Only a few days remained before they had to return to Artheris.

  Since the agreement was struck, The Raven had deliberately withheld the most damning evidence—the shard of Mr. Fury’s armor—from the Empress. Still, he submitted an official report on the Iskaryx autopsy that gave no clear grounds to convict Princess Nora.

  Though suspicions lingered, no one could pin anything on her.

  And strangely enough, he also acted as though the person wandering around the Crystal Palace was not a prince of Diablo. He played the part so convincingly that Fury sometimes questioned whether everything that had happened had just been a dream.

  The only proof it wasn’t?

  The Raven himself.

  He now appeared within sight of Dan almost constantly, monitoring him carefully—especially when Dan wandered too close to state-sensitive areas like the treasury.

  One afternoon, they found themselves at the National Arena, where the people of Snowhaven enjoyed an indoor sport involving hitting a shuttlecock across a net.

  In short: it was badminton.

  The thudding of feet, the sharp whack of rackets—Princess Nora and Mr. Dan went back and forth in a surprisingly intense match.

  “!”

  Dan narrowly dodged a brutal spike from Nora, grimacing.

  She was a natural—so good she might as well be a master.

  Meanwhile, Dan was experiencing his very first game, because Diablo had no such thing as "sports."

  “Nora… what’s with you? Dragging me out to hit this flying… thing?”

  “I just thought you might enjoy it.”

  Her voice was bright—brighter than it had been in days. Still that same calm, monotone lilt, but… different. Lighter. Warmer.

  “I guess I’m breaking a sweat. Not bad.”

  “I’m glad you like it, Mr. Fury.”

  They stepped off the court. Dan guzzled from a water bottle, wiping his face with a towel. His eyes flicked to the arena entrance—Nora’s guards stood in formation.

  And then… he showed up again.

  The Raven.

  Nora didn’t know why he’d come. But she turned back to the court, set down her racket, and said—

  “Too bad I couldn’t reach Professor Killian, Mr. Fury. He left for Velmount the same day we went after Iskaryx.”

  “Oh? That so?”

  “Mr. Fury.”

  “?”

  “…Thank you.”

  “…For what?”

  But Nora didn’t answer.

  “You’re acting weird today.”

  Dan rubbed the towel across his face again.

  That’s when Zeedee appeared beside The Raven.

  “How long are you going to stalk us, huh? If we really meant trouble, we’d have done it already.”

  “I’m here because Mr. Fury asked me to.”

  Zeedee twirled her racket, looking confused.

  Then something clicked.

  “Hey. Tall guy. How do you know who I am? That lunatic knight tell you something about me or what?”

  Those violet eyes flicked over to her with a sideways glance—then calmly drifted back.

  “I feel for you.”

  “…Huh? Why would you feel anything for me?”

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  “You were a prostitute once, right? Childhood must’ve been rough. I heard you had brain damage and some kind of chronic rot in your—uh—private area… Must’ve fought real hard to climb out of that. I respect your resilience, Freya.”

  “…HUH!?!?!?!?! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?”

  Zeedee’s scream echoed through the arena. Everything froze.

  Even Dan.

  “What? Did I say something wrong?”

  The Raven wasn’t insulting her—he was genuinely sincere. Completely serious. He thought he was showing empathy.

  “I’VE NEVER BEEN A PROSTITUTE!!! I’M NOT BRAIN-DAMAGED!!! I DON’T HAVE ROT IN MY ANYTHING!! WHERE DID YOU GET THIS!?”

  “You weren’t?”

  “NONE OF IT’S TRUE!!!”

  “But Casca said so.”

  “WHAT!?”

  “…And what about being a washed-up royal guard?”

  Zeedee clawed at her own face, yanking her hair and screaming—

  “THAT CRAZY BITCH!!!! GRAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

  She stormed out of the arena, her wails fading into the howling snowstorm outside.

  Dan quietly set his racket down next to Nora and walked over to The Raven. He sat beside him.

  “I thought the general wouldn’t have time for me.”

  “I don’t, really. But I heard it might benefit us.”

  Nora tiptoed behind them, listening silently.

  “So…”

  Dan placed the water bottle down.

  “You were down south fighting rebels. Any sign of Shadow activity?”

  “Unfortunately, not much.”

  The Raven was blunt.

  “I raided every abandoned warehouse. Nothing conclusive. They’re slippery—like sewer cockroaches. Infuriating.”

  “The remaining Shadows came here to ally with your rebels. Just a heads-up—killing the royal Ophilis family is just a pit stop. Their real goal is revenge against us. That’s why I suggested we work together.”

  “I’ve already submitted a report to Her Majesty, Your Highness.”

  The Raven laced his fingers together.

  “Whether it leads to anything is up to them. I simply noted that Diablo might be willing to cooperate. No one knows how to hunt Shadows better than you.”

  “I’ll give you a tip.”

  Dan clasped his hands.

  “Keep a close eye on the highlands. When I was hunting Iskaryx, I noticed how much uninhabitable terrain Snowhaven has. That’s where Shadows will gather. Doesn’t matter how filthy or rotten a crevice is—their real forms can survive it. If you’re going to sweep, sweep there.”

  “I’ll remember that, Your Highness.”

  “So what are you doing with Iskaryx?”

  “The Empress sent a survey team to map out the area. I’m not involved, but I’ve heard they’ve taken its scales in for research.”

  “Speaking of research…”

  Dan narrowed his eyes.

  “What’s this I hear about someone trying to replicate my armor?”

  “Remember that annoying woman, Your Highness?”

  “…Who?”

  “Fofana.”

  “You mean the President of Mathema?”

  Dan had met her once—on the day they signed the peace treaty.

  Miss Fofana, the iron-willed president who elevated Mathema through magical science and technology. The source of a hundred theories now taught in Artheris classrooms.

  She wasn’t known for brute strength or magic prowess, but for intellect and governance. She was considered the de facto leader of the Five Heroes.

  “She’s the one who initiated the project.”

  “Don’t tell me this idea of collecting my armor shards was hers too?”

  “I can’t say for sure.”

  “…I ought to charge royalties.”

  “You’re the one violating the peace treaty, remember?”

  “…Sorry.”

  If it weren’t for The Raven being Casca’s trusted friend, that lesson would’ve cost Dan a lot more.

  “Now I want to see it for myself. I’m curious what makes my body so special.”

  “You’d have a hard time. It’s a classified project. I only know scraps.”

  Dan sighed.

  “Last question before we leave… What was Casca doing here?”

  “…”

  The Raven paused.

  “You probably already have an idea, don’t you?”

  “Something about the Church?”

  “Correct.”

  The Raven nodded.

  “Casca came to request an audience between the Empress and the Pope.”

  “For what?”

  “…”

  A long pause.

  “Luminus is in decline, Your Highness.”

  He spoke gravely.

  “The Church is facing a crisis of faith like never before. People are questioning outdated laws. The institution is cracking. And all of this is being accelerated by Mathema’s rise.”

  Then Dan remembered something Nora had told him long ago—

  That one could be prosecuted for insulting Casca within the borders of Luminus, where tradition ruled and the Church reigned supreme.

  “The Church is rotting from within. But Casca doesn’t want to see it fall. She’s trying to change the mind of its highest authority—the Pope.”

  Nora and Dan both fell silent.

  “She spent ten years in Diablo. You know why, don’t you?”

  Dan slowly nodded.

  “…It all connects now.”

  Nora looked lost.

  “Mr. Fury… what does this mean?”

  “Casca showed up at our doorstep ten years ago. Back then…”

  Dan hesitated. But he had to say it.

  “…She had a court order over her head.”

  “Court order? You mean… she was being prosecuted?”

  “A political charge.”

  Dan explained.

  “She asked to stay in Diablo for two months. Said she had serious issues with the ruling council. It got so bad, she couldn’t take it anymore. In the end, it dragged out over ten years… and now I know—the one she clashed with… was the Pope.”

  “She was too powerful for the Church to silence outright. It became a vicious internal dispute. In the end, Casca stepped away and fled to Diablo.”

  The Raven added.

  “And ended up falling for you… staying far longer than planned.”

  “…She never talked much about the Church to me. But now I understand. Casca wants Luminus to change. She kept saying it. I just didn’t know the Pope was involved. That’s so very… Casca.”

  Dan turned back to The Raven.

  “So did she get the meeting?”

  “The Empress scheduled it for five months from now.”

  “Five months, huh…”

  The Raven shrugged.

  “That’s what I know. But for the rest… you’ll have to ask her directly.”

  “I came here to find her. Any idea where she went?”

  “She didn’t tell me, Your Highness.”

  The Raven shook his head.

  “But I’m sure she’s nearby. She wouldn’t leave. Not when her goal is so clear—Casca wants to reform the religious institution of Luminus.”

  In Luminus, the Church was the supreme power—followed by the monarchy, then the courts.

  If one wished to change the system, they had to start at the source.

  The Pope.

  The supreme leader.

  “She’s had ten years to think about this. And now she’s serious. She won’t stop—not unless she dies trying. I know her.”

  Dan looked to Nora—

  And slowly, the image faded…

  Transitioning to the ice-clad mountain train as it rumbled homeward—

  —back to Artheris.

  Back from their midterm break.