NOVPUBThe Bretus Theocracy was an island nation, isolated from the mainland.
In terms of sheer size, it was a bit smaller than most other kingdoms—but no country on the continent dared look down on it.
“The Holy Knights, huh. Looks like those troublesome bastards are on the move.”
Their real strength came from religion.
The Bretus Theocracy was the headquarters of the Lumenis Church, which worshipped the Radiant God.
Because their nation was said to perform divine miracles, the other countries never dared provoke them—and no one wanted to earn their disfavor.
They don’t move unless it’s something serious... so if they’ve mobilized the Holy Knights on a large scale, then yeah—it must be because of the Beast of Jévaudan.
The Bretus Theocracy had always acted under a mission to “save humanity.”
They traveled across the continent to purge heretics, hunt cryptids, and carry out purification rituals.
Their Holy Knights were, in theory, the most devout and faithful followers of the divine—and no organization dared openly oppose them.
...Or, well, that’s what people used to say.
That image was from centuries ago.
Compared to its past, the theocracy had weakened significantly.
Zealotry turned into fanaticism, and their doctrine had grown twisted.
Just like many other religious institutions in history, the Bretus Theocracy had descended into corruption.
If the Mage Towers splintered into old and new factions due to the rise of science, the Bretus ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Theocracy simply got left behind by the times.
Science had advanced. The world was developing at breakneck speed.
The wealthy no longer traveled by horse-drawn carriages, but in high-end steam-powered automobiles.
And yet, the Lumenis Church hadn’t changed a bit.
They continued to claim that only they could serve humanity—while indulging in countless abuses.
Fifty years had passed since the Treaty of Peace, signed after the colonial wars, where the nations agreed to avoid military conflict.
The only one that opposed the treaty?
The Bretus Theocracy.
They had thrown a fit over how the world could possibly tolerate “vile heretics” like the demi-humans.
After all, to the theocracy, elves, dwarves, beastkin—they’re all considered heretics.
Only humans are the true children of God. The world must be purified until only humanity remains.
That was the extremist doctrine they genuinely believed and followed.
Still, they’ve kept quiet for the last twenty years, trying to fix their internal issues.
Even five years ago, during the Night of Blood in Durmang, the theocracy hadn’t intervened.
Or rather—they couldn’t.
So the fact that they’re moving now...
It probably meant those internal issues had been resolved.
The deployment of the Holy Knights to Rederbelk was likely just the beginning of their next movements.
“The bastards stayed quiet for years, and now they jump at the first excuse they get.”
“They’ve probably been waiting for an opportunity like this,” Sedina said.
“Yeah. They immediately released an official statement with the holy seal of the Hierophant and dispatched their Holy Knights.”
It was faster than a lightning strike.
You could feel just how long they’d been preparing.
“It’s suspicious, really. Why is the theocracy suddenly taking action after staying silent for so long?”
Sedina still seemed wary—perhaps she didn’t fully understand why the Bretus Theocracy was moving.
For a secret society like the Black Dawn, the theocracy’s mere existence was a problem.
“Maybe the succession process inside the church is finally complete.”
“The royal succession...? You mean in the theocracy itself? You even know about that, Professor?”
“...Just speculation.”
I quickly brushed it off.
Whatever the truth, one thing remained the same—these troublesome people were now making moves.
“Sedina. Did you finish checking what I asked for?”
“Hmm? Oh, yes.”
Not long ago, I’d given her a specific order.
To investigate a student suspected of being Esmeralda—Joanna Lovett.
Sedina had apparently followed through thoroughly.
“Joanna Lovett is one of the Second Order and a new student this year. The surname ‘Lovett’ is a fabricated identity provided by the main organization.”
“You know that’s not what I’m interested in.”
“Yes. I checked further. It turns out she’s from the Kingdom of Durmang.”
“Durmang?”
“Yes. And she’s a survivor of the Great Fire of Roteng.”
The Great Fire of Roteng.
I’ve heard of that.
A famous, beautiful town in Durmang had been completely reduced to ashes by a massive fire.
Almost no survivors.
The cause of the blaze was never determined.
Even though it happened over ten years ago, it was still considered one of the greatest disasters in history.
And Joanna Lovett is a survivor of that fire?
The moment I heard the word “fire,” I recalled the fire spirit I’d seen that day.
An entity of hatred—not something you could call a normal elemental.
I couldn’t help but wonder... could that fire have been connected to that being?
“That’s all I’ve found for now. I’ll need more time to dig further.”
“How many survivors were there?”
“Three total—including Joanna.”
“Only three?”
Even if it was a small town, there should’ve been thousands living there.
To have only three people survive? That defied all logic.
It was definitely suspicious.
“What about the other two survivors?”
“I managed to identify one of them, but the last one’s whereabouts are completely unknown.”
“Who’s the confirmed one?”
“A young man named Pierre. He’d be in his thirties now.”
“What did he do?”
“A painter. He loved the scenery in Roteng and stayed there to paint.”
A painter, huh.
Probably not someone important—but as a fellow survivor of the Roteng Fire, he piqued my interest.
But one thing still nagged at me.
Who was that last unidentified survivor?
“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“No. This is enough. You’ve done well.”
“N-No, not at all! I was just doing as you asked...”
Her normally expressionless face lit up with a hint of joy at my compliment.
“Sedina. Is the workload too much for you?”
“...Pardon?”
“I’ve heard most instructors have at least three assistants.”
Yet Sedina handled more than half of my work alone.
Other assistants constantly whined about how hard things were, and Sedina—though she didn’t show it—had to be exhausted.
I recruited her partly to put her to work, sure. But seeing this frail-looking girl burdened with all this made me feel a bit guilty.
Especially since she was also managing intelligence-related tasks.
“Maybe I should hire a few more assistants...”
“N-No!”
She practically shouted.
“I-I’m not tired or overworked! As long as I can be of help to you, Professor Ludger, I can survive on less than two hours of sleep a day!”
“...You should sleep more.”
“Is it because you don’t trust me? Because I’m not living up to your expectations?”
Her voice trembled, and she lowered her head, clenching her fists.
I was taken aback.
I’d just been trying to ease her burden—but she’d reacted so... violently.
She couldn’t accept kindness at face value.
I’d noticed it before, but now it was obvious—this girl was mentally hanging by a thread.
“...Alright. Let’s pretend I never brought it up.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes. Sedina Roschen. I have no complaints about your work. In fact, I’m extremely satisfied with it.”
Whoosh— 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓅𝓊𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
Her eyes turned red with emotion as she stared at me in awe.
A moment ago, she looked like the world was ending. Now, she looked like someone handed her the stars.
It was like watching a person with severe mood swings.
“I only mentioned it because I thought your workload might be too much.”
“N-No! I’m really fine. Truly!”
“If you say so, I’ll drop the subject.”
Come to think of it... she really wasn’t a normal person.
Even though she bore the Roschen family name, she still belonged to the Black Dawn.
I’d kept her around because she was competent, sure—but I couldn’t afford to keep turning a blind eye forever.
“Let’s go. It’s almost time for class.”
“Ah, yes!”
I grabbed my coat and stepped out of the faculty office.
Sedina quickly followed behind.
* * *
The students waiting for class were buzzing about the recent incident in Rederbelk.
The appearance of the Beast of Jévaudan—the so-called King of Nightmares—was enough to captivate not only students, but even the faculty.
Some were even saying that the werewolf incident at Seorn had been a sign... a precursor to the beast’s appearance.
Everyone seems pretty fixated on it.
Sitting quietly in her seat, Erendir listened to the conversations around her.
Most of them were talking about what happened at the Kunst Auction.
The Beast of Jévaudan.
Just recalling the image of that horrific monster made Erendir shiver involuntarily.
To think I got out of that unscathed... I was unbelievably lucky.
And it was all thanks to Casey Selmore. Of course, Betty and Enya helped too.
After escaping, her maids and personal attendants had swarmed her, asking if she was hurt, fussing nonstop.
Erendir was grateful for their concern—but in the back of her mind, a thought bubbled up:
If I told the others about what happened to me...
Wasn’t this the perfect chance to shoot to stardom in class?
Erendir had always dreamed of her academy life.
Of making friends on peaceful school grounds, laughing and chatting in the spirit of youth.
That was her modest dream—born out of years spent under the oppression of her older sister.
She imagined it.
Telling the tale of how she faced off against the Beast of Jévaudan.
If she started recounting that heroic, larger-than-life tale, maybe her classmates would start seeing her in a new light.
Even those who shied away because of her status as the second princess might finally take an interest.
"Did you really see that monster in person?"
"Whoa! Amazing! As expected of a princess!"
"Truth be told, I’ve always admired you, Princess Erendir!"
She pictured their eyes sparkling as they showered her with praise.
Just the thought made her lips curl into a smile.
But no. I have to hold back. Saying it myself would just be... tacky.
Her last shred of conscience kept her lips from moving.
There was nothing more pitiful than announcing, “By the way, I was there. Wanna hear what happened?” out of nowhere.
It reminded her of that moment a year ago—during her freshman days—when she’d awkwardly tried to befriend others and ended up killing the mood completely.
To this day, she still cringed in bed, kicking her blankets at the memory of the uncomfortable stares.
She swore she’d never repeat that mistake.
If only someone would just ask me...
If someone nudged her even a little, she’d pretend to hesitate—then spill everything with ease.
But no one came.
Some students glanced at her curiously, maybe wondering why she looked so restless, but that was all.
Erendir began to panic.
Class was about to start.
No! Not yet! I still have Rine!
She looked to the empty seat next to her.
Her first real friend at Seorn. Technically her junior, but Erendir genuinely thought of Rine as a peer.
Both of them were isolated in their own ways, and Erendir considered Rine her soulmate.
“Good morning, Senior.”
Just in time, Rine arrived.
She took her usual seat beside Erendir and offered a polite greeting.
“O-oh, hey. How’ve you been?”
“I’m doing fine. And you, Senior?”
Rine nodded and began quietly organizing the materials she’d brought.
Erendir stared at her intently.
Come on, Rine. Just ask me. Ask me!
Her gaze was burning with unspoken desperation, but Rine focused solely on preparing for class.
Unable to take it anymore, Erendir opened her mouth.
“Ahem. Rine? Has anything... interesting happened lately?”
“Hmm? Oh, not really. Just the usual—reviewing, preparing, and looking for a part-time job.”
“I-I see.”
Erendir forced a laugh and cautiously brought it up.
“So... you know, I... went to the auction recently.”
“Yeah? Oh, right. You did.”
“Right.”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah... that’s right.”
“...? Yes. You did.”
“...Mhm. I did...”
Erendir realized something was off about Rine’s response.
With all the hints she’d been dropping, anyone else would’ve taken the bait by now.
But Rine looked completely unaware of the hot gossip everyone else was talking about.
No way...
Just to be sure, Erendir asked carefully.
“Hey, Rine... did you read today’s paper?”
“The paper? No.”
“Uh... then maybe you heard the rumors? Everyone’s been talking about it...”
“Rumors? I don’t really talk to anyone... and I don’t really pay attention to other people’s conversations, so...”
Oh no.
Erendir finally understood.
The sweet, innocent girl in front of her—just like her—had no friends... and no interest in gossip whatsoever.
Rine touched her lips with her finger and looked thoughtful.
“Hmm. Now that you mention it, everyone does seem kind of restless today. Did something happen?”
“...Uh, yeah. Something... did.”
Still, Erendir wasn’t ready to give up.
I just need one more chance—
“Everyone, take your seats.”
The classroom door opened, and Professor Ludger stepped in.
Erendir watched her dream of becoming the classroom star crumble, tears streaming down her soul.
Standing at the podium as always, Ludger’s voice rang out, calm and firm.
“The results of the first test are in.”
