Refugee

A second passed.

Two seconds.

Three.

Until the silence stretched to a full minute.

Finn and Nora merely stared at Deon, waiting for him to speak. They figured that whatever he was about to say was extremely important and so, they gave him all the time he needed.

"Kid, it's going to be fine." Mikael assured, "Relax."

Deon unclenched his fists, released the breath that he unconsciously held, and closed his eyes to calm his pounding heart.

Finn and Nora watched as Deon's hands reached for the iron helmet.

Slowly…

He removed his helmet ever so slowly…

The heightened tension intrigued the Almagi and the Dame.

'What is it?'

'What is he going to show us?'

'Why is he removing his helmet?'

'Will I finally see the face he so stubbornly concealed?'

'Is it hideous?'

'Is it extremely handsome?'

'SHOW ME!!'

The two people anticipated Deon's grand revelation with bated breaths.

When the headgear finally came off, what greeted Finn and Nora was…

Plainness.

'Huh?' the two tilted their heads in confusion, 'What are we supposed to see?'

They narrowed their eyes, scrutinizing every inch of Deon's face but it remained ordinary. Bland.

Deon was neither ugly nor handsome.

His features were soft; He looked young and there were no visible signs of hardship as if he grew up without seeing the dark side of society. If anything, he looked kind, but it was kindness without depth.

He was like a plain canvas—White, untainted, and pure.

"Uhmm… I'm sorry to say this but…" Finn started, "Am I supposed to know you?"

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Mikael laughed so hard that his ghost eyes teared up. His right hand held his stomach while his left pointed mockingly at Deon.

Intense heat rose from the base of the young prince's neck. His face turned beet red in shame as he listened to his partner's hearty laugh.

He cast a fleeting glance at the Dame, hoping to see a look of recognition but even her had a deadpan expression.

Deon finally gave up.

He had mistakenly assumed that everyone in the kingdom knew his face as the people of the capital did.

However, Dame Nora was not from the capital and Finn was too absorbed in his mana circles to pay attention to the social circles.

Deon sighed.

He really didn't want to say it. He hoped that they would recognize him without having to do or say anything.

He looked at them squarely in the face and boldly declared, "I am Deon Hensworth. The third prince of the Heinken Kingdom and I require your assistance."

A look of shock crossed the two people's visages.

"Deon… Hensworth?" Dame Nora asked as if to confirm whether she heard him correctly.

"Yes," Deon replied with as much dignity as he could muster.

"The Cowardly prince?" the Dame drove the nail to the coffin.

"Ehem… Y-yes. that's right." Deon coughed, earning him another bout of his partner's uncontrollable laughter.

Nora looked back to Finn with a disbelieving expression.

'Is this a joke?' her face seemed to say, but Finn remained quiet.

For once, the Combat Almagi had a serious expression. He was evidently thinking… analyzing… calculating…

Just as Finn did to Deon, Mikael also observed the Almagi, 'I wonder what he's thinking? Hmm…'

He inspected Finn's face closer, 'He's really handsome when he's not acting creepy… I'd say his looks are on par with mine? But of course, I'm way better.'

Finally, Finn opened his mouth.

"What type of assistance do you require, your highness? As you know, I am not a person who works for free." Finn readily accepted that Deon was a prince and so, he laid his terms, "Though you are a prince, I gather that you are not so shameless as to order us without compensation."

It was now Deon's turn to be shocked.

He was expecting Finn to look flustered and bow down to him. Possibly apologize for his rude behavior, but the Almagi was unfazed! He was even calm enough to demand payment from a prince!

Nevertheless, Deon answered.

"O-of course, Sir Finn. I will compensate you for your help… But do you think it's possible to save those people with only the fou—I mean, the three of us?"

Deon almost let Mikael's existence slip. Luckily, Finn ignored it as he considered their situation.

The gears in his brain turned at full speed, formulating plans and simulating different scenarios.

After a while, a smile crept into the Combat Almagi's handsome face, and he confidently told Deon.

"There is a way, but it's going to cost you a lot, your highness. A lot of time and effort."

"Really?" Deon's eyebrows raised in skepticism. "So, what's the plan?"

"Now, Now… hold your royal horses, Prince." Finn held up his hands, "First, let's talk about the compensation. Shall we?"

Mikael, who watched from the side, grinned. He really liked Finn's goal-driven personality so much that he almost wished Finn was his contracted partner. He felt like they would get along so well that 'Internal conflicts' would never happen. He also liked that Finn was smart and calculating.

'Too bad… I can't terminate the universal contract…'

He almost wanted to ditch the whiny, naive prince whose only good point was his lineage.

Almost.

'Still, Finn wouldn't be so easy to manipulate. He marches at his own pace and he's too obsessed with his study that I doubt he'll have time to collect good karma with me. Yeah… Deon's still much better suited as my partner. He just needs a little—No. a LOT of work.'

'Besides, if I can't make Finn my partner, I just need to make him my ally.'

As Mikael was busy lamenting over the amount of work needed to make Deon a great hero, Deon asked Finn.

"How much do you want, Sir?"

"Well, since this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I wouldn't want to blow this chance away by demanding a monetary reward… Instead, I want to ask for something that only a prince could grant." Finn had an insidious smile that indicated he will take everything he could from Deon.

Deon nervously gulped.

But he had no choice. It was his duty to protect the citizens and for that he needed Finn.

"Name it." He ceded.

Finn gave a triumphant look and said, "I want a citizenship in the kingdom, a personal laboratory in the institute as well as a position of researcher in the Royal Almagi Order."

"SIR! THAT'S TOO MUCH!" Deon shouted, "And you want citizenship!? Are you telling me that you are a refugee?!"

Indeed, the hunting competition was an event that did not distinguish a person's background as long as they are willing to risk their lives for the kingdom. In exchange for their service, the kingdom rewards them with money and possible employment.

In that sense, Finn's demands were reasonable. Albeit, somewhat unfair to others as it was essentially asking for a backdoor entrance—and to the Royal Almagi Order, no less.

Deon wasn't even sure if they were within his power as it was an Order directly under the King.

The prince wondered why Finn asked for these things in particular.

Added to the fact that Sir Finn is not a citizen of the kingdom, Deon could only grow suspicious of the Almagi's intentions.

"Take it or leave it. The choice is yours, your highness." Finn shrugged his shoulders.

Deon pursed his lips, "Are you sure that we can save everyone with your strategy?"

"I guarantee it, your highness."

Deon studied Finn's mien, trying to see any falsehood in his statement.

"Very well." He decided, "I, Deon Hensworth, third prince of the kingdom of Spear, the blessed land of Heinken, pledge to grant Sir Finn, A tier-1 combat Almagi, his wishes in exchange for his help in keeping the welfare of the citizens."

--Chapter end--