Black Dawn's Assault
The accidents never seemed to end. The Grace Magic Tower, the one Lapiel belonged to, was a tower of holy mages. Word had it that someone connected to the Black Dawn was inside it. That explained why Lapiel had been so busy lately. The rumors that the Grace Magic Tower was in crisis probably stemmed from the same reason. The world was already in an uproar over the Black Dawn and the Great Sinners. If the tower got dragged into this, no one could predict what kind of collective punishment might follow.
"Harua, don't worry. Master and Lady Lapiel must have kept it from us because they believed they could handle it themselves," Aransol said.
Just as she said, Lapiel hadn't told me about this. There was no point in stirring up unnecessary anxiety. She probably thought it was something she could mention casually after resolving it. Still, the fact that even the imperial family had launched an investigation meant this was no small matter. The Gladion Empire was the largest nation in the world. In Earth terms, it was like the United States personally moving to conduct the investigation.
"Damn it. Which bastard is it?"
I wasn't a member of the tower, but Lapiel was the daughter of its master. Any problem that arose there would fall squarely on her shoulders as well. Whoever it was, I hoped they would be found and dealt with quickly.
"Other than that, the only other topic was Cosmic Jack."
Since the incident's direct victim was present, Aransol had apparently been questioned far more than I had.
"I guess the Star Cluster Meeting can end here for us."
After all, I had already withdrawn under the pretext of injury, and Aransol had used helping me as her excuse to leave. Sohan would surely make his own exit with that woman he had his eye on.
"Let's head back early and eat. We haven't had a proper meal."
"You need to wash up first, Harua."
So that was why I felt hungry—my body reeked of food. The clothes Lapiel had gone to the trouble of preparing for me would need washing soon.
"Right, then…"
We had just turned to leave when it happened.
Swish—
The corridor lights suddenly went out. It wasn't just our section. Every light in the distance had gone dark as well. For a moment, I thought it was a blackout. But the lights here weren't electric—they were magical lamps. Which meant someone had deliberately interfered with the magic.
"Harua."
Aransol grabbed me and lowered her stance. Through the window, across the opposite corridor, someone was slowly walking. A figure draped in a long black robe. An unsettling, chilling aura. My instincts screamed that my life was in danger. Aransol's eyes narrowed as she fixed her gaze on the intruder.
"Who goes there!"
The guards who spotted him rushed to intercept. The moment they noticed the guards, the windows turned pitch black. In an instant, the view beyond the glass vanished.
Crash!
At the same time, something shattered loudly. The sound came from the direction of the Star Cluster Meeting hall. It was loud. The ceiling had been glass so people could see the sky, and it seemed to have broken. While we were distracted by the noise, the blackened windows returned to normal. The black-robed figure was already gone. In its place, something new had spread across the glass.
It was blood and flesh. I didn't need to think hard to know whose. It belonged to the guards who had tried to stop the intruder moments ago. This was a gathering of famous masters' disciples. Naturally, the guards had been handpicked elites. Yet they had been slaughtered in an instant. That alone told me the intruder's strength.
I immediately grabbed Aransol's collar. She had already been about to dash toward the hall. She was the same woman who had rushed in to save others even against Cosmic Jack. There was no way she would stay out of this.
"Wait, Aransol. We need to assess the situation first."
So I had to be the brake. Her eyes met mine. She exhaled shortly, and her gaze steadied.
"You're right. I've learned that charging in blindly won't help."
It was a reference to what had happened in the forest with Cosmic Jack. Aransol had realized a lot that day.
"First, even though the lights went out, the view outside the windows is unnaturally dark."
The first step in assessing the situation was to examine our surroundings. I approached the window and tried to pull it open, but it didn't budge. The latch wasn't even locked.
"Harua, move aside."
Aransol drew her sword from her waist. She wielded a peculiar type of blade—one that could be miniaturized at will. Soun had given it to her, saying a swordsman should always carry their sword. Normally she kept it at her waist, but today she had hidden it on her person.
She swung the sword in a clean arc.
Clang!
The blade bounced off the window without leaving so much as a scratch.
"…It feels like the interior and exterior spaces have been separated."
Aransol frowned, having grasped the situation from a single strike. The inside and outside were cut off from each other. In other words, the scenery visible through the windows was an illusion. What we could see was only the same building's appearance. From both inside and outside, the windows showed completely different views than reality.
"They intend to keep the incident internal and prevent anyone from escaping. Aransol, if you keep trying, can you cut through?"
"…It'll be difficult."
If even she said it was hard, the exits would be the same. Our escape routes were sealed.
"But Sohan should be able to manage it."
Aransol offered another option.
"Then finding Sohan comes first. I hope he's safe."
"It's Sohan. He'll definitely be fine."
Aransol didn't particularly like Sohan, but she rated his talent higher than anyone else. Even as a transmigrator, Soun had taken an immediate interest in him. She was certain he wouldn't go down easily. I didn't know Sohan's skills well, but if Aransol trusted him this much, he had to be formidable.
Next, we needed to figure out what the intruders were after. The answer was already clear: the disciples of the Star Cluster Meeting. Capturing the disciples of famous figures would let them demand a great deal. Sure enough, commotion was rising from the hall. The disciples were clashing with the intruders.
We had grasped the situation and their objective. All that remained was identifying who was behind this.
"The Black Dawn."
Even that answer came surprisingly fast. Aransol's face hardened. The transmigrator terrorist group—the Black Dawn.
"There was an entrance to the third floor, right?"
The first floor had the grand doors leading into the hall. Charging in there would only draw attention and invite disaster. Fortunately, the enemy had extinguished all the lights. That gave us cover to move discreetly.
"Aransol, from now on, you find Sohan."
"Wait, find Sohan? Then what about you, Harua?"
"I'll head to the hall."
I wouldn't die even if something went wrong. So going to the hall wasn't a problem. However, if I ran into the enemy directly, my chances of escaping unharmed were slim. If Aransol went looking for Sohan and got caught, we would lose both Sohan and any escape plan. She could keep moving until she found him, even if she encountered the Black Dawn. So this task suited her better.
"But—"
"Aransol, neither of us would be much help even if we went to the hall."
It was an unavoidable truth. I was only an apprentice holy mage. Aransol was skilled in her own right, but there was no guarantee how far she could go against the Black Dawn. This attack wasn't spontaneous—it was planned. That meant the enemy had already gathered most of our information. They had surely deployed forces capable of guaranteeing victory. From the start, the disciples had almost no chance of winning. We weren't Lords, nor renowned heroes. It was impossible for us to dramatically turn the tide of this terrorist incident.
"Sohan is our escape route. I understand wanting to save everyone, but the best option here is to alert the outside and bring in real experts."
If Sohan could escape, that was the right call. During the airship incident, we had no means of communication, so we couldn't call for help. But the Star Cluster Meeting building stood in the heart of the city. Once outside, communication tools would be everywhere.
"Ririran is at the mansion. If we can reach her, she'll come instantly with spatial magic."
The Lord of the Sword, the daughter of the Grace Magic Tower's master, and the greatest space mage. Together, they could easily crush the Black Dawn.
"More importantly, the terrorists have no reason to kill the disciples outright."
To the terrorists, the disciples of famous figures held immense value. Terrorists lived in the present. What they feared were the masters behind the disciples, not the young disciples themselves. So they wouldn't carelessly kill valuable hostages. They would use them more cruelly instead. If they had planned to kill everyone from the beginning, they would have simply blown up the entire building.
"I've only been a disciple for a short time. If I wander around and get mistaken for a guard or servant, I'll be executed on the spot. But in the hall, I might pass as someone's disciple, lowering the chance of death."
"I'll gather as much information about the hall situation as I can. If possible, I'll try to change things. So please find Sohan."
After my persuasion, Aransol's lips moved silently before she exhaled. She reached into her robes and pulled out a small dagger.
"You should at least have a weapon."
I accepted the dagger. Now I had something for self-defense.
"…Harua, contact them and come right back. So—"
Aransol gripped my arm tightly.
"Don't push yourself. You only have one life."
It was the story farthest from my own. Aransol didn't know I couldn't die. The reason I was acting this way was because she could move faster alone. Our physical abilities were fundamentally different. Staying by her side would only become a hindrance, so I had given her the best persuasion I could. But judging by her eyes, she had misunderstood again. I felt guilty lying, but I nodded. Leaving her anxious gaze behind, we parted ways.
I carefully made my way toward the third floor, swallowing a bitter sigh inside. Damn it. Why did my life have to be one misfortune after another? I had barely survived a Great Sinner, and now it was the Black Dawn. Why couldn't I ever be happy? What irritated me more was that I had somewhat predicted this situation. All the famous masters' disciples gathered in one place. For the Black Dawn, who had recently been gaining momentum, this was the perfect feast. Yet I had come to the Star Cluster Meeting without a second thought. I wanted to beat my past self senseless.
But that raised another question. The masters were no different from me. Why had they sent their disciples here without considering this possibility? Of course, sixty years of peace had followed the war. People dulled by peace tended to think, "Surely they wouldn't do something like that." Even the Korean War had happened only seventy-five years ago. Yet the current Republic of Korea, with its armistice line, always underestimated the possibility of war with North Korea—despite North Korea repeatedly committing terrorist acts against the South. It would be the same in this world. Complacency and carelessness invited disaster. This Star Cluster Meeting was the result.
But complacency and carelessness alone couldn't explain everything. Even among those dulled by peace, there were always suspicious types who doubted every situation. Why had even those people sent their disciples here without worry? My doubts led to one conclusion: someone among the masters had deliberately created this situation. The possibility that someone had joined hands with the Black Dawn made my thoughts even more complicated.
Moreover, no transmigrator disciples had attended this Star Cluster Meeting. Why had the transmigrator disciples stayed away exactly when the Black Dawn launched their attack? It was too suspicious to be mere coincidence. This attack on the Star Cluster Meeting wasn't spontaneous. It was clearly a massive, almost inevitable plan. And unfortunately, I had gotten entangled in that inevitability.
BOOOOOOM!
An explosion echoed beyond the door. I had already reached the third floor. Fortunately, I hadn't encountered anyone on the way. Even as I stood before the door, my mind raced. A plan always had a planner behind it. The most suspicious person came to mind—the one the other masters trusted and who could prepare something of this scale: the hosts of the Star Cluster Meeting.
A gathering of this magnitude had to have organizers. And the hosts were the most likely to have colluded with the Black Dawn. The invitation I had seen on the way here. Who were the hosts listed on it?
The Lord of Red Flames.
Someone the masters trusted enough to send their disciples to. I couldn't understand why a Lord would join hands with the Black Dawn. But that fact might also be the key to mitigating the worst-case scenario. If there were hosts, they naturally had disciples at the meeting. I had met one of those disciples just minutes ago.
Babiyen Astoria.
She was the disciple of the Lord of Red Flames. My eyes quietly gleamed. A hidden card had come to mind.