The Crown Prince In Hiding

Prince Fury had to return to his regular routine—once again facing off against the scholarship knight trainees at the gym for training as assigned by Professor Foden.

He arrived precisely at 5 a.m., not a second too late or too early. There, he found only one senior already present: Aaron. Well—almost the only one. Just seconds after Dan entered and before he could even put his things down, Rafinya arrived. After that, the others trickled in one by one.

Training commenced.

Dan trained solo. His fundamentals weren’t nearly developed enough to train with the main group.

Maybe it was fair. Someone weak like him should train alone—so he could catch up to the others.

And more importantly...

“Dan.”

“!”

Senior Chiesa tossed him a pair of black gloves.

“Wash these for me.”

Utility.

The role the weak are given.

“Yes, sir.”

“When you’re done, prep the ring. Aaron and I are sparring.”

“Got it…”

“And clean the training swords before you leave.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Fffft...

After completing his assigned chores, Dan continued training until sweat soaked through his shirt. He plopped down on a nearby bench to rest. That was when—

“Keep trying, Dan.”

Senior Knight Helena Haaland, third-year.

“Senior Helena…”

She smiled at him.

“Thank you…”

“We’ve got a match at the Garden this week. Don’t tarnish our department’s name.”

*Garden — short for Madison Square Garden, as the students call it.

“Yes, ma’am…”

There wasn’t much more conversation after that.

Helena Haaland walked away.

Still, her eyes lingered on Dan from a distance.

The reason was Chiesa Saint-Germain.

That day, after training ended—after Dan got knocked out by Rafinya—Helena, like everyone else, was disappointed.

But when she looked toward Chiesa, she saw him biting his thumbnail, eyes locked in deep thought.

She recognized the behavior well.

Chiesa was observing—analyzing something.

“What is it?”

“…”

The third-year didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked at his hand—the same hand that had sparked with golden lightning when he shook hands with Dan.

That wasn’t ordinary lightning or faulty magic.

It was high-tier Holy Protection magic inherited from the Saint-Germain family—a blessing bestowed during a baptism ceremony performed by the Pope himself.

“No way… you’re serious?”

Helena was stunned.

“You saw it.”

“I thought you were just playing around with him.”

“…The Pope’s blessing reacted out of nowhere.”

Chiesa’s expression turned grim.

There were only a few reasons a holy blessing like that would spark—especially without provocation. The Saint-Germain family had served the royal house for generations. Their protective blessings were like automatic defense systems, triggering when a threat emerged unexpectedly.

Throughout Chiesa’s life, this holy shield had always protected him—but usually when he put himself in danger, like dueling, hunting beasts, or counter-terror operations along the border.

Never once had it triggered like that—randomly, out of nowhere.

Which could only mean one of two things:

Either Dan was a saint-level holy warrior far beyond even Chiesa…

Or he was something else entirely—a demon.

“Something’s not right…”

“Chiesa?”

His emerald eyes stared out across the ring—watching as Dan was safely carried out by Aaron.

“This has happened before… Helena, don’t underestimate him.”

He said,

“Either we’ve found a diamond in the rough… or someone hiding power from us.”

Based on what he’d seen, Chiesa leaned toward the former—a hidden talent in need of refinement.

But it had happened before in the magic division—students hiding their true power just to earn scholarships… or worse, acting as spies.

“For now, we play along.”

“You think he’s wearing a mask around us, Chiesa?”

“I don’t know… but it’s possible.”

“Should we tell the others?”

“No. I’m only telling you because I trust you, Helena.”

Back in the present.

Training was over, and Dan was the last one left in the gym, tidying up alone as the others filtered out to their classes.

“Thanks for handling the cleanup!”

Senior Aaron patted Dan’s shoulder before heading off. Dan waved in reply.

One by one, they left. The gym doors stood wide open.

Jenny passed him… then Rafinya… then Helena…

And the last one approaching the exit—was Chiesa.

But he didn’t leave just yet.

Dan kept his head down, scrubbing the floor, until he sensed a long shadow stretch over him. He looked up.

“Is something wrong, Mr. Chiesa?”

“…Watching you work every morning and evening like this, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for you.”

Dan kept cleaning while the third-year stood there, bag slung over his shoulder.

“If you feel that bad, why not help out? I’d get to class faster.”

“No can do. Knight rules, you know.”

“Then go ahead to class, sir.”

Dan stood near the back corner of the room.

“I don’t hold grudges about this stuff. If it makes you feel like less of a bad guy, that’s fine by me.”

“…What did you just say?”

Chiesa paused.

“…Are you angry at us?”

“I’m not angry, sir. Why would I be?”

And then—something in Dan’s crimson eyes made Chiesa’s skin crawl.

“I don’t resent how you treat me… This is nothing compared to what people do to each other in war.”

!

Whether it was the tone… or those eyes… Chiesa wasn’t sure.

But for a brief moment, he forgot he was speaking to the weakest member of their group—Dan Burn.

“…Then you’d better toughen up. Pressure like this will either break you—or make you climb.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll do my best.”

Chiesa walked out the door…

“You idiot, we’re going to be late!”

Helena scolded him before the five knight scholars finally left the gym together, leaving Dan behind.

As Senior Aaron led the small talk,

Rafinya threw a sharp look at Chiesa.

Once she was beside him, she spoke.

“Why are you so interested in a weakling like him, Chiesa? He’s not a prodigy—his reflexes are pathetic, and even his instincts are slower than a turtle. And you think he’s hiding power?”

“You’re not wrong, Rafinya… that sluggishness is real. But a lot about him is off. I heard Princess Nora of Snowhaven is close to him, too?”

“Probably just picking a servant. His brain seems useful enough.”

Rafinya let out a sharp tch.

“He was granted a prestigious scholarship, and that’s all he can do? That spot should’ve gone to someone with real skill. Even the kid who lasted four minutes in the trial was better than this lucky fool.”

“Calm down, Rafinya.”

Chiesa placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I know how much you crave a strong rival… but we need to give Dan the chance to prove himself. The academy has learned its lesson before. I’m sure Professor Foden is watching him closely. If he’s not the real deal… he’ll be gone by the end of the week.”

The verdict would be decided at Madison Square Garden.

And the reason it came to that… was because it had already been agreed upon—between them and Professor Foden.

Dan’s opponent at Madison Square Garden was already locked in.