Chapter 226
"Blood Golem, Blood Golem~"
Maybe it was because he was so excited about the new summoning spell Aaron promised to teach him. Simon couldn’t get "Blood Golem" out of his head all day.
His excitement continued into the next day. When he opened his eyes in the morning and realized it wasn’t the following week yet, he was disappointed, but he decided to wait gladly with a joyful heart.
"...Please, just stop."
On the way to the cafeteria, Dick spoke in a tone full of exasperation.
"That damn Blood Golem, Blood Golem! Haven’t you been humming that since last night?"
"R-Really?"
Overcome with sudden embarrassment, Simon feigned ignorance.
"Yeah! You have! At this point, I’m pretty sure I could play that melody on the piano! Blood Golem~ Blood Golem~"
"You’re addicted too."
"Argh!"
As Dick let out a cry of anguish, Simon laughed loudly.
‘No matter how much people scold or criticize me, I don't care. Because I'm going to learn the Blood Golem spell.’
"Anyway! From now on, every time you say 'Blood Golem', you're getting a flick on the forehead..."
Meow~
A sudden meow made the two stop walking.
Near a stone wall, they saw the back of a female student with bat wings.
‘It’s Kamibarez.’
No wonder the back looked familiar—she was crouched down, playing with some kittens.
One was white, the other was black.
When Kamibarez extended her finger with a soft smile, the kittens punched at it with their tiny paws.
"So cute~"
Simon and Dick quietly approached her.
"Kami?"
"Kyaaah!"
Startled by the sudden voice, her wings fluttered wildly.
She pressed her back tightly against the stone wall in a tense panic, but upon recognizing the two of them, she let out a relieved sigh.
"Y-You scared me!"
"What are you doing here?"
"Ah, well..."
Meow, meow.
A kitten climbed up onto Kamibarez’s lap and purred affectionately. As she lovingly stroked the black kitten’s head with a look of absolute adoration, it purred contentedly.
"Ah, don’t go in there!"
Kamibarez quickly pulled the white kitten out from under her skirt and placed it on her lap.
"...Hmm."
Dick’s expression turned serious.
"That might not actually be a cat."
Simon brushed off Dick’s joke and joined in the kitten playtime.
"They must be really young."
The kittens were wary at first when Simon approached.
But as he stretched out his finger and slowly wiggled it side to side, they quickly got excited and started biting him harmlessly and playing wildly.
"Oh, that looks fun."
Dick joined in too, but the moment he leaned his face in, he got scratched by a kitten and tumbled back.
Simon laughed loudly while Kamibarez panicked and scooped the kittens protectively into her arms.
"Y-You can’t do that! Are you okay, Dick?"
"Oww, that hurts..."
Rubbing his face, Dick glared at the kitten nestled in Kamibarez’s arms.
"That thing might really not be a cat."
"Not funny. That joke’s old."
"I’m not joking! I mean it literally! It could be a monster cub! Look! There's a tiny horn sticking out of its head!"
"...A horn?"
Simon’s expression turned serious as he touched the kitten’s head.
Sure enough, he felt something hard and pointy under the fur. A very small horn was hidden there.
"T-That can’t be! Whitey and Blacky aren’t monsters!"
Kamibarez shouted with a pout as she hugged the kittens tightly. It seemed she’d already named them.
Dick shrugged.
"And what’s your proof they’re not monsters?"
"They’re just so sweet and cute! There's no way they could be monsters!"
"Resorting to emotional appeal, huh. Damn."
"You idiots!!"
Suddenly, a sharp voice came from behind, and a water bottle flew toward Dick.
Just as Dick turned around, it struck the already-scratched part of his face. Letting out a strangled noise, he collapsed backward.
"You said you'd wait at the dining hall!"
Maelyn stormed toward them, her light-blue hair fluttering in the wind.
"It’s been twenty minutes! Twenty! Do you know how embarrassing it is to sit alone at the crowded cafeteria?! Everyone kept whispering about how I was eating by myself!"
Dick rubbed the spot where the bottle hit him.
"Maybe this is a good time to reflect on why you don’t have any friends to eat with, besides us?"
"I have lots of friends!!"
Maelyn shouted, her face turning red.
"Shut up! If you're late because of something stupid, I’m not going to let it slide... huh?"
Maelyn had spotted the kittens nestled in Kamibarez’s arms.
Her rage melted like snow in spring, and a smile spread across her face.
"So cute!!"
"Right? Right?"
The two girls were completely taken by the kittens' cuteness. Even the tiniest movements had them gushing.
Simon stood up, and Dick pulled out his notebook.
"Hmm, guess I better report this to the wardens. A wild monster has appeared on the Keyzen campus. Order to kill on sight."
"..."
Maelyn shot Dick a glare. Kamibarez gasped and held the kittens even tighter.
"P-Please don’t do that! Dick! I’ll take good care of them!"
Her large, violet eyes welled up with tears, and Dick faltered.
"It’s not you I’m worried about..."
"Ugh, you really have no manners. Saying stuff like 'kill on sight' in front of these precious little babies? If the faculty hears, you’re done for, seriously."
"Guys."
Simon quickly stepped in to mediate.
"I’m also against killing them, but Dick’s got a point. If they really are monsters and something bad happens, we’ll all be in trouble. We need a plan."
"Hmm."
Maelyn thought for a moment, then spoke.
"Then let’s take them to the girls’ dorm for now. I’ll leave them with some underlings I know. I’ll also bring someone who can check if they’re monsters. Good?"
Simon quickly nodded, and though Dick agreed, he scratched his head with a puzzled look.
"Sheesh, is that really necessary? If we just leave them, their mom will come find them."
"...Did you forget this is a necromancer school? What if some weirdos get their hands on them and start experimenting?"
"Oh, didn’t think of that."
And so, an agreement was reached. The four of them headed for the girls’ dorm, carrying the kittens.
"Ha-ha-ha! Greetings!"
Dick, entering the forbidden female zone, was the loudest and most noticeable of them all. Though Maelyn gave him a sharp glance, he was already chatting up a familiar underling.
"Um, excuse me...!"
Kamibarez approached the dorm storage manager with the kittens in her arms. She explained the situation and asked if she could temporarily keep the kittens in the dorm yard.
"Every year, there's always one student like this."
The staff sighed deeply.
"Student. I understand the kittens’ situation, but we have our jobs, and we can’t look after animals forever."
Kamibarez said she’d take care of all the feeding and chores, and begged to keep them there just until their mother was found, but it was no use.
"Ahem."
At that moment, Maelyn cleared her throat from behind.
"I heard the price of mana stones from Roke Mountain is going up lately. Or was it going to go up soon?"
"..."
The staff’s face stiffened. Simon gave a wry smile and tried to stop her.
"Maelyn. Don’t abuse your influence."
"Who, me?"
Maelyn smiled like a queen.
"I was just commenting on the economy."
They couldn’t afford to get on the wrong side of the Ivory Tower just over the nuisance of taking care of a few pets.
In the end, the staff member allowed them to keep the kittens in the storage area, on the condition that they’d be gone in exactly two months, regardless of whether they turned out to be monsters or not.
“Thank you so much!”
Kamibarez bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
The freed kittens began wandering around and, seeming to recognize who their feeder was, plopped down in front of the storage manager and started showing off their cuteness.
The manager, watching this scene, began to soften visibly, though he cleared his throat stiffly in front of the students.
“Well then, students, off you go. You need to get ready for your next class.”
“Yes!”
“Thank you very much.”
It all wrapped up better than expected. As the three were leaving the girls’ dormitory, Dick came running back to them, panting.
“Wahaha! Big news, big news!”
Dick began pouring out some fresh intel he had just received.
“Swords, spears, maces, arrows—Keyzen is sweeping up all kinds of weapons from Rochest! And that’s not all, they’re also sourcing weapons directly from Langerstine!”
Simon’s eyes sparkled.
“That must be related to the theme of the next exam, right?”
“Right. That’s what I’m thinking too.”
Kamibarez tilted her head in confusion.
“Th-That’s strange. The exam is supposed to evaluate black magic, so using weapons feels kind of random.”
“Or maybe it’s something like this?”
Maelyn quickly pitched an idea.
“They make us choose one weapon, and then pit us against each other in the colosseum or something!”
“No way.”
Dick shook his head and continued,
“Most of the weapons Keyzen’s buying are cheap junk. You’d be better off just using magic combat instead.”
Keyzen was stockpiling weapons.
That alone wasn’t enough to determine the exam theme, but it was clearly an important clue.
‘Weapons, huh.’
Simon’s mind began to swirl with speculation.
* * *
After finishing the afternoon classes, night fell.
As usual, Simon climbed over the wall again. He planned to visit the Ruins of Feer and discuss this new power, Cloud, with Feer.
Strolling through the Forbidden Forest like it was a casual walk, he looked up at the sky.
“The moon’s so bright tonight.”
The weather was colder than usual, so Simon brushed his shoulders and picked up the pace. He’d taken this route so often that it now felt familiar.
‘...Huh?’
But in a moment, that very familiarity felt strange. Simon quickly crouched down on the spot.
There were footprints.
“I avoided the warden patrol routes. Could it be an irregular patrol?”
Upon closer inspection, the footprints weren’t human. The shape kept changing, and the strides were inconsistent. It was likely a monster, but there were no monsters with tracks like these in the Forbidden Forest.
Simon erased his presence and cautiously followed the trail.
“...!”
A chill shot up his spine. He quickly ducked behind a tree and peeked out carefully.
Shlurrrp. Shlurrrrrrrrrrp.
A bizarre black lifeform was dragging its tentacles along the ground. It had the appearance of a walking squid, but its body oozed and sagged like a slime.
Its skin was pitch black, like the night sky, and its head had no face or features, just a pair of horns protruding from either side.
From where its face should have been, a mouth-like organ jutted out, scraping along the ground as it moved. It was busy, as though searching for something.
‘What the hell is that?’
Simon had never seen a creature like this in the entire first semester, and now it was scouring the Forbidden Forest. Judging by the black aura leaking from its body, it was undead, but it definitely wasn’t one of Keyzen’s.
Screeeee.
Startled, Simon ducked his head back down.
‘...What the heck?’
Erzebet’s Corpse Spider was making frantic gestures toward him. Then it scurried off, shaking its rear as if to say “follow me”.
After burning the image of the monster into his memory, Simon took off after the Corpse Spider. Before long, he spotted a tall skeleton waiting in the distance.
“Feer!”
Feer was clad in the Cloak of Shadow and fully armed with the Greatsword of Destruction.
“You saw it too, right? That thing over th—”
[I saw it.]
Feer’s mental voice radiated seething fury.
[Damn it! I didn’t think he’d move this quickly.]
“You mean...”
[Yes. It’s the Ancient Undead sent by Magnus.]
Simon bit his lip. It seemed Magnus had sent underlings to trace Feer’s mental aura.
[The Ancient Undead ‘Talaze’. I’ve identified seven undead in total, including its clones.]
Feer slung the Greatsword of Destruction over his shoulder with a grim expression.
[Erzebet is currently weaving a web barrier to keep those monsters from leaving the Forbidden Forest. Still, it’s only a matter of time before they reach the ruins.]
“...Urgh. What should we do?”
[Magnus has sensed my aura. I’ll leave Roke Island and lure them away.]
At that, Simon shook his head firmly.
“I can’t allow that, Feer.”
Feer was the most vital master of the Legion. Even if Magnus had noticed him, they couldn’t risk sending the heart of the operation outside.
“You said not even Magnus can enter Roke Island because of Lady Neftis, right? Then it’s safest for you to stay here, Feer.”
[Then what do you propose? If Magnus discovers the identity of the Seventh Legion Commander, everything will be ruined.]
Simon pressed his lips into a firm line and thought seriously. At last, he spoke, his voice heavy.
“If we can’t escape, then I’ll gladly accept the provocation. I’ll destroy Magnus’ Ancient Undead.”
[...Hey.]
“Magnus stole my father’s undead. I have no intention of being on good terms with him.”
Feer thought, like father, like son.
Still, his role was to offer wise advice to this young Legion Commander.
[Talaze has a unique ability. He’s not specialized in combat or destruction, but with Magnus’ power, it’s gotten stronger. If we lose track of him, it’ll lead to a full-scale war between Legions.]
“I can handle it. We haven’t just been sitting around this whole time, right?”
Simon pulled a notebook from his subspace. He quickly scribbled something in cursive, then handed it to the Corpse Spider.
“Deliver this note to Kajan in room 409 of the male dorm. He knows our situation and will help.”
[Kiiii!]
The Corpse Spider received the paper, used its web to attach it to its body, and swiftly vanished into the forest.
“Alright.”
Simon turned back to Feer.
“In the end, we just need to make sure Talaze never reports back to Magnus. Tell me Talaze’s abilities, Feer.”
There was no turning back now.
A war between Legions was about to begin.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters