Simon Original — The Royal Guard
A small cottage, set far apart from the bustling crowds of visitors swarming the Kizen campus.
Inside that building, the professors in charge of the first-year classes were watching the situation unfold over glasses of wine.
All examinations were controlled from headquarters, and professors were strictly forbidden from interfering in any way.
The professors nodded along in evident satisfaction at Simon's performance.
"Knew the boy had it in him. Knew it."
"At first I wondered what made him worth Special Admission No. 1, but he keeps catching my eye. I'd like to teach him myself, honestly."
"His growth rate is steep. That claim about no prior study has to be a lie, doesn't it?"
"I think it's real. Look at his written scores — they're a complete mess. The boy's simply talented."
With that, the sharp-headed professor turned to the side and laughed out loud.
"Haha, Professor Walter!"
Walter, seated on the sofa with a glass of wine, smiled gently.
"Magnificent! Simply magnificent! How long has he even been enrolled, and he's already putting his hands on a Blood Golem as Special Admission No. 1? He's applying what he's just learned! As a professor, this is the moment you feel that sense of reward and pride, no?"
Walter bowed his head respectfully.
"Not at all. It's all thanks to Professor Silaje's research achievements."
"Hahaha! No need to be so modest! It's not like the old days of professor and student — you're a Kizen professor, our equal now!"
"Thank you."
Walter adjusted his glasses, his eyes glinting quietly.
He had taught Simon Cloud, yes — but he had never even imagined the boy would use it to build a Blood Golem.
"Professor Aaron, work must be treating you well these days."
This time the sharp-headed professor's gaze shifted to the back of the room. Aaron, who was already receiving congratulations from two other professors, turned to look at him.
"How long has it been since we had a proper Summoning aspirant like this! The rumors are already flying that he's next in line for Student Council President. That emerald Blood Golem practically radiating originality — that's your work too, isn't it?"
"Well, I—"
Crash!
The sound of shattering glass rang out.
"Oops."
Every head turned, and there stood Bahil, smiling.
The wine glass he had dropped lay shattered into fragments across the floor, and the red wine had stained it a vivid scarlet.
"Dropped it by accident."
"......"
Anyone could see he had done it on purpose.
Bahil strode forward with quick, deliberate steps. Watching him come, Aaron let out a sigh.
"Are you insane?"
"Senior Aaron, a moment of your time, if you would."
"Bahil."
Aaron's eyes turned frost-cold.
"The professors and the Vice Principal are present. Have you no manners? Clean that up."
Bahil merely turned his head to look at Aaron. Aaron didn't look away either.
In the silence, only the two of them locked gazes.
Sip.
Jane, who had been enjoying her wine alone on the sofa while watching the matches, finally glanced over at the pair.
"Simon's student has created a new Blood Golem, I see."
At Bahil's gesture, a magic circle spread across the floor, and the shattered glass and spilled wine began to float up gently.
The fragments pieced themselves back together until the glass looked brand new, and the wine that had splashed across the floor flowed back inside it.
It was delicate work demanding considerable finesse, yet Bahil accomplished it with ease. Before anyone noticed, a pristine wine glass sat in his hand.
"A composite-discipline dark magic, no? Summoning as the base, with Hemomancy and Curse Magic layered on top — that's the foundation of it."
Bahil's gaze, which had been fixed on Aaron, slid slowly toward Walter.
"I could have contributed as a consultant in Curse Magic, you know."
Craack!
The wine glass in his hand split apart without a trace and dissolved into the air.
"The two of you going out of your way to leave me out in the cold does not put me in the best of moods."
"You misunderstand. Allow me to explain, Professor Bahil."
Walter rose from his seat with a genial smile.
"What's enveloping that blue Blood Golem over there is called Cloud. It's a technique that utilizes his SM-1 blood, and—"
While Walter's explanation continued, the other professors, their bait gone cold, chattered among themselves about the students advancing to the next stage.
Bahil, listening to the explanation, seemed at last to have his misunderstanding cleared, and his expression settled into calm.
"...And that's how it came to be. This is my first time seeing a Blood Golem myself."
Bahil approached with a leisurely gait, then rested a hand lightly on Walter's shoulder.
"Our new Hemomancy professor is remarkably capable. Let's work well together from here on out."
"The pleasure is mine."
As Walter answered, he felt a faint ache creep into his shoulder. Bahil turned back to Aaron with a bright smile.
"And you, Senior Aaron. Shall we make a little wager?"
Aaron rubbed at the dark circles under his eyes with an expression of utter weariness.
"Now what."
"Which side Simon's student will choose in the end. Aren't you curious?"
Bahil turned his back slowly and added:
"I'm confident."
"Hoo... Hah! Hk! Hah!"
Only when Simon pressed the red buzzer did every trap finally stop.
...I made it.
His mind was hazy and his whole body throbbing. Simon swayed on his feet and leaned back against the wall.
No — the moment he tried to rest his back against it, the weapon lodged there flared with pain, and he straightened back up where he stood.
[Boy! Are you all right?]
Ah, yes. Thanks to the Blood Golem, I'm still alive.
The single most crucial ability of the Blood Golem lay in the damage distribution between caster and construct through Life Link.
The golem absorbed eighty percent of all external blows dealt to its caster. Even when pierced by a spear or blade, a great wound would open across the golem's body while the caster suffered nothing worse than a scrape.
Precisely for this reason, mastering Life Link — a high-difficulty curse — was considered an essential requirement for the Blood Golem. But Simon already possessed Cloud.
Aaron had adapted Cloud to produce an effect closely resembling Life Link, and that was what had made it possible for Simon, a mere first-year, to learn the Blood Golem at all.
Just then, a clear broadcast echoed down from somewhere in the ceiling.
In five minutes, all examinees will be teleported to the final, Stage 4 testing ground.
All of the examinee's equipment, items dropped on the ground, and summoned creatures will be teleported along with them.
Students who have passed Stage 3 may end their examination here. Those who declare an end at this point will be ranked according to the time at which they cleared Stage 3.
So there's one more after all.
Of course, he had not the slightest thought of ending it here. Simon reached back, gripped the spear lodged in his back, and pulled.
Thank you, Golem.
The moment he tugged the spear, it slid out without any further pain. A complete contrast to how he'd groaned and strained to pull out a single arrow earlier.
Clang!
He dropped the spear and felt at the wound. Despite being a puncture wound, the injury was remarkably small. He poured a potion over it, and it healed as if by magic.
Amazing. So this is what Life Link does?
A summon made from the caster's own blood, taking damage in the caster's stead — he'd created it himself, yet it still struck him as wondrous.
Thud!
Crrrunck!
With every weapon pulled from his body and his wounds healed by potion, Simon gave a light hop in place.
His body felt far lighter than before. But.
I can't move properly like this.
He had bled far too much creating the Blood Golem, then pushed through Internal Jet Black Eruption on top of his exhaustion. Honestly, just standing upright was an achievement.
Still, he had no intention of quitting the test. He had only just crossed the passing line; to make the rankings, he would have to clear the final stage.
No surrender signal has been received. Transporting to the Stage 4 testing ground.
Please remain where you are.
Vwoooom!
A weightless lurch — both feet left the ground — and the scenery changed.
In the blink of an eye, he was outdoors. A sunset sky stretched overhead, and below lay a desolate wasteland where not a single blade of grass grew.
The Blood Golem had been teleported to Simon's side as well, its body ragged and tattered from taking blows in his stead through Life Link.
Feeling grateful and guilty in equal measure, Simon ran his palm lightly over its body. It felt soft and viscous beneath his hand.
So what am I supposed to do here?
Memorize magic activated.
A map of this entire location flooded into his mind. It was nothing more than a single wasteland of an island, and scattered across it were one hundred Holy Grails.
This is Kobold Island.
Currently present on the island: 300 personnel. 100 Holy Grails. Destroy a Holy Grail to pass. Students who fail to break a Grail will be ranked only by their time of passing Stage 3.
The starving Kobolds will welcome you.
Simon looked around and caught sight of brown-skinned monsters slouching about like cursed fairies.
[Kheheheh! Those Kizen bastards are out of their minds as always! This is the very definition of pushing us to the limit!]
The final stage of this exam was a competition: punch through the monsters and destroy your target.
Simon steeled his resolve once more.
Because he had spent time creating the Blood Golem, Simon's Stage 3 clear time was slower than average. He was by no means safe yet — and even at this very moment, droves of students were racing toward the Grails.
Right. Best effort, all the way to the end—
Thwack!
A dull impact sounded beside him.
Simon turned his head to find the Blood Golem had, at some point, knocked a Kobold flat. As the creature collapsed, the golem pressed its palm down onto its face.
Shuuuuuum!
The Kobold's blood was drawn into the Blood Golem.
!
Then, from the untreated scrapes still on Simon's body, a wispy vapor rose, and his wounds slowly began to heal.
So this is the Blood Golem's recovery effect!
The Blood Golem could absorb the blood of other living beings to restore its own stamina. And for every measure of stamina the golem recovered, the stamina of its caster — Simon — recovered in proportion.
Not only did it take damage in his place; even healing fell under the effect of Life Link.
Thwack! Thud!
The Blood Golem was methodically beating down the Kobolds. Kobolds sat on the weaker end of Danger Class 3 monsters — they had no chance against the golem.
Simon's wounds closed one after another, and his swimming senses began to return.
Good.
The Blood Golem, every Kobold down, thudded over to stand before him. Simon closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.
Chwak!
He raised both arms before the Blood Golem. Above the golem's head, magic circles unfolded one after another.
All the way to the end — let's go!
Shiiiiiiiii!
The Blood Golem's body, held in form around its core, turned to vapor and began to be drawn up into the magic circles.
The golem's bulk shrank smaller and smaller until, before long, the Golem Core at its center dropped to the ground with a soft thud. Every trace of Cloud sustaining