Chapter 44
“You’re confident?”
Simon nodded with a serious expression.
“Yes, I am confident.”
And before Simon’s response had even fully settled, Jane picked up her quill and signed the request form.
“You may go.”
“...Huh, what?”
Simon felt all the countless excuses he had prepared in his head vanish into thin air.
She’s really just going to allow it like that?
“There must be a reason why someone would say they’re confident in front of a Keyzen professor. There’s no need to convince me. You’re from Keyzen, and all you have to do is take full responsibility for the results.”
Her gaze turned chilling.
“I sincerely hope you haven’t deceived me, Simon Follentia.”
Simon’s expression hardened as he met her eyes directly, but he showed no further signs of wavering. He bowed deeply.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“......”
Her quill paused briefly, then began moving again.
“Please return safely.”
It sounded like an offhand remark, but for some reason, Simon felt warmth in her voice.
* * *
As soon as he returned to the dormitory, Simon began moving busily.
“Dick! I’m thinking of heading down to Rochest for a bit, do you know a safe route?”
“Huh? Today?”
Following the route Dick had told him, Simon headed to Rochest.
There, he bought some gear and also picked up an adventurer’s robe and outfit to conceal his identity.
Then he immediately ascended into the Forbidden Forest and visited the ruins of Feer.
“Feer! Isn’t this perfect?”
What Simon held out was an empty plate armor, the kind that might be used as interior decor in some old castle.
Feer’s expression turned sour.
[You’re not seriously telling me to go inside that, are you?]
“You said you’d accompany me during the mission, right? You can’t just roam around looking like that.”
[......Tch.]
In the end, Feer entered the armor. It was more accurate to say he went in than put it on.
A moment later, the armor began to move awkwardly, rattling with unnatural motions.
[...You’re seriously telling me to walk around like this?]
“You look great, Feer!”
Simon clapped with a big grin. Feer spun around, flaring up.
[Damn it! I told you not to laugh like Anna!]
“Hahaha!”
Simon stored Feer and the legionized skeletons into subspace, then returned to Keyzen.
Back in the dormitory, Dick was asleep, and Kajan was nowhere to be seen.
Simon packed alone and prepared for the journey. The mission would begin at dawn via teleportation.
‘It’s really been a long time since I’ve left Roke Mountain.’
With a fluttering heart, Simon closed his eyes.
* * *
Early the next morning.
Simon gathered his belongings and headed to the designated location. A long-range teleportation device had been installed on the hill behind Keyzen, and many students were already waiting for their turn.
“Simon!”
At the sound of his name, Simon turned to see Maelyn running over, waving her hand. She, too, seemed to be using the teleportation device.
“Hi, Maelyn.”
“Hi! But are you seriously taking that mission?”
“Yeah.”
Maelyn crossed her arms with a dissatisfied expression.
“It’s almost impossible to complete an investigation mission in five days. I told you to pick something easier, didn’t I?”
Simon responded with a soft smile.
“Thanks for worrying about me.”
“W-who’s worrying?!”
She shouted. Simon chuckled and asked,
“Where are you going?”
“An escort mission for a merchant group heading up near Langerstine.”
She grinned proudly.
“Isn’t it great? A carriage trip starting from Langerstine.”
“Still, be careful. If you run into a bandit gang…”
“Ugh, do you think it’s still like the old days? And even if bandits show up…”
She slightly opened the front of her adventurer’s robe.
Beneath it, she was wearing the Keyzen girls’ uniform: a black jacket, white shirt, and a skirt.
“I’ll just flash this and tell them to buzz off. Even those moronic bandits know better than to mess with Keyzen.”
Simon let out a dry laugh.
He remembered how, the day before enrollment, when they encountered gangs in Langerstine, the moment Lorraine mentioned “Keyzen”, they had all lost the will to fight.
“...That’s kind of a cheap trick.”
“That’s exactly why merchant groups hire Keyzen students for these kinds of jobs.”
At that moment, the teleportation managers began calling out students’ names. Hearing her name, Maelyn waved.
“Well then, see you next week!”
“Yeah, don’t get hurt.”
“You be careful. You’re heading to Carlos, which is on the very front line of the Dark Alliance.”
With those parting words, Maelyn ran off.
There seemed to be quite a few students heading to Langerstine, and they crowded onto the teleportation platform. Langerstine was close to Keyzen, and after the mission, one could hang out there, so it was a popular destination.
Soon, Maelyn and the students were teleported, and the staff called Simon’s name along with a few others.
Simon walked over.
“Please present your ID and request form.”
The waiting staff member bowed politely. Simon handed over his student ID and the signed request from Jane.
“Destination: Arnish Fiefdom, Kingdom of Carlos. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Please sign here.”
“Sure.”
After taking the signed document folder, the staff member smiled brightly and stepped aside.
“Confirmed. Please step up.”
“Thank you.”
Simon stepped onto the teleportation platform. But there was already another student waiting ahead of him.
‘Ah.’
A familiar face.
They had even stood together as student representatives during the entrance ceremony. Simon had been the male representative, and she the female.
This female student, with her flowing ivory hair, wore a white coat over her Keyzen uniform and held a neatly folded parasol in a dignified manner.
She also met Simon’s gaze and curtsied by lifting the hem of her skirt.
“We meet again.”
The official heir of the Ivory Tower. Special Admission No. 2, Serne Eindark.
For some reason, tension filled the air.
It wasn’t because of her background, but because of the strange, alien energy radiating from her.
‘...I can’t breathe.’
Among all the students of Keyzen, only Loraine had this kind of unique aura.
While Loraine gave off a strong, domineering presence, in Serne’s case, it felt like an overwhelmingly elevated sense of dignity.
A regal grace that made one feel small, subdued, and instinctively deferential. It made Simon wonder if she was truly the same age as him.
Then, her lips parted.
“I’ve heard that our Maelyn is in your care.”
“......”
She knew that Simon and Maelyn were in the same class and the same group.
“She can be a bit prickly, but she’s a kind and delicate girl inside. Please take good care of her.”
Simon took a deep breath. Gradually, the trembling and tension in his body subsided, and all distracting thoughts disappeared.
At last, a calm smile appeared on Simon’s lips.
“Why are you telling me that?”
“......Pardon?”
“Maelyn isn’t someone under my protection. She’s a freshman at Keyzen, just like you.”
Simon had picked up on the implication in her words and tone.
Serne had spoken as if it were completely natural to treat Maelyn as her subordinate.
And that fact… greatly irritated him.
“You don’t need to worry. Maelyn is doing just fine.”
A deep smile formed on Serne’s lips.
“I see.”
She was the first person Simon had ever spoken to who drained him so thoroughly just through conversation.
Not wanting to engage further, Simon turned his head, but Serne simply blinked her jade-colored eyes and stared straight at him. Sweat began to bead on Simon’s forehead.
“Then I’ll activate the device now!”
Fortunately, the staff member announced the activation of the device at just the right moment.
Wooooong!
As the teleportation device activated, a blinding light swallowed Simon and Serne.
Serne smiled softly and said,
“Until next time.”
‘I hope there isn’t a next time!’
With that thought, Simon surrendered himself to the floating sensation in his legs.
* * *
The Dark Alliance.
Kingdom of Carlos, Arnish Fiefdom.
Inside the lord’s office of the territory castle.
“...It’s happened again?”
A middle-aged man with a long brown beard furrowed his brows and let out a sigh.
This was Count Raymond, the one who governed Arnish.
“Yes, my apologies.”
The captain of the guard bowed his head with a stiff face. Beside him was a corpse laid on a stretcher, covered with a white cloth. The face couldn’t be seen, but the withered, mummy-like hand drooping from the side told a grim story.
“The frequency of incidents keeps increasing. It’s already the third case this month!”
The count slammed the table with a loud bang. Then he loosened his shirt collar and let out a heavy sigh.
“We can’t live in this kind of fear anymore! What about the mercenaries we hired from outside?”
“They’re continuing the search, but despite scouring the entire territory, they’ve found nothing...”
The count scowled.
“Damn it, they’re just taking our money and doing nothing useful! Send them back too!”
“Understood! And if I may ask, about Keyzen...”
“Still no word from Keyzen.”
The count gnashed his teeth.
It had already been three months since they submitted the request. The number of victims kept rising due to this unknown crisis, yet Keyzen hadn’t responded at all.
The captain lowered his head.
“Perhaps instead of a general request, we should make a formal appeal to Keyzen Headquarters...”
“You want to summon a necromancer from Headquarters? Do you want to blow the entire territory’s budget on a single commission?”
“M-my apologies!”
The count leaned deep into the back of his chair and spoke.
“You may leave.”
“Yes, sir. Rest well!”
The guard captain and his men carried the corpse out of the room. With a long sigh, the count poured himself a glass of wine.
“Would you care for a drink?”
He lifted the glass as he spoke. Then, a voice came from behind the curtain.
“Thank you for the offer, but I must decline, as I am still in the middle of service.”
The curtain was drawn aside, revealing a seated figure.
Clad in a robe with a deeply pulled hood, pale hair peeked out from beneath it.
The count downed his wine in one go.
“I apologize for calling someone as important as you to such a place. But as you know, the situation is dire.”
The crown prince was scheduled to visit the territory next month.
At such a crucial time, these unsettling events were completely unacceptable. The count’s eyes flashed.
“You can resolve this, can’t you?”
The person in the chair slowly rose to her feet.
As the staff in her hand lifted the edge of her hood, a cascade of thick hair spilled down, revealing the youthful face of a girl.
“Do you not trust Efnelle?”
The count flinched.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant...!”
“No need to worry, Count. It is the will of the great Goddess to save the people of the continent from the deeds of wicked undead.”
A clear smile spread across her lips.
“On the honor of His Holiness the Pope, I, Ellen Zile, second-year at Holy College Efnelle, will resolve this incident without fail.”
Superb.