Chapter 431
Simon put down the cup of warm milk, and tore open one of the many letters piled up on the desk.
—Let’s hang out.
A half-hearted message, scrawled in messy, crooked handwriting. Of course, it was Dick’s letter.
Simon set that one aside, and began opening the next letters one by one.
—Can I come over to your house?
—Let’s hang out.
—Let’s hang out.
—If you don’t reply, I’ll shut up and barge in!
—Let’s hang out!
He must have been really bored.
Simon immediately picked up his quill and wrote a reply.
He explained that New Year’s was to be spent with family, and that later he would arrange a schedule with Maelyn and Kamibarez so they could all hang out before school started.
‘It would be nice to meet once before the term begins.’
From second year, the majoring system begins.
Simon planned to enter the Department of Summonology. Maelyn would go into the Department of Darkness Dynamics, Kamibarez into the Department of Haematology. As for Dick, it wasn’t 100% certain, but it seemed he was considering the Department of Toxicology.
Once they became students of different departments and scattered apart, they wouldn’t be able to meet often, like the old Class A, Group 7. He wanted to spend more time together while there was still a chance.
‘Now, the next letter.’
Simon picked up the girlish envelope with a ribbon on it, full of character illustrations.
Clearly, this one was from Kamibarez.
—Simon! I’m here in the vampire city ‘Tuzeran’, following my father!
Her small, cute handwriting showed itself clearly.
—The sunsets here are really beautiful. I don’t have a magic camera, so I’ll send you a drawing instead.
Sha-rak.
Flipping the page, Simon saw a landscape drawn directly by Kamibarez.
It wasn’t a masterpiece, but the key points—sunset, orange-tinted sea—stood out clearly. Her sincerity was woven into every stroke.
Feeling warmth in his chest, Simon picked up the next envelope.
This time, it was Maelyn’s refined, noble handwriting.
—I lost another bet with that ‘royal bastard’. I’m at the Grand Theater in Langerstine right now.
Once again, she had lost a wager with Serne at the Ivory Tower.
—The condition this time is that I have to perform at the theater. But guess who I ran into here? Seiyur! Remember?
Simon rested his chin on his hand.
Seiyur. Seiyur.
Who was that again? The name rang a bell.
—When the four of us went to the Neutral Zone for the ‘dispatch evaluation!’ That liar who pretended to be an agent and dragged us around!
Ah, now he remembered.
That smooth-talking illusionist.
—That guy is now a big star in Langerstine! Can you believe it?
Seiyur had been disciplined by the Dark Alliance, and his career as a necromancer was completely over.
But judging from Maelyn’s letter, he seemed to be enjoying a new golden age as a theater actor.
He might not have been a fighter, but his wit and showmanship were real.
Simon thought it would be nice if things continued to go well for him, and set the letter aside.
But there were still a few more letters left, aside from those from his Group 7 comrades.
‘Who could these be from?’
“Simon!”
From the living room downstairs came the voice of his mother, Anna.
“Come down for lunch!”
“Yes, coming now!”
Chop, chop, chop!
Chop, chop!
When Simon came down to the living room, Whitey and Blackey were already chomping away at the special meal Anna had made for them.
It was boiled chicken, and so delicious that they meowed while eating, ‘Meow, meow~’ The bowls were emptied in an instant.
—Meow!
—Nya!
The cats glared at Simon, as if accusing him.
—Why didn’t you give us something this tasty before?
—Bad human!
With their stubby front paws, they batted Simon’s legs. Then, spotting some tiny bug in the house, they got excited and scampered off.
“Mother.”
Anna looked at Simon with eyes full of affection.
“What is it, son?”
“......Isn’t this way too much for lunch?”
It was far too extravagant to be called just a midday meal. The table groaned under a mountain of steaming dishes.
Once again, the dining table legs were abused under the weight.
“You worked so hard in the Holy Federation, didn’t you? It’s important to eat plenty and recover your strength!”
“Th-then, thank you for the meal.”
So Simon ate, while opening the next letter.
It was written on pink, cute stationery. Naturally, he assumed it was Kamibarez’s taste, but it turned out to be someone else.
—To Simon oppa.
From the opening line alone, he couldn’t tell who it was yet.
As Simon was about to read further, Richard walked into the kitchen.
His eyes naturally fell on Simon’s letter.
“Ha ha!”
Then, with an all-knowing grin, he ruffled Simon’s hair.
“That’s my son. Getting letters from girls during vacation.”
“F-father!”
Simon’s face flushed red.
“Whose letter is that? Maelyn? Or Kamibarez?”
“It’s neither of them. I don’t know who it is yet.”
Richard stroked his chin seriously.
“I see. Sometimes it’s hard to tell. But listen, Simon. Even if you don’t remember a lady right away, even if her name escapes you for the moment, always stay calm. Talk naturally, gather her name and—”
Tung—!
Richard froze in place. A few strands of his hair fluttered down, while a fork was embedded in the wall behind him.
“Teaching such fine lessons to your son, are you?”
Anna peeked from the kitchen, her eyes flashing.
“Hmhm! D-dear! Still got the skills from my active days, I see!”
Richard tried to brush it off with a joke, but—
“Seems like you still haven’t outgrown your dog days habit.”
Against Anna, he never stood a chance.
Watching his father get pummeled once again, Simon returned to reading the letter.
—Simon oppa, it’s me, Sasha! Surprised? I begged Kami-unnie to tell me your address. Should’ve asked back at Pentamonium, but I totally forgot!
‘So it’s Sasha!’
The girl Simon had rescued in the Neutral Zone, now undergoing treatment at Pentamonium.
She was already confirmed to enter Keyzen as a special admission next year.
—I’ve grown taller, and I can use black magic better now! When I’m discharged from Pentamonium next year, I’ll officially enter Keyzen. Then, please take care of me, senior.
Senior.
Simon felt his heart pounding. The day had truly come, when someone would call him senior at Keyzen.
—To think I’ll be attending Keyzen with Simon oppa and Kami-unnie! Just imagining it makes me so happy. Please take care of me next year too! Happy New Year!
Turning the last page, Simon found a photo of Sasha taken with a magic camera.
Though she wore a patient’s gown, she had grown noticeably taller, and her face was much more refined.
Seeing Sasha overcoming her past suffering and trauma, and standing tall with pride, made Simon’s chest ache warmly.
‘Now then.’
Simon lifted the next envelope.
‘Who’s the last one from?’
Rustle—
He opened the envelope, only to find another envelope inside. Then another.
‘What kind of prank is this… Oh?’
Simon’s eyes widened.
The royal crest!
The last envelope bore the crest of the Dresden royal family.
‘Who could it be?’
A sudden wave of tension washed over him. With trembling hands, Simon unfolded the letter.
—To my respected senior, Simon.
Once again, “senior”.
From the very first line, the magical word that made hearts race.
—I hope you’ve been well. I am Princess Molly of the Dresden Kingdom. Do you remember me? Please forgive the troublesome envelopes. Since your fiefdom belongs to the Baldwin Kingdom, I had to be careful.
So it was indeed her. The youngest princess of the Dresden Kingdom.
There was only one princess on the continent whom Simon was acquainted with.
“Oh, Simon.”
Richard chuckled in admiration.
“Without your old man even knowing, you’ve even charmed a princess of another kingdom? Seems you’re even better than—”
“Richard?”
At Anna’s sharp glare, Richard instantly shut his mouth.
Simon looked back at the letter.
—I’m embarrassed, but my father has granted me permission to enter Keyzen, so I had to write to you! The moment the permission came, the very first person I thought of was you, senior Simon!
Reading through the letter, Simon realized that Princess Molly also possessed remarkable talent as a necromancer.
He kept reading line by line, until he reached the last part.
—If you happen to depart from Langerstine to Keyzen, could you perhaps help me a little with buying the textbooks? I don’t know anything about it. Ah, I’m really sorry if this was too much to ask!
Simon gave a wry smile.
How could he, in good sense, refuse a request from a princess?
However, he had heard that the entrance days for second years and first years were different. He decided to mention that point, and to reply that once the schedule became clear, he would gladly help her.
“As expected, the Dresden Kingdom is clever.”
Richard, glancing over Simon’s letter, said.
“They recognize future power holders quickly, and act fast. When will our Baldwin Kingdom start to move?”
Anna, seated at the table, looked at Richard.
“You actually had patriotism for the kingdom?”
“Nothing but the fact that it’s my birthplace.”
Simon scratched his head with an embarrassed look.
“I-It’s just a favor to help with textbooks. Aren’t you two overinterpreting it?”
At that, Richard burst into loud laughter.
Anna merely tapped her son’s arm lightly, as though finding him adorable.
* * *
Happy New Year.
Simon spent the new year quietly with his family in his hometown, Leshill.
In the middle, he summoned Feer through Herseba’s ability to receive a report, and was told everything was wrapping up smoothly. The final results would be heard after school started, at Feer’s ruins.
In the clean waters and clear air of Leshill, Simon focused on recuperating his overworked body and Core, restoring his condition. For several days, he did nothing but sleep all day long.
Once his condition returned to normal, he resumed training in “Chaos”.
Chaos, in its true sense, was Simon’s original creation, combining Cloud of the Darkness System, and Holy Blood of the Holiness System.
But there was still a long way to go.
Against strong foes, it was effective for creating variables, but its lack of stability was a major flaw.
In particular, the summoned “Chaos Reaper” would betray the caster if the amount of chaos in the magic circle dropped, slashing indiscriminately at both friend and foe.
“In battle, having ‘calculable outcomes’ is extremely important, Simon.”
Richard spoke.
“Suppose the power of your ‘Chaos Spear’ ranges from 0 to 1,000. A high maximum is good, but if during combat you happen to draw ‘0’, the risk you bear is too great. The cost of pulling a blank might be your very life.”
Simon nodded quickly, showing his agreement.
“So, the goal of this vacation’s training is to change Chaos from ‘0–1,000’, to ‘100–1,000’. Aim for a draw without blanks. Even if the maximum value decreases, having guaranteed minimum power will be far more effective in combat usage.”
“Yes, sir!”
To establish Chaos magic, help was needed from both Darkness and Holiness.
Thus, Simon received support from both Richard and Anna, though their opinions slightly diverged.
“Just grab the minimum risk, and pour everything into raw power.”
“No. For Simon’s safety, stability must be raised further.”
The two were practically having a marital spat—no, a debate—over the ratios of Cloud and Holy Blood.
“Dear, in battle, the best safety is to decapitate the enemy with a single strike. If you leave openings and the fight drags out, Simon becomes more endangered.”
“And how many times did I have to save you from overextending like that? True strength isn’t all-or-nothing, but a well-balanced, flawless power with high completion.”
‘…But Chaos is my own technique.’
Those words lingered at his lips, but Simon only smiled quietly, waiting for their contest of nerves to end.
The conclusion was thus.
Chaos was not a technique to be spammed recklessly. In ordinary circumstances, it would be wiser to rely on regular black and white magic.
Chaos would be used when facing formidable foes, to create decisive variables.
In return, once deployed, it would be refined to raise Simon’s specs so overwhelmingly that victory would be secured.
Richard and Anna helped refine the formulas of Cloud, Holy Blood, and Chaos. The spell grew heavier compared to when Simon first created it, but—
<Chaos Spear>
A trial throw of a single violet spear shattered the surrounding trees, leaving Simon deeply moved.
“This is it! I’ll go with this!”
So, while Simon devoted his vacation to training new techniques in a small mountain villa—
“Simon, you have a guest.”
Richard came in person to fetch him.
“A guest, suddenly? Who is it?”
“It’s better if you see for yourself.”
There was a faint tension in Richard’s expression.
Simon immediately ran down the mountain toward home.
But as he drew closer, strange phenomena appeared. Trees and rocks around the area were floating in the air.
Swaaah—
Even bizarre fish were swimming through the sky, as if they were in the ocean.
‘Monsters?’
As Simon tried to rouse Darkness, Richard placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.
“Just go.”
At last, they arrived home. Simon hurriedly opened the door, only to see the back of a huge man, like a giant, sitting at the dining table.
Crunch, crunch!
He devoured the food Anna had prepared, as if it were vanishing into thin air.
“You’re here, Simon.”
Anna also looked slightly surprised. Simon stepped forward and spoke.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
Thud!
The man set down a plate, picked clean to the bone. He lifted a water jug and guzzled it down.
Khaaa.
With a satisfied sigh, and even a burp, he patted his belly.
At last, he turned around.
“It’s been so long! How have you been?”
Simon’s eyes widened, a radiant smile spreading across his face at the same time.
“P-President Phantasus!”
It was none other than Phantasus Hugh Ikel, Keyzen’s former student council president, and like Kajan, an unofficial confidant of Neftis.
Screech—!
Phantasus stood up. Being so tall, his head struck the ceiling with a bang, but he seemed unconcerned.
“President? I graduated from Keyzen, so that title no longer applies. I’m nothing more than an adventurer now!”
He strode toward Simon, his hair brushing dust off the ceiling.
“Simon Follentia!”
“Y-Yes!”
Simon answered nervously, stiffening up.
“No need for dragging things out, let’s get straight to the point!”
What had he come to say so suddenly? Simon swallowed hard. Richard and Anna, watching beside him, also felt the tension rising.
Phantasus, smiling broadly, extended his hand.
“Congratulations! From now on, you are the Student Council President of Keyzen!!”
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