Chapter 114
As the hood came off and the face was revealed, Simon’s pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
It was a face Simon already knew—no, not just knew, but saw at least once every day.
‘Kajan Edvalt…!’
The faded gray hair, the long scar over the right eye, and the uniquely sharp, narrow eyes.
It was definitely Kajan.
Simon struggled to regain his composure from the shock, but barely managed to maintain a calm voice as he asked,
[Answer me. Are you a priest?]
Kajan wore a lazy expression.
"Let me ask instead. Do I look like a priest to you?"
Simon bit his lip.
[I'm not in the mood for jokes.]
"The only answer I can give you is, of course, 'No'. In the end, it’s all up to your judgment. Kill me or let me go, do whatever you want."
Simon calmed his head and recalled the battle he just had with Kajan.
At the same time, he recalled the fight he had against the priest during the incident with Kamibarez.
The fighting styles of the two were completely different. Kajan focused on thorough magical combat, while the priest back then relied primarily on Darkness magic.
Of course, they could have used different fighting styles to deceive Simon.
But if Kajan had been proficient in Darkness magic from the start, this situation where he was caught by Simon wouldn’t have happened in the first place. He fought sincerely, not as part of a deception.
Moreover, the atmosphere one gives off, their gait, demeanor, and habits, all of these made it easy to tell that the two were completely different people.
Still, Simon didn’t lower the greatsword aimed at his throat.
[Answer me. What were you doing in the Forbidden Forest?]
Kajan slowly closed his eyes.
"I was searching for the priest who infiltrated Keyzen."
Simon pressed his lips into a line. That was the exact same objective as his own.
"While following traces of the priest in the Forbidden Forest, a strange woman who claimed to be a priest approached me, and I engaged her in battle to interrogate her. Does that answer your question?"
[One last thing.]
Simon swallowed dryly and continued,
[Why are you chasing that priest?]
"I was hired. Normally, revealing the client’s identity is forbidden."
Kajan glanced at the artifact necklace around Simon’s neck.
"But for you, it should be fine. The client was Lady Neftis Arkbold."
Shing.
At last, Simon lowered his greatsword.
—I’ve already requested an investigation from trusted subordinates. We’re gradually gathering clues.
What Neftis had said when they met at Loraine’s house matched perfectly.
Furthermore, Kajan directly took out a commission letter from subspace bearing Neftis’ seal.
There was no reason left to doubt him.
"By the way."
Kajan scratched the scar over his right eye.
"When did you get that stylish skull helmet, Simon Follentia?"
[…]
Simon sighed lightly and removed Feer’s skull from his head, slinging it behind his neck.
"You noticed from the beginning?"
"Vaguely."
Kajan smiled faintly.
"When you first shouted 'Erze', I recognized your voice and was about to help. But I quickly realized that you and that Erze woman were on the same side."
"……"
Just then, Erzebet was glaring fiercely at Kajan with her arms crossed.
"I thought you might be working with Efnelle, so I engaged you, but I don’t think that’s the case. If you were truly with Efnelle, you would’ve cleanly severed my head to silence a witness. And also…"
Kajan’s gaze returned once more to Simon’s artifact.
"A genuine item imbued with Lady Neftis’s power. Priests can’t even mimic such a thing."
"What exactly is this?"
Simon asked, fiddling with the necklace. Kajan plopped down on the grass and pulled out a potion from subspace.
"You’ll know when you experience ‘the moment of death’ for real. Just leave it at that for now."
Then he began taking off his clothes and splashing the potion onto his body.
[Boy. If you want to kill him, now’s your chance.]
Feer warned from inside Simon’s head. Simon’s gaze also turned to Kajan’s back.
[He saw the Legion. If he blabs to Keyzen, it’ll be troublesome.]
‘…Leave it to me, Feer. It seems Kajan is also one of Lady Neftis’s people.’
Simon squatted beside Kajan and helped apply the potion.
‘Oof, that must hurt.’
The pitch-black potion Kajan used sizzled and released a huge amount of smoke the moment it touched his wounds. The bleeding stopped, and the wounds forcibly closed.
Judging by the constant trembling of Kajan’s back, it was clear he was in intense pain, even though his face was hidden.
"…Sorry, Kajan."
"It’s a common thing when you fight. No need for you to apologize."
Though the wounds were hastily sealed, many scars remained on his body. Likely, the rest of the scars all over his body had been caused the same way.
While wrapping bandages and tending to the wounds, the two shared more detailed stories.
Among them, the most shocking was—
"That thief guild I know of… it’s the same one, right?"
"It is."
Kajan was the son of the head of the Thief Guild Association.
And one more thing—Kajan was already a 'finished product'. Even at just 18 years old, he was a monstrous undefeated warrior who could take down most professional necromancers with his bare hands.
Of course, he now had one loss against Simon, the Legion Commander, but that was simply because his opponent had been too much to handle.
Still, Kajan didn’t call himself a genius, but a 'manufactured monster'. He hinted at a secret behind his origin but didn’t explain further.
In any case, someone like Kajan—who had surpassed student level to the point of not needing to learn from anyone—had entered Keyzen only because of Neftis’s commission.
—It seems there’s a spy from Efnelle inside Keyzen.
Neftis’s commission had been for undercover investigation.
After enrolling in Keyzen officially, Kajan focused more on the investigation than on classes.
That’s why he constantly left the dorm at night or on weekends, and during the day, Simon had seen him buried under his blanket trying to catch up on sleep.
The priest also seemed to act as a member of Keyzen during the day but mostly moved at night for things like ‘worship’, and Kajan scoured every corner of Roke Mountain at night trying to track them down.
"Wait a minute! Kajan, you were a repeating student, so you were already in Keyzen last year, right?"
"Yeah. I received a commission from Lady Neftis last year too."
Simon stroked his chin.
That meant Neftis had already known since last year that a priest spy had infiltrated Keyzen.
"Giving me that much information, I’d say you’ve earned your life."
Kajan stood up and looked back at Simon.
"Simon."
"Yes."
"This time, no matter what, I’ll handle the situation myself. I’ll inform Lady Neftis, so stay out of this. It’s too dangerous for you."
Simon smiled gently.
"It’s fine. I’m stronger than you, aren’t I?"
"......"
At those words, Kajan’s expression stiffened. His face at that moment was so amusing, Simon nearly burst out laughing.
"......I’ll admit that. But this isn’t about who’s stronger, it’s about safety. You should focus on your life in Keyzen with your friends. Enjoy the happiest time of your life to the fullest."
"I refuse."
Simon slowly stood up and met Kajan’s gaze.
"That priest wants my life, and I’ve nearly died several times already. More importantly, the priest hurt my friend and dragged my other teammates into this. I have my own reasons to go after that person."
"......"
Kajan let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He stood rooted in place, silently contemplating, then finally looked at Simon.
"......If she meant to stop you, Lady Neftis would’ve done it herself."
"...?"
"Fine. We clearly share the same objective. Let’s form a joint front."
That was exactly the answer Simon had been hoping to hear.
"The Undead you command seem quite useful. I’d like you to continue covering the Forbidden Forest as you’ve been doing. And once a week, when that ‘noisy guy’ isn’t around, I propose we share the intel we’ve each gathered and gradually narrow down the list of priest suspects."
By ‘noisy guy’, he was likely referring to Dick. Simon gave a small smile and nodded.
The night was growing deeper.
If they delayed their return to Keyzen any longer, there would be consequences, so the two of them started walking back toward Keyzen as they talked.
"Ahem, ahem."
Simon cleared his throat softly and glanced over at Kajan.
"But about me… you’re not going to ask?"
It would’ve been more relieving if Kajan had just asked, ‘What was that all about?’ Instead, he kept looking straight ahead and said,
"What do you think is the biggest risk for an agent of the Information Guild?"
"…Well, I’m not sure."
Kajan tapped his temple a few times and answered,
"Knowing things."
Simon tilted his head, not quite understanding.
"You’ve heard the saying, ‘Ignorance is bliss’, right? Those of us who belong to the Information Guild inevitably end up knowing dangerous things. But the more people know a secret, the more anxious others become, and people naturally want to eliminate the source of that anxiety."
Kajan let out a small sigh.
"The more we know, the more our lives are at risk. There’s no need to know things we don’t have to. I choose to exercise my ‘right not to know’."
"Kajan…"
Simon looked at him with a hint of admiration.
Kuhahahahahaha!
Suddenly, Feer’s loud laughter rang out in Simon’s head.
[Hah! At least he knows where he stands! Do as you please!]
Even Feer no longer insisted that Kajan should be killed.
* * *
Left alone in Room 409, Dick was anxiously fretting.
“They said to avoid nights when the wardens are patrolling…”
Simon had gone down to Rochest. And today, even Kajan was nowhere to be seen.
"Ah, whatever. I gave a clear warning."
Dick was sprawled on his bed when—
Bang!
The door flew open, and Simon and Kajan walked in together, their hair still wet, likely from the bath, with towels wrapped around their heads.
Dick’s eyes widened.
"W-what? Why are you two together…?"
This was so random. A completely mismatched pair.
Didn’t they practically treat each other like enemies? Why would they come in together?
Kajan, as usual, climbed up to the top bunk and started preparing to sleep, while Simon gathered his clothes.
"Kajan. I’ll drop these off at the laundry room too."
"......Thanks."
Kajan replied and pulled the blanket over his head. Simon chuckled quietly and stepped out of the room.
Click.
The door closed, and Dick, who had been staring in stunned silence, suddenly shouted,
"W-what?! Why did just the two of you suddenly become friends?!"
Dick sprang to his feet.
"Wait, Simon! What the hell is going o—!"
Whap!
A pillow came flying and smacked Dick hard in the face. He let out a muffled "Oof!" and fell over.
"I told you not to make noise before bed."
From beneath the blanket, the chilling gleam of Kajan’s eyes could be seen, and Dick hastily returned the pillow to its place.
Kajan pulled the pillow back under the blanket, and within minutes, the sound of snoring filled the room.
"Grrrk! Why am I the only one being treated the same as before!"
The one person Dick’s usual charm and friendliness couldn’t reach.
Truthfully, Dick had secretly hoped to get closer to Kajan.
Superb.