Chapter 623
Simon spent the entire day roaming Roke Island with Kajan, but he couldn’t uncover any further clues about the fanatic.
That strange peddler from earlier recovered after about an hour. He had no memory at all of what had happened to him.
‘There are far too few clues.’
Whether the fanatic had used a special ability or an artifact, she was moving around under a false identity, thoroughly concealing her holiness.
In this situation, the only certain way to identify whether someone was a priest was through the assistance of Professor Farahan of Defense Against Holiness and his few teaching assistants.
All of them were priests who had defected from the Holy Federation and could still use holiness.
If Keyzen’s agents caught a suspicious person and brought them in, Farahan and the assistants would use holiness detection spells to confirm whether the person possessed holiness as a priest.
But their numbers were too few. Reports had already come in that they were exhausted from casting so many detection spells.
—We’ll resume the investigation tomorrow.
As night fell, Kajan said that. Simon parted ways with him and returned to campus.
First, he dropped by the student council office to handle Dark Emperor–related duties, but he found it hard to concentrate.
‘A fanatic has infiltrated Keyzen…?’
Simon twirled the quill in his hand, deep in thought.
‘Then… could that sense of strangeness I felt earlier have been…?’
The thought that he might have crossed paths with the fanatic while walking around sent chills down his spine.
How could he catch the person before she caused an incident? Simply dragging every “suspicious-looking person” to Farahan had its limits.
‘What should I do…?’
He couldn’t focus on his work.
The Dark Emperor Festival lasted five days, and tomorrow would be the third. Even with optimistic thinking, there wasn’t much time left.
“Simon?”
Simon turned his head. Kamibarez stood there, tilting her head with a stack of documents in her arms.
“You alright?”
“Ah, yeah. I’m fine.”
Simon touched his forehead and gave a strained smile.
“Guess I’m just a little tired.”
Worry clouded Kamibarez’s face.
“Would you like to return to the dorm early today? We can take care of the rest of the work…”
“No, no.”
Everyone was tired from both the matches and the workload.
Simon downed the teacup beside him in one go, then forced an energetic gesture, rolling up his sleeves.
“Let’s just finish it quickly!”
They finished student council work earlier than usual and Simon returned to the dorm.
In the courtyard, his classmates were noisily chatting and laughing as they returned from evening training. They were dripping with sweat, but their boisterous laughter filled the air, it seemed the atmosphere was at its peak.
“Well, no wonder.”
Simon lifted his gaze. Someone had hung a wooden signboard at the dormitory, carved with letters using black magic that shimmered even in the dark.
[Dark Emperor – Day 1: Summonology Department, 1st Place!]
[Dark Emperor – Day 2: Summonology Department, 1st Place!]
“Hey, Prez!”
The leader of Group 4, looking extra hyped, gave Simon a friendly pat on the arm as he passed.
“You were amazing today! When you nailed the Katarology rep during the Train Heist, man, it was such a rush! Hahaha! Counting on you again tomorrow!”
Simon’s shoulder twitched, but he forced a smile.
“Yeah.”
Every Summonology student who passed him lit up with a smile or a greeting. Simon returned their greetings kindly, but for some reason, he couldn’t smile back.
Feeling unsettled, he entered the dormitory. In the lobby, students were excitedly boasting of their heroics.
“Ah, seriously! You should’ve seen the faces of the Magical Combat guys when I nailed them!”
“Looked like Darkness Dynamics had an internal feud or something.”
“That place must be a total mess, hahaha!”
Simon felt a twinge of envy for his classmates, who could enjoy the festival without worrying about anything else. He was climbing the stairs to his room when—
“Simon, wait.”
Fitzgerald called out.
The two left the noisy lobby and stepped into a quiet lounge.
“You did great again today.”
Fitzgerald, holding a file of documents, adjusted his glasses with his free hand.
“Now, let me explain tomorrow’s schedule—”
“Fitzgerald. I need to tell you something.”
Simon spoke calmly. Fitzgerald’s face twitched at his words.
“You mean… you won’t be able to participate in tomorrow’s matches?”
“Yeah. It looks that way.”
“……Hmm. I didn’t account for this kind of variable.”
Fitzgerald frowned, glancing down at the schedule.
Step. Step.
From the shadows at the back of the lounge came the sound of footsteps. Soon, a large, thick hand slapped against the wall.
“Now…”
A cruelly twisted face emerged from the darkness—Hector Moore.
“What the hell are you babbling about?”
The second-year departmental rep, Hector Moore.
Of all people, he was the one Simon least wanted to hear this.
Step. Step. Step.
Hector walked with heavy steps until he stood directly before Simon. Every time Simon faced him like this, it felt as if a massive hill loomed in front of him.
“Explain yourself properly, Simon Follentia.”
“…Just as I said earlier.”
But Simon couldn’t tell Hector the truth, that a fanatic posing a terror threat was lurking around the Dark Emperor Festival.
—It’s forbidden to disclose this to outsiders. That includes student council members, professors, the Crows, and even Keyzen HQ.
—That’s the flaw in the Dark Alliance system. You never know who might be a spy leaking information.
So he could only speak vaguely.
“Because of school matters, I don’t think I can participate in the festival for a while.”
Veins immediately bulged on Hector’s forehead.
“You think it makes sense to give such a one-sided notice the day before?”
“Sorry, Hector. And you too, Fitzgerald. I’ll explain to the seniors—”
Bang!
Unable to contain his anger, Hector smashed his fist into the lounge wall. With a cracking sound, debris fell as the wall split with jagged fractures.
“Say it properly.”
Hector’s breathing was rough, like a growling beast.
“It’s not school matters—it’s student council matters, isn’t it?”
“Hector.”
“If you drop out now, the whole plan falls apart. You know that, right? Like with the raid event—you handled it alone. The whole strategy was built around you carrying one event solo so the rest of the class could focus our strength on the other categories. You agreed to it, hell, it was your idea!”
“……”
Simon bit his lip hard.
“We tailored the schedule and strategy to that proposal. If you back out, some unprepared classmate will be forced to fill the gap, and everything will collapse!”
“…You’re right.”
“We’re on the brink of winning the departmental championship! Tell me—what on earth is so important that you’d cripple the entire department?”
Simon’s lips were parched.
“I can’t tell you. It’s classified.”
“Of course it is.”
Hector sneered.
It was contempt.
“You’ve strutted around as Student Council President, always tagging along with them while neglecting the department. You’re not even the official president—just a stand-in until Aizel comes back. Pull off a few successes, and suddenly the department’s beneath you, huh?”
“I’ve never thought that way.”
Simon, who had been quietly listening, began to feel his temper flare.
“Don’t tell me pushing the department into ruin for the council isn’t treating your classmates with contempt.”
“I’m just as frustrated by this as you are, Hector.”
“Then it comes down to a choice.”
Hector’s eyes gleamed with menace.
“That childish, playhouse of a student council? Or the department…?”
“Don’t force me to choose between things like that!”
Simon shouted furiously.
As the two clashed, Fitzgerald—who had tried to intervene—went pale.
“I’ve never once thought of abandoning either side, and I’ve never taken either lightly! Whatever task I’ve been given, I’ve always done my best! But this time… this time I have no choice! I really don’t! The school…!”
Danger.
He couldn’t say those words aloud. Which meant he couldn’t persuade Hector.
So it could only escalate into an emotional fight.
So their words could only run parallel, never meeting.
Realizing this, Simon let his arms drop limply.
“……”
Hector also stood there, scowling, silent. The two boys simply stared at each other in silence.
“…Damn it.”
At last, Hector turned his back and stomped away, his heavy footsteps echoing.
‘Haa…’
Simon covered his forehead with the palm of his hand.
As Hector strode back toward the lobby, the hurried scuffling of classmates running out of his way could be heard. His roar followed.
“Got nothing better to do than watch? Get lost before I kill you all!”
Clang!
His voice thundered through the building.
The festive mood that had filled the dorm instantly hardened into stone. The sound of Hector climbing the stairs resounded above.
Thud.
Simon slumped into a lounge chair, head leaning back.
His heart was still pounding wildly. His eyes drifted to the wall Hector had smashed to pieces with his fist.
“You alright?”
Fitzgerald cautiously approached, glancing at Simon’s expression. Simon gave a mute nod.
“Once again… I’m sorry, Fitzgerald.”
“You must have your reasons.”
Adjusting his glasses, Fitzgerald gave a dry little cough.
“…In that case, I’d like to make a careful suggestion.”
“Hmm?”
* * *
The next morning.
Simon left the dorm early. Waiting outside was Kajan with a carriage.
“Kajan!”
“Good morning.”
Simon climbed aboard immediately and explained his circumstances.
He would still participate in at least one event a day, but his overall involvement had to shrink. Since Simon’s contribution was so heavily relied upon, Kajan simply nodded, cool as ever.
“It was us who dragged you into this in the first place. We’re grateful enough that you’ve helped this much.”
“I’m sorry. But where are we headed?”
Closing his eyes, Kajan carefully reactivated every soundproofing spell array within the carriage.
“This case is escalating.”
“…What do you mean?”
“The Holy Federation has offered cooperation.”
Simon’s eyes widened.
Had he heard that right?
“The Holy Federation?”
He had thought for sure they would distance themselves, claiming this incident had nothing to do with them, and perhaps even quietly hoping for disaster to erupt on Roke Island.
“Seems there are those on their side who also wish to prevent war.”
At those words, Simon instantly thought of Lady Israfil.
A priest and his mother Anna’s comrade—his aunt, the Saint of the Divine Sea. He had heard that the number of wars and tragedies she had prevented was beyond counting.
“They apologized for their poor management of their believers and promised to dispatch a priest to help detect the fanatic. Lady Neftis agreed to it.”
Simon jolted upright. To think they were sending an actual priest!
“That’s amazing!”
“Of course, it’s not an official offer by the Holy Federation. In fact, within the Dark Alliance, the only ones aware are Lady Neftis and her closest confidants.”
As Kajan said, this was not a formal transaction between the two organizations.
It was a covert arrangement—Israfil and Neftis, the factions against war, making their own deal.
Beneath the surface of the Dark Emperor Festival, enormous things were unfolding.
“And now, we’re on our way to meet that priest from the Holy Federation.”
“What—she’s already here?”
Simon practically jumped out of his seat.
Just what direction was this Dark Emperor Festival taking?
Before long, Simon and Kajan arrived at a cave belonging to Professor Grerion of Summon Materials Science.
According to Kajan, Grerion and his assistants had taken leave during the festival, and they had received permission to use the place freely.
“This will do.”
If a priest were to cross over, teleporting straight into the cave would be ideal to conceal their identity.
Simon and Kajan rode a minecart deep into the cavern.
After thirty minutes, Simon passed through layers of rigorous protective magic arrays before stepping inside.
“…What is this?”
Shaaah—
In the middle of the cavern, a lush wheat field had sprung up, stalks rising as high as their chests, heavy heads of grain swaying.
Simon had visited a few times for class, but never had he seen this. In fact, this environment shouldn’t even allow wheat to grow.
Rustle—
Pushing through the wheat field, Simon and Kajan pressed forward.
At the field’s center, under a canopy, sat a woman lifting a teacup like in a painting. Her mere presence brought light to the dark cave and set the wheat swaying in a gentle breeze.
Shaaah—
She wore the white ceremonial dress of a Saint, topped with a wide straw hat that shaded her face. On her back, a scythe and a sickle were crossed.
She turned her head toward the two of them.
“What… is this person?”
The air grew heavy.
Simon immediately realized she was no ordinary figure.
Tap.
She lifted the brim of her straw hat. A cascade of wheat-colored hair spilled out, revealing her face.
It was not what Simon had expected.
Her eyes were long, torn, and stitched crudely with rough black thread. A searing X-shaped scar marred both her eyes, and one side of her face bore burn scars that ran down across her mouth, warping her speech into a faint hiss.
“…So, you’re the Student Council President.”
“Wh-who are you?”
Her facial muscles twisted as she gave an eerie smile.
“I am the Saint of Harvest. Pleased to meet you.”
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters