Chapter 237
Simon heard the whole story from Neftis.
This exam had been conducted without any weapons, which meant there were many injuries, both minor and major. Already, the number of patients had exceeded 50, though fortunately, there were no fatalities.
The weapons were enchanted with remote-controlled black magic, causing them to halt right before striking vital areas like the head, heart, or solar plexus. When this happened, the student would be treated as “eliminated due to death” and teleported to the infirmary.
Neftis had come to check on the condition of the infirmary, and while she was at it, she dropped by to see Simon. Then, she got hungry and took a bite out of Feer, that was her explanation.
Feer was still fuming, raging inside Simon’s head.
“Gyahahah!”
Oblivious to the tension, Neftis rolled all over Simon’s hospital bed like it was her playground.
Though it was incredibly chaotic, Simon tried not to let it bother him and instead kept his eyes on the mana screen of the infirmary.
It turned out that this exam wasn't conducted all at once with all 898 students, but rather in groups of about 300. On the screen, the final third group had just started phase one.
“Heeey~”
Poking only her head out from under the blanket she had been squirming through, Neftis looked at Simon.
“Are you worried about something these days?”
Simon flinched but answered without showing it.
“If someone said they weren’t worried about Keyzen, I’d think they were lying.”
“Scary man!”
Simon blinked at the sudden and contextless comment.
“A scary man is trying to come into Roke Island!”
“…!”
Simon’s expression hardened immediately.
“He tried to enter as an observer this time, so I blocked him.”
Neftis rolled over Simon’s leg and then flopped off again.
“But I’m not an all-powerful god~ I can’t stop everything. Keyzen’s complicated, and I can’t give it my full attention either! I have to go fight the Holy Federation again tomorrow!”
She tried to hop off the bed, but her blanket and clothes tangled around, making her fall over like a silkworm cocoon.
Simon, tense just a moment ago, let out a soft laugh.
“Aren’t you in a truce with Efnelle?”
“That’s long broken. The peace we have now is just the result of someone else’s blood being shed. It’s a peace built on sacrifice.”
Having freed herself from the trap of the blanket, she let out a little “up we go!” as she pulled Simon’s blanket up for him.
“The point is, watch out for the scary man! He’s scary, so be careful!”
“…Ah, yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
She raised her arm and shouted, “Byeee!” before skipping out of the hospital room. Simon waved after her.
Once the door closed, he let out a breath of relief.
‘Lady Neftis protected me.’
The odds of defeating Magnus in battle were still too low.
If the Legion of Betrayal were to be revealed to the entire world, not even Neftis would be able to help him.
[Don’t overcomplicate things, boy! In the end, having your identity revealed is inevitable!]
Feer’s voice echoed in his mind.
[Don’t obsess over the circumstances. What matters is you! When the world learns you’re a Legion Commander, what position will you be in? What power and connections will you have? What accomplishments will you be known for? That will determine how the world treats you!]
He was absolutely right. Simon nodded firmly and clenched his fist.
“I’ll study even harder, Feer.”
* * *
While resting in the infirmary, Simon continued watching the matches of his friends.
Kamibarez, who had grown more than anyone else over the break, gave a spectacular performance.
In the third phase, where weapons rained down endlessly, she summoned a vortex of blood and used it to move swiftly inside.
The incoming weapons were swept away by the vortex, and she pressed the red buzzer just as her strength was running out, narrowly passing phase three.
Dick, as expected, lived up to his name. He exploited the system of phase three brilliantly.
Phase three worked by reacting to any life form with mana via mana sensors, triggering falling weapons.
Dick, upon arriving, sent in wind-up toys to analyze the trap mechanics, then pulled out a lightning rod that looked like an antenna.
It was an invention that drew in surrounding mana.
Dick himself wore a magic-blocking cloak, pressed the lightning rod to the ground, and walked backward.
The mana sensors activated, and countless weapons rained down toward the lightning rod Dick held.
But Dick remained unharmed. Since the sensors targeted the area with detected mana first, the weapons didn’t target him.
—Hahahaha! This is the Dick Stealth Mode!
With that little trick, Dick passed the phase and was asked whether he wanted to proceed to phase four or end the exam. Without a second thought, he grinned and chose to end the exam.
‘Dick’s always so consistent.’
Simon couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched.
Once all the exams ended, the results from the three groups were combined to finalize the rankings.
Simon Follentia – Rank 10.
Kamibarez Ursula – Rank 98.
Maelyn Villene – Rank 220.
Dick Hayword – Rank 564.
Simon had burned 30 minutes in phase three summoning the Blood Golem, but his incredible performance in phase four landed him comfortably in the top ranks.
Maelyn lost pacing.
She poured everything into phase three, which made her take time to recover her Darkness in phase four, causing her rank to plummet.
Meanwhile, Kamibarez, who had been mid-tier in the first test, proudly entered the top 100, showing significant improvement.
Depending on the test theme, student rankings changed drastically. In this exam, those aspiring to study Spiritology and Darkness Dynamics performed especially well, while Toxicology students struggled comparatively.
And, as expected, the overall first place went to the giant-blooded Shatel Maer.
Renowned for possessing the strongest defense in Keyzen, it was only natural that he dominated an exam themed around defense and endurance. The gap between him and second place was vast.
As always, Loraine and Serne didn’t seem concerned about rankings. Both stopped the exam after passing only phase three.
The two always seemed to have some other purpose beyond the tests.
With the exam concluded, 48 students who failed to pass phase three were expelled, along with the last 2 who cleared it just barely late, 50 in total lost their Keyzen uniforms and were officially expelled.
‘…Keyzen’s standards really are high.’
Considering how brutal the third phase was, the fact that most students passed was impressive.
Though many struggled and got hurt, they still managed to find solutions—like Dick, for example.
There was even a hidden element in the test.
Simon, who had been running like mad, hadn’t noticed, but there were “rest zones” where weapons didn’t fall. Those who remained calm and used these zones wisely had a way to pass.
Only three people in Keyzen, including Simon, passed phase three without using a rest zone—just charging through with brute force.
Thus, the second Black Magic Aptitude Test concluded with massive buzz and overwhelming enthusiasm.
Articles hailing this Keyzen generation as “the greatest ever” spread across the entire Dark Alliance, and even now, the scouting war set to occur in two years was already heating up.
* * *
The very next day, Simon was discharged and returned to the dorms.
From today, it was the weekend, and Keyzen had announced the start of the “Mission Evaluation” season. Including the two weekend days, students could now take on missions lasting up to four days, covering both weekend and weekdays.
At Keyzen, after major exams or training sessions, they would usually schedule a “Mission Evaluation Season” to help students recover from fatigue.
Students who had already cleared difficult missions in advance could relax by taking on light assignments around Roke Island, but those who had only taken easy missions up until now were beginning to face the reality that they might need to consider taking on blue or even red request letters, even if their condition wasn’t great.
Simon, who had been steadily completing his mission evaluations, decided that for this season, he would rest thoroughly by taking on one of the simple missions on Roke Island.
He had just recovered from an injury, and more importantly, going outside of Roke Island might mean facing the threat of Magnus’ Legion.
Staying on Roke Island, where both Neftis and Keyzen could guarantee his safety, was the best choice.
‘I’ll ease up on training for a while and focus on Katarology and theory study in the dorm.’
For the first time in a while, he felt at ease. Meanwhile, Dick was getting ready to head out early in the morning, eyes sunken.
“...I’m going to the Shahed Kingdom.”
“Wow, that’s far.”
Dick had only taken Roke Island missions so far, so he had no choice now. Taking on a harder one this time would ease the burden for the next evaluation.
Meanwhile, Maelyn and Kamibarez had decided to form a party and take on a merchant escort mission. Since Simon was going to stay for a Roke Island assignment, he planned to remain behind.
“...Ugh, such a hassle. I’m going to shower first.”
“Okay.”
With that, Dick headed to the bathroom. Kajan had also left for a confidential mission.
Simon sat alone at his desk and opened Bahil’s book on Katarology.
Flip!
‘Huh?’
Just then, a letter fluttered in through the open window.
Even the envelope exuded luxury.
It felt like one of those royal decrees. Simon broke the seal and unfolded the letter.
<You haven’t forgotten you owe me, right? I’m using one coupon stamp! Come down to Rochest by noon. I’ll be waiting.>
<P.S.: I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this, but don’t be clueless to show up in your uniform.>
Simon’s expression froze.
‘...No way.’
He flipped the letter over. A white feather was attached to the envelope. It could only be from Serne.
‘I really don’t want to go.’
Even hearing the name “Serne” was burdensome. Though they’d had more contact lately and he was getting used to her, he honestly still preferred not to get involved.
Simon decided to just keep studying, pulled out his quill, and underlined the book.
Scratch, scratch.
...But it was bothering him.
He tried to ignore the letter, but his conscience started to prick at him. It didn’t feel right to ignore Serne after all the help she’d given him.
During the island survival evaluation.
When he learned Internal Darkness Divergence.
And during the Saint crisis.
Without her help, things could’ve been far more dangerous.
“Hey~ Why the deep sighs?”
Fresh out of a quick shower, Dick suddenly snatched the letter from Simon’s hand.
Reading it playfully, his expression quickly hardened as he reached a certain line.
“...Guh...!”
Dick’s hand trembled as he held the letter.
“Anyone can see this is written by a girl! Rochest? On the weekend? And she says not to wear your uniform—what, she wants you to dress like her boyfriend? What the hell…!”
Consumed by jealousy and betrayal, Dick tackled Simon and put him in a headlock.
“You bastard! You said you weren’t seeing anyone! Confess! Who is she?!”
“Ugh! That hurts, Dick!”
“Some of us have to go all the way to Shahed, and someone gets to go on a date?! Love?! Coupling?! Couples should all die! Only punishment awaits couples!”
“I said it hurts! Let go!”
But Dick, blinded by jealousy, had no intention of letting go.
At that moment, Simon’s arm shot out from within the headlock. His other arm grabbed the back of Dick’s knee.
Boom!
“!”
Dick’s view spun 180 degrees. Before he knew it, he was sprawled out on his own bed.
“I told you not to mess with me.”
Simon casually brushed his hands off.
‘Tch!’
No matter what, he couldn’t beat that muscle-brained hick in a fight.
Simon’s build made him look like a delicate noble, but beneath his clothes were solid muscles.
Dick, looking crushed, pulled the blanket over his head.
“Ugh, this filthy world! Appearance supremacy!”
As Dick banged his fists into the mattress and sobbed dramatically, Simon let out a sigh.
“Stop it. Didn’t you say you have to leave early today?”
“...This rotten world! Just let it all burn!”
Grumbling, Dick got up and started packing clothes for his trip. Simon also opened his wardrobe.
‘Other than my uniform…’
Keyzen uniform, adventurer’s outfit, casual robe, a robe from the Holy Federation, an outing robe.
It was a pitiful lineup.
“...Dick?”
“What.”
Dick replied curtly. Simon gave an awkward smile and scratched his temple.
“Could I borrow some clothes for just today?”
Dick tackled him in fury.
There are times when a man must fight, even knowing he’ll lose.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters
Very good story and translation but half the chapter aren't for free and it is wayyyy too expensive will it stat like tjis foreve or will it get free after some time