Chapter 108

Who would have thought that the world's most beautiful crown, capable of bestowing world-class beauty upon its wearer, required the lives of Nen users to function?

Only by continuously offering the lives of Nen users to the crown could it generate the Nen necessary to shroud the Queen's face in its flawless aura of beauty.

Nen users were exceedingly rare in the outside world, but for V5 and the Hunter Association, acquiring them was only a moderate challenge.

Though the process would involve considerable trouble, Chogelama was entirely undeterred.

Even the world's richest tycoon, Battera, was willing to exhaust his fortune for the one he loved, so naturally, Chogelama could also go to any lengths to achieve his goals.

Looking at the Queen, his eyes were filled with sincerity:

"For you, I'm willing to do anything!"

Ah, was this true love? Or just blind devotion?

"You truly are the one who loves me the most."

The Queen's radiant smile appeared once more, and her gentle words sent a wave of euphoria through Chogelama, leaving him feeling as if his very bones were melting.

The atmosphere in the room quickly grew intimate, a unique tension simmering and threatening to boil over.

Just as things seemed on the verge of progressing further—

Knock, knock, knock.

"Who is it?!"

Chogelama's frustration flared, as if a moment of triumph had been abruptly snatched away.

"Mother, are you there?"

From outside came the voice of the elder prince.

"I'm here," the Queen responded instantly.

Hearing her son, the Queen quickly removed the crown from her head. Without the crown's Nen effects, her face visibly aged in moments, her skin sagging and wrinkles deepening.

This was her true appearance—a woman well into her seventies.

Chogelama's eyes flickered with regret at the transformation. The dazzling beauty he had adored was gone, replaced by an aged visage that evoked no interest in him whatsoever.

Noticing the shift in his demeanor, the Queen's expression turned cold, her displeasure evident.

"Come in," she said, her tone laced with irritation and impatience.

The elder prince entered with a respectful bow to his mother, followed by a polite nod to Chogelama.

Finally, he got to the point:

"Some intruders from the outside have broken into our royal treasury!"

Hearing this, the Queen's wrinkles deepened as her face darkened with displeasure.

"There's nothing in our treasury worth such attention…"

She paused mid-sentence, realization dawning.

"They're after the crown!"

The Mosibia royal family had only one treasure worthy of such greed—the Queen's crown.

"This cannot be allowed to happen!"

Outwardly calm, the Queen inwardly seethed with rage toward the intruders. To her, losing the crown was as devastating as losing her youth and beauty—a grudge she could never forgive.

"Have they been apprehended?" she demanded with a chilling tone.

"Not yet…"

"What?!"

The Queen's voice rose sharply, her gaze fixed on the prince with icy fury.

"What use are you if you can't handle this?!"

Her words were cutting, her disdain palpable.

"I've already ordered men to deal with it," the prince explained hastily. "The commotion should be over soon."

"It had better be," the Queen snapped. "If the guests outside are disturbed, it will be a humiliation to our entire royal family!"

"Yes, Mother," the prince replied, bowing his head in submission. Yet, as he lowered his head, a flicker of something darker crossed his eyes.

"Perhaps the advisors are right. As a prince, I'm treated little better than a pet dog. Maybe it's time for that to change."

Clenching his fists within his sleeves, he suppressed his growing resolve.

"If Mother is safe, I will take my leave."

With a formal bow, he began to retreat.

But just as he was about to exit—

Knock, knock, knock.

Another knock echoed through the room.

"Who is it this time?!"

The repeated interruptions had pushed the Queen's patience to its limit.

There was no response from outside.

"Hm?"

The Queen's brow furrowed, her irritation peaking. Just as she prepared to shout angrily, Chogelama raised his hand to stop her.

"Don't shout," he said quietly, his demeanor no longer servile but sharp and serious. His once docile expression now carried a heavy gravitas.

"The person outside is no ordinary visitor," he said, his tone cautious and filled with apprehension.

Though he played the fool for the Queen, Chogelama was far from incompetent. His years navigating the treacherous waters of V5 had honed his instincts and observation to a razor's edge.

"Are they the intruders?!"

The Queen grew tense, her earlier confidence vanishing. She knew her son wouldn't harm her, but if the intruders were at the door, their intentions could spell disaster.

"Quick, call for someone to stop them!" the Queen screamed, clutching the crown tightly to her chest in panic.

"Don't bother."

The door swung open gently.

"No matter how much you scream, no one will come to save you."

The voice was calm yet menacing, carrying a chilling certainty.

The Queen froze, her mind racing, as Morin stepped through the door leisurely.

"It really is the intruders!"

