Valiance pushed open the door to his dorm room and immediately sank onto the bed, his face weary as he mulled over the information he had received from Syrie.
The reason the headmaster had scouted him to join the Disciplinary Committee—and even appoint him as secretary—was tied to something connected to Arclight. The moment Valiance heard that single word, he finally understood what was happening and why Headmaster Agnes had chosen him specifically.
A few years ago, Valiance had discovered the existence of a shadowy criminal organization that presented itself as a religious institution. This organization called itself Arclight. The members of Arclight (he still didn't know what they were officially called) were notorious for their lunacy and fanaticism. Each one of them worshipped a mysterious entity known as the Lord of Light, much like how the Holy Church worshipped Aezca, the Holy Goddess.
Worshipping someone—or something—wasn't inherently wrong, of course. But Arclight operated on a far darker level than the Holy Church. While the Holy Church believed in the Holy Goddess and sought to protect people equally across the world, the followers of the Lord of Light held a far more sinister belief. According to their doctrine, the sacrifice of human lives—especially those of royal or noble blood—was essential to opening the so-called Gate of Light. This spiritual gateway, as described in the writings of the Arclight Prophet centuries ago, was said to allow the Lord of Light to descend into the mortal world.
Now came the question: why had those two recruited him into the Disciplinary Committee? The answer was simple. When Valiance first learned about Arclight, his father and master, Kalli, had mentioned that, aside from traveling the world, his other task was to exterminate members of Arclight. Kalli had been doing this for many decades. From this, Valiance assumed that because he had spent so many years with Kalli, accompanying him on his travels around the world, Headmaster Agnes had recruited him to the Disciplinary Committee under the belief that he had expertise in hunting down Arclight.
She wasn't entirely wrong, but she wasn't completely correct either. While he had some knowledge of fighting Arclight members after witnessing Kalli eliminate many of them over the years, he lacked practical experience. Even though he had been with Kalli for two decades, the old man had never personally taught him how to exterminate an Arclight member. All he knew was that they wielded a form of magic—some kind of Light magic that was twisted and sinister in nature.
After Syrie mentioned the word Arclight, she didn't bother explaining further about the current circumstances plaguing Orith. Valiance, for his part, hadn't asked her or Agnes for more details either. He had a gut feeling that something was bound to unfold in the near future, and investigating the situation right now seemed unnecessary. Perhaps once he was introduced to the rest of the Disciplinary Committee, they would finally provide him with the information he needed as the committee's secretary.
"This is about to be troublesome," he muttered to himself.
Unlike the Student Council, which maintained order through diplomacy, the Disciplinary Committee operated by enforcing peace through violent means. It was highly likely that Arclight had infiltrated Orith, plotting something to achieve their sinister goals.
"That's a lot to process at once," Valiance sighed, rubbing his temples as he felt the veins in his head throbbing. Not even a week had passed since he enrolled in Orith Magical Academy, and already, he had landed himself in a situation he couldn't escape. He knew that even if he tried to refuse Agnes' offer to become the secretary, they would simply strong-arm him into it. They weren't going to leave him alone.
"Anyway, it looks like the first period is about to end," Valiance mumbled, glancing at the wall clock. "Whatever. I don't want to see that bastard of a teacher anyway. Guess I'll just skip all my morning classes."
Even though his morning had consisted of nothing more than a conversation with Agnes and Syrie in the headmaster's office, he already felt drained. The thought of the responsibilities he would have to shoulder in the coming weeks and months left him feeling utterly unmotivated.
I guess I'll just sleep.
As Valiance stared at the ceiling, it seemed to grow darker. His body relaxed, and before long, sleep claimed him.