Normally, if the Second Prince was informed that she was being possessed by a Nen ability—under surveillance even—then her private guards should have taken special measures to relay the information to her without being detected.
This would include investigating the nature of the possession, or more directly, locating an Exorcist to remove the Nen from the Second Prince.
Joey's intelligence, although not intentionally, indirectly revealed that he knew the Second Prince's guards included an Exorcist. But evidently, something had gone wrong with that plan.
Joey had underestimated just how sensitive the Second Prince was regarding Exorcists.
His actions had drawn her attention—and spurred her imagination.
Rubbing his chin, Joey considered: if this move was a probe, then it was likely the Second Prince was testing whether Joey had known about the curse ability from the start, and if he knew that she was behind it.
In other words, she had concluded that most of Area 2's secrets were already known to him.
Which meant the situation had become much clearer.
The Second Prince had probably already deduced that there was no Exorcist in Area 12—after all, if there were, everything she'd done would be in vain.
The assassin responsible for cursing the Twelfth Prince would be wasting his life.
In the current circumstances, with Momoze cursed, the only way to save her was by finding an Exorcist.
And where was the Exorcist?
In Area 2.
So for Joey to save the Twelfth Prince, he would either have to submit to the Second Prince—or offer something of equal value to trade for her cooperation. That, too, might be part of her plan.
And if Joey chose either of those options, it would confirm to the Second Prince that he had detailed knowledge of Area 2. That in itself would be a risk.
Because Joey knew she wasn't the type to let someone live if they knew too much about her.
Even not choosing one of those options wouldn't solve the issue.
If Momoze died, Kurapika would be disqualified automatically.
They'd lose their stronghold on the first floor, and their ability to maneuver in the succession war would be crippled.
For now, they still needed the Prince's status as protection.
From the Second Prince's perspective, Joey refusing to act would be beneficial. She could eliminate Momoze and confirm her assumption that the guards in Area 12 were unaware of her secrets.
Joey processed all this quickly. Then he realized a crucial information gap.
The Second Prince didn't know he could leave the first floor at will—or bring people up from the lower levels.
Which meant he didn't need to accept either of her options. He could just contact Kacho and request an Exorcist from her.
The Hunter Association had made clear their mission to explore the Dark Continent—there had to be Exorcists among their ranks.
But hiring one would come with its own price, not to mention the pressure that would follow from the Second Prince.
Because if Momoze's curse were removed, it wouldn't just reveal that Joey had access to an Exorcist—it would also confirm that he had intel on Area 2.
With tensions already high, the Second Prince would never let them live.
She might even launch a full assault on Area 12.
Later, Kurapika also caught wind of the situation.
Time was running short. Both he and Joey could see the Nen Beast draining Momoze's life force in real time. Even with Kurapika's help awakening her Nen, Momoze couldn't withstand such a sustained drain.
Joey had considered using Golden Experience's life energy to keep her alive—perhaps extend her time.
But before he could suggest it, Kurapika spoke.
"Can you be certain this is the Second Prince's private guard's doing?"
"Of course. I've got intel straight from Area 2," Joey replied. His ladybug spies were still active and had been feeding him a steady stream of data.
The only problem was, being on a lower level, Joey hadn't checked all the updates in time—and things had gotten out of hand.
"Then we should identify the guard who used the ability. If we can trace it back, we can point directly at the Second Prince," Kurapika said.
But Joey shook his head. "All of the Second Prince's private guards are Indisposables. Their abilities are all post-mortem Nen."
Kurapika frowned.
To him, post-mortem Nen wasn't about the boost in power—it was about the impossibility of accountability.
Even if they found the user, they'd already be dead.
Even the Royal Army would be helpless against the Second Prince. She could make up any excuse she wanted—no one could refute her.
She could even pretend to be the victim.
Kurapika understood what "Indisposable" meant. These people weren't just ready to die—they welcomed it. They'd been prepared from the beginning.
When a person no longer fears death, they don't need to explode with vow-powered strength—they can simply choose to die. That alone makes them deadly.
"Still, let's try to find the caster. With their identity, we can negotiate or manipulate the situation. If we're invited back to Area 2, we can resolve it through simpler means," Kurapika said.
Joey nodded. For now, their goal was to prolong the succession war. But if the Second Prince focused all her firepower on them, Momoze would be in critical danger.
There was another problem: the number of Nen users in the room was increasing.
At this rate, they were the majority.
If the attacker hadn't abandoned the plan, then Momoze could be targeted by the white snake curse at any moment.
On top of that, Belilent's condition was approaching the breaking point. According to Biscuit's report, he could snap and lash out at any moment.
That made it impossible for Biscuit to leave the Seventh Queen and come to Area 12.
