Chapter 759
A modest drinking party with friends, reunited after the vacation.
The alcohol was flowing, and the atmosphere was gradually ripening. Naturally, deeper conversation surfaced.
“Do you think we’ll still be in the student council for the second semester?”
The one who brought it up was Kamibarez.
It was a subject everyone had wanted to mention, but they had hesitated, not wanting to ruin the good mood.
“Hey, commoner. Don’t you know anything?”
When Maelyn rolled her eyes, Dick shrugged his shoulders.
“What do you expect? I’m not some machine where you press a button and information pops out.”
“Then just say you don’t know!”
“Of course I’ve heard a thing or two.”
Maelyn gave a mock-snarling “Eyyuu!” gesture, as if to claw at him, and Dick leaned back quickly, beginning his story.
“Even during the vacation, I kept in touch with my underlings, so all sorts of stories reached me. First, about Ballack.”
On the stage where Simon and Aizel should have been fighting for the Student Council Presidency, Ballack barged in and wreaked havoc.
Simon didn’t know what happened afterward. For the moment, Simon’s name was listed as president, but strictly speaking, the seat had been vacant since then.
“They say the third-year professors banded together. With even Senior Aizel gone, they’re dead set on putting Ballack into the presidency. Especially the senior professor in charge of the third years, he even submitted a resignation letter to prevent Ballack’s expulsion.”
“R-resignation letter?”
Maelyn and Kamibarez shot to their feet.
“What?! Why are professors going that far in student council business?!”
What was usually considered “kids’ squabbles” had escalated all the way to the adults.
Dick shrugged again.
“Because it ties directly to their honor. You know how fierce the invisible competition among Keyzen professors is, right? It’s as brutal as the students’.”
Keyzen wasn’t called meritocratic for nothing. Professors also engaged in hidden rivalries and schemes; depending on results, their rank, authority, and pay would rise and fall. Many didn’t even last a semester if they failed to show results.
On top of that, Keyzen professor candidates outside Roke Island were constantly eyeing their seats, trying to drag down active professors with outside influence.
In such a place, the pride and honor of a professor who had survived long was beyond words.
“Here’s why it’s an honor issue: until now, Simon was just Aizel’s substitute. Once Aizel returned, he would be replaced. That way, they could explain it to outsiders: ‘We’re letting a second-year gain experience before the real leader returns.’ It wasn’t great for the third-year professors’ pride, but it was defensible.”
Dick laced his fingers with a grave expression.
“But if Simon isn’t a substitute but becomes the real Student Council President, that’s completely different. In a meritocracy like Keyzen, it means the 329th class’ Simon is superior to the 328th class’s third-years—hence he’s president.”
Maelyn and Kamibarez collapsed back into their seats.
Simon looked at Dick.
“Then the fact that a second-year like me becomes president would mean…?”
“Because the third-year professors failed to teach their students properly—”
Dick jabbed his finger downward with a piercing look.
“They’d all be branded as ‘incompetent’.”
A heavy silence fell over the table. Maelyn shut her eyes and took a sip of wine.
“That exgrasslands it. Why Ballack and the third-year professors have no choice but to be in cahoots.”
“Exactly.”
Dick popped a biscuit into his mouth before continuing.
“The third-year professors probably planned to just get their students graduated quickly, enjoy one or two sweet years of research season, and then take on fresh first-years. But suddenly, their pride and joy, Aizel, left the school? Their career trajectory looks like it’s about to collapse, their assistants are panicking, and outside necromancers are hungrily eyeing their seats. It’s like their house just caught fire.”
Simon folded his arms.
“So what’s the situation now?”
“Here’s the deal.”
According to Dick, thanks to the professors’ efforts, Ballack was spared from expulsion or even suspension. Instead, he was given a ‘Punishment Mission’.
It was a system almost a century old in Keyzen’s history, so dangerous that it had become virtually obsolete. The professors had dug through the school code to find this dusty regulation, just to save Ballack.
“What’s a Punishment Mission?”
Kamibarez asked with wide eyes.
“It means replacing disciplinary action with an extremely dangerous, nearly impossible mission, Kami. At minimum, it requires infiltrating the Holy Federation and fighting active priests. Basically, it throws a student into a deathtrap. That’s why it’s never really been used.”
“But…”
Simon opened his mouth.
“If it’s Ballack, he’ll somehow complete the mission and come back.”
“Exactly.”
Dick raised a finger.
“The duel to decide the presidency was left unresolved, so now the turn shifts to the professors. Just like the third-years have an inferiority complex toward our class, the third-year professors have similar feelings toward our professors.”
And with reason—the second-year faculty was extravagant.
Jane, right hand of Neftis, taught Darkness Dynamics. Bahil, a star among stars. Hongpeng, who had never lost her top student satisfaction ranking. Even Aron, despite his various controversies, had undeniable skill.
The balance of power within the academy was tilting toward the second-year professors, and the third-year professors were desperately trying to seat Ballack as president, to preserve at least a shred of face.
“No matter how it plays out among the professors, it wouldn’t be strange if either Simon or Ballack ends up president. But if Simon takes the post, then Ballack—who has already revealed his ambition to dominate the school—”
Dick turned his gaze to Simon.
“Will stop at nothing—duel or otherwise—to drag you down.”
“……”
Kamibarez looked at Simon with worried eyes, while Maelyn forced herself to sound upbeat.
“You can beat him, right, Simon?! You pounded Ballack like crazy last time!”
Simon shook his head.
“I replayed that duel against Ballack all vacation long. But—”
Back then, Ballack had already defeated Aizel, the academy’s top student.
He had even hacked Ednic Grerion’s magic circle and used large-scale toxic magic to block the spectators present.
Effectively, Ballack had faced not only Simon, but also the spectators and Aizel, all at once.
“It’s frustrating, but the truth is—with my current strength, it would be difficult to defeat Ballack in a formal duel.”
Simon lifted his head as he spoke.
“That’s why I need time.”
“Time?”
“In the second semester, I’m going to register for Professor Belya’s Toxicology class.”
After his duel with Ballack, Simon had spent days suffering from poison, barely dragging himself around the infirmary.
If Anna hadn’t crossed over to Roke Island herself and cast healing magic on him, he might have been stuck in the infirmary for the entire vacation.
“I have to raise the level of my ‘resistance system’ so I can withstand Ballack’s poison. That’s the bare minimum.”
The three of them nodded in agreement.
“And.”
“And?”
“The completion of the Bone Dragon.”
Everyone’s jaws dropped.
“D-did I hear that wrong?”
“I’ll finish it within the semester. I promised Lady Neftis.”
If he could meet those two conditions, Simon believed that even against Ballack, a third-year, he wouldn’t fall behind in a one-on-one fight.
Simon smiled faintly.
“Second semester’s going to be busy, in more ways than one.”
* * *
That was the end of the serious talk.
—Enough about the school and the grown-ups! My head hurts!
Maelyn shouted that out, and since the mood had turned heavy, a change of subject was welcome. The four of them returned to everyday stories.
Simon’s account of rebuilding his fiefdom and doing volunteer work after the Leshill flood disaster.
The story of Dick’s twin brothers, “Bill” and “Al”, who opened their Cores and then suffered miserably.
Maelyn being offered the lead role at the Langerstine Grand Theater.
Kamibarez beginning to raise an abandoned puppy at her house.
Now they could laugh about it all. Everyone burst out laughing and enjoyed the time together. Suddenly, the student council didn’t seem like such a big deal. Even without it, as long as they could see each other’s faces and laugh like this, wasn’t that enough?
“I’m just going to the restroom.”
Simon excused himself with a smile. While he was gone, Maelyn, who had been laughing noisily, leaned toward Kamibarez.
“Kami, Kami. Doesn’t it seem like Simon’s gotten taller?”
“Really?”
Kamibarez tilted her head.
“He says no, but it feels like I have to look up at him more than before.”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve always had to look up as high as I can.”
Kamibarez mimed craning her neck all the way up with a playful “Yap-yap!” gesture. Maelyn couldn’t resist and suddenly lunged forward, hugging her tightly.
“So cute! I missed you so much during vacation, Kami!”
“M-Maelyn, I can’t breathe.”
Just then, Dick returned with a new plate of snacks—biscuits topped with cheese—setting it down before sitting back.
“By the way, when are we leaving for the grasslands tomorrow? I want to check the ship’s condition a couple of hours before we set off.”
“We’ll leave early in the morning.”
“I can’t wait! What kind of adventures will we run into on the grasslands this time?”
Step. Step.
As the three of them chatted away, footsteps approached their cabin—uninvited ones.
Kamibarez’s eyes widened in alarm. Dick sighed deeply.
“Who is it?”
A man pushed back his umbrella and entered.
He looked to be about their age.
His gray hair looked almost bleached, the sides and back were buzzed short, and heavy earrings dangled from his ears. The jacket he wore was covered in complex patterns, and his arms, from the backs of his hands up to his shoulders, were covered in tattoos.
“Sorry to intrude. Man, the rain’s really coming down.”
Without waiting for permission, he sat down.
Three more men followed him inside.
“……You guys.”
Maelyn’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re from Magical Combat, aren’t you?”
“Oh, look at that. Meeting a celebrity here. Nice to meet you, vice-president Maelyn Villene.”
With a mocking clap of his hands pressed together, he pretended to bow, then snatched up one of the cheese biscuits and popped it into his mouth. Pulling a disgusted face toward his friends, he chuckled under his breath. The others joined in.
“……What do you want?”
Kamibarez shrank back, asking cautiously.
“Nothing. Just to hang out. Name’s Kinter.”
Kinter picked up an empty glass from the table, shook it out into the rain a couple of times, then set it back down and filled it with the leftover wine.
“Our group’s just four guys. Kinda dreary, you know?”
Gurgle—
Red wine filled the glass.
“A drink’s better with some ladies’ laughter in the mix.”
Thunk.
He squatted low in his chair, legs pressed together, and gulped down the wine in one go. Then he twisted his face and looked at Dick.
“Cheap bastard, couldn’t you spring for something nicer for the girls?”
“……”
“Eh, whatever.”
He set the glass down with a loud clack, then shoved the wine bottle toward Maelyn.
“Pour me a glass, will you? We’re classmates.”
Veins bulged on Maelyn’s forehead as her expression twisted in fury.
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“Are you insane?”
Her eyes flashed with a chilling gleam as she approached. The man smirked, tilting his head like he was daring her.
“C’mon, c’mon, it’s a good day, why the tension?”
Dick hurriedly intervened, stepping between them, then turned to the Magical Combat students.
“Sorry, but we’re not interested in sharing our table. We just want to spend time among ourselves.”
“Wow, amazing.”
The man grinned, showing a glittering gold tooth.
“The loser actually talks back.”
Dick’s face twisted, and the man laughed again, snatching another biscuit and flicking it onto his tongue.
“What’s going on?”
Just then, a new voice came from behind.
Maelyn, Dick, and Kamibarez turned—and their faces lit up.
But the Magical Combat students flinched instinctively.
“I asked you—”
The atmosphere shifted in an instant.
No further words were needed. He was one of the most famous and influential figures in Keyzen.
“What’s going on here?”
Simon had returned, standing before them.
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