The Villain's Isolation
The sentence that rose from the corridor floor was black. — Next target: The villain's isolation. The moment those words appeared, the air in the western corridor changed. Until just moments ago, it had been a clash between crown and sword. Rhea's chill and Siella's sword aura had repelled each other, shaking the entire corridor. But now it was different. Silent. Far too silent. It felt as if all sound was drifting away from me.
Aria was gripping my wrist. Edan stood beside me, Rhea and Siella right in front. Noel was analyzing the spell from behind, and the Holy Church delegation remained inside the barrier. Everyone was clearly nearby. Yet strangely, I felt alone.
"Lord Kyle?" Aria's voice sounded distant. I tried to answer, but my lips wouldn't move. No—they moved, yet no sound came out.
What is this?
I raised my hand to touch my throat. It wasn't blocked, and I wasn't choking. Yet no words emerged. It was as if this space had severed only my voice.
Noel's voice echoed in my mind.
— Kyle, can you hear me?
I couldn't reply. Her voice grew lower.
— Damn it. Only your voice has been cut off. This isn't a simple silence spell. It's a Relationship Line severance spell.
Relationship Line severance. The moment I heard those words, a chill ran down my spine. The Black Moon wasn't trying to kill me. They were trying to ensure my words couldn't reach anyone. So I couldn't explain. Couldn't justify myself. Couldn't call for help.
The villain's isolation. The instant I grasped its meaning, black shadows appeared on the corridor walls. They took human forms. Students. Professors. Holy Church priests. Imperial knights. Knight Department students. Their faces were blurred, but their voices were clear.
"Kyle Diaren."
"That name again."
"In the end, every incident revolves around him."
"The Rose Garden too."
"The combat training too."
"The Central Sealed Area too."
"B-7 too."
"This Holy Church attack too."
The voices overlapped. At first they were whispers. Soon they became a murmur filling the entire corridor. I gripped my sword.
Is this my hallucination?
No. Rather than a hallucination, it was public opinion. A fabricated voice created by the Black Moon, yet at the same time the kind of words students might actually say. That made it worse. If it were complete lies, I could endure it. But when it was half-truth, people wavered.
The voices continued.
"If Kyle Diaren hadn't been here, would things have escalated this far?"
"Her Highness the Princess became endangered after getting involved with him."
"The Saintess candidate too."
"Lady Bayern too."
"Edan Gray too."
"They say he's the villain."
"They say he should have died."
"Then why is he still alive?"
My fingertips grew cold. The words the original Kyle had spoken in the vision resurfaced.
— You just need to disappear.
I clenched my teeth.
That conclusion again.
Since I couldn't speak, I couldn't refute them. Aria tightened her grip on my wrist.
"Lord Kyle, can you hear me?"
I tried to nod. But my body was sluggish. It felt as though even my movements weren't being properly conveyed to others. I thought I had nodded, yet it seemed Aria didn't see it that way. Anxiety spread across her face.
"Lord Kyle?"
The black voices seized the opening.
"Look."
"He can't say anything."
"He's hiding something."
"He's always been like that."
"Is that future memory thing even real?"
"Maybe he's deceiving everyone?"
Edan stepped forward.
"That's enough."
His voice remained distinct even amid the black murmurs. Yet the shadows laughed.
"The protagonist is shielding the villain."
"Didn't you say you'd monitor him yesterday?"
"Isn't this the perfect time?"
"While he can't speak, this is our chance to confirm the truth."
Edan's expression hardened. The Black Moon was clever. While isolating me, they were also forcing a choice upon Edan. A situation where I couldn't speak. A situation where endless suspicion poured down around me. If Edan claimed to believe in me here, he would be attacked for making biased judgments as the protagonist. Conversely, if he voiced doubt, the Relationship Line would be severed.
Rhea spoke coldly.
"This is a spell. Don't let it shake you."
The shadows turned toward her.
"Why does Her Highness protect him?"
"Because he's under imperial protection?"
"Or is it personal feelings?"
"The Princess has been swayed by the villain."
"The crown is covering up an error."
Rhea's gaze turned icy. But this time she didn't immediately unleash her chill. She had already learned. What the Black Moon wanted was a reaction. The more one reacted, the stronger the spell grew.
Siella raised her sword.
"Quite the talkative shadows."
The shadows laughed.
"Why isn't the knight pointing her sword?"
"You were supposed to cut down Kyle Diaren."
"You were meant to bring him down."
"So why are you standing in front of him now?"
"Your sword has grown dull."
Strength entered Siella's hand. Yet she too did not strike immediately. Her sword tip trembled slightly, but its direction remained steady. In front of me. She stood before me.
Aria spoke while still holding my wrist.
"Lord Kyle hasn't deceived me."
The shadows immediately turned to her.
"The Saintess candidate has chosen the villain."
"Purity has leaned toward one person."
"Because of that, more people will get hurt."
