Chapter 9

  You'll Never Walk Alone

  Monday. Back to regular classes.

  Today, the King Class began with their new weekly schedule—Knight Training as the first class of the day.

  But before that could start, Prince Fury had important business to attend to… in the Knight Department, at Professor Foden’s office.

  Dan had arrived at the academy early and made his way across the school grounds to the knight faculty building. The White Cathedral Tower stood tall, adorned with a golden-etched motto beneath a crucifix:

  Pride Beyond Self, God Beyond Pride

  Dan climbed the stairs to the fourth floor, where Professor Foden’s office was located. As he reached the hallway and slowed to a walk, he saw—

  Rafinya Saint-Pauli. Standing, arms crossed, already waiting in front of the office.

  Dan swallowed hard.

  Her eyes were as sharp as drawn steel, flicking toward him with precision. Dan glanced at the clock on the wall… He wasn’t late yet.

  That meant he had to stand there awkwardly, within her deathly aura, as instructors passed by trying not to notice the tension.

  The whole time, Dan could feel Rafinya’s gaze boring into him with a murderous pressure. No doubt, the red lightning from that day was still playing on repeat in her mind.

  Even with his back to her, he could feel her imaginary sword pressed against his throat.

  If she tried anything crazy like Nora had, Dan would be dead in this body. And if calm, collected Nora had gone all out on him… this girl wouldn’t hold back in the slightest.

  “Why is someone as weak as you able to take down Soros in a split second?”

  Dan rolled his eyes and looked away.

  Hurry up, Professor Foden…

  “Yesterday… Nora took you to the theater?”

  “…”

  “I’m talking to you. Answer me.”

  “…”

  “Did you hear what I said?!”

  Just before Rafinya could close the distance, Professor Foden arrived, forcing her to step back.

  “Good morning, Student Rafinya… and Student Dan…”

  Another sharp pair of eyes locked onto Dan. Suspicious, but restrained.

  What kind of battlefield am I stuck in…

  “Come in. I’m going to explain the terms of your scholarship.”

  Professor Foden sat at his desk.

  “As scholarship knights, you are now officially trainees. From now on, if your grade in this class drops below an A, you lose the scholarship. Immediately. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir/ma’am.”

  “Second—”

  She pulled out a file.

  “From now on, you’re under my command. I want both of you at the training hall every morning at 5 a.m. Sharp. No tardiness. No absences. I don’t care if you’re sick—crawl your way out of the grave if you must. In war, there’s only one type of knight who doesn’t fight—a dead one. Clear?”

  “Yes, sir/ma’am!”

  “Third. I will personally forge you into elite knights and send you to compete with other academies. And when you reach your second year, you’ll serve as my TAs. No questions, no disobedience.”

  “Yes, sir/ma’am!”

  “Any questions, soldiers?!”

  Dan and Rafinya stood silent.

  “Good.”

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  As curt and decisive as any soldier, Professor Foden ended the meeting. Then the first-year instructor stepped out.

  “Let’s begin our first class.”

  “Yes, sir/ma’am!”

  —

  At the training grounds, over a hundred students were split into squads under the guidance of assistant trainers.

  Dan still drew wary glances—especially from the male students. Those who’d only heard the rumors were skeptical. Those who’d seen it firsthand were split into two camps: the curious… and the scared.

  Everyone, clad in white warm-up uniforms, ran laps around the field—several kilometers in total. Students who weren’t strong physically got passed one by one.

  Dan jogged in the middle, keeping a steady, non-flashy pace.

  Then suddenly, Princess Nora appeared beside him.

  “Slowing down a bit, Mr. Dan?”

  They ran side by side, and to avoid drawing suspicion, Nora spoke to him as she would any classmate.

  “We’re not being graded, Your Highness. No point pushing to the front.”

  “Your stamina’s above average, Mr. Dan. I noticed it back on Silver Mountain. You hardly seemed tired. You trained before, didn’t you?”

  “Back in Diablo, I ran around the island every day. I knew I had to stay fit.”

  “Was it cold there?”

  “No snow, at least.”

  {“Who told you two to chat during training!”}

  “Eep!”

  And just like that, their conversation had to pause.

  —

  Cut to later. Dan and Nora stood by the practice dummies, drinking water.

  Some students were still running their laps… when she arrived—Zeedee Lamb.

  She was wheezing from afar, looking like death itself.

  “Gaaaaaaah!!! I’m dying out here!!”

  Zeedee had no aerodynamic form. And yet, plenty of male students were watching her intently.

  Her greatest enemy was herself. Specifically, the two… obstacles bouncing in front of her. The “full-option female body” she’d chosen was now her own downfall.

  “Damn it all!!”

  She stomped in frustration and smacked her own chest.

  “Too heavy! They swing! This stupid worthless strap—ugh!!”

  No one could tell if she was bragging or complaining.

