Chapter 459
The meeting proceeded smoothly.
There was only one day left. Nothing was more troublesome than causing a big mess that couldn’t be cleaned up, so they decisively removed any unrealistic proposals.
By cutting what needed cutting and adding where necessary, they managed to complete a fairly solid plan.
“Alright then.”
Maelyn slammed the documents on the desk with a clack, organizing them, and then stood up.
“Professor Jane’s lab is close to our dorm, so I’ll deliver this to her.”
“I’ll go with you, Maelyn! Thank you for your hard work, everyone!”
The female students went out first. Dick stretched and let out a strange groan.
“Simon.”
“Hm?”
“You’re really going to do it?”
“Of course.”
“Uh-huh! That sounds like you.”
Chuckling, Dick opened a drawer in the student council room and took something out.
“Then take this too.”
“What is it?”
“A disposable memorial crystal. It’s a student council supply.”
The memorial crystal was an artifact capable of recording video and audio. Dick tossed one to Simon.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
Simon asked, puzzled.
“Beats me~ But who knows? It might come in handy.”
With that cryptic remark, Dick pocketed one crystal and, being thorough as the treasurer, marked that two had been used in the supplies log.
“I’ll just hang around for a bit and then go in when the Toxicology Department’s initiation ceremony is about to start.”
“Got it, be careful.”
* * *
Simon parted ways with Dick and headed toward the Summoning Department dormitory.
The meeting had run longer than expected. He decided he’d have to go to the ruins of Feer at dawn.
‘Sigh.’
Once again, he realized just how far the campus and the Summoning Department were from each other, farther than he had thought.
After a long walk along a dark, eerie forest path, he finally arrived at the Summoning Department building. Simon entered the dorm, bypassing the ornamental skeleton guards.
The lobby and lounge were empty.
“Ah! It’s you!”
A familiar voice made Simon turn his head.
Benya Vanilla, a senior from his club, was rushing toward the communal kitchen carrying a load of food ingredients.
“Senior Benya!”
She explained she was preparing dishes and snacks for the initiation ceremony. A few other third-year female students were nearby, so Simon greeted them as well.
“Just got back from the student council?”
“Yes. Where are the others?”
“They’re in the middle of the department welcome party.”
“Could you tell me where it is?”
“If you go out the back of the building and walk toward the Forbidden Forest, you’ll find it.”
Simon bowed politely, “Thank you”, and quickened his pace toward the place Benya had indicated.
Though the forest was dark, he thought he might get lost, but the raucous laughter and scattered lights made it easy to find.
“Ugh! Uuuuugh!”
Here and there, students were clutching trees or bent over, vomiting.
The red badges on their collars indicated they were second-years.
‘Did they drink too much? Or is it… something else?’
A foreboding feeling crept over him.
Simon ran faster toward the source of the yelling.
‘!’
Finally, he arrived and witnessed a horrifying scene.
Second-years were bent over, vomiting with pale faces, and in the middle of them was Will, a third-year ranked 12th overall.
“Ah~ unbelievable. One sip and you act like this?”
In front of Will knelt a familiar figure.
‘Toto!’
Simon’s face went pale.
In front of Toto was a large bowl made of a skull, filled with filthy slop. Unknown, disgusting chunks floated in it.
“Drink it, damn it! Can’t you hear me?”
Will shook Toto by the collar.
“You won’t enter the dorm until you finish all of this.”
“I-I c-can’t d-do it……”
Toto pleaded with teary eyes. But Will’s reply was cold.
“If you want to blame someone, blame your classmates.”
He pointed to the second-years standing stiffly nearby. They quickly averted their eyes from Toto.
“It was a loyalty game, wasn’t it? I thought everyone would drink sincerely for our last player, ‘Toto’, but they collapse after one sip. Some just lick it and make faces while passing their turn. Damn, you’re pathetic. I’ll fix your bad habits today.”
Will grabbed the back of Toto’s head with his large hand.
“Now, drink it, alright? I’ll forgive the chunks.”
He forcefully brought the skull bowl close to Toto’s face. Tears streamed down Toto’s cheeks.
“I-I-I-I can’t drink this! Please save me!”
“Drinking this won’t kill you! Hey, don’t lose strength in your arms!”
Toto held on to the skull bowl, refusing to give in. Will’s eyes sharpened.
“Do I need to shove your face into the bowl?”
Darkness flickered along Will’s arm.
Just as he was about to dunk Toto’s face into the bowl—
Clang!
A hand grabbed his arm.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The second-years, who had been too afraid to look, widened their eyes. Toto turned to Simon with teary eyes.
“Simon!!”
Will grinned.
“…You’re here, huh?”
He let go of Toto. Simon glared at him coldly, but Will remained calm.
“Ha ha! What can I do? This is all part of Keyzen’s long-standing tradition. For senior-junior bonding…”
“Bonding? I only see bullying.”
“The second-years interrupting us. What a mess.”
Will spat on the floor.
“Do you think we do this for fun? None of the third-years skipped a sip; in the end, we even licked the skull bowl with our tongues. Blame your own bad luck in the penalty, and the classmates who broke loyalty in the loyalty game! Now, continue.”
Will grabbed Toto’s face again.
“Wait a minute.”
Simon intervened. Will’s expression twisted into irritation.
“The student council keeps meddling in ‘department affairs’! What do you want me to do? Isn’t this overstepping your authority? The student council inauguration hasn’t even happened yet!”
“You said it was a loyalty game.”
Simon unbuttoned his school jacket.
Swish.
His black jacket fell onto the grass. He loosened his tie, letting it fall to the ground, then took off his white shirt, revealing his toned upper body. It looked as though his muscles were densely packed under his skin.
“…Wow.”
The male students couldn’t help but admire him, while the female students blushed and covered their faces, peeking secretly through their fingers.
“What is this?”
Will flinched at the sudden muscular display but composed himself.
“What, you gonna fight me now?”
“I’ll drink it instead of Toto.”
With that one sentence—
Time seemed to freeze.
“Not allowed?”
“Simon!!”
Toto panicked, but Will’s lips curved into a grin.
“Not that it’s impossible, but are you sure?”
Without hesitation, Simon lifted the large, flat skull bowl and brought it to his mouth. Gulp by gulp, the contents began to disappear rapidly.
“Y-You insane bastard…!”
Will stepped back in shock.
He actually drank it.
Thud!!
Simon dropped the skull bowl to the ground. The chunks remained, but all the liquid was gone.
‘Detox.’
Simon’s resistance ability, which Professor Belya of the Toxicology Department had acknowledged as the highest in the grade, activated.
His body’s blood poison reacted while the effects of dark magic took hold. His body analyzed the impurities and drew all harmful toxins out to the surface.
And then—
‘Internal Darkness Divergence!’
Black orbs dripped onto Simon’s bare chest. He had just used the resistance gauge to gather the impure substances in one spot and, through the jet-black bodily secretion, expelled the mixture of darkness and blood poison from his body.
Plop.
Plunk.
Rumble-roll—
Dark red drops with a foul stench fell onto the floor.
Simon took a long, deep breath to calm himself and slowly opened his eyes.
“Is it done?”
Smack!
Simon stomped on one of the drops on the floor as he spoke.
Will, clearly startled, trembled at his lips.
‘What the hell did this guy just do? Why is he fine?’
“This is it, Will.”
One of the third-years behind Will whispered quietly into his ear.
“It’s the resistance gauge that the new toxicology professor teaches. It’s a technique to neutralize poison.”
“……What?”
Although the liquid in the bowl was disgusting, contaminated water, for Simon it was essentially the same as drinking plain water.
For someone like Simon, who could withstand almost any poison, this level of detoxification was trivial.
“Si… Simon…….”
Toto looked up at him with eyes full of admiration. Simon gave a faint smile, picked up the shirt that had fallen to the floor, and put it back on.
“If we’re done here…….”
“No.”
Will’s eyes sharpened.
“It’s not over yet, you bastard!”
‘Just as planned.’
Simon smiled quietly to himself.
* * *
The Keyzen department’s welcome party system worked like this:
The main game. The department representative participates directly, and third- and second-years mingle in a normal drinking gathering. Students who lose or are selected for a penalty during this event are sent to the “induction ritual”.
Those who drank the contaminated liquid with Toto had been sent there.
The induction ritual had three stages, and students who went through all three would be utterly drained both physically and mentally, so most didn’t return to the main game and went back to their dorms.
After an induction ritual ended, the next student to receive a penalty in the main game would be selected to go to the induction ritual.
As a result, most students ended up experiencing the induction ritual at least once.
Only a very few—students favored by upperclassmen or second-year department representatives—were exempt. Those who were spared naturally developed a sense of loyalty to the upperclassmen who had protected them.
At the same time, in the main game venue…
“Wow~ you got off easy again. Lucky, Loraine!”
“……”
Loraine, participating in the welcome party, had drawn a blank slip in the lottery. Her expression stiffened slightly.
Leonard said cheerfully, pushing the atmosphere so she wouldn’t focus elsewhere:
“Alright, alright. Pour me a drink. Tonight, we go all out!”
Most of the students beside him were third-years, while the second-years were just the department representative Hector, Aseraz, and Loraine.
“……Yes.”
The third-years gratefully accepted the drinks Loraine poured and tried hard to lift the mood. But her expression hardened more and more with each passing moment.
‘This won’t do.’
She had heard the rumors about the induction ritual. She had deliberately tried to get caught to investigate, but had managed to avoid it every time.
In truth, the game was being manipulated with extreme precision so that no third-year would notice.
They had to desperately prevent Neftis’ daughter from going through the induction ritual.
“Senior.”
Finally unable to endure, Loraine set down her cup.
“Can I… go check on the students who are being penalized?”
“Niven!”
Leonard called to a third-year beside him.
“Loraine’s worried about the induction ritual! Go check their status.”
“Okay!”
A student named Niven dashed off. Loraine, startled, half stood up.
“A-Actually! I—!”
“Ah~ it’s fine, it’s fine.”
Leonard guided her back into her seat, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Given your status, you must be exhausted. Being treated specially only lasts a day or two. It’s tough, annoying—I get it.”
“……”
“The more so, you need to mingle with us regulars and show us a good time. That’ll make the president happy too. This is your chance. I’ll make sure you get along with everyone here. Come on! Loraine, pour some drinks!”
Leonard was marking her like a hawk.
Loraine, the daughter of Neftis, had been raised attending formal events, earning respect and admiration. Leonard, born the son of a low-ranking administrator, had grown up constantly reading the room.
At Keyzen, he had tried everything to please his seniors and professors, becoming a seasoned mentalist.
Their experiences were worlds apart. In the trap Leonard had set deliberately, there was no way Loraine could escape.
‘Haah.’
Even the only excuse Loraine could have used—to mention the bathroom—would have been thwarted by the third-year senior girls who appeared like ghosts.
‘Four key people.’
Leonard clinked glasses with Loraine and downed his wine.
‘Serne, as expected, refused to participate. Simon’s been sent to the student council. Benya’s preparing the ingredients. Loraine is under my mark. Perfect.’
His eyes drooped slightly.
‘Just don’t cause any trouble, Will.’
But already…
Trouble was happening out of Leonard’s sight.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters