The academy’s night was tranquil.

The footsteps of patrolling guards weren’t loud enough to disturb the silence, nor did the rustling of leaves in the night breeze last long enough to rouse the night from its slumber. It was as though the chaos brought by the new transfer student had been a mere illusion, leaving the night as peaceful as ever.

The seemingly endless quiet was broken by a strange voice.

“…Today, the Saintess arrived at the academy.”

It was a voice that seemed to belong to dozens speaking in unison, buzzing and eerie.

“All proceeds as the Prophet foretold.”

Each time the voice echoed, nearby streetlights flickered, and insects dropped lifelessly to the ground.

The moonlight glanced at the voice’s source, but all it revealed was a thick, obscuring robe hidden within the shadows.

“Now, we shall resume the delayed plan. Does anyone object?”

There were others in the shadows besides the voice’s eerie owner.

“I object.”

One of them, a raspy-voiced middle-aged woman, spoke up.

“…State your reason.”

“Have you already forgotten what happened in Manchuria? The prophecy has already been distorted.”

The owner of the eerie voice shook their head.

“The Manchuria incident… is irrelevant to the Prophet’s foretelling.”

“How could it be irrelevant? According to the prophecy, the Saintess was only supposed to go to Manchuria during summer break. And not to an intact Manchuria, but one already scorched to the ground!”

The middle-aged woman’s voice rose with frustration.

“And what about the transfer student who arrived today? Did your precious prophecy even mention him?”

At the mention of the transfer student, everyone in the shadows fell silent.

After a pause, the eerie voice rang out again.

“The net of prophecy is loose, but nothing slips through it. The transfer student merely conceals his true identity; he is certainly part of the prophecy.”

“…That’s nonsense.”

“Aeva, how could you lose faith?”

The middle-aged woman, now named Aeva, flinched but didn’t stop.

“We are not a cult. We should look at reality, not rely on faith. The transfer student hiding his identity? Why would he do that, and for what purpose?”

“…How sad, truly sad. Aeva, you’ve spent too much time among Earth’s devils.”

At the eerie voice’s final word, the surrounding darkness shifted.

Bang! A nearby streetlight shattered under an invisible pressure, and the area grew even darker.

“…Hold on, hold on. Priest, let’s not be hasty. Aeva has a point, doesn’t she?”

A lighter voice interjected between the two.

“Priest, it seems you have an idea of the transfer student’s true identity. Would you enlighten us as well?”

“….”

“Only those as devout as you can keep their faith intact in the face of doubt. Isn’t that so?”

As soon as the sinister voice faded, the oppressive atmosphere emanating from the one called Priest vanished like melted snow.

“Tsk, faithless ones…”

The Priest clicked his tongue and continued.

“Think. Where did the transfer student appear from, and what has he done?”

There was no need to elaborate, as everyone here knew about the transfer student’s deeds. Since the Saintess had missed the entrance ceremony, all their attention had been focused on northern Manchuria.

“…Did none of you notice? He’s a secret guardian dispatched from the Holy Knights to protect the Saintess.”

“A secret guardian? What makes you think that…?”

“The prophecy says that the shield of the fallen Holy Knights hides within the academy to protect the Saintess. And the transfer student has protected her since Manchuria. Could this connection be mere coincidence?”

The logic was full of gaps, yet none present pointed them out.

Was it typical for the religiously devout to avoid questioning such things? Or perhaps it was because the theory sounded oddly plausible.

The transfer student’s feats seemed nearly mythical. A mercenary appearing out of nowhere, slaying a dragon with the Saintess, and even earning its recognition? It was more befitting of a hero in a legend.

But if this mercenary was secretly the Saintess’s guardian… and if this were all part of a traitorous plot… then it could make sense.

Though they needed to gather more intelligence, the thought crossed the minds of everyone present.

“Is there still anyone who opposes the plan?”

No one responded. Silence here equaled assent, and the Priest nodded.

“Then, as the prophecy foretold, the academy shall burn.”

“…When will it begin?”

“Today, at the first light of dawn.”

No further explanation was necessary. The figures in the shadows turned and vanished without a sound, save for Aeva, who lingered, staring at the Priest.

“What is it that keeps you here?”

“Priest, about this transfer student… there’s a chance he’s a secret guardian, as you say, but…”

“….”

“There’s also a chance he’s an Earth-born mercenary who appeared out of nowhere. If, by any chance, he is the fated one…”

At the mention of "the fated one," the Priest whipped his head around. Eyes blacker than the shadows fixed on Aeva.

“…No Earth-born, under any circumstance, could ever be the fated one. Just as the Saintess, tainted by red-blooded filth, can never be.”

The Priest’s voice brimmed with more certainty than any he’d spoken before.

Aeva offered no response, merely turning away. As she departed, the Priest looked up at the shattered streetlight.

The broken bulb flickered sporadically, like a dying man coughing up blood.

Watching it briefly, the Priest raised his hand, then clenched it into a fist.

Crackle.

With that, the night returned to its tranquil silence.

 

The Saintess tapped her lips as she examined the academy uniforms laid out on her bed.

Two sets of winter uniforms, two sets of summer uniforms, athletic wear, and religious garments like a hijab and shoulder cloak.

She picked up and put down each uniform, deliberating.

‘How should I wear this…?’

Maybe she could wear the winter top and summer bottoms, like she’d seen on social media?

Or wear the winter skirt with the summer blouse, like the celebrities in that drama?

There had even been some, uh, daring fashion ideas involving the academy’s pajamas and swimwear… but those were obviously not options for school.

After two hours of agonizing over her outfit, she finally settled on a uniform with ten minutes to spare before she had to leave.

She chose the academy’s standard winter uniform: a navy-blue jacket with silver accents and a neatly pleated skirt. It was the same outfit Seti had worn yesterday.

After a brief moment of contemplation over whether to wear the white shoulder cloak symbolizing the Priests of the Five Gods, the Saintess decided against it when the dorm supervisor yelled for her to hurry up.

Fortunately, she wasn’t the only one cutting it close, so she didn’t have to make the sprint to class alone.

Of course, her eyepatch and shoulder cloak made her stand out, and many students glanced her way as they recognized her.

Ordinarily, she might have felt self-conscious… but today, the Saintess found herself basking in the attention.

She walked proudly, her heart fluttering as she neared the first-year main building. It felt real at last—she had finally arrived at the academy she had dreamed of.

‘I wonder… Did Seti and Yeomyeong go ahead without me?’

With a sense of excitement, she crossed the threshold of the main building, thinking of her only—no, one of her two friends. Yeomyeong was unpredictable, but diligent Seti would surely be here early.

Yesterday, she hadn’t even had a chance to greet Seti, who’d been taken off to the Discipline Department, but today… today, they would finally catch up…

‘Huh?’

Just as she entered the hallway, she spotted two girls walking side by side.

A blonde girl chatting animatedly, and beside her, a black-haired girl listening quietly.

‘Seti…’

The Saintess felt a wave of emotion she couldn’t quite name. The sight of the two walking shoulder to shoulder was exactly the academy life she’d dreamed of.

Of course, it wasn’t strange for Seti to make other friends, but still… still…

While she struggled with the unfamiliar feeling, Seti noticed her.

Smiling brightly as though nothing had ever bothered her, the Saintess waved, but Seti…

She only gave her a polite nod—distant, formal, devoid of any warmth.

…?

That was the extent of their reunion. No heartfelt conversation, no embrace. Seti simply walked into the classroom with her friend, leaving the Saintess standing alone in the hallway, staring at her hand and then at the door through which Seti had vanished.

What… just happened?

Her mind struggled to process it. Was this a nightmare?

“What are you doing, standing there in a daze?”

A familiar voice pulled her back to reality.

“…Yeomyeong.”

She turned to find herself face-to-face with Yeomyeong, looking oddly neat in his academy uniform, yet she couldn’t manage a greeting or a compliment. Her mouth refused to open.

“I… I don’t know…”

The thought that first came to mind was, "I’ve been dumped." The urge to let out every furious word racing through her head was strong, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud.

So, instead, she kept her mouth shut and walked into the classroom.

Or tried to.

As she opened the back door of the classroom, she was greeted by Seti, arms crossed, waiting.

Seti’s lips curved in a mischievous smile, her blue eyes sparkling with teasing delight.

“Yo.”

“….”

“Long time no see.”

The instant Seti uncrossed her arms and held them out, something burst in the Saintess’s heart.

“You… you were… you were just… messing with me?”

“Did it work?”

“You… You…! You evil girl!”

Without hesitation, the Saintess threw herself into Seti’s arms, hugging her friend tightly, oblivious to the stares of their classmates.

“I missed you… I really missed you…”

“…Can’t say I felt the same.”

“Again with the teasing!”

Their touching reunion, however, was short-lived. Just as she started nuzzling her face into Seti’s uniform, Yeomyeong cleared his throat.

“…Do you two have to do that right by the door?”

 

The Academy’s Security Management Department, more commonly known as the Watchtower, was a towering structure crowned by the Central Security Room.

Here, surveillance cameras installed across the academy and the search magic covering all four islands were managed.

It was a supposedly impenetrable room, though it did have its vulnerabilities.

For instance… if an explosion occurred in the general guard’s quarters four floors below the Central Security Room?

The mana flow to the Central Security Room would be severed, and the search magic for the entire island would be temporarily nullified.

Of course, it wouldn’t be down for long. The mage stationed in the security room would restore the magic shortly. But the restoration, no matter how swift, would still take over five minutes.

Five minutes was more than enough to turn the world upside down.

John didn’t particularly agree with this, but… his organization certainly thought so.

“…John? What’s with that look? Something wrong?” one of his fellow guards asked, noticing John fidgeting with a thick bag.

John tried to tell him it was nothing. Admitting that the bag held a powerful bomb intended to not only level the guard’s quarters but also shake the security room above would have been foolish.

Yet, what came out of his mouth was entirely different.

“Supervisor Kim, you recently became a grandfather, didn’t you?”

“My grandson? Oh, he’s so cute—looks just like his mom. But what’s that got to do with…? Are you sure you’re all right?”

“…Step outside the building. Right now.”

“What? John, what are you talking about?”

John squeezed his eyes shut.

The Priest was right; he’d definitely spent too long among Earth’s devils.

“Are you deaf? Get out of here now!”

Drawing his pistol from his belt, John aimed it at the other guards in the room.

Supervisor Kim and the others hesitated but didn’t attempt to restrain him. They eyed each other warily, then began to edge toward the door, clearly planning to alert the superhumans from another department.

John would have done the same. It was the best way to avoid any casualties.

Boom!

Once all the guards had left, John locked the door to the quarters.

Maybe this would ensure they were safe from the explosion. At least he wouldn’t have to watch them die in front of him.

With that thought, he opened the bag containing the bomb.

“Long live the Empire’s independence.”

Those were his last words, whispered to no one in particular, as the quarters exploded.