Chapter 630
Sitting by the window with the lavish moonlight at her back, Simon suddenly found himself thinking.
Just how many times was he going to doubt his own eyes today?
“W-Wait a second!”
He jumped up from his bed, snapping back to his senses.
“Why are you here? Where are the other necromancer agents?”
“Of course, I sneaked out on my own.”
With a graceful movement, she landed lightly on the floor.
“Don’t worry. I left a note behind.”
“A note?”
“Necromancers can never be trusted. During the Starring event, I have no intention of leaving my back to the wicked enemy who denies the Goddess, so don’t bother searching for me.”
She clenched her fist, and the starlight ting— sparked upward.
“If you follow me, I’ll return to the Federation. That’s what I wrote.”
“A t-threat?”
Simon laughed awkwardly. How could someone be this reckless?
But thinking it over again, it was quite clever. Right now, the Holy Federation was technically helping the Dark Alliance, and cooperation from Lete was essential for the Keyzen agents.
A formal search might be carried out, but considering the fiery temper she had shown all morning, they wouldn’t dare push too far.
“Wait… then…”
Simon’s pupils trembled.
‘Was that why she was so cold to me this morning…?’
Lete pouted slightly.
“Is there something on my face?”
“N-No. Nothing.”
“More importantly~ so this is your room, huh?”
With her hands behind her back, Lete curiously wandered about his dormitory. Simon, flustered, scrambled to stop her.
“H-Hey! Don’t just walk around like that!”
“Oh, what’s the harm?”
Mmmm—
At that moment, Toto, who had been sleeping on the bed, rubbed his eyes.
“Simon, what’s going o—”
Tap!
In a hurry, Simon placed his hand on Toto’s forehead.
Falling under Sleep, Toto drifted back into slumber with a peaceful smile. Simon sighed in relief and tucked the blanket back over him.
“Be careful. If the dorm supervisor finds out a girl came in here, it’s the death penalty.”
“Would they really hang even the Student Council President for something so small? Keyzen is strict, huh.”
“……That was a figure of speech.”
In strict Efnelle, if you got caught, both boy and girl were practically beaten half to death. He decided not to ask how exactly one was beaten half to death.
“But how did you even know I was here? This dorm is way out of the way. It should’ve been hard to find.”
“I just asked around.”
Lete shrugged as if it were nothing.
“Figured you’d be sulking all by yourself, so I hurried over.”
“I-I wasn’t sulking!”
“You were pouting because I didn’t acknowledge you earlier. It was written all over your face.”
Simon’s ears turned scarlet as he shouted,
“I wasn’t!”
Ahahaha!
Covering her mouth with her sleeve, she laughed mischievously. The bright, blooming sound of her voice spread through the room.
“Well, let’s just pretend that’s the case. Now let’s go.”
She pointed toward the window.
“Go? Go where?”
“That’s for you to decide.”
Crossing her arms, she looked at him as if to say, Why even ask?
“I’ve never been to Roke Island. Since you’re the Student Council President, I thought you’d guide me to some quiet place that’s good for watching the stars.”
That wasn’t difficult. Smiling, Simon walked over to the coat rack.
“You said necromancers couldn’t be trusted.”
Lete also smiled faintly.
“Let’s say one person can be an exception.”
Flap!
Simon threw on his robe with flair. Fastening the buttons neatly, he prepared to leave.
“……”
For some reason, Lete looked flustered. When their eyes met, she stared up at him with a reproachful look.
“What? Is there a problem?”
“……N-No, it’s just…”
Turning her eyes away, faintly blushing, she muttered awkwardly,
“Today I’m wearing black.”
“?”
Simon tilted his head in confusion, not understanding. Lete suddenly exploded.
“I don’t want people to get the wrong idea, so flip yours inside out and wear it white! Ugh, seriously.”
“Oh.”
Now that he thought about it—
They were wearing the exact same robe. It was the pair they had bought together back in the Holy Federation: a reversible robe, black on one side, white on the other.
“So you wore yours too.”
“Shut up and wear it white! I’m taking black!”
“Fine, fine.”
Chuckling, Simon turned his robe inside out and wore the white side.
“Shall we go?”
Placing one foot on the window ledge, Simon stretched out his hand.
Lete stared at it for a moment, then, as if scoffing at the idea, brushed past and leapt out of the window first.
‘Still the same as ever.’
Simon laughed quietly and followed her out.
* * *
Outside the dormitory, the night was shrouded in heavy darkness.
Simon led Lete straight to the Forbidden Forest behind the dorm. The towering trees reached toward the sky, and beyond their canopy shone the night stars and a great, luminous moon.
“As expected of Roke Island. The atmosphere is eerie.”
Lete’s eyes went round as she looked about.
“The path might be rough.”
Simon pulled a golem core from subspace and dropped it on the ground.
“During the Dark Emperor period, security was heavily reinforced. We might run into patrollers guarding the forest, as well as enforcers or even the disciplinary squad.”
“No problem. I’ll just smash through them all.”
With her chin raised proudly, Lete spoke with confidence. Simon smirked and waved his hands.
<Summon Golem>
Soil and rocks responded to his Darkness, sticking together around the core. The gathered material was smoothly molded into a streamlined form.
In moments, Simon’s favored transport—the Golem Board—was complete.
“Shall we?”
He climbed on. Lete looked between him and the board, then asked,
“What about that divine beast carriage you were bragging about?”
“Obviously I can’t use that in Keyzen.”
“Tch.”
Clicking her tongue, she stepped onto the Golem Board.
“Hold on tight.”
Vrrrrrr!
With Darkness activating, the wheels began to spin. After some awkward fumbling, she finally placed her hands on Simon’s shoulders.
Whoosh!
Their bodies shot forward at high speed.
“Uwah!”
Startled by the speed, Lete leaned closer to him.
“I-Is this thing really safe?!”
The Golem Board tore through the dense forest at a fearsome pace. Simon answered calmly,
“It’s never flipped over. ……Not yet, anyway.”
“That sounded way too ominous!”
Simon pricked his ears, listening carefully.
“They should be coming about now.”
Fweeeet!
Fweeeeeeet!
As expected, whistles rang out all around the Forbidden Forest.
“Intruders! Halt!”
Because of their noisy ride, they had been spotted immediately.
Threats came—stop or be shot—but Simon only sped up.
Soon, the sound of bowstrings being drawn taut reached their ears.
“Excuse me.”
Now it was beginning. He pulled Lete’s hood over her head and lowered his own deeply.
Fwish!
Fwishhh!
Arrows rained from all directions. Lete’s face turned pale, clearly not expecting them to fire for real.
“W-What do we do?! They’re actually shooting!”
“They’re not aiming to hit us anyway.”
Controlling the Golem Board, Simon stretched out his arm. With a flourish, he plucked an arrow straight from a tree trunk as they sped by.
"They must not harm student Keyzen. And this—see, the tip is blunt, right?"
At the front of the arrow, instead of a sharp arrowhead, there was a blunt end with a magic circle inscribed inside.
"It’s a weakening curse. If you get hit, you’ll slow down, but you won’t die, so don’t worry."
"......Why do you know this so well, Milord?"
"How many times do you think I’ve sneaked out of the dorm until now?"
From his first year, Simon often slipped out of the dormitory to wander around Feer’s ruins or Rochest as if it were his own home. By the time he reached his second year, he had already become a master of sneaking out.
Lete let out a helpless laugh.
"And someone like you is supposed to be the Student Council President?"
"We’re going to lift off a little. Hold on tight."
Clatter clatter!
As the cliff appeared in the distance, the speed of the golem board suddenly doubled. And then—
BOOOOOM!
A strange sensation rushed in, as if their legs had vanished and their bodies had floated free.
Lete’s eyes widened as she looked down.
"Ah."
They were flying.
Beneath the bright night sky stretched an endless forest, the resplendent moon hanging above, and the distant sea glittering.
Her guts chilled, yet Lete found herself unable to look away from the breathtaking scenery.
"Welcome to Roke Island, Lete."
With that greeting, Simon moved his fingertips.
<Bone Armor>
He attached temporary wings to the golem board using skeleton bones. The black Darkness filled the frame, forming a membrane like stretched skin.
With the pull of the Bone Armor, the golem board’s fall slowed, gliding like a hang glider.
"You alright?"
Simon turned back to ask, and Lete answered with nothing but a faint smile.
Soon, the two landed safely beyond the forbidden forest and sped along the coastline, the cool sea breeze brushing against them.
But peace lasted only a moment.
"Stop right there!"
"What are those?"
Along the coast, disciplinary officers were guarding. Once they spotted the two, they began shooting curses at them.
"Hold on tight!"
Simon pressed down his hood and braced his legs.
The golem board twisted left, half-rose into the air, skidded to a sudden halt, then spun in place—all to dodge the curses.
"Wh-what kind of movements are those?!"
"He’s no ordinary guy! Keep firing!"
On their side, all they could do was launch harmless curses; stronger magic like Dark Flare was forbidden.
Bursting through the encirclement, Simon lifted his head.
'Damn.'
A tense smile tugged at his lips.
More than a dozen of Malcolm’s Doppelgangers blocked the road. Not only had they formed a barricade, but each of them was waiting with a magic circle etched onto their palms.
'So you’ve gotten your Doppelgangers to use magic circles too, Malcolm.'
The clones were guarding even the carriage road and the hillside. Lete peeked over Simon’s shoulder.
"Looks like they’re determined to block us here!"
"Don’t worry."
Shhhhhh!
Simon twisted the board’s course sharply, dashing toward the beach. The disciplinary officers who were guarding the front faltered in confusion.
"What the—why is he going toward the sea?"
"Stop, you madman!"
They hurried to chase after him. Simon grinned, opening his subspace, and released something into the sea.
Splash—!
He then spun the board and charged up a sand dune that jutted out nearby.
"Lete! Copy my movement!"
Simon crouched low, gripping the board’s side.
"Ugh, all because of you I’m doing crazy stuff!"
Though she grumbled, Lete copied him exactly—her bright smile betraying that she was enjoying herself.
Simon boosted the board’s power, launching off the dune into the air.
VROOOOM!
While airborne, he angled the underside of the board toward the ocean.
And then—
From the waters, a whale-bone undead surfaced.
<Current Cannon>
SPLAAAAASH!
A water cannon, weakened in power, blasted forth, propelling the board’s body forward. Simon and Lete shot upward, slipping cleanly through the encirclement.
"What the—!"
"They flew?!"
The disciplinary officers could only gape up at the sky, helpless as watchdogs who had lost their prey.
'Nice, Deimos!'
Simon left his waterborne summon Deimos lurking below the surface, waiting.
"Let’s chase them, Captain! If we go now, we can catch them!"
One officer urged.
'That summon must be.......'
Malcolm, the captain, thought for a moment, then smirked and shook his head.
"No. Leave it. Don’t pursue outside the assigned zone. Remember our mission."
He pressed a communication crystal to his lips.
"All units, stop pursuit. Do not break formation just to chase."
* * *
Breaking free of the blockade, Simon and Lete continued moving.
Past the forest and the sea, they now ascended the mountain.
Shhhh—!
They scaled the slope until finally, the golem board stopped. Simon stepped off.
"This is my favorite night view on Roke Island. Ready?"
"Of course. Can I expect it to be worth it?"
Together they looked over the cliff’s edge.
"Wow......!"
The vast nightscape of Roke Island unfolded before them. Though the tournament had ended, the night festival was still ongoing, lanterns and stalls alight across the land.
Lete couldn’t tear her eyes away from the dazzling view. Simon, feeling proud, spoke.
"Not bad, huh?"
"......Well."
Lete’s face flushed slightly as she smiled faintly.
"For a place full of necromancers, it’s not the worst."
"Do you always have to add that part?"
They both chuckled softly.
"I honestly didn’t expect this."
Lete lifted her head.
"I thought the sea would be blood-red, the land crawling with walking corpses, trees and grass shriveled to black husks."
'A dungeon, basically.'
"I was taught in Efnelle that this is the root of all evil, the den of demons, a place doomed to complete destruction with no hope of purification."
Her golden eyes lingered quietly on Simon.
"But after what you’ve shown me, my thoughts have changed a little."
"How so?"
Her lips curled.
"Let’s just say—it would be a shame to let Ever Kire destroy such scenery."
Simon smiled back.
"If you felt that way, then I’m glad."
It was still too early for stargazing. They sat together, talking softly as they admired the view. One by one, the lights in the buildings went out.
"Then it’s my turn to show what I can do."
Lete rose, removing the necklace that sealed her saintly power.
"Let’s begin."
A brilliant star-shaped pattern appeared in her eyes as she gazed at the night sky.
And with that alone—
"Ah."
The stars above began to shine dazzlingly bright.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters