Chapter 9

  You'll Never Walk Alone

  Both sides froze.

  "You..."

  Rafinya stared at Dan, then turned to look at the person beside him. It didn’t take her long to realize—it was Nora.

  Then suddenly, Rafinya's sharp eyes spotted the theater ticket.

  "Sorry, we're in a bit of a hurry."

  Before anyone could respond, Dan quickly walked past her, Nora trailing right behind. She glanced back briefly, then followed Dan, leaving Rafinya standing among the crowd, blinking in confusion.

  —

  Once outside the city, Dan and Nora cut through the forest path.

  “Whew… That was almost a mess.”

  “That was the girl who got the same scholarship as you, Mr. Fury?”

  “I know her name’s Rafinya. That’s about it.”

  Dan glanced at her.

  “Don’t want to think about it… ugh.”

  “She threw that floating blade at you during the duel, didn’t she? I saw it.”

  “You don’t need to remind me, Nora. I know....I don’t think anyone in this academy can beat her when it comes to swordsmanship. But then again—maybe you could.”

  “Me?”

  “You’ve got the best form I’ve seen. Might be the only one who could actually go toe-to-toe with her.”

  “Thanks for the compliment, Mr. Fury.”

  “I rushed us out of there because I’m seeing her tomorrow—and besides, I think I’ve got a target on my back now… all thanks to that stupid scholarship.”

  “She’s bothering you, Mr. Fury? Should I handle it for you?”

  “Hey—hey! No need to go that far. You’re a princess, not my servant. That’s Zeedee’s job, okay?”

  Nora looked slightly deflated.

  “And don’t let her find out where we live. I’ve learned my lesson from you. Not making that mistake a third time.”

  —

  Back at their cozy home.

  Zeedee was outside folding laundry when she looked up.

  “Your High—oh wait, what the—?!”

  She spotted Nora.

  “You brat! What are you doing here?!”

  “Helping Mr. Fury carry things.”

  “Because the one who should be helping was busy snoring and wouldn’t wake up no matter how many times I called.”

  Dan set the fridge down, threw a jab at Zeedee, then unwrapped the mana crystal bag.

  “Whoa~ So this is it? A fridge?”

  Zeedee crouched down to inspect it along with Dan.

  “It helps preserve food longer,” Nora explained to the two foreigners. “For example, fresh meat. If you store it in here instead of curing it in a box, it’ll stay fresh for another three to four days.”

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  Zeedee slapped the princess on the shoulder, seemingly forgetting she was royalty.

  “Heyyy~? That’s pretty useful, kid.”

  “If it helps you both, I’ll gladly give back in any way I can.”

  Dan inserted the crystal into the slot at the back of the fridge. The machine kicked on, cold air blasting his face. He moved it into place and began loading food into it.

  “Since you seem so eager to return the favor… guess I’ll ask you something.”

  “Of course, Mr. Fury. Ask me anything.”

  “What do you think this house still needs?”

  “Quite a lot, actually… No washing machine, for one.”

  “Zeedee, take notes.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Go on, Nora.”

  “A dryer too, especially for winter. High humidity, low sunlight. Tools should be stored in proper boxes… If Miss Zeedee’s living here, then you definitely need a proper wardrobe. No more clothes draped wherever. Oh, and an iron—scholarship students shouldn’t be walking around in wrinkled clothes.”

  “Wow, a whole shopping list, huh…”

  “I’ll order it all, Mr. Fury. I’ll help however I can.”

  “Wha—No, Nora. That’s really not—”

  “I insist. Compared to what you’ve done for me, this is nothing.”

  “Nope. Nope nope nope.”

  “If you keep refusing, I’ll just keep ordering more, Mr. Fury.”

  “You brat! You’re gonna buy everything for us?!”

  Zeedee asked.

  “Of course!”

  Zeedee: “Yay~~~”

  “Hey hey hey, have some shame, Zeedee!”

  Dan did the math in his head.

  The monthly cost of mana crystals to power the appliances was way cheaper than renting a room anywhere. Which was… great, honestly.

  “These things you’re ordering—nobody’s suspicious?”

  “No one monitors a princess’s spending, Mr. Fury. You can relax.”

