Chapter 651
<Perfect Analysis! The Returned Traitor Legion Commander, Who Could It Be?>
“Ha, that’s… quite the article.”
Simon forced a laugh as he pointed at the newspaper.
“Mind if I take a look myself?”
“Of course.”
Fitzgerald readily folded the newspaper and handed it to Simon. Then he returned to the book he had originally been reading, flipping through its pages.
Simon sat down on a nearby sofa and began reading the newspaper intently.
<The 7th Legion, once believed to have been completely annihilated, has returned. The core ‘Masters’ of the legion are known to have firm standards when selecting their next commander. As such, regardless of who is chosen, the legion tends to retain a consistent nature for long periods of time. This 7th Legion, likewise, has what many call a betrayal DNA…>
‘This is just fake news!’
Clearly, the journalist was against the 7th Legion.
Simon’s head felt like it was burning as he read. It was sheer nonsense, speculation written as if it were fact. He wanted to rush out right now, demand an interview, and vehemently deny it.
[Keh-heh-heh!]
Feer’s clone, dangling from Simon’s uniform like a badge, rolled its eyes while reading along. Feer’s scornful laughter resounded inside Simon’s head.
‘Feer, you’re not even angry?’
Simon grumbled.
[Why should I be? Humans are always the same! They only believe what they want to believe. Trying to persuade them is meaningless. Just imagine each of them as an Ever Kire who doesn’t happen to be committing murder!]
‘…That’s going too far, isn’t it?’
Simon shook his head and continued reading.
Everywhere he looked, it was all about the 7th Legion.
<Candidates for the 7th Legion Commander>
-Vallock Whitley
-Gordon Zetajones
-Chailey Beckers
This paper had no clue.
They were all great necromancers, yes, but every one of them was the wrong answer. They had merely forced the conditions to look plausible.
Among the listed candidates, only one name was familiar.
-Aizel Bringer
The rumor about the 3rd-year overall top student Aizel possibly being a legion commander, whispers that had spread throughout the entire school.
Simon thought it was just a fad among students, but here, the journalist was speculating with surprising seriousness.
<While suspicions abound that the 7th Legion Commander belongs to Keyzen, some believe it may not be a Crow agent or a faculty member but an as-of-yet incomplete student. Supporting this claim is the fact that the Witch of Death has defended the 7th Legion, and she is known to cherish her students dearly.>
A sharp deduction—Simon’s heart pounded.
<Currently, Aizel Bringer, the top 3rd-year student, has disappeared from school under the pretext of a long-term mission. Rumor has it he may have been investigating Ever Kire as a legion commander. Since he is said to have defeated Ever Kire, it is believed he may soon return to the school.>
Since it was partly about himself, Simon forgot time as he devoured the article.
The papers were filled with nothing but debates about the legion commander.
On one side: If the 7th Legion Commander can be found and recruited, he must be brought to their side.
On the other: No questions asked, eliminate him on sight.
And countless reckless speculations about who the commander truly was.
‘This is suffocating.’
Simon loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt collar. It felt like the whole continent was searching for him, and he could barely breathe.
Necromancers like Magnus were surely out there, eager to hunt him down and steal the commander’s seat.
‘Good thing I’m in Keyzen at least.’
Outside in the territories of the Dark Alliance, people must be going mad trying to track down the 7th Legion Commander. But here on Roke Island, separated from the continent, it was safe.
The Dark Emperor Festival was gone, and no outsiders would be entering for a while. Simon steadied himself and continued reading.
Then one column stopped him cold.
<Second Candidate for Legion Commander: Simon Follentia.>
His own name stared back at him.
Simon felt the blood drain from his body as he read on.
<Current Keyzen Student Council President Simon Follentia entered last year as ‘Special Admission No. 1’.>
<It may seem natural for the Student Council President to have been given such a spot, but at the time, he entered Keyzen without prior studies and had only just unlocked his Core.>
<The question, then, is this: why was such a beginner chosen as Special Admission No. 1? Why was he picked over Special Admission No. 2 Serne Eindark and No. 3 Shatel Maer? No one could explain it.>
<But if Simon Follentia was in fact the legion commander, and the Witch of Death recognized this and gave him that spot, it all makes sense. His abnormal rise to the top of his year within just one year, his genius in summonology—everything adds up.>
Simon’s hands trembled as he held the paper.
Of course, it was only after entering Keyzen that he became a legion commander, but this was the closest any journalist had come to the truth.
‘Who wrote this?’
He checked the name.
<Reporter Wedian Benchinio.>
<All tips welcome.>
The address printed below suggested the reporter was working out of Langerstine.
Creak—
His concentration was broken when the clubroom door opened.
“Molly!”
“You’re here?”
It was Princess Molly.
Like Sasha, she had been absent for a few days after the Dark Emperor incident. She greeted her classmates, then bowed to Simon and Fitzgerald as well.
“I had some business at the royal palace.”
“What happened?”
Simon asked.
She closed her tired eyes.
“It’s because of the 7th Legion Commander.”
Simon’s heart lurched.
“Dresden, having suffered direct losses, refuses to tolerate the 7th Legion’s existence. The palace has protested Neftis’ statements, raised the level of the wanted order, and proposed meetings with other kingdoms. Soon, there will be deep discussions about the 7th Legion.”
And yet, the very 7th Legion Commander they were discussing sat before her, lips sealed.
Simon was once again thankful he hadn’t revealed himself back then.
* * *
Simon left the clubroom.
No matter how much people searched for the legion commander, Roke Island was safe.
Or so he thought.
“Excuse me, student! Could we have a quick interview?”
“Just a few minutes, please!”
Reporters were roaming the school.
Notebooks in hand, magic cameras hanging from their necks, they eagerly pestered students for any scrap of information about the 7th Legion Commander.
‘What the—? How did reporters get in here?’
Simon ducked behind a column. Only then did he notice the banners hung across the plaza.
<World Toxicology Contest – Hosted by Pentamonium>
Oh, right. There was an external event. Pentamonium’s regular contest, which this year was being held on Roke Island to encourage Keyzen students to participate.
The reporters had probably come to cover that—but instead, they were focused on the hot topic: the legion commander.
‘I’d better stay out of sight.’
Simon was just about to slip away toward the opposite building when—
“Excuse me.”
A woman strode up quickly behind him.
She had sharp features, wore small round glasses, and carried herself in a crisp suit. In her hands were a notepad and a magic camera. A reporter’s attire, clear as day.
“…Who are you?”
She adjusted her glasses and gave a faint smile.
“You must be Student Simon Follentia. Or perhaps I should address you like this…”
Her gaze sharpened.
“…Traitor Legion’s Commander.”
“……”
Simon’s heart pounded like a war drum.
The reporter’s eyes glistened, as if determined not to miss the slightest twitch of his reaction. Normally, he might have flinched, but thanks to reading all those papers back in the clubroom, he managed to keep his composure.
“You say the strangest things for a first introduction.”
“Ah, let me introduce myself properly.”
She handed him a business card.
“Wedian Benchinio, Reporter. Any tips welcome.”
Simon’s heart beat even faster.
‘Her!’
She was the very journalist who had written the column speculating that he was the legion commander.
Wedian gazed steadily into Simon’s eyes and spoke.
“Have you, by chance, read my column?”
Simon forced a model-student smile.
“I’ve been too busy with studies, I’m afraid.”
“I see. Then let me get straight to the point.”
She flipped open her leather briefcase. Pinned across the inner flap were photos and transcripts of interviews.
“I believe you are the Traitor Legion’s Commander. No—I'm certain of it.”
“……”
“You were originally my Candidate No. 2. But since coming here to Roke Island, my conviction has only grown. I’ll be publishing a new column soon.”
She shut her case with a snap, lips curling into a meaningful smile.
“If you’d just confess now, then—hm?”
But Simon was already walking away at a leisurely pace. She started in surprise and reached out.
“Wait, student! I’m speaking to—!”
“I…”
Simon said with a calm smile,
“don’t have time to waste on people who spin baseless nonsense.”
His cold eyes made Wedian instinctively flinch.
“And as Student Council President, I’ll warn you—if you’ve come to cover the contest, keep your interviews relevant to that event.”
“…Ahem.”
Wedian cleared her throat.
It was a fair point, and she had no retort for once.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
Simon walked off. She had no grounds to stop him.
But—
“Just you wait!”
She shouted at his retreating back.
“I’ll prove here, on this island, that you are the Traitor Legion’s Commander!”
Simon ignored her with ease and entered the student council building, where his direct subordinates stood guard. Outsiders like her couldn’t follow.
Click.
Wedian opened the pocket locket she wore around her neck.
Inside was a photo of a middle-aged man and a young girl.
“Watch over me, Father.”
She whispered as she clenched the locket tight.
* * *
That night.
Simon lay in his dormitory bed with the blanket pulled over his head.
Sleep refused to come.
—Just you wait! I’ll prove you are the Traitor Legion’s Commander!
Grinding his teeth, Simon turned on his side.
‘I’ll have to be especially cautious during the contest.’
With a dangerous outsider prowling Roke Island, he would even need to reduce his visits to Feer’s ruins for a while.
He buried his face into the pillow, forcing his eyes shut. But then—
Fwump fwump.
His blanket bulged upward.
Blinking, Simon wondered if he was hallucinating—until he bolted upright in shock.
“Wh-what the?!”
Pop!
From beneath the blanket burst a tiny silver-haired girl.
She threw up her hand and grinned wide.
“Hiya!”
“…L-Lady Neftis?”
Simon’s eyes went wide as she pointed cheerfully out the window.
“Come on, let’s have a little chat.”
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters