Chapter 216: Episode 216

Simon’s eyes went wide.

“You found him?”

[Yes. Akemus holds no great grudge against Richard, and his loyalty to the Legion is high, so I judged that I would be sufficient going alone. And indeed, I succeeded in finding him.]

Simon swallowed dryly, his expression tense.

“S-So! What happened when you found him?”

[Akemus was snatched from right under my nose.]

Erzebet and Prince shot to their feet.

[What bastard did this!] Prince pounded his chest, his face contorted in anger. A strong feeling of animosity radiated from Pier’s psionic thoughts.

[The 5th Legion Commander, Magnus Alban. That bastard was also in the Jungle of Screams.]

Simon’s eyes widened in shock.

’A Legion Commander other than me.’

There were a total of seven Legion Commanders. Naturally, there were also seven ‘Administrators’ like Pier who could form a legion. However, it was known to the world that the ‘Traitorous 7th Legion’ had vanished, and that the administrator Pier had been eternally destroyed.

Of course, that was not the truth. Nephthys had audaciously spirited Pier away and sealed him in the underground ruins on Roc Island. As soon as Richard’s son, Simon, enrolled in Kizen, she informed him of the ruins’ location and guided him to become the Legion Commander. Thus, including Simon, there were currently seven Legion Commanders.

’One of those Legion Commanders…’

…had taken Akemus, who belonged to Richard’s legion.

[This is war!] Prince shouted in excitement. [Magnus broke the rules between Legion Commanders! Wasn’t it an unspoken rule not to touch another legion’s Ancient Undead!]

Hearing those words, Pier spoke.

[He believes the 7th Legion has been completely wiped out. His scheme is likely to claim the masterless Ancient Undead for himself.]

[Simon! Deathland was prepared for a time like this! If you just give the order where to strike, all the dead of Deathland will…!]

Pier shook his head.

[Right now, no matter what firepower we mobilize, we cannot defeat Magnus. He is a fully-realized necromancer, and under him are five Ancient Undeads. With one more added now, it would be six.]

Prince pouted as if he didn’t like that.

Simon said, as if to soothe him, “I also agree that we shouldn’t react emotionally. More importantly, Pier.” Simon’s gaze became serious. “Does Magnus know Pier’s identity?”

At that question, Pier let out a slight smile.

[You strike at the heart of the matter! The chances are fifty-fifty. It’s true that Magnus sensed my presence, but it’s highly likely he doesn’t know that I am the Administrator Pier. I obliterated the pursuit team he sent and escaped.]

“Phew, above all, I’m just so glad you’re safe.”

He had almost lost Pier while trying to find a new captain. For Simon, that was the most dreadful scenario. And Magnus had detected Pier, an Ancient Undead, even if he might not know Pier was an Administrator. He might be scouring the continent with bloodshot eyes to get his hands on him.

[For the first time, I feel glad to be on this island,] Erzebet chimed in. [No matter how active a Legion Commander he is, he won’t be able to recklessly enter Roc Island, which is protected by the Witch of Death.]

[That is certainly true! But Magnus is a bastard who defies imagination. If he becomes certain, he’s the type of guy who would sneak into Roc Island and search the entire island. We must hide our identities more thoroughly than before!] After saying that, Pier turned his head. [Boy! How many people know your identity right now?]

“Just a moment.” Simon slowly folded his fingers. “Dad, Mom, Lady Nephthys, Serne, Kajan, and Lethe. Just them.”

[Lethe is that priestess wench you mentioned earlier.] Pier crossed his arms. [If you’re the one telling them, she must be someone who can keep a secret, right?]

“Yes.” Simon nodded seriously. He knew what kind of person Lethe was, but he felt that wasn’t enough of an explanation for the others, so he added, “Lethe and I share a crime. If she were to reveal my identity, she wouldn’t be free from the controversy of having brought me to the Holy Federation. There are various other circumstances involved, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

[I see.]

As Pier was nodding, Erzebet suddenly started biting and tearing at her own clothes.

[Again! Again! Again! That vile priestess fe-fe-fe-female again…!!!]

She seemed to be letting it go quietly earlier, but she finally exploded. Simon quickly stepped in to de-escalate.

“It’s not the kind of relationship you’re thinking of! Lethe is my mother’s student…”

[Anna! Annaaaa! They’re just alike, sticking to each other!]

It had the opposite effect.

[Listen to me carefully, Legion Commander! All priestess bitches are a deadly poison that ruins men!] Flames shot from Erzebet’s eyes. [Claiming to be holy women who serve God! Acting all innocent! Acting all pure and chaste! Putting on all sorts of airs, but once their eyes land on a man, they become vulgar…!]

[Erzebet!] Pier barked, cutting her off. [What are you saying in front of the kid!]

[I have no desire to associate with an ignorant, Legion-obsessed crusty boomer who knows nothing of love!]

[Do not use the language of those damned Kizen brats!]

’Why are those two suddenly fighting?’

