The Villain's First Victory
Rowen the priest had vanished. Yet it didn't feel like it was over. The air in the Central Sealed Area remained cold, and the black cracks that had spread across the mana core hadn't fully disappeared. The blue crystal sphere that had been shaking violently just moments ago was slowly rotating again, but thin black lines still lingered on its surface. As if the wound had been stitched, but not yet healed.
Noel placed a single black feather that had fallen on the sealing chamber floor into a glass vial. The feather inside the bottle twitched briefly before settling like black ash.
"It's not the main body," Noel said. "It was closer to a projection. Rowen himself is likely somewhere else already."
"He won't be in the cathedral district, then," I asked. Noel nodded.
"Probably not. He never intended to be caught here from the start. His goal was to lure us into the Central Sealed Area, shake the mana core, and expose your identity."
"Even though that goal failed?"
"Do you really think so?"
At Noel's words, I fell silent. She was right. We had stopped the mana core's rampage. We had crushed the shadow army. We had thwarted the relationship severance. But Rowen had driven in the most dangerous blade. The suspicion that I might not be Kyle Diaren. The fact that I knew the original story. Memories from outside the narrative. Those words had reached the ears of everyone present.
A faint blue light still lingered in the sealing chamber. The mana core's glow flowed slowly over the sealing runes on the walls and floor, casting different expressions on the four faces illuminated by it.
Rhea was looking at me. Her eyes were cold and composed, but not devoid of emotion as they usually were. They were the eyes of a princess, sorting through information, categorizing possibilities, separating judgments that needed to be made now from questions that could wait.
Siella stood gripping her scabbard. Her expression openly showed displeasure, though it wasn't simple betrayal. Anger at why I hadn't spoken, irritation at why I tried to bear it alone, and hesitation at not yet seeing me as an enemy she must cut down right now—all mixed together.
Aria was shaken the most. Her hand hovered near my arm but couldn't quite touch it. A hand that wanted to hold on, yet wasn't sure if it was allowed. The same hand that had been checking my wounds just moments ago now trembled faintly in the air.
Noel's eyes suggested she had expected this. She had likely already formed several hypotheses—mental manipulation, regression, foresight, memory inheritance, possession. But expectation and confirmation were different. The moment Rowen directly shook my identity, Noel's deductions ceased to be her private records.
There was no running away now.
I took a deep breath. "I'll explain."
Rhea spoke. "Here?"
"Putting it off will only make things stranger."
"It's already strange enough."
"That's true."
Siella slid her sword into its scabbard. The metallic sound echoed loudly through the sealing chamber.
"Keep it simple. Is it true that you're not Kyle Diaren?"
Aria's face grew even paler. I remained silent for a moment. I couldn't tell them the whole truth. That I came from the modern world. That they were characters from a novel. That I had been a reader, and they were heroines meant to connect with the protagonist. That I knew parts of this world's ending, and that Kyle Diaren was originally a villain destined to die early. Who would believe such words? Even if they did, it would be problematic. Those words could deny their very existence. The moment I said someone's pain was an "event," someone's choices were "plot development," someone's love was a "route," I would be no different from Rowen.
So I chose the least cruel truth.
"The Kyle Diaren I know and the one I am now are different."
Siella's eyes narrowed. "Don't play word games."
"This body is indeed Kyle Diaren's. I have some of his memories as well. But at some point, I gained other memories alongside them."
Noel asked, "Other memories?"
"Memories of events that are likely to happen in the future."
Rhea spoke. "Foresight?"
"Similar, but not exactly. The flow I know has already diverged multiple times."
"Because you changed it?"
I nodded. "Probably."
Aria asked in a small voice, "In those memories… what happens to Kyle?"
I didn't want to answer. But she needed to know.
"He dies."
Aria's eyes trembled. "When?"
"Early on. After the Rose Garden incident, various false accusations pile up… and eventually he disappears."
A brief silence fell over the sealing chamber. Aria pressed her lips together. She seemed to finally understand why I had been so desperate to verify the dagger's crest in the Rose Garden, why I had pointed out the real culprit even while covered in blood.
Rhea spoke quietly. "So that's why you tried so desperately to clear your name."
"Yes."
"Then the familiar's movements you noticed during combat training—"
"Because it differed from the flow I knew."
"And the second night in the Rose Garden as well."
"Yes."
Siella asked, "What about us in those memories?"
I fell silent. That was the hardest question. They were the heroines of the original story. They were meant to form deep bonds with the protagonist, face their own wounds, and head toward their respective endings. That was the original flow. But if I said that outright?
To Rhea, it would mean she was originally meant to learn trust through Edan. To Siella, that she was meant to grow through rivalry with Edan. To Aria, that she was meant to be saved by Edan. And that all of it had been derailed because of me.
Rhea commanded, "Speak."
It was a princess's order. There was no avoiding it. In the end, I spoke.
"You were all originally deeply involved with someone else. You weren't moving alongside me like this."
Aria's hand trembled slightly. Siella's expression hardened. Rhea's eyes grew colder. Noel quietly laughed.
"The protagonist, I suppose."
I didn't answer. Not answering was answer enough.
Siella let out a short breath. "So you're saying the person Rowen called the protagonist was originally supposed to be entangled with us?"
"That's highly likely."
"How absurd."
Siella spoke firmly. "I don't acknowledge anyone else deciding who I become involved with."
Her words were straight as a sword. Beneath her flame-like red hair, her golden eyes stared unwaveringly at me.
"Whether you possess strange memories, were originally meant to die, or whoever the protagonist is—none of it matters. The reason I draw my sword is something I decide. Who I protect is also something I decide."
Aria spoke quietly as well. "Me too."
She reached out her hand. After hesitating, she took hold of my arm again. This time very carefully. A touch that avoided pressing on my wounds, yet clearly refused to let go.
"My decision to trust Kyle wasn't something anyone else decided for me."
"Lady Aria."
"I was confused at first too. Why Kyle saved me, why he didn't run even while getting so hurt. But what I saw was the Kyle standing before me now."
Aria's eyes were faintly moist. "So even if I don't know what the original story was like… I'll believe what I've seen."
Those words were quiet, yet clearer than any spell in the sealing chamber.
Rhea looked at me. "I still don't believe everything you say."
"Of course."
"Whether the memories you possess are truly of the future or some kind of implanted manipulation hasn't been confirmed either. We can't conclude here and now whether you're Kyle Diaren or not."
That was just like her—cold, precise, and unwilling to let things slide easily. But her next words were slightly different.
"However, if you had intended to harm us with lies, you would have had plenty of opportunities already."
Rhea added coolly, "So I'll withhold judgment."
Those words were as close to trust as Rhea could offer. Not complete trust, exactly. But a declaration that she wouldn't treat me as an enemy. For me right now, that was enough.
Noel clapped her hands lightly. "Alright. To summarize: Kyle knows something like the future, was originally meant to die, we were supposed to follow a different flow but now everything's tangled, and the Black Moon wants to restore it. Correct?"
"Aren't you summarizing something heavy a bit too lightly?"
"Heavy stories need to be handled lightly if they're going to last."
Noel approached me. "And Kyle, there's one thing you're mistaken about."
"What is it?"
"You thought we'd fall apart after hearing your story?"
I couldn't answer. She smiled.
"You underestimated us."
Siella nodded. "I agree."
Aria added softly, "I was a little hurt."
Rhea spoke last. "From now on, if you hide information, I'll punish you."
"Punishment?"
"It's a violation of duty for someone under imperial protection."
I wasn't sure such a duty existed. But if Rhea willed it, it might come into being. I eventually lowered my head.
"I'm sorry."
"I'll accept the apology. But you'll need to continue explaining."
"Yes."
Just then, Professor Graham and the imperial knights entered through the sealing chamber's entrance. Confirming that the situation had been resolved, the professor raised an eyebrow at us.
"The mana core's rampage has stopped."
Noel replied, "Barely."
Professor Graham's gaze turned to me. "Young Lord Diaren. You were at the center of this?"
I tried to deny it. But Siella spoke first.
"That's right."
Aria added, "Kyle took command."
Rhea supplemented, "Without his judgment, the damage would have been far greater."
Noel said with a smile, "Pretty capable for a villain."
I stared blankly at the four of them. This was a scene that didn't exist in the original story. Originally, Kyle Diaren should have fallen amid ridicule. No one should have stood by his side. His words should have been met with mockery, not belief.
Yet now, four people were testifying on my behalf.
Professor Graham remained silent for a moment before speaking. "Very well. This incident will be formally addressed by the Academy Committee. Young Lord Diaren, you too will need to attend as a witness."
"Understood."
"And one more thing." The professor's voice lowered. "I sensed that you know something as well. But I won't ask now. Protecting the students comes first. Just remember this: the Academy weighs the dangers arising from hidden secrets more heavily than the secrets themselves."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Professor Graham nodded and left. After he was gone, I looked up at the mana core. The cracks had stopped, but they hadn't completely vanished. The mana core still glowed blue, though its light was slightly dimmer than before. As if the world itself had been shaken once and hadn't yet regained its balance.
Rowen had escaped. The Black Moon still had roots within the Academy. And the protagonist had begun to move.
But today, we won. As Kyle Diaren. No—as the person I am now, bearing the name Kyle Diaren.
For the first time.
It was the villain's first victory.