Chapter 178: Peace Through Struggle
Upon hearing Kurapika's request, the Third Prince smiled and said, "Of course, you're most welcome. After all, we are brothers. No one truly wishes to kill each other. Ring my doorbell in 15 minutes then."
After these words, the call ended.
Kurapika hurried to answer the First Prince's call, but the other party had already hung up.
The implication was clear.
It was essentially a declaration of war.
This was the outcome Kurapika dreaded most. His initial choice had been to answer the First Prince's call first.
Kurapika believed that First Prince Benjamin wouldn't contact them merely to declare war. If they could establish communication with the First Prince, it would serve as a deterrent to the other princes.
At that point, the two other princes who answered late wouldn't have grounds for complaint.
Most importantly, Kurapika thought he held a bargaining chip with First Prince Benjamin: Vincent, who had lost contact with him. Even if Vincent was dead, the other side didn't know it yet.
However, there was a serious flaw in Kurapika's reasoning.
He wanted to use the First Prince as a shield, yet he knew nothing of the First Prince's character.
When it came to the Succession Contest, not even a mere subordinate mattered—even if his own mother were captured, Benjamin wouldn't be swayed.
Throughout history, those who sought to achieve greatness were never soft-hearted.
Moreover, compromising after taking a hard stance was absolutely taboo in a life-or-death battle.
As a great man once said: Peace through struggle ensures peace endures; peace through compromise ensures peace perishes!
The moment they chose to move against Vincent, there was already no turning back.
Of course, it was Mord who took action—meaning Mord had essentially made the choice for Kurapika and the others.
Not daring to waste a moment, Kurapika immediately contacted the Fifth Prince.
Fortunately, this call went through.
"Hello, this is Kurapika."
The voice on the other end replied, "This is Lieutenant Maor, directly under the Fifth Prince. We propose exchanging a truce agreement for information about Nen. Do you accept?"
Kurapika asked, "Aren't you concerned about maintaining balance with the other princes?"
"We do not involve ourselves in such matters," came the cold response.
"I understand. I accept."
Lieutenant Maor continued, "The Prince has fully entrusted this matter to me. Rest assured, we will not unilaterally break the truce agreement. However, we reserve the right to declare the truce void based on your actions."
Yet another display of royal arrogance.
Kurapika had mentally prepared for this and replied, "There's no need to worry. We have no intention of provoking conflict."
Satisfied with the response, Lieutenant Maor said, "Understood. I'll head to your location now."
However, since Kurapika had already promised the Third Prince earlier, he could only say, "Sorry, could you come back a bit later?"
"I believe I've made it clear—we do not involve ourselves in or inquire about your circumstances." Lieutenant Maor's icy words cut Kurapika off directly.
His meaning was plain: I only want information related to Nen. Everything else is irrelevant to me. No matter how many objective difficulties you face, that's your problem. I only care about the results.
"We do not believe that you are the only one with information related to Nen. Moreover, the agreement only takes effect the moment we obtain the information. Do you understand?" Lieutenant Maor continued, pressing aggressively.
Kurapika's eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at Vincent's corpse in the distance, his expression turning grim. "We currently have some issues to resolve with the First Prince's private troops. Of course, we could ignore the First Prince's private soldiers and let you in, but how the First Prince would interpret your actions then—I have no idea."
Kurapika paused before adding, "Do you understand?"
He had thrown Lieutenant Maor's own words back at him.
On the other end of the line, veins bulged on Lieutenant Maor's forehead, but he had no retort.
He could only swallow his anger.
Antagonizing the First Prince over this matter was the last thing they wanted.
Gritting his teeth, Lieutenant Maor replied, "Understood. I'll contact you again in an hour."
However, to maintain the Fifth Prince's stance, he still left a final threat.
"If you still can't resolve this issue by then, the agreement will be null and void."
He then hung up immediately.
As if afraid Kurapika might say something else that would leave him with no way to save face.
With that, all three calls finally concluded.
Kurapika felt as mentally exhausted as if he had just fought a war. Turning to the maid named Shimano, he questioned, "Shimano, why did you privately connect the line to the Third Prince?"
Faced with Kurapika's inquiry, Shimano, an ordinary person, showed no panic. Instead, she calmly replied, "I, too, want to make the best choice to survive."
She then provided her reasoning.
"The First Prince is cold and ruthless. He would never change his mind because of negotiations or pleas for mercy. He also doesn't speak directly to subordinates, so the one who called was likely his guard captain, Sergeant Maita."
"As for negotiations, they ceased to exist the moment the First Prince's private soldiers died here. So, there's only one thing left for them to do: show respect to an enemy who remains loyal to their employer and let them choose their own manner of death. No matter how you try to cover it up with lies, the truth will eventually come out. The dead cannot be brought back to life—unless you can resurrect them."
Kurapika stared intently at the maid named Shimano, his eyes flashing with shock.
He never expected that a maid serving one of the lowest-ranking consorts in the Kakin Kingdom would have such a deep understanding of the First Prince. Hearing Shimano's analysis, Kurapika even felt a pang of fear about his earlier plan. If things had proceeded as he had intended, the situation might have already spiraled into an irreparable state.
Shimano then spoke up: "I have no interest in methods of death, because I want to live."
A simple, unadorned reason.
"That's why I chose to contact the Third Prince. Though he possesses the magnanimity to personally hold the receiver and negotiate directly with us, he also carries the arrogance to immediately hang up if the order of proceedings is disrupted. He holds the desire to avoid mutual slaughter whenever possible, yet once battle begins, he acts without hesitation. He is precisely such an adult, coexisting with both kindness and cruelty."