Chapter 493
The next evening.
Summonology Dormitory.
The 2nd-year students of the Summonology Department gathered noisily in the lobby.
In front of them, at last, were two bulletin boards newly installed, covered with the long-awaited mission evaluation requests.
“Wait a sec.”
Simon squeezed through the crowd and stood in front of the board. He noticed Toto struggling, stuck in the press of people, so he reached in and pulled him out.
“Th-thanks, Simon!”
Simon smiled lightly, then turned serious as he looked back at the board.
‘Just as Professor Aron said.’
The easiest white requests were gone.
Most of what remained were blue requests, with a fair number of red ones leading toward the Neutral Zone.
But what drew the most attention were the few black requests, the highest difficulty.
Those were missions to the Holy Federation.
Whispers spread throughout the crowd.
“...Black ones really are on another level. There’s even an assassination request.”
“Espionage? Says you have to disguise yourself as a Holy Federation citizen and infiltrate?”
“A necromancer would be exposed immediately.”
“Straight to the ‘executed by Inquisitors’ ending.”
Simon chuckled quietly at their chatter.
An espionage mission in the Holy Federation… If entrusted with it, he was fairly confident. But right now, he had something far more important.
「Tarados, large-scale cleanup required.」
He was going to Tarados.
There, he would track the group that had kidnapped Kal, smash their base if they had one, and take him back.
To gather all of his father’s Ancient Undeads, and to stand against his nemesis Magnus, he had to recover Kal’s other half no matter what.
‘If only there was a request heading to Tarados.’
Simon carefully scanned the board.
He passed names like Langerstine, Arnish, Pharonna, Hove, but there was no mention of Tarados. Perhaps because it was such a remote place, there were simply no requests.
“Simon! I’ve decided on mine!”
Toto held up a blue request.
“Monster settlement extermination!”
“Oh, you picked a tough one.”
There were easier first missions, like escorting merchants or guarding a caravan, but exterminating a settlement was quite a challenge.
“Want to do it together?”
Toto asked, eyes shining.
“Sorry. I’ve already decided on a mission.”
“Aww, well, can’t be helped then!”
Toto ran off to try and persuade Fitzgerald, while Simon refocused on the board, scanning every detail.
‘There really isn’t one?’
He was down to searching the ones half-hidden behind others, digging persistently.
‘Ah!’
He finally found it.
Out of all those requests, there was exactly one.
Registration Request: Corpse Dismantling
Grade: F
Reward: 5 Gold
Location: Dresden Kingdom, Tarados Fiefdom
Details: Monster corpse dismantling and labor service
Special Notes: 1168798164
‘What is this?’
Among students, this was what they called a typical “freebie” mission.
A job with zero danger, just menial labor.
But those usually only appeared as white requests. To see an F-rank job filed under a blue request was rare indeed.
‘Corpse dismantling, huh.’
Simon pulled it down to examine closely.
The only Tarados mission among the entire lot.
More importantly, that “special notes” line bothered him.
「Special Notes: 1168798164」
“Simon Follentia.”
Just as he was concentrating, a voice called his name.
He turned to see the towering figure of Hector, arms crossed.
“Hector?”
“Get rid of that guy before the seniors spot him.”
He gestured behind Simon. Turning, Simon’s eyes widened.
‘Kajan!’
Kajan Edvalt, from Magical Combat, had strolled into the dormitory. Some students were already whispering, noticing an outsider inside.
Technically, cross-department visits weren’t forbidden by rules, but among students it was a taboo.
‘I did ask Kajan for help, but I didn’t think he’d come straight into the dorm…!’
Before things escalated, Simon hurried toward him.
“Who the hell are you!”
‘Too late.’
A 3rd-year heading to the shared kitchen had heard the commotion and barked angrily.
“From Magical Combat? Which bastard is so shameless—!”
“Been a while, Daniel.”
Kajan cut him off with casual familiarity, scratching the scar on his right eye.
Though he wore the red mark of a 2nd-year, the 3rd-year froze in place.
“Ka… K-Kajan? That’s you?”
“You’ve been well? We were in the same class back in 1st year.”
Kajan shoved his hands into his pockets and strode closer.
The 2nd-years looked on in confusion. Why was a senior, usually so high and mighty, quailing before someone younger?
Keyzen’s only repeating student: Kajan Edvalt.
Undefeated in duel evaluations, infamous for his brutality, and thanks to violent incidents in his 1st year, a forbidden name among the current 3rd-years.
Especially for those who had once shared a class with him.
“Got something to say, Daniel?”
His chilling tone made the 3rd-year stammer, “N-no, nothing at all!” before bolting from the lobby.
“Hmph.”
Kajan scratched at his scar again.
“Kajan!”
Simon quickly grabbed his shoulder.
“Too many eyes here. Let’s talk outside.”
“Fine.”
* * *
The two stepped outside the dormitory.
Kajan immediately handed Simon several requests.
“As you asked, I sorted through nearby missions that could lead us toward Tarados.”
“Fortunately, we won’t need detours.”
Simon grinned, showing him the Tarados request.
“There was exactly one posted on the Summonology board.”
Kajan tilted his head.
“Unexpected. I’d heard Tarados was poor and closed-off. Didn’t think they’d have the funds to commission Keyzen.”
After all, beyond the student reward, a large registration fee was required to even post a request.
“But look here. Strange numbers in the special notes.”
“1168798164, huh.”
Kajan plucked the request between two fingers, raised it above his head, and studied it.
“It’s a code.”
“Huh?”
Without hesitation, he tucked it into his coat.
“I’ll have it deciphered by tomorrow.”
Simon gave a wry smile.
“Since we’re leaving on the weekend, you don’t have to rush.”
“I’ll have it done by tomorrow.”
Was it just Simon’s imagination? Kajan actually seemed pleased, as though he was enjoying the chance to crack a code.
While the two were chatting—
“……”
—someone was hiding behind a wall, secretly eavesdropping.
* * *
“Mmhm, so that’s the case?”
Behind the Summonology dormitory, in the little-used firewood storage shed.
There, Serne Eindark sat like a queen, legs crossed.
Her ivory-colored hair was damp and tied back, as though she had just bathed. She wasn’t sitting on a chair, but on the back of a boy lying prostrate on the floor.
‘S-so scary!’
The faction student who had come to report to her trembled in fear.
The boy on the floor had a feather stuck in the back of his neck, and a scrap of paper taped to his face that read: “I will never pester again.”
“So Simon and Kajan are going to Tarados during the mission evaluations this weekend, huh~”
Her tongue flicked out, serpent-like.
“I don’t know why they’d bother with such a shabby place, but… maybe it’ll be a chance to make Simon owe me a favor and get another stamp on my coupon.”
“Coupon?”
The reporting student raised his head.
“What are you talking about, Serne?”
“Oh, it’s a little something.”
Serne smiled sweetly.
“But did I ever give you permission to ask questions?”
Puk!
A feather pierced the back of his neck. His eyes glazed over and he wandered around scratching his chin, babbling nonsense like “ukiki.”
“I really don’t get why people insist on showing reckless curiosity toward me.”
Amused by her classmate’s antics, she took a sip of wine.
Her half-lidded eyes glimmered with dangerous light.
* * *
In a dark basement.
A woman with a shadow cast across her face walked forward.
Even with a lamp shining directly on her, her features remained hidden. In fact, no one here had ever seen her bare face.
Men waiting nearby lowered their heads.
“You’ve come, Lady Nirti.”
“Yes.”
She raised a hand in acknowledgment.
“You returned quickly from Langerstine.”
“Experiments are the top priority. How many test subjects today?”
“Twenty secured. Some of them are in fairly good condition.”
“Excellent.”
Then came the test subjects themselves: gaunt figures in white patient’s gowns, hands bound as they shuffled forward.
Their eyes were empty, their wills broken. Each step looked like it cost them dearly.
“Hurry and prepare. To match the Elder’s orders, we need to push the schedule up even further.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
They dragged the broken figures away.
Nirti turned, gazing at the coffin in the shadows.
Grrrrrr—
Inside the glass tank squirmed a pulpy green lifeform.
Transfixed, she pressed her palm against the glass, lips curling into a deeply satisfied smile.
“Fortunate that you’ve fallen into our hands, Ancient Undead. I promise… your suffering won’t be in vain.”
Grrrrr!
It thrashed in anger, but trapped in the tank, it could do nothing.
“Lady Nirti!”
This time, heavily armed soldiers rushed to her.
“What is it now?”
“We’ve captured an important member of the Tarados Revolutionary Army!”
They shoved a tortured young man to his knees before her.
But though beaten and bloodied, the revolutionary smiled. The soldiers looked uneasy.
“What’s going on?”
Nirti asked, reading the tension.
“F-forgive us. We cut off every route to the outside, but somehow they managed… We think they placed a request with Keyzen.”
That explained the rebel’s bloody but triumphant grin.
“With Keyzen?”
Nirti sounded genuinely surprised.
“What kind of wealthy backer would waste money on these beggars?”
“W-well, it wasn’t a formal commission. You know… the system where Keyzen students are assigned missions…”
“Students?”
Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Nirti burst out laughing before he even finished.
“What? What? Just students?”
She seized the rebel’s hair, yanking his head back.
“Ridiculous. Even the Crows couldn’t manage it, and you think a bunch of children playing soldier will liberate Tarados?”
“Ghhk!”
“I swear… until this experiment is complete, not a single one of you in Tarados will be spared. Every last person will serve as a test subject.”
Her eyes blazed, seething with an inhuman fury and hatred.
“Tarados will never again know the light.”
Thud!
She flung the revolutionary aside and turned.
“Just in case, prepare the troops. And since those student missions are just sightseeing, right? Give them just enough of a result to satisfy them and send them packing. Don’t let them anywhere near us.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Her eyes flashed.
“Yes… no one can stop my plan.”
“Hmm.”
* * *
Outside the dormitory, as Simon spoke with Kajan, he suddenly winced and rubbed his ear.
“What is it, Simon?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
He smiled sheepishly.
“My ear just suddenly got itchy.”
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters