The Priest Who Knows the Original
Chapter 16. The Priest Who Knows the Original Story
Rowen the priest was smiling. In the cold corridor of the underground sealed area, black patterns spread across the walls while the protective spells etched into the ceiling flickered out one by one. Yet he showed no urgency. If anything, he looked as though he had been waiting for us.
His black priestly robes resembled the standard vestments issued by the Holy Church, but a closer look revealed the differences. Instead of silver crosses at the cuffs, black crescent moon emblems were embroidered, and the holy relic hanging from his neck reflected no light. It seemed to swallow it whole.
The sealing runes on the corridor floor darkened beneath his feet, as if this place had existed from the beginning to welcome him.
“You were supposed to exit in the first chapter.”
His words echoed low through the underground passage. I swallowed hard. First chapter. That phrase couldn’t have been a coincidence. It matched the “original work” the masked man from the Black Moon had mentioned, and the “world’s narrative” Noel had found in the forbidden texts. Rowen possessed the same kind of knowledge. He knew. He knew that Kyle Diaren was originally meant to die.
What made it worse was how naturally he said it—like a person’s death was simply a predetermined scene, an exit for a character.
“Father Rowen.” Aria’s voice trembled. “What exactly are you saying?”
Rowen looked at her, his gaze gentle—the look of a Holy Church priest gently admonishing a follower. But beneath that gentleness lay a coldness that did not regard people as people.
“Aria Elowen. The Pure White Saintess candidate. At this point, you should have been afraid of Kyle Diaren.”
Aria’s face stiffened. “What…?”
“The victim of the Rose Garden. The pitiful saintess candidate attacked by a villainous noble. And then, comforted by the protagonist for those wounds, building trust and affection.”
My heart sank. Rowen knew the original relationship dynamics. His gaze passed over Aria and settled on Rhea.
“Rhea Silverrian. The cold Third Princess. You were supposed to despise Kyle. Through him, you would have confirmed the protagonist’s sense of justice and learned to trust someone outside the imperial family for the first time.”
Cold air gathered at Rhea’s fingertips. “You’re spouting nonsense.”
Rowen’s smile faded. “Is it nonsense?” His eyes turned to Siella. “Siella Bayern. You were meant to crush Kyle Diaren in a public duel, reaffirm your honor and justice as a knight while watching his miserable downfall, and grow through your rivalry with the protagonist.”
Siella’s golden eyes sharpened. “Don’t decide my life for me.”
“I’m not the one deciding it.” Rowen spread both arms. “It was already a story that had been decided.”
The moment those words reached the underground corridor, the sealing runes on the walls trembled all at once, as if resonating with the ancient structure of this place.
I gritted my teeth. As expected. Rowen wasn’t merely someone who knew the original work. He believed this world had to follow its flow—and saw me as an error that had deviated from it. People like him were difficult to persuade. Their self-conviction had hardened into something like faith.
Noel spoke quietly. “Interesting. You called yourself a reader. Then let me ask—why would a reader step inside the story?”
Rowen’s eyes shifted to Noel. “Noel Ignis. You always have so many questions. You were like that originally, too. Both inside the story and outside it.”
Noel’s smile vanished. It was the first time I had seen her genuinely displeased.
“So you even know how I used to be.”
“I do.”
“Then do you also know what I’m thinking right now?”
“You probably want to dissect me.”
“Half right.” Noel’s violet eyes cooled. “The other half is that I want to shut your mouth first.”
Rowen looked back at me. “Kyle Diaren. You are an error.”
“An error, huh.” I forced a laugh. “Quite a technical choice of words for a priest.”
“This world follows the story. The greater flow is fixed, and each character performs their role. The villain acts like a villain, the protagonist like a protagonist, the heroines like heroines.”
“And if someone deviates from their role?”
“They are corrected.”
A black magic circle bloomed beneath Rowen’s feet. “If a villain who should have died survives, the world creates new incidents to kill him. Yet you have evaded it three times. The Rose Garden, the combat training, the second Rose Garden.”
“So you used relationships?”
“Because you created them.”
“I didn’t create them alone. We survived together.”
Rowen’s eyebrows twitched for the first time. “You consider that distinction important.”
“I do.” I spoke slowly. “To you, it might be just a plot point in a story. But to the people here, it’s their lives.”
A brief silence fell over the underground corridor. Aria gently grasped my sleeve. Rhea said nothing, but her cold aura quietly spread behind me. Siella stepped half a pace forward, her hand resting on her sword hilt. Those small movements spoke more clearly than my answer. We had already formed bonds. And those bonds would not be severed by the threads of the original story he spoke of.
Rowen stared at me for a long moment before speaking. “You don’t understand. A story is a path. Only when predetermined characters experience predetermined suffering, obtain predetermined love, and seize predetermined victories does the world stabilize. But you have torn that path.”
“Because I didn’t die?”
“Because you survived, the fate lines of four people have become twisted.” Rowen’s pupils darkened. “The saintess could not let go of her guilt. The princess began to set aside her suspicions. The knight’s daughter became aware of your hand before her sword. And the observer of Ignis began to doubt the story.”
Siella drew her sword. “If you keep talking, I’ll cut you down.”
“Even that anger was originally meant to be directed at the protagonist.”
Siella moved. Her blade cleaved through the darkness. But Rowen’s body scattered like black feathers and reappeared behind us.
“How hasty.”
Siella’s sword scraped against the floor and stopped. Anger colored her face, but she no longer charged recklessly like before. After experiencing the Sword-style Contamination curse, she had changed—just a little. Instead of gripping her sword tighter, she had learned to take a breath and steady herself.
Rhea slammed her staff down. Spears of ice erupted throughout the corridor, instantly blocking Rowen’s escape routes. At the same time, Aria’s holy arts enveloped us, preventing the curse from eroding our surroundings. Noel unfolded a violet magic circle.
“Kyle, that guy’s real body isn’t completely here. He’s connected part of himself to the mana core inside the sealed area.”
“So even if we defeat him here, it won’t be the end?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately.”
Rowen clapped his hands. “As expected of Noel Ignis. Truly fitting for the character who always reaches the truth first, even inside the story.”
Noel’s eyes turned icy. “Don’t speak of my role as if it’s yours to define.”
She snapped her fingers. Violet chains appeared in the air and bound Rowen’s arms. Rhea’s cold aura layered over the chains, and Siella charged straight in. It was a perfect coordinated attack.
But Rowen only smiled. “Then let us begin the first trial.”
The door to the Central Sealed Area opened. Black mana poured out from within. The sealing runes carved into the corridor floor began to flip over. Sacred golden light turned pitch black. Shadows crawled out from the cracks in the walls—shapes of students, knights, priests, and imperial maids. They were the shadows of the people we had saved in the past three incidents. Lucas Berin’s shadow. The shadow of the knight department student afflicted by Sword-style Contamination. The shadow of the maid who had collapsed in the imperial pavilion. And even Aria’s shadow, soaked in blood from the Rose Garden.
Aria drew a sharp breath. “Lucas…?”
Shadow Lucas raised his head, his eyes hollow.
Rowen spoke. “Relationships are power, but they are also weaknesses.”
The shadows began moving toward us. “Try cutting down the bonds you once saved.”
Siella gritted her teeth. “What a sick hobby.”
Rhea spoke coldly. “They’re fakes. Don’t waver.”
But it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Especially for Aria—she couldn’t move. She stared at Shadow Lucas, her fingertips trembling. This was the person she had tried to save, the one Kyle had taken the curse for in her place. Now that same figure had returned as a twisted shadow blocking our path.
The Black Moon was cruel to the very end. They turned even the people we had saved into weapons.
I stood beside her. “Lady Aria.”
“That’s not real.”
“I know.”
“But…” Her voice shook. “It looks like the person I couldn’t save.”
Rowen’s spell struck at emotions. It prevented us from severing our bonds while simultaneously freezing us because of those very bonds.
I drew my sword. “Then I’ll go first.”
Aria looked at me. “Kyle?”
“That isn’t Lucas.” I pointed my blade at Shadow Lucas. “The Lucas we saved is alive. This is nothing more than a shadow mocking that fact.”
The shadow lunged. I didn’t dodge. But just before it could strike, Siella’s sword cleaved through it first. Black smoke scattered.
Siella spoke. “You promised you wouldn’t get hurt first.”
“It was a shadow.”
“Still, I’ll cut it down first.”
Rhea’s cold aura froze the second shadow. “Save the unnecessary arguments for later.”
Aria let out a trembling breath. Then she clasped her hands together. Pure white holy arts bloomed in the darkness.
“That isn’t Sir Lucas.” Her voice still wavered, but she didn’t run. “So I will purify it.”
The light of her holy arts pushed back the shadows.
Noel’s magic circle analyzed the entrance to the sealed area as she shouted, “We have to go inside! Rowen is tampering with the mana core!”
Rowen was already retreating beyond the door. “Follow me, error.” His voice echoed from within the darkness. “Let us see if you truly have the right to change the story.”
I gritted my teeth. “Let’s go.”
Rhea, Siella, Aria, and Noel moved at the same time. For the first time, none of us questioned who should protect whom. We simply advanced while guarding one another from our respective positions.
This was our first true joint battle.