Chapter 5

  Ice Attack

  The wrecked train kept moving for a while longer, but it eventually came to a stop—its fuel completely spent.

  Assistance from the capital of Snowhaven was on its way.

  Dan, Zeedee, Nora, and the remaining royal guards regrouped in the forest beside the tracks.

  “Snowhaven is a kingdom that stretches farther than the eye can see... with a vast population scattered across its lands,” Nora said, wrapped in a pitch-black winter cloak, speaking to Dan and Zeedee.

  “Our ancestors, the Ophilis bloodline, were the ones who united the various tribes and founded Snowhaven.”

  She continued, “Since that time, we’ve always faced resistance from those who refused to join us... It took many internal wars and bloodshed to forge the unity we have now.”

  Nora pointed to the railway line.

  “Do you see these tracks, Mr. Fury?”

  “Why?”

  “From the moment we crossed the border—through dozens of mountain ranges—these rails were built by prisoners of war.”

  “!”

  That was all she had to say for Dan to understand. He looked toward the blood-colored tracks stretching endlessly into the horizon.

  In this unforgivingly cold terrain, the prisoners forced to build the railway had died by the millions. Each gap between the ties could hold a single corpse. If Dan imagined it, there were probably millions of bodies lying in neat rows leading into the city.

  Construction took ten years... with an estimated one million prisoners dying of cold each year. Over ten million lives lost—equivalent to a full-scale war.

  “There have always been uprisings. Attempts at assassination happen during every political transition. That’s why I’ve been trained since I was a child... Mr. Fury.”

  The first time Nora was targeted for assassination, she was just ten years old.

  No wonder she never wore a smile. Growing up under such pressure, who wouldn’t change? Running through sunlit fields was an impossible luxury. She had left her childhood behind for that very reason.

  Outside the kingdom was safer than within it.

  “But this time... it’s different.”

  The assassins who came for the princess weren’t human. They were three members of the Shadow race—appearing from who knows where.

  “Honestly, I’m lucky you were here, Mr. Fury.”

  Whether by fate or divine providence, Nora had to thank the heavens that today, not only had she unknowingly brought a Diablo with her—but one who happened to be Prince Fury, the Shadow-hunting legend himself. No one was more experienced. He had wiped entire nations of Shadows from existence with his own two hands.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  But Dan’s expression didn’t accept her gratitude in the slightest.

  “If you’d actually fought, your skills wouldn’t have been that bad. You’ve just had the misfortune of running into... whatever the hell you’ve been running into lately.” (himself included)

  Nora clasped her hands together, trying to maintain composure. Dan stood with arms crossed, staring at the ruined train.

  “...My fears were right. The Shadows are still out there. They’re hiding—out beyond those trees.”

  There was a long road ahead. This wasn’t over yet. Even Zeedee, who always acted like a goofball, wasn’t laughing. Nora immediately knew things were serious.

  “But why would they try to assassinate you? What would they gain... other than triggering a war?”

  Dan’s eyes widened.

  “...They want war.”

  “You jumped to that conclusion fast, Mr. Fury... Not that I’m trying to shut you down—”

  “Kid... I know them well enough.”

  Nora didn’t argue.

  “See this?”

  Dan held out his arm for her to touch.

  “This flesh and blood... it’s their technology.”

  “!”

  Nora’s eyes widened.

  “You mean... there are Shadows who have human-like bodies—like you—walking among us?”

  “And they could cause chaos anytime they want.”

  “This is... a huge problem.”

  “They probably teamed up with the rebel group. Hell, the rebels might not even know they’re working with Shadows. Killing you could spark civil war. What comes after that, I don’t know... But one way or another, they’ll find a way to drag Diablo into this.”

  << Message sent to the Empress, General. Reinforcements are nearly here. >>

  A female soldier’s voice echoed from a distance.

  Nora turned back.

  “Mr. Fury, why didn’t you leave at least one of them alive?”

  “For what?”

  “To interrogate.”

  “No chance.”

  Dan turned.

  “The Shadows’ minds don’t even know how to spell the word ‘betrayal.’ That’s their one strength... and our greatest weakness. You’ll never get a single piece of intel from them. Not even if you turn them into jelly.”

  So that’s why he killed them on sight.

  Nora thought to herself.

  But then she recalled the look on their faces when they saw Fury.

  That sheer terror. That shift in demeanor. It was obvious—they feared Fury to their core. And they hadn’t known he’d be there today. At the very least, it ruled out the suspicion that the Shadows and Diablo had conspired together to stage this whole thing.

  “Your Highness,”

  Zeedee whispered close.

  “You transformed back there... I think someone might’ve sensed it... What should we do?”

  “It’s no big deal.”

  Dan replied.

  “Blame it on the Shadows and be done with it.”

  Nora: “That might actually work. In a chaotic situation like that, nobody really knows what happened.”

  “So what do we tell them? That you killed all of them?”

  Dan tilted his head toward her...

  Then turned to Nora and extended his hand—

  Plop.

  He set it gently on her shoulder.

  “Mr. Fury... Come on, I didn’t even do anything.”

  “You could’ve. I know you could.”

  “But...”

  “Just roll with it, will you? You took down two, and one got shot in the head by the guards—how’s that?”

  “Uh...”

  “Great. Stick to that story. Exaggerate it all you want.”

  “Your Highness... this girl doesn’t seem like the type to brag.”

  “Can’t you just help me out for once?”

  “Don’t make it sound like it’s that easy.”

  “Excuse me, Your Highness—”

  Dan and Zeedee both flinched with goosebumps.

  Zeedee hadn’t sensed him coming at all. Dan’s body tensed, instinctively slipping into combat mode.

  They felt the presence of someone terrifying... silent as an executioner in the shadows. No one knew when he arrived. No one expected him today, or at this very moment.

  A towering man—192 cm tall. Hair cut short and black like Zeedee’s. Pale, smooth face. Violet eyes. Dressed in black and purple garments, adorned with raven feathers...

  Even with simpler clothing now, those feathers—

  Dan remembered them.

  This man was Raven.

  One of the Five Heroes.

  “!!!!”

  Dan’s eyes went wide.

  Raven had arrived at inhuman speed... but not because of news about the princess’s attempted assassination.

  It was because Raven had smelled the aura.

  The one Fury released when he killed the Shadows.

  Even a faint trace was enough for him not to take it lightly.

  What Dan hadn’t realized... was that even from the border, Raven’s senses were sharp enough to detect danger.

  The Raven had sensed Fury’s monstrous presence from hundreds of kilometers away—from the capital walls—and had immediately sounded the emergency signal, ordering troops to prepare for war.

  But before the threat could even arrive...

  It vanished.

  Just like that.

  That’s what had surprised him—and brought him here—only to find... Princess Nora and two unfamiliar youths.

  If you thought aging dulled your senses—

  That didn’t apply to Raven, who had honed himself relentlessly over the past ten years.

  His senses were sharper than ever.