Chapter 109
The three first-year students, including Simon, exchanged various conversations before the seniors returned.
The first-year boy wearing glasses was named Fitzgerald.
He was a student from Class M aspiring to major in Summonology, and he seemed to be a scholarly type well-versed in theory. Although he hadn’t mastered all subjects like Maelyn had, in the field of Summonology, his major, he ranked among the top five in the entire school.
“I’ve heard about your golem. I admit, it’s impressive.”
Fitzgerald pushed up his glasses.
“But in the final evaluation, it was inefficient. A strategy of stacking golems outside the arena is hard to pull off once the opponent is aware of it.”
“I think so too.”
Simon nodded with a smile. Fitzgerald slightly adjusted the opposite side of his glasses and narrowed his eyes, as if surprised by the answer.
“Usually, people get upset when you criticize what they’re most confident in.”
“Why would I get upset? Criticism is always welcome. But if, like you said, the golem is inefficient, what do you think would be a better strategy?”
As if he had been waiting for the question, Fitzgerald answered smoothly.
“Pretend to be building a golem. Use the most well-known golem tactic as a decoy to gain the upper hand in psychological warfare, then seize victory with a different key element. That’s what I’d call an effective tactic.”
Simon blinked in surprise. It was exactly what he had been thinking.
“And you are...”
Fitzgerald shifted his gaze to Toto.
“Who are you?”
Toto let out a wry smile and quickly answered.
“I’m Toto Amoriya from Class A, same as Simon! I’m also aiming to major in Summonology!”
Even now, Simon found Toto extremely short. Even compared to the female student Kamibarez, he was shorter.
Simon wondered if Toto might have some hobbit blood in him.
“Final evaluation squad?”
At that question, Toto’s face showed a guilty expression.
“L-Low tier… I was bottom last time…”
“Then I recommend giving up Summonology now and clinging to Professor Bahil’s pant leg.”
Fitzgerald calmly pushed up his glasses and made the suggestion.
“I’m not belittling you. If you want to survive at Keyzen, there’s no other way.”
“...But!”
Toto clenched the fidgeting hands in front of him with determination.
“I-I have no talent except for Summonology! And more than anything, after watching Simon’s first duel evaluation, I was certain!”
There were mixed emotions in Toto’s gaze as he looked at Simon.
Admiration, respect, and a pure competitive spirit as a rival in the same field.
“Living with conviction at Keyzen, I think that’s the coolest thing in the world!”
“......”
Fitzgerald took his hand off his glasses and crossed his arms.
Simon worried he’d throw out another “inefficient” insult for sure, but—
“Coolness matters.”
Fitzgerald said that as he turned his head. Simon and Toto exchanged confused looks.
Bang!
“First-years! Sorry I’m late!”
The cream-haired girl who had brought Simon entered the clubroom. The three first-years immediately jumped to their feet.
“...Huaaam, you’re here?”
Dio, who had been sound asleep on the couch, yawned and rubbed his eyes. Then he glanced around.
“...Where’s the pig?”
“I didn’t even expect him to show up! Let’s just start with the two of us!”
Dio nodded and rose like a zombie. Planting both feet on the floor, he slowly straightened up with a hunched back.
“...This way.”
Dio guided the first-years.
They had thought it was just an old, cramped clubroom, but when Dio moved the bookshelf, a hidden door appeared. Opening it revealed stairs leading underground, and descending them exposed a spacious area lit with bright lights.
Fitzgerald, Simon, and Toto stood side by side, and in front of them stood the girl with long hair flowing behind her, arms confidently crossed. Dio, carrying various documents, shuffled over to stand beside her.
Huuuuuup.
She placed both hands on her waist and took a deep breath.
“Nice to meet you! First-years!!!”
Booming!
Her powerful voice shook the entire room. It was such an overwhelming vocal strength, one might think she had studied opera.
“My name is Benya Vanilla!”
She raised her index finger proudly above her head.
“I’m a second-year Summonology major! My dream is world domination! Nice to meet you!!”
“......?”
Simon blinked.
Was she really a second-year at Keyzen? Not a second-year middle schooler?
“...As you might have guessed,”
Dio added with a deep sigh.
“...This kind of person is our club president. Honestly, you'd be better off in a normal clu— Guh-huk!”
Benya’s jumping side-kick struck Dio’s face. His body flew several meters and crashed into the wall.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a stone wall but something soft like a mat, which absorbed the impact, though Dio’s body flopped down like dried fish.
Thud.
She landed on the floor and stretched herself up straight.
“That walking zero-motivation is Dio Patel. Just ignore him, he’s my underling.”
“I have a question, senior.”
Fitzgerald raised his hand. She smiled brightly and pointed to him with her index finger.
“I like students with curiosity! What’s your question?”
“I’m curious about the purpose of your stated world domination, senior.”
Fitzgerald adjusted his glasses.
“Throughout the continent’s history, no hero has ever achieved world domination through brute force. Even the great Lady Neftis hasn’t been able to overcome the Holy Federation protected by the seven Priests.”
“Very sharp question! I don’t really prefer forceful conquest either!”
She nodded energetically and continued.
“I will conquer the world with undead!”
“Undead… you say?”
“That’s right! People don’t understand the true value of undead! Think about it, everyone! There’s no such thing in the world, labor so low-cost and highly efficient! Undead are the universe’s gift to the continent!”
Her voice rose with excitement.
“Of course, there are issues of aesthetics, an instinctive aversion to the dead, and above all, their aggressiveness toward humans, which is why only necromancers who’ve unlocked their Core can use them! But I won’t leave it like that! I’ll popularize the use of undead even in civilian sectors, and make the world far more prosperous!”
She clenched her fist tightly.
“Conquest through force results in ninety-nine people sacrificed for the sake of one. That’s not true conquest! I’ll make even the people of the Holy Federation fall for the value of my undead!”
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
While everyone else remained silent, only Fitzgerald clapped with an intensely serious expression.
“I’d like to join the club.”
“Great!”
Simon felt his mind going blank. Could it be that eccentrics understood each other on some level?
‘Yeah, this place is definitely not normal.’
Simon turned his head toward Toto.
His face had turned a bashful red. His gaze was focused on Benya’s face as she passionately waved her cream-colored hair and voiced her beliefs.
“Y-You’re beautiful…”
Good grief. This one was even more dangerous than Fitzgerald.
“Cadet!”
At that moment, Benya strode up to Simon and stood before him.
“Are you still hesitating to join?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Join us, Simon.”
Fitzgerald, standing beside him, pushed up his glasses and suggested.
“Being able to witness the beginning of a legend from school days is a privilege worth more than anything.”
Simon smiled awkwardly as sweat trickled down his face.
Meanwhile, Toto had stepped slightly aside, holding his pounding chest.
“S-So close! With the senior…!”
“Hmm?”
Seeing this, Benya marched over to Toto and placed a hand on his forehead.
“You seem to have a bit of a fever, cadet.”
“H-Huueeek!”
Toto trembled as though he’d been electrocuted.
“You should head to the infirmary for now—”
“I-I’m fine! I’ll join the club!”
Benya blinked, then smiled broadly as she removed her hand from his forehead.
‘S-She smiled at me!’
Toto mentally blacked out from the sheer impact of that smile.
‘……’
Meanwhile, Simon was staring at her hand. It bore too many scars and calluses to belong to an ordinary 18-year-old girl.
Her dream of world domination might be absurd, but her passion and effort were real.
Judging by the materials strewn around the clubroom, she seemed skilled too.
‘…As a fellow summoner, I probably have a lot to learn from her.’
Simon thought slowly.
Friends who shared his interests and conversations.
A workshop where he could craft and develop undead himself.
And a connection to the daughter of the continent’s most renowned undead manufacturer, the Vanilla Group’s president.
In terms of immediate benefit, it might fall short compared to Sadam, the Katarology Research Club, or Noble, but what moved Simon’s heart was the "Mutant".
“I’m sorry, but I have a question for you, senior.”
“Hmm! What is it?”
“If I obtained a completely new kind of undead that no one else uses, what do you think I should do with it?”
Without hesitation, she smiled brightly and answered.
“You’ve got to crash into it head-on and break through! Just imagining a life where the unknown and the ordinary coexist every day, my heart races! Isn’t that the happiest time in life?”
“…Ahaha.”
Simon chuckled and nodded.
“I’d like to join the club too.”
“Excellent, cadets! So, everyone has made up their mind, right?”
“…But.”
Dio, who had flown off from Benya’s kick, returned with a hunched back and spoke.
“…Our club’s situation isn’t exactly great, but still, we have no intention of accepting first-years who don’t meet the standards.”
He waved a flyer as he spoke. Benya crossed her arms with a grin.
“You’ve all seen the recruitment conditions, right? The requirements are possession of a special undead and the ability to operate it at a high level!”
In truth, the “Mutant” club held many attractive qualities for aspiring Summonology students. Above all, the presence of Benya Vanilla alone, and the chance to build connections with her, would’ve made many students consider joining.
However, its membership requirements were absurdly strict compared to other clubs.
Possession and operation of a special undead.
The current first-year Summonology curriculum only covered handling lower-tier undead like skeletons.
Simon, who had taught himself to summon and control Skeleton Archers and Mud Golems, was an extremely abnormal case.
Of course, there were some first-year students who possessed “special undead”, but they were among the elite, and aimed to join higher-ranking clubs.
“Mutant”, which specialized in special undead, was a niche even within Summonology, and yet, its standards were tough. That was why it had few applicants.
“Alright, let’s start the interview!”
Benya clapped her palms together with a smack.
“What kind of unique summoned creature are you connected with, cadets? Show me!”
Superb.