Light rain fell over the Kakin Empire's royal capital.
The king's birthday was approaching. Princes who normally scattered across the country, some even studying abroad, had gathered in the palace for banquets and ceremonies. Mandatory attendance. Political theater.
Rain tapped against the window. Inside the quiet room, Babimyna stood at attention, hands behind his back.
Behind the desk, First Prince Benjamin read through the mission report like a lion in human skin. Calm. Efficient. Predatory. Each page, once read, was passed to his chief of staff, Balsamilco. The bald, scarred man reviewed them methodically until the final page.
Benjamin closed his eyes, thinking. Balsamilco sorted through the information mentally.
Alain Blanchett, Two-Star Relic Hunter from the Hunter Association, confirmed contact with King Wangu's empty tomb...
The Nen beast left by the late Prince Nasubi has been neutralized by Blanchett. No longer a threat to the royal family...
The exiled prince and all her guards are dead...
Babimyna suspects surveillance via birds...
And the whereabouts of that illegitimate child remain unknown. No confirmation of life or death.
Benjamin opened his eyes. "The Hunter License. It wasn't found on the bodyguard's corpse?"
"No, sir." Babimyna remained rigid. "Three possibilities. One: he didn't carry it. Two: it was lost during the fight with Musse. Three: it was scavenged by animals or passersby after death."
Balsamilco spoke, voice measured. "A Hunter hired to protect an exiled prince wouldn't travel without his license. Other unconfirmed possibilities aside, let's assume someone picked it up."
Benjamin flipped through Babimyna's report, eyes scanning rapidly. He stopped at two sections. "Suspected bird surveillance" and "Liam, a Professional Hunter appearing to be only kid." His finger tapped the paper.
"By process of elimination," Benjamin said. "Is it possible this Liam is the one who picked up the license? More importantly, is it possible he's the missing bastard?"
Balsamilco frowned. "He's an Emitter. But we can't rule out an Enhancer disguised as an Emitter. Or—"
"Or a Manipulator," Babimyna said. "In which case, the birds monitoring me could be his work."
"There are all kinds of bizarre abilities," Balsamilco said slowly. "A newborn growing to the size of a five-year-old kid isn't impossible. But who did it? The useless prince was an ordinary woman. Awakening Nen at death? The probability's too low. And even if the baby's body was forced to grow, this Liam's demonstrated knowledge, skill, and cognitive ability are difficult to explain. Unless Liam himself is a puppet manifested by someone hiding in the shadows. But that leads to infinite speculation. We'll never reach a conclusion."
Benjamin nodded, decision made. "Since no body was found, assume the bastard's alive. Since we don't know where he is, assume he's hostile. Assume in the next ten or twenty years, he'll come for revenge. Stay prepared."
He stood, adjusting his suit. Not his usual military uniform. Tonight was a formal ball. The black fabric strained against his muscular frame.
"Keep all information on Liam and every Hunter mentioned in Babimyna's report. This matter ends here. For now."
Benjamin pushed the door open, stepping into the red-carpeted corridor.
He nearly collided with a tall woman in a long dress. Elegant. Beautiful. Dangerous.
In Kakin tradition, all the king's children, regardless of gender, were called princes. There was no primogeniture. Inheritance was determined by a succession war announced by the reigning king. Winner takes all.
This woman was the Second Prince. Camilla Hui Guo Rou.
"Oh my," Camilla said, smile poisonous. "Camilla is surprised a gorilla like you is still wandering around. Do you intend to dirty the air of this palace that Camilla will inherit?"
Benjamin's expression twisted, ferocious. "Stupid woman. When the succession war begins, I'll make you regret those words."
He turned and walked toward the ballroom. Balsamilco watched his prince's back, thinking. Outsiders are always deceived by Prince Benjamin's brutish exterior. They don't see his intelligence, his patience, his ruthlessness. He rarely loses his temper. He's the perfect candidate to inherit this kingdom.
"Camilla has already made a wish," the Second Prince muttered to herself, expression blank. "But these annoying princes haven't died on their own yet. This world is so unreasonable."
She entered the ballroom, where nobles and celebrities gathered like well-dressed vultures.
Far from Kakin, Ginta sat at a table, staring at his laptop screen.
The Hunter Association's database showed no Professional Hunter named Liam. He wasn't on the list of candidates who'd passed their exams. He wasn't on the official roster of participants from the last twenty exams. Not the last fifty, either.
"Is it a pseudonym?" Ginta opened a bag of potato chips, chewing thoughtfully. "If it's like Bisky-senpai's situation, where the physical appearance has completely changed... if he's using a fake name, he's a completely different person. Unless I get his DNA and access the international database, determining his true identity is impossible."
Or maybe Liam's identity existed in the Association's more classified records?
Although Ginta was one of the Twelve Zodiacs, he couldn't access everything. Ging, for example, also a Zodiac, had virtually no information on file. Even Chairman Netero probably couldn't track what that wandering prodigal did on a daily basis. The Hunter Association wasn't a rigid organization. It didn't bind its members tightly.
"Should I ask Pyon for help? She's always on her laptop or phone. Her tech skills are way better than mine..."
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Ginta ate chips for a while, drank two bottles of soda.
He decided against it. Strictly speaking, he and Pyon, the Rabbit Zodiac, were on opposite sides within the Zodiacs. He leaned conservative. Pyon's faction leaned radical, pushing for reform. They weren't close.
Besides, based on Liam's behavior, aside from hiding his identity, he seemed sincere. No ill intent toward Menchi, a junior Hunter.
Ginta closed his laptop. He was a Poacher Hunter, not an Hacker Hunter. He had his own work to focus on.
Somewhere on a ship bound for Greburg, Ochima's port city, Menchi knocked on Liam's cabin door.
"Liam! Let's take a walk. Shizuku's coming too."
Liam's voice came from inside. "Training! No time!"
Inside the cabin, Liam sat cross-legged on the narrow bed, hand pressed against his chest. His face twisted slightly.
The pain was back.
Cold and hot at the same time. Death energy, coiling around his heart like frozen fire.