"Do you have the qualifications to become a saintess?"
Aria's hand trembled. But she didn't let go.
"Qualifications……"
She drew a breath.
"I'll prove it without running away."
At those words, the hand gripping my wrist grew hotter. Just moments ago it had been trembling. But that tremor was no longer one of wanting to flee. It was the tremor of holding on.
Noel's voice echoed in my mind.
— I found the spell core. Beneath the center of the corridor floor. But the problem is, Kyle, your Relationship Lines are being used as the center.
I narrowed my eyes.
Then what should I do?
Unable to speak, I asked inwardly. Noel spoke as if reading my expression.
— You can't sever it yourself. Right now your voice and actions are all being distorted. Whatever you do, it will likely appear differently to those around you.
Damn it. That means the more I move, the more dangerous it becomes.
The phrase "the villain's isolation" was precise. Isolation wasn't merely being left alone. It was having people beside you yet being unable to reach them with your words. Having your actions misunderstood. The more you tried to explain, the more suspicious you seemed. That was true isolation.
The black voices grew louder.
"Kyle Diaren is dangerous."
"Cut him off."
"Everyone will be safe without him."
"If he disappears, everything returns to normal."
Those words resounded throughout the corridor. My heart raced. I knew it. This was a spell. An attack created by the Black Moon. Yet something deep in my chest wavered. Because I myself had once thought the same. That perhaps everyone would be safer if I disappeared. That perhaps I should stop before I ruined the original story any further.
If I disappear.
The thought surfaced far too naturally. Without me, Aria could remain the Holy Church's purity. Without me, Rhea wouldn't have unnecessary weaknesses exposed in the imperial palace. Without me, Siella wouldn't need to lower her sword. Without me, Edan could return to being the original protagonist.
The thought dug in like a curse. Terrifyingly, it was sweet. Disappearing would make things easier. If I were gone, everyone would return to their proper places. No one would get hurt because of me. Aria wouldn't have to cry, Rhea wouldn't have to forcibly learn how to hold hands, Siella wouldn't have to face her own weakness. Edan wouldn't have to be conscious of the place he had lost.
That was why it was more dangerous. It was the Black Moon's whisper, yet at the same time the desire to escape that I had long hidden away.
My hand slowly loosened. Just a little. But Aria didn't miss it. She put strength into the hand gripping my wrist.
"Lord Kyle."
Her voice trembled. But this time it carried the force of calling me back.
"Don't go."
I couldn't answer. The shadows laughed.
"Look."
"The Saintess candidate is clinging to the villain."
"Because of that obsession, someone else will get hurt again."
Aria's face turned pale. Yet she didn't release her hand. Still gripping my wrist, she took a step forward.
"That's right."
At those words, the shadows' voices stopped. Aria spoke with a trembling breath.
"I don't want to let go of Lord Kyle's hand."
Those words fell upon the corridor. They sounded like something a Saintess candidate shouldn't say. Words that chose someone first. Words that leaned toward someone. Words that cracked the name of purity. Yet Aria did not retreat.
"If that heart is a weakness."
Her holy power bloomed from my wrist.
"Then I'll make even that weakness my own."
The light of purity pushed back the black murmurs. The shadows distorted. Yet they did not completely disappear. Aria alone wasn't enough.
Then Edan took a step forward.
"It may not be wrong to say Lord Kyle Diaren is a dangerous variable."
Aria looked at Edan in surprise. Siella's eyes sharpened. Rhea's gaze also turned cold. I looked at Edan. With an unwavering expression, he continued.
"He has indeed been at the center of many incidents. It's also true that the original flow changed after he appeared. And it's true that he hasn't explained everything."
The black shadows grew quiet. As if urging him to continue. Edan went on.
"But that isn't a reason to abandon him."
His sword tip pointed toward the floor.
"If someone is dangerous, we monitor them. If someone is suspicious, we verify them. But surrounding a person who cannot speak and isolating them with nothing but suspicion is not justice."
One black voice whispered.
"The protagonist is defending the villain."
Edan answered.
"No."
He looked at me.
"I'm defending my partner."
For a moment, my chest tightened painfully. Partner. That single word cut through the black murmurs of the spell. Edan still didn't completely trust me. Yet he stood on my side. Not unconditional trust, but responsibility for what he had seen.
Noel laughed softly.
— Good. First line restored.
This time Rhea stepped forward.
"Kyle Diaren is under imperial protection."
The black voices murmured again.
"So it's imperial authority after all."
"The crown is hiding the villain."
"They're covering up crimes with power."
Rhea didn't move an inch.
"You're wrong."
She looked down at the shadows with her blue eyes.
"Being under imperial protection means I will take responsibility and manage him while fully aware of his danger. It is neither shielding nor hiding."
Her voice was cold.
"And as long as I am the one judging, Kyle is not someone to be abandoned right now."
The black voices grew rougher.
"The Princess's heart has leaned toward the villain."
"The crown has chosen error."
"If you hold that hand, the crown will freeze as well."
Rhea's expression didn't change. But a very thin ice flower bloomed at the tip of the staff she held. That alone was enough. The Princess was displeased right now.
"Don't define my emotions."
Rhea said.
"My choice, my judgment, my hand."
Her blue eyes turned to me before returning to the shadows.
"I decide."
— Second line restored.
Siella rested her sword on her shoulder.
"Kyle Diaren is weak."
"Lady Siella?"
Aria spoke as if surprised. Siella glanced at me.
"His body is weak, his mana is a mess, and his judgment is sometimes strange. And he gets hurt often."
I couldn't speak, but inwardly I felt wounded. Siella continued.
"That's why I have to protect him."
The black shadows wavered.
"The knight is protecting the villain."
"He was supposed to fall to your sword."
Siella's eyes gleamed sharply.
"Who my sword brings down is for me to decide."
She pointed her sword toward the corridor floor.
"And right now, what my sword needs to cut down isn't Kyle. It's you."
The black voices laughed.
"The sword has become the villain's shield."
"Bayern's sword has dulled."
Siella didn't answer. Instead, she pushed her scabbard up with her thumb before slowly pressing it down again. It was a habit she showed whenever she swallowed her emotions.
"Kyle."
She spoke in a low voice.
"Stay within range of my sword."
That single line was at once a command, protection, and a promise.
— Third line restored.
Still holding my wrist, Aria stepped forward one last time. Her hand was still trembling. But she didn't let go.
"Lord Kyle saved me."
The shadows immediately whispered.
"So you're obsessed?"
"So you're choosing one person first?"
"The Saintess candidate refuses to let go of the villain's hand."
Aria lifted her head.
"Yes."
The central hall fell silent. No, the corridor fell silent. Aria spoke clearly.
"I don't want to let go of Lord Kyle's hand."
The black shadows stirred all at once. I too held my breath. Aria's face flushed, yet she didn't retreat.
"But I won't abandon others because of it. I won't run away using the heart I chose as an excuse. So……"
Her holy power bloomed brightly from my wrist.
"Don't use that heart as a weakness."
The light of purity swept across the corridor.
— Fourth line restored.
Noel's voice became clear.
— Good. Now you should be able to speak, Kyle. The last one is yours to do.
The sensation blocking my throat loosened. I slowly drew a breath. My throat felt like it was burning. But sound came out.
"……That took quite a while."
All eyes turned to me. Aria's eyes were moist. Rhea's face was cold yet relieved. Siella lowered her sword tip, and Edan quietly nodded. I looked at the black shadows.
"You're right."
My voice was still hoarse.
"I am a dangerous variable, I have many things to hide, and I drag incidents along with me."
The shadows murmured. I continued.
"But that's not a reason for you to isolate me. It's a reason for me to explain more and endure more."
I raised my sword.
"The words that say everyone will be safe if I disappear."
The words the original Kyle had spoken in the vision. The words the Black Moon kept whispering. The words that surfaced whenever I most wanted to run away.
"I don't believe them anymore."
The black pattern on the floor trembled. I drove my sword into the spell core at the center of the corridor. Edan's sword came down alongside mine. Rhea's chill fixed the pattern in place, and Siella's sword light severed the outer lines. Aria's holy power bound the Relationship Lines, and Noel's violet magic circle cut the roots of the spell.
The black pattern shattered. The shadows filling the corridor screamed.
"The villain must be isolated."
"The villain must be abandoned."
"The villain must—"
I clenched my teeth and drove my sword deeper.
"Graduate, apparently."
The black pattern completely broke apart. The shadows that had filled the corridor scattered as black ash. The closed door opened once more. Light from outside poured in.
I gasped for breath. My legs felt ready to give out. Yet before I could collapse, Aria caught me.
"Lord Kyle."
"This time…… I didn't get hurt much."
"Really?"
"Probably."
"Probably is forbidden."
Siella spoke from beside me.
"Your words came back."
Rhea quietly added.
"Even the unnecessary ones came back."
Edan smiled.
"I'm glad."
Noel looked at the corridor floor and said.
"Restoration up to the fifth line. No, we should call it redefinition complete."
"So it's over?"
When I asked, Noel shook her head.
"No."
She looked toward the end of the corridor, in the direction of the Holy Church's temporary conference hall.
"Now it's the delegation's turn to state their true purpose."
The moment those words ended, High Priestess Eline opened her mouth.
"Kyle Diaren."
Her voice was quiet, yet it rang clearly throughout the corridor.
"The Holy Church delegation requests a private meeting with you."
Aria's hand gripped my arm. Rhea's eyes turned cold. Siella tapped her scabbard, and Edan looked at me. I swallowed a sigh inwardly. We had stopped the villain's isolation. But this time, the Holy Church was directly calling for me.