  “Thanks, Nora. Really.”

  Dan reached out and shook Nora’s hand.

  “So what took you two so long with the fridge? Come on, spill it—what else were you really doing out there?” Zeedee asked.

  “Nora took me to experience human civilization.”

  “Civilization?”

  “The theater.”

  “Whoa? What’s that?”

  “You’ll have to see it to understand.”

  —

  As the sun set, Nora waved goodbye and headed back toward the dorms, vanishing beyond the city walls.

  Evening light faded, but instead of going home, Dan and Zeedee made their way to a hill overlooking a river near the house.

  It didn’t take long for one of Diablo’s top six spies—an elite assassin of the underground—to step from the shadows and kneel behind Dan, who sat watching the moon, with Zeedee standing behind him, hands clasped.

  “Your Highness.”

  He spoke:

  “The Shadow matter has reached Diablo. Prince Everton has been appointed by the King to lead negotiations should Snowhaven call on us.”

  “Everton, huh?”

  Dan looked to the sky.

  “Father… How ruthless, sending someone like him to the table.”

  “Our forces are ready, Your Highness. Princess Fiorentina has sent scouts back to the Shadow homeland to ensure no hidden bases remain. She now confirms their territory is completely desolate.”

  “So they’re refugees now… scattered and hiding among the humans.”

  Dan’s face turned grim.

  “Which means we can’t touch them.”

  As for the underground world—

  “Tattoos aren’t helping at all, Your Highness. Tattoos are so common down there it’s impossible to tell who’s a Shadow and who isn’t.”

  “…Which explains how they slipped into Nora’s rebellion so easily…”

  Dan nodded in thought.

  “So unless we use the method from the scripture, we have no other way to identify them.”

  “Actually, there might be,” Zeedee offered.

  “If the tattoos are out of place, I think the Shadows aren’t just hiding among thugs. They’re embedded in all classes, just like us.”

  She added:

  “In some classes, tattoos are shameful. Kris and Tristina from my Angel Gang once told me noble houses find tattoos disgraceful—unless they’re symbols of devotion to God.”

  “But with that logic, we’d only be able to filter out the noble Shadows, not the rest. Even we cover our tattoos with leather wraps. They can too. In the end, it’s all still very difficult. There’s nothing better than the scripture’s method.”

  Dan turned to the underground assassin.

  “If you find anyone suspicious, jot down their names and report to me. You’re dismissed.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  Fwoosh—

  The figure vanished into the forest, swallowed by the shadows.

  “I really wonder… are there Shadows hiding in the academy too? If they could hide there, why not here?”

  “Exactly, Your Highness… which means you can’t go back to your true form. If they see, they’ll scatter like cockroaches—and we’ll lose everything.”

  “Right… only partial transformation for now.”

  —

  Late night. Artheris Academy dorms.

  Princess Nora Ophilis walked beneath the moonlight through the royal dorm corridor.

  Just then, another student passed her in the hallway—Rafinya Saint-Pauli.

  The princess noticed her but didn’t react.

  But Rafinya did.

  “Nora.”

  The princess stopped, turning to face the stairwell behind her.

  The tone Rafinya used broke no rules at Artheris Academy. As long as they were both students, titles meant nothing.

  “You were with him at the theater. What’s that supposed to mean?”

  In human culture, Dan wouldn’t have known this, but…

  Two people entering a theater together? It wasn’t just casual—it was basically a date.

  And seeing that ticket… it demanded an answer from Nora.

  If it had been just a shop or something similar, Rafinya wouldn’t have cared. She knew they were classmates in magic.

  But a ticket? That meant more.

  It was obvious—Nora would never go into a theater alone.

  “I brought Mr. Dan to experience the city’s culture. He barely knows anything about this place. That’s all.”

  Rafinya stepped closer.

  “Come on, Nora. Admit it—you saw what he could do, and now you want to pull him into Snowhaven, don’t you?”

  “If that’s true, what’s it to you? Upset someone beat you to it?”

  The air turned tense. Rafinya shook her head.

  “That guy’s still not worth House Pauli’s attention.”

  And with that, she walked down the stairs.