Chapter 481
Another day’s schedule had come to an end.
After finishing all his afternoon major classes, Simon trudged toward the Student Council room.
On the way, direct subordinates cleaning the Student Union building politely greeted him, and Simon returned the greeting with a smile.
Before long, he arrived in front of the Student Council President’s office.
Knock knock.
“I’m here, guys.”
When Simon opened the door and walked in, Maelyn and Kamibarez were chatting over tea. Both girls turned their heads at once and greeted him brightly with a cheerful “Simonnn~!”
“Yo, wassup!”
In the distance, Dick waved his hand, then pointed casually toward Simon’s presidential desk.
“Since you’re here, could you sign this real quick?”
“Got it.”
Today was one of his Student Council President duty days.
Simon took off his school uniform jacket and hung it on the rack, then donned the Student Council President’s coat that was hanging there.
‘Still feels great.’
The symbol of power, the greatest honor a Keyzen student could wear.
He still couldn’t forget the wide-eyed looks from freshmen the very first time he put it on. The luxurious feel of the fabric also put him in a good mood.
Dick, too, was watching him with a hint of envy.
“Damn, that looks seriously slick. If I had that, I’d wear it to the bathroom and even while sleeping.”
Maelyn and Kamibarez burst out laughing. Simon chuckled, then willingly handed the coat to Dick.
“Then why don’t you try it on?”
“For real?”
“Yeah.”
Dick didn’t refuse. He immediately draped the coat over his shoulders and struck exaggerated poses in front of the mirror.
The girls grew curious and gathered around, and soon after Maelyn insisted that she should try it too. Dick clutched the coat desperately and ran away in protest.
“Heave-ho.”
Left in just his shirt, Simon sat in the wide President’s seat. The quill reserved for the Student Council President was also lavish, its feather was practically the size of a person’s forearm.
‘Let’s get to it.’
He had to check the various documents that came into the Student Council and sign them.
Since it was still early in his term, the paperwork wasn’t too complicated yet. Mostly student suggestions and complaints.
‘A request to install a temporary restroom behind the outdoor training ground? That’s definitely needed.’
Simon himself had struggled many times. If you needed the bathroom during training, you had to walk half an hour to the nearest building.
He signed that document.
‘A cafe permit near the entrance… hmm, that one’s a bit vague. Better put it on hold.’
As much as he wanted to approve everything, matters that demanded too much budget or lacked feasibility had to be rejected. Even if the Student Council approved, the school would likely put it on hold.
Balance was important.
Sometimes, two proposals competed for the same space, like what to build on an empty lot—only one could be chosen.
‘This is fun.’
Processing the school’s matters like this really made Simon feel that he was indeed the Student Council President.
After finishing up happily, he leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes.
‘If the workload after class were always like this, it’d be perfect.’
“Simon.”
Simon opened his eyes.
There stood Maelyn, shyly wearing the President’s coat. Without realizing it, Simon let out an admiring sigh.
“You look great, Maelyn! Honestly, you could pass for the Student Council President yourself.”
Maelyn laughed and played along.
“Hmph, then let’s switch! You can be the vice-president.”
“I wouldn’t mind that.”
“Okay, kidding aside—take a look at this.”
She rustled out a document and held it out with both hands. Simon accepted it and read through.
“Oh, this is the restaurant evaluation system we talked about, right?”
“That’s right!”
Maelyn gave a detailed explanation.
Since the four of them had decided on this together, Simon signed it without hesitation.
“Yes! You’re approving it, right? Thanks!”
Beaming, Maelyn hugged the paper to her chest.
At that moment, the coat draped over her shoulders slipped down with a rustle. She spun around, yelling “Hey!!”
“C’mon, Kami should try it too. Here you go.”
“Kyaaa, you look adorable! Like a tiny little commander!!”
Simon smiled, satisfied with the warm, lively atmosphere of the Student Council.
He was grateful to be able to spend time with these friends. It truly was a source of vitality in his Keyzen life.
They sat around the sofa with tea, chatting about their major classes—until suddenly,
“Playing around is fine, but don’t you think it’s about time we planned this out?”
Dick slid over a blank timetable. Kamibarez, nestled cozily in Simon’s coat, tilted her head.
“What’s that, Dick?”
“A timetable. And tomorrow’s course registration day!”
‘So it’s tomorrow.’
Simon already knew of Keyzen’s notorious course registration battles.
Second-year mandatory major subjects were fixed, but general courses weren’t. Simon had to choose up to four out of Katarology, Darkness Dynamics, Spiritology, Haematology, Toxicology, and Magical Combat—a minimum of three was required.
On top of that, some classes were compulsory regardless: Darkness Dynamics, and newly added by Neftis’ orders, Defense Against Holiness, to prepare for war with the priests.
According to Dick, Defense Against Holiness was assigned by department and didn’t go through registration.
“The dorm’s gonna be chaos once it opens. Anyway, I already printed a list!”
The three leaned forward eagerly to see the list. Simon stroked his chin.
“This is pretty complicated.”
“It only looks that way if you overthink it. No need to. In the end, it’s all about which professor’s class we pick.”
While the first-year timetable had countless changes, the second-year schedule was somewhat structured.
The first and second days of the week were reserved for major classes, while the fourth and fifth days were for general ones. The third day was a mix. So you could roughly guess what classes fit which days.
“Intermediate General Darkness Dynamics – Professor Jane Olivia / A”
“But what’s this ‘A’ attached to the course?”
Simon asked.
“Umm…”
Maelyn tucked her hair behind her ear, frowning in thought.
“Since it’s Jane’s class, maybe it means ‘A-Class’?”
“Nope. It’s just the timeslot.”
Dick shook his head and pointed at another course.
“Look, Professor Belya’s ‘Intermediate General Toxicology’ also has an A. That means it’s the same timeslot. You can’t register for both A-line courses. You have to choose one or the other.”
“Ohhh!”
“If you really want Toxicology at that time, instead of Belya’s A-line class, you’d need to take Professor Crowley’s Toxicology. That one’s D-line.”
“Now I get it.”
Simon skimmed the list with growing interest.
Besides the black magic courses, there were electives like history, economics, and foreign languages. These didn’t affect grades much, but they were easy-going and good for broad learning.
“Perfect! It’s so simple!”
Maelyn jotted down on the blank sheet:
Intermediate Darkness Dynamics – Professor Jane Olivia / A
Intermediate Katarology – Professor Bahil / C
Intermediate Magical Combat – Professor Hongpeng / D
“These three are must-haves! How’s that?”
Dick let out a goofy laugh.
“That’s one hell of a lineup. If we can actually snag those classes, I’ll be over the moon.”
“The problem is—”
Simon raised his index finger.
“Every other student will be thinking the same thing, right?”
“Correct, Simon.”
Dick nodded with a click of his tongue.
A timetable that allowed them to attend the classes of Keyzen’s star professors—Jane, Bahil, and Hongpeng.
“This is way too idealistic of a schedule.”
“So what? Aim high! Dream big!”
Maelyn laughed boldly. Kamibarez turned toward Dick.
“But Dick, how exactly do we do the course registration?”
“Ah, I forgot to explain that. Lemme tell you.”
The registration itself was simple: you go to the professor before the class quota fills, submit your course form, and get their signature.
But, of course, notorious Keyzen would never let it be that simple. The paths to the professors were often blocked by hordes of monsters, traps, and dangerous obstacles.
“Last year, they unleashed monsters all over the entire 2nd-year campus. If you wanted to register, you literally had to risk your life just to get outside.”
“…Ugh, Keyzen being Keyzen.”
Maelyn shivered.
“In short, course registration is a competition.”
Simon folded his arms.
“Whether they unleash monsters or set up obstacles, if we get through faster than everyone else, we’ll have first pick of the best classes, right?”
“Exactly!”
Dick’s eyes gleamed sharply as he raised his index finger.
“So we need to plan this really, really carefully. First, let’s decide which class we’ll register for first. The first stop is usually guaranteed.”
“Obviously Professor Jane’s class!”
Maelyn declared. Kamibarez looked at her.
“But Maelyn, you’re already a Darkness Dynamics major. You’re taking that class anyway, aren’t you?”
“Here, look at this, Kami.”
Maelyn flipped to the next page of Dick’s list.
Each class came with a syllabus—the professor’s overview and any required preparations.
“It says here: Aside from Darkness Dynamics, the core focus is on acquiring essential knowledge and strengthening capabilities as a necromancer. Even Darkness Dynamics majors are encouraged to apply! Sure, there might be some overlap, but the more of Professor Jane’s classes you take, the more you gain!”
“Alright! If you put it that way, then the first class is Jane’s. What about next?”
Kamibarez furrowed her brow.
“Professor Bahil’s Katarology and Professor Hongpeng’s Magical Combat… it’s hard to pick which to go for first!”
“Ah, but according to what I know, registering for Hongpeng’s class is the hardest. To find her, you don’t just search the 2nd-year campus—you have to scour the entire Roke Island.”
“Then let’s leave Hongpeng for third and do Katarology second.”
And so, the Student Council’s four members finalized both their desired timetable and the order of their registration plan.
First: Jane.
Second: Bahil.
Third: Hongpeng.
For the fourth class, each of them would pick something personal if they wanted.
As for Simon, he didn’t have anything particular in mind for the fourth. He already had three major classes, three general classes, plus Defense Against Holiness—seven in total. With Student Council duties on top, taking an eighth class might be too much.
They also prepared backup plans in case their timing went wrong or the situation got derailed.
“Bahil’s Katarology worries me a bit, though.”
Dick said, rubbing his chin.
“As necromancers, we have to take it, but… is Professor Bahil even alright? He didn’t even attend the Department Selection Ceremony last time.”
Simon flinched. Maelyn shot Dick a glare.
“He’s fine, otherwise his name wouldn’t be on the list, you idiot!”
“I also really want to keep learning Katarology from Professor Bahil!”
Simon nodded in agreement.
Of course, he felt the same.
* * *
That night.
Summonology dormitory.
Snore— snore—
Toto was fast asleep, exhausted from the day’s classes. Simon, meanwhile, sat at his desk under the lamplight, mulling over the rotation formula for his Skeleton Knight.
Plip. Plip.
Simon felt cold droplets of water splash onto his face and turned his head.
‘Rain?’
Shhhhhh—
Heavy rain poured outside. Simon stood and went around shutting the open windows.
‘By morning, when course registration starts, I hope this stops.’
He stretched his arms, then sat back down, moving his quill across the parchment. The patter of rain actually sharpened his concentration.
‘Mm, this works nicely.’
He underlined the new idea he’d just scribbled down.
‘If I start the rotational axis right beneath the Skeleton’s feet…’
Thud!
Simon jerked his head up.
Shhhhhhh—
He’d definitely heard a thud nearby, but saw nothing unusual.
Toto was still asleep, and outside was only the sound of rain. He waited silently—no other noises came.
‘…Maybe I imagined it?’
Just as Simon tried to refocus.
Bang!
Hyper-alert now, he snapped his head toward the source.
‘!!!’
There, on the window glass, was the clear imprint of a human hand.
Simon nearly jumped out of his seat.
Bang! Bang!
A hand repeatedly pounded the glass. Then, long wet strands of hair plastered against it.
Simon’s breath caught as fear gripped him. He stumbled back.
“Wh-who’s there?! Toto! Toto! Wake up!”
He shook Toto, but no matter how hard, the boy wouldn’t wake.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
‘Wait a sec…’
Simon’s eyes widened.
That ghostly figure’s face—somehow, it looked familiar.
Swallowing hard, Simon stepped slowly toward the window. Then he unlatched and opened it.
Shhhhhhh—!
The sound of rain grew louder.
And outside, clinging to the 2nd-floor window in the downpour, was a soaked woman.
Simon’s eyes flew wide.
“Assistant Instructor Chehekle!!”
She was none other than the chief teaching assistant of Professor Bahil, the Katarology instructor—Chehekle.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters