The Crown Prince In Hiding

Chapter 23

Redbone

Thursday.

Last night was the coldest night yet. The good news was that it marked the peak of this year’s winter, and the weather would gradually warm from today onward.

Dan stepped through the gates of Aetheris Academy alone once more, and today he was later than usual because he’d had to clear snow off the roof at home—no Freya to help for a while.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Freya lately… how was she doing?

He passed the fountain, the grand golden corridor hall, and entered the academy grounds. When he reached the cafeteria, he found Nora already there, nearly finished with her meal.

The princess glanced up at him.

“Good morning, Mr.Fury.”

Dan nodded and gave a small wave of his fingers in greeting before sitting down with bread and milk.

“Sorry I’m late. Had to sweep snow off the roof before coming. You can head out first when you’re done.”

“It’s alright. I can wait.”

“Is that wise? It’s Professor McClaff’s class.”

“You haven’t heard, Mr.Fury?”

“What should I have heard?”

When Dan looked left and right, he saw their classmates chattering everywhere.

He turned back to Nora, shook his head, and cocked it like an owl, waiting for the answer.

“Professor McClaff’s class will start about half an hour late.”

“Why?”

“They say someone broke into his office last night.”

Nora explained,

“The magic ring he’d cast was wrecked by the time he arrived.”

“Who did it?”

“No idea. But apparently nothing was stolen.”

“Then why break in? Maybe a bird flew in?”

Nora widened her eyes and shrugged as if to say, “I don’t know.”

Dan nodded slowly and let it pass.

Even so—

“…Hey, Nora.”

“Yes, Mr.Fury?”

“I don’t want to jinx it, but today… hmm…”

“Feels like something’s missing, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah… but it’s fine.”

Dan took a swig of milk.

And the image pulled back from Dan and Nora’s table to a rear angle of the short-haired, tomboyish girl watching them from afar.

Rafinya.

She was staring at them from behind a Roman column, looking at Dan with eyes entirely changed. And in Rafinya’s head, there was only one question:

Is it possible…?

Classroom.

“Sorry to start late. I had an urgent matter. Anyway, never mind that—let’s begin. Today I’ll brief you on the finals and what will be on them. Understood?”

Professor McClaff was as he always was. He turned to the board and began outlining the midterm—right before the King-class students.

Dan and Nora divided the note-taking between them. And in the midst of that—

Thunk.

“You’re ten minutes late to my class, Rafinya.”

Dan raised his head… He saw Rafinya just arriving at the door. The atmosphere around her was different today—he could tell.

Rafinya seemed… quieter?

“Sorry. Professor Foden laid out a new morning run route.”

“…”

Professor McClaff paused, then sighed.

“Sit down. I’ll speak to Foden later.”

His tone made it clear he wasn’t pleased, but he was kind enough to recognize it wasn’t the student’s fault.

Rafinya climbed the lecture tiers, entirely within the twin sights of Nora and Dan.

And she came to… sit beside Dan.

She said nothing, set down her gym bag, and opened her textbook, her sharp features focused on her task.

Maybe she’d argued with her family. Whatever—none of their business…

Dan raised an eyebrow and went back to his notes.

Ten-odd minutes later—

“Today won’t be too heavy. After this, the next content is fringe magic and special magic. A rough example from when the Shadow clans had not yet been wiped out.”

Professor McClaff wrote on the board.

“The Shadow clan had extremely high magical aptitude. They were magic creators. They could create new magic, unlike humans who must work from ambient elements. For example, a magic of theirs that humans adopted—”

He wrote on the board.

“That is the design of a long-distance communication system. The Shadow devised spell-casting into these green gemstones.”

The class gasped as Professor McClaff held up an oval green stone…

But Nora knew at a glance.

It was the same communicator the demon king had given to Fury—three of them.

“The weakness is that once the communication ends, the ring dissipates, leaving only a worthless stone. But these stones can be re-used. They ought to be cheap, but the reason they are so expensive and not everyone has them is that imprinting the spell ring into the stone costs a fortune. Thus, only military personnel can use them.”

