Chapter 622
Simon and Kajan moved to a secluded place.
A narrow, dark alley where no one passed by.
Kajan leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, eyes closed. Simon’s thoughts were tangled.
‘To think Kajan would appear here.’
The Saint incident, and even the Blood Heaven Cult incident.
All the major cases that had taken place at the school so far, Kajan had been involved in investigating them. That alone showed how much trust he had earned from Neftis, and it also meant this case could be just as perilous.
“An incident? What happened?”
In the end, Simon couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked first.
“...There’s no concrete evidence yet.”
Kajan’s eyes slid open. His sharp gaze seemed even keener today.
“But after mobilizing the information guilds and investigating in many ways, I’m fairly certain.”
“Please tell me. If it’s something I can help with, I’ll do anything.”
“Thank you.”
At that reply, Simon felt his chest stir with emotion.
Until now, no matter how much he offered to help, Kajan would draw a firm line—saying Simon was just a student and should focus on school life.
But this time, it was Kajan who asked Simon for help first.
So I’m finally being recognized as a force in my own right. The thought made him feel strangely tingly inside.
“It’s about the incident.”
Kajan finally opened his mouth.
“A fanatic from the Holy Federation has slipped into the Dark Emperor.”
Simon’s whole body bristled in shock.
“A fanatic?”
“Yes. And a Class-1 dangerous individual.”
For the citizens of the Dark Alliance, who lived in this age of peace after the war, the greatest terror was none other than fanatics crossing over from the Holy Federation.
They were unpredictable terrorists.
They disguised themselves as ordinary residents, then suddenly triggered explosions in public squares, set towns ablaze, carried out indiscriminate murders, and committed grotesque and unspeakable atrocities. Wherever they passed, only dreadful tragedy was left behind.
They said motiveless killing was the most terrifying.
All the fanatics did was repeat “the will of the Goddess”, while wreaking endless havoc—something residents simply could not comprehend.
Though the number of attacks had decreased recently, the fear of fanatics still ran deep in the Dark Alliance.
And now, one such fanatic...
“…Is somewhere on this island?”
Simon’s expression hardened.
He had walked around the Dark Emperor for a while, and everywhere was crowded with people. If an explosion or a destructive holiness spell went off in the stadium, the catastrophe would be unimaginable.
“This isn’t unprecedented.”
Kajan continued, hands shoved into his pockets.
“During the Dark Emperor Festival, all sorts of people slip in. But every time, they were caught in Keyzen’s surveillance net before they succeeded—or damages were minor.”
“That’s fortunate.”
“But this year is truly dangerous.”
Kajan ground his teeth.
“He’s a Class-1 dangerous individual, and he’s extremely skilled at concealing himself. The chaos he could cause is beyond imagination.”
“What does it mean to be a Class-1 dangerous individual?”
Kajan looked straight into Simon’s eyes.
“A Saint.”
“...!”
“On the battlefield, he’s on the same level as the seven Saints of the Holy Federation. That should be explanation enough.”
Remembering the previous Saint incident, Simon felt a chill crawl down his spine.
“If such a man were to carry out a terror attack right in the heart of Roke Island, during the Dark Emperor Festival itself...”
“Yes.”
Kajan let out a deep sigh.
“It would be war.”
War.
The weight of that word made Simon’s throat tighten.
“Then we shouldn’t be standing around like this!”
Simon rushed toward the end of the alley, shouting.
“We have to stop the Dark Emperor Festival right now! If a Holy Federation fanatic is here, the festival is the last thing that matters—!”
“Didn’t I say?”
Kajan shook his head.
“There’s no definitive proof the fanatic entered Roke Island. For now, it’s all circumstantial suspicion.”
Simon halted.
“The Keyzen headquarters won’t halt the Dark Emperor Festival unless it’s something extreme. They already postponed the festival a whole year because of the Saint incident—if it’s canceled again over Holy Federation suspicions, Keyzen’s reputation will be in ruins.”
“...That’s true.”
“Suspicion alone isn’t enough. We need solid evidence.”
Simon clenched his fists.
“The best outcome is catching the fanatic ourselves. The next best is exposing his identity and gathering proof strong enough to halt the festival.”
“Exactly.”
Kajan pointed behind the alley.
“I’ll share more of the information I’ve gathered so far. Let’s talk while moving.”
As the Student Council President, Simon could not stand aside in this matter.
No, this was precisely why a Student Council President existed: to prevent disasters like this.
Simon nodded firmly, strengthening his resolve.
Rumble, rumble!
Simon and Kajan rode together in a carriage.
Inside, soundproofing magic circles and other security wards were inscribed. Even the coachman was no ordinary man, but a necromancer agent like Kajan.
Click.
Kajan unsealed the pitch-black briefcase resting on his lap and pulled out a black document envelope.
Simon recognized it immediately.
“That’s the Class-1 Confidential Document the headquarters staff gave me before the Ivory Tower dispatch.”
It had said that Bermude, the Master of the Ivory Tower, was targeting Keyzen.
This case was on almost the same level.
“Read it, Simon.”
Kajan handed him the envelope. Simon carefully accepted it with both hands.
“Of course, no outside disclosure.”
“Understood.”
“That means not the student council members, not the professors, not the Crows, not even Keyzen headquarters.”
“Th-that strict?”
Kajan closed his eyes, his face weary.
“That’s the weakness of the Dark Alliance’s system. We never know who might be a spy leaking information.”
Simon pointed at himself, looking bewildered.
“Then why entrust information even professors can’t access... to me?”
“It’s Lady Neftis’ order.”
Kajan replied calmly.
“Lady Neftis judged that you are a trustworthy ally.”
“Ah...!”
Simon, moved, quickly broke the seal of the file.
He wanted more than anything to be of help to Neftis and Kajan, who trusted him.
<The contents of this document are strictly forbidden to be disclosed to third parties.>
<Level 1 Dangerous Individual – Ever Kire>
‘There it is.’
Simon flipped the page.
“!”
There was her photograph.
It was black and white, yet just looking at it made his heart twinge in fear.
A woman with hollow eyes staring straight at the camera, her face expressionless.
‘…This is the Holy Federation fanatic.’
Flip.
Simon turned to the next page.
-Ever Kire. No information on birthplace.
-Age 7: first holiness aptitude test – failed.
-Up to age 10: three further aptitude tests – all failed.
-Age 16: manifested holiness late.
-Age 16: passed 19 tribulations and Holy Chamber on first attempt. Evaluator’s note: transcendent mental strength and faith.
-Age 17: enrolled in Efnelle.
Simon’s jaw dropped.
‘So she was from Efnelle!’
Flip—
The next page showed her in the pure white Efnelle uniform, familiar to him because of how often Lete wore it.
She wasn’t the terrifying woman from the first photo.
She was just an ordinary girl of seventeen, smiling with her friends, holding up a V sign with a congratulatory flower wreath after being admitted.
Flip—
What in the world happened to her?
Simon turned the page.
-Age 17: aptitude test revealed an “abnormal ability”. Assigned to Efnelle’s ability-user class.
-Age 17: professors reported it as a type of ability never before seen.
‘An ability-user…’
Simon tapped his finger as though checking it off, then read on.
-Age 17: midterm exam results – upper-mid range. Strengths in Spiritual Studies and Holiness Dynamics.
-Age 17: appeared unable to fully adapt to school life. Frequently muttered bizarre things like “I saw the Goddess”, or “I saw an angel”. Classmates testified it gave them chills.
-Age 17: displayed abnormal obsession with doctrine. In class, became emotional and rebuked professors’ teachings as “wrong”. Cried, insisting, “The Goddess did not say that”.
-Age 17: during the Harvest Festival, served food to fellow ability-class students. Apologized, saying she had been too sensitive. Students accepted her apology and shared the meal.
Clatter!
“We’ve arrived!”
Just as Simon was immersed in reading, the coachman pulled the carriage to a halt.
Kajan swiftly opened the door and leapt out.
“Finish reading later. We’re at the scene.”
“Ah, yes.”
Simon tucked the black documents away in the case, then stored it carefully in Subspace. He hurried after Kajan.
“Here.”
It was a street stall near the seaside.
The surrounding stalls were deserted; only one man remained at his. The stall owner was busily preparing something.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
Kajan said brusquely, stepping forward.
“Ah, welcome.”
The stall owner spoke. At Kajan’s signal, Simon glanced at the menu.
“Could we get two green teas?”
“Oh, yes, yes.”
The man lowered his head to prepare the drinks.
Simon tilted his head. It just looked like a normal stall.
“Oh, welcome. When did you arrive?”
The man looked up suddenly.
“Just now?”
“Yes, yes. What can I get you?”
“Two green teas...”
“Yes.”
He lowered his head again, then jerked upright.
“Ah, welcome.”
“...?”
Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome.
He kept repeating the same greeting, stuttering as if something in him had broken, glitching.
Simon shivered and stepped back.
“This is...”
“Yeah.”
Kajan’s face turned grim.
“A fanatic must have passed through here.”
What kind of power could twist a person into this?
Staring blankly, Simon muttered,
“Come to think of it... didn’t you say the fanatic had an ability?”
“That’s right.”
“I was reading the report but had to stop midway. What kind of ability is it?”
Kajan shook his head.
“It’s complicated. Neither the Dark Alliance nor even the Holy Federation has been able to categorize the power she wields.”
“...What?”
Simon quickly pulled the document back out of subspace and flipped to the later pages.
-Age 17: during the Harvest Festival, served food to fellow ability-class students. Apologized for being too sensitive; students accepted her apology and ate the meal.
-Age 17: next day, ability-class students regained awareness only to discover they were cutting up and eating the rabbits from the school pens raw with steak knives. Ever Kire insisted it was “a Harvest Festival tradition”.
-Age 17: three classmates, unable to endure the psychological trauma, withdrew from school.
‘...’
Something told Simon—
He had gotten himself entangled in something extraordinarily dangerous.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters