Each × Silent Night?

In the VVIP zone on Tier 1—

While the banquet raged on, First Prince Benjamin sat across from the captain of his private guard, Baluth Saimilko.

"He's more useful than our own soldiers," Benjamin said, sipping his coffee, the implication clear.

"But also more dangerous. We haven't received any updates from our operatives sent to the lower tiers," Saimilko responded calmly, fully aware of what Benjamin meant.

"It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that the mafia's trail has finally surfaced." Benjamin smiled coldly. "At this point, even if the Hunter Association or Royal Army want to keep ignoring the fact that certain princes are in contact with the Kakin underworld, they can't anymore."

"The Judiciary has confirmed the attackers' identities—and they've also confirmed the identity of the Third Prince's private guards. Now, it's all up to the Judiciary and the Association to decide how to proceed."

Benjamin didn't even bother mentioning the Royal Army's stance. He'd already issued a direct order to investigate the mafia in the lower tiers.

A mere gang daring to target royalty? They had forfeited the right to exist.

Benjamin Hui Guo Rou wasn't a prince in name only—he was also Supreme Deputy Military Adviser of the Kakin Royal Army, with real command authority.

Most of the army supported his claim to the throne. His private soldiers operated within the lower levels as well, ensuring his orders were swiftly executed.

But Saimilko shook his head.

"Your Highness, it's not that simple."

He drew Benjamin's gaze before continuing, "Our private soldiers report that instead of investigating all mafia groups, the Royal Army is now collaborating with the Xi Yuu and Gyasha families on Tier 4 and 5 to crack down on the Ei Ei family on Tier 3."

"So what? Is the Ei Ei family as crazy as their patron prince?" Benjamin sneered, slamming his fist on the table. "Every one of those rats in the dark should be eradicated! Including the Royal Army dogs who chose to cooperate with them!"

Saimilko remained unshaken by Benjamin's fury. In a flat voice, he said, "The Royal Army has confirmed that the person who used space-warping ability to escape Tier 1 was none other than Dio of District 12."

Instead of dwelling on the mafia situation, he redirected the conversation to Joey.

At the mention of "Dio," Benjamin's brow twitched, but he didn't interrupt.

"That leads us to several conclusions."

"First—Third Prince Zhang Lei's death was definitely tied to Dio. More specifically, to the spatial ability possessed by the Tenth and Eleventh Princes, which Dio used to bring people precisely where he wanted."

"That means members of the Ei Ei family were smuggled into the VVIP zone by Joey, using the abilities of the Tenth and Eleventh Princes."

"And why did Dio do it? Likely due to the earlier investigation of District 12 by the Royal Army—an incident involving the Third Prince's guard, Sakata, stationed there on Zhang Lei's orders."

"Afterward, Wu Xiaohai searched Tier 3 but couldn't find Sakata's body—so he probably died in District 12."

"There's more—later in the afternoon, a powerful explosion occurred in the VVIP zone. Most likely a battle. So, there was another intruder."

"All signs suggest a deal was made between the Third Prince and District 12. We don't know the terms, but clearly, the deal went bad. No one came out ahead."

"Which likely led to the Third Prince's death."

Saimilko rattled off the analysis in one breath. Though some pieces were still missing, he was very close to the truth.

"This proves that Dio has long been in contact with the Xi Yuu and Ei Ei families in the lower tiers."

He held up two fingers, bending one slowly.

"There's another key point: the Tenth and Eleventh Princes."

Tier 1's earlier intel had already identified their ability types. So once it was confirmed that Dio used spatial movement, the three were linked.

"Our private soldiers have found no trace of the Tenth or Eleventh Princes, either in upper or lower tiers. It's as if they never appeared there. That could be due to their abilities—but I believe someone has been actively helping to hide them."

"This line of thinking led me to consider another side of Dio and Kurapika: they're both Hunters."

"So I had our men investigate rooms registered to the Hunter Association—and that's when I noticed something strange. Especially after today's report from Tier 5, I'm even more convinced—the people helping hide the two princes are Hunters."

"High-ranking ones."

Data from our scouts showed that both the site where the Phantom Troupe was spotted and the area of today's Tier 5 battle were Association-designated rooms.

That wasn't hard to find. The challenge was linking those points.

But the Troupe's appearance was proof enough—especially since we now know Dio and Hisoka escaped the royal zone together.

As Saimilko laid it all out, Benjamin's expression gradually cooled. He was listening carefully.

Saimilko paused briefly before continuing.

"Once everything ties back to Dio, it becomes clear—the Hunter Association has always known that the mafia is backed by the princes."

"And yet, they haven't exposed it. Haven't taken action. Why?"

Seeing Benjamin deep in thought, Saimilko answered his own question:

"Because if the Association attacks the mafia, it will spark more than just gang retaliation. The 200,000 civilians aboard the ship might riot."

This possibility had already been raised in a Royal Army meeting by Mizaistom. With the evidence now in hand, the Association's motives became obvious.

They want to smooth things over.

After all, both they and the V5's Voyage Bureau have one shared goal:

Reach the Dark Continent via the Black Whale.

Saimilko also understood another reason not to act against the mafia.

Most of the population aboard was crammed into the bottom three tiers—a chaotic mess that only the Kakin mafia could realistically manage.

The upper-tier Royal Army could only establish checkpoints and deploy a few armed soldiers.

But how many soldiers boarded in total?

How many were actually combat-ready?

Saimilko and Benjamin knew better than anyone:

The true elites of the Royal Army were concentrated in the top two tiers.

And even they weren't numerous—many were tasked with future expeditions to the Dark Continent.

That's why the Royal Army, Judiciary, and Association had all tacitly agreed not to touch the mafia.

Because if a riot did break out—even if the Association's Hunters were worth a hundred men—there'd be no way to quell it in time.

Worst case? The Black Whale could sink en route.

"So?" Benjamin asked darkly.

Retreat?

Compromise?

These weren't in his vocabulary.

Even if it was near-impossible to suppress an uprising, he would never yield.

Saimilko knew this well. "That's why we need to take an indirect approach to handle the mafia."

"Right now, they're already clashing with the Ei Ei family, backed by the Fourth Prince."

"Let the Royal Army cooperate with them to root out the Ei Ei family. Let the dogs eat each other."

"And just like I said—Dio is the key. With him stirring the pot, we may only need to give a slight nudge to resolve this cleanly."

"In fact, it may be worth helping him a little—perhaps by leaking info about the Seventh Prince."

Benjamin's brows furrowed deeply. This roundabout method wasn't to his liking.

"But Your Highness," Saimilko pressed, "you could treat Dio as a disobedient private soldier."

"Look at the enemies he's removed: the Fourth Prince, the Third Prince. I even suspect he's involved in the Thirteenth Prince's disappearance."

"Now he's completely at odds with District 2. His allies in District 6 could be compromised at any moment. District 7's mafia is using the Phantom Troupe to hunt him down."

"So as long as he's alive, all we need to do is deal with the princes of Districts 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14."

"Of those, only 5, 9, and 14 need to be taken out now. The rest can be cleaned up once Dio's usefulness ends."

"And if he dares seek revenge—he'll still have to get past the elite Royal Army loyal to His Majesty."

The Royal Army's movements in the prince zones couldn't remain secret forever.

Saimilko had already picked up on their hesitation.

He had no answers yet—but he'd keep watching. While leveraging both the Army and Dio, he would continue his own investigations.

Benjamin tapped the table.

"If an opportunity presents itself—eliminate him. There's no need to stay on good terms."

"Of course," Saimilko said at last, a rare smile curling his lips.

…

District 2 wasn't calm either.

After news from Tier 5, the Second Prince learned that all three private soldiers she sent to contact Dio had died.

But whether they were killed by Dio or the Phantom Troupe was still unclear.

One thing she did know: the leak about Dio's location came from her side.

"Still not confirmed?" Her face was grim.

In front of her stood Commander Sarahel and the seated Second Queen.

She suddenly threw her teacup to the floor.

The crash made Sarahel flinch.

"Damn it! Only three people knew that intel—me, you, and my mother who used the ability. Are you saying one of us leaked it?! I want a full investigation!"

"Yes, Your Highness..." Sarahel sighed inside.

Just kill me already...

…

In District 5, the Fifth Prince stared at her computer, deep in thought.

District 12 was even more treacherous than she'd expected. But she had no other choice.

At least Maor had awakened his Nen.

Now all she needed was to solidify her plan and eliminate the First Prince's private guards.

She'd calculated her moves precisely—

All that was left was execution.

If Longji were still alive, her odds would've gone up by ten percent.

But there was no time to adjust now.

If everything went well, she'd also need to master Nen quickly.

This world truly had such terrifying powers.

…

District 6.

Izunabi's eyes were rimmed black with exhaustion. Things were spiraling beyond his expectations.

Fanaticism.

Zealotry.

Madness.

That was the truest description of District 6 now.

No—

Add one more: stillness and calm.

Stillness, in him.

Calm, in the First Prince's private guard Oraw.

But they both knew—

Neither could remain still or calm much longer.

The Sixth Prince's ability was slowly activating.

Anyone who stayed near him—no matter how much they disliked him—would eventually be assimilated.

"Time for today's lesson~"

A creepy voice whispered in Izunabi's ear, turning him pale.

He turned and saw the eerie black Nen Beast perched on his shoulder—morphing.

In his vision, it turned into glowing words only he could hear and read.

They conveyed the ideology of the Tyson Scriptures—the Sixth Prince's wish to fill the world with love.

…

In District 7, Basho continued loyally guarding the Seventh Prince—

Unaware that the boy now held a note full of writing.

After reading it, the prince casually lit it with a match—

Then used it to light a legal cigarette.

The situation hadn't resolved as easily as expected. It had, in fact, grown more complicated.

The prince furrowed his brow, as if bothered by the smoke.

…

District 9.

The Ninth Prince had just returned from the banquet.

His face was sour.

Only he, the Fifth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince had attended.

His plans for the event had been wasted.

Now, he'd have to take more aggressive measures.

He glanced at his gathered private soldiers, and they met his gaze in turn.

…

District 12.

Judiciary agents had taken up residence.

The fake Twelfth Prince still slept quietly in the room.

Kurapika stood watch, but his mind was elsewhere—

Focused on the lower tiers.

A vibration in his phone snapped him back.

He read the message—

And a faint smile crept across his face.

Melody had awakened. Joey was safe.

At last, a burden lifted from his heart.

…

District 14.

The only prince who attended the banquet, the Fourteenth Prince, was already asleep.

But the Eighth Queen looked deeply worried.

A new First Prince private guard had arrived during their return.

Unable to refuse, they had been escorted directly into District 14.

Now, the Queen placed all her hopes on Hanzo.

Sensing her unease, Hanzo gave her a subtle nod.

He was ready for a long war.

…

Everything continued, step by step.

As if the second half of the 15th night of the voyage—

—was some kind of silent night.