The First Joint Front
Black Moon’s third threat had failed. Aria hadn’t run. Siella hadn’t broken even after letting go of her sword. Rhea hadn’t weakened even while holding hands. On the surface, it looked like a perfect victory. But I knew better. This was only the beginning.
“So that’s why we’re all gathered in one room?” I said, seated at the center of the conference room.
It was a small strategy meeting room on the third floor of Saint Ignis Academy’s main building. Normally used by faculty and student representatives for discussions, it had been temporarily converted into an operations room under imperial investigative authority. Familiar faces sat around the table: Rhea Silverrian, Siella Bayern, Aria Elowen, Noel Ignis, Professor Graham, and myself. Two imperial knights stood behind me, and academy guards were stationed outside the door.
The air in the room was heavy. The incidents that had erupted in different locations just moments ago were now connected by a single thread. The curse on the Holy Church student, the sword-style contamination in the Knight Department, the poison in the Imperial Pavilion—each one looked like an isolated act of terrorism on its own, but the fact that three incidents had occurred in succession within half a day made it clear they were no coincidence.
What was worse was how precisely each incident had targeted someone’s weakness. Aria’s sense of responsibility as a saintess candidate. Siella’s attachment to her sword and her pride as a knight. Rhea’s isolation and distrust as a princess. The Black Moon hadn’t tried to kill us outright. They had tried to make each of us destroy ourselves.
Rhea spoke first. “The Black Moon has infiltrated the academy. The Holy Church, the Knight Department, and the Imperial Pavilion were all attacked simultaneously. These aren’t separate incidents.”
Siella crossed her arms. “Their goal is to shake the relationships around Kyle.”
Aria quietly folded her hands. “And to make us drift apart on our own.”
Noel nodded. “Exactly. Since direct assassination attempts kept failing, they went after the relationship lines this time. But they failed again.”
Professor Graham looked at me. “Lord Diaren. How do you assess the situation?”
All eyes turned to me. These moments were always the most troublesome. Pretend to know too little and our response would be delayed. Say too much and my identity would come under suspicion. I had to walk a careful line.
“The Black Moon’s objective isn’t simple assassination,” I said slowly. “They want to sow distrust among the academy’s major factions. An insider from the Holy Church is suspected, the Knight Department’s swords have been contaminated, and the Imperial Pavilion has been breached by poison. If each faction starts blaming the others, the academy will collapse from within.”
Professor Graham nodded. “Continue.”
“And I’m the bait.”
Aria’s face hardened. “Don’t say things like that.”
“It’s the truth,” I replied, glancing at her before continuing. “The Black Moon is orchestrating incidents centered around me. They move based on who I grow close to, who I try to protect, and who tries to protect me.”
Siella muttered under her breath, “So you’re not about to say you’ll move alone again, right?”
“I’m not,” I answered firmly. “Moving alone would only play into their hands.”
Rhea’s gaze softened slightly. “Then what do you plan to do?”
I looked at the academy map spread across the table. The chapel, the Knight Department training grounds, the Imperial Pavilion, the Rose Garden. When I connected the locations of the incidents, they formed a strange shape. A star. More precisely, a pentagon surrounding the Central Sealed Area beneath the academy.
Noel noticed it first. “Wait.” She drew lines across the map. “This… it’s structured to encircle the Central Sealed Area.”
Professor Graham’s expression grew grim. “The Central Sealed Area is where the mana core sealed by the first headmaster lies. Student access is strictly prohibited.”
Rhea asked, “Does that mean the Black Moon’s true target is there?”
“It’s highly likely,” I said. “The incidents meant to shake us also served to divert attention. While the Holy Church, Knight Department, and Imperial Pavilion were each thrown into chaos, security around the Central Sealed Area would have been weakened.”
Noel smiled as she studied the map. “Kyle, you could make a decent detective.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Half of it.” But her eyes weren’t smiling. Noel knew as well as I did—this wasn’t simple deduction. It was forcing the original novel’s flow to align with current events.
Every time I saw the name Central Sealed Area, scenes from the latter half of the original story flashed through my mind. The place where the protagonist first awakened and confronted the academy’s true secret. And now it was already in motion. The original timeline had been accelerated.
Professor Graham reached a decision immediately. “We’ll investigate the Central Sealed Area. But if the entire faculty moves, the Black Moon will notice.”
Rhea said, “We move in a small group.”
Siella picked up her sword. “I’ll take the vanguard.”
Aria spoke quietly. “You’ll need me in case there are casualties.”
Noel raised her hand. “You’ll need me to interpret the seals.”
I looked at them. “I’m going too.”
As expected, opposition came all at once.
“Absolutely not.”
“You can’t.”
“You rest.”
Three voices spoke almost simultaneously. I should have been used to this by now, but I still wasn’t. “I’m the bait, remember? Without me, there’s a chance the Black Moon won’t make a move.”
Rhea replied coldly, “That’s exactly why I don’t want to take you.”
“But you have to.”
Siella tapped her scabbard. “If you get hurt in my place again, I really will hit you.”
Aria added softly, “We promised. We said we’d find a way to survive together.”
“I remember.”
Rhea stared at me for a moment before letting out a short sigh. “Fine. But there’s a condition.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t leave my line of sight.”
Siella reacted instantly. “Her Highness’s line of sight alone isn’t enough. You need to stay within reach of my sword.”
Aria joined in. “And within range of my holy arts.”
Noel burst out laughing. “Kyle, your movable range is going to be about three meters in radius.”
I pressed a hand to my forehead. “Am I a prisoner now?”
Rhea answered calmly, “You’re under protection.”
“Sounds about the same to me.”
“It’s your imagination.”
Professor Graham cleared his throat. “Save the personal talk for after the operation. That said, I acknowledge that Lord Diaren’s presence may serve as effective bait. However, if combat breaks out, you will not step forward. Break this condition and you’ll be withdrawn immediately.”
“Understood.” I nodded.
Aria and Siella’s skeptical gazes flew at me at the same time. Rhea simply said, “I’ll make a note of it.”
Scary.
The operation began just before sunset. The entrance to the Central Sealed Area lay behind an old stone gate in the basement of the main building. Normally sealed by multiple layers of faculty wards, today Noel had obtained temporary clearance and led the way.
The stairs leading down to the basement were long. Old lanterns lined the walls, and our footsteps echoed strangely loud. The air grew colder the deeper we descended. It wasn’t just the temperature. An ancient mana, sealed power, and the presence of something no one should carelessly touch rose from below.
I felt the pain in my side as I gripped the handrail. My body still wasn’t in perfect condition. The curse’s aftereffects lingered in my arm, and the wound in my side was deep. Yet here I was, heading down anyway. Was this a foolish choice? Probably. But it was better than staying behind alone, waiting to hear that someone else had gotten hurt.
When we reached the stone gate, I unconsciously held my breath. Dozens of sealing runes were carved into the door—the imperial eagle, the Holy Church’s cross, the Magic Tower’s star, the knight order’s sword. Traces of all four factions working together to seal it. And the gate was already slightly ajar.
Noel muttered, “Strange. Someone’s already opened it once.”
Cold air rushed out as the stone gate opened. I instinctively tensed. This place appeared much later in the original story. The Central Sealed Area. The ancient mana core sleeping beneath the academy. The heart of the Black Moon’s first large-scale incident. In the original, the protagonist experienced their first awakening here. But the one standing here now wasn’t the protagonist. It was me.
“Kyle.” Rhea called out. “Are you nervous?”
“A little.”
Siella spoke from ahead. “Stay behind.”
Aria prepared her holy arts beside me. Noel examined the sealing runes and murmured, “Some of the inner seals have been overwritten in the Black Moon’s style. This wasn’t a simple intrusion—someone who knows the internal structure did this.”
“From the Holy Church side?” Siella asked.
Noel didn’t answer. Her silence was answer enough.
At that moment, applause echoed from the end of the underground corridor. Clap. Clap. Clap.
A man in black priest robes emerged from the darkness. Assistant Priest Rowen.
Aria’s face hardened. “Rowen… Father.”
He smiled gently. “Lady Saintess Candidate. So you came after all.”
Rhea raised her staff. “Are you a collaborator of the Black Moon?”
Rowen shook his head. “A collaborator? We are all merely readers of the story.”
I held my breath. His gaze found me.
“And Kyle Diaren.” His smile deepened. “You were supposed to exit in the very first chapter.”
The seals along the underground corridor began to darken.
The first joint front. Our opponent was someone else who knew the flow of the original story.