Chapter 612
The lights were out.
Black curtains firmly shut out the window.
In that artificially created darkness, the silhouettes of people stirred.
“All preparations are complete.”
“At last, we set foot on Keyzen’s land.”
“I’ve waited long for this day.”
The voices of people echoed discreetly throughout the room.
“The fate of our clan depends on this.”
And then, a figure in the center rose to his feet.
“The opponent is Keyzen. Prepare without leaving a gap.”
* * *
Simon thought he had never seen so many outsiders wandering around the school since he came to Keyzen.
The most outsiders he had ever seen were parents visiting during vacations or audiences during events. But now? The number of technicians, merchants, and foreign dignitaries who had come—not as guests, but specifically to prepare for the Dark Emperor Festival—already far surpassed all previous records.
What would it be like once the festival truly began? He couldn’t help but feel excited.
Tick tock, tick tock!
Throughout Roke Island, the sound of hammers rang busily. Vendors and small merchants brought their own materials and assembled stalls on-site, while large structures—like stadiums—were teleported in whole through magic circles.
Of course, in those cases, since outside structures were directly transported onto Roke Island, they needed to be carefully checked and inspected.
Simon, as a representative member of the Student Council, was ordered to attend these inspections.
He left the Student Council Room in the hands of Dick and Kamibarez for a while and set out with vice president Maelyn.
“Do I look strange anywhere?”
Maelyn suddenly asked, turning toward him. She brushed her long, sky-blue hair that flowed down to her waist and struck a pose by lightly holding her Student Council armband.
Her shimmering sky-colored hair shone more than usual today, and her sapphire eyes opened wide, waiting for his answer.
Simon, caught staring blankly, quickly nodded.
“Nothing looks off to me. Same as alwa—”
But Maelyn narrowed her eyes, her lips pursing in a pout.
Clearly, that wasn’t the right answer.
A red warning light flashed in Simon’s head, and he hurriedly corrected himself.
“—but also different! How should I put it… like dressed up, but not dressed up?”
“Really?”
Thankfully, that seemed to satisfy her.
She looked in high spirits today. Skipping lightly, Maelyn lifted up her clipboard.
“As you know, Keyzen rents stadiums via teleportation magic for the Dark Emperor Festival. Today there are three in total.”
As expected, Keyzen’s scale was on another level.
“We’ll meet the stadium owners along with the committee members and inspect to make sure there aren’t any safety issues.”
“Got it.”
Simon brushed off his student council coat and walked in step with her.
It had been a while since he felt this relaxed.
He let go of work thoughts for now. Walking through the park, breathing in the scent of grass, his head felt clear.
“Hey, Simon.”
“Mm?”
She twisted a lock of her flowing sky-blue hair around her finger and, with a shy glance down at her toes, asked:
“Am I actually helping the student council?”
For the one who had practically dragged the student council forward by the scruff of its neck to ask that, it was a bit ironic. But considering how unstable her emotions had been recently, it wasn’t surprising.
Simon smiled warmly.
“You’re the best, Maelyn.”
She flinched, her cheeks turning red.
“Wh-why would you say that! I was asking seriously—!”
“Even if it were any third-year who had become vice president…”
Simon continued seriously.
“None of them could have done as well as you.”
He meant it wholeheartedly.
Hearing that, her eyes rolled restlessly. The tips of her ears flushed pink.
“I-I don’t know!”
She turned away and walked ahead briskly. Simon chuckled and followed after her.
Soon they came out to the carriage road, where Simon’s direct subordinate, Mojo, was waiting with a carriage.
“President, vice president. I’ll escort you.”
Since the festival spanned all of Roke Island, the stadiums were far from the campus, so they traveled by carriage.
Mojo drove, while Simon and Maelyn enjoyed a rare, carefree carriage ride, chatting pleasantly.
Time flew by.
“We’ve arrived.”
The moment they stepped out, Simon spotted a familiar face among the adults standing before the stadium.
A perfect tailored suit. Trim, short hair. A cold, stern face.
It was Jane Olivia, Keyzen’s vice-chancellor and chairwoman of this Dark Emperor Festival’s committee.
“Professor Jane!”
Maelyn ran up with a bright smile. Simon followed with a respectful bow.
“You’ve come. President. vice-president.”
As expected, Jane addressed them formally by title, not name. Simon couldn’t help but smile inwardly at how strictly she separated public and private matters.
Around her stood several committee members, including men with long mustaches, conversing.
And in front of them stood men in shabby work clothes.
“Allow me to introduce you.”
Jane presented them. They were the owners of the stadium, belonging to the Valkese Clan, apparently a family of long heritage.
‘Hmm.’
Simon didn’t find them reassuring at all. Shifty-eyed, darting glances, fidgeting nervously, they looked more like criminals than landowners.
After greetings, Simon turned to finally look at the stadium itself.
Was it an ancient ruin? At first glance, it was an old colosseum.
The stone structure felt rugged under his palm. Its walls were pierced with window-like holes, where plants and trees had even begun to sprout.
Surely not every stadium was like this, there must be modern ones as well. Perhaps this was chosen specifically for exam-related reasons.
But of course, he couldn’t ask Jane directly.
“Now then, let’s head inside.”
As they walked, Jane fired sharp questions at the Valkese Clan. Each time, they sweated profusely as they scrambled to answer.
If they thought Keyzen’s scale meant the small details would be overlooked, they were mistaken. Jane nitpicked everything—from preservation state to repair costs—until the Valkese eventually promised to cover all expenses themselves.
Maelyn, fascinated, sparkled with admiration. She eagerly scribbled down every single one of Jane’s questions into her notebook.
Soon, they entered the colosseum.
“What the—”
Maelyn’s jaw dropped.
“Was this… a swimming pool?”
Roar!
From a statue at the center, water cascaded down like a waterfall. The arena floor was entirely flooded in bright blue water, visible from every seat.
‘Wow.’
Simon was impressed too. A grand, ancient swimming pool–colosseum hybrid.
A truly splendid venue. Nobles would foam at the mouth for even a moment’s seat here.
“Now, let us begin the inspection.”
Jane said, turning to the committee members and the students.
“We must check every part of the stadium for any factors that could hinder or endanger the students’ matches. Including submerged areas—thoroughly.”
Simon blinked.
“What about us?”
He and Maelyn were in their school uniforms. Jane and the committee members could probably use black magic to walk through water without getting wet—but the two of them hadn’t learned such spells yet.
Jane, expressionless, put her hands on her hips.
“The Student Council is no exception. Change into swimsuits and begin the inspection.”
“Eeeeh?!”
Maelyn cried out in shock.
“But we didn’t bring swimsuits!”
“Mojo.”
Jane turned her head and called her name.
And there Mojo stood, perfectly calm… already holding out two swimsuits prepared for them.
“Ahhh! Why is my swimsuit over thereee?!”
Maelyn’s face flushed crimson as she flailed her arms wildly and dashed forward.
Simon returned after changing into swimming trunks nearby.
It seemed Jane and the committee members had already gone ahead with their inspection.
And then—
“……”
Maelyn was crouched down, her face beet red, arms hugging herself tightly.
Since she had changed into her swimsuit, she hadn’t said a single word. She just stayed like that. Simon gave a wry smile.
“Do you want to wait here?”
“I-I’ll go!”
Maelyn shrieked, her face flaring up again as she lowered her head.
“B-because I’m Keyzen’s vice president too.”
“…Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? We’ve even gone to the beach in swimsuits before.”
Back in their first year, they had trained on a beach to prepare for the BMAT, practicing black magic together in swimsuits.
Yet now, there were far fewer people around than back then, and compared to the swimsuit she wore before, today’s was far less revealing.
“That was a beach!”
Maelyn burst out, her face blazing red.
“And it’s not like everyone’s dressed down this time, it’s just the two of us in swimsuits!”
“…Haha.”
Simon didn’t understand the difference, but if she was embarrassed, there wasn’t much he could do.
Casting a sharp glance at the sneaky Valkese clan members peeking from afar, Simon stepped forward.
Might as well get it over with quickly.
“Then I’ll go first.”
“H-huh?”
Plugging his nose, Simon leapt boldly into the water-filled arena.
Splash!
A great wave shot up as Simon plunged in with a gurgling sound.
‘Oh.’
He had worried since the water was so blue, but the quality wasn’t bad at all. For a moment, he forgot the mission and happily splashed about.
All the fatigue and stress that had piled up seemed to wash away.
“Maelyn! Come on in! It’s so cool and refreshing!”
Simon surfaced with a wide smile.
Maelyn, sneaking glances, finally clenched her eyes shut and sprang up.
“Ugh, I don’t care anymore!”
Then she dove gracefully into the pool.
Splash!
She surfaced safely. Surprised at how refreshing it was, her eyes widened. Soon, she forgot all embarrassment and swam lightly around, looking everywhere with curiosity.
The two enjoyed swimming freely for a brief moment, but Maelyn soon pointed ahead, remembering their duty.
They cast breathing spells and swam across the arena to inspect its condition.
Though the ancient colosseum looked stately, its age showed in the many sharp, jagged edges jutting out.
If students brushed against those during matches, they could suffer cuts or serious injuries. Simon checked each hazard meticulously.
Rustle—
Then Maelyn tugged lightly at Simon’s foot from below.
‘!’
Her long, sky-blue hair fanned out in the water like silk, and her figure was as dazzling as a mermaid from a fairy tale.
Simon froze for a moment, entranced, until she waved her arms furiously in mock-anger, pointing downward.
At the bottom, something reddish had peeled and oxidized. The depth masked most of the effect, but still—it needed to be reported to the committee.
After finishing the inspection, the two surfaced.
“Pwah!”
“Haa!”
Simon climbed out first and offered his hand to help Maelyn up. Dripping water everywhere, she burst out passionately.
“This is outrageous! The preservation of this arena is an absolute mess! Especially underwater, there are way too many areas needing repairs!”
“Yeah. Let’s organize everything and report to Professor Jane.”
Maelyn pulled a checklist from her subspace, rewriting the notes from outside the water, then dove in again.
Considering their time, this would be the last dive.
Gurgle—
The pool was so vast and deep that there were plenty of areas worth exploring. Maelyn, now excited by swimming, shot forward eagerly.
‘It’s work, but… kind of fun too.’
At a time when others were stuck studying, the two of them swimming together in an empty colosseum felt like a tiny rebellion, a strangely enjoyable experience.
[Boy.]
Suddenly, a voice echoed from the pocket of Simon’s swim trunks—Feer’s clone.
‘What is it, Feer?’
[I sense a strange aura nearby!]
A strange aura? Feer wasn’t the kind of undead to spout nonsense. Simon froze at once.
‘Where is it? I’ll go check right now.’
[Just below here.]
Simon sliced through the water, diving deeper. Darkness thickened around him.
[Now to the right!]
[Past that pillar there!]
Following Feer’s directions, he eventually reached the aqueduct beneath the arena.
The colosseum, when in its original location, had used nearby river water. Meaning this section had been submerged all year round.
At a glance, it was a place easy to overlook. But peeling away moss on the wall as Feer directed—
‘!’
A hole appeared in the wall, like the entrance to an underwater cave. Anyone glancing casually would have missed it.
Simon squinted into the opening.
‘The passage goes upward. Where does it lead?’
Maelyn, worried for Simon, swam over. He quickly told her about the discovery, and together they entered.
They swam steadily upward through the passage.
Splash!
“Haah!”
At last, they surfaced.
They were inside a cavern.
“What the—what is this place?!”
Maelyn exclaimed, startled. Simon, just as wide-eyed, looked around.
“A cavern… beneath the arena? Is that even possible?”
A hidden, secret natural cave within the colosseum. The two exchanged a glance and nodded.
As members of the student council, they couldn’t ignore it. Raising Darkness, they cautiously pressed forward.
“!!”
Suddenly, Maelyn—who had been walking calmly—covered her mouth with a pale face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Si-Simon! Look…!”
On the cavern floor lay bones scattered everywhere.
Human bones.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters