Chapter 24
Simon and Maelyn formed a team. The rumor spread quickly, and the surrounding students began to whisper.
"Wow, those two are on the same team?"
"Special Admission No. 1 and Class A’s top student on the same team? That’s practically broken-tier."
"You never know. I saw earlier, and Simon's grades weren’t even that great."
As the students who had been watching Simon's recruitment went back to focusing on their own competition, a few of them quietly glanced around and approached Simon and Maelyn.
"There's still a spot on your team, right? I'm applying for Darkness Dynamics, can you let me in?"
"Do you need someone in Magical Combat?"
"Simon! Simon! You remember me, right? We talked during the last class...!"
Startled by the sudden crowd of students swarming in, Simon leaned his head back in surprise.
"Whoa, hold on! Just passing through! Thanks!"
At that moment, Dick skillfully slipped through the crowd with a cheerful smile, waving his hand.
"Sorry, but there's no room left! We’re already negotiating for the last spot, so honestly, it’d be faster for you to find another team!"
"And who are you?"
Maelyn narrowed her eyes and asked. Dick proudly placed a hand on his chest and smiled confidently.
"I'm also Simon’s teammate! Dick Hayword."
"What?"
Maelyn turned to Simon.
"Hey, Simon. This is the first time I’ve heard we have a klutz like him on our team."
Simon scratched the side of his head and chuckled.
"I told you, I wanted you to join 'our team'."
"..."
So there was a leech already attached.
Maelyn sighed softly and lifted her eyelids.
"What subject are you applying for?"
"Darkness Dynamics, 74 points. Overall average, 70."
"...That’s decent."
From Maelyn’s perspective, as long as she could shore up her weakness in Summonology, the other subjects didn’t matter much.
She scored in the 90s for every subject except Summonology. No one could surpass her anyway.
And a 74 in the desired subject with a 70 average meant he was well-rounded. Not exactly thrilling, but a solid all-rounder who could support her, an acceptable addition.
"Alright, fine."
Since Maelyn didn’t argue further, Dick clenched his fist in triumph. Then he turned to Simon.
"Kyaah, you're something else!"
His eyes were full of admiration, like he was looking at a returning hero. The two lightly bumped fists.
"You're a real fixer! How did you even manage to bring Maelyn in?"
"It was just good timing."
"But that promise you made earlier, are you really okay with it?"
Simon nodded. If he focused entirely on Summonology starting now, maybe he could manage by midterms.
"Save the tearful bromance for later."
Maelyn, resting her chin on her hand, pouted.
"Who's going to be the final member?"
"Anyone you want! Just say the word!"
Dick genuinely believed he could bring in anyone.
Who would say no to a team with Maelyn, the ultimate ace?
If he talked them into it, he could probably even steal students who were already in other teams. Of course, that would mean making enemies for the rest of his school life.
"Hmmmm."
Maelyn closed her eyes in thought.
"Right now, forming a complete Kat-Sum-Com-Tox combo comes first. I’ll handle Katarology."
"That’d be amazing! So, out of the four blood-katar-combat-toxic subjects, is there one you're weaker in?"
"There’s no such thing. I'm good at all of them."
She answered, brushing her sky-blue hair behind her ear. It was a bit irritating, but thanks to her Class A rank 1 aura, Dick let it slide with a grin.
"But if I had to say?"
"If I had to say, it might be better to find someone to handle Haematology, since it's heavy on calculations and takes a long time to solve."
"Haematology? Got it! I’ll go find someone! You two just relax here!"
Dick charged off into the battlefield of intertwined students.
Left behind, Simon and Maelyn sat quietly at the table.
"..."
"..."
Roughly ten minutes passed in silence. Feeling awkward, Maelyn pretended to groom her nails, occasionally sneaking glances at Simon before finally speaking.
"Hey."
"...?"
"Simon Follentia, right? I haven’t heard that name before. What house are you from?"
"A baronial house in the Kingdom of Baldwin. We manage Leshill."
She nodded.
So he was from Baldwin. Leshill was a territory she had never heard of.
"And you?"
When Simon asked, her pupils widened.
"Wait, you don’t know me?"
"Nope."
Tch. Her pride took a small hit, but she couldn’t really be mad since she didn’t recognize Simon’s house either.
She forced a smile and said,
"I’m from a noble house of the Ivory Tower faction."
Simon dug into his memory for anything he knew about the Ivory Tower.
There was at least one thing he remembered. During the entrance ceremony, a girl with platinum hair, who swore the oath alongside them, was said to be the heir of the Ivory Tower.
"Oh, the Ivory Tower… that’s where Special Admission No. 2, Serne, is—"
"Sorry."
Maelyn’s smile suddenly turned chillingly sharp.
"Could you not say anything more? Please?"
"...Uh, sure."
She turned her head away coldly.
‘What was that about?’
Simon was puzzled. Maelyn seemed to realize he hadn’t brought it up intentionally, so she didn’t get angrier, but her expression looked clearly uncomfortable.
He must’ve said something wrong.
‘Noble families really are complicated.’
Still, he figured if he took time to understand and be careful, it would be fine.
As Simon was mentally noting that this was a sensitive topic for his new teammate, Dick returned in grand style from afar.
"Kept you waiting?"
Beside him stood a girl.
‘...Huh?’
Simon found her familiar.
Short in stature, with the gentle face of a puppy. She avoided eye contact, keeping her gaze fixed on the tips of her toes.
He remembered now—during Magical Combat class, she was the one who couldn’t get on the hippo by herself, so Simon had helped her.
"I was wrong."
Dick waved his notebook and turned to Simon. Then he introduced the girl to the two of them.
"This is Kamibarez Ursula. She’s applying for Haematology, scored 87."
87 points!
Maelyn whistled in approval, and Simon smiled as well.
Kamibarez bowed her head.
"I-I’m Kamibarez Ursula! If my name’s too long, you can just call me Kami. I may not be good enough, but I’ll do my best not to be a burden!"
"You don’t have to be so formal. We’re in the same grade, so you can speak casually."
Simon’s question turned her face red.
"...Uh. I’m 16, and I also got into Keyzen... so..."
Dick chimed in,
"Who cares about age? There’s someone in our year who’s 20, apparently."
"...O-Okay. If you want, I’ll speak more casually... sir."
It seemed that to her, “casual” still meant honorifics. The team decided not to force her.
And so, the four successfully completed their team and sat around a table.
Of the 30 minutes Jane had mentioned, 15 had passed, exactly half.
"Phewww, now I can finally relax! I thought I was going to get stress-induced hives."
Dick stretched and mumbled. Simon’s head also throbbed from the strain of the last few minutes.
Kamibarez, relieved from the stress of team selection, was chatting away with Maelyn.
"Wow, I knew it! You are the Ursula I’ve heard about, right?"
"Yes!"
"She’s really amazing!"
Maelyn exclaimed in admiration.
"Ursula, as in the great vampire family, right?"
Simon turned to look at Kamibarez in surprise.
‘She’s a vampire?’
Now that he looked again, he could see her slightly protruding fangs, a signature trait, on her gentle face.
"I have wings too. They're just hidden under the uniform."
Her back squirmed and shifted slightly.
"Isn’t that uncomfortable?"
"It bothers me a bit, so I asked the administration to alter the uniform! Starting next week, I should be able to let my wings out over it."
"Glad to hear they’re fixing it."
Dick, who had been listening quietly, crossed his arms.
"But it’s kinda weird. A lady from the Ursula family comes to Keyzen, and there’s been no word about it?"
"Ah, that’s..."
Kamibarez shrank her shoulders, blushing. Maelyn shot a glare at Dick and scolded him.
"Hey, you can’t just ask something like that out of nowhere!"
"Huh? What’s the big deal?"
"Ugh, seriously… You’re not a noble, are you?"
"I’m a commoner."
"This is why we can’t have proper conversations."
She crossed her arms and shook her head in disbelief. This time, Dick’s expression turned cold.
"There we go again, noble girls and their superiority complex. What, do you think I owe you something because I’m a commoner?"
"You’re annoying. Don’t talk to me."
"D-Don’t fight!"
Kamibarez shouted. As all eyes suddenly turned to her, she quickly covered her mouth and lowered her head, realizing she was too loud.
"I-I’ll say it. The truth is... my mother is just a regular human..."
With that one sentence, Simon immediately understood the situation.
A daughter of a concubine from the vampire Ursula family.
Her father must be a great vampire of the Ursula house, but her mother was likely a human-born concubine.
Simon, born between a necromancer and a priest, also carried his share of complicated family circumstances, so he could fully empathize with her.
"...S-Sorry."
Dick scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I didn’t mean it like that."
"No, no! I’m really fine! Hehe."
"It might not mean much, but since you shared your background, I’ll share mine too. I’m the son of the head of the White Ox Trading Company."
Dick said this and glanced around expectantly.
Kamibarez gasped and covered her mouth in surprise, but the other two gave lukewarm reactions.
In truth, Simon just didn’t know enough, and Maelyn, though secretly surprised, didn’t want to show it, so she turned her head away.
"Technically, I’m the third son out of the eight sons he has."
A hint of bitterness laced Dick’s tone.
"My father plans to pass the company on to the eldest, the firstborn. All the family’s educational resources are poured into him. As for me and the rest of the sons... we’re just backup plans, no more, no less, being used however they see fit."
"Used however?"
"Yeah. I happen to have a talent for black magic, so they sent me to Keyzen. It’s my mission to understand the needs of dark mages and conduct market research."
That explained why Dick had said that weekend trips to Rochest were more important than weekday classes.
"But I haven’t given up yet! I’m going to graduate from Keyzen properly, and one day, I’ll create a huge trading company in Rochest with my own name, not under the White Cow. Then maybe my father will see me differently."
Simon grinned.
"That’s pretty cool."
Kamibarez clapped her hands.
"I’ll cheer for you, Dick!"
Maelyn, looking sulky, muttered something like "Do whatever you want."
Simon and Kamibarez burst into laughter.
"My, what a nice atmosphere already~"
A teaching assistant approached with a bright smile. As the four of them began to rise, the assistant gestured for them to stay seated and placed a sheet of paper on the table.
"You’re Team 7. Please write down your names and desired subjects."
"Yes!"
"And also, decide on a team name and a team leader."
Simon blinked.
"A team name?"
"Yes, though it’s not really important. Professor Jane will probably just refer to you as Team 7 anyway. You’ve still got some time, so feel free to think it over."
After the assistant left, the four exchanged glances. Maelyn spoke first.
"I’ll be the team leader. Anyone have a problem with that?"
No one could possibly object. Honestly, saying Maelyn was half of Team 7’s strength wouldn’t even be an exaggeration.
When the three nodded, Maelyn elegantly wrote her name in the team leader section.
"Then what should we name the team?"
"It’s not important, so let’s just go with whatever."
Dick chuckled as he leaned back, hands behind his head.
"What about something like, ‘Maelyn Does It All’?"
As Maelyn looked delighted and began to actually write it down, Dick quickly shouted that it was a joke and tried to stop her.
"S-Simon! Got any ideas?"
Dick asked urgently. Without much thought, Simon replied,
"Team Seven."
"That’s way too plain!"
"How about this? Pink Rabbit Girls..."
"We’re a co-ed team! Think about the guys too!"
Once again, all eyes turned to Maelyn.
Blushing slightly, she gave a small cough and reluctantly said,
"U-Uh... that thing Dick said earlier... isn't it kind of okay? Maelyn Does It—"
"Let’s just go with Team Seven."
"Hey!!"
Superb.