 would be Barosamilco.
But as a critical defensive asset, an Exorcist wouldn't be sent to the frontlines.
And Barosamilco had remained constantly in the VVIP zone with the First Prince—meaning no one could have removed the Beasts from Babimaina or Gangidoll. They'd just be tormented by it until they broke.
That alone was proof enough for Joey.
And now, with another Beast attached to his clone, Joey even saw potential strategic use. It could be turned into a weapon—if, upon dissolving the clone, the Beast stayed attached to the next one.
If it jumped to Joey's real body, it would be worthless. But if it latched onto a new clone—now that was interesting.
Besides that, Joey and Kurapika were troubled by something else—the growing number of Nen users in Area 12.
As more people awakened, the pool of targets for Momoze's Nen Beast expanded.
If it started randomly attaching itself to every new user, fights or legal conflicts were bound to break out.
And that was the last thing Joey or Kurapika wanted.
But the Beast didn't care what they wanted.
Unless Joey did what he did to the Thirteenth Prince's Nen Beast—destroy it—he and Kurapika would have to adapt in real-time.
Fortunately, the Beast hadn't acted yet. They still had time to prepare.
If no new "contracted" victims appeared by the final day of training, then whatever happened next wouldn't be Area 12's fault.
Four days remained in their two-week agreement. The final lesson would be held the day after the upcoming banquet.
As Joey mulled over these issues, he suddenly saw something behind Momoze—a new, grotesque Nen Beast.
It floated like a twisted spider, leeching her life force with every breath.
"I didn't even do anything today… why do I feel so tired?" Momoze smiled at Joey, setting down the scarf she'd been knitting.
Joey's clone couldn't maintain En constantly. His aura reserve was fixed, and once depleted, his clone would dissipate.
Kurapika also couldn't keep En active all the time for surveillance.
With their guard lowered, the Twelfth Prince had grown more vulnerable—and now, someone had made their move.
Momoze hadn't left Area 12 since the last banquet, and her only interactions were with non-Nen users.
If she was still targeted… then Joey's first guess was: the Second Prince's forces had acted.
After all, curse-based Nen didn't require direct contact.
But why would the Second Prince do this?
By all accounts, their factions had a neutral—even cooperative—relationship.
Last time they'd even offered helpful intel about the Second Prince's Nen curse.
Even knowing that the prince was a ruthless egotist, Joey couldn't help but feel frustrated—the fuck is this logic?
But staring at that Beast, he knew it wasn't that simple.
Whoever cursed Momoze had done it from afar. The curse wasn't overwhelmingly powerful—at its current pace, it'd take at least two days to kill her.
That's a long time.
And Joey knew the Second Prince had an Exorcist.
"An Exorcist…" Joey muttered under his breath—then his eyes lit up.
Because suddenly, it all made sense.
Maybe this attack was intended to kill Momoze.
But maybe more than that—it was a test.