Simon painstakingly separated them. Prince was clutching his stomach and laughing his head off, finding the whole thing hilarious.

[Let’s get the situation straight again,] Pier said, taking the lead in the conversation again. [Magnus is hunting Ancient Undeads. He likely doesn’t know about the possibility of the 7th Legion’s revival, but he is probably looking for me. If it’s revealed that we are a Legion, not only will we have to leave Kizen, but we will immediately become Magnus’s target.]

“Yes. That’s right,” Simon nodded.

[From now on, we must be more careful! It is strictly forbidden to reveal your identity to those four you often hang out with! And one more thing. Your growth rate is already miraculous enough, but you must raise your level to be able to face Magnus as soon as possible!]

“Of course.”

Now, life at Kizen begins. So far, the only new black magic he had learned from his father was Corpse Explosion, but now that classes were starting, he could begin to absorb more new things in earnest. And as Simon grew stronger, so too would the Legion. The best way to escape the various threats surrounding him was, after all, his own strength.

Even if he was wearing a Kizen uniform, a man like Magnus wouldn’t bat an eye at getting rid of a single student. Facing the new semester, Simon steeled his resolve even more.

—

The next morning, the first day of classes finally dawned.

“Dick! Wake up!” Simon, already showered, shook Dick, who was dead to the world in his bed.

Dick, his eyes swollen shut, got up and trudged to the bathroom while Simon changed into his uniform.

’It feels empty, like something’s missing.’

The ‘Pier’s Clone’ that served as a means of communication with the Legion needed to be remade to avoid Magnus’s pursuit, and Pier had said he would make it within three to four days. Kajan was already out. He could tell by the flattened state of the blankets.

“Ughhh… It really is the start of the semester,” Dick groaned. Having washed up haphazardly, he rubbed his eyes and put his legs into his uniform pants.

“You’re that tired? You went to bed early yesterday.”

“I’m just not a morning person.”

Having finished their preparations, the two left Room 409, walked down the corridor, and stepped out of the dormitory under the bright morning sun. A familiar path to school. The murmuring voices of students and their boisterous laughter could be heard from all sides. The time was a bit awkward, so rather than eating in the dormitory, they bought sandwiches from a nearby campus store.

The fresh air seemed to wake Dick up completely. He laughed loudly, greeting the other students on their way to class.

’I missed this everyday atmosphere.’

Seeing Simon’s moved expression, Dick chuckled.

“Ah, you get moved by the smallest things! Have you only been at Kizen for a day or two? Soon you’ll be moved by the golden ratio of inhaling and exhaling.”

Simon just smiled. Forgetting about the Legion and Magnus for a moment, he liked this moment of being able to express pure joy for the things he had.

“Ah! But Simon. What did you say the first class was?”

“It’s fixed to our homeroom professor’s class.”

“Oh! It’s been a while since we’ve seen our Vice-President.”

They entered the building and went into the large lecture hall where Jane’s class was held. The sight of the Class A students chattering loud enough to make his ears go numb came into view.

“Ah, it’s Simon!” Toto Amori, from the same Mutant club, waved and approached him.

“Toto! Have you been well?”

“Yeah! More importantly, you’re going to stop by the club room to greet the seniors after class, right?”

“I should.”

As he was talking with Toto about Summoning, he heard a girl’s voice call his name. He turned his head and saw Kamibarez waving from her seat, with Meirin putting down her textbook next to her.

“Then let’s talk in the club room.”

“Alright!”

Simon joined his Team 7 members. He greeted Kamibarez cheerfully, and Meirin also said ‘hello’ in a short but gentle voice.

“They said four people dropped out of our class,” Dick announced, having been gathering information for a moment.

Kamibarez nodded worriedly.

“I feel bad for the dropouts. It must be hard to take group classes with only three people, right?”

“Of course it’s hard! Let me make this clear!” Meirin’s eyebrows shot up. “You guys better prepare hard for the Comprehensive Black Magic Aptitude Test! If even one of you drops out, you’ll see! I’ll come find you at your homes during vacation and curse you!”

Simon smiled.

“Are you worried about us?”

“W-Worried? What are you talking about! I said I’d curse you!” As Meirin stuttered with a red face, the three of them burst out laughing.

Just then, someone entered the lecture hall and shouted, “The professor is here!”

The students who had been scattered all over began to sit down at an incredible speed. Even the student stuck to the ceiling like a spider, and the students who were drawing magic circles for an impromptu curse duel quickly erased the traces of Jet-Black and sat down. A complete silence then enveloped the lecture hall.

’Click, clack.’

The sound of heels was heard, and the front door slid open.

’Long time no see!’

Simon greeted her silently. A short, restrained haircut, a cold-looking face, and eyes that exuded charisma. It was Jane Olivia, the homeroom professor for Class A and the Vice-President of Kizen. Behind her, Jane’s teaching assistants stood in a line at attention. A few of the TAs winked or gave a small wave to the students they were close with.

In the silence, she spoke.

“Did you have a good vacation, Class A?”

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