Chapter 62
Simon, who had stayed up all night, showed up to the first-period Haematology class with a gaunt face.
But his condition wasn’t good. He was supposed to take notes on what was written on the board, but the image of the chalkboard split into three.
‘Did I push myself too hard last night?’
As Simon sat there half-asleep, Maelyn, who sat next to him, nudged him with her elbow.
“Hey. What’s wrong with you?”
“...I stayed up all night, I think it messed with my condition.”
Maelyn let out a small sigh.
Then, she pulled her bag from the side of her desk onto her lap and rummaged through it, pulling out a small white pill container.
“Hey, open up.”
“What is it?”
“Fatigue recovery pill. I take it when I pull all-nighters. Open your mouth.”
As Simon awkwardly opened his mouth, she picked out one of the pills with her fingertips and flicked it in.
“Don’t bite it, just let it sit. That thing’s so potent, if it breaks, the whole classroom will stink.”
Maelyn then pulled out a water bottle from her bag and handed it to him. Simon nodded in gratitude, unscrewed the cap, and brought it to his lips.
Gulp.
“...?”
When Simon turned his head, he noticed Maelyn was blushing and looked strangely tense.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ugh, I don’t know! Just drink it before the TAs show up!”
Simon, still holding the bottle to his lips, drank and swallowed the pill.
“Thanks, Maelyn.”
Maelyn, who received her water bottle back, turned her head away in embarrassment.
Just then, Dick stretched his head between the two from the row behind.
“Ah! You scared me!”
“Hehehe, I heard it. I heard it. I heard everything~”
As Dick hummed playfully and readied a joke, Maelyn growled reflexively.
“Hey, don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Whatever it is you’re thinking of doing, just don’t!”
Dick retracted his head with a shrug, then turned to Kamibarez, who was diligently taking notes beside him.
“Kami.”
“Yes, Dick?”
“It’s nothing really, but. If a guy and a girl say ‘open wide’ and ‘stick it in’ to each other, what situation does that sound like to you...”
Kamibarez’s cheeks flushed bright red. Maelyn’s face turned even redder as she whacked Dick on the head repeatedly with her notebook.
“You psycho bastard!”
“Argh! Argh! Why are you hitting me?! I was just stating facts...!”
“Simon!”
Kamibarez called out with a trembling voice.
“Y-you can’t say things like that! We’re still minors! That’s...!”
Simon looked wronged.
‘All I did was quietly sit and take a pill, so why am I getting yelled at?’
“Students over there~”
A sudden voice rang in their ears, and the group turned their heads in surprise. A TA had appeared out of nowhere, standing with hands behind her back and a smile on her face.
“Done taking notes, and now chatting away~?”
Her voice was oddly sweet, like she was talking to children.
“Ah, TA! It’s just that...”
“Stand up, all four of you.”
In the end, the four of them were called to the back of the classroom.
“Arms glued to your ears, please~ Yes, like that. Try to cheat and I’ll get angry, okay?”
Even the punishment felt somewhat cute. As the TA walked off to another area, Maelyn shot a glare at Dick.
“Ugh, how embarrassing! It’s your fault!”
“Hey, all I did was state facts...”
“Stop fighting! We’ll get scolded again!”
Meanwhile, Simon quietly looked toward the chalkboard.
His vision had cleared up before he realized. Whether it was the pill taking effect, or the result of being punished, he wasn’t sure but the drowsiness was gone too.
“Maelyn.”
“Yeah?”
“That pill you gave me really works.”
At Simon’s praise, she immediately beamed and puffed up with pride.
“Hmph, of course! It’s super expens—”
“Pill? What pill?”
“Just shut up for a bit.”
Just then, another TA under Sillage burst into the classroom in a hurry.
“Professor Sillage will be about twenty minutes late! We’ll start break a little early.”
He checked his wristwatch as he spoke.
“We’ll take a break until thirty past.”
At those words, the quiet classroom instantly erupted into noise. With break time starting, Simon’s group, who had been standing for punishment, naturally returned to their seats.
“Hey, team. Come here for a sec.”
Dick waved them over, and the three who were about to sit turned back to him. They gathered in a quiet corner of the classroom.
“Ugh, what now.”
Maelyn grumbled.
“I was gonna bring this up at lunch, but since we’ve got the time, I’ll talk now.”
“?”
Dick pulled a note from inside his jacket pocket.
“Hehe, I got info on your duel opponents. Starting with the most urgent one, Simon.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. You were preparing a Skeleton Archer for the duel, right?”
Simon nodded.
“You’d better scrap that plan immediately.”
“Why?”
“I can’t say this is 100% accurate, but the matchup’s just terrible.”
Dick spoke seriously as he read from the note.
“Your opponent’s name is Haren Koak. From the infamous necromancer family of the Baldwin Kingdom. The black magic he uses is called Black Hand.”
“Black Hand? Never heard of it.”
Meanwhile, Maelyn narrowed her eyes, seemingly recognizing something.
“...Sounds like a family-exclusive black magic.”
“Correct! To put it simply, he can pull out a hand made of Darkness from his back. This thing has excellent defense against ranged projectiles. It can easily swat away fast-flying Darkness Arrows.”
Simon bit his lip slightly.
If even Darkness Arrows can be swatted aside so easily...
“Skeleton Archer’s arrows probably won’t work. Simon.”
“...Ugh.”
Simon swallowed a groan.
He had made up his mind to focus on Summonology, but even he wasn’t so stubborn as to insist on using Skeleton Archer against such a blatantly bad matchup.
While Simon was thinking through alternatives, Dick continued.
“Black Hand is a powerful all-in-one offense and defense spell, but it has a clear weakness. While maintaining Black Hand, Haren Koak can’t use any other black magic.”
“Ah, then the strategy is obvious!”
Kamibarez’s eyes sparkled.
“A curse!”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
Maelyn agreed.
“If both long-range and close-range attacks are tough, then just keep your distance and stack curse debuffs to weaken him. Easy win, right? You could spend the rest of your time just practicing Exhaust!”
Simon leaned back against the wall, deep in thought.
While assembling the Skeleton Archer, Simon had finally felt truly fired up for the first time in a while, but now, another variable had appeared.
Once again, he was reminded that things in life never go exactly as planned.
‘What should I do?’
Time was limited. Should he push forward with the Skeleton Archer, or break his original resolve and practice curses instead?
Or perhaps…
‘……’
Simon’s eyes sparkled with clarity.
* * *
Days passed quickly, and the duel evaluation was now only one day away.
Maelyn, who had arrived at the classroom early as usual, yawned as she took her seat. Up front, students who had arrived before her were gathered, chatting animatedly, and the topic, of course, was the upcoming duel evaluation.
“Ugh, I’m so nervous. How do you even deal with someone from Magical Combat?”
“I heard Professor Bahil’s Leg Down Curse works great!”
“I’m most scared of the Toxicology kids. They just keep chipping away at your barrier gauge…”
“Ughhh, as long as I don’t get matched with someone from Katarology, I’ll be fine.”
Hearing all this, Maelyn scoffed.
Rather than wasting time worrying about opponents or matchups, it was better to train alone.
If you’re strong and confident in your skills, that’s all that matters.
She clicked her tongue inwardly and was about to pull out her textbook when—
“...Morning, Maelyn.”
“Wah!”
She jumped in surprise and turned her head.
There stood Simon, his face haggard with deep, dark circles under his eyes. He gave her a weary smile and said,
“Maelyn, you look good today. Did you do something new with your hair?”
“……”
Maelyn frowned.
What the hell’s gotten into him all of a sudden?
“Did someone tell you to act like that?”
“Dick did.”
“Ugh, seriously.”
Simon mimicking Dick’s tone was downright creepy. Above all, it didn’t suit him at all.
“Cut it out and tell me what you really want. Why the flattery?”
“...Some medicine.”
Sigh.
Though grumbling, Maelyn pulled the pill container from her bag and handed it over. After taking one of her pills, Simon seemed a little more focused.
“Do you even realize how anxious you’re making the rest of us? What’s wrong with you lately?”
“Preparing for the duel evaluation.”
Maelyn scowled.
“Yeah, fine. It’s great that you’re working hard, but if you keep that up, you’re going to collapse. That pill isn’t some kind of magic that erases fatigue, you know. I only take it every once in a while, too.”
“I just need to hold out until the duel evaluation tomorrow.”
“...You’re insane.”
Class began not long after.
Of course, even after it started, Simon’s condition continued to deteriorate.
He couldn’t focus at all, scrawling strange things in his notebook and mumbling to himself the entire time.
“Dick! What the hell’s wrong with him?”
Maelyn couldn’t hold back and asked Dick. Dick ran a hand through his hair, looking troubled as well.
“I don’t know either. Lately, he barely even comes back to the dorm. Half the time when I wake up, he’s already gone.”
Kamibarez, who had been watching with a worried expression, tugged at Dick’s sleeve.
“He’s going to collapse at this rate. Do something, Dick!”
“Yeah! You’re his roommate!”
“You think I haven’t tried? He doesn’t listen to a word I say.”
Dick shook his head.
Even during the break, Simon was still scribbling crazily in his notebook like a madman. He had completely fixated on something, the classic behavior of someone too deep in obsession to notice anything else around them.
“He’s probably going to be like that until the duel is over. I think he’s preparing some new black magic.”
“New black magic?”
Maelyn let out a scoffing laugh.
“What for? He could just practice Exhaust a bit and beat his opponent easily.”
“...New black magic might be cool and all, but I still think health comes first.”
Maelyn scratched her head in frustration, then suddenly her eyes sharpened.
“No, this isn’t okay. I’m going to give him a serious talking-to.”
Dick leaned back with his arms behind his head.
“You’d better not. No matter what you say, it won’t get through to him.”
“Just watch me.”
Resolving herself, Maelyn marched up to Simon.
“Hey, Simon! If you keep this up—!”
Simon slowly turned his head.
—Gasp!
His eyes were completely out of focus.
Suddenly, being stared at with that kind of intense gaze from a peer made her falter a little, and she stammered,
“I-I told you so many times already, if you keep this up you’re going to—!”
“Thanks for worrying about me, Maelyn. Really. I’ll rest properly starting tomorrow.”
And with that, Simon turned his head back and resumed scribbling in his notebook.
‘That… that’s not what I meant.’
While Maelyn stood there wondering what to say next, Simon suddenly shot up from his seat. She yelped in surprise.
“Dick.”
Dick flinched and replied.
“Y-yeah?”
“The thing I asked you about…”
“Oh, Professor Aron? I think I’ll hear something around lunchtime.”
“Alright. Thanks.”
Simon sat back down and resumed writing in his notebook.
The three of them stared at him with deep concern.
Just what kind of black magic is he working on?
* * *
That evening.
Aron was walking through Keyzen.
Unlike his usual disheveled teaching attire, he now wore the official uniform of the Keyzen Headquarters, complete with a black fur cape, a refined and impressive look.
Some of the servants cleaning the building didn’t even recognize him at first.
‘...Exhausting.’
The mission had ended earlier than expected.
Though today was still technically his day off, he had decided to drop by the lab to prepare for class.
‘Stifling.’
As he walked through the building, Aron shrugged off his outer coat and loosened his tie. With every step, he shed more layers, and the pile of clothes in his right hand grew larger.
By the time he reached the lab door, undressing piece by piece, someone was sitting on the floor in front of it. Simon was there, muttering strange things while flipping through his notebook with hollow eyes.
“...Simon Follentia.”
Simon looked up. Upon seeing Aron, he leapt to his feet and bowed.
“Professor Aron!”
“What are you doing here?”
Simon, whom Aron hadn’t seen in a week, looked gaunt and worn out.
Simon spoke respectfully.
“There’s something I absolutely need to ask you.”
“……”
Aron glanced at his wristwatch.
“You do realize it’s after office hours, right?”
“...Ah.”
“Just kidding.”
Aron chuckled.
“Helping students with their troubles is part of a professor’s duty. Come in.”
Superb.