The Secret Room

,The Saintess has received a prophecy.”

At the Archbishop’s words, a hush fell over the round table. Everyone had expected something with the sudden summons, but prophecies during such peaceful times always brought misfortune, so they all looked uneasy.

The High Priest unsealed the scroll containing the Saintess’s prophecy, which had been placed on the round table.

,Light without darkness will only burn everything, so let the light embrace the darkness.”

Prophecies were mostly like this, ambiguous, vague, and with unclear intentions. Because of this, people would only speculate later, saying, ‘Wasn’t that the prophecy?’ There was no way to confirm if it was truly a prophecy.

Therefore, a fierce debate began at the round table over the interpretation of the prophecy.

,Even in the Church that embraces everyone and wraps them in love, there are the Holy Knights and Inquisitors to punish evil.”

Benedicto, who had come to participate in the round table conference, tried to package his role as an Inquisitor as a divine mission to those who looked down on him.

,But the light of the Church has only ever flowed from the darkness. I don’t recall a time when only light existed?”

Conrad, one of the three Archmages on the continent and known as the ‘World’s Adjuster,’ tapped the round table with his finger and spoke mockingly.

,What kind of slander is that…? Conrad-nim, our Church was born with the light of creation!!!”

At Benedicto’s outburst, Conrad smiled derisively and was about to open his mouth to point out the Church’s faults when the Sage Nelson intervened.

,Prophecies are always ambiguous and their meaning is unknowable, but sometimes they need to be taken intuitively.”

,What do you mean?”

Behelia, with her deep red hair, asked.

,Wouldn’t it mean that moderation is key? Don’t reject other religions, distance yourselves from other races, or shun other schools of thought, cities, or beliefs. I think it means to accept them to some extent.”

The Sage’s words, which perceived everything and looked down on the world from the perspective of a god rather than a human, were quite persuasive to those attending the round table conference.

Everyone nodded in agreement with Nelson’s interpretation, but Benedicto gnashed his teeth as if he didn’t like it.

,You speak as if you’re defending the cult.”

As Benedicto spat out those words, the people sitting around him looked at him in surprise. Even the Archbishop gave Benedicto a look to restrain himself, but Benedicto continued to speak.

,Accepting the cult, a group of madmen, is out of the question. They want the end of this world, not peace!”

Benedicto’s fearless cry was persuasive to some people. Thinking that the momentum had shifted, Benedicto was about to continue speaking when Nelson’s chilling voice stopped him.

,Defending, you say? Benedicto?”

At Nelson’s unusual reaction, those who had been persuaded by Benedicto’s words pretended not to notice and avoided eye contact. Nelson, who had instantly changed the atmosphere of the round table to a chilling one, glared at Benedicto and said.

,The Church drags innocent people in for interrogation, fabricates crimes to seize their assets, and brands those who no longer believe in the Church as heretics, making it impossible for them to live a normal life. Don’t you know that more people are crossing over to the cult because of that backlash?”

,Those are just rumors spread by those who slander the Church.”

Benedicto protested in a careful voice, but those attending the round table conference were well aware that it was not a lie.

,Enough. We’ve strayed too far from the original topic.”

The Archbishop sent a cold gaze to Benedicto and stepped in to mediate.

,Now that the Saintess’s prophecy has been delivered, it would be good to end the meeting. Thank you all for taking the time to participate, as I’m sure you’re all busy.”

At the Archbishop’s words, everyone nodded and rose from their seats. Just as they were leaving the conference room, wondering in their minds what the Saintess’s prophecy meant, Nelson, who remained in the conference room, approached the Archbishop.

,Please give this to the Saintess.”

As he placed a box filled with expensive chocolates, candies, and snacks that he had prepared in advance on the round table, the Archbishop smiled.

,You care very much for the Saintess.”

At the Archbishop’s meaningful words, Nelson replied in a cold voice.

,She was once my student.”

Although she was now confined and he couldn’t even see her face, Nelson had always pitied the Saintess’s harsh fate, who always wore a bright smile.

,I understand. I’ll make sure to deliver it.”

As Nelson left the conference room after hearing those words, Conrad, who had been waiting outside, called out to Nelson.

,Nelson, it’s not good to be obsessed with the Saintess. You know her predetermined fate very well, don’t you?”

At Conrad’s question, Nelson replied dryly.

,I believe that no one is born to be unhappy.”

Then, turning to look at Conrad, he said.

,Someday, a darkness will come to save her from the light.”

***

The club room I headed to after class was very quiet, with no one there. Luna listened to the beautiful melody of the small magic music box her brother had sent, and meticulously organized the things she had learned in class into her notebook.

Not long after, Luna heard the sound of the door opening and looked up with a happy smile.

,Welco…”

Luna, who made eye contact with Ross entering the club room, felt something block her throat and had no choice but to stop speaking.

,Hi, you’re here early?”

As Ross approached, Luna’s heart began to beat wildly.

Was it the influence of the books she secretly read every night, huddled under the blanket and relying on the small light of her staff?

Lately, every time Luna made eye contact with Ross, she couldn’t help but have fantasies of deep kisses and whispering sweet nothings, and she had to run away to the library out of embarrassment.

And now, she was alone with him in the club room again…. But today was the day all the members were gathering in the club room, so she couldn’t run away as usual.

She straightened her back and fixed her gaze on her notebook, but she couldn’t help but focus all her attention on Ross, who was sitting next to her.

As Luna was lost in thought, Ross suddenly spoke to her.

,Luna.”

,U, uh…”

Luna, who hadn’t expected him to call her name so suddenly, was flustered and looked up at Ross from her book.

‘Have Ross’s eyes always been this deep?’

His red lips looked fuller than usual, and his faint smile felt incredibly handsome.

,About this weekend…”

As soon as she heard the word ‘weekend,’ only one thought came to Luna’s mind.

‘Date’

Luna, who had been meeting every day lately and receiving advice from her dating mentor, Flavia.

She had repeatedly told Flavia, who persistently advised her to ask Ross out on a date, that she would think about it, but in reality, she was too embarrassed to do anything and just ran away.

In that situation, if Ross realized her true feelings and asked her out on a weekend date first, she would have no choice but to hide her joy and accept it. Luna was eagerly waiting for the rest of his words when she heard the voice of an uninvited guest.

,I’m here~!!!”

Aria, who appeared in the club room with Kane, shouted in her usual cheerful voice, interrupting Ross’s words.

When Ross gave an awkward smile to the suddenly appearing members and said, ‘Let’s talk later,’ Luna resented Aria for the first time.

*

I opened my mouth, satisfied with the sight of the club room filled with members after a long time.

,I’ve been looking for something we can do as a club activity.”

I had been wondering what to do for the club activity, so I brought the portable chalkboard so that everyone could see it, picked up a chalk, and wrote a name – Alex Floyd.

,Floyd? That name sounds familiar.”

Kane narrowed his brow, trying to remember what the name was.

,Isn’t that the first headmaster of Transcendence Academy!”

At Aria’s shout, the members who didn’t know whose name it was looked at me with interest.

,That’s right, Alex Floyd. He’s known as the first headmaster and a legendary magic architect.”

He was known for building the Imperial Palace where the Emperor lived and Transcendence Academy. He was a genius of his time who showed tremendous talent not only as an architect but also as a magician, with his spatial expansion magic and training dungeons that applied it.

,Very coincidentally, I heard a legend that he created a secret room in the Academy.”

To be honest, rumors started circulating that a ghost appeared in the Academy when Roel was a freshman, and Flavia mentioned it in passing.

,Ha, that’s a rumor that only idiots believe. That the first headmaster created a secret room, or that the maids are witches with incredible skills. You don’t actually believe there are ghosts, do you?”

There was no setting for what kind of secrets were hidden in the room, and it had been buried at the bottom of my memory until I saw the setting book.

Just like Moonlight Village was massacred by variant orcs because a setting wasn’t established with a single line of text, I wondered if the secret room that was mentioned in passing really existed. This club activity was to test that.

,Investigating the materials about the secret room that the first headmaster left behind and confirming with our own eyes whether it actually exists. That’s the goal of this club activity.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Aria raised both arms and shouted.

,Awesome!!! A secret room!”

I was smiling at Aria, whose eyes were sparkling as if her adventurous spirit had been ignited again, when Kane said in a negative voice.

,I’ve heard that many people have investigated the secret room before. I heard that they once gathered students from the Department of Magic Engineering and tried to find it by using detection magic throughout the Academy, but they failed.”

Lakar took over Kane’s words.

,Someone who checked the Academy’s blueprints also said that there was no spatial room for a secret room to exist.”

I was scratching the back of my head at those words when Aria shouted as if to say, ‘What are you talking about?’

,You idiots! If it was that easy to find, would it be called a secret?! It’s a room hidden by the first headmaster! There must be incredible treasures in that room, so he must have hidden it very well!”

Kane’s eyes, which had been negative, lit up at Aria’s passionate words.

,Indeed…. If it’s a secret room, they must have hidden incredible things.”

I put down the chalk and said to the members.

,Just because others have failed doesn’t mean we have to fail too. Let’s not give up before we even start.”

Actually, I said that because I was too lazy to check it myself, but Lakar nodded with a look of great inspiration.

,That’s right, the club leader is right. We’re the Messiah Club, after all.”

Feeling a pang of conscience at Lakar’s trusting gaze, I subtly averted my eyes and asked the members for their opinions.

,So, how should we start the investigation?”

I pointed to Aria, who was raising her hand as if she had been waiting for it.

,I’ll go around asking the seniors about the secret room!”

It was an opinion that was typical of Aria, who was more sociable than Luna.

,Okay, what about the others?”

I subtly turned my gaze to Kane, who flinched and answered after pondering.

,Hmm, I’ll check the blueprints again. Numbers don’t lie.”

,Then I’ll check the blueprints that Kane investigated one by one with my own eyes to see if they’re accurate.”

It was an answer that was typical of Lakar, who preferred to move his body.

,I, I’ll investigate things about Floyd in the library.”

At Luna’s words, I nodded and added.

,Then I’ll do some research with Luna too.”

I had to finish talking about going to Roton’s on the weekend, and I couldn’t think of anything else in particular, so I said that.

For some reason, Luna lowered her gaze that had been looking at me.

Could it be that she doesn’t want to be with me…? Feeling a strange sense of unease, I said to the members.

,Alright, then let’s start the Messiah Club’s second activity. Finding the secret room left by the first headmaster, Floyd. Let’s each investigate and share the results at dinner tomorrow.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Aria cheered loudly and ran out of the club room. Just like during the treasure hunt, Aria seemed to be full of adventurous spirit.

I often wondered why Aria reminded me of my four-year-old niece. Now I understood a little.

Aria’s behavior was exactly the same as my four-year-old niece’s.