Chapter 358
"I’ve heard the rumors, Simon Follentia student."
On the way to the artifact auction house, Simon was suddenly having a conversation with a noble.
And not just any noble, an Ivory Tower noble.
"You really do attract attention wherever you go. I heard you caused quite the stir here in Pentamonium as well, and already the rumors are spreading fast. Haha!"
Simon showed a modest business smile.
"You flatter me."
"And—"
He looked at the girl with ivory-colored hair clinging tightly to Simon’s arm, and a satisfied smile spread across his lips.
"You seem to get along very well with our heir."
"Ohoho!"
Serne covered her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed gracefully.
"Not just close, you know. More than friends? Less than married?"
Serne began to chatter like a little bird, and Simon gave no comment, simply keeping a smiling face.
The Ivory Tower noble looked back at Simon and spoke again.
"If it’s alright with you, we would like to invite you to an academic conference hosted by our Ivory Tower."
"Ah, if you would, it would be an honor."
"Pentamonium holds much knowledge and many records, but in that they trade this knowledge and buy and sell it for money, they are closer to merchants than scholars. A regrettable matter."
A subtle dig at Pentamonium, and a chance to promote themselves.
After parting ways with the Ivory Tower man, Simon dropped into a nearby cafe for a short rest.
"Simon. Ah~"
Serne held out the ice cream in her hand. Feeling awkward, Simon leaned his head slightly back.
"…Now that the Ivory Tower man is gone."
"Eh, what does it matter?"
Serne smiled brightly. The way her brows drew together and her eyes sharpened showed a determination that she had no intention of backing down.
In the end, Simon glanced around and, with no choice, took a bite. Immediately, Serne opened her mouth wide—chomp!—and ate the very spot where Simon’s lips had touched.
"Wa…!"
"?"
Serne blinked innocently as she began to lick the ice cream all over. Tilting her head playfully, her fox-like eyes gleamed. She knew exactly what she was doing while pretending not to.
Embarrassed, Simon turned his head away, and Serne chuckled, finding his reaction cute.
"Living the life."
Kajan said in a flat tone, sitting between the two.
"More importantly, an open cafe like this is unsuitable for security. The artifact auction will start soon, so hurry up and eat."
"Ah, really!"
Though smiling, a vein appeared faintly on Serne’s forehead.
"You’re unbelievably dense! Even when I’m talking with elders, you just trail behind me. Couldn’t you help me out a bit?"
"Simon’s protection is more important. And no matter who you’re talking to, there’s always the chance Magnus could transform and approach."
"What an exhausting style you have."
While Serne sullenly bit her ice cream, Simon was rapidly turning his head, scanning around with a tense expression.
"What is it, Simon?"
"Don’t you think it’s… a bit too noisy?"
"Of course it’s noisy. Look how many people are in this cafe."
"No, not that."
Simon stared out the window. Then he suddenly shot up from his seat and bolted outside.
Once out of the noisy cafe, it became certain.
"Kyaaaaaa!"
From all directions came raw, piercing screams.
Kajan and Serne followed him outside, and they too could hear the visceral cries.
"Run! Run!"
"They said the city was safe!"
Seeing people with faces pale as sheets, it was clear something was wrong. The screaming grew louder, and from a distance, it became clear what was chasing the fleeing people.
‘Zombies…!’
These were zombies running on all fours.
"Huh, what’s this? Some idiot necromancer lost control of their thought command?"
"For that, there are far too many."
What had been only one or two zombies in the distance quickly multiplied into an uncountable horde.
Kajan nodded gravely.
"Those are zombies that lived outside the barrier."
Simon whipped his head toward him.
"Wait, Kajan! You mean…!"
"Yes."
Kajan said, his tone chilling.
"There must be a problem with the barrier surrounding Pentamonium."
Wiiiing!
Wiiiiing!
From all over the city came the wail of sirens and alarms.
[Emergency! This is an emergency! Undead monsters are roaming inside the city. All visitors, please evacuate immediately to the nearest Glass Tower!
The swarming zombies, the evacuation announcement, and the flashing red beacons made it undeniable that this was no “show”.
The once-lively city plunged into chaos in an instant.
"Simon! Look over there!"
Serne pointed behind him.
The core of Pentamonium, its seven largest and tallest Glass Towers, began to shine as barriers formed around them. It was an automatic system that activated during an alarm to protect the records stored inside.
"If we don’t run now, we won’t be able to get inside the Glass Towers!"
"……"
Simon closed his eyes.
Hundreds, thousands of emotions and thoughts swirled in his head.
When he opened them again, he saw the zombies and the terrified people.
"Let’s start by guiding civilians to safety. We can buy them some time."
Simon opened his subspace. Skeleton archers, responding to his will, instantly leaped out.
"Shoot any zombie you see!"
At his order, the archers nocked arrows like lightning and fired. Arrows struck the zombies chasing people square in the head—thunk! thunk!
Then, with a motion like gathering laundry, Simon swept his arms, and the skeletons’ bones shot forward, attaching to the fleeing people. They were lifted into the air and carried to safety.
"You two, help as well!"
"Can’t be helped~"
Serne grasped her ivory hair, shook it several times, and let it fall like a model in a photoshoot. As her hair shimmered, countless feathers scattered onto the ground.
"Come out."
The feathers transformed into magic circles, and from them emerged Serne’s Feather Soldiers, which she had presented in her recent thesis.
The Feather Soldiers soared through the air to engage zombies, while Serne herself coated other feathers in Darkness and threw them like shuriken. Wherever they passed, zombies collapsed, spraying blood.
"Large group incoming from the right."
Kajan said, taking a combat stance. A massive wave of zombies was surging from the flank.
"Wait, Kajan."
Simon stopped his charge. From afar, large and small fireballs were flying in.
Kwaaaaaaang!
Puuuuuung!
In a massive bombardment, black flames rained down, obliterating the flank of the zombie horde without a trace.
"We’ll help too! Keyzen!"
Even Aland, Sierra, and the Moyran students postponed their evacuation and joined the front line.
With a sweep of their arms, unfamiliar summoned beasts appeared, plant-type monsters, and undead shaped like floating stingrays.
Woooong!
Pentamonium’s counterattack began as well. Guided magic circles opened across the ground, and massive Patchwork Golems dropped from the sky.
Like meteors, they slammed down, crushing nearby zombies as they landed on the battlefield.
"Fast."
Kajan remarked.
"Pentamonium’s defense system is activating."
While the barriers were spreading over the seven Glass Towers, they were also remotely putting up barriers around places with large civilian gatherings, like restaurants or outdoor performance halls.
The moment zombies touched the barrier, they turned into pitch-black ash with a crackling sound.
‘This side is more or less under control.’
Scanning the surroundings, Simon spotted the only person he knew among the Aland students and called out.
"Benz!"
Hearing Simon call his name, Benz’s face lit up with uncontrollable joy.
‘He still remembers my name!’
"I’ll leave this side to you guys. Fight as needed, and retreat into the barrier with the civilians."
"Okay! Leave it to us!"
Golems were dropping all over, and barriers were unfolding.
Even though a breach in the city’s barrier, something that had never happened in Pentamonium’s history, was taking place, Pentamonium was responding well.
Most importantly, visiting necromancers were rolling up their sleeves and stepping forward. Everyone who could fight had come out, while in the meantime, civilians escaped into the Glass Towers’ barriers.
Simon, Serne, and Kajan also moved across the battlefield, constantly rescuing civilians.
‘If it’s a zombie battle, then of course…’
Normally, he wouldn’t even think about bringing out an Ancient Undead from his Legion, but in this kind of chaotic situation swarming with undead, it was fine.
"Help me, Prince."
Simon spoke into the ring on his left hand, then placed it on the body of a fallen zombie. Instantly, a black lightning bolt descended from the sky and struck the zombie’s body.
[Asexpected—]
And slowly rising to his feet was a small boy wearing a faded crown.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he glanced at the swarm of pitch-black zombies around him and let out a dry laugh.
[Every time I’m summoned, it’s always this kind of situation.]
"Prince, I need your power!"
[Hehheh!]
Prince grasped the crown on his head.
[So, it’s time for this hidden card to step in!]
He activated the power of the crown. Prince’s crown held the ability to control zombies.
The eyes of several zombies, rushing in as a mass of black, turned to the same color as Prince’s.
And the zombies Prince had seized…
‘Corpse Explosion!’
Since Simon was the legion commander, it was possible for him to detonate them with Corpse Explosion.
Kuwaaaaaang!
Puuuuuuung!
Massive explosions erupted among the hordes of charging zombies. With a single Corpse Explosion, nearly ten to twenty zombies were blown away.
"Keep it up!"
[Got it!]
Thanks to the combined efforts of Simon and Prince, the swarm on one flank vanished without a trace.
"Oh, well, well~"
Serne, controlling her Feather Soldiers, smiled as she approached.
"This is the first time I’ve seen such a cute little undead."
[W−what did you say?]
Prince flared up and glared up at her.
[I am the ruler of Deathland and the pinnacle of all zombies in the world, Prince! Don’t call me cute!]
"My my~ how adorable."
Ignoring him, Serne patted Prince’s head. Prince’s face turned bright red with fury.
[Don’t treat me like a kid!]
"Want some candy, little one?"
[I don’t want it!]
"Both of you, stop playing around and help!"
The Simon–Prince duo, with their overwhelming firepower, stabilized the battlefield in an instant.
However, with the breach in the barrier allowing more zombies to pour in endlessly, it was like pouring water into a bottomless jar.
"They say the civilian evacuation is almost complete."
Kajan spoke after receiving a report through the communication crystal.
"Let’s head back to the Glass Tower too. This place is too dangerous."
"Yes!"
The three of them made for the nearest Glass Tower in the Summonology sector.
"Tch."
But the barrier had already completely enclosed the Glass Tower. Total lockdown.
"Is it really okay to close it this quickly~? There might still be people outside."
"Let’s try another one."
The three cut their way through zombies and headed straight for the next Glass Tower. But here too, the building’s barrier was fully up.
"Looks like the upper echelons of Pentamonium are panicking."
Kajan spoke in a disapproving tone.
"For them, nothing is worse than the loss of data. Even if it means civilian casualties, blocking entry comes first in their minds."
"Ah! Look over there!"
Serne pointed to the inside of the Glass Tower, visible through the barrier.
It was a mess. Like a disaster had swept through, the surroundings were drenched in blood, and zombies were wandering around.
"What a disaster. Could zombies have gotten in before the barrier fully activated?"
"……"
At that moment, Simon’s face noticeably paled.
"What’s wrong, Simon?"
"This building,"
Simon’s expression turned grave.
"Sasha is in this building."
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters