Chapter 238
Simon arrived in Rochest.
Wearing pants borrowed from Dick, and just a plain white shirt on top, he stepped outside.
Maybe it was because he came out so early in the morning, but he was tired. Simon yawned once with his hands in his pockets and looked around.
‘This is insane.’
As expected of Rochest on the weekend, couples were everywhere no matter where you looked.
Seeing boys and girls clinging to each other, all lovey-dovey and over the moon, made it awkward even for passersby to watch.
But strangely enough, there was no sign of Serne.
‘She didn’t even properly tell me where we were supposed to meet, did she?’
He took out the letter and checked it again, aside from asking him to come down to Rochest by noon, there was no mention of a meeting spot.
‘…Why the hell am I standing around here like this?’
Just then, as Simon was sighing heavily—
Flap!
A pure white feather fluttered down and landed at Simon’s feet.
A moment later, another feather drifted down and fell onto the tiled street.
‘That’s Serne’s feather. Is she telling me to follow?’
Simon obediently began walking, following the trail of feathers. Everywhere he went, another feather would fall, leading him along the way.
Eventually, he exited the narrow alley and came out onto a wide street lined with carriage roads.
‘They’re gone.’
The feathers had vanished at some point. He paused at the roadside, scanning for another feather, when suddenly a strange girl came running from the opposite direction, lost her balance, and stumbled.
It was too dangerous to pretend he hadn’t seen her.
Simon caught her before she could fall.
“Are you alright?”
Her eyes were closed as if unconscious. Just as Simon was about to speak again, she abruptly lifted her head.
And then—
“Do you know what love is~♪”
She suddenly started singing.
“I keep thinking about you all day, my heart won’t stop fluttering~♬”
What a weirdo.
Simon stepped back, confused.
The girl spun like a ballerina, dancing wildly, and then clasped hands with a male student who had been walking up behind her.
“Love is♩”
“Love is~”
Now the two of them were singing a duet. Suddenly, people nearby began joining in the song.
“Love sometimes brings trials~♬”
“It follows me like a shadow♩”
An impromptu chorus broke out in the middle of a Rochest street.
People who had been minding their own business gradually joined in.
The singing grew louder and louder.
Doors burst open on the second floors of homes, and a lady folding laundry began singing. A couple in the middle of a fight suddenly opened their mouths in harmony.
“Where did we come from, and where do we go?~♪”
Step, step, step.
Children, beggars, and even a newspaper boy delivering papers all began dancing in sync with the rhythm.
Simon stood there, utterly stunned, when suddenly someone gave him a light shove on the back.
“Whoa!”
He staggered into the carriage road just as a passing carriage stopped with perfect timing, and the door swung open.
“Love is what guides us~♪”
A woman inside—whom Simon had never seen before—grabbed his arm, pulled him inside the carriage, and sang.
The coachman immediately started moving.
“Love is what polishes and refines us~♪”
The carriage stopped shortly after.
As soon as Simon stepped out, he was greeted by a crowd of people wearing identical outfits, playing instruments and dancing as they led the way.
Now understanding the situation, Simon followed them with a grim expression. When he stepped through the door, people in restaurant uniforms broke into song.
“Love is~♪”
A flourish of piano keys sounded. Simon followed the music and went upstairs.
“Even if it’s a sweet delusion of my own, I don’t care~♪”
A male and female employee sang as they clasped hands.
At the end of the second floor, a girl could be seen playing piano with dazzling fingerwork.
“Love is~”
As she sang and played, everyone else danced in sync to the music.
“So mysterious and beautiful~♬”
Dandandandandandan.
Dandan.
Daa-ran.
The moment the music stopped, the entire staff broke into enthusiastic applause.
In the midst of the roaring applause, the girl at the piano slowly rose, held her skirt, and bowed her head. Then, she casually clapped her hands once—clap!
Twitch. Twitch.
Light gradually returned to the vacant eyes of the employees.
They all returned to their tasks as if nothing had happened. Sweeping the floor, serving customers, grilling patties in the kitchen.
“Welcome, Simon.”
The girl at the piano pressed a finger to her lips and gave a sweet smile.
Heir to the Ivory Tower, and a girl who could control minds using feathers.
“…Serne.”
A male waiter who had just been dancing approached and bowed politely to the two.
“How many in your party?”
He spoke as if he was seeing Serne for the first time.
“Two~”
“Right this way, please.”
They were led to the best seat behind the piano. A simple appetizer tea was served, and she elegantly lifted her coffee cup.
“So, what did you think of the event I prepared? Pretty grand, right?”
“Haa.”
Simon covered his forehead with a complicated expression.
“…You’re one of the most bizarre people I’ve ever met.”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say to a lady.”
She winked.
“Don’t worry too much. I only controlled random passersby for about a minute. There won’t be any side effects or risk of accidents.”
“That’s not the point.”
“So, so! How was the event?”
‘…Well.’
If he had to describe it, it felt like a scene from a play, with himself thrust into the lead role.
But at the same time, it was terrifying.
Serne’s ability to orchestrate something like this so effortlessly—was frightening. If she put her mind to it, she could probably sink an entire city without lifting a finger.
What kind of scheme was she plotting back in Keyzen?
“Consider it an honor.”
Serne said with a smile, stretching her long legs and resting one atop the other.
“Not many people have the privilege of sitting across from me like this.”
A voice and demeanor of elegance, overwhelming charisma, and an aura that only she possessed.
If there ever were someone destined to rise above all and become a queen, it would be her.
It was no wonder she had taken control of Class C.
In a place like Keyzen, where children of powerful figures all gathered, dominating even one class was no small feat. Clearly, she had something far beyond just mind control and her title as heir to the Ivory Tower.
In any case, the conclusion was clear.
‘A seriously exhausting person.’
Simon took a sip of tea to match her and spoke.
“Why did you call me here?”
Instead of answering, she pretended to be fussing with her fingers.
Just then, a waiter approached and began laying down tablecloths one by one. Then, with a polite "Excuse me", he handed Simon a letter.
After the waiter left, Simon frowned.
"I really wish you wouldn’t do things like using other people."
She chuckled softly.
"I didn’t use a feather this time, you know~ I just asked him to give you the letter while setting the tablecloth."
"……"
She was definitely messing with him.
Simon sighed inwardly and opened the letter.
"Huh?"
As soon as he saw the royal seal on the envelope, Simon flinched in shock. He accidentally bumped the teacup with his elbow, almost spilling the tea.
"W-What is this?"
He showed her the letter in a fluster.
"Why do you have a letter from the Dresden royal family?"
She tilted her head, as if wondering why he’d even ask such a thing.
"Because they asked me to pass it along."
"??"
The Ivory Tower was an autonomous province, a place that didn’t accept interference from any kingdom. He’d never heard of Dresden having any particular ties with the Ivory Tower.
"Princess Molly of Dresden, you’ve heard of her, right?"
At the mention of a familiar name, Simon’s tension eased slightly.
"I know her."
He still remembered clearly.
They had met during the duel assessment.
It was Simon’s debut with the Overlord. He was up against Malcolm Randolph, Special Admission No.10, who used Doppelganger magic.
At the time, Prince Andre, a second-year student, lent Malcolm the Dark Knight’s artifact because Simon had refused to join his club, Noble.
But Simon had literally beaten Malcolm—who wore the Dark Knight’s armor—in front of an audience of a thousand during the assessment.
Furious, Andre later summoned Simon and tried to physically assault him, but Princess Molly appeared and took him away.
After that incident, all the corruption Prince Andre had committed under his royal authority came to light, and Simon heard that Andre was eventually expelled from Keyzen.
— I swear on my name that neither my brother nor Dresden will trouble you any further. I snuck out today, but please allow me the chance to properly apologize later.
That’s what she had said at the time.
The contents of the letter matched the context now. It was personally written by Princess Molly, expressing her desire to apologize properly, and inviting Simon to a royal ball being held at the palace.
Serne added a brief explanation.
"It’s a named commission from the princess~ Once we’re back in Keyzen, the officials will be looking for you right away."
A named commission!
Unlike ordinary commissions, which students could pick up from the dormitory bulletin board, named commissions were requests where the client specifically chose the student. Only powerful individuals who could influence Keyzen were capable of making them.
According to the letter, the official reason was royal family security, but in reality, it was more of a request for him to attend and add splendor to the event. They even included detailed information on the dress code.
"Of course, I was invited too!"
Serne waved a letter stamped with the royal seal from inside her coat.
"They invited the most popular male and female students from Keyzen! You get the picture, right?"
Simon nodded.
With an invitation from the royal family—especially one sent personally by Princess Molly—refusing wasn’t really an option. There was no benefit in clashing with a kingdom.
Besides, he’d probably only be moving around within the palace grounds, so there was no need to worry about Magnus.
Still, Simon felt a lingering unease.
It was only right that he go and properly thank Princess Molly for stopping Prince Andre’s tantrum. But once again, they were using Keyzen students to flaunt their power…
"And get this! Just the named commission fee is 2,000 gold."
Anyone else might have second thoughts, but not Simon.
‘Thank you, Princess!’
He’d been running low on allowance money from Richard anyway.
Now that he had learned the powerful new technique Royal Guard, he wanted to invest more into buying skeletons.
Once the commission fee came in, he’d head straight to Rochest, reinforce his skeleton archers, and—though expensive—maybe even try acquiring a Mage.
Summoning studies was a gold-devouring monster. The more budget, the better. As Simon was already imagining how to spend the money he hadn’t even received yet, Serne suddenly asked,
"So, you’re going to accept, right?"
Simon nodded lightly and looked at Serne.
"I’ve got a question, unrelated to the mission."
"Go ahead."
"You really called me all the way to Rochest, even used one of your debt coupons, just to tell me this?"
If he had just stayed and studied in Keyzen, someone would have informed him once the named commission arrived anyway.
Then Serne suddenly leaned forward with a thunk!, rested her elbows on the table, cupped her face in her hands, and gave a sly smile.
"Do you have anything to wear to a ball?"
"……"
Of course not.
Serne noticed Simon hesitating and smiled with her eyes.
"Then let’s go shopping together~"
So this was her real objective.
Simon eyed her suspiciously.
"…We're just going shopping, right?"
She opened her palm and folded her thin fingers one by one.
"You have to escort me for the day. Carry my bags. Compliment me when I try things on. And don’t frown if I touch you."
Just hearing the list made his head spin.
He had a strong hunch this would be more exhausting than the mission itself.
"I’ll think about it if you use two debt coupons."
"Wow~ So pampering a girl for just one day is equal to risking your life fighting Saint of Efnelle? Do you even have a conscience?"
He had hoped, but no chance. As expected.
"But! I’ll cover all the expenses. That includes your outfit for the ball! How’s that?"
He’d heard ball outfits were expensive.
And if they happened to grab a few extra things while shopping… well, that wouldn’t be bad either. It didn’t feel like a bad deal.
"Alright, fine."
* * *
"Get ready. We’re heading out now!"
At the same time, while students were busy spending their early morning studying or having fun, there was still someone in Keyzen who remained blissfully asleep.
The room was styled in cream and pink tones, with frilly curtains on one side, and a display shelf filled with cute animal plushies.
And in bed lay a girl in pajamas.
Still lost in her dreams, she rubbed her eyes and sat up at the vibrating sound from the communication crystal on her desk.
"…What is it, this early in the morning?"
With sleepy eyes, she trudged over and activated the crystal.
"Yes?"
— Lady Loraine, Serne Eindark has begun to move.
Her drowsy red eyes instantly turned sharp.
"Location?"
— Rochest. She has one companion, an active Keyzen student.
"Must’ve brainwashed them again. Who is it?"
A firm voice came through the crystal.
"She’s with Simon Follentia."
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters