The Crown Prince In Hiding

From the perspective of the United States of Mathema, the day President Fofana Steelers received a “confidential” approach from Prince Everton’s representatives, there were many factors shaping her decision.

First and foremost—profitability.

President Fofana’s team already had the data. During the war, she had seen with her own eyes just how much vital resource Diablo possessed, and Mathema was one of the world’s top consumers of mana crystals each year.

For Luminus, Diablo was a demon from hell.

For Velmount, Diablo was an inhuman enemy they despised deep down.

For Snowhaven, Diablo was an intelligent beast to be handled with caution.

For Zentinel, Diablo was a natural creation from across the sea.

But for Mathema, Diablo was a specimen worth studying.

No creature on Earth had armor so hard it defied all damage, toxins like deep-sea creatures, the ability to blend perfectly into its environment, and the power of flight.

These were abilities humanity had long since abandoned millions of years ago—leaving only intelligence behind—yet across the sea stood Diablo, the ideal of natural evolution straight from their textbooks.

Mathema wanted to replicate that.

That was why they had poured budgets into studying Diablo specimens recovered from the war for over a decade.

While Luminus shunned and blocked Diablo at every turn, President Fofana saw opportunity.

Becoming Diablo’s first ally would give Mathema the edge to topple Luminus as a superpower.

They debated it over and over in the President’s war room—trusting Diablo was a risk. Velmount’s history with the Shadows was a cautionary tale. While the Shadows had never openly betrayed them—being wiped out by Diablo before they had the chance—the UN later found evidence suggesting that had the Shadows conquered human lands, they would have enslaved Velmount as VIP vassals, stripping them of freedom entirely.

That scenario would never be proven—it hadn’t happened—but another argument arose: Diablo was not the Shadows.

By nature, they were territorial, not expansionist. They could not use magic—crucial, because while they lacked that magical edge, their physical strength was tremendous… and dangerous in a different way.

President Fofana weighed the risks for months before reaching a conclusion: they should move forward and ally with Diablo.

Two reasons sealed it.

First: Mathema was the most indebted nation in the human realm—damaged by war and weighed down by constant research investments. Their gold and mana crystal reserves were too small to repay debts owed to Luminus, Zentinel, Velmount, and Snowhaven.

They issued government bonds yearly, bought both domestically and abroad—held by Luminus, Velmount, Zentinel, and Snowhaven in that order.

Bond yields kept climbing—markets feared Mathema might default, so investors kept selling. The MTSE (Mathema Stock Exchange) was dominated by R&D firms, over 40% of it—meaning sentiment turned sour whenever innovation stumbled.

Mathema was like a nerdy kid tinkering in the garage—funding endless inventions with loans from neighbors. Some succeeded, some failed, but debt kept growing past what was in the bank.

If nations decided to dump Mathema’s bonds, the country would collapse and lose its shot at being number one.

Luminus knew this. They were just waiting for the right moment to dump bonds and crush the rising star. Conveniently, Luminus was also Mathema’s largest creditor.

But ties with Diablo could flip the game.

Diablo had no civilization or key innovations—but they wanted them badly.

Everton’s offer: if Mathema shared innovation—anything—Diablo would buy the next bond issuance in full. Mathema could set the interest rate, as long as it wasn’t lower than 0.25%.

That was huge.

If agreed, Mathema could use Diablo’s massive payment to pay off all other creditors—even if they came knocking together. Diablo would become their largest creditor, charging negligible interest, in exchange for innovations—Mathema’s strongest suit.

Second: Diablo’s intelligence service in Mathema had learned that Fofana’s political chair was heating up. The opposition was growing rapidly thanks to the debt crisis and what they saw as wasteful R&D spending.

Fofana’s term limit allowed only one more run. If she took the gamble and became the first president to forge real peace with Diablo, the political momentum could swing entirely back to her party—securing her final term.

She might even win a world peace prize, maybe get her face carved into a mountainside beside past presidents—becoming a legend.

As someone who lived by high risk, high reward, Fofana couldn’t ignore the deal. She knew Everton sought long-term power, while she was driven by short-term political pressure—but it was too good to pass up.

She still set safeguards—selling Diablo long-term bonds, not three or five years, but thirty.

Everton accepted.

And that was why Mathema was here today.

At present, President Fofana had already shaken hands with Prince Everton.

As for Snowhaven—

“Your monopoly plan is excellent, but we want adjustments.”

“What?”

All eyes turned to the Empress. She returned Everton’s proposal with her own.

“Of course, merging benefits us all. But this is only the first stage of your country’s opening.”

She continued,

“We should proceed gradually—too abrupt, and Luminus will push back.”

“Afraid of the old superpower, Your Majesty?”

“You should be afraid, not me. Holy magic is your weakness, isn’t it?”

Everton stayed silent—it was true.

“Even with you here, humanity has five kingdoms. Majority vote is still three to two. A monopoly must be built quietly.”

She wasn’t rejecting the monopoly—just suggesting they do it discreetly instead of announcing it with a bang.

“It should start with something simple… such as adjusting our profit share.”

Snowhaven’s refining tech was too valuable to risk. They would protect their intellectual property and ensure any partnership had strict conditions, exit clauses, and risk management.

Empress Ophilis XIV’s revisions:

Change 50/50 to 70/30 in Snowhaven’s favor at first, shifting to 50/50 over ten years.

Profits to be overseen by a third party for transparency.

Refining machinery to remain Snowhaven’s exclusive property; Diablo must follow Snowhaven’s rules or the deal is void.

A joint oversight committee with equal members from Snowhaven and Diablo.

Everton respected her before, but this impressed him further—it was protection against both Diablo and their own allies, with an exit strategy built in.

“Seventy-thirty? We need to eat too, Your Majesty.”

“Oh? Does Diablo use money, Prince Everton?”

She smiled faintly.

“Name me five things Diablo buys in daily life.”

“Sixty-forty.”

“I think sixty-forty is fair, Your Majesty.”

“With respect, Prince Everton—you bring the ore, but we swing the hammers. Seventy-thirty.”

Her stance was firm. Nora could tell her mother wanted that ratio.

Everton paused, then smiled.

“Alright—seventy-thirty. After all, we’re the ones courting you.”

“As for the third party…”

The Empress glanced at Fofana, who was all but offering herself.

“I’d prefer Zentinel, but that would make too many splits. Let’s discuss details over the next two days.”

“It’s an honor doing business.”

Everton reached across the table. The Empress took his hand. The deal was set.

“We’ll send our finest assassins to Snowhaven at your appointed time.”

“We look forward to it, Prince.”

The Raven shook his hand. The three sides applauded. Everton made the rounds shaking hands—until he came to Nora.

“A pleasure to work with you, Princess.”

“My respects, Prince Everton.”

“Will you be in Snowhaven then?”

“I’m not sure, Your Highness.”

“If you are, all the better. I’m sending my brother and his soldiers—he’d take a liking to you, I’m sure.”

His brother—everyone knew who that meant.

Prince Fury himself would come to Snowhaven.

But… ‘take a liking’ to her?

Even the Empress faltered. Was Everton joking? Nora’s instincts said no.

“It would be an honor, Your Highness.”

“Good luck.”

Everton departed with Galatasaray and the other demons.

When the Diablos were gone, President Fofana came to greet Nora Ophilis.

“Princess Nora.”

“President.”

“I suppose news of your defeat of Iskaryx has reached their ears.”

She rolled her eyes toward the Empress.

“Not sure if that’s good news or bad.”

Then the parties went their separate ways.