The Saintess Candidate Held My Hand
The combat training grounds lay in the eastern district of Saint Ignis Academy. Four training fields spread out around a massive circular arena, each equipped with magical barriers and spectator stands. The floor was paved with reinforced stone that no ordinary sword strike or low-level spell could even scratch. Beneath the open sky, dueling flags fluttered in the breeze, while surveillance magic circles cast a faint glow along the perimeter. Students trained here in conditions as close to real combat as possible—duels, joint operations, monster subjugation, and escort missions. In the original story, countless events had begun in this very place. The protagonist’s first duel where his talent was recognized. Siella accepting defeat and growing from it. Rhea proving her worth amid political pressure. And the scene where Kyle Diaren was publicly humiliated.
That scene, at least, I have to avoid.
I steadied my breathing at the entrance to the training field. The problem was the people on either side of me. To my left stood Rhea Silverrian. To my right, Siella Bayern. Neither of them spoke, yet the silence felt louder than words. Rhea tapped the tip of her staff slowly with a gloved hand. Her expression was calm, but the way she refused to look at Siella was telling enough. Siella rested a hand on her sword hilt and stared straight ahead—though I couldn’t help noticing that “straight ahead” seemed to be somewhere near my neck.
They were both beautiful. There was no denying that. Rhea was an icy, aristocratic beauty, while Siella burned with the sharp brilliance of flame. The real issue was that their beauty wasn’t directed at me with any warmth. It felt more like it could cut or freeze me at any moment.
“Your Highnesses,” I said carefully. “Would it be possible for me to join a different group?”
“No,” Rhea replied.
“Not happening,” Siella added.
For the first time, they agreed on something. Unfortunately, that something was keeping me from escaping.
The instructor in charge of the practical session was Graham Belt, a gray-bearded knight and former vice-captain of the Imperial Knights. In the original novel, he was portrayed as a strict but fair man who pushed students hard. He glanced up from his roster when he saw the three of us and raised an eyebrow.
“An interesting combination. Her Highness the Princess, Lady Bayern, and Young Lord Diaren.”
Please don’t find it interesting.
“Today’s exercise is a three-person escort mission,” Graham announced. “The objective is simple: protect the marker placed at the center and survive waves of summoned monsters for the allotted time. One of you must take the rear command position.”
A murmur ran through the students. Escort missions tested more than raw combat ability—they evaluated coordination. Assigning roles between vanguard, midline, and rear was crucial. Usually, the strongest fighter took the front while someone with good judgment commanded from the rear. Rhea’s powerful ice magic made her suited for the rear. Siella’s swordsmanship placed her at the top of her class, ideal for the vanguard. As for me? The original Kyle had been suited for nothing. But I knew the original story. I also knew the trap hidden in this exercise.
Among the summoned monsters, the third wave contained a gray wolf-type creature. It looked weak, but it was designed to prioritize attacking the rear commander. In the novel, the protagonist had seen through its movements, saved Rhea, and earned her favor. I wasn’t the protagonist. Still, if I wanted to survive, I had to do at least that much.
“I’ll take the rear,” I said.
The moment the words left my mouth, stares came from every direction—Rhea, Siella, the professor, and even the surrounding students began whispering.
“Diaren’s taking rear command?”
“Does he even know how to lead?”
“Isn’t he just showing off again?”
The weight of the name Kyle Diaren pressed down on me once more. Even when I said nothing, I was already being mocked. So it was either prove myself properly or be completely humiliated.
Siella let out a disbelieving laugh. “You?”
“Yes.”
“Rear command requires judgment and trust.”
“That’s why I’m volunteering.”
“You’re talking about trust?”
Her words were sharp. The old Kyle would have snapped back. But I held my tongue. Pride didn’t matter right now. Survival did.
“I’m not asking you to trust me blindly. If my orders are wrong, you can cut me down then.”
Siella’s eyes changed. To a swordsman, being told “you can cut me” wasn’t something light. Especially not to someone from the Bayern family. Rhea asked quietly, “Wouldn’t it be more stable if I took the rear?”
“Your Highness’s ice magic will be most effective in the midline. If the vanguard is pushed back, you can freeze their path and block the monsters. If you stay in the rear, the monsters will target only you.”
“They’ll target me?”
“It’s highly likely.”
More than likely—I knew it for certain. But I couldn’t say that. Rhea studied me for a moment, her blue eyes seeming to peer straight through me.
“Last night as well… you sometimes speak as if you know things you shouldn’t.”
My chest tightened. If Rhea—not Noel Ignis—was the first to grow suspicious, that would be troublesome.
“I’ve sharpened my instincts in order to stay alive.”
“That, at least, I can believe.”
The exercise began.
The first wave consisted of five horned rabbit-type monsters. They looked cute, but their charges could break an adult man’s ribs. Siella moved first. Her sword light split the training field like a crimson line—beautiful without exaggeration. Efficient, fierce, yet precise. In that moment, I understood why Siella Bayern was the top candidate in the Knight Department.
Rhea flicked her fingers lightly. The ground beneath the rabbits froze, stopping them at the perfect angle for Siella’s blade to pass through. Despite their personal friction, their combat synergy was flawless. The problem was that I still needed to prove my own worth in between them.
“The two on the left are feinting. They’ll break right.”
Siella reacted instantly, her sword sweeping right. Her movement came half a beat faster than she’d planned. One rabbit was cut down cleanly. She glanced at me.
“Luck?”
“Keep watching.”
The second wave brought three black boar-type monsters. I conserved my breath. The pain in my chest was worsening. Because my mana circuits were damaged, reading the flow of mana around me always brought agony. Yet it was also my only advantage. I wasn’t watching the monsters themselves—I was reading the shifting currents of mana around them. I could sense their intentions half a beat before their visible movements. The cost was that my head felt like it was burning from the inside.
“Your Highness, please freeze the center of the floor.”
“Why?”
“If their charge slips, Siella can take their heads.”
Rhea’s lips curved ever so slightly. “You give orders quite confidently.”
“I’m asking, not ordering.”
“Too late.”
She struck her staff against the ground. In an instant, the center of the field turned to ice. The boar monsters lost their balance mid-charge. Siella didn’t miss the opening. Her sword flashed three times. Gasps erupted from the stands.
“That was Young Lord Diaren’s command?”
“Was he always like this?”
“No way. That’s impossible.”
Yeah. I think it’s impossible too.
The third wave arrived. The gray wolf I’d been waiting for appeared. It looked smaller than the other monsters, so most students ignored it. But in the original story, that wolf had been a special entity summoned specifically to maul the rear commander. Something was wrong, though. Its gaze wasn’t fixed on me. It was staring at Rhea.
Why?
This was different from the novel. Since I’d taken the rear position, the target should have changed. Yet the wolf was still aiming for Rhea. A summoned training monster shouldn’t radiate such intense killing intent. A chill ran down my spine.
Someone tampered with it.
The wolf vanished—or rather, it moved so fast it seemed to disappear. Even Siella’s reaction came too late. Rhea’s eyes widened. Before her defensive magic could activate, a gray shadow leapt straight for her throat. I ran. My body moved before I could think. Whether it was because of my knowledge of the original story, my unwillingness to die, or those blue eyes that had suspected me yet spared me the night before—I didn’t know. I shoved Rhea aside, pulling her into my arms. The wolf’s fangs sank into my forearm.
“Kyle!”
I didn’t know who had called my name. Pain exploded through me, but I gritted my teeth and grabbed the wolf by the scruff. Up close, I saw its eyes were pitch black. This wasn’t a training summon. It was a real assassination familiar.
“Siella!”
At my shout, she reacted. Crimson sword light cleaved through the wolf’s body. It dissolved into black smoke. Silence fell over the training field.
Rhea was in my arms. More precisely, I’d lost my balance while pushing her away and ended up holding her close. Her silver hair brushed against my chin, carrying a faint, cool fragrance. She slowly lifted her head.
“Kyle.”
“Your Highness, are you hurt—”
Before I could finish, Siella grabbed me by the collar.
“Your arm!”
Blood was flowing. My uniform sleeve was torn and soaked red. Siella’s face was rigid—not quite anger, but closer to shock. Rhea looked at my arm, and her gaze turned ice-cold.
“Professor.”
Graham was already sprinting onto the field. Rhea’s voice was quiet, but the air around her began to freeze.
“This was no longer an exercise.”
Her words hung heavy in the suddenly frigid air.
“There is someone within the academy who has pointed a blade at me.”
I swallowed a sigh inwardly. Living quietly was no longer an option.
After that day, the rumors circulating through Saint Ignis Academy changed completely. Kyle Diaren was no longer suspected of trying to harm the saintess candidate. Instead, people said Kyle Diaren had saved the princess. That Kyle Diaren had successfully commanded the knight lady. And the most dangerous rumor of all spread alongside them—that Her Highness the Princess had personally taken the fallen Kyle Diaren’s hand and led him to the infirmary.