Chapter 8

  Catch The Rainbow

  Night had fallen, and with it came a blizzard raging outside the cave.

  Dan and Nora had to move their gear even deeper inside—the wind threatened to snuff out their fire if they didn’t.

  They were deep inside now. It was pitch dark… but warmer. And to top it off, they had to sleep under the same blanket to share body heat.

  "...I really have to sleep right next to the princess? You’ve got to be kidding me."

  "It should be me saying that—getting to sleep next to Mr. Fury."

  They lay facing the cave entrance, a fire between them.

  Dan and Nora were so close they could hear each other’s breathing.

  And then, at this proximity, Nora suddenly remembered something from the train…

  Whenever she saw something beautiful, he always made a fuss about it.

  "Mr. Fury."

  "Hm…?"

  "That time on the train… when you said I was something beautiful. Did you mean it?"

  "Nora, I have a wife."

  "That’s not what I asked."

  "Yeah, well… even now, I’m still lying here with my heart pounding. Must be ‘cause I’m next to you, huh?"

  ‘!’

  Nora’s eyes went wide, the tips of her ears flushing pink.

  She understood that Mr. Fury wasn’t familiar with etiquette—things like this weren’t said aloud.

  But Fury, being Fury, had no filter. He just said it, without worrying if a princess might be embarrassed or take it the wrong way.

  "...Mr. Fury… don’t say things like that to anyone else, okay?"

  "Why not? What’s wrong with it?"

  "It means you’re saying you like that person…"

  "Then why’d you ask me?"

  "...Because…"

  Nora’s voice faltered.

  "Well… I never… really thought I was beautiful… not until you said it."

  Nora was beautiful. Everyone said so—students, citizens from all over the realm. She knew she looked good.

  But she’d never felt beautiful. Maybe it was all just flattery.

  As she rose through the ranks, surrounded by powerful people, beauty became less important—until it didn’t even matter anymore. She stopped feeling the admiration.

  Until Fury said it.

  Especially coming from him, someone who didn’t flatter, who had seen her worst side.

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  And still, what he said…

  It made her feel beautiful.

  And on top of that, he’d stood beside her in front of her mother—something not even her siblings had dared.

  That sparked… something small inside Nora.

  "...I see. My bad, then."

  "...It’s okay."

  "Customs like these are hard to figure out. But fair enough… between Zeedee and Casca, there’s already enough drama to blow up a house."

  "...Between Mr. Fury and Miss Freya… what is the deal there?"

  Nora wasn’t trying to pry too much—but a little curiosity was natural when you got closer to someone.

  "...In Diablo, we don’t really see love and reproduction as the same thing."

  "...Don’t tell me…"

  "Well yeah… I’ve been with Freya since birth, so… yeah."

  Nora pulled the blanket halfway over her face.

  T-T-Three people?!

  Three?!

  "So does that mean… even now—"

  "Oh, no. I’ve changed since. Zeedee’s just a bodyguard now. Though she is trying to launch a comeback campaign."

  "And what does Casca think of all this?"

  "She thinks you’re a little too nosy."

  "...Sorry…"

  "Sleep. Now."

  Morning came. Nora shook Dan awake. The two stepped outside, eyes adjusting to the blinding white, and saw—

  "...Dear god. That blizzard was insane."

  The slope they’d climbed the day before was now completely level.

  Snow had been blown over everything, reshaping the landscape into something unrecognizable.

  Elevation meant nothing now.

  This place… Silver Mountain... was no home for humans.

  "Why does everyone want this land so badly?"

  "Because of the mana crystals. The Energy Ministry confirmed there’s a huge vein here.

  But no one’s been able to dig it up—because of the weather, and because of Iskaryx."

  "...Wait, hold on. Doesn’t that mean I’m helping the competition?! Screw this—I’m going back. I’m out!"

  grabbed by Nora

  "You can’t. You said you wouldn’t back out, Mr. Fury!"

  "...You better pay me when this is over. That’s all I’m saying."

  "And what about fighting for freedom?"

  "My financial freedom too, thank you very much!"

  "Mr. Fury, you’re hilarious."

  "What’s so funny, huh?"

  Day two of their journey began. Mana crystal fuel provided 70% warmth.

  Thanks to last night’s blizzard, the ground had shifted upward. Now they stood above the valley. In front of them: a massive black hole—like a cave entrance.

  "Mr. Fury… from here, we need to crawl."

  Dan and Nora dropped to their stomachs, crawling through the snow.

  "See that over there? That’s Iskaryx’s nest."

  "That’s clearly a cave. I thought nests were, like… twigs piled in a circle or something."

  "Iskaryx evolved to survive this geography. Even it can’t handle the cold entirely, but it has its own survival strategies.

  We Snowhaven folk have studied it for generations…"

  Nora pulled out a telescope and handed it to Dan.

  Looking at the cave entrance… he couldn’t see anything. It was pitch black.

  "Studied for generations and no one’s ever killed it?"

  "It rarely shows itself unless absolutely necessary…"

  "I see…"

  "Iskaryx is sensitive to movement in its territory. We need to proceed carefully, Mr. Fury."

  The plan was to draw it out. The best time to strike: midday.

  Silver Mountain only got sunlight from 12:00 to 13:00, when the sky was clearest.

  There would be no better chance than this.

  "Alright, let’s go."

  The princess nodded.

  Dan removed his thick cloak and stepped toward Iskaryx’s cave.

  With each step, black-red static flickered around him. His body glowed faintly red, intensifying…

  He hadn’t transformed yet. This was just the aura—trickling into the cave.

  And it was enough.

  A low, thunderous growl echoed from deep within.

  Its master… sensed Mr. Fury’s arrival.

  "Nora, let me say it one more time. You have to kill it. I’ll just be the bait. Free shots. Got it?"

  "Yes, Mr. Fury."

  "It’s coming."

  Snap. Snap.

  He snapped both fingers at once. The black-red lightning he’d been condensing exploded outward.

  In one flash, the slender young man vanished—replaced by a hulking, six-horned, black-armored demon standing over two meters tall.

  Fury had taken Dan Burn’s place.

  Nora had seen him like this once before.

  But seeing it with her own eyes again… the impact was just as powerful.

  It reminded her exactly who had been walking beside her this whole time.

  At 12:00 noon, the sun stood at its highest.

  All across Snowhaven—soldiers, civilians, common folk alike—

  that noon, they all heard the earth-shaking roar of a monstrous beast from the north.

  It reached all the way to Crystal Palace. Even the throne room.

  "L-Lady Ophilis!! That sound—it's from the north! It’s Iskaryx!!!"

  The most stunned of all… was none other than the Empress.

  Princess Nora...

  She was dead serious.