Chapter 69
Simon stared down at her with a blank expression.
‘…Lady Neftis?’
“Ah! Food! Food!”
Neftis hurried over in short, quick steps and clambered up onto Simon’s chair with a grunt. Her eyes sparkled as she swallowed her drool.
“Kyaaaa! Who is she?!”
“She’s so, so cute!”
Maelyn and Kamibarez screamed in excitement at the sight of Neftis.
With wide, innocent eyes, Neftis tilted her head in curiosity.
‘…Don’t tell me she doesn’t know?’
Simon panicked and reached out an arm.
“W-Wait a second, guys!”
“Do you want a snack?”
“Yeah!”
As Neftis nodded eagerly, Maelyn looked like she might die from the cuteness and began patting her head. Kamibarez quickly turned to Dick.
“Dick can we give her some?”
“Uh? Uhh…”
“Yaaay!”
With his hesitant approval, Neftis began stuffing snacks into her mouth like there was no tomorrow.
Her fluffy cheeks puffed up tautly. With a happy smile, she exclaimed:
“Yummy!”
“Kyaaaaahhh!”
“Want some of this too?”
Maelyn unwrapped a cookie and held it out. Neftis opened her mouth wide and took a big bite.
“Nom nom!”
“She ate it!”
“Me too! I wanna try too!”
…The situation was spiraling out of control.
Simon urgently spoke up.
“Wait a minute, guys! This person is…!”
“So cute~ What’s your name?”
Kamibarez asked kindly. While still busy stuffing food into her mouth, Neftis beamed.
“Yup! I’m Neftis!”
“Kyahahaha!”
“So cute!”
‘…They clearly didn’t believe her at all!’
Most people outside of Keyzen didn’t know that the 300-year-old Neftis was actually a small child.
And it made sense. She hadn’t appeared in public for decades, always operating behind the name Keyzen. On the rare occasions she had to show herself, she took on a form other than that of a young girl.
More than anything, the sheer weight and fear carried by the name Neftis had led to countless rumors and wild speculation.
The people of the continent imagined Neftis as a terrifying witch, something beyond human, between monster and woman.
Sure, there had been rumors that Neftis looked like a young girl, but Maelyn and Kamibarez clearly hadn’t considered the possibility.
They hadn’t even imagined Neftis might appear here.
‘Wh-What do I do?’
Simon felt like he was staring at a ticking time bomb.
Meanwhile, Dick, ever quick to grasp a situation, had already distanced himself and moved to another seat.
‘Dick! Do something!’
Simon frantically gestured at him with his eyes and limbs.
But Dick wasn’t looking. He sat down away from them, face stiff as a board.
“…Dick?”
Only then did Kamibarez glance his way. He was kneeling on the chair, still expressionless.
“Why are you suddenly kneeling like that?”
“W-What are you talking about! I’ve always sat like this!”
Dick stammered, sweating bullets.
He wanted to explain, but Neftis occasionally cast a strange look his way, effectively keeping his mouth shut.
“Is it tasty?”
Maelyn showed a rare, girl-like reaction after a long time.
As she gently patted Neftis’s head, the little girl laughed happily.
“Yup! Tasty!”
“Aww, my heart…”
“She’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!”
After eating all the snacks she could and patting her now round belly, Neftis jumped down from the chair. Then she trotted over to Simon, grabbed his hand, and said,
“Simon! Can we talk for a sec?”
“…Ah, yes.”
The two stepped out of the lecture hall.
Simon quickly said,
“Lady Neftis, let me apologize on their behalf! They didn’t recognize you…”
“Hehe, it’s fine! Happens all the time. And the snacks were tasty.”
She grinned as she spoke, then suddenly stopped walking and stared intently into Simon’s eyes. He also stopped and waited for her.
“Hmm…”
She smirked crookedly.
“So, you’ve finally got your Legion. Simon.”
“…!!”
Simon’s heart sank.
She returned to her childlike smile and took his hand again.
“This isn’t the best place to talk. Let’s move somewhere else.”
“Huh?”
Still holding his hand, Neftis leapt into the air.
In an instant, Simon felt his legs lift off the ground and a sensation like leaping across dimensions.
When he opened his eyes, the location had changed.
‘Where… is this now?’
It was someone’s room.
Cream and pink-colored wallpaper, frilly curtains, shelves full of cute stuffed animals and decorative trinkets. It smelled wonderful.
‘No way.’
Simon turned his head to the girl who visually matched the room best.
“Lady Neftis, is this your taste…?”
“This isn’t my room.”
“…Huh?”
Just then, there was a soft shfft sound from behind as a blanket rustled. Simon flinched and turned around in surprise.
There stood a beautiful girl with red eyes and damp black hair cascading down her face.
“L-Loraine!”
Simon’s face flushed red.
Loraine was dressed comfortably in house shorts, with only her bra for a top.
She covered herself with her arms, expressionless, and looked toward Neftis.
“Mom.”
“Yup!”
“Bringing a boy into my room via teleportation… you’re just trying to mess with me, right?”
“What are you talking about!”
Neftis placed her hands on her hips and declared proudly.
“I had something to say to both of you at once, that’s why I brought him here!”
“Haaaah…”
With a deep sigh, Loraine’s red eyes gleamed coldly.
“You’re always like this, Mom.”
“Hmph, and you!”
Neftis began hopping angrily.
“You overslept during exam season again, didn’t you? Simon even gathered the group himself and arranged a study session!”
“I’ll handle it on my own.”
“You don’t even know the professors have been poking around about you lately, do you?”
“Not knowing some dumb theorem doesn’t mean anything about my skills!”
A tense atmosphere crackled between the two.
From the conversation, it sounded like a typical argument between a nagging mom and a rebellious daughter, but if you took a step back, it looked more like a classic sister fight.
‘…I wanna go back to the dorms.’
Simon, now caught between the most terrifying mother-daughter pair in existence, stood pale-faced, plastered to the wall.
“Hurry up and say your piece, Mom. And Simon?”
“Y-Yeah.”
“Could you stop sneakily glancing around?”
Simon wept inside. It’s not like I want to look!
Loraine rose from the bed and grabbed any nearby robe from a hanger to wrap around herself. Only then could Simon finally look at her properly.
“Alright, Simon. About the report you gave me.”
Neftis plopped down on a nearby chair and spoke.
“Report?”
“Yeah! About the spy who infiltrated Keyzen.”
She heard it from Loraine.
Simon waited, tense, for what she would say next.
“First, I’ve already requested an investigation from some trusted aides. We’re starting to uncover a few clues.”
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
“But the reason I came to you is to warn you about the danger.”
Neftis continued in a serious tone.
“It seems like the traitor knows your identity.”
Simon felt like his heart dropped to the floor. Neftis slowly continued.
“Remember the last Cyclops evaluation? The reason the Cyclops your group faced was abnormally strong wasn’t due to side effects from capture drugs or curses, someone deliberately tampered with it.”
“…!”
Neftis smiled faintly.
“You can guess the motive without me saying it, right?”
…To stage an accidental death.
Simon swallowed hard.
“Simon.”
This time, Loraine spoke up.
“You said you met that person in the Forbidden Forest, so it’s much more likely that the spy is within the school rather than at Keyzen’s headquarters. If you stay here, you could be continuously exposed to life-threatening danger.”
“Yeah, that’s about right.”
Neftis folded her arms and smiled with her eyes.
“Our Loraine’s been really worried about you!”
“Mom!!”
“Anyway, are you really not going to accept protection from Keyzen?”
“……”
Simon pressed his lips tightly together.
“If you’re worried about being expelled from Keyzen, we can just mark it as a leave of absence like we did for your roommate, Kajan. You can return to your hometown until this case is resolved, then start again next year.”
“…I truly appreciate your concern, but my decision hasn’t changed.”
Simon slowly raised his head.
“The life I’m living now is worth protecting, even at the risk of danger. Please let me stay at the school. I’m also working on finding clues on my own, so I’ll be helpful.”
Loraine bit her lip and showed a conflicted expression, while Neftis nodded calmly.
“I figured you’d say that. You are Richard’s son, after all.”
She pulled a silver necklace from subspace. As Simon looked on curiously, she gestured for him to lower his body.
Simon quickly got down on one knee, and Neftis stood on tiptoe to place the necklace around his neck herself.
“What is this?”
“An artifact.”
She said.
“With all the unrest stirring across the continent lately, I can’t devote all my attention to just you. So take this. The power within this necklace will protect you.”
Simon stared at the iridescent glow radiating from the necklace and swallowed hard.
It wasn’t hard to guess that this was more valuable than anything he currently owned.
“If this artifact ever signals danger, you must stop whatever you’re doing and immediately leave the area. Understand?”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And also,”
Neftis turned her head toward Loraine.
“You keep an eye on our Simon too.”
“…I know, Mom.”
Loraine replied curtly. At that moment, Neftis leapt onto the bed.
“Up you go! C’mon, get up!”
“Ow! That hurts!”
“Simon.”
Neftis tugged Loraine’s arm and turned back to him.
“I’ll send you back to the study group, so take this kid with you too! Lazybones!”
“Mom!”
Loraine shouted in alarm.
“Why should I go there!”
“Hmph! If I don’t do this, you’ll just stay locked in your room!”
“You said it’s a study session! I’d just feel out of place, and I’d be a burden to Simon’s friends!”
Loraine shouted, forcefully shaking off Neftis’s arm. Neftis plopped down on the bed.
Sniffle.
Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes.
“Sniff… Sob! Waaaah! My daughter only ever makes me miserable! Stupid! Stupid! Loraine, you’re stupid!”
Flailing her limbs and crying, Neftis looked exactly like a tantrum-throwing child.
Simon didn’t know what to do and just stood there awkwardly, while Loraine pressed her forehead and let out a heavy sigh, looking a bit guilty.
“…Haaah, fine. I’ll go.”
“Yay! Then I’ll leave our Loraine in your care, Simon!”
Neftis immediately stopped crying and hopped off the bed. The complete change of mood startled Simon, but Loraine, seemingly used to it, muttered as she opened the closet.
“Once you’re both ready, come outside!”
Neftis hummed a tune as she left the room. Loraine pulled out her uniform from the closet.
“Sorry, I’ll just stay quiet for about an hour and leave.”
“No, no. We’re glad to have more people in the group.”
Loraine suddenly paused and stared at Simon’s face.
“…What? What is it?”
“Were you planning to watch me change?”
At that, Simon’s face turned beet red, and he bolted out of the room.
* * *
A short while later.
Loraine joined Group 7’s study session.
“……”
“……”
Maelyn, Kamibarez, and Dick recognized the famous Loraine and turned pale.
An awkward tension filled the lecture hall as the five of them sat together. Only their eyes darted around busily.
Maelyn stared at Simon, silently demanding an explanation, while Dick was mentally wishing he had ten hearts to survive the stress.
They had just seen Neftis, and now Loraine?!
“This is Loraine from Class L.”
Meanwhile, Simon smiled casually and introduced her.
“She just wants to join the study session for today. That’s okay, right?”
The three of them quickly nodded. Even if it wasn’t okay, it had to be.
Loraine, with an emotionless face, calmly scanned the room and opened her mouth in a composed voice.
Superb.