Bang!

  The carriage comes to a sudden halt, accompanied by the horses’ shrill neighs. From inside, Liam hears his guards shouting about an attack by a group of blade-wielding soldiers. Liam can’t act—he’s still curled up, struggling to endure the pain.

  The sounds of battle echo clearly inside the carriage—metal weapons clashing, the brutal attackers’ savage laughter and shouts, followed by the guards’ screams as they are cut down in moments.

  Then two long spears suddenly thrust through the carriage window. If Liam hadn’t already curled up on the floor, the sharp tips would have struck him.

  The carriage door is forced open from outside. An assassin appears and immediately laughs at the sight of Liam curled up on the floor in pain.

  “Haha! Looks like your spears hit him.”

  “Is he dead?”

  “Not yet.”

  Liam forces himself out of the carriage, still holding back the pain tearing through his body under the full moon. He is greeted by a group of savage, blade-wielding assassins. Both of his guards are dead, and the driver who brought the carriage now stands among the assassins with his hands on his hips, laughing along as he looks at Liam’s pitiful state.

  “I was told he’s a strong battlemage, so I brought more men. But look at him—he’s just a scared kid, already shaking before the fight even starts.”

  The group of assassins bursts into laughter at Liam.

  “Kill…”

  A whisper rises again amid the pain, filling Liam’s head.

  “Kill them, and you’ll feel better…”

  “Can we have a little fun before executing him?”

  “Sure. The bounty on his head is huge—enough for a month-long vacation.”

  “Hahaha! I want to hear how a prince screams in pain before he dies.”

  One of the assassins starts approaching Liam, dragging a rusted chain, his savage grin eager to seize his prey.

  Liam steadies his breathing. He has already made his decision.

  “Hey, little prince! Kneel before me!” the assassin swings the chain with force.

  Liam’s gaze sharpens.

  Before the tip of the chain can touch him, Liam vanishes in the blink of an eye and suddenly stands behind the assassin. The man who was about to whip him stiffens, a wide, gaping wound carved across his chest.

  Everyone is stunned. The wounded assassin drops to his knees, hands shaking as he tries to hold in the blood pouring from the wide gash in his chest—wounded at a moment no one even sees happen.

  “I’m… not afraid.” Liam’s voice comes out strained as he stands hunched over, still holding back the pain.

  Even so, there is no fear in his eyes as he looks at the assassins before him. His breathing is ragged as he continues,

  “I’m… in pain. And the voice in my head says the pain will ease if… I kill someone.”

  Liam immediately grabs the wounded assassin by the hair. A blade-shaped flash of light streaks through the air, severing the man’s head.

  The enemy group stiffens at the sight of fresh blood spraying everywhere.

  Liam, laughs as he tosses the head in his hand onto the ground.

  “It’s true…! The pain’s easing! What a horrible curse.”

  Liam’s eyes sweep over all the assassins before him, like a starving tiger locking onto its prey.

  “All of you—help me get rid of this pain.”

  The assassins tense up, as if they’re finally facing the real danger.

  “You’re a mad prince!”

  “Kill him!”

  Driven by the urge to be free from the pain, Liam charges forward and brutally slaughters the entire group of assassins, twin blades of light in his hands. Not a single one escapes the horrific assault. His movements are swift, the glowing blades carving clean arcs as fresh blood sprays in every direction.

  The battle beneath the full moon ends with the dirt road soaked in the blood of the lifeless assassins, including the traitorous driver who is also cut down.

  Liam exhales heavily, ending the fight with an empty gaze. His face and clothes are stained with his enemies’ blood as he looks up at the moon, his eyes distant.

  “What kind of curse is this? The pain really disappears after taking human life. For the first time in seven years, I can look at the full moon without any pain. Such a beautiful moon.”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Liam mounts one of the carriage horses and continues his journey alone into the night, heading toward Carrion territory.

  .

  Verlyn Academy. Enrollment for the 74th class.

  Inside the Grand Master’s office, Liam meets Lutzer Swan.

  “We’re deeply honored to have one of Argoust’s princes enroll in this academy,” Lutzer Swan says, warm yet dignified. “That said, I hope Your Highness understands—at Verlyn Academy, there is no difference in treatment between nobles and commoners, including members of the royal family.”

  “That’s even better,” Liam replies calmly. “I’m hoping for a life experience different from the palace.”

  Lutzer Swan smiles, clearly taking a liking to the young prince’s attitude.

  “However, if you would allow it,” Liam continues, “please help me using the authority you have. The name Vissarion might cause students from Argoust to treat me differently. Allow me to enroll under the name William Alroy.”

  The Grand Master’s smile widens, clearly understanding the third prince’s reason for making such a request.

  The name William Alroy is officially registered as a student of Verlyn Academy, Class of the 74th.

  .

  The apartment building reserved for Verlyn Academy residents.

  With the key handed to him, Liam opens the door to Unit 302 and greeted by a comfortable, modest living space. It is vastly different from the lavish rooms of the palace, but the apartment is clean and well maintained.

  Liam closes the door and looks around. A light breath escapes him, showing his comfort with his new home.

  “Simple. As long as it’s clean and not stuffy.”

  Good airflow is one of Liam’s main criteria when choosing a place to live.

  Just as he is about to start his peaceful new life with renewed enthusiasm, the sound of a door opening behind him changes Liam’s expression. From the bathroom, a girl steps out casually, her body wrapped in nothing but a towel. She rubs her long, dark, still-damp hair with a small towel as she walks out.

  Chryssa Neils, meets Liam’s eyes for the first time, only to find him frozen in shock, unable to make a sound. Chryssa herself stiffens as if her mind disconnects for a few seconds, then—

  “AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

  Her hysterical scream echoes through the room. She immediately darts back into the bathroom, slams the door shut, locks it, and yells from inside,

  “Heeelp!! There’s a pervert in my unit!! Someone, heeelp!”

  Liam panics. He himself has no idea why there’s a woman showering in his apartement. He immediately bangs on the bathroom door, trying to stop her from misunderstanding things even further.

  “Hey! Listen, you’ve got the wrong unit!”

  Chryssa stops screaming, but her voice remains loud from inside the bathroom. “What do you mean, wrong unit?! This is my unit! I’ve been here since yesterday!”

  Liam frowns in confusion. “But the administrative staff also gave me the key to this unit.”

  Chryssa is just as confused. “There’s no way they’d put a man in a unit that’s already occupied by a woman!”

  “I don’t know about that either. I wasn’t even told this was a two-bedroom apartment or that it already had a resident. I’ll wait outside. Get dressed, and we’ll go to the administration building to sort this out.”

  Chryssa starts to feel that something really is wrong with the administrative process. From inside the bathroom, she hears Liam’s footsteps moving away, followed shortly by the sound of the front door slamming shut. Liam deliberately closes it a bit hard to let the girl in the bathroom know that he has stepped outside.

  Chryssa peeks her head out of the bathroom and sees that there is no one left in the apartment.

  Liam waits on the front terrace, calming his thoughts—who would have thought his arrival would be greeted by such an awkward situation involving a woman.

  Not long after, the door opens and Chryssa appears, neatly dressed. Her eyes are still filled with caution as she looks Liam over from head to toe.

  “Let’s go to the administration building and get an explanation from the staff.”

  Liam steps ahead, with Chryssa following not far behind. After leaving the apartment building, Chryssa jogs a little to catch up and walks beside him on his right. She looks curious about the tall young man next to her.

  “Did you just enroll?”

  “Yes, today,” Liam answers flatly, walking with his eyes fixed ahead, eager to reach the administration building.

  “Which territory are you from?” Chryssa presses on.

  “Argoust.”

  “Oh, I’m from Argoust too.”

  Only then does Liam glance briefly at the girl beside him, noting that they come from the same land.

  “Maybe that’s why the staff made a mistake,” Chryssa guesses. “They probably just saw that we’re both students from Argoust and assigned us to the same unit without checking that we’re different genders.”

  “That makes sense,” Liam replies briefly.

  “Oh, I’m Chryssa—Chryssa Niels. From Madheva. Sorry for accusing you of being a pervert earlier,” Chryssa says with a small laugh to soften her apology.

  “It’s fine. That was a normal reaction. I’m… Liam. William Alroy.”

  For a moment, Liam watches Chryssa’s reaction, wondering if she recognizes the name as that of an Argoust prince. But Chryssa looks completely unfazed.

  “Which area are you from?”

  “Valenna,” Liam answers, naming his mother’s hometown, the Queen of Argoust.

  “Ah, Valenna—the city of flowers. I’ve been there on vacation. It’s beautiful, especially the beaches.”

  Before long, they become easy, friendly companions as they walk together.

  .

  The administration office.

  The administrative officer speaks apologetically, “We’re sorry. This happened because the number of new students this year is very high, and many former students are still residing at the academy. As a result, the academy is short on housing facilities for new students.”

  That’s an explanation neither Liam nor Chryssa expects.

  The officer then continues to review the information sheet in her hand.

  “Could you please be patient for a while? In three months, several former students will be leaving, so a few apartment units will become available. You can move then.”

  “Three months?” Chryssa groans in dismay.

  The complaint is immediately answered by the administrative officer, who is also a woman. “Female students at Verlyn Academy don’t need to worry even if they share a residence with a male student.”

  She smiles, but there’s a faintly unsettling edge to it as she looks straight at Liam. “Sexual harassment within the academy carries penalties far more severe than ordinary criminal offenses.”

  Liam feels offended.

  “What does she mean, saying that while looking at me?”

  .

  In the end, Liam and Chryssa don’t get the outcome they were hoping for from reporting to the administration office.

  “Hah, they said we have to be patient for three months,” Chryssa complains again.

  “I’ll try to find out if there are other students of different genders who were also placed in the same unit like us. Maybe they’d be willing to switch.” Liam says. That’s the only temporary solution he can think of.

  “Yeah, good idea. I’ll look into it too.”

  “So…” Liam looks at Chryssa, wanting some certainty. “You don’t mind living under the same roof with me for now?”

  Chryssa folds her arms across her chest and answers with a firm expression. “I don’t mind, as long as you know how to behave. Remember what the staff said earlier about the penalties?”

  Liam quickly looks away first, sounding indifferent. “Hah, I won’t sacrifice my future over something like that.”

  Chryssa lets out a soft laugh. “You’d better keep your word. Come on, let’s have lunch first. I know the café with the best food in this academy.”

  “It’s only your second day, and you’ve already tried all the food here?”

  “Don’t underestimate my culinary experience. My family runs a restaurant.”

  “Wow.”