Chapter 434
The next day.
“Huff! Huff!”
Simon was climbing the ridge with a heavy bundle of firewood strapped across both shoulders. Sweat poured down like rain, and ragged breaths escaped from his lips.
“Ugh!”
In the end, he couldn’t endure any longer and collapsed to the ground. The logs he had been carrying rolled down the steep slope, tumbling and clattering away.
Thump— thump—
His heart pounded as though it would burst, his veins swelled fiercely all over his body. His muscles twisted and twisted again, on the verge of tearing apart.
With trembling hands, Simon pressed against his chest and activated black magic.
‘Calm.’
When he cast black magic using the Rune of Calm, the trembling in his body gradually began to subside.
—You’ve placed an activation curse on your body.
Phantasus’ voice rose in his mind.
—The harder you work, the more strain you’ll put on yourself. Each time you reach your limit, ease your body and organs with calm-type curses to endure! This, too, is part of an important training method!
Rustle.
Simon, his eyes bloodshot, pulled a small pill out of his pocket.
—If you really can’t endure, then take it. But know this, the teaching of the Sleep Curse will end that very day.
“......”
Simon stared at the pill in silence, then put it back into his pocket without a word. He exhaled a long sigh.
‘He’s a good person, but his teaching is ruthless.’
If Phantasus hadn’t given him the pill, he wouldn’t even be struggling with such hesitation.
Simon staggered back to his feet and went down the hill to pick up the scattered logs. A stubborn flame burned in his eyes.
‘I will never give up!’
“Young master! Thank you so much!”
“Think nothing of it.”
Simon replied as he set the bundle of firewood down.
He had brought the wood for an old woman who lived alone, far from the fief’s center.
“I’m sorry, Simon. My leg is like this......”
The woman’s son, who usually did this task, lay bedridden. His leg was tightly wrapped in bandages.
“It’s fine, sir. You need to recover quickly.”
Simon wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and smiled.
“If you need anything, please call on me anytime!”
And so, Simon waved to the old woman and her son, and left. He cast the calm curse again as he crossed back over the mountain.
By the time he neared home, the sound of children’s laughter rang out.
“Uncle Phanta! Over here, over here!”
“Got you!”
Phantasus, with two village children slung across his sturdy shoulders, grabbed a third who tried to run away.
He set them down in the grass and tickled them, making all three burst into loud, merry laughter.
President Phantasus?’
As Simon started walking toward them, he heard another voice across the road.
“Phantasus! Thanks for helping out with work today!”
It was Charles, a village resident, waving his hand.
“Of course I should help! Hahahaha!”
Phantasus gave a big thumbs-up in response.
“You were helping with the fief’s work? And watching the children too.”
Simon stepped forward. The children clinging to Phantasus’ body lit up when they saw him.
“It’s Brother Simon!”
“Brother Simon!”
They slid down from Phantasus as though climbing down a tree, and rushed over to Simon. He patted their heads, smiling warmly.
“Hm! I owe much to Leshill, of course I should help out!”
Phantasus laughed heartily.
“More importantly, how was the Calm training?”
Without a word, Simon pulled out the pill from his pocket, shook it lightly, and put it back.
Phantasus smiled in satisfaction, casting Cancellation to remove the curse from Simon.
After a brief rest, Simon followed Phantasus back up the mountain. It was a secluded place, where mana concentration was high.
“I even finished the magic circle.”
Simon held out his palm and drew forth his focus.
< Sleep >
A circle spread out, with the main rune, the Rune of Calm, at its center. The rest of the spell inscriptions flowed rapidly outward. Phantasus stroked his chin, watching closely.
“Your mastery is remarkably fast! As expected of my successor!”
“Thank you!”
“Good, then shall we have a taste test right away!”
He plopped down on the ground with a thud.
“What kind of taste test?”
“Sleep. I intend to taste the sleep you create!”
Simon didn’t quite understand, but interpreted it as Phantasus being willing to undergo the curse himself.
“The maximum stack of Sleep is five! Place all five on me and put me to sleep.”
“Yes, sir.”
Simon moved behind Phantasus and, just as instructed, created the Sleep curse in his palm and placed it on his back. Again, and again, until five times.
At the fifth stack—
Thud!
Phantasus’ massive body toppled to the ground. Soon after, snore— snore— he began snoring loudly.
“......Oh.”
Simon hesitated, then looked at his palm in anticipation.
“Did it succeed?”
Then, the snoring Phantasus began tossing and turning. His face twisted, he rolled this way and that, scratching his belly or hugging a tree trunk nearby.
And after about five minutes—
“Huuaaahp!”
Phantasus woke up. Simon jumped in surprise and rushed over.
“H-how was it?”
“Hahaha!”
Covering his forehead, Phantasus chuckled.
“It still tastes bitter! I had a brief nightmare!”
“A nightmare?”
“Yes! I dreamed of my second day after enrolling at Keyzen!”
Phantasus rubbed his face with his palm.
“In Katarology class, everyone succeeded at Exhaust except me, and in Magical Combat class, I couldn’t even perform the Darkness Step, so I alone fell into the water! I could hear the mocking laughter of my classmates. And in combat practice, the girl I quietly had a crush on utterly defeated me! She stomped my head into the dirt and said—”
His mouth curled.
“‘You’re trash.’”
“......”
Simon’s face tightened in sympathy.
“Did that really happen?”
“Hahahahaha! It’s all in the past!”
Phantasus dusted off his pants and stood up.
“In the end, all those trials became nourishment for my growth!”
There was no regret or bitterness in his voice at all.
‘What an incredible person.’
Simon thought, his eyes shining.
“Oh, and for reference!”
Phantasus gave a mischievous grin.
“The girl who insulted me and stomped me in training? Two years later, she became my vice-president.”
Simon burst out laughing.
“That’s hilarious! President, your stories from Keyzen!”
“Is that so? Hahahaha!”
Phantasus chuckled along, shoulders shaking with delight.
“Now! It’s your turn.”
“Huh?”
Ziiing!
A Sleep magic circle flared in Phantasus’ palm.
It wasn’t the complex one he first showed, but the basic, simple circle he had taught Simon.
“This time, you will be the one afflicted by Sleep!”
“Wh-what? Why me all of a sudden?”
“To cast a good curse, you must also feel and experience it with your own body! Of course—!”
Flash!
Phantasus lunged forward without warning.
“Resisting is fine too!”
Tap!
His right arm brushed against Simon’s shoulder.
A touch-triggered curse. In an instant, Simon felt the effect of Sleep 1 stack, his vision swimming.
‘Drowsiness......!’
Sleepiness swept over him as though it were a lie.
Whoosh!
Simon stumbled backward, narrowly avoiding Phantasus’ left arm.
He tried to unfold a magic circle to counterattack, but—
‘Ugh!’
His concentration faltered.
It was like he hadn’t slept for an entire month. Not only could he not draw a circle, but he desperately wanted to just sleep. The irresistible urge to sleep consumed his whole body.
“Your movements are sluggish!”
Phantasus closed in instantly, brushing Simon’s thigh for the 2nd stack, then twirling around to tap his arm for the 3rd.
“Urgh!”
Simon’s eyelids grew unbearably heavy.
He wanted to sleep.
Forget everything, and just, sleep.
‘Get a grip!’
In the confusion, he didn’t even realize how, but he was already at the 4th stack.
He was no longer able to fight.
Strength drained from his entire body, his limbs no longer obeyed his brain’s commands.
The drowsiness flooding in was so sweet, so irresistible, that everything else lost importance.
‘Urgh!’
To fall asleep in battle was the same as death. By that logic, was his body so desperately longing for death right now?
The thought crossed his mind, this was truly a terrifying curse.
“Now! For the final 5th stack!”
Phantasus’ arm came swinging in. Simon endured with sheer willpower, ducked low to avoid it, then kicked his leg upward with all his might.
Whoosh!
His foot aimed for the jaw, but Phantasus tilted his head back and dodged.
Simon spun his body, preparing the next kick, but—
Grab!
The back of his head was seized. His body was driven toward the dirt.
“Sleep well!”
As his face was pressed into the soil, the smell of earth filled his nose, and Simon lost consciousness.
* * *
Chirp! Chirp chirp!
The sound of mountain birds made Simon’s eyes fly open. He was lying flat in a meadow, arms and legs sprawled.
Rustle, he touched his forehead.
“Ah......”
“How is it?”
Turning at the voice, he saw Phantasus leaning against a tree, smiling gently.
“Was it not a sweet sleep?”
“......”
He hadn’t dreamed.
Or had he?
More than that, his head felt astonishingly clear. His condition was perfect. Energy coursed through his whole body, and simply existing felt pleasant.
“Um......”
Simon answered in a dazed voice.
“It really was a sweet sleep.”
“That’s what you call delicious sleep!”
Phantasus spread his arms wide.
“You slept barely ten minutes, but now, doesn’t the world look different?”
“It certainly does.”
Simon stood up. He didn’t want to waste this perfect condition.
“Then please, give me the next training!”
“Hahahaha! That’s the spirit! Successor!”
* * *
Every day of lessons with the cheerful Phantasus was a joy.
Of course, those weren’t the only lessons.
“Ready, Simon?”
Anna, who usually only stayed in the kitchen, had tied her hair back and was helping him train Divine Beastology.
As the former Saint of Miracles, her skills had not dulled. With only a casual gesture, she spread a mana barrier that encompassed an entire training ground.
It blocked out presence and holiness. Since this was the Dark Alliance, such measures were essential.
“I’ll begin, Mom!”
—Meow! Meow!
—Woof!
Simon tossed Whitey and Blackey into the air along with holiness, while granting holiness to Akallion, enlarging him.
Over Akallion, he fastened the reins designed for divine beasts, a gift from Israfil. Then, boarding the shining chariot that descended in a halo of light—
“Let’s go!”
The instant Simon pulled the reins, the chariot lifted smoothly, soaring into the sky.
Radiance reminiscent of the sun spread in a circle, while white sparks enveloped both the chariot and Akallion’s body.
Just like this—
“Run, my friends!”
His body became a streak of light as it surged forward. “Uwaaahhhhhh—!” his voice cried out. It was still insanely fast.
“If you hit the barrier, you fail, Simon~!”
Anna shouted from below.
“Don’t let the speed scare you, focus on your bond with the divine beast!”
“Yeeees!!”
Simon’s body, like a beam of light, dashed through the barrier countless times. Soon after, Anna spread a large holy barrier on the ground.
“Finish with this!”
Simon and the chariot halted mid-air, then became a single bolt of lightning that struck the holy barrier.
Kwararararara—!
The powerful paralysis effect that had once disabled Dungeon Master Karisa in a single strike.
Then, Simon tumbled to the ground, hugging the shrunken cats and Akallion.
“Simon! Are you alright?”
“......I-I’m fine, Mom!”
—Meow! Meow!
—Woof!
Even the divine beasts looked delighted to be playing for the first time in a while. Simon leapt up, smiling.
“I’ve got a rough feel for the speed now!”
“Good. Let’s do more training to get you accustomed.”
So, in the morning, Simon trained Divine Beastology with Anna, in the afternoon he practiced Sleep with Phantasus.
And in the evening—
Chaaaang! Kaaang!
There awaited Chaos training with Richard.
Simon, wielding the Chaos Spear, launched a fierce assault, while Richard spun a spear of Darkness with dazzling technique.
Clang! Clang! Clangclangclang!
Each time father and son clashed spears, purple and black sparks exploded violently.
“Simon! You are now the student council president of Keyzen! Do you understand how grave that position is?”
Richard deflected Simon’s Chaos strike, thrusting with his spear tip.
“Of course!”
Simon twisted his head to avoid it, lowering his hand. A purple spear fell from the sky, but Richard deftly avoided it, stepped back, then charged straight in.
“Countless challenges will come your way!”
Screeeech!
As their spears locked in a power struggle, father and son’s eyes clashed head-on.
“The 3rd-years will resent you, the 2nd-years will bide their chances! The adults will ceaselessly test the new student council president. Provocations and challenges will hound you all semester long! What do you think is the most necessary thing to overcome it all?”
Tap!
Simon’s eyes sharpened, his body spinning.
Bwoooom!
From the shadow at his feet, Chaos Reaper swung its scythe. A violet scar slashed through the air, cutting trees cleanly in half.
“Strength.”
Simon gripped the Chaos Spear tightly, smiling.
“The most necessary thing is strength.”
“Exactly so, Simon! The new semester is almost upon us.”
Richard raised a finger. From the ground, ghouls under his control staggered to their feet.
“In the remaining vacation! Put every ounce of yourself into becoming a man worthy of Keyzen’s Student Council President!”
“Yes, sir!”
Simon kicked off the ground, hurling himself toward the swarm of ghouls.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters