The Crown Prince In Hiding

Chapter 23

Redbone

REDBONE

On the Landmass of Diablo.

—Important record of Sir Harry Kane.

Sir Harry Kane—

the Velmount hero whom Rafinya knew.

“ This is probably the one book that isn’t in Sheffield… If it isn’t because the content is sensitive, then there must be some secret hidden inside.”

She opened to the first page.

“ Field notes of Marshal Harry Kane… covering the war against the Diablo from its beginnings... compiling methods of dealing with the beastly demons and the information he learned about them… to be passed down to later generations.”

Rafinya clicked her tongue.

…Didn’t look like it contained what she was after in the slightest.

But reading a little more wouldn’t hurt.

“ Diablo beasts are all dangerous. If you’re an untrained commoner… run for your life or alert the guardians. I have encountered hundreds of them. Each possesses a distinct power and must be handled differently. In my life’s experience, these are their names and the capabilities humanity must beware.”

Thing

A one-eyed lump of flesh that walks on tendrils. It is the lowest class of Diablo demons. A trained soldier can kill it. They are numerous, born of a queen. Though no one has ever seen the queen, I hypothesize she must be on the islands, spawning them there.

If you encounter one, kill it.

Green Thing

Outwardly identical to the Thing, but it can jet high-pressure acid from pores in its eyeball. The acid is highly corrosive but can be neutralized with chemicals and counter-magic. The acid is expelled from their stomachs, indicating a digestive system like a human’s. Likewise, they can be killed by proper means.

“ So Marshal Harry Kane was ramping up the demon tiers, huh.”

She flipped to the middle… and froze when she saw a demon with two arms and two legs—like… a human.

Estomiyan

A stingray-type Diablo. Its shell is hard as stone. The body is over five meters long and it lives in water. Its tail can skewer ten men at once and release a potent toxin. Its mouth is wide enough to wrench off four or five heads with ease. I fought it early in the war and killed it.

Benfiga

A great white shark Diablo. Its body is as strong as iron. Its white armor has a special structure that lets it swim faster than the eye can follow. Its fangs shred prey till their entrails spill. The unlucky are dragged underwater in the peninsular war; their bodies are never found. It survives to this day and has been the greatest scourge to my navy. Its weakness: it can only remain on land briefly. If we drag it ashore, we win.

Osasuna

I suspect it is a blue-whale Diablo—the largest I have ever encountered… We humans have no data on it, and to this day no one has seen its full body. Among sailors there were rumors that even the Leviathan fell to it.

Its current state remains a mystery, but if we assume a blue whale’s lifespan, it can live long yet and may be circling close to us.

“… What is… this record…”

Rafinya’s eyes widened.

“ So detailed… even Luminus doesn’t have it this detailed…”

Next page.

“ Madueke—A crocodile Diablo… Status: killed in the war. Dra' gusen—An iguana Diablo… Status: killed in the war… Galatasaray—A butterfly Diablo. Its song can drive entire battalions insane to slaughter one another… Status: still alive…”

Thock.

She heard a noise behind her… Turning, she saw it was only a squirrel darting past the window…

She exhaled… and went on.

Dominik

An owl Diablo, the emblem of wicked intellect. It is the strategist of the demon realm’s war machine. In my view, it matches the prowess of Snowhaven’s The Raven. It makes no sound. It sees in darkness. Most of all, it appears at the demon king’s side every time. It wields great authority.

As with The Raven, its strength is not brawn. I nearly killed it—if not for those Four Beasts.

“ The Four Beasts? …Could it be—”

Next page.

Livramento

A giant scorpion Diablo. In my judgment, the hardest of all to handle. Its pincers can snap a cannon in two with ease, and most importantly, it is the only Diablo that can burrow, making it the tool of choice for ambush.

Status… still alive.

Valencia

A bat Diablo—the largest land Diablo on the islands. It is a bat demon whose shadow could easily blanket a castle in Luminus.

Status: still alive.

Normally Sir Harry Kane disliked the Luminus, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he took jabs at them… Yet in this piece Rafinya felt none of that.

Roma

A wolf Diablo with exceptional senses. Something in it told me I should beware. It is larger than Snowhaven’s wolves and extremely swift… Status: still alive.

Freya

A jellyfish Diablo that once engaged our navy. Do not underestimate it for looking harmlessly humanoid. Its venom is deadlier than anything on this earth—a worst-in-history blend of substances humanity has faced. Status… still alive.

Before she knew it, Rafinya had reached the final page… and when she turned it—

Prince Fury

If Dominic is the embodiment of evil, then this demon is evil itself. It is the monster that invaded and slaughtered our people, our innocents, and ground our cities into nothing but dust. It is a killing machine that the Demon King takes pride in creating—the one who brought absolute humiliation upon our armies. It is a beast that crawled up from the deepest reaches of the abyss.

I have seen it with my own eyes; I have fought it. Every inch of that creature’s foul body is a weapon. Though I defeated it once, that was when its form was still incomplete. I have since stood witness to its raw, unadulterated power in its evolved state. That crimson lightning... only it can emit such a glow. I watched it use the hundreds of blade-like fangs in its maw to bite through Saint-Maximin’s trusted sword, shattering it into tiny shards—the very same blade capable of carving city walls to pieces. Humanity currently possesses no way to withstand a calamity such as this.

Rafinya: !?!

The only escape I can think of is to hide and never let it find you… Think of your family. Preserve your life.

She finished… and sat stunned for a moment.

“ Red lightning…? Bit Saint-Maximin’s beloved sword to tiny pieces?”

Silence held the room as Rafinya stared, unblinking, at the page.

A flash—just a sliver of memory:

A hundred blades in a mouth, biting down on a descending sword till it shattered into tiny fragments. Sir Harry Kane used the words “tiny pieces.” That meant it didn’t merely break in half—it splintered into bits.

Like what Dan did that day…?

< Huh? What’s this? Why is the corridor window open like this? >

A guard’s voice drifted past outside. He opened Professor McClaff’s office door—

But Rafinya was already gone.

“Huh…? What’s this?”

He picked up the Redbone book lying face-down on the desk.

“How did this end up here?”

He shoved it back onto the shelf, glanced around two or three times,

and left…

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