He wrote on the board.

“In truth, the Shadow clan had many more magics worth studying. But because they were… exterminated by the Diablo, no one knows how much of what they created was destroyed.”

At that moment—

Rafinya raised her hand.

“Is it possible the Diablo seized those innovations for themselves?”

“It’s possible—highly possible… if they’re clever enough.”

Dan slowly turned to look at Rafinya…

“But they can’t use magic, as far as we know—right?”

“That’s the point, Rafinya. As far as we know.”

Professor McClaff said,

“Even if they can’t use it, Shadow technology is too valuable to discard. They would know that.”

“Do they have limits when it comes to creating magic?”

“We don’t know.”

Professor McClaff answered coolly.

“And no one does, except the Diablo themselves.”

Rafinya sat down with a nod and said no more.

Dan: “…”

Why?

What was with this atmosphere?

Nora: “She’s been glancing at you all day, Mr.Fury.”

“That’s normal for her, isn’t it?”

“Maybe. But it feels strange…”

“Yeah.”

Noon break.

The bell rang… Professor McClaff packed up.

“And that’s our last class today. Good luck on the exam.”

He said it, then left… cool as ever.

The students stood, freed—some stayed to cram. The pre-exam mood filled the air.

“Good news, everyone!”

At the front, an announcement:

“No afternoon classes~!”

Cheers erupted across the room.

“I guess the professors want us to use the time to study.”

Nora nodded.

“Let’s hit the cafeteria first. I heard they’ve got peanut cookies today, Mr. Dan.”

“What? Peanut cookies? Interesting. Let’s go.”

Rafinya stepped aside, then watched Dan and Nora go with a sidelong glance.

Cut to peanut cookies dipped in milk, then into Dan’s mouth.

“Delicious.”

“Mr.Fury… has your other form eaten lately?”

“Mm… honestly, no…”

Dan spoke and shook his head, looking a bit forlorn.

“Because it’s winter. The wild animals are hibernating. The river’s frozen like a brick.”

“Even if the water weren’t frozen, you couldn’t exactly go fishing in it.”

“Don’t say it ?.”

Nora spread her hands.

“You can fast for two weeks, but it’s been four. True, if you hold out one more week, winter will be over… but can you really manage that?”

“…You have a point. I should hunt today.”

“What will you hunt?”

“Wild rabbits, maybe field rats?”

“How many will it take?”

“Hey, that’s still better than nothing.”

“Mr.Fury…”

Nora said, holding a cookie.

“Would one kitchen’s worth of food be enough for you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Just answer.”

Dan narrowed his eyes.

“Are you… thinking of bringing me food?”

“No.”

“Not convincing.”

“Tch…”

“No need to charter the whole refectory for me. I can go find it myself.”

Dan sighed.

“Besides, food prices triple in winter… I don’t want to trouble you.”

“But I want to repay you.”

“You’ve repaid me plenty.”

“It’s not enough.”

“…So I say it and you won’t listen, will you?”

“I might listen if you let me help.”

“…Heh… look at those angles you’re playing.”

“Mr.Fury, if you let me help with food, you’ll save a lot of time. Then you can spend it stargazing—or doing other things.”

Nora was learning to persuade.

“Hmm… that is…”

Dan scratched his head and made a little “haai-ya~.”

“I… eat a lot. It’ll be a nightmare for the refectory, I’m warning you.”

“So you’ll hear me out, then, Mr.Fury?”

“And you’ll hear me out too.”

Princess Nora’s face brightened at once. She clenched a fist softly and said “Yes” in her heart.

“Then I’ll meet you at your stargazing spot.”

“How are you going to deliver a refectory’s worth of food to me?”

“I have a way. Don’t worry.”

“Alright, have it your way.”

The lunch bell ended the break.

“Oh… I’ve got to go.”

“Then see you at Sheffield Library.”

“Got it.”

Dan had to slip away—

Neither of them realizing that, a little ways off,

Rafinya was keeping them under watch…