Chapter 14

  <“I’m off to grab my stuff. I’ll be back in two days. Don’t let me hear about anything weird.”>

  <“Get lost. Hope your train crashes and you die.”>

  <“You know you can’t beat me so all you can do is pray.”>

  <“Just go already, damn it!”>

  <“And what if I don’t?!”>

  <<“Please, I’m begging you, show some civility…”>>

  The scene opens with Zeedee Lamb, lounging with her feet propped on her lab desk, swinging them idly.

  Goddamn it, she was pissed.

  Her irritation over Casca’s arrival outweighed the lab results she needed to update for her professor this week.

  Across the room, other scholarship students worked at their desks. Zeedee was the odd one out, the least likely to belong in this setting.

  In the magical engineering department, scholarships were more plentiful than in the other two tracks. For first-years, besides Zeedee, there were four others, making five engineering scholars.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  “?”

  Zeedee dropped her feet and walked past her personal trash can, stuffed with torn love letters from other students, to the lab’s entrance.

  There stood her two “fairy” friends, Kris and Tristina.

  “Hiii~~!”

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Work’s done, girl. Let’s hit the café!”

  “Hell yeah!”

  .

  Zeedee’s reflection glinted off the delicate teacups of the high-class girls, and a thought struck her.

  “Here, I’m returning this.”

  Zeedee handed the camera back to Tristina.

  “Geez, took you long enough. Thought you lost it.”

  “I’m not that careless.”

  “What’s this slime?”

  “!”

  Tristina squinted suspiciously.

  “It’s all sticky. Your snot or something?”

  “No way… It’s… chemicals from the lab.”

  Freya had snatched it back and wiped it down, playing it cool.

  “Why’s it smell like fishy seawater?”

  “Extracted it, duh.”

  “Ew…”

  Ew, my ass. Keep it up, and I’ll make you eat it, you brats.

  “Speaking of, where’s that photo of you and Dan? I lent you my brand-new camera, and you didn’t even show it off. Don’t hog it!”

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

  “Dan’s keeping it for himself.”

  “Ugh, don’t talk like that, it’s annoying. If Kris hadn’t just gotten her heart broken, I’d ditch you lovebirds.”

  Kris: “Wanna die?”

  “No wonder…”

  Zeedee turned to Kris.

  “That explains why you’re so quiet.”

  “You’re no different.”

  “Huh? How am I like you?”

  “Fighting with Dan?”

  “What?! No way! What makes you say that? Keep it up, and I’ll backhand you!”

  “We can read you like a book. No use hiding it. You’ve been moping in the lab all day, and your eyes twitched when we mentioned Dan. Spill it. What’s going on?”

  These jerks!

  Only a few Diablo could express emotions through their faces. Fury and Freya weren’t among them—their emotions came through their voices, not their static faces.

  But with a human body, facial expressions multiplied. For someone reserved like Fury, his face stayed blank. But for someone as expressive as Zeedee, hiding her feelings was tough… She had a lot to learn.

  “Nothing’s going on!”

  “Hey, girl…”

  Grab.

  Tristina reached out, holding Zeedee’s arm.

  “We’re friends, right? You gotta tell us.”

  Zeedee tried not to spill… but thinking of Casca’s face made her blood boil. Then an idea hit.

  She was in human territory now. Casca’s human insight gave her an edge. Freya had been fighting her Diablo-style all this time…

  Maybe it was time to use human insight, human tactics, to take on Casca and win back the prince.

  “Well, there is something…”

  “!”

  Tristina and Kris (suddenly revived by juicy gossip) leaned in.

  “But it’s about someone I know.”

  “Bullshit, it’s about you.”

  “…Okay, say someone else is messing with what’s ours—”

  “He’s cheating?!?!”

  Kris: “God be praised, someone’s got worse luck than me.”

  “He’s not cheating! I’m asking, if we have to compete for someone, how do we make them ours?”

  “Scumbag! He’s got you and still does this?! He’s getting too cocky! And he’s not even that hot!”

  “Hey, calm down, you lunatics, or I’ll slap you all!”

  “Who’s the other woman? I wanna meet her so we can gang up and beat her!”

  “…I don’t think you’d want to do that, Tristina.”

  “Strategies, huh? Hmm…”

  Kris, silent until now, spoke up.

  “I’m in no position to talk, but if it were me, I’d use whatever advantage I have over that thieving cat.”

  “One thing I’m sure of is she’s not as bold as me.”

  “Ha, so it is about you.”

  “Ugh…”

  “It’s fine, I get it.”

  Kris shoved cake in her mouth, covering it with her hand.

  “What’s your edge?”

  “My edge? Well… I’ve known Dan longer. Been with him way longer, and—”

  “Wow, sounds like he’s bored of you already.”

  “What did you say?!”

  “Listen up, rookie.”

  Tristina (veteran of five exes) slammed her hands on the table, leaning in to point at Zeedee.

  “You’re too accommodating. Being all sweet and agreeable? That just makes you a doormat to guys.”

  “It’s my duty to follow Dan’s orders.”

  “Orders?! Oh my god! What is this?! You’re letting him abuse you?! Toxic much?!”

  Zeedee sensed a slight communication misfire.

  “No! I mean, I like going along with him.”

  “Then stop it. Listen, when guys see you agreeing to everything, it’s not exciting. No unpredictability, no challenge. That’s what keeps you in the game! Got it?”

  “Huh…?”

  “You gotta channel your inner villain! Drop the goody-two-shoes act. Make him realize he could lose you anytime. Show him you’re not easy! Be fierce! Outshine that thieving cat!”

  Tristina grabbed Zeedee’s shoulders.

  “I’ll teach you.”

  “If I do that, will Dan really look at me?”

  “Trust me.”

  (Sound of a door creaking)

  Prince Fury arrived at the gym after class, dressed casually, ready for his usual training routine.

  When he got there…

  Every familiar face was already present—Chiesa, Aaron, Jenny, even Helena.

  The moment Dan walked in… it was like all life paused, every eye on him.

  He went to his locker, stashed his bag as usual, then grabbed a mop to clean the boxing ring for today’s training.

  Suddenly, senior Helena tapped him.

  “…You don’t have to do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “…Just… wipe down the weightlifting equipment instead.”

  Dan looked at her, then at the mop. Everyone avoided his gaze. He set the mop down and grabbed a rag to clean the weights.

  In the knight department, people treated Dan Burn better now. They didn’t just see Dan—they saw Princess Nora Ophillis standing protectively behind him.

  No one wanted trouble with someone who’d just made headlines for slaying the legendary beast Iskaryx.

  “How was your weekend, relaxing?” Aaron Rogers approached, greeting him.

  “Good… Pretty busy, actually.”

  “First year’s like that.”

  Shoulder pat.

  “I thought you’d be shaken up after what happened Friday.”

  “Oh… that. Yeah.”

  Dan nodded slightly.

  “Pretty worrying. Guy’s still bedridden.”

  Huh?

  “Really? Three days later?”

  Built like an elephant, and he couldn’t handle Freya’s poison? Overrated, maybe?

  “Yeah, doc said his lung lining’s damaged. Out for a month. They still can’t explain why he suddenly seized.”

  No poison, no trace of magic. In fact, it wasn’t even magic.

  “Oh…”

  Dan nodded faintly.

  “Hope he recovers soon.”

  “You’re probably used to it by now, huh? Bet you’ve got the system figured out for Week 2 and beyond.”

  “Yes, senior Aaron.”

  “Then train with me today.”

  “For real?”

  “Gotta get stronger, right?”

  Dan’s eyes widened.

  “Thanks, senior Aaron!”

  “Watch out, Aaron, don’t seize up.”

  “Vardy… come on.”

  Helena elbowed Vardy, silencing her.

  Chiesa kept training his strength…

  (Sound of door opening)

  The last scholarship student arrived…

  Rafinya.

  “Hey, Rafinya.”

  “Hi, seniors.”

  She headed to her locker, her eyes scanning until they landed on…

  Dan Burn.