The elder prince immediately positioned himself in front of the Queen, spreading his arms protectively.

"I won't let you harm my mother!" he declared with righteous fervor.

His words were bold, but his darting eyes betrayed his true thoughts—he was already calculating his escape.

"Relax," Morin said with a shrug. "I'm not interested in your elderly mother."

Though blunt and disrespectful, his words held a certain honesty.

"I'm actually here for you."

Morin turned his attention to the prince, whose bravado faltered.

"For me?"

The prince was stunned, but his confusion quickly turned to shock as Morin dragged someone into the room—a figure he'd just been speaking to moments ago.

It was the portly officer he had assigned the task earlier.

The officer's disheveled and pitiful state left the prince's face pale with fear.

His hands and feet were twisted into grotesque, irregular shapes, and even his fat mouth was smeared with blood.

If one looked closely, they would see that the swollen mouth was entirely toothless, a bare expanse of gum with not a single tooth left intact.

"When I broke his hands and feet, I found his pig-like screams too noisy. To ensure he wouldn't cry out again from the pain, I smashed all his teeth," Morin explained calmly.

"But then I remembered—the source of sound is the vocal cords, throat, and tongue. Teeth don't actually contribute to making noise."

"When I was about to cut out his tongue, I discovered that, despite the pain of having all his teeth shattered, he endured it without making another sound."

"That, at least, achieved my goal."

As Morin finished speaking, the battered officer raised his bloodied face slightly, managing a hideous smile despite his mangled state.

"You have to admit, people who know their place are much easier to deal with."

"And they're more likely to keep their lives."

The elder prince's face turned ashen. Seeing one of his men treated this way was not only humiliating but also a direct slap to his own face.

"Bastard!!"

The words squeezed through his clenched teeth, but he refrained from any rash actions.

The fact that this intruder had reached this room unnoticed and subdued his subordinate so easily spoke volumes.

The prince knew the officer's reputation. While the man wasn't particularly skilled in combat, his ability to survive and adapt was renowned throughout the nation.

Yet, even with such instincts, he had fallen into this intruder's hands—and in such a miserable state.

This was clearly a reckless and unrestrained criminal. The prince wasn't foolish enough to provoke him further and risk his own life over a moment of pride.

While he gritted his teeth in silent frustration, Chogelama suddenly spoke:

"I see now. You're a Nen user, aren't you?"

He crossed his legs casually, his expression easing into a smirk.

"No wonder you managed to break in here. You've got some skill."

"But if you're here alone, there's no way you'll escape. It just so happens we need a Nen user's life for the crown ritual. And look at that—you delivered yourself right to us!"

With a confident grin, Chogelama clapped his hands.

Clap, clap!

The crisp sound echoed, but nothing happened.

"Hmm?"

His expression faltered.

"You were calling for those twin bodyguards of yours, weren't you? The ones with opposite complexions but identical faces?"

Morin's tone was indifferent.

"If you were, you're wasting your energy."

"You'll be joining them soon enough."

The two guards stationed at the door had been swiftly dealt with the moment Morin entered.

Hearing this, Chogelama's confident smile vanished, replaced by a deep scowl.

"You're not like the other thieves I've encountered before."

He furrowed his brows, attempting to salvage the situation with a change in tactics:

"What will it take for you to leave? Name your price, and if it's reasonable, I'll meet it."

Sitting back with a composed air, Chogelama adjusted his posture, adopting an air of authority.

"Someone like you surely knows what you want and understands what lines shouldn't be crossed."

"In front of you is the Queen of the Mosibia royal family, her heir, and a senior official of V5."

"Acting against us would be tantamount to declaring war on the entire world!"

"You must know how many distinguished nobles and guests are gathered outside in the grand hall for this celebration.

"They, like us, are prominent figures of the upper echelons of society. If harm befalls us, none of them will stand idly by."

"I trust you can weigh the consequences."

To an ordinary thief, such threats would mean little. Their priority would be survival above all else.

But to someone like Morin, whose calm demeanor suggested a methodical and calculated approach, Chogelama was willing to negotiate.

In Chogelama's view, even thieves had their own social strata, with clear distinctions between the crude and the sophisticated.

He preferred dealing with the latter—logical criminals were far easier to reason with.

Of course, this logic only applied if the thief's objective didn't directly conflict with his own interests.

Otherwise, the outcome was inevitable.

Since Morin had explicitly stated that his target was the elder prince, Chogelama felt no personal threat and comfortably began discussing terms.

He believed his influence, status, and connections—especially to V5—were deterrents even for audacious criminals.

After all, no thief would dare provoke the wrath of V5.

Unless…?

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