"Fine," Joey agreed with Kurapika. "Actually, it's easy to guess. The curse's strength increases the closer the caster is to the target—so he's probably hiding nearby."
Kurapika's eyes swept toward the Tenth and Eleventh Prince's quarters. "Area 10. It's empty."
"Even if we knew that, what good would it do?" Joey asked. "Area 10 is sealed off. And as lower-ranked princes, we're not allowed to enter higher-ranked territories uninvited."
Even if they found a corpse there, it wouldn't help. It might even lead to accusations against them.
"We just need to throw something into Area 10 and make a big enough scene. That way, someone else will discover the body," Kurapika suggested.
Joey instantly understood. "I'm a clone—I can't use Golden Experience to create life."
His clone only had access to Emitter-type abilities. Anything else was a stretch—and Golden Experience was a Specialist ability. Total fantasy.
Kurapika nodded. "Weren't you going to dispose of this clone anyway? Now's the time."
"How?" Joey blinked. He hadn't thought it through.
He wanted to remove his connection to the Twelfth Prince because he wasn't supposed to stay here.
He'd be impersonating the Third Prince to infiltrate the VVIP zone.
Letting Hisoka replace him in Area 12 was laughable. That guy was having too much fun down below.
Joey doubted he could even convince Hisoka to come back up and play his part. He might have to act both roles himself to fool the Third Prince.
A high-risk move.
"Belilent is close to snapping, right?" Kurapika abruptly shifted the topic.
"Yeah."
"When he finally loses it—who will he attack?" Kurapika asked, hinting at something.
Joey couldn't say. Everyone in Area 13 was loyal to the Seventh Queen. While they didn't swear allegiance to the Twelfth Prince, they liked her.
So if Belilent snapped, he probably wouldn't go berserk inside Area 13.
Joey's eyes lit up. In that case, Belilent might leave Area 13.
Luring him to Area 8 would be the best way to stir up trouble there.
But the flaw in this plan was: how long could Belilent hold out?
If more than two days, it'd be pointless.
Only if he snapped within the next 40 hours would it help them.
"Twenty-four hours," Kurapika said. "If nothing happens by then, we try something else. If it does—lure him to Area 8. Let him vanish in front of witnesses. That's our best shot."
"You want to stage another disappearance, this time with a big audience," Joey realized.
"Exactly. The Tenth Prince vanished, didn't he? Let's redirect everyone's attention back to Area 10. Force them to investigate," Kurapika said. "All we have to do is make it seem like Area 10 contains some mysterious zone."
Joey nodded slowly. "So… you want me to go there early and prep the area? But my En won't fool any real Nen users."
He remembered how Area 13 had been divided into visible and hidden layers—thanks to the Thirteenth Prince's Nen Beast.
To the eye, it seemed empty.
But in the hidden world, everything remained.
Joey's only real camouflage tool was the Mirage—just a light-bending illusion. No alternate dimension.
Kurapika shook his head. "You don't need that. Just make a few people disappear every so often. That's enough. It's a long con."
"In that case, I can do it," Joey agreed. "And if he lasts longer than 24 hours?"
"Two options," Kurapika said. "First, when the Sixth Queen returns to Area 11, pass a message to Melody. She'll go to Area 10 and discover the truth.
Second, forget Area 10 and the Second Prince. You'll have to get an Exorcist from the Association and remove the curse yourself."
"In the end," he added, "it all depends on whether you can find an Exorcist."
Joey agreed. No matter how you framed it, Momoze's death would benefit the Second Prince most.
"Alright. Let's do it," he said. "I'll contact Piyon and ask about Exorcists now."
As Joey dealt with the curse draining the Twelfth Prince's life, things were stirring on the Fifth Level.
Members of the Kashai Family—usually reserved—spotted two Phantom Troupe members in a corridor.
One was Nobunaga in his ronin garb. The other was the real Phinks in casual clothes.
"So annoying," Nobunaga muttered, eyes sweeping the ceiling instead of the cowardly gangsters watching from afar.
"Heard the Ai Ai Family's fully joined Hisoka," Phinks said, also looking up.
There, a section of the ceiling had peeled away like the corner of a page.
A man with a crescent moon on his face peered through.
"Joined Hisoka? Nah—it's more like Hisoka joined us," the man said.
He was a member of the Ai Ai Family—one of those who'd received a Nen ability from Morena.
His name was Ruini. Level 21.
Which meant he'd fully mastered his own unique ability.
"Wikipedia says the Phantom Troupe are ruthless maniacs—brazen, wild, merciless. But you look pretty tame to me," Ruini said with a smirk. "Letting Kashai trash scare you off?"
"…What the hell's he talking about?" Phinks asked Nobunaga.