"You’re one to talk," Simon countered, a flicker of unease tightening his chest, though he had grown much better at masking his true feelings. "You’re hiding sothing yourself." He kept his tone casual. "But you already know why Magnus is after , don’t you, Kajan?"
"I have my suspicions," Kajan replied, leaning back in the steaming water. "He’s after the Ancient Undead in your possession."
According to Kajan, Magnus hadn’t infiltrated their room as a perfect clone. The Ancient Undead known as Alaje had slipped into Room 409 in the form of a sli, likely planning to act only after confirming Simon was a legion commander. But Kajan had discovered it, and after a brutal fight, had managed to destroy Alaje.
"I knew it," Simon said, slapping his hands together. "You didn’t go down without a fight."
"That’s true," Kajan admitted. "But I lost after Alaje transford into Magnus. You walked in a few minutes later."
"I see."
Kajan settled deeper into the tub with a splash, resting his head on his folded arms. "Forget Magnus for a mont."
"...Huh?"
"Is there anything else weighing on you?"
Kajan was as sharp as ever. But when it ca to Professor Walter, Simon still felt the need for caution; he was still piecing things together himself. Walter was collecting ‘Hearts.’ Walter’s real na was ‘Judas.’ And that na... he was sure he’d heard it before, possibly during his secret trip to the Holy Federation.
He’d already asked Lethe to look into it, but that was all he had. His suspicion was just a gut feeling; the only concrete fact was the collection of hearts.
Most importantly, he hadn’t even told Nephthys about crossing into the Holy Federation. It was an incredibly sensitive matter, one that could easily be twisted into an act of treason. That left only one thing he could safely share.
"Professor Walter is collecting Hearts," Simon said carefully. "A trendous number of them."
"I see." Kajan nodded slowly. "Is that all?"
"...Yes." The admission felt pathetic. A flush of embarrassnt crept up Simon’s neck as he lowered his head.
"The research of necromancers is often eccentric, unethical, and perilous," Kajan stated, his eyes closing. "Kizen professors sotis dabble in forbidden arts, and it’s true that the school turns a blind eye for the sake of advancing black magic. In conclusion, I understand your suspicion of Professor Walter. It’s not enough to report to Lady Nephthys, but I’ll keep an eye on him. If I notice anything strange, I’ll let you know."
"Oh, thank you! That would be a huge help." This was the first ti he had voiced his concerns to anyone, and the simple act of sharing the burden made him feel imnsely better.
’Splash.’
Suddenly, Kajan’s head snapped to the side, his gaze fixed on the wall with unnerving intensity.
"What is it, Kajan?"
"Shh."
Simon fell silent, straining his ears. From outside, he could hear footsteps and the light chatter of approaching voices.
"It’s a simple solution, isn’t it?" a girl’s voice chirped. "If the hot water is out in the first-year dorm, we just go to the second-year dorm!"
"Hee hee! Exactly!" another voice agreed.
"There’s probably no one using this one right now."
Simon’s face went white. ’I’m so screwed.’ The situation was a perfect recipe for a massive misunderstanding, and they were both stark naked. He scrambled toward the entrance. "Kajan! I’ll shout and warn them...!"
’Thump, thump.’
Kajan was already out of the tub, wrenching the bathroom window open with a loud groan of protest. "Who has ti for excuses?" He gestured outside with a deadpan expression. "This is my way."
"No, Kajan! We’re on the fourth floor!"
But the girls’ voices were getting closer. To make matters worse, the bathhouse was tiny, with no separate changing area. The mont the door opened, the tub would be in plain sight.
’This is insane!’
With no other choice, Simon thrust his arm forward. ’Cloud!’
A bolt of turquoise smoke shot out, coiled around their baskets of clothes, and yanked them back. Kajan was already gone, having vaulted through the open window.
"Huh? Doesn’t it sound like soone’s inside?"
"Nah, no way..."
Simon bit his lip, his mind racing. ’To hell with it!’
Clutching the baskets to his chest, he leaped out the window just as the door creaked open behind him.
’AAHHHHHH!!’
An ear-splitting scream echoed from the window. Hanging in mid-air, Simon glanced back at the building and let out a heavy sigh. Escaping naked from a fourth-floor bathhouse at night... this had to be one of the strangest experiences of his life.
"You’ve got guts," Kajan remarked from below, a smirk playing on his lips. He had landed first.
Simon managed a weak laugh as he fell. "You know, Kajan, you look incredibly pathetic right now."
"You’re one to talk." Kajan gestured toward the ground. "I’ll be fine, but you’re going to get hurt."
"Not a chance." Simon reached behind him, opening his large-capacity subspace. Luckily, his legion was still at the ready from their recent dispatch to the Neutral Zone. "Erzebet, co out!"
At his command, Erzebet shot out of the portal, her arms outstretched. A cocoon of soft spider silk instantly enveloped Simon, cushioning his descent. He was gently lowered to the ground, safe and sound.
’Well... It’s a relief that I’m not hurt, but...’
He was completely immobilized, bound tightly in the web with his feet dangling just above the grass.
’Why did she do this?’
[Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo.]
The mont he heard that sinister laugh, a wave of dread washed over him.
[Do you have any idea how much I’ve been holding back?]
The Spider Queen erged from the shadows, her eyes glinting like a predator’s in the dark.
