Dirty Nachos
"Before the match, both fighters shook hands as a sign of respect."
Dan and Gronk extended their hands for a formal handshake, then let go.
“Match Twenty-Four!!!”
DAN BURN vs GRONK PHILLIPS
Begin!
The judges began scoring.
Dan and Gronk circled each other in the ring, each settling into a stance they’d been taught.
Their blades met lightly at first as the gap between them closed. Then, suddenly, Dan struck first—flicking his sword and thrusting quickly at Gronk.
But Gronk dodged, countering with a powerful downward slash.
Dan evaded it as well… and the two resumed circling.
A minor opening exchange—just a warm-up.
Screech!
Dan lunged again. This time, the squeal of his shoes sliding across the platform echoed throughout the arena, emphasizing the force in his legs. His entire body shot forward, blade leading straight toward Gronk.
“!”
The boy raised his sword to block—and then, unexpectedly, slammed his massive shoulder into Dan’s chin with a sickening thud.
“!!”
Despite his slower movements, Gronk’s bulk gave him a powerful advantage. He was much taller than Dan, and the impact sent Dan reeling backward.
“Urgh!”
“That all you got?”
Now it was Gronk’s turn to charge. Dan tried to counter with a thrust, but Gronk swayed aside and his blade swept just past the back of Dan’s neck—though it did catch the edge of his shirt.
The match turned into a fierce back-and-forth. As time passed, Dan found himself losing ground.
His parries were sharp, his dodges precise. At one point, he nearly stumbled when Gronk’s leg slammed into his arm, leaving it numb.
But no one underestimated Dan anymore.
It was the same when he fought Instructor Zoros.
They had to watch out for Dan’s counterattacks—especially with that unreadable expression of his.
He wasn’t trying to finish things fast.
He was wearing Mr. Fury down.
Nora saw it instantly.
As long as the referee didn’t call it, Gronk would appear larger and larger, while Dan seemed to shrink… He stood like an ant before a mountain. There was no way this ant could possibly win.
How was Mr. Fury going to turn this around?
“Hup!”
Dan flicked his sword at Gronk’s shoulder—but he dodged again.
Then Dan pushed harder, diving in with a relentless barrage. He used his smaller frame and speed to try targeting Gronk’s legs, but the big man defended them all.
Sweat beaded on Dan’s brow.
Exactly what Gronk wanted.
Dan wasn’t being careless—he was burning energy and doing Gronk a favor. Like a boxer throwing endless punches while Gronk just stood there calmly.
Dan may have had a slight lead in points due to his aggression, while Gronk had only defended. But this was a game of chess, and it was time for Gronk to—
“Agh!?”
!!!
Something no one expected happened in the arena.
From the stands to the judges’ table, from Princess Nora to Rafinya and the other scholarship knights—everyone saw the same thing:
Gronk dropped his sword.
He clutched his stomach, eyes wide, lips trembling like he was frozen.
He slowly lifted his gaze to Dan…
Dan had stopped attacking. His eyes were just as wide.
“Gronk? … What’s wrong, man?... Gronk???”
Then Gronk felt it—the numbness crawling up from his fingertips, the searing burn in his throat like molten steel, the agonizing needle-like pain beneath his skin… His vision twisted. His fingers curled. His jaw locked.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
And then he collapsed, twitching violently, foam bubbling from his mouth.
“GRONK!!! GRONK!?!?”
Dan dropped his sword and ran to him, turning to the judges and medics.
“Help! I don’t know what’s wrong with him! Somebody, check on him!”
The entire Madison Square Garden fell into chaos. Professors, Foden, Instructor Zoros, the arena judges—everyone erupted in shock.
<
Nora, watching, was overwhelmed. Her eyes scanned the stunned crowd—students gasping behind cupped hands.
She looked to Rafinya, who stood gripping the edge of the stand in utter disbelief.
“Please, help him! I saw him choking on something!” Dan cried out as the medics rushed past him. He stepped back and returned to the stairway he had come from.
<
<
<
<
>
“Student Dan, step off the stage.”
“Professor Foden?”
“Now.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Dan nodded, picked up his sword, and left the ring. Once he was out of sight of the crowd… the panic melted off his face.
In its place: cold, calculating composure.
As if everything had gone exactly to plan.
Meanwhile, at the top of the south stand—
Click.
Zeedee Lamp stopped her timer.
Her green eyes watched as the medical team formed a circle around Gronk to block him from view.
“Three… two… one…”
She exhaled.
Then turned and walked out of Madison Square Garden.
“What just happened?!”
“Gronk!! Gronk’s—!!”
“…Oh God…”
Backstage, some students covered their mouths in horror. Others burst into tears, too shocked by what had just occurred.
No one was even sure if the exam would continue.
The medics’ body language gave no sign of improvement. The audience stood frozen, professors deeply concerned.
Rafinya looked around for Nora…
But the princess was gone.
Outside the stadium.
Dan emerged, his face unreadable.
Then came the sound of heels clacking quickly—Princess Nora sprinted toward him from another exit.
“Mr. Dan!”
He turned to her.
“Mr. Dan! What did you do?”
She’d asked what he did—not if he did it. She was sharp.
“That just now… it was…”
Freya’s poison.
There was no doubt—Gronk had been poisoned by Freya.
“Really? That’s what you think?”
“I’m sure of it. Only one person could’ve done it.”
“So cruel to accuse me, Your Highness.”
Nora didn’t argue. But Dan answered plainly.
“Kidding. You’re right—it was Freya’s poison.”
Nora: “!”
“But now let’s see if you’re clever enough to answer this: Freya was standing more than a hundred yards away… So how did her poison reach Gronk?”
“!”
“If you can’t explain it and there’s no evidence… it’s just empty words, Your Highness.”
Nora looked down, fidgeting, biting her nail, thinking hard.
“Lady Freya never transformed… and you didn’t, either…”
“Freya’s poison can be harvested. Here’s a hint.”
“…It was prepared in advance.”
She started connecting the dots… then pointed at him.
“You must’ve delivered it to Gronk yourself!”
“How? You think I could touch that brute without getting crushed?”
“…That’s…”
“And did you see me do anything to him?”
“You didn’t touch him. Everyone saw… He just collapsed.”
“Think carefully.”
“I mean it!”
“I did it. Think again.”
“….”
Nora went still, eyes flicking as she thought with all her might.
Backstage, maybe?
“Oh? Are you sure?”
“No…”
She shook her head.
“You and Gronk were on opposite sides… I saw it all.”
“Hmm? Then when?”
“…..”
“Tick-tock, tick-tock.”
She was at her wit’s end.
When could Dan have poisoned Gronk?
During the fight? No way—it was too fast. No one’s that quick.
It had to be a longer interaction.
A moment of extended contact…
And then it hit her.
Could it be…?
That tradition. What every pair of students must do before a match in this sacred stadium.
The handshake.
“Exactly.”
It had all ended the moment they shook hands.
Dan always wore black gloves on both hands. Rarely took either off.
But those gloves… were the key to his victory.
How?
Dan lifted a hand to show her.
“!”
Nora’s eyes widened.
On his thick black glove, at the tip of the index finger… was a tiny, sharp object. About the size of a clipped fingernail.
“This is one of Freya’s venom glands—taken from her tentacle tips. Same poison she uses to catch fish in the water.”
He plucked it off with two fingers, showed it to her… then dropped it on the ground beside a tree and ground it into the dirt with his boot.
Destroyed. Gone forever.
“!”
Nora turned toward the stadium—emergency medics were rushing in.
“Mr. Fury… but that’s… against the rules, isn’t it?”
“This is what I wanted you to see, Nora.”
Dan pointed to the ground.
“Remember what happened today. Etch it into your mind until the day you ascend to the throne—and the day you relinquish it.”
Nora swallowed hard, listening.
This—this was how the real world worked.
As long as there was no evidence, as long as no one saw it, as long as nothing could be proven—it wasn’t a crime.
“What you witnessed today is just one method of survival… for my own survival. Don’t shackle yourself to the word ‘honor.’ Don’t bind yourself to the ego of justice. Today, in the Academy, you can cling to fair duels and transparent exams all you like—but never expect purity or fairness when you take the throne…”
What Mr. Fury was trying to show her was—
“Shed your innocence early. Learn to live in the gray. Embrace your darkness, and you’ll thank me when your real battlefield arrives.”
“But that’s… that’s not right…”
“Casca used to read the scriptures to me. They said humans fear their own darkness like a plague.”
Dan nodded.
“But in Diablo, we embrace it. If God didn’t want darkness, He wouldn’t have created it. And to be honest—I’ll bet every human ruler, including your mother, has embraced it too… They just don’t admit it. No one dares, except me.”
“But shouldn’t we do what’s… right, Mr. Fury?”
“Nora.”
“Yes…”
“There are no saints out there. In the political world waiting for you—I swear on my life—not a single soul is truly clean. Not even your mother.”
And clearly, the man in front of her—Fury—had already killed hundreds.
“Let go of your ego. Embrace your shadow. That’s what will keep you from being devoured by ‘friendly’ neighbors.”
Dan placed a hand on the young princess’s shoulder, staring deep into her soul.
“You may think you’ll become Snowhaven’s most righteous empress… but when it comes down to saving a million lives, you’ll stab an ally in the back. You’ll slaughter a city full of prisoners. Why? For one reason: survival. This is how it works. Geopolitics are just a competition of who's getting the best excuses for cheating the established rules.”
Nora looked down… unsure if this was truly right. Dan understood. For a 19-year-old who’d never swum with sharks, it was a lot to take in.
“Say one day someone discovers a spell that wipes out all of Diablo—scorches it to bare dirt. You think those righteous heroes will knock on my door and challenge me to a fair duel?”
“……”
“No…”
Dan shook his head.
“They’ll use it. And if I had it—I’d use it too. The real world has no rules. Remember my words… remember them.”
Nora stood stunned for a moment… then slowly, gradually nodded.
She nodded again, her blue eyes locked on his.
“You know this truth now… and it’ll help you see more clearly. It’ll stop you from being shocked later. For now, there’s no need to get your hands dirty yet. You’re not cornered.”
“…Yes, Mr. Fury.”
Nora nodded solemnly.
“I’ll remember today’s lesson well… I swear it.”