Chapter 13

  Bound

  "If that damn golem shows up as a surprise... I’ll just have to pull out my own surprise too, His highness."

  This is Mathema’s prototype invention, known only among inventors’ inner circles.

  A device that captures light and transcribes it onto paper, powered by a two-inch mana crystal engine.

  The Mathema call this… a camera.

  And it can record events before you with factual precision down to the finest detail—something mere drawings could never achieve!

  "Does something like this actually exist in the world?!"

  "And it’s already in my hands! (Though I did promise to return it soon…)"

  "Freya… don’t tell me… those things you kept showing me all week…"

  "Exactly! This device can record our experiences!"

  A good friend is like a precious treasure—but if that friend happens to be too clever, situations like this are bound to arise.

  Freya scattered over ten photographs across the floor, fanning them out before the three of them.

  Snapshots taken haphazardly like a child’s play—random shots of the academy, fountains, here and there. One even caught Dan messing around, unaware it had captured a half-blurry, half-selfie-style image.

  But above all else…

  A photo of Casca smooching Dan, drenched in lovesick haze.

  "Well, since I had to tag along with His highness everywhere, I ended up reading up in the Sheffield library. That’s where I ‘accidentally’ learned humans consider adult-child relationships taboo~? Right, Lady Casca?"

  BOOM

  Casca froze solid… eyes wide as saucers.

  "In Luminus, it seems… the laws are even stricter?"

  Zeedee could only mean one thing.

  The Minor Protection Act.

  Enshrined in the criminal codes of all five nations, it’s a grave law—especially in Luminus, a land where morality reigns supreme.

  Abducting a minor carries severe penalties across all human realms, but in Luminus, it’s worse than death itself—it’s a living hell.

  The ironclad rule of society is this: no matter how high you soar, if you’re caught entangled with a minor…

  No matter how many lives you’ve saved or virtues you’ve amassed, it’ll be an indelible stain on your legacy, haunting you till your dying day.

  Respect drops to zero, irredeemable. This truth applies to everyone—even god himself.

  "Casca Saint Maximin, Luminus’ legendary hero, spot with an underaged ‘boy’ home alone."

  Zeedee hissed through her teeth,

  "... Can’t even imagine how society’ll react."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "What boy?! He’s my fiancé!"

  "Technically, the prince is a minor. Isn’tit?"

  "!?"

  Casca’s in her 30s.

  Fury’s a demon of similar age.

  But Dan Burn’s a 16-year-old boy.

  Now picture this: Casca bringing a 16-year-old boy home, alone, with romantic undertones.

  This is pure, unfiltered catastrophe.

  "And she just happened to commit misconduct with a minor~!"

  Casca lunged impulsively, snatching the photo from Zeedee’s grip and tearing it to shreds.

  Though she masked her fear, her body betrayed her.

  She charged at Zeedee’s hand clutching the boxy device, not caring how it worked—just desperate to seize it first.

  "Aaaaaah!!!"

  Freya’s real form sprouted tentacles from behind, shifting part of her body back to her demonic state.

  Casca froze—those tentacles could inject deadly venom.

  Freya’s appendage yanked the camera away, swallowing it into her digestive tract—conveniently located where humans keep their waste organs.

  Casca gritted her teeth.

  In the end… Freya held all the negotiation cards.

  This was Freya’s eternal paradox: sometimes foolishly naive, yet ruthlessly cunning when it came to self-preservation—unpredictably sharp as acid.

  "Delete… it… now!"

  "Are you nuts? Who’d do that?"

  Freya flicked her fingers, blowing dust off her nails.

  "I’ll follow His highness till the end of time. Give up dreaming of shaking me off, period."

  "YAAAAHHH!!!"

  Casca stomped, punched a tree with a golden-aura-coated fist, and snapped it in half before Nora’s eyes.

  Nora: !?

  "Just kill her and dump the body in the ocean."

  Aura blazing gold, Freya scrambled behind Fury, face pale as death.

  "Y-His highness! Save me!!!"

  "What? You made this mess—clean it up."

  "His highnessYYY!!! PROTECT MEEE!!!"

  "Dunno. Work it out yourselves."

  *Fury sidesteps.*

  "AAHHHH!!!"

  "YOU’RE DDDDEEEEAAAAD!!!"

  Amid the chaos, Dan walked away, hitching up his pants, heading to the river. He sat, dunked his legs in, and gazed into the distance.

  "Mr. Fury! Are you really going to let them fight like this?!"

  Nora fled after him, anxious… but Dan showed none of that. He simply watched the sunset.

  "Heh… The sun’s color is beautiful today."

  "MR. FURY!"

  "Don’t stress. Let nature sort them out."

  "Is this normal for them?"

  "Worse before."

  "Worse than this?"

  "No one dies."

  Nora frowned… then slowly sat beside him.

  "Your relationship is… quite complicated."

  "Still don’t know how to fix it, Nora."

  "Guess nothing’s perfect."

  Sigh "One’s stubborn. One’s obsessed. Either way… I lose."

  "Have you tried talking?"

  "This is the result."

  Dan gestured toward the brawl.

  "Believe me—I’ve tried everything. This… is the only way we can coexist."

  << YOU CRAZY BITCH!!! Take your calloused hands OFF ME!!! >>

  << I’ll skin your ugly hide and turn it into toilet paper!!! >>

  << SCREEEEEEE!!! My tentacle!!! My BEAUTIFUL tentacle!!! >>

  "In Diablo, I’d have to separate them—it’s nonstop otherwise."

  "Guess your world’s always chaotic, Mr. Fury?"

  "Exactly. A day without it feels off."

  Nora watched the human-jellyfish showdown, then turned back.

  "Will you have to move with Miss Maximin?"

  "... Yeah. I’ve been thinking."

  As he spoke, Dan’s gaze drifted far.

  "Going back to the island now’s possible… but if she stays, I’ll have to adjust. And…"

  He looked back at their hard-built home.

  "Leaving this house would be a shame… I’m thinking… maybe stick around here a bit longer."

  Nora’s eyes widened. Dan rolled his to her.

  "What do you think, Nora?"

  "Y-you’re asking me?"

  "Mm."

  Nora glanced at the house, then back at Dan.

  "... I…"

  "?"

  "I want Mr. Fury to stay a little longer."

  "Obviously—to interview me."

  "That’s part, but…"

  Nora lowered her gaze, knees curled.

  "If you leave… I’ll be lonely."

  Her voice softened, eyes dimmed.

  "Goodbyes are part of life, Nora."

  "... Yes..."

  "But seeing how fragile you are, maybe sticking around won’t hurt?"

  !

  "Really?"

  Dan stood. Nora shot up, beaming.

  Dan returned to the duo, finding Casca’s golden-bladed dagger hovering at Freya’s throat.

  "Casca, I want to talk."

  "Hm?"

  They paused mid-murder spree. Casca released Freya from her chokehold.

  "Made your choice, Fury?"

  Dan nodded. Together, they walked to the riverside.

  "I think… if it gets too messy, I’ll stay here."

  "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!"

  "I’m already on the student roster."

  Dan spread his fingers, counting off.

  "No more games of chase. No pressure, right? You lured me out of my nest, and you’re the one free to roam more than me."

  "But leave you with… that thing?!"

  Casca jabbed at the jellyfish demon.

  "NO WAY!"

  "Never said you couldn’t come too."

  Casca arched a brow, lips puckered into an "O".

  "Uh-huh?"

  "This shack? Me and Zeedee built it. Nora’s stuff filled it. Tossing it would suck."

  Dan coughed awkwardly,

  "Besides… I think the human world’s gotten… slightly interesting."

  "! ! !"

  That final line was Casca’s lifelong wish. Her eyes sparkled, heart pounding with giddy shock.

  "Did you say… slightly interesting? You said you’re starting to care?"

  "Guess I met you, didn’t I…?"

  Arms crossed, face turned with faint pink cheeks.

  "So why not finish your business, then return to Diablo together?"

  "FUUUURY~~~~~"

  "Urk?!"

  Dan was yanked into a spin, smothered in affection.

  "My Ugly Lizard!!!"

  "…Yes, Mistress."