I walked down the long corridor, footsteps echoing off the stone, when a sharp chime rang inside my head, like someone flicked a metal spoon against my skull.
I spun around fast. Nothing. Empty hallway. Then this glowing blue panel popped right in front of my eyes, floating there like it owned the place.
**THE FREEDOM SYSTEM INSTALLATION COMPLETE.**
**Host can now spend gold coins to purchase weapons from the Shop.**
**From simple pistols to assault rifles, even fighter jets, anything, as long as you have the money.**
My throat went dry. I swallowed hard and bolted to the nearest hidden corner, right under the stairwell, like a kid who just found a secret stash of candy.
I started scrolling. Holy crap. The list went on forever. Handguns, shotguns, machine guns, rocket launchers… I kept going down until one number made my stomach drop.
A nuke.
**10 trillion gold coins.**
I stared at it. Even if I somehow robbed every kingdom on this whole continent and melted down their crowns, I still wouldn't scrape together that much.
But whatever, the system would probably figure out some workaround later. I pushed the thought away and kept scrolling.
Then I saw it.
**AK-47 – 100,000 gold coins.**
That was… damn near one-tenth of every coin I owned right now.
My hand actually shook a little as I hovered over the Buy button. I took a breath, muttered "sorry, savings," and tapped it.
A second later the rifle just… appeared. Solid, heavy, brand new, smelling faintly of gun oil and metal. I cradled it like it might disappear again.
Wait. If I lose this thing, someone else could pick it up and,
**System query detected.**
**Negative. Firearms purchased from the Shop can only be operated by the Host. Unlocking requires Host fingerprint.**
I let out a long breath. "Okay. Good. That's good."
I ran my fingers over the wooden stock, smooth, dark, kind of exotic-looking in this medieval world.
Then I checked the muzzle, tilted it toward the dim light. Perfect.
I brought it up to my shoulder, cheek against the stock. "Man… this feels way too real."
I really wanted to fire it. Just once. Hear that unmistakable crack. But not here. Not now.
I leaned down and planted a quick kiss on the receiver. "Wait for me, babe. We'll have our moment soon."
Then I tucked it under my tuxedo jacket, carefully, so it wouldn't print too obviously, and headed for Isabella's room.
I knocked twice. The door opened almost immediately.
Isabella froze for half a second, eyes flicking over me.
The tuxedo. The fit. The whole look. She recovered quick, but I caught that tiny widening of her eyes.
She snorted softly to herself, like she was thinking, *Fine, at least my fake fiancé doesn't look like a complete peasant.*
"Where did you even get that outfit?" she asked.
"Designed it myself," I said with a shrug.
She raised an eyebrow. "The tailors back in the capital would murder each other for a pattern like that. Nobles would weep just to own one."
"It's called a tuxedo."
"Tuxedo…" She rolled the word around like she was tasting it. "Of course the nobles would lose their minds over something this sharp. They're obsessed."
I gave her a crooked smile. She jerked her head. "Come on. Follow me."
I paused by a tall window to check my reflection one last time, straightened the lapels, fixed my cuffs.
Under my breath I muttered, "Agent James Bond, at your service."
Isabella's voice cracked like a whip from down the hall. "Come *here*!"
I jogged to catch up.
We walked out toward the garden where the carriage waited. My heart settled a little with every step.
Having the AK under my jacket made everything feel… safer. Especially since I was walking into a noble family banquet as her fake fiancé.
If they ever found out the truth, they'd probably tear me apart on the spot.
Still. I had no idea how this gun stacked up against magic or whatever insane power these people threw around. I'd have to test it eventually.
We reached the carriage. The old butler was already standing there. He bowed low to Isabella.
"Good evening, young miss."
Then he turned to me. His eyes flicked to the tuxedo, widened for maybe one heartbeat, before his face smoothed out again.
"You must be Sir Roy," he said. "The fiancé Lady Isabella selected at the academy."
I nodded. We both climbed in.
The carriage rolled out smoothly, heading toward the Tsaritsa dukedom.
A few minutes in, something finally clicked in my head. I turned to Isabella.
"How do they even let a duke's daughter pick her own fiancé?"
She sighed and looked out the window for a second before answering.
"It's a deal I made with my parents. If I have to marry someday, I get to choose the man myself.
They agreed… but only if he comes from the academy. You know, where nobles from every kingdom send their kids."
She glanced at me. "And obviously I'm not planning to actually get married anytime soon.
So I paid you to play the part. Fake fiancé. In and out. Done."
I nodded slowly. My hand drifted to the hidden shape of the AK under my jacket, feeling the solid weight against my ribs.
The carriage kept rolling, and I stared out at the passing trees, mind already drifting to when I'd finally get to fire this thing.