Chapter 465
A huge brick building and a maze-like labyrinth of alleys wrapped around the square in a winding pattern.
The capital of the Dresden Kingdom: Langerstine.
Simon, who had been preparing for the entrance ceremony, suddenly arrived here via a teleportation magic circle.
"......I didn’t expect to end up here."
The sequence of events started with Jane’s instructions upon entering the auditorium.
– Recently, due to several issues, the school has been short on teaching staff. Therefore, we’d like the Student Council President to personally go to Langerstine and escort the new students to Roke Island.
Simon was taken aback, but Jane spoke in an extremely calm tone.
– Normally, professors themselves should escort the new students, but given the circumstances, we’re asking the Student Council President instead. As a second-year student, you’ve probably ridden the Underworld Whale a few times, right? The details will be explained on-site.
There were four other ways to reach Roke Island besides riding the Underworld Whale, and Dick would lead the group coming on the giant monstrous hawk. Maelyn and Kamibarez would stay at the school to finish preparing for the entrance ceremony.
Thus, Simon used the teleportation magic circle to arrive in Langerstine.
‘This feels strange.’
It felt like just yesterday he had received the entrance notice in Leshill and nervously boarded the ship. Now, he was in the position of bringing the new students.
It was a slightly surreal feeling.
‘Alright, let’s do our best!’
Simon walked on with burning enthusiasm.
As he walked while watching the vast sea splashing, a familiar pier came into view in the distance. A large ship was being prepared at the pier, and people were bustling about, repairing the ship or moving goods.
"Over here with that box!"
"Be careful not to break the bottles!"
Amidst the noisy, bustling workers, Simon walked through.
The underlings who had been lounging and smoking while sitting up straight, seeing the student council armband on Simon’s arm, panicked and stood up.
Thud.
Clack.
Then they bowed low in greeting. Simon politely returned the greeting.
As Simon passed by, the underlings whispered in hushed voices.
"Is that the kid? The new Student Council President this year."
"Yeah. Polite and courteous kid."
"First day, so he probably wants to make a good impression. Won’t last more than a week though."
The quietly chatting underlings turned back to their work.
At that moment, a man in uniform jumped out from the ship.
"Ah, you’ve arrived, Student Council President!"
A Keyzen mark was visible on his chest, an employee of the Keyzen headquarters.
The two shook hands with smiles.
"I received notice from the school and have been waiting! Let’s do our best tomorrow."
"Yes, I’m in your care. How can I help?"
Simon rolled up his sleeves, showing his enthusiasm, but the employee shook his head.
"Ship repairs are the technicians’ work, and cleaning and other chores are almost done. Since you’re in charge of escorting students, Student Council President, all you need to do is come here by 5 a.m. tomorrow."
Simon blinked. He had expected it to be very busy, but it was already finished?
"Until then, it’s free time."
The employee handed him a card. The front displayed the Keyzen emblem, and the back had a space for writing.
"We’ll provide lodging and meals. Anywhere in Langerstine, just show this card, and the cost will be recorded on the back. You can give it to me tomorrow."
"Ah, thank you."
Simon took it with a bewildered expression.
"Th-This is really all?"
"Yes! That’s it. Relax and enjoy your free time."
The headquarters employee smiled.
"From tomorrow, it will get incredibly busy."
Thus, Simon unexpectedly had free time.
"Ugh."
Simon stretched his body as he walked down the street.
‘I was supposed to meet Lady Neftis tonight, but the situation has changed.’
Still, since it was vice-chancellor Jane’s instruction, Neftis would know about the change. Now, as the Student Council President, Simon could meet Neftis later.
More importantly, he thought it was lucky to have arrived in Langerstine before the semester started.
‘Let’s buy all the summoning materials and textbooks here!’
Rochest, the student city located on Roke Island, was expensive. Buying materials inland in Langerstine would save a lot of money.
If he could contact Toto, he wanted to buy things for him too, but he probably went shopping individually by now.
Simon abandoned the thought and entered the familiar alleyways.
‘Going to Campbell Road won’t be difficult now.’
As long as he kept an eye on the signs and building numbers scattered throughout the alleys, there was no worry about getting lost.
Walking leisurely along the winding streets, he arrived at a fairly familiar spot.
The first day he left Leshill to the big city—he had fought a gang member pretending to be a guide and received help from Loraine.
‘Brings back memories.’
A smile spread across Simon’s face.
‘The person who tried to trick me as a guide back then must be…’
"Don’t worry, sir! It’s really dangerous for outsiders to wander Langerstine alone without a guide."
Simon stopped walking abruptly.
What did he just say?
"Bad people, who try to fleece naive travelers, are swarming the city like rats! If you trust only me and follow, you’ll be safe."
"Haha, of course! I’ll trust only you, guide!"
That line was extremely familiar.
Simon quickly moved forward and peered from the shadows between buildings toward the direction of the sound.
A man claiming to be a guide was talking nonstop. Beside him stood a red-haired boy with a simple, innocent expression, giggling.
‘Wait! Why is he here?’
He realized it was someone he had met in the Pharonna Peninsula.
The mercenary king, “Arthur”.
"Hahaha!"
Arthur laughed heartily, talking with the guide with no suspicion.
‘Clearly, he’s being deceived.’
As Simon pondered when to intervene,
Click.
The guide stopped with a cold expression, and Arthur also halted.
"Ah, we’re here? My companions…."
"Your companions, I’m not sure, but."
Snap!
The guide snapped his fingers. Armed men poured in from the alleys.
"My companions are right here."
‘Of course.’
Simon sighed as he watched.
"Hey, Signal. Aren’t you going out?"
One gang member was hiding in the alley where Simon stood. Wearing a robe in the dark, he seemed to mistake Simon for a fellow gang member.
"I’ll go."
Simon replied nonchalantly and walked forward.
Crunch!
The gang member collapsed to the ground foaming at the mouth, not even knowing what hit him.
Simon casually brushed off his hand and stepped forward.
The guide drew a dagger from his pocket, speaking smugly.
"Alright, you should have a rough idea of the situation now. Follow us willingly, and you won’t get hurt."
"Yes!"
Arthur nodded quickly.
‘Hm?’
The guide looked startled by the unexpected reaction.
Did he mishear? He spoke again.
"Ahem! Follow us willingly, and you won’t get hur—"
"Haha! Of course! We’re following you so we don’t get hurt, right? Let’s go! Ah! Hello, guide’s companions! I’m Arthur!"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
‘……People don’t change easily.’
Simon leaned against a building wall, forcing a wry smile.
"Well, hmm! If you’re following, fine. Then there’s no need to bleed."
"First, that thing strapped to your back is a sword, right? Put it down."
"Huh?"
Arthur blinked with innocent eyes.
"Why?"
"This crazy guy is playing with people! Of course, someone being captured should put down their weapon. What do you mean why!"
Arthur’s gaze swept across the armed companions surrounding them.
Suddenly, the guide’s attitude changed.
And the demand to put down weapons.
‘No way.’
Arthur’s mouth opened.
"If I put down my weapon, you were going to do something bad to me… You guys! You were really bad people!"
"Damn it! You only just realized that!"
The guide’s face turned bright red.
"Fine! Just attack!"
The men charged forward with their weapons. Arthur’s face hardened as he brought his hand behind his back.
Flap!
The red cloth covering his sword flew in the wind.
"My first friend I met in the Dresden Kingdom. I promised to treasure you so much, and I swore it!"
"What are you babbling about, you crazy—"
Screeeeaaach!
A flash of light, and the lead man’s face crumpled like a tin can, flying backward into a stone wall.
Crash!
The stone wall collapsed, dust rising.
"What the—?"
The men’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Arthur’s shoulders trembled, his gaze full of enormous anger.
"You trampled on my heart!"
Clang! Clang!
The gang members flinched at the boy’s sheer force. Among them, a man who seemed to be the leader shouted:
“Don’t chicken out! Attack all at once!”
Weapons swung from all directions. Arthur nimbly dodged them with light steps, striking the back of a gang member’s head with the hilt of his sword.
Crack!
The gang member’s head smashed into the floor tiles.
Snap!
Another body twisted from a follow-up kick.
-Ugh!
The scabbard pierced the nose of a man who had been thrusting a spear from behind.
“I’ll never forgive you!”
“W-What’s with this kid?!”
Thud! Crunch!
Snap!
Crack!
Arthur, now enraged, left a trail of blood and grotesquely twisted limbs wherever he swung his sword.
“Surround him! Surround him and fight!”
The gang leader shouted.
“Don’t give him any space… ugh!”
Before he could finish speaking, he ran into something.
Bang!
“Gah!”
Suddenly, black bones bound him and slammed him against the wall.
“W-What… is this?”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three more gang members lined up beside him, their arms and legs fixed by bones in the exact same pose.
“Ugh!”
“Get this off me! I can’t move!”
As Arthur fought frantically, a boy in a black robe approached.
His fingers swirled rhythmically.
Click! Clack!
With each movement of his fingers, bones flew in all directions, binding the men and pinning them to the walls. Arthur, seeing this, spoke in surprise:
“Who… are you…?”
Smack!
A man aiming for Arthur’s back was struck on the head by a bone and collapsed. Arthur turned in shock, and the boy smiled.
“Be careful~ Arthur.”
The voice was familiar. But before he could ask, Arthur had to swing his sword again.
“That brat! He’s a necromancer!”
One gang member gripped his sword and charged at the robed boy.
“Forget the fool, take him down first!”
The boy smirked and moved his fingers.
Ssshhhrrr—
Pieces of bones fell from the restrained gang members and flew swiftly to the boy.
In midair, the pieces assembled into torsos, limbs, and heads, forming skeletons.
“Uh, undead?!”
The assembled skeletons dropped down and swung their swords.
Clang!
The skeletons clashed with the gang members’ swords in a struggle of strength. Arthur’s eyes widened.
‘Amazing! This is the most precise skeleton control I’ve ever seen!’
“Grahh!”
A gang member parried a skeleton’s sword and swung horizontally. The skeleton’s upper and lower body separated.
“Ha!”
The gang member laughed, thinking it had been split in half, but the bone fragments reassembled midair and attached themselves to his body.
Full armor.
In an instant, his entire body was covered in bones as he screamed, “Aaah!”
He couldn’t control his body. He dropped his sword and grabbed a nearby hammer.
“N-Nooo!”
Crack!
He struck his own face with the hammer and collapsed.
“Surround the necromancer!”
The gang members rushed to encircle the boy in the robe.
“You know what?”
As the boy’s fingers danced, heaps of trash scattered throughout the alley moved as if alive. Wrappers and packages tore open, releasing more bone fragments into the air.
The fragments began to assemble. Bones of different sizes and shapes creaked and formed skeletons.
“This building in front is a bone warehouse.”
Crack! Snap!
Once the skeletons were complete, they grabbed weapons from the floor and began fighting the gang members.
‘Wow.’
Arthur forgot to swing his sword, mesmerized by the boy’s skeleton control.
It was beautiful.
Even though these were basic skeletons in summoning, the boy’s mastery was artistic.
Not only was the control precise, but the cross-utilization reached its peak.
Thud.
Bang!
Gang members fell one by one. The boy turned his head.
“Only two left now.”
He spoke, looking at the two at the very back. They flinched and then turned to flee. The boy commanding the undead kicked off the ground and charged.
Pat.
In an instant, he passed them, hands crossed.
Flop! Flop!
Their bodies collapsed like puppets with cut strings. Arthur approached, astonished.
“D-Did you… kill them?”
“No.”
The boy turned to Arthur, smiling.
“I just put them to sleep.”
It was true. They snored loudly, sleeping mid-battle. The boy used the fallen bone fragments to pin them to the walls.
Now, all the people who had attacked Arthur were either lying on the ground or pinned by bones, wailing.
“Thank you for helping me!”
Arthur bowed his head.
“C-Could I ask who you are…?”
The boy pulled back the end of his hood, revealing his face.
Blue hair emerged, and finally, Simon revealed his face.
“Have you been well, Arthur?”
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters