“Wow, wow… look at you. Acting all handsome in front of the princess, you stupid little lizard.”

  !!!

  A deep, smooth voice came from the figure leaning against the tree behind them, appearing suddenly… there was only one person who could show up like this.

  “Casca!”

  She was back.

  Standing with her hands in her pockets, leaning against the trunk, listening in secretly.

  The orange firelight reflected against her caramel skin as she stepped forward.

  Dan shot up and embraced his wife, almost like an automatic reflex.

  “You’ve been gone so long. I missed you so much.”

  “You want peanuts? Just say so.”

  “Where is it?”

  She pulled out a bag of peanuts.

  “If you eat too much you’ll fart a lot.”

  “Can’t help it, I love them.”

  “Just don't fart near me ok?”

  Casca leapt in to join the circle by the fire.

  “Lady Casca…”

  “I heard you just now. Sounds like there’s a problem, isn’t there?”

  “Not exactly a problem...”

  “Fury may brag endlessly, but he was right about one thing—we’re all just as much of a mess as each other.”

  Dan: “And what exactly do I brag about, may I ask?”

  “I accepted Rafinya’s wager.”

  “Oh? And what of it?”

  Dan: “If she wins, I’ll get traded away from Nora.”

  “A buddy trade for group work? Heh~ we never had that in my time. So why worry?”

  “I’m just a little anxious, that’s all.”

  Nora hugged her knees.

  “There’s a chance I’ll lose Mr.Fury…”

  “And what’s there to be anxious about? Win and you get points. Lose and you just change partners for the assignment. What’s the big deal?”

  Dan spoke up.

  “ Cas, you know what the Pauli family’s got their eyes on?”

  “…”

  Casca froze, staring at him for a moment, then turned her gaze toward Nora.

  “Wait a minute… they want you in their family?”

  “Through Rafinya, yes.”

  “OH HELL NAH!!!! ”

  Dan: “Called it.”

  “Those Pauli scum think they’re high and mighty enough to mess with what’s mine!?”

  Nora recoiled at the harshness of the words.

  “Scum? I thought they were supposed to be good allies?”

  “Only for public events! Cutting ribbons at hospital openings and junk like that!”

  Nora: “The people of Luminus are more complicated than I imagined.”

  Dan: “I agree, Nora.”

  “They even proposed I marry into their house once, don’t even get me started. Those soul-sellers to power can’t think of anything better. Bastards.”

  “For real? Whoa, I never knew that! You almost became a Saint-Pauli?”

  “When I was a three-striped knight, I defeated their eldest son. Not long after, they came offering me glory and wealth in exchange for… well, you know.”

  Casca sneered, raising her fingers to mimic a quote.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “They wanted me to bear them an heir.”

  Dan and Nora exchanged glances.

  What kind of twisted family was this?

  “And why did you refuse?”

  “Because I despised their beast-like behavior.”

  “Beast-like how? I don’t follow.”

  “CIS 21:44 — The children of the Lord were sent as dawn’s light, to burn away the darkness of the world, bestowing endless love upon mankind.

  But those who close their hearts, who do not share love with their brothers, cause the truth of the Almighty to wither within themselves.

  And remember these words: He who gives love to his friend, gives love to us. He who denies his friend, denies us.”

  Even a fortune worth billions couldn’t buy Casca away from the Lord.

  “The human soul is the most precious gift given by Him through love. To bring a child into the world without love goes against His purpose from the very beginning.”

  “So doesn’t that mean they’ve gone against your teachings?”

  Dan made air quotes.

  “‘Teachings’ of your faith, that is.”

  “Technically, the scriptures speak of love in a broad sense. It doesn’t specify what kind—love for money, love for fame, unconditional love—it’s all subject to interpretation.”

  “And what kind of love do you interpret?”

  “Not the twisted, beastly kind like those bastards.”

  There wasn’t enough evidence to argue scripture back and forth.

  “I despise their way of manufacturing human machines. But all I can do is keep it to myself. Damn bastards.”

  So even among the faithful, there were deeper layers of complexity.

  A clash between interpretation, a clash between the faithfuls.

  Not even the people of Luminus all liked each other.

  “How confident are you, Nora?”

  “I think I can win, lady Casca. Though maybe not knock out like Mr.Fury did.”

  “Don’t compare. I used trickery.”

  “Then share your tricks with me, Mr.Fury. How did you do it? You still haven’t told me.”

  “It’s a secret~”

  “I know Lady Casca’s involved. I felt light magic from you that day.”

  “Who knows?”

  Dan raised his brows.

  “It’s tactics, hehe.”

  “If you can use them, then let me use them too. The method doesn’t matter, right? The result is I have to keep you safe.”

  “Hey…”

  Suddenly, Nora and Fury went dead silent, both turning toward the lady of the house… she looked… furious.

  “What did you teach Nora while I was gone?”

  “What?”

  “You didn’t teach her anything strange, did you?”

  “No?”

  “Don’t lie! What did the princess just say? That the method doesn’t matter? A nineteen-year-old doesn’t think like that without an adult whispering it into her ear!”

  “So what if I did? Ow! Ow ow ow!!!”

  Dan yelped as his wife twisted his ear hard. She was clearly displeased, leaving Nora frozen stiff with worry.

  “Are you insane?! Filling the princess’ head with that nonsense? Spit it out, you damn lizard!”

  …

  Some time later…

  Dan Burn was kneeling in contrition before his wife, who sat with her face in her hands.

  " Oh lord have mercy, You can’t let Nora think that way! ”

  “What do you mean, not let her? Didn’t you help me cheat through exams yourself?”

  Nora had never known that these two argued so fiercely back and forth. She sat quietly, staring at the ground like a child trapped between quarreling parents.

  “It’s not the same! We’re not children anymore, Fury! But the princess still is. It’s too soon to teach her things like that. What if she misuses it?”

  “She’ll have to learn someday anyway. What harm is there in telling her early?”

  “You have to let Nora learn slowly, carefully, step by step! Not just throw her into ‘yeah just cheat’! That’s unacceptable!”

  “And why is it unacceptable?”

  “Yes, Lady Casca… why is it unacceptable?”

  Nora sided with Fury—and she wanted an answer.

  “Out there, everyone does it… Mr.Fury showed me with my own eyes. Why should I care?”

  “Listen to me, girl!”

  !?

  Casca seemed… angry.

  As if Nora had said something unbearable. She had never thought Casca would raise her voice like this, but it happened…

  Nora froze in fear, trembling like a child scolded harshly by her mother’s thunderous voice.

  “If you think the world is only made of people like that, then don’t live in it! Your world is still so small!”

  Casca was not her mother. Who was she to dictate what Nora should or shouldn’t think? All Casca could do was point out another side of life.

  Seriously… do you really want to live in a world filled only with the corrupt?

  Because whenever one more corrupt person is born, if there isn’t one good person to balance them, the world tilts further into ruin.

  From Casca’s view, being good wasn’t a choice—it was a duty for those with higher spirits. A conscience that knew, even without reward, they still chose to do good. Not because it profited them, but because they truly wished it, from the bottom of their hearts. That was honor.

  “Princess Nora, if you think and act like those people, you’ll be no different from them.”

  Casca turned to Dan.

  And Dan looked away… Why? Because he had seen it too.

  Men and women of greater honor than himself. People of higher spirit.

  “This world is too vast to judge by one group alone… Nora… I can promise you… people like that exist. Those who do good expecting nothing in return.”

  Casca reached out and clasped the princess’ shoulder.

  “Don’t let politics swallow you until you can no longer see reality.”

  Ask yourself, answer yourself truthfully—

  Do you really want to live in a world of Evertons and President Fofanas?

  No.

  “If you become an empress who thinks like that… don’t expect the people’s respect. You might get applause from a hall of hundreds, but the millions in the dirt will claw their nails into the soil and glare at you with bloodshot eyes.”

  Casca’s words were like a jolt from the opposite side of the spectrum, snapping Nora back from drifting into the thought of “oh, everyone’s rotten anyway.”

  There was a reason Everton would never be king.

  Because in the end, people always respected goodness. Always. It was an unchanging truth. It was called “charisma.”

  Even the vilest enemies always fell before those with true charisma.

  Goodness depends on perspective.

  If lucky, the people of Snowhaven might see Nora as good, feeding their bellies. But if it came at the cost of five other kingdoms’ hatred… that was just basic goodness. Good for us, selfish for the rest.

  But a higher level was… honor so great that even enemy nations respected it.

  That was the path Casca strove for.

  Don’t listen to shallow voices. There isn’t a soul alive who doesn’t want good people, Nora.

  If you could choose, would you want corrupt allies… corrupt neighbors… corrupt advisors?

  If you wouldn’t—

  Then you must make yourself worthy.

  “It’s fine if you learn to survive, Nora. I understand… what Mr.Fury taught you is also a truth I don’t deny. This world is crawling with scum. But you must have your own stance. Be a ruler with a higher spirit. If you can become that… even a nation like Diablo will have to show you respect.”

  Her voice softened.

  We can all be good and bad at different times, depending on circumstances and the people we meet. It’s like shifting gears—we choose whether to be light or dark.

  “I’m trying too… I know I’m not pure. Why wouldn’t I know? I just helped Fury cheat on an exam.”

  Casca admitted.

  “But if you let yourself slip into darkness too often, it becomes habit. Day after day, it changes you. I’ve seen it happen to those close to me, Nora… I don’t want that for you. We’re human. Humans are higher beings… I never said I’d forbid you. But you must control your good and evil. Don’t unleash evil carelessly. You can’t escape it entirely—but I want you to use it as little as possible.”

  Her face carried sadness.

  “See both sides, Nora. What Fury teaches isn’t wrong. But learn from him with awareness. And if you’re not desperate or out of options… then choose the path of honor.”