Chapter 617
A few weeks ago.
“Dullahan's body is too damaged.”
Right after the performance evaluation, the first place Simon visited upon being discharged was the Mutant Club.
Benya, dressed in work clothes, wiped the sweat from her forehead and said.
“I barely managed an emergency repair, but at this rate, the Guardian’s body will explode like a bomb.”
“Ah……”
As Simon wore a gloomy expression, Benya suddenly flicked his forehead with a sharp snap and spoke in an almost scolding, serious tone.
“Are you seriously worrying about an undead? At this rate, your body will explode first!”
The damage Simon’s body suffered after the performance evaluation was no small thing.
Burst blood vessels in his eyes, foaming blood at the mouth, Darkness refluxing, his organs twisting.
The fact he even survived was nothing short of miraculous.
If it weren’t for Simon’s natural aptitude for rapid recovery, and Professor Farahan of Defense Against Holiness secretly sneaking into the infirmary to cast healing magic, the aftereffects would have lasted far longer.
“I don’t like saying things like this, and it’s not like being in Keyzen a year earlier makes me better, but…”
Lowering her hand, she spoke with worry.
“As your senior, I’m warning you. Never use the Chaos Dullahan that way again.”
In truth, he couldn’t even if he wanted to.
In this particular performance evaluation with the Dullahan, the preparation time had been unlimited, so Simon had already set up chaos magic before entering the arena.
To activate the Chaos Dullahan required a whopping two hours.
But in Keyzen, most exams—including dueling evaluations—prohibited the pre-preparation of magic circles. That meant he couldn’t realistically use it in duels, nor in actual combat.
‘I need to get stronger.’
He admitted it.
The Chaos Dullahan was still too overwhelming a power for him to control.
So Simon decided to change his approach a little.
‘I don’t need much. Just a single sword strike will be enough.’
It was, after all, an undead swordmaster wielding the power of chaos.
During the performance evaluation he had to face an army of ten thousand enemies, which forced him into prolonged combat. But in reality, a single swing of that sword was more than enough to defeat most foes.
‘Let’s devise an instant-cast magic circle.’
This time, he wouldn’t activate the Chaos Dullahan’s Darkness Engine. Instead, he’d research a way to build a magic circle that allowed the Dullahan to swing just one sword strike.
And the result was—
<Imperial Swordsmanship – World Reversal>
Shwaaaaaaaaaaaak!
Simon successfully unleashed Manus’ ultimate technique.
The sky split in two.
A straight, irresistible line was drawn as Simon and Manus, standing with their backs to the monsters, lowered their swords.
Schwing—
The colossal monster’s head fell, cut cleanly with a perfect cross-section.
“That’s how it should be.”
Simon grinned.
――――!
A vast silence swept over the entire arena.
“Ah! Aaah! Aaaaaah!”
The host’s jaw dropped, words failing him. The twin professors chuckled, and the audience leapt to their feet, eyes wide open.
“First place! The very first student to eliminate a monster is none other than—!”
The host threw his arm up high.
“The sole representative of the Summonology Department, the Student Council President—Simon Follentia!!”
Uwaaaaaaaaaaaah!!
Thunderous cheers erupted throughout the stands.
A heartbeat later, the Katarology department’s Gyrodile had its heart pierced, but first place had already been claimed.
“W-What?! We’re in second place?”
“He was just stalling with skeletons this whole time, how the hell did he pull off a reversal?”
The Katarology students who had just taken second looked around in disbelief.
“…One strike.”
One student muttered, as if unable to believe it himself.
“…He severed Gyrodile’s neck in a single strike.”
“Quit lying! Do you have any idea how thick its neck is?!”
“I saw it with my own eyes!”
Simon and Manus, in perfect unison, made the stylish motion of sheathing their swords, then let out a long breath.
‘Don’t regret it.’
He remembered the very first time he created and used a Royal Guard. Back then, he had to deal with Golem cores, Blood Golems, endless hours of preparation—so many tedious steps.
But now, as Simon’s power had grown, he could wield the Royal Guard freely.
‘Someday, you too…’
Simon made that vow to himself as he stored Manus’ skull and the Dullahan’s body into subspace amidst the roaring cheers of the crowd.
Hahahahaha!
From the VIP seats of the Dark Alliance, awed exclamations rang out nonstop.
“To win first place in a team game all alone! How entertaining!”
“It’s amazing how Keyzen keeps producing talents like this year after year.”
Simon’s explosive performance had completely overshadowed the other departments’ matches, which were all but forgotten. One after another, Gyrodiles were defeated, and the games concluded.
In terms of raw timing, all seven departments were fairly even, but Simon pumped his fists together.
‘Still not enough. I’ll keep working harder!’
* * *
That night.
“To celebrate taking first place overall on the first day!”
“Cheers!”
Waaaaaah!
The clinking of beer mugs rang through the Summonology dormitory lobby as students of both 2nd and 3rd year gathered in rowdy celebration.
“Everyone worked hard today.”
Leonard, the overall department head, sat at the place of honor, smiling broadly.
“Especially the 2nd years—thank you so much for bringing us overall first place.”
Turning around, he shouted to his classmates.
“Let’s step it up too, 3rd years!”
“Damn right!”
“We won’t lose to our juniors!”
Laughter and cheers rang out everywhere.
The results of the first day were encouraging.
3rd-year Summonology Department: 3rd place.
2nd-year Summonology Department: 1st place.
Combined, they were sitting in overall 1st place.
‘So this is how it turned out, huh.’
Simon grinned, sipping his foamy beer. Thanks to the underperformance of the 3rd-year Katarology and Darkness Dynamics departments, the rankings had swung in their favor.
“Naturally.”
Fitzgerald adjusted his glasses.
“The 3rd-year Katarology department got thoroughly marked by the Toxicology students. And Darkness Dynamics was crippled without their absolute ace, Aizel.”
Surprisingly, the 3rd-year winners were Toxicology, home to Aizel’s rival, Ballack.
“But we can’t afford to relax yet. We may have gained the upper hand on the first day, but the Dark Emperor competition still has four days to go. Now that we’re at the top, we’ll be the focus of concentrated marking and counter-strategies.”
Fitzgerald looked straight at Simon.
“Your role will be crucial, Simon.”
“Yeah. I’ll give it my all.”
The atmosphere grew livelier and livelier.
With mugs clashing and students making a mess of the lobby, even the normally strict dorm manager turned a blind eye, so great was the impact of Summonology’s first-place finish.
The mood at its peak, endless toasts popped up.
To the Magical Combat rep who slipped on the tightrope challenge.
To the repaired bathrooms.
To Benya Vanilla, who racked up 5 kills in the survival event.
To Ballack, who eliminated an enemy ace.
And then—
“To the Student Council President, Simon Follentia, who entered a team game alone and took first place!”
“Cheers!!”
Blushing in embarrassment, Simon raised his mug as dozens of others lifted theirs high before downing them in unison.
“President.”
“Hello~”
While Simon was chatting with Fitzgerald and Toto in the noisy atmosphere, two female students suddenly slipped in front of him.
“Today’s match was amazing.”
They brushed back their long hair neatly and sat down in front of Simon. Their cheeks were slightly flushed, likely from a bit of alcohol.
“Uh, thanks.”
Who are they?
In truth, Simon only vaguely knew their faces; he had never properly spoken to them before.
“You were incredible~ We’re the same age, but as fellow necromancers, I really respect you!”
“How can you be so strong?”
“When you cut down ten thousand during the performance evaluation, I got chills all over!”
They rushed to speak over one another.
“If you’re free this weekend, would you—kweeeek!”
Suddenly, the girl’s voice cracked and screeched strangely. Face bright red, she slapped her hand over her mouth.
“Are you okay?”
Startled, Simon rose to his feet.
“S-Sorry, kweeek! My throat got stuck, kweeek!”
Each time she made a sound like a pig’s squeal, her entire body jerked.
“Ohoho! What’s gotten into you—huuuuuurk!”
This time, the other girl belched loudly out of nowhere. Students nearby turned to look at her.
“N-No, this just suddenly—huuurk!”
“What’s that noise? Is a whale yawning somewhere?”
“Hahahaha!”
Eventually, faces burning red, the two of them dashed into the women’s restroom.
While Simon stood there, dumbfounded.
“Predictable.”
With ivory-colored hair swaying, Serne appeared, seating herself right in front of Simon.
“Excuse me.”
“Serne. Just now, was that you—”
Shaak.
Simon flinched. Without the slightest hint of presence, Loraine appeared by his side, legs pressed together, eyes flashing sharply.
“You. Did my warning mean nothing to you?”
“How funny~”
Serne flicked her tongue.
“Look at you, squirming from afar, then jumping out the moment I showed up. Honestly, you’re glad I stepped in, aren’t you?”
“Do you think I’m like you?”
The two of them once again contorted their faces viciously, glaring at each other. Afraid sparks would fly, the other classmates quietly slipped away.
Simon tried to calm them and turned to the side.
“Fitzgerald.”
Fitzgerald, who had been talking strategy with Toto, looked back at him.
“I have a suggestion.”
Simon whispered quietly. Fitzgerald stroked his chin.
“Strategically, it’s not a bad idea. I’ll bring it up with the department rep later.”
“Haha, thanks.”
At that moment, Leonard rose to his feet.
“That’s enough! The promised one hour is up.”
A chorus of disappointed groans rose around the room.
“We’ve got matches tomorrow too, so you know better than to drink too much. Time for evening training!”
At that, students stood up one after another and filed outside. Loraine grabbed her coat, while Serne, clearly uninterested in joining, waved casually at Simon before heading upstairs.
“Guess I’ll go too…”
—Student Council President Simon Follentia! Simon Follentia, please report to the student council room immediately!
Of course, there would be no time for evening training. The surrounding students, already used to the sight, snickered quietly.
“Good luck, President!”
“Don’t waste all your strength in the student council! You know department matters come first, right?”
“We expect another first place tomorrow!”
His classmates joked as they passed, while Simon smiled, nodding or exchanging light high-fives.
During this Dark Emperor competition, he felt closer to his peers than ever before.
“Take care, Simon. Thanks for always working so hard for us.”
And as always, only Loraine gave him such mature words. Simon nodded firmly.
“I’ll be back.”
* * *
Among the students, Simon had more freedom than anyone. Vice-chancellor and committee chair Jane had removed all curfews and restrictions for student council members.
Of course, that meant the workload was heavy.
As soon as he arrived at the student council office, Maelyn scolded him about how he could dare to drink, and then work began.
Sorting through the flood of documents and petitions submitted to the student council, time slipped away until well past dawn.
It was too late to return to the dorms, so the student council members pulled blankets over themselves and slept on the sofas in the council room.
But it didn’t feel difficult. They enjoyed the work, and everyone was determined to see the Dark Emperor festival conclude successfully.
* * *
The next morning.
“Let’s go, Simon!”
“Yeah.”
Simon and Kamibarez Ursula fastened their student council armbands and set out on patrol.
During the Dark Emperor festival, the number of people on Roke Island multiplied many times over. That meant incidents and accidents cropped up constantly.
They arrested thieves trying to steal relics and escape by ship. They rescued lost tourists who had wandered into the forbidden forest.
Other times, they had to round up students roaming off campus and send them back.
Many parents visited during the festival, and students often slipped out of the dorms to stay at their parents’ lodgings.
First-year aristocrats, pampered since birth, were especially prone to it. Exhausted by Keyzen’s brutal training regimen, they couldn’t resist when their parents were so close by.
“That won’t do! Understand?”
At that very moment, Kamibarez was scolding a group of first-years. Planting her tiny fists on her hips, she raised her voice.
Standing on tiptoes, she even flapped her pair of bat wings in a threatening gesture.
“I get that you miss your parents, but breaking school rules is wrong!”
“S-Sorry, senior!”
“Visit them after classes are over!”
“Yes!”
Yet the first-years kept sneaking glances not at Kamibarez, but at the Student Council President Simon, standing behind her in his coat.
When Simon half-opened his eyes lazily, their heads instantly dropped back down.
Kamibarez pressed further.
“If you’re caught again, it’s the disciplinary committee! Got it?”
“Yes! We’re sorry!”
She finished scolding them and sent them back.
Snorting proudly through her nose as she made sure they were leaving properly, she then trotted up to Simon with a bright smile.
“Simon~ I gave them a sharp scolding!”
Watching her giggle, Simon suppressed the twitch of his lips that threatened to soften into a grin.
“Yeah. I think they’ve learned their lesson.”
She had volunteered to take on the role of disciplining the first-years herself. Although giving harsh words didn’t suit her personality, she insisted on it—saying she didn’t want to drag the team down and wanted to grow stronger.
Simon supported her efforts more than anyone.
“Alright, shall we head to the next spot?”
“Yes!”
But they hadn’t gone far before—
“What brats are these?!”
A loud voice rang out.
“Out wandering at dawn, huh.”
“And in uniform, no less. Get over here.”
A group of students in Keyzen uniforms was approaching.
‘Ah.’
Simon chuckled. They must’ve received a similar report, and their duties had overlapped.
They wore black armbands on their right arms.
‘The Disciplinary Committee.’
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters