Chapter 216
Simon’s eyes widened.
“You found him?”
[Yes. Akemius didn’t hold any deep grudge against Richard, and his loyalty to the Legion was strong, so I judged it sufficient to go alone. And I did manage to locate him.]
Simon swallowed dryly, tension on his face.
“S-So? You found him, and then what happened?”
[Akemius was taken from right under my nose.]
Erzebet and Prince sprang to their feet.
[Who the hell was it?!]
Prince pounded his chest in fury, a strong hostility radiating from Feer’s thoughtform as well.
[5th Legion Commander Magnus Alban. That bastard was also in the Jungle of Screams.]
“!”
Simon’s eyes widened.
‘…Another legion commander, besides me.’
There were a total of seven legion commanders.
Naturally, that meant there were also seven “masters” like Feer who could form legions.
But the public believed that the “Betrayed 7th Legion” had vanished, and that the administrator Feer had been annihilated forever.
Of course, that wasn’t true. Neftis had boldly stolen Feer away and sealed him within an underground ruin on Roke Island. Richard’s son, Simon, was informed of its location the moment he enrolled in Keyzen, and was guided to become a legion commander.
So now, including Simon, there were seven legion commanders.
‘One of those commanders…’
Had taken Akemius, who was once part of Richard’s legion.
[This means war!]
Prince shouted, excited.
[Magnus broke the rules between commanders! It’s an unspoken rule not to touch another Legion’s Ancient Undead!]
Feer opened his mouth at that.
[He thinks the 7th Legion is completely gone. He probably believes he can take possession of a masterless Ancient Undead for himself.]
[Simon! This is exactly what we prepared Deathland for! Just give the command, and all the dead of Deathland will—]
Feer shook his head.
[Even if we unleash every bit of force we have, we can’t beat Magnus right now. He’s a fully-fledged necromancer, and beneath him are five Ancient Undead. With Akemius added, that makes six.]
Prince pouted in displeasure. Simon spoke in a placating tone.
“I agree that we shouldn’t act on emotion. More importantly, Feer…”
Simon’s gaze sharpened.
“Does Magnus know your identity?”
Feer let out a sly chuckle.
[You’ve asked the core question! There’s a fifty-fifty chance. He definitely sensed my presence, but it’s highly likely he didn’t realize I’m the master Feer. I blew away every pursuit unit he sent and escaped.]
“...Haaah, more than anything, I’m just glad you’re safe.”
They had tried to find a new general, and nearly lost Feer instead. To Simon, that would have been the worst-case scenario.
Even if Magnus doesn’t know Feer is a master, he sensed the presence of an Ancient Undead named Feer. He could now be scouring the continent with bloodshot eyes, searching for him.
[For the first time, I’m grateful to be on this island.]
Erzebet cut in.
[Even if he’s an active legion commander, he won’t be able to recklessly set foot on Roke Island, which is protected by the Witch of Death.]
[That’s true! But Magnus is the kind of scumbag who defies imagination. If he becomes convinced, he’d sneak onto Roke Island and comb every inch of it. We must hide our identities even more thoroughly than before!]
With that, Feer turned his head.
[Boy! How many people know your identity right now?]
“Just a moment.”
Simon slowly began folding his fingers one by one.
“Dad, Mom, Lady Neftis, Serne, Kajan, Lete. That’s all.”
[Lete is that priestess girl you mentioned earlier.]
Feer crossed his arms.
[If you told her, I assume she’s someone who can keep a secret?]
“Yes.”
Simon nodded seriously.
He knew what kind of person Lete was, but sensing it wasn’t enough explanation for others, he added,
“Lete and I share a sin. If she exposes my identity, she won’t be able to escape the controversy of having brought me to the Holy Federation. There are other complicated factors as well, so you needn’t worry on that front.”
[I see.]
Feer nodded, but suddenly Erzebet began biting the hem of her own clothing.
[Again! Again! That wicked priestess bitch—!!]
Though she’d held it in earlier, she finally snapped. Simon hurried to defuse the situation.
“It’s not what you think! Lete is my mom’s disciple…”
[Anna! Annaaaa! Of course they’re the same kind, clinging to each other!!]
It backfired.
[Listen carefully, Commander! Priestess bitches are the deadliest poison that ruins men!]
Flames blazed in Erzebet’s eyes.
[They act all innocent because they serve a god! So pure and virtuous, full of false modesty and then their eyes roll back in lust at the sight of a man, turning into utter—!]
[Erzebet!]
Feer instantly roared and shut Erzebet’s mouth.
[What kind of filth are you spewing in front of a child?!]
[I refuse to deal with love-ignorant, old-school command-o-geezers like you!]
[Stop using those damned Keyzen brats’ slang!]
Why are they even fighting?
Simon tried desperately to stop the two. Meanwhile, Prince was holding his stomach, laughing like crazy.
[Let’s refocus.]
Feer steered the conversation back.
[Magnus is hunting Ancient Undead. He probably doesn’t know about the possible return of the 7th Legion, but he’s likely looking for me. If it’s revealed that we are a legion, not only will we have to leave Keyzen, but we’ll become immediate targets of Magnus.]
“Yes, that’s true.”
Simon nodded.
[From now on, we must be more cautious! You absolutely must not reveal your identity to those four you hang around with! One more thing. Though your current growth speed is already miraculous, you’ll need to raise your level fast enough to confront Magnus before long!]
“Of course.”
Now, life at Keyzen would truly begin.
So far, the only new dark magic he’d learned from his father Richard was Corpse Explosion, but now that classes would start, he could absorb even more knowledge at full throttle.
And as Simon grew stronger, so too did the legion. The best way to escape the many threats that surrounded them was, after all, through his own strength.
Even if he wore the Keyzen uniform, someone like Magnus wouldn’t bat an eye at eliminating a mere student.
With the new semester just around the corner, Simon steeled his resolve even further.
* * *
The next morning.
At last, the morning of the first day of the new semester had arrived.
“Dick! Wake up!”
Simon, already washed and dressed, shook Dick awake as he lay in bed, completely dead to the world.
Dick, eyes swollen with sleep, trudged into the bathroom while Simon changed into his school uniform.
‘Feels like something’s missing, kind of empty.’
The “Feer’s Fragment”, their method of communication with the legion, had to be remade to avoid Magnus’ pursuit. Feer said he’d create a new one in three or four days.
And Kajan was already outside. The sunken blanket was proof enough.
“Ughhh… So it really is the start of school again, huh.”
Having washed quickly, Dick rubbed his eyes and started putting on his uniform pants.
“You that tired? You went to bed early last night.”
“I’m just not a morning person.”
The two, fully prepared, left room 409, walked through the corridor, and stepped outside the dorm under the bright morning sun.
The familiar path to school. The voices of students murmuring, laughing noisily, echoed all around.
Since the timing was a little off to eat in the dorm, they bought sandwiches from a nearby school store and munched on them. As soon as Dick got some fresh air, his sleep vanished, and he greeted other students cheerfully.
‘I missed this kind of everyday atmosphere.’
Seeing Simon’s moved expression, Dick chuckled and said,
“Wow, you’re getting emotional over everything! Haven’t you been living the Keyzen life long enough? At this rate, you’ll start crying over the golden ratio of inhale to exhale or something.”
Simon just smiled.
He liked this moment, when he could forget about the legion or Magnus for a while, and purely enjoy the things he had.
“Oh right, Simon. What’s our first class?”
“It’s fixed with our assigned professor.”
“Ooh! We’ll be seeing our vice-chancellor again after a while.”
They entered the building and stepped into the large lecture hall where Jane’s class was held. The students of Class A were chatting so loudly it could make your ears ring.
“Ah, it’s Simon!”
Toto Amoriya, a fellow member of the Mutant Club, waved as he ran up.
“Toto! Been well?”
“Yeah! More importantly, you’re gonna stop by the club room after class to greet the seniors, right?”
“Of course.”
While Simon was chatting with Toto about summonology, a girl’s voice calling his name rang in his ears.
He turned his head to see Kamibarez sitting and waving, while beside her, Maelyn placed her textbook on the desk.
“Let’s talk more in the club room.”
“Alright!”
Simon joined his Group 7 teammates. He exchanged a cheerful greeting with Kamibarez, and Maelyn also gave a short but gentle “hello”.
“Four students from our class dropped out, I heard.”
Dick, who had been gathering some intel, joined the four.
Kamibarez nodded worriedly.
“...That’s unfortunate for them. It must be tough to take group classes with just three people, right?”
“Of course it’s tough! Let me be clear!”
Maelyn’s eyebrows shot up.
“You’d better be damn ready for the Black Magic Aptitude Test! If even one of you fails, I swear I’ll show up at your house during break and curse you!”
Simon laughed.
“You’re worried about us?”
“W-Worried? As if! I said I’ll curse you!”
As Maelyn stuttered, blushing, the other three burst into laughter.
Just then, someone entered the lecture hall and shouted,
“Professor’s coming!”
Whoosh!
The scattered students quickly rushed to their seats.
Even the student stuck to the ceiling like a spider, and the one who’d been drawing a magic circle for a surprise curse duel, hurriedly erased their traces of darkness and sat down.
A complete silence wrapped the lecture hall.
Click, clack.
Footsteps echoed as the front door slid open.
‘Long time no see!’
Simon greeted her inwardly with delight.
A short, disciplined bob haircut, a cold and stern expression, and eyes full of charisma.
It was Jane Olivia, Class A’s assigned professor and Keyzen’s vice-chancellor.
Behind her, Jane’s assistants lined up and stood at ease. Some of them winked or waved subtly at students they were friendly with.
In the silence, she opened her mouth.
“Did you have a good break, Class A?”
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters