Chapter 520
A problem had occurred.
Blocking Kamibarez with his whole body had worked, but her condition, which had barely been calmed, was worsening again.
Her breathing grew ragged, her face flushed as if blood had rushed to it. Her heartbeat pounded irregularly, and—most concerning of all—her eyes trembled without focus, just as they had earlier when she began to transform.
“Kami, calm down.”
Simon forced himself to put on a composed expression as he spoke.
“Do you hear my voice? Ursula’s blood must be flaring again! Empty your mind and take deep, slow breaths!”
But was she unable to hear his voice?
She twisted and wriggled as if trying to escape his grasp. Still, Simon refused to let her go.
If she lost her sanity again and lunged at someone, it would be catastrophic.
“...L-let, let—”
Her voice quivered as she spoke.
Was she asking to be released?
But her face had gone pale, and her tone sounded strange.
“I can’t until you regain your senses! Seal it down and suppress Ursula’s blood!”
‘You idiot!’
Meanwhile, Kamibarez felt her vision spinning wildly.
‘This is all because of Simon!’
Too close.
He was far, far too close.
Ursula’s blood had already calmed, but once she realized what was happening, she found herself in an even harder situation to endure.
She was in Simon’s arms.
Right in the middle of the arena.
In front of so many people.
“Th-that—”
Kamibarez couldn’t think straight. Whether she wanted to or not, Simon’s scent lingered in her nose, his body heat seeping into her skin where they touched.
Every time his urgent breath brushed against her shoulder, the back of her neck flushed bright red. Her lips trembled, unable to form words.
She squirmed desperately, trying to break free, but it only backfired. Simon, panicked, only tightened his hold on her.
There was no way she could overpower him.
And the more startled he became, the tighter he pressed against her, driving her reason to the brink and turning her face redder still.
Her lips parted unconsciously, warm breath spilling out. Her fangs caught the light, glinting sharply.
“Calm down! If you start drinking blood, you’ll lose control completely!”
Simon’s misunderstanding only deepened at the sight.
“I-I’m fine! Th-this, just let me go!”
Coming straight off her vampire state, the stimulation was too intense. And with Simon’s scent surrounding her, it truly felt as if Ursula’s blood was starting to stir again.
“...What exactly are you doing?”
Then came a voice as cold as ice. Jane had approached from the side.
With a flick, she snapped her finger against Simon’s forehead.
“Professor Jane! Kami’s condition is—!”
“Step aside. The Student Council President is only making things worse.”
He didn’t understand, but because it was Jane’s order, Simon reluctantly released Kamibarez and stepped back.
As he did, Kamibarez collapsed onto the ground with a faint groan, her face flushed redder than ever.
“Are you all right, Secretary Kamibarez?”
“.......”
She stared blankly for a moment, dazed, then looked up at Jane. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes before she flung herself into Jane’s arms, sobbing.
‘Thank goodness.’
It looked like she was better now. Simon finally let out a sigh of relief.
But from within Jane’s arms, Kamibarez cast him a glance filled with half embarrassment, half reproach.
“Secretary Kamibarez, how are you feeling?”
“Y-yes! I’m fine now.”
After asking a few more questions, Jane suggested she get checked by the medical team just in case. Kamibarez nodded obediently.
“Kami, are you really okay?”
As Simon approached, Kamibarez instantly darted behind Jane, shut her eyes, and cried out,
“Simon, you idiot!”
“?!”
Leaving only that, Kamibarez scampered off to the other side. Simon looked at Jane, utterly flustered.
“D-did I do something wrong?”
Jane quietly turned her head away, signaling she wanted no part in it.
“Ask her yourself.”
Just then, Kamibarez came running back toward Simon. Her face was crimson, her breath ragged, her eyes rolling about before she shouted:
“St-still, thank you for saving me, Simon!”
“...Ah, yeah.”
She called him an idiot, then thanked him—Simon scratched his head with a sheepish grin, unsure how to react.
“Kami! Are you all right?!”
Just like Simon, Maelyn had tried to rush into the arena but had been stopped by guards. Her voice, nasally with worry, rang out. Kamibarez beamed, running toward her, and the two began chatting brightly.
“.......”
Meanwhile, in the stands.
Benz sat silently, watching Kamibarez with a conflicted expression. From behind, Sierra transfer student Jetz tapped him on the head.
“See? Told you to wake up from that dream.”
“.......”
Benz shut his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
“I wanted to say something, to stop her, my arms trembled with frustration… but my mouth wouldn’t open. But then—”
His eyes turned toward Simon.
“Simon didn’t hesitate. He just rushed right in.”
-...Thank you!
He remembered Kamibarez’s relieved face as she had been in Simon’s arms. Benz smacked his lips bitterly and leaned back, folding his arms behind his head.
“...Yeah. A real man has to know when to give up.”
“Hah! Besides, your rival is Keyzen’s Student Council President. You think you could stand a chance against Simon?”
“Why the hell has some Sierra transfer been picking fights with me since earlier?!”
The two started bickering again, prompting laughter as the nearby transfers stepped in to break them apart.
* * *
“Now then, let us begin the second match.”
Moyran’s chancellor reached into a box of orbs and stirred them around. Standing in the player’s waiting area, Simon glanced at Moyran’s representatives.
‘Damn. I wanted to fight that guy.’
A boy with snow-white hair.
Even now, his unfocused eyes wandered as his hands drifted meaninglessly through the air.
No telling what he was thinking, or what kind of power he held. He was simply obsessed with the birds flying above.
Something about him itched at Simon’s mind.
He almost looked like someone.
Who exactly was that boy?
“The next match has been decided.”
The referee accepted the orb the chancellor had drawn and announced the names.
“Moyran’s student, Svera Matheus. And—”
Simon swallowed hard, waiting.
“Keyzen’s Simon Follentia. Step forward to the arena!”
The crowd erupted in applause at the appearance of Keyzen’s Student Council President. Simon turned to Moyran’s side of the waiting area.
But it wasn’t the white-haired boy who approached—it was another girl.
‘Damn. Not him, then.’
“At last, it’s your turn! Show them what you’ve got, Simon!”
Maelyn slapped his arm and cheered him on. Simon rubbed his arm with a laugh.
“Maelyn.”
“Yeah?”
“...No. It’s nothing. I’ll do well out there.”
“What? That’s anticlimactic. Anyway, just go show them your skills!”
Soon, the two students of this match entered the arena.
‘Her name was Svera, right?’
Her dark-brown hair fell straight, curling slightly at the ends. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and she let out a strange “heh-heh” laugh.
She certainly looked the part of a necromancer, carrying an unsettling aura.
A moment later, the referee signaled for the handshake. The two stepped forward and clasped hands.
“It’s an honor to face you, Student Council President of Keyzen.”
“Yeah. Let’s have a good match.”
“Sorry, but you’ll have to become the sacrifice for my showmanship. The transfers’ evaluation at Keyzen depends on how we fare against you.”
Her tongue flicked across her lips.
“Have you ever had the experience of nearly drowning?”
“...?”
Leaving only those words, she turned her back.
She was a female necromancer exuding that characteristic eerie aura. After the handshake, the two drew apart, and the barrier was tested for proper activation.
Then Jane and Moyran’s supervising professor approached the students.
“Your opponent this time is from Spiritology. I’ve heard her Spirit attunement is extraordinary.”
“...Spiritology.”
Simon murmured, and Jane folded her arms.
“It’s concerning that you lack much experience fighting Spiritology students, but I believe you’re fully capable of handling it.”
“Yes, of course!”
“And another thing.”
Jane tilted her head slightly.
“I said that one loss in the team match could be allowed. But a defeat for Keyzen’s Student Council President is absolutely unacceptable. Regardless of the team result, if you lose, consider everything finished.”
Simon gave a wry smile.
“...Aren’t you being especially harsh with me?”
“You’re the type who performs better under pressure, when faced with crisis and hardship.”
Come to think of it, she wasn’t wrong.
Soon Jane and Moyran’s professor withdrew, leaving only the two contestants behind.
“Now, we begin the Moyran transfer evaluation match! Student Svera Matheus of Moyran versus Student Simon Follentia of Keyzen!”
Simon and Svera readied their stances. The referee lowered his arm.
“Match start!”
Kiiiiiing!
Simon immediately began preparing a magic circle. He laid down only the bare essentials, then charged straight at his opponent.
Against Spiritology, there was no inherent advantage in compatibility. His plan was to pressure her with Magical Combat.
Svera spread spirits around her, preparing to activate black magic. Matching Simon’s charge, she swiftly wove her spells.
“Ever heard of them?”
She raised a spirit-born servant into the air.
“The souls who drowned in water. Drowners.”
Swoooosh!
Water surged from the canals, overflowing and converging around the spirit servant. The water mass took on the form of a human upper body floating in the air.
‘As expected.’
Simon stopped in his tracks to watch.
‘So it’s a fusion of spirit magic and water.’
“Go!”
Kwa-kwa-kwa!
The Drowner surged forward, arms spread as if to drag Simon down. Like a water ghost pulling him into the depths, it sent chills down his spine.
‘Stay calm. Spirit servants can’t be damaged by physical attacks, but—’
Simon clenched his fist, Darkness coiling around it.
‘Water can still be struck!’
<Hongpeng’s Original – Chwita>
Paaaooong!
Simon’s fist, cloaked in Darkness, smashed into the Drowner. The water burst apart instantly, scattering everywhere.
But the Drowner’s core remained untouched.
Swoooosh!
The canal water swirled again, reassembling the Drowner back into its original form.
‘Hm.’
Simon lightly shook his fist, then opened the subspace. A skeleton leapt out, wrapping itself around his right arm and transforming into Handgun Mode.
Bang! Bang!
He fired precise bone bullets, but the Drowner let them pass straight through its watery body.
“Simon Follentia, Student Council President of Keyzen. Since you were always going to be my opponent, I studied you in detail.”
Another Drowner formed beside her, rising into the air.
“I heard you haven’t attended Spiritology classes since the first semester, because you can’t sense spirits?”
Now two Drowners lunged at Simon. He retreated, firing bullet after bullet, but they passed through uselessly.
“In that case, too bad! A necromancer who can’t use Spirit magic can never defeat me! You and I are a hopeless matchup!”
Generally, spirit servants only gain physical form at the moment they attack. While they can’t be harmed in spirit state, they also can’t harm enemies unless materialized.
The trick was to strike during materialization, but these Drowners were different. They retained their spirit form while using water to maintain physical shape.
If they grabbed hold of him, he’d be trapped in a water prison and drowned.
“Ho-ho-ho-ho!”
Svera conjured a third, then a fourth Drowner. Simon could only retreat, and victory seemed firmly in her grasp.
“You had some kind of strategy prepared, I see.”
But then—skrrrrch! Simon skidded to a halt across the floor.
“But battles don’t always follow your expectations.”
“What?”
Crackle! Crackle!
Purple light flared around Simon, sparks flying from his waist. Gripping them, he hurled them forward.
Kwararararang!
Svera spun at the prickling sensation on her skin. A purple spear had shot forth, piercing clean through the Drowner’s core.
“That won’t work, I told you—!”
But—
After the raging shockwave subsided, the Drowner had vanished without a trace.
‘He destroyed it?’
That meant it had been spirit magic. And if it was a spear-type spirit magic...
“H-how could someone who can’t sense spirits cast a Soul Spear?!”
“That’s not it.”
Simon placed a hand at his hip. Like blades drawn from a sheath, three purple spears crackled to life.
<Simon’s Original – Chaos Spear>
Crackle! Crackle!
Simon smiled faintly, gripping a purple spear in his hand.
“Didn’t account for this in your plans, did you?”
From the waiting area, Maelyn crossed her arms and shook her head.
‘Anyone on this continent would be the same.’
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters
Very good story and translation but half the chapter aren't for free and it is wayyyy too expensive will it stat like tjis foreve or will it get free after some time