The Crown Prince In Hiding

Chapter 27

Diablo

"Mr. Fury, how did you manage that?"

Dan didn't answer. He merely turned to look at Rafinya, the one who had cast an enhancement spell on her hearing, and gave a knowing nod.

"If you ask nicely, I might tell you."

A smirk of superiority. The remnants of Rafinya's pride did not shed so easily.

Nora's sharp eyes fixed on the Luminus noblewoman.

"I know the etiquette of not eavesdropping... a basic concept even for savages like us."

"You didn't have to jab that hard."

"Mr. Fury, why are you defending her?"

"She's right though, isn't she? Mr. Fury, it's fine. Something like that can't hurt me."

"Both of you, quiet."

Dan raised his hand into the air and clenched it into a fist. Rafinya and Nora went dead silent.

"The Empress has given us permission. That's all that matters. Eight in the morning. I'll take you around our home. Agreed?"

"Yes, Mr. Fury."

"Good."

Dan opened the window of Nora's room and was about to climb out, but he looked down at the ground below and froze.

"I remember this being shorter when we built it..."

"If you land wrong, you could break a leg... want me to help you down?"

"Shut it, Rafinya. I'm not that hopeless."

"..."

"But I'll use the door."

The Snowhaven leadership's visit to Diablo continued. Journalists worked tirelessly throughout the day, only getting a break when the Empress entered a closed-door meeting with Demon King Byleth of Diablo.

The buzz-worthy story had reached them as early as three in the morning. Prince Fury would be personally guiding Princess Nora Ophilis through Diablo's restricted territories.

Those restricted areas were off-limits to all, with the exception of the top leadership delegations and only the most prominent journalists.

And of course, everyone agreed on one thing: it was extraordinarily bold of the Snowhaven royal court to leave their Princess in the hands of the most dangerous creature in the world.

The one who came out looking best was Snowhaven.

It sent a message to every other nation that they were playing the alliance game with Diablo more seriously than anyone.

Film cameras captured Princess Nora Ophilis boarding the massive vessel where Prince Fury and his people awaited.

The image showed the young woman shaking hands with the Crown Prince before turning to wave to everyone. Then the ship set off, pressing ahead into the fortress of forest that would lead into the lands of the "demons," where actual demons lived.

The Empress, watching from the shore, looked back and forth between her daughter and Prince Fury.

Her gaze lingered on the stern of the ship as it slowly vanished into the shadows of the forest wall. A faint sigh escaped her before she spoke in a level, unhurried voice, loud enough for the Demon King Byleth to hear clearly.

"What bitter irony."

The Demon King turned slowly and asked,

"What is it that you find ironic?"

"I watched her kill a saber-toothed tiger with hollow eyes. I watched her drive a spear through the skulls of rebels at the execution grounds, clean through to the bowels. I did not see so much as a soul behind those eyes. And yet... she comes alive near him. How is it that a single life can shine so brightly when standing beside something capable of destroying every life there is? Wouldn't you agree?"

She left it at that, turning her gaze away without waiting for an answer.

One of the Demon King's clone soldiers walked alongside and informed Fury. He nodded, then turned and gave a gentle knock on a wooden crate aboard the ship.

The crate shifted. Rafinya Saint Pauli crawled out. She looked back at the river the ship had been sailing through, unfastened her brown cloak to reveal a comfortable grey-and-white casual outfit. At the same time, Nora shed her formal attire, revealing a black set of casual clothes underneath.

A one-eyed mass of flesh floated toward them. At first, Rafinya flinched, not daring to hand it her clothes for fear of the slimy residue on its body. She gave her outfit to one of the Demon King's clone soldiers instead.

CRACK!

Fury reverted to his human form, Dan Burn. He twisted and stretched, his bones popping and crackling.

"Phew... I was so tense out there at the event."

"Mr. Fury, you've secretly grown attached to your human form."

"I'm changing back so it won't look so strange."

"Is that really why? Really?"

"A princess of a major nation, spirited away into the deep forest."

"Mr. Fury, I was just teasing..."

"Mr. Fury, where are your guards?"

"I didn't bring them. I didn't want them disrupting the trip."

He answered Rafinya, then turned and pointed.

"There it is. Past that tree and we've arrived."

Light from the island above pierced through the canopy on both sides, spilling onto the passengers.

What appeared before their eyes was not gleaming architecture. There were no paved stone roads cutting through, no massive iron bridges of the kind humans typically built to conquer nature.

The land of Diablo was one with an ancient, boundless forest. The Diablo had chosen to nestle themselves beneath its shade. Their city stood upon the trunks and branches of colossal trees as large as the towers of Snowhaven's capital.

Dense leaves of deep purple and indigo served as a natural roof, blocking the sun until only silver beams filtered through. The thoroughfares here were not roads but enormous intertwined vines forming natural suspension bridges high in the air. Roots as thick as a human torso sprawled across the ground, yet had been smoothed and polished to serve as the main walkways. Everything had been built without felling a single tree. As though they had come asking to be part of the ecosystem, rather than to rule over it.

As the boat sailed deeper, the two began to see the Diablo population gathered along the waterway. And the sheer variety of their appearances sent the girls' minds into overload, drowning them in more information than they could process.

Some were tall and slender, their skin a thick grey bark with glowing moss clinging to their elbows. Their eyes were large, solid amber with no whites.

