Chapter 80
After calling out Feer from the subspace bracelet, Simon opened his own subspace.
"Alright, it's now. Please come into mine before anyone sees you, Feer."
Feer clicked his tongue.
[Tsk! How suffocating! I just got out, and now I have to go back in?]
“We have no choice. Hurry, before someone sees.”
There was a reason for this bothersome way of transferring the Legion.
Before teleporting to the island, Keyzen had announced a full inspection of all first-year students' subspaces.
But from Simon’s perspective, he had to bring Feer somehow to persuade the new general, Viccrum, and so, he used a little trick.
“Commmmaaannderr~”
At the sudden deep voice, Simon flinched and looked back.
Assistant Instructor Bred was running over.
A bald, burly man with a muscular frame was running with both arms flailing cutely at his sides, the sheer visual mismatch was almost suffocating.
“I missed youuu!”
Bred clung to Simon’s arm, speaking in a playful tone.
Simon frowned at the overwhelming awkwardness.
“Why are you here? Erze. The assistant instructor was right there with you.”
“I just told her I was going out to take care of something.”
“Ugh… Go back before anyone notices.”
Here’s how it all went down:
Last weekend, Simon had won a duel wager that Bred himself had proposed, giving Simon the right to order him to do anything.
So Simon went to Bred's lodging.
At the time, Bred was packing like someone who had accepted the end.
—Why are you sulking like this? I don’t intend to demand your resignation.
Bred looked up at Simon.
—Instead, from now on, you're going to be my chess piece.
Simon had him completely in check.
Bred immediately snapped back.
—You think a mere freshman is going to treat me like a servant?!
—If you refuse, I have no choice. I’ll go tell Professor Hongpeng everything.
At that, Bred’s face froze.
—You, an educator, beat up a Keyzen student under the guise of a duel. And the most ridiculous part? The condition if you won…
Simon smirked.
—Was that I would become Professor Hongpeng’s direct disciple, wasn’t it?
—……
—I’ll say this clearly. That wasn’t for the professor’s sake. It was a direct insult to her decision.
Hongpeng had already accepted Simon’s rejection of her offer to become a direct disciple. But Bred suddenly jumped in and beat up Simon, demanding that if he lost, he’d have to accept the offer.
That was a blatant disregard for Hongpeng’s will.
—The professor thinks our fight was just a simple scuffle. But if she finds out the truth… how disappointed she’ll be in you...
Simon smirked again.
—I’m sure she’ll understand.
—Kgh…!
In truth, it was Bred himself who had cornered himself by forcing that kind of wager on Simon.
And so—
Simon gained a valuable chess piece in Bred. Coincidentally, Bred had also been selected as one of the assistant instructors accompanying the island mission.
Simon borrowed his subspace and ordered him to vanish for the duration of the island survival period, ensuring no one would notice.
—…So, you're planning to impersonate me.
—How did you know?
—Keyzen students are craftier than you’d think. In this brutal environment, impersonations are a dime a dozen.
Bred scratched his head.
—Do what you want. But if you get caught, it's not my fault.
—Of course.
And so Bred vanished, and Erzebet transformed into Bred and came to the island in his place.
Feer, hidden inside Bred’s subspace bracelet, was safely brought to the island, instructor subspaces weren’t subject to inspection.
"Everyone totally fell for the little lady's act~!"
Erzebet spoke in Bred’s thick voice.
“...You’re killing the mood, so please stop.”
"Anyway! We’re going to meet Viccrum now, right? I want to come too!"
“Absolutely not.”
Simon shut her down immediately.
“If Bred suddenly disappears from his post, the school will get suspicious. For this mission, Feer and I are enough.”
[Kehaha! The boy is right! Begone!]
“Even you, Feer! You're all so cruel!”
Erzebet drooped her head, disheartened.
“...I shall return.”
“……”
Seeing her so dejected, Simon felt a slight pang of guilt.
From enlisting Bred to pulling off the impersonation, Erzebet had practically done all the heavy lifting for this mission. He was being a bit cold.
[What are you doing, boy.]
Then Feer spoke directly into Simon’s head.
[If you feel guilty, give her a reward. Praising a subordinate's merit is also a commander’s duty!]
‘Huh? A, a reward?’
[You already know what she likes, don’t you?]
Of course he did.
Simon let out a small sigh and looked up. That big, burly man stood there with the most pitiful expression, head bowed.
“...Erze. Turn back to your original form for a moment, will you?”
“Pardon?”
She looked confused, but obeyed and returned to her original appearance. Simon stiffly walked over to her.
[Commander?]
Then, with both arms stiffly outstretched, he pulled her into a firm hug.
[……!!!]
Erzebet was so shocked, she froze like time had stopped.
In a voice only she could hear, Simon whispered softly,
“Th-thank you. Erze.”
Erzebet’s pupils widened.
Her heart, that thing called a heart began to melt, like ice cream dripping down.
“Hmph-hmph.”
Simon, face bright red, hurriedly stepped back.
“Now turn back into Bred and return to your post. There's nothing good to be gained from making people suspicious.”
Dripping sweat, Simon disappeared as if fleeing.
Feer’s clone burst into loud, amused laughter, as though it found everything hysterical.
[…]
Erzebet, staring blankly at Simon’s retreating figure, gently brushed her shoulder. Then, with both cheeks turning red, she covered her face.
[…Truly, such a lovely person.]
It seemed that even swearing loyalty a hundred, a thousand times wouldn't be enough.
* * *
Night was approaching.
The Keyzen students had slowly begun to adapt to the unfamiliar environment and monsters, and were now advancing toward the center.
However, as the sky began to darken, they faced a new threat.
As is typical of tropical regions, the temperature difference on Kera Island was severe.
The previously muggy weather had suddenly turned cold enough to feel a chill. Furthermore, it was common knowledge that monsters became more active at night.
“We’re gonna have to build a shelter if we want to make it through the night.”
“Let’s start by making a fire!”
To stay warm and get proper sleep, they had to build a fire and construct a shelter.
But even finding a place to set up was a struggle. Sleeping in the middle of the jungle risked monster attacks, while riversides or open clearings invited ambushes from other students.
Some tried to get clever and build in the trees, but the problem was, they lacked the skills.
“Ugh, my back. This is killing me.”
“We’re only staying one night, right? Maybe not doing all this crap is the better way to save energy?”
Some students, dragging logs, were overcome with doubt and ended up declaring they would just camp as-is.
But as night deepened, the temperature dropped further, and building at least some wind shelter started to seem wise.
While the students continued to struggle through trial and error…
Ttak! Ttak! Ttak!
Sssuk. Ssssuk.
Simon’s house was steadily progressing toward completion.
He laid down evenly sized logs, tightly bound them several times with sturdy vines, and fixed them solidly in place.
He raised support beams and set a roof over pre-dug grooves to form the frame, then pulled out large leaves from his subspace and layered them as roofing.
“You, tie the fence over there. Stack the wood we brought on the right side.”
Ttak-tak. Tak.
One human and four undead working together—before long, a house was up.
It was small, just big enough for Simon alone, but more than adequate for a single night’s shelter.
Simon had built the house in a spot near the beach, the opposite direction from where the other Keyzen students were headed.
Being near the beach also meant it was just outside the main range of carnivorous monsters. In many ways, it was the perfect location.
“It’s nice not having to worry about being seen.”
He built a fire without concern, ground up herbs to repel insects and snakes, mixed them with water, and spread it all around the shelter.
Once all the work was done, Simon popped into the finished treehouse. Even though he built it himself, it felt surprisingly cozy.
“Alright, then.”
Lying down straight, Simon pulled the leafy blanket over himself.
“Time to sleep.”
[What? You're sleeping already?]
Feer exclaimed in shock.
[It’s not even that late in the evening!]
“I’m going to sleep early so I can start moving at dawn. Oh, right!”
Getting up, Simon took Feer’s clone, which was attached to his uniform, and hung it outside the house like a decoration.
[What is this! What are you doing, boy!]
“Stand guard, please, Feer. Undead don’t sleep, right?”
[Kgh! Unacceptable! I am the master of the Legion! How dare you use me like this!]
“Please~ And I’ll leave this here, so wake me at 4 a.m.”
Simon placed his wristwatch where Feer’s clone could see it, then went back into the house.
[Using me as an alarm clock!?]
Simon cut off even the undead’s mental connection, then tucked himself in with the leaf blanket.
After tossing and turning briefly, he soon began to breathe quietly in deep sleep.
* * *
[Wake up, boy! It’s the time you said!]
At Feer’s clone’s shout, Simon shot upright. Shivering slightly, he rubbed his shoulders and sniffled.
“Brr. It is cold at night. Thanks, Feer.”
[I will never forget today’s humiliation!]
“I’ll reinforce the Legion’s forces as soon as we get some funds.”
[At last, you understand the value of proper rewards.]
Simon yawned as he stepped outside.
The dawn sky, beautifully painted in shades of blue-green, greeted him. From the barely visible sea in the distance came the soothing sound of waves — shwaa~. It was a rather picturesque scene.
“Well then, shall we get going?”
Simon opened his subspace and summoned four skeletons.
“Alright, on the count of three, lift it. One, two, three!”
Simon had the skeletons lift the entire house.
Since it had been built from the start as a lightweight, one-person shelter, it was hoisted up easily.
[And now what are you planning to do?]
“I told you already, didn’t I?”
Simon grinned broadly.
“We’re going straight down the middle in one shot.”
Superb.