The Accusation Against Edan Gray
The committee room that had accused Edan Gray was located on the top floor of the main building. The highest point in Saint Ignis Academy. A place where the crests of the Imperial Family, the Holy Church, the Magic Tower, and the Knight Department hung side by side. Under normal circumstances, students were not permitted to enter. The doors only opened for disciplinary hearings, special commendations, or incidents capable of shaking the entire academy. And today, those doors had opened for us.
“Quite the grand treatment for our first practical exercise,” Noel remarked quietly. I glanced sideways at her.
“Senior, is this really the time for jokes?”
“The heavier the atmosphere, the more we need jokes.”
“Sometimes jokes only make it heavier.”
“That’s because you’re not used to it yet.”
She really wasn’t helping. Professors and guards already lined the corridor in front of the committee room. Imperial knights stood behind Rhea, while several Holy Church professors in priestly robes watched us in silence. Their gazes were the most uncomfortable of all—especially the way they looked at Edan. Suspicion. Wariness. And a trace of relief, as though they had finally found the prey they had been waiting for.
Edan Gray met those stares head-on. He maintained his usual composed posture, but the tips of his fingers were faintly tense. After experiencing the illusions in B-7, witnessing the Black Moon’s message, and immediately being accused, even the original protagonist couldn’t remain unshaken.
I spoke quietly. “Are you all right?”
Edan looked at me. “It’s difficult to say that I am.”
“I’ve been hearing that answer a lot lately.”
“At the very least, I can still stand.”
“Then that’s enough.”
Edan gave a small smile. At that moment, Rhea turned toward us.
“Kyle.”
“Yes.”
“Do not speak carelessly once we are inside.”
“Me?”
“You.”
Her tone was firm. Siella added from beside her, “She’s right. If you open your mouth, things will only get worse.”
“Have I really caused that many incidents?”
Aria quietly took hold of my wrist. “Kyle tends to say good things, but those good things often end up hurting him.”
That was harder to refute. In the end, I nodded.
“I’ll only speak when necessary.”
Noel chuckled. “The problem is your definition of ‘necessary.’”
The committee room doors opened fully. Inside was a long circular table. Professor Graham sat on one side, while across from him were two Holy Church professors, a Magic Department professor, a Knight Department instructor, and an imperial inspector. And at the very back sat a middle-aged man in white priestly robes. A silver cross of the Holy Church hung from his chest. His expression was gentle, his gaze soft—yet that softness felt strangely cold.
I had never seen him before. But my instincts told me immediately: this was the man who had accused Edan.
Professor Graham spoke. “Everyone, take your seats.”
We each sat in our assigned places. Kyle Diaren. Edan Gray. Rhea Silverrian. Siella Bayern. Aria Elowen. Noel Ignis. Six students now sat side by side before the committee. Noel’s status was somewhat ambiguous between student and faculty assistant, but no one pointed it out. Everyone was simply too exhausted.
Professor Graham was the first to speak. “We hereby convene the ad hoc committee regarding the B-7 sector collapse incident. This meeting is confidential, and any external disclosure is prohibited.”
The middle-aged man from the Holy Church bowed his head slightly. “Beltran Ross, Ethics Professor affiliated with the Holy Church. I am the one who submitted this accusation.”
Beltran Ross. I searched my memories. He hadn’t played a major role in the original story, but his name had appeared. A conservative professor of the Holy Church—one of those who had tried to bind Aria to her role as Saintess candidate. Whether he had direct ties to the Black Moon had never been made clear in the original novel. But things were different now. He was the accuser.
Professor Beltran looked at Edan. “Student Edan Gray. You are suspected of causing an abnormal mana reaction in the B-7 sector.”
Edan answered calmly. “That is not true.”
“The committee will make that determination.”
Beltran placed a small glass case on the table. Inside was a black fragment engraved with the traces of a nameless sword—the very fragment of the composite entity’s blade we had seen at the heart of B-7. The problem was that Edan’s mana signature still faintly lingered on its surface.
Beltran continued, “This fragment was recovered near the stone gate immediately after the B-7 collapse. According to the Magic Department’s analysis, it matches a significant portion of Student Edan Gray’s mana wavelength.”
The room fell silent. The Magic Department professor adjusted his glasses. “To be precise, it is not an exact ‘match’ but a ‘similarity.’ The wavelength remaining on the fragment resembles Student Edan Gray’s base mana, yet it is mixed with residual echoes of Black Moon–type curses.”
Noel muttered under her breath, “They deliberately muddied the important part.”
Beltran did not lose his smile. “Even so, the danger is sufficient. A commoner special admission student displayed unstable mana reactions in a high-risk practical zone, resulting in a sector collapse. The academy must consider the safety of its students.”
Siella’s eyes sharpened. “Edan Gray helped stop the collapse.”
Beltran turned to her. “I respect Lady Bayern’s testimony. However, impressions formed during combat differ from mana analysis results.”
“Do not distort the analysis results.” Siella’s voice lowered. “That fragment is part of the composite entity mixed with all of our illusion remnants. It does not belong to Edan alone.”
Beltran spoke gently. “How interesting. What exactly did you witness inside B-7?”
Siella fell silent. The illusions. The things they feared most. The things they desired most. They could not reveal everything here—especially not when the illusions had exposed each person’s deepest wounds.
Beltran took her silence as confirmation. “You experienced something you cannot explain, and as a result B-7 collapsed. Therefore, the committee has no choice but to prioritize official analysis data.”
He was thorough. He knew we would find it difficult to speak the truth. The illusions of B-7 were not mere events—they were each person’s personal scars. If forced to disclose everything before the committee, no one would be able to speak easily. And he intended to use that silence as a lack of evidence.
I clenched my teeth. Even without the Black Moon, he’s a thoroughly annoying man.
Then Aria spoke. “Professor Beltran.”
The gazes of the Holy Church professors turned toward her. Beltran smiled gently. “Aria Elowen. Will the Saintess candidate also provide testimony?”
“Yes.”
“Very well. Please speak.”
Aria clasped her hands for a moment. Normally, she would have chosen her words carefully in this place, mindful of the Holy Church’s eyes and worried about making mistakes. But after B-7, Aria had changed.
“Edan is not the cause of the B-7 collapse.” Her voice was soft yet resolute. “On the contrary, he fought alongside Kyle to prevent it.”
Beltran replied, “I understand the Saintess candidate’s good intentions. However, the analysis data—”
“I analyzed it as well.”
The room fell silent. Beltran’s eyes wavered for the briefest instant. Aria continued.
“Inside B-7, we encountered cursed mana of the Black Moon lineage. It was not Edan’s mana. There was only an illusion that reflected Edan’s inner self, and its residual echo merely mixed with the fragment.”
“An illusion, you say?”
“Yes.”
“Can you testify to the contents of that illusion?”
Aria’s hands trembled slightly. I looked at her. She did not look back. Instead, she steadied her breathing.
“I cannot disclose everything. It concerns the minds of individual students. However, the fact that the cursed mana imitated the inner selves of those it targeted can be confirmed through divine arts reactions.”
Beltran’s smile faded slightly. Aria was the Saintess candidate. Her divine arts analysis could not be ignored even within the Holy Church. The Magic Department professor nodded as well. “If there is a record of the divine arts reaction, it can be added to the analysis results.”
Beltran asked quietly, “Do you have that record?”
Aria answered, “I do.”
She showed the divine arts mark remaining on her wrist. The mark on my wrist also began to glow.
“Inside B-7, we connected our relationship lines through divine arts. At that time, part of every mana flow was recorded in my divine arts mark.”
Noel let out a low whistle. “The Saintess candidate came prepared.”
Aria’s cheeks flushed faintly, but she did not back down. “Kyle gets injured so often that I developed the habit of keeping records.”
Why does it always come back to that?
Beltran remained silent. At that moment, Rhea spoke coldly. “The Imperial Family will also testify.”
All eyes turned to her.
“Inside B-7, Edan Gray was not the cause of the collapse. He destroyed the central sword of the composite entity together with Kyle Diaren. I witnessed it myself.”
The imperial inspector nodded. “We will record Her Highness the Princess’s direct testimony.”
Beltran still smiled. “Is it not possible that Your Highness was also affected by the illusions?”
The words were dangerous. They questioned a princess’s judgment. The temperature in the room dropped. Rhea’s eyes turned to ice.
“Holy Church professor.” Her voice was low. “Are you doubting my mental state?”
Beltran bowed his head. “It is a procedural question for the sake of academy safety.”
“Very well. Then allow me to ask a procedural question as well.” A chill gathered at Rhea’s fingertips. “Why does the Holy Church repeatedly attempt to separate Kyle Diaren and Edan Gray?”
Beltran’s expression hardened for the first time. Rhea continued.
“The holy relic of Holy Church student Lucas Berin was corrupted, Priest Rowen disappeared after the Central Sealed Area incident, and now a Holy Church–affiliated professor has accused Edan Gray.” She smiled coldly. “Quite a number of coincidences.”
The atmosphere in the room shifted completely. The one under attack had been Edan. Now the questions were directed at the Holy Church.
Beltran tried to remain composed. “Your Highness, casting suspicion upon the entire Holy Church is dangerous.”
“I did not speak of the entire Holy Church.” Rhea looked straight at him. “I am speaking of you.”
Silence. Beltran’s fingers stiffened for the briefest moment. In that instant, I saw it—a single black dot moving beneath the inner sleeve of his robe. It looked as though ink were crawling across his skin. The Black Moon.
I stood up reflexively. “Your sleeve.”
Everyone looked at me. Beltran did as well. I pointed at him.
“Check the inside of your right sleeve.”
Beltran’s expression vanished. “What do you mean?”
“It is the mark of the Black Moon.”
The moment those words left my mouth, Beltran moved. He placed his hand on the glass case atop the table. The black fragment inside began to glow.
“Get back!” Edan shouted.
The black fragment exploded. Black smoke spread through the center of the committee room. The professors deployed defensive magic, and Rhea’s chill attempted to freeze the smoke. But the black smoke was no ordinary poison. From within it, dozens of voices whispered.
— The protagonist must choose.
— Will you believe the villain?
— Will you save the academy?
— Abandon one, and everyone lives.
Edan’s face turned pale. The Black Moon was truly persistent. They were still forcing a choice upon him.
Beltran laughed within the smoke. “Edan Gray.” His voice was no longer gentle. “You are the protagonist. So choose.”
The black smoke coiled around my body. My throat constricted in an instant. Aria cried out, “Kyle!”
Siella drew her sword. Rhea’s chill erupted. Edan tried to rush toward me, but Beltran’s voice stopped him.
“If you save him, the seal on this committee room will break.”
Black patterns appeared on the walls. The professors’ defensive barriers trembled.
“Will you save Kyle Diaren alone,” Beltran laughed, “or will you protect the entire committee?”
Edan’s sword halted. His eyes wavered. The illusion he had seen in B-7 had returned to reality. Would he abandon someone in the name of justice? Would he endanger everyone to save one person?
This time, it was not an illusion. It was real.
With my throat constricted, I barely managed to speak. “Edan.”
He looked at me. I forced a smile.
“Don’t… make the choice so easily.”
At those words, Edan’s face hardened. Beltran whispered, “Yes. Abandon him. That is the protagonist’s choice.”
Edan slowly raised his sword. Then he spoke.
“You are mistaken.”
The tip of his blade pointed not at Beltran, but at the floor of the committee room.
“If abandoning someone is justice…”
His mana gathered upon the sword.
“Then I will cut down that justice first.”
Edan’s sword cleaved through the black patterns on the floor. At the same time, Rhea’s chill fixed the seal in place, and Aria’s divine arts severed the black smoke coiled around my body. Siella charged into the smoke and slashed Beltran’s arm. Black blood splattered.
Beltran screamed. On the inside of his right arm, a black crescent moon mark stood out clearly. The sigil of the Black Moon.
The entire committee room froze. I dropped to my knees, gasping for breath. Edan stood before me. His sword was still trembling. But his eyes did not waver.
“Lord Kyle.”
“Yes.”
“How was my choice just now?”
I coughed and laughed. “Very much to my liking. Not very protagonist-like at all.”
Edan gave a small smile. Then he looked down at the fallen Beltran. The Black Moon’s mark had been revealed. The Holy Church could no longer remain silent. And Edan Gray had directly rejected the first choice the Black Moon had tried to force upon him.