[I was trapped in the subspace the mont we were dispatched! Then I was scolded for turning into a Kizen schoolgirl! And in the Neutral Zone, I was forced to play your body double!]
A look of dawning horror crossed Simon’s face.
[But it feels so good to be back in Kizen, my Lord Commander! I was already at my limit, and then a naked Lord Commander appears right before my very eyes!]
Her sanity seed to have completely evaporated. Erzebet slinked closer, her tongue darting out to lick her lips.
’Summoning Erzebet while airborne was a mistake,’ Simon thought with a deep sigh.
[Grant my reward!]
She spread her arms, about to lunge for him, when a hand shot out from behind and seized her by the hair. She let out a choked gasp as her head was yanked back.
"Simon is still a minor, Erzebet."
It was Kajan. She whirled around, screaming in frustration.
[Ugh! You again!]
Threads of spider silk erupted from her fingertips, slicing through the nearby trees. It was clear she still held a grudge from their last encounter during the search for the saintess. Kajan leaped back, his body instantly sheathed in jet-black armor.
’Black Garnt! Kajan can use it, too!’
Erzebet let out a fiery snarl and prepared to unleash another volley of webs as Kajan braced himself.
"Erze." Simon’s voice was flat, devoid of emotion. [Stop.]
Erzebet’s body trembled violently before she fell to one knee before him.
[Th-That’s too cruel! Using Absolute Command on !]
"Words don’t work on you," Simon stated calmly. "Get a grip."
The spiderwebs binding him dissolved into nothing.
’Ugh, it’s cold.’ The night was pitch-black, and a cold wind made his teeth chatter.
"Let’s head back to the dorm," Kajan said.
"Right."
After returning Erzebet to his subspace, Simon hastily threw on his clothes. The two of them then broke into a run, heading for the dormitory.
"Haha!" As they ran, the sheer absurdity of the situation struck him, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
"Sothing funny?" Kajan glanced over.
"No, it’s just... all this chaos," Simon said, grinning. "It makes feel like I’m really back at Kizen."
A new schedule awaited them tomorrow. Filled with anticipation, Simon pushed himself to run even faster.
---
The next morning, Kizen’s students, ard with a sester’s worth of stories, made their way to school in their uniforms for the first ti in weeks.
"Everyone’s alive!"
"Anyone run into a priest?"
"Where was your dispatch?"
The campus buzzed with conversation. Simon and Dick, having woken early, were walking across the grounds.
"An assembly in the Grand Auditorium on our first day back..." Dick mumbled around a mouthful of toast while checking the schedule.
"Why are we gathering, though?" Simon asked. "Do you think they’ll give us information about the fourth BMAT?"
"Nah, no way," Dick scoffed. "We’re supposed to dig up BMAT info ourselves. If they’re calling an assembly, it ans..." He crossed his arms thoughtfully. "They’re probably going to announce so kind of rule change."
"A change?"
"Heh! I actually heard this from a pretty reliable source, but apparently, the professors are complaining a lot about the BMATs. I bet there’s going to be so kind of change to the schedule."
"That’s quite an intriguing theory."
The two boys stopped in their tracks, startled. Other students nearby began to murmur as well.
"Would you care to elaborate?"
Professor Bahil was standing right in front of them.
"Professor Bahil!"
His appearance was a complete surprise. Simon bowed respectfully, a happy smile on his face, while Dick’s expression morphed into a sly grin.
"Showing up at this exact mont? What suspicious timing! Don’t tell you were waiting for us here? Hoping to catch a glimpse of , the future ace of Cursology?"
Bahil stared at Dick’s flapping gums, a single thought echoing in his mind. ’I would love to place a curse on that mouth.’ If the boy weren’t Simon’s friend, his bloated corpse would have been found floating in the sea off Kizen’s coast long ago.
Bahil turned his gaze to Simon. "I heard you perford exceptionally well during the dispatch evaluation. You were assigned to Vengeance in the Neutral Zone?"
Simon scratched the side of his head, looking embarrassed. "Yes, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. I even ssed up once."
"Aw, don’t be so humble! It’s practically a sickness with you!" Dick interjected loudly. "We basically tore the Neutral Zone a new one! We fought the Efnel kids, weakened the Federation’s grip on the area, wiped out a gang..."
Bahil’s smile was a thin, tight line, the corners of his mouth twitching. ’Just shut up. I want to talk about curses with Simon.’
"Simon," he began, "by any chance..."
"Well, look who it is! Hahaha!"
Another voice cut in. Bahil’s eyes narrowed as a figure casually pushed through the crowd toward them.
"Professor Byulya!" Simon’s face lit up again.
"Hey, brats! Glad you made it back in one piece! You miss ?"
Seeing Byulya, who couldn’t care less what anyone thought, a vein throbbed faintly at Bahil’s temple.
"Professor Byulya!" Dick exclaid. "I used what you taught during the dispatch! The Venom Swamp!"
"Nice work!" she bood. "That’s how you get better at black magic—you gotta have the guts to use it in a real fight!"
As Bahil watched Dick and Byulya grinning at each other, his expression grew darker by the second. ’Should I just eliminate them both, right here and now?’
His hand drifted behind his back. A jet-black magic circle began to form as a curse took shape.
"...You two."
Just then, a new voice cut through the air.
"What do you think you’re doing with the students?"
They hadn’t sensed her approach at all. Byulya and Bahil froze, slowly turning around.
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