Chapter 110

Other than his mouth, the elder prince's nostrils, eyes, ears—any part of his face with an opening—was stuffed full of the white powder.

"This is the result of the years you've spent cultivating it. It's only right that you should be the first to experience its effects."

The elder prince let out muffled groans, struggling violently.

But—

Under Morin's grip, he couldn't create so much as a ripple. He could only passively endure it all.

Chogelama and the elder queen were so terrified by the scene that they didn't dare breathe too loudly.

As time went on, the prince's movements and groans became weaker and weaker.

Finally, his arms stopped struggling and dropped limply to his sides.

"As expected, the drug's effects are quite potent," Morin remarked.

He lifted the elder prince and saw that his wide-open eyes were bleeding profusely. Blood was also flowing from his ears, nostrils, and mouth.

"Bleeding from all seven orifices, dying with eyes wide open, huh?"

Morin checked his breathing and confirmed that the prince was dead. Then, he carelessly tossed the body aside.

"Consider yourself lucky."

Although it was a gruesome death, Morin didn't think it was harsh enough.

Crack.

With a casual kick, he sent a still-breathing but severely injured officer flying to the side. The man's bones cracked further as Morin dragged him near Chogelama and the elder queen.

"What do you plan to do?!" Chogelama tensed up, his nerves taut.

"Well, judging by your familiarity with the queen's quarters, you probably know the Mosibia Palace better than your own home," Morin said lightly. "With your intelligence, don't tell me you're unaware of what's happening here or what's about to happen?"

Morin clapped his hands, then revealed the Truth Adhesive Patch he'd yanked off the officer.

"You should know I have the ability to make people tell the truth. Would you rather resist and have it forced out of you, or cooperate willingly and make things easier for yourself?"

"I'll cooperate willingly!" Chogelama blurted out without hesitation.

When faced with a life-or-death situation, he knew better than to be stubborn.

"Good!"

Morin nodded approvingly.

"You're someone who knows how to read the room."

He promptly slapped the Truth Adhesive Patch onto Chogelama's forehead.

"Wait…what?!"

Chogelama, who had just sighed in relief, froze.

"But I'm cooperating already! Didn't you just praise me for being sensible?"

"Apologies," Morin said insincerely, showing no remorse. "I just think this is a more reliable method. Like I said, I don't like unnecessary complications. This way is quicker and better for both of us."

He turned his gaze toward the elder queen, who clutched the crown to her chest, trembling in terror.

"I overheard what you were discussing earlier," Morin said.

"I'm quite interested in this item. What kind of object requires the sacrifice of a Nen user's life to activate its effects?"

Before Chogelama could respond, the elder queen shrieked in terror:

"No!!"

Her high-pitched, piercing scream was astonishingly loud—unimaginable coming from a woman over 90 years old.

"Take anything you want, but you cannot take this! You can't!" she screamed, backing away until she was pressed against the wall.

When she realized she had nowhere left to retreat, she saw Morin's calm gaze fixed on her.

The woman's instincts told her:

This man would not let her—or the crown—go.

Realizing this, her terrified expression twisted into one of madness and venom.

"You thief, scoundrel, degenerate, villain, pervert, shameless bastard!"

The elder queen spewed a torrent of insults, her voice trembling with hatred.

"Shut up!!"

To everyone's surprise, it wasn't Morin but Chogelama who interrupted her tirade. His roar silenced the queen, leaving her stunned.

"You old hag! Do you think I would've worked for a decrepit crone like you if it weren't for your resemblance to my first love?!" Chogelama spat venomously under the influence of the Truth Adhesive Patch.

"You're nothing without that crown! Foolish, brainless, useless—always screwing things up!"

His outburst was so impassioned and rhythmic that even Morin raised an eyebrow at his unexpected talent for insults.

The elder queen, rendered speechless by Chogelama's tirade, could only let tears well up in her eyes.

Chogelama, now fully under the patch's effects, began confessing everything:

"The Mosibia royal family planned to use illicit substances to invade other nations. I was aware of it but didn't intervene."

"V5 prefers to see the Ajin Continent in chaos—it prevents any single nation from becoming powerful enough to threaten their dominance. And during times of war, the arms trade thrives. I personally own a weapons company and have already signed contracts with Mosibia."

Chogelama revealed that he had also been negotiating with the seven nations planning to invade. He had intended to finalize deals with them after the banquet.

Despite knowing Mosibia's plans and the suffering they would bring, he saw it as an opportunity to profit.

Finally, he disclosed the truth about the crown:

"The queen's crown can restore a person's youthful beauty, enhancing it to an unparalleled level of perfection. It transforms its wearer into the most beautiful person imaginable."

"This crown likely possesses such power because of past queens who obsessively desired beauty. Their lingering attachment and desires must have manifested as Nen, becoming entangled with the crown."

Morin remained stoic as he listened.

He recognized the crown as an artifact influenced by Nen, shaped by the intense obsessions of its previous owners. While such items often granted miraculous effects, they usually came with dangerous side effects or curses.

This crown was no exception.

Morin glanced at the crown—it truly was stunningly beautiful.

He had to admit, it was the most exquisite object he had ever seen in his life.

After all, it was forged using several of the Seven Great Beauties, a result that would naturally make it extraordinary.

But for Morin, such aesthetics weren't the focus. What mattered more was its functionality.

"Is the crown's effect a result of the grievances and lingering obsessions of past queens lamenting their aging beauty, accumulating over generations?"

Morin pondered the idea briefly before dismissing it.

"If it were the nen left behind by deceased nen users, it wouldn't be surprising to achieve this effect. But if these were just ordinary queens, there's no way the strength of their nen could reach such a level!

"If past queens really were nen users, they would have either developed an ability to maintain their youthful beauty or focused on other abilities, rather than relying on something like this crown."

"In short, while the crown being wrapped in nen is plausible, for it to display such powerful and unique effects, especially requiring the lives of nen users as a condition, seems overly exaggerated."

"Unless… it's the influence of the Seven Great Beauties themselves?"

Morin speculated further. "After all, Kurapika's Kurta Clan can develop two distinct nen abilities thanks to the special trait of their Scarlet Eyes."

As these thoughts crossed his mind, he heard Chograuma slowly reveal a second theory:

"The second possibility for the crown's unique effect, as we hypothesize..."

He shared a revelation that both surprised Morin and felt oddly logical:

"It might be tied to the Dark Sonata."

"The Dark Sonata?"

Morin's expression shifted slightly upon hearing the term.

According to legend, the Dark Sonata is a solo composition created by a demon king. When humans play or listen to it, they are inevitably subjected to unimaginable catastrophes.

This mythical sheet music comprises four movements, each playable by different instruments: piano, violin, flute, and harp.

Among Morin's associates, there was a music hunter, Melody, who bore witness to the effects of the Dark Sonata. Her current grotesque appearance was the result of listening to the flute movement.

Moreover, the original performer of that flute movement had perished immediately after playing.

Melody once explained her story to Kurapika:

"I heard the flute solo. Just one movement was enough to turn me into this. My friend, who performed it, died after finishing the piece.

"We were drunk that night when we played it. As a result, I gained nen abilities at the cost of my healthy body. Even now, I want nothing more than to recover my original form. I've made it my mission to find the sheet music and destroy it so no one else suffers as I did."

By hearing the flute's solo movement, Melody exchanged her health for nen abilities.

Thinking along these lines, Morin's eyes widened slightly.

"Our hypothesis suggests that this crown, originally imbued with harmless nen, may have been altered after exposure to the Dark Sonata," Chograuma continued.

"Only the Dark Sonata could fundamentally transform the nature of the nen surrounding this object.

"Moreover, the nen changes in this crown feel eerily similar to the effects of the Dark Sonata sheet music stored in V5's archives."

Chograuma laid out all the information he knew.

Morin didn't comment immediately, but inwardly, he began piecing the puzzle together.

"Melody gained nen abilities by sacrificing her health after hearing the flute movement."

"This crown, on the other hand, sacrifices the lives of nen users to grant beauty."

"One exchanges the body for abilities, the other uses abilities to enhance the body."

"A reverse effect...?"

The stark contrast in outcomes quickly led Morin to a thought:

If one were to reverse-play the flute solo of the Dark Sonata—the same part Melody heard—wouldn't it replicate the crown's effects?

The Dark Sonata is a legendary composition, possibly originating from the Dark Continent or remaining in the Sixth Continent near Lake Mobius. Its terrifying effects are undeniable.

Not only does playing it as written produce results, but playing it in reverse could also unleash mysterious and unpredictable effects!

If that were true, it explained the crown's extraordinary properties.

"The Dark Sonata, huh?"

Morin stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"If I ever have the opportunity, it might be worth collecting the movements to test them out."

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