The Crown Prince In Hiding

Chapter 28

Black Moon Rising

The Saint Pauli family celebration.

"Everyone, raise a toast to Rafinya!"

(Cheers)

One hour later.

Rafinya wasn't an extrovert, but she wasn't quite that quiet either. She was more the type to do things entirely on her own terms. If anything, she leaned slightly toward introversion.

After serving as the center of an event meant to make her feel superior to her relatives, she cradled a glass of wine, standing at the edge of the restaurant's balcony.

"What's the guest of honor doing out here?"

"Rodri?"

Rodrigo Saint Pauli, Rafinya's brother, a lieutenant in the Azure Lion Battalion, and the sibling Rafinya was closest to, walked up beside her.

"I heard you made lieutenant. Congratulations."

"Of course, but today is about you."

He took a light sip of wine.

"Your future is set. You must have been quietly training and developing yourself ever since that day, little sister? Mrs. Casca must have seen it."

The day he referred to was the day Rafinya had fought Dan to a draw.

He still remembered clearly how his sister had said that day that Casca should have seen her, not Dan. He'd assumed she wanted another chance to settle the score with Dan, but unfortunately Dan had withdrawn and dropped off the radar entirely.

But the reaction he saw today wasn't what he expected. Instead of Rafinya showing hunger and vengeance for a rematch, her face carried the expression of "Huh? Did I really say that?"

"You remember that?"

"Of course I remember. How is he doing, by the way? Ever since the day you brought him to meet Father."

"He's doing fine."

Rafinya might not have noticed it herself,

but Rodri saw a spark in her eyes when she spoke of Dan.

That spark didn't last long. The moment they moved past the topic of Dan, she reverted to her usual demeanor.

Rafinya gazed back into the party.

Besides her friends from the Academy, there were also relatives her age from other knight academies who were watching her closely.

But she felt a certain distance from people her own age, because the level of maturity and brutality she'd witnessed had stripped away her innocence entirely. She could no longer feel invested in any exam or competition anymore.

She tilted her head upward... tonight, a half-moon hung in the sky. She gazed at the stars above.

And it made her think of someone.

"How was following Princess Nora to Diablo?"

"I thought I already told Father everything."

"Father told me. But I just want to know, is there anything you didn't tell him?"

Rafinya fell silent, her eyes still fixed on the sky. She imagined how it would go if her father learned the truth... it would be catastrophic and terrible, no doubt, since her father, like most senior military officers, held no love for the Diablo.

She still remembered what Demon King Byleth had said.

So she answered,

"The sky there is more beautiful than back home."

Three months later.

Anfield - Friday.

The sound of digging.

Today, Dan was working on planting an area of trees for Casca, since Casca loved the shade of trees. She wanted one near the ritual chamber, and since his wife wanted it, it fell to him to make it happen.

The former hero, in a black tank top and mud-caked trousers, dug a deep hole alongside his fiancée.

Casca wiped the sweat from her face, sunlight glistening off her damp caramel skin. She brushed back her hair.

Just then, the young man's body reverted into the giant form of Prince Fury. He waded into the river and pulled up a tree sapling that had been soaking, to plant it into the hole.

"Yay~ thanks~"

Casca gave Fury's hard, black rear a firm slap, the sound like punching concrete.

(A flash of lightning as he reverted back)

"How's your matter coming along?"

He asked his fiancée, referring to her mission reforming Luminus, something he knew almost nothing about.

Just then, Casca's expression tensed visibly.

"Not great. Internal power is starting to split into two factions."

She explained,

"The Crown and the Church. Ever since the news broke of Diablo opening its borders, the Luminus council has been fighting tooth and nail. The Crown side believes it needs to do something to rebalance competition in the mana crystal market, and the King is backed by the merchant confederation. But the Church disagrees. They've chosen instead to fight against the Diablo-Snowhaven merger."

"So it seems we'll be seeing Luminus formally protesting the merger before long... though it's not like we haven't prepared for that impact."

"Right now, the Church holds the greater power, which is why the King has been traveling to visit Zentinel, Mathema, and even Velmount."

"Did I hear that right? Going to Velmount?"

"Your merger with Nora is a bigger threat than anything. Word from inside says Velmount is even considering aligning with Luminus to oppose this union... though how they'd actually strike that deal, I have no idea."

"And what about the matter with the Pope?"

"I've met with him."

"How is he?"

"He tries to act as though he's still strong, but one glance and you can tell his health is failing."

"Isn't that good news, then?"

"It's not that simple. The Church system has laid its foundations well. It won't collapse easily within a single generation."

"Then I suppose we'll have to hope you can sway the next Pope?"

"We don't even know who that'll be yet, but I have a candidate in mind."

"Have you lobbied them already?"

"Lobbying won't do any good. What I need to do right now is convince the council that Diablo isn't some demon sent by God to destroy the world... but I honestly can't think of how, aside from the project you're currently working on."

"Hm?"

"Your project to prove our common ancestor. If you can actually pull it off, and prove beyond doubt that Diablo and humans are kin... that truth alone could change politics entirely. It could shake the Church to its core."

"So in the end, this all comes back to me?"

"Yes."

Casca clasped her hands together.

"I've spent months thinking this over, day and night. I can't come up with any other way besides this one."

"So does that mean Luminus is starting to accept the concept of evolution?"

"Well, ever since you took over the paleontology department and pumped that much funding into it, they've been publishing a flood of new research. It was inevitable that Luminus scholars would end up reading it."

"Professor Pi'erre published a new discovery. I should probably go pay a visit and see what it is."

Dan snapped his fingers.

"I'll take the chance to check on the Warehouse too, while I'm at it."

"It's finished already? That was fast. Is it because the owner was impatient?"

The sound of a bell.

Princess Nora Ophilis walked past the class of first-years who had just passed their entrance exams. In truth, the freshman orientation activities had wrapped up the week before, and the kids were stumbling out, exhausted, from Professor McClaff's class.

There was one particularly popular first-year student who had just walked out of class. He was surrounded by a large group of friends, encircled by female students.

Sauce Gardner.

Passed the entrance selection.

And his scores were nothing short of extraordinary. His theoretical scores were above average, and his practical scores were perfect.

It was almost an entirely different situation compared to when Fury and Freya had enrolled. This had earned Sauce a spot in Section 1, meaning he was now directly the girls' junior.

Their next class was Basic Knight Combat. Nora could only wish Sauce good luck, since there was a high chance Professor Foden would bring the seniors along for a visit, Rafinya included.

Princess Nora headed straight back to her dormitory. She found her personal maid waiting with some news to report.

"Your Highness."

"What is it?"

"A letter from the royal court."

Nora took it and opened it in her chambers. By the time she reached about the middle of the letter, her expression had turned visibly grave.

"Is something wrong, Your Highness?"

"Our cooperation with the Diablo military hunting down the rebels has traced a lead into Velmount, which shares a border with Artheris. That side says they'll be increasing security here."

The contents of the letter slowly dissolved through an encryption spell. Nora's eyes flicked up.

"Intelligence suggests there's a high chance the rebels will begin operating outside Snowhaven's own territory."

"Is that so..."

"Has Noel returned to his room yet?"

"Prince Noel is doing group work with his friends in Sheffield, Your Highness."

Nora's maid thought for a moment before deciding to speak up.

"Your Highness, you've been slipping away often between eight and eleven at night. Given this letter, perhaps you should cut back on going out after sunset?"

"I don't go far."

Nora watched the letter's contents slowly dissolve, leaving nothing but blank paper.

"Make sure to warn Noel about this too."