The Beacon of Counterattack

The full moon of Noblesse Oblige was red and impossibly massive. It hung there, illuminating the night like a blatant, looming symbol of this alien world.

I looked up at the night sky and took a long, slow breath, trying to steady my racing heart.

I’d spent my time here frantically hacking away at the plot, altering everything I could. But looking back, nothing I’d done previously even compared to the scale of this. If we pulled this off, the tide would turn in our favor in one fell swoop.

But if we botched it? I’d be branded a global criminal. At best, I’d be an outcast; at worst, I’d just be dead.

I really don’t deserve the people who agreed to follow me into this mess, I thought, a surge of genuine gratitude washing over me.

Just then, a woman’s voice called out softly from beside me.

"Weiss, I’m with you. No matter how far this goes."

"Thanks, Cynthia."

She looked at me with those kind, knowing eyes—as if she understood every single terrifying thing I was thinking.

Suddenly, an [Internal Announcement] rang through my head.

[—The princess’s carriage has departed. Everyone, move to your positions at the gates. —Alright, team, let's go be some bad guys.]

Cecil’s voice sounded almost playful, a joke meant to slice through the suffocating tension we all felt.

---

—Several weeks earlier.

Ever since the day the Calamity hit Nobless Academy, reports of Pseudo-Demons had been cropping up all over the world. They varied—some seemed to have a will of their own while others were just mindless beasts—but they were definitely out there, tearing things up in places I couldn't see.

I heard about the casualties, of course. It was a bitter pill to swallow, knowing I couldn’t protect everyone and that I was far from perfect.

On the other hand, some things were actually going well. Unexpected events were shifting the board, like Lilith manages to take down a member of the Demon Race.

In the original story, the protagonist—Allen—was always forced onto the defensive. It was the classic trope: the Demon Race strikes first, and the hero spends the entire book playing catch-up, frantically trying to put out the fires. It’s the standard setup for a story, sure, but it means you’re always one step behind.

But I wasn't the hero. I was the guy who knew the script.

Regarding the fixed future, I could actually take the initiative. Making Teacher Milk my mentor was the real turning point; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I only got this strong because of her.

However, the world kept shifting with every alteration I made. I could guess what was coming, but I couldn't be one hundred percent sure. Still, some things were universal constants. And this time, I fully intended to give those damn demons a nasty surprise they wouldn’t forget.

"Fancent-kun, honestly, this is a tall order," Cecil said, her brow furrowed. "If we go the official route, we’ll be turned away at the gate before we can even finish a sentence. At worst, they’ll toss us in a dungeon for lèse-majesté. Are you absolutely sure about this? I’m not doubting you, but..."

"...If I’m being honest? I’m only almost certain," I admitted. "Which means it’s not a guarantee."

"I see. But what are we supposed to do? How do I even begin to explain that Princess Sophia is going to be murdered by the Demon Race on the night of the Great Full Moon...?"

I’d returned from a short vacation and had been holding a series of hushed, frantic meetings with Cecil in the Nobless Academy library.

Noblesse Oblige had its "must-hit" plot points. Just as Allen entering the Academy was a fixed starting point, there was another one I couldn't ignore: the assassination of Princess Sophia of the Kingdom of Carlos—a neighboring country and close ally to the Ostrava Royal Capital.

In the original story, her death was the spark that lit the fuse. To eliminate "threats and deception," trade and imports between the borders ground to a halt. This dealt a massive blow to the smaller nations, and the resulting poverty and chaos caused a spike in crime and the birth of more Pseudo-Demons.

The Demon Race led by the Demon King was terrifyingly strong, but they didn't just win through brute force. They were clever. They manipulated events to plunge the world into a state of perpetual terror.

But if I could prevent this, I could potentially rewrite one of the biggest tragedies of the original story.

I’d been counting backward from the story’s progression, trying to pin down the date of the next Great Full Moon. When I heard about it from Cafe—Teacher Milk’s sister—everything finally clicked.

But it was still just a theory. As a mere noble, I couldn’t just march up to the palace and say "demons are coming" without a shred of evidence. I’d be thrown in prison for making a false report. So, I decided to prepare for the day in total secrecy.

The problems, however, were piling up.

I knew the Demon Race was behind the assassination in the original story, but I didn't know how it would go down this time. There were too many random variables. In some versions of the game's lore, she was killed in her bed; in others, she was ambushed in her carriage. It was impossible to know until the very last second.

Since we couldn't exactly manage the royal family’s itinerary, we had no way of knowing their schedule. All we knew was that it would happen on the night of the Great Full Moon.

Our plan was as follows: we would hide our identities and protect Princess Sophia until the moon set. The original story had already proven that her royal guards were about as useful as wet paper. Essentially, we either had to "kidnap" her for her own safety or stay close enough to intercept the assassins.

Of course, this was an unsanctioned mission based on a hunch. It was a capital crime, plain and simple.

But I was going to make it work.

"In the worst-case scenario, I’ll handle it alone," I said.

"Handle it alone? Are you planning to storm the castle?" Cecil asked, looking at me like I’d grown a second head. "Even for a small country, the royal guards aren't going to be soft targets."

"I can slip in. Kidnapping her is the best-case scenario, but if that looks impossible, I just need to be near her when the demons show up."

"Honestly, your plans are utterly reckless. But..." She sighed, her expression softening into something reliable. "I’ve already decided to follow your lead. So, let’s think of a better safety measure."

Man, what would have become of me without her?

"...I’m the one asking for help here, but you realize you could become a criminal, right? If your identity gets out, forget being a student at Noblesse—you’ll be a fugitive."

"Oh, wouldn't that be exciting in its own way?" she joked. "If that happens, I’ll just have to make you protect me to the ends of the Earth."

She trusted me unconditionally. I really couldn't hold my head up high around her.

We kept tossing ideas back and forth, but the conversation eventually stalled. With so many random elements at play, there just wasn't a perfect plan to cover every base.

Then, a few days later, a ray of light appeared—and the hint came from the most unexpected person.

"Duke’s having a rough time too, huh?" Allen remarked as we sat in the cafeteria.

"Can't be helped," Duke replied with a shrug. "Being from a knight family means the Great Full Moon is basically a death sentence of overtime. It’s our fate."

That was it!

After school, I called Duke out to a quiet spot.

"Yo! Rare for you to call me over," he said, grinning. "What’s up? Does the great Weiss Fancent finally have a request for the mighty Lord Duke? Just kidding. There’s no way you’d—"

"Actually, that’s exactly it," I interrupted. "I have a favor to ask."

"Wait, what?"

"You're on guard duty for the Great Full Moon, aren't you? It's for Princess Sophia, right?"

"...How do you even know that?" His smile vanished. "I mean, it’s not a big secret, but a guy like me is just gonna be standing near the castle gazing at the sky. What about it?"

In the original story, there was a brief mention of Duke’s family being on duty during the full moon. It had completely slipped my mind until now. He would have access to the situation, or at least be part of the security detail. He was my only way to get the latest info on the Princess.

"On the night of the Great Full Moon—"

I laid it all out. I told him everything.

I knew it wasn't a "fixed" future yet. Duke was a knight; sharing confidential security info with a civilian was a serious crime. If I had been a bandit, his actions would have been a total betrayal of his oath. And to top it off, I was that Weiss Fancent.

"...Sorry, Weiss. I can't do it. It's not that I don't trust you, but as a knight, there are some lines I just can’t cross."

"...Yeah. I figured."

Duke had listened quietly until the end before giving his answer. I’d expected it, but I’d been desperate enough to try anyway.

Then, Duke let out a massive, weary sigh.

"But... if you're going this far, there’s gotta be a real possibility of danger, right? I can't exactly just let that happen."

"...It's still just a possibility," I reminded him. "They might not even show up."

"Hah! So you're saying you've got zero evidence?"

"Exactly."

Duke just said, "I get it," and walked away.

A few days later, I realized what he meant.

"There’s a ball for the royals and high nobility on the night of the Great Full Moon," Duke told me privately. "Princess Sophia is attending. She’ll have a carriage escort. I don't have the exact departure time, but she’ll be heading toward the Capital."

"...Duke."

"I'll keep digging until the last minute. God, I’m such an idiot. Just telling you this is enough to get me thrown in a cell."

"I know... I’m really sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he said with a lopsided grin. "Every guy dreams of being the dark hero working in the shadows at least once, right?"

In the original story, Duke was serious, straightforward, and wouldn't tolerate a hint of corruption. He lived for justice. And yet, here he was, committing a crime for my sake. Just receiving this info made me an accomplice. I couldn't drag him down any further.

"This is enough. I'll handle the rest my—"

"Don't be stupid. If I’m in, I’m in until the end. But I have a condition: bring Allen and Shari into the fold. We need them for this. If the Demon Race actually shows up, the three of us won’t be enough to stop them. You know that, don't you?"

I did. Having them would change the success rate entirely. If the demons appeared, their strength would be the only thing keeping us alive.

But it was too dangerous. I... I couldn't make that choice for them.

Just then—

"I heard everything from Cecil-san," Allen said, stepping out from the shadows with Shari and Cecil. "Weiss, I’m in. If there’s even a slight chance someone might die, I have to give it my all."

"Same here," Shari added. "If demons are coming, I can't just ignore it. Besides, as long as we don't get caught, we’re fine, right? If we all work together, I'm sure it'll be okay."

Cecil had made the decision for me and brought them into the loop.

After that, I spoke to Cynthia and Lilith. Neither of them hesitated; they both said they would help. They promised that even if the worst happened, we would face the consequences together.

This was, without a doubt, the greatest alteration I had made since coming to this world.

I’m going to make this work, I vowed. No matter what.