The Knightess Must Slay Me
Noel Ignis was a dangerous person. As a reader of the original novel, I knew that all too well. From beginning to end, she never clearly revealed whose side she was on. She helped the protagonist at times, tested him at others, and if necessary, even fed false information to her allies. But she wasn't a villain. She moved to protect the academy and to obtain the truths she deemed important. The problem was that she didn't particularly care about others' circumstances in the process.
Someone like that had begun to suspect me.
"Follow me."
Not even an hour after leaving the infirmary, Noel led me to the Magic Department's annex. Rhea tried to accompany us under the pretext of an interview with the imperial investigator, Siella claimed she would follow to keep watch, and Aria grabbed my sleeve insisting she needed to check my treatment status. Noel shut them all down with a single line.
"If all three of you come along, I'll have to study your emotional states instead of Kyle's."
In the end, I was dragged off alone.
The Magic Department's annex had a different atmosphere from the other buildings. If the Knight Department smelled of swords and honor, this place reeked of knowledge and secrets. Constellation maps that shifted on the corridor walls, small mana lamps drifting like fish across the ceiling. Students hurried past clutching thick tomes, but they naturally stepped aside when Noel passed. She seemed quite well-known here, though whether that was in a good way or bad, I couldn't tell.
Deep in the basement of the annex lay a space called the Black Library. It wasn't exactly forbidden texts, but rather a repository of combat magic records, incident reports, and summoning beast experiment data too sensitive for ordinary students. The door was made of black metal, its handle engraved with a purple magic circle. When Noel touched it with her finger, the door opened silently.
Inside was far larger than expected. Endless bookshelves, floating records, softly whispering magical characters. There were almost no lamps, but runes etched into the book spines gave off a faint glow that illuminated the space. Staying here too long made one feel as though the books were reading the person instead.
Noel opened another door with practiced ease.
"Sit."
"Is this an interrogation?"
"Let's call it questioning. Interrogation sounds too stiff."
"And if I don't answer your questions?"
"Then it becomes an interrogation."
Don't threaten me with a smile. I sat down in the chair. Noel didn't sit across from me but perched on the edge of the desk, deliberately looking down at me. She knew exactly how to apply pressure.
"First question. How did you know the dagger in the Rose Garden was fake?"
"I recognized the characteristics of the Diaren family seal."
"A fallen ducal heir might know that. Second. How did you predict during today's practical that the familiar would target Her Highness the Princess?"
"The movements of the practice summoning beast were strange."
"Before the attack?"
"Its presence felt different."
"You, ranked at the bottom of the Knight Department?"
That stung. Kyle Diaren's grades really were abysmal. His swordsmanship fundamentals weren't bad, but his mana control was unstable and he was evaluated as emotionally volatile in actual combat. Being called bottom-ranked wasn't wrong.
"People become sharp when they're about to die."
Noel smiled as she listened to my answer.
"Plausible. But plausible answers are usually only half true."
"Do you always suspect people like this, Senior?"
"Yes."
Her confidence left me speechless. Noel slid a document across the desk. It was an analysis of the residual mana from the familiar that had appeared at today's training ground. I couldn't read all the magical script, but I recognized a few words.
Black Moon. Tracking seal. Imperial bloodline reaction.
My heart raced. The anti-imperial secret organization that appeared in the middle of the original novel—the Black Moon. They were already moving.
Noel didn't miss my expression.
"A name you recognize?"
"I don't know it."
"Your pupils just trembled."
"My wound hurts."
"Your arm wound has mostly healed."
"It's a wound of the heart."
Noel laughed out loud for the first time.
"Interesting. The old Kyle Diaren never dodged questions like this. He'd get angry, curse, or try to push through with force."
"People change."
"Overnight?"
I couldn't answer. Noel rose from her seat and walked toward the bookshelves. With a snap of her fingers, a thick report flew smoothly through the air toward her.
"The Black Moon is an organization that officially doesn't exist. The imperial family doesn't acknowledge it, and the Holy Church pretends not to know. Yet the same traces appeared in last night's Rose Garden incident and today's training ground familiar."
"Is it all right to tell me this?"
"Because you're already involved."
Noel's eyes narrowed.
"And the Black Moon usually targets those who failed once before."
Targets. Aria last night. Rhea today. And me, who had been at the scene.
"So you're planning to use me as bait, Senior?"
"Bait is such a harsh word. Let's say collaborator."
"And if I refuse?"
"I'll tell Her Highness the Princess and the Saintess candidate that Kyle is trying to take the risk alone."
Underhanded. Noel already knew exactly what I disliked. I didn't want to get more deeply entangled with the heroines. Yet she was using that very relationship as leverage.
"You're quite vicious."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
I sighed.
"What do you want?"
"Go back to the Rose Garden tonight."
"That really is bait."
"You won't be alone. I'll be watching from behind, and I'll intervene if necessary."
"If necessary?"
"Yes. If I help too quickly, the culprit won't show."
This person was truly dangerous. But refusing the proposal was difficult too. If the Black Moon was moving, staying still would be dangerous anyway. It was better to gather information.
I tapped the edge of the desk with my fingertips. The events of the original novel tangled in my mind. The Black Moon didn't move this early in the story. They only appeared in earnest after the protagonist had built some standing in the academy and the conflict between the imperial family and the Holy Church deepened. But this was still the early stages. The protagonist hadn't even properly taken the stage yet.
Why?
Because I survived. Because the villain who should have died didn't, the story was now forcibly trying to kill me again.
A chill ran down my spine at the thought. I wasn't avoiding the incidents. The incidents were following me.
Just then, the library door opened.
"I will not permit that plan."
It was Rhea. She entered with a cold voice, Siella and Aria right behind her. All three wore displeased expressions.
Noel didn't look surprised.
"Oh my, who could have told them our location?"
Siella spoke up.
"I caught a Magic Department student."
Aria added quietly.
"I followed the traces of the healing spell on Kyle."
Terrifying. In multiple ways.
Rhea looked at me.
"Kyle. You are not going anywhere tonight."
"Your Highness."
"That's an order."
Siella immediately countered.
"He doesn't necessarily have to obey Her Highness the Princess's orders."
"Then will you protect him?"
"There's no reason I can't."
Aria approached my side.
"Neither of you. Kyle is still a patient."
Noel watched the scene with great amusement.
"Kyle, you're popular."
I felt exhausted. Truly exhausted.
"Everyone, just a moment."
My voice came out lower than expected. All three fell silent at once.
I spoke slowly.
"I want to run away. Honestly, I want to ignore the Princess's political battles, the Holy Church's problems, and the organization called the Black Moon. But it's already too late. Aria was attacked last night, and Her Highness was targeted today. We don't know who will be next."
I stood up. My arm ached and my chest still burned, but I had to say it.
"So I'll go to the Rose Garden tonight. But I won't go alone."
Rhea asked.
"Who are you planning to go with?"
I hesitated for a moment. There was only one correct answer.
"We'll all go together."
Silence. Noel clapped her hands.
"Wow, I didn't think of that."
Siella spoke incredulously.
"If everyone follows in a bait operation, it stops being bait, doesn't it?"
"That's why it's good."
I looked at Noel.
"Catching the culprit is important, but making sure no one gets hurt is more important."
Aria gazed at me. Her eyes wavered slightly. Rhea remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"Very well. But I will take command."
Siella immediately objected.
"I'll handle combat command."
Aria spoke quietly as well.
"I'll judge Kyle's physical condition."
Noel smiled and said.
"Then I'll observe from behind how honest everyone is being."
I pressed a hand to my forehead. This combination might be more dangerous than the Black Moon.
That night, the scent of blood began to drift through the Rose Garden once more. And from within the darkness, someone whispered toward me.
"One who twists the predetermined scene."
I held my breath. That voice did not belong to a human.
Or rather, it had once belonged to a human. But it sounded as though it had been waiting for me for far too long.