  She collapsed beside the bench like a corpse.

  Soon, her “Angel Gang” friends—Kris and Tristina—dragged themselves in, equally wrecked.

  “I hate this class sooo much! Eww! I’m all sweaty and gross!!”

  Dan watched from a distance, shaking his head before grabbing a towel to wipe his forehead.

  As he lifted the towel away, he noticed Nora doing the same—wiping sweat from her brow and loosening her tied-up hair.

  Her long, flowing hair cascaded down, catching the attention of more than a few male students.

  But Dan also felt another set of eyes on him again… from a distance… from more than one direction. But he knew one of them for sure.

  Rafinya. Again.

  “Sigh… What is with these people…”

  “Hm?”

  “Oh, not you, Nora.”

  “Then who, Mr. Dan?”

  “Rafinya”

  " oh..."

  “That kid ...Basically you, but fiercer.”

  Nora glanced at the short-haired girl, who was no longer looking their way.

  “Should I handle her, Mr. Dan? This proposal still stands. I'll do it in Snowhaven's way.”

  “Then start by keeping a bit of distance.”

  “If that’s what you want… Mr. Dan?”

  “Yeah. Otherwise weird rumors will start flying. I told you before.”

  “Understood, Mr. Dan.”

  Nora nodded.

  Her idea of ‘distance’—was two steps back.

  “…Are you messing with me, Nora?”

  “Alright, everyone! Listen up!”

  A trainer called out. All students turned to him.

  “Next week, we’ll begin our official skill assessments—outside the academy! Get ready!”

  “It’s starting…”

  Dan muttered.

  The Knight Department’s second-term skill trials were officially underway.

  These assessments would be held every week. One-on-one duels between classmates. Win = 2 points. Draw = 1 point. Loss = 0.

  Everyone would eventually fight everyone else. At the end of the year, 50% of the final grade came from this accumulated score. The other 50% came from written theory exams. Together, they formed the final grade for Year One.

  Everyone knew that.

  But no one expected the tests to be… outside?

  “Where will the tests be held, sir?”

  “Madison Square Garden.”

  “…What?!”

  The students who understood the name were shocked.

  Dan, meanwhile, was a bit confused.

  “Madison Square Garden? Why does that sound so familiar…”

  “It’s the city’s multipurpose arena, Mr. Dan.”

  “Oh! Right!”

  Thank you, detail-oriented Nora.

  Madison Square Garden was the massive venue used for graduation ceremonies, annual sporting events, and even music festivals. It could seat over 60,000 and drew visitors from across the continent.

  “Isn’t that a bit… much, coach?! We thought the trials would be held in the training hall! Do we have to go there every week?!”

  “Yes, you do.”

  He nodded.

  “Each test will be observed by external parties.”

  In simpler terms… scouts.

  Scouts from all over the world would attend, watching students and looking to recruit the most promising ones.

  “The matchup lists will be posted one day before each trial. That’s all! Class dismissed!”

  (class dismissal chatter)

  “I’m off to Professor McClaff’s class first, Mr. Dan.”

  Nora packed her things and left. Dan was about to pack up as well, but then—

  “Hey, Dan.”

  It was Kris and Tristina, Zeedee’s friends from the Angel Gang. Zeedee stood behind them, awkwardly.

  “Huh? What’s up?”

  “We’ve been talking for a while now. So tell us—what’s really going on between you and Zeedee? What are you two?!”

  Their eyes sparkled with nosy energy, totally gossip-fueled. They must’ve reached their limit and decided to just ask already.

  The real question was—what the hell had Zeedee been saying to make them ask this?!

  “Wait—what…?”

  Dan slowly turned to Zeedee, who had her hands in her pockets and was staring off like she had no idea what was going on.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You’re dating Zeedee, right?!”

  “Where did that even come from?! What??”

  “What, no? Then are you at least talking?”

  “Whoa whoa whoa—hold up! Didn’t I already say we’re not anything like that?! We just know each other from Zentinel, that’s all!”

  “C’mon, don’t get defensive~ We get it~”

  “Get what?!”

  “You two are dating in secret, aren’t you?”

  Kris raised an eyebrow and smirked.

  “When I asked her directly, she just clammed up and wouldn’t say anything~”

  “Yeah, seriously. She’s always dodging the question~”

  “What did she say, exactly?”

  “When we asked if you were dating, she said she didn’t know. But when we asked if she liked you, she said yes. Called you important. You live under the same roof, but you’re not dating? What is this—friends?! Huh?!”

  Dan stood frozen, jaw dropped, eyes wide…

  Then Kris and Tristina grabbed him by the collar.

  “We don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but if you ever hurt Zeedee—we’re coming for you!”

  “Wait, what?!”

  And just like that, Dan was left in the dust, watching them walk away… with Zeedee in tow.

  “…What the hell just happened…?!”