Some had horns that curved up in a magnificent crown of bone, with a mane of silver-sheen fur running along their spines.

Some had skin that reflected light like the wings of a jewel beetle, shimmering with purple and green as they moved.

That was only a fraction of what they saw. The Diablo were rather spread out, living far apart from one another, each going about their own business at their own pace.

Every single one of them was radically different in physiology, and yet they mingled together in perfect normalcy, without a trace of disdain or estrangement.

The way of life here was not "clinging to the jungle" like primitive human tribes. It was driven by a logic entirely different from their own.

Rather than lighting fires or using oil lamps, the entire area was illuminated by a muted blue glow emanating from the root networks. The Diablo had embedded mana crystals into the soil so that the roots could absorb and channel energy throughout the vegetation of the forest. The trees thus glowed to light the way in darkness, and the fruit growing here thrived on such concentrated mana energy that they grew to enormous, oversized proportions.

Daily life for these armored demons was remarkably quiet and peaceful on an ordinary day.

There was only the sound of flowing streams, birdsong, and a gentle breeze.

They even spotted a Diablo covered in spines from every angle, soaking in a bath of water mixed with secretions from spore-family plants that possessed antiseptic properties, flowing down from above into the stream they were traveling along. The damp, musty smell would have to be set aside to appreciate the scenery. It might not have been pleasant for a human nose, but it was clean enough for them.

Even sleeping was different. Some did not sleep on the ground or on beds, but hung upside down from massive branches like bats, staying vigilant against danger. Others buried themselves in mounds of smooth leaves that radiated warmth throughout the night.

Along the waterway the boat passed through, both girls noticed groups of Diablo with webbing between their fingers and toes, slick skin, and faint gill slits on the sides of their necks. They were the same type as Freya. They served as caretakers of the water treatment system, using their specialized physiology to filter toxins and waste from the water sources through their own biological systems.

They were the first to sense the arrival of this ship, and had simply come out to see who it was.

And of course, once some began to notice, others followed.

The atmosphere shifted in the blink of an eye. The sounds of daily activity and the movement of the city that had been carrying on gradually fell silent, until an eerie stillness settled over everything.

Diablo who had been in tree hollows, on vine bridges, or even soaking in the warm streams all stopped whatever they were doing. Every pair of eyes turned in unison toward the lone vessel.

It was not a murderous gaze meant to kill. It was curiosity.

Nora felt as though the air around her had grown heavy enough to make breathing difficult, while Rafinya quietly shifted her hands and feet, preparing herself for whatever might come. Both their hearts pounded as they were stared down by inhuman beings of every conceivable shape, none of which they had ever encountered in their lives.

A murmur of low-frequency language hummed in scattered pockets, the vibrations thrumming faintly in their chests. The Diablo began to shift closer, gathering along the banks and on low-hanging branches. Some tilted their heads to study them. Others watched with quiet suspicion.

"Humans" were not creatures from some distant page of history. These Diablo had a vivid and familiar reference point from over a decade of experience: Casca, the woman with sun-kissed caramel skin that gleamed like simmered honey, brimming with a warrior's strength.

"Pull to shore."

The boat reached the bank just as Diablo citizens began to drift closer, peering curiously.

It was obvious that both girls were deeply anxious.

So he was the first to step onto the bank. Red light split down from above and he transformed into his true form.

"Come on up."

He pulled Rafinya up first, then drew Nora after her.

"This is the first place you'll pass through when you come to us."

Fury swept his hand out toward the vista before them.

"Every Diablo here is a soldier. Every one of them fights for me. Do not be afraid."

Just then,

a Diablo standing well over two meters tall, his body resembling granite blocks stacked into rectangular armor plates, eyes glowing, walked toward them.

"Your Grace?"

He spoke in the Diablo tongue, which neither human could understand.

"...Who are these humans?"

"What are they?"

He asked on behalf of the many other Diablo who had closed in around them, drawing so near that Rafinya flinched when one breathed on her.

Fury's massive black hand simply rose into the air. He gave a command without uttering a single word. The Diablo who had pressed in retreated under his authority.

CRACK!

He reverted to Dan.

"Back off. You're making them uncomfortable."

Dan placed both hands on the girls' shoulders and pulled them close.

Nora/Rafinya: "Mr. Fury?!"

"These are my honored guests. This is Nora. On my left is Rafinya."

"Princess Nora?"

"Spread the word. If anyone so much as touches them, it will be the same as doing it to me."

"Yes... Your Grace."

And the ring of Diablo slowly dispersed, each turning to spread the news of Fury's return.

(The sound of a giant Diablo's footsteps shaking the ground as it departed)

"Mr. Fury... what did you say to him?"

Rafinya asked, beads of sweat running down her cheek.

"I just told them not to panic. That you're my friends."

Dan turned to them.

"That stone fellow's name is Bognor. He's the overseer of this district."

"District overseer?"

"The Demon King divided Diablo into five districts, each with one person in charge. It's a system of governance that works well. Father actually got the idea from you humans."

The moment he finished speaking, the shadow of something flew overhead, casting its silhouette below. Nora looked up.

It was an airship.

"A private one."

"It's yours, Mr. Fury?"

"That's right."

"Did you have Mr. Everton get it for you?"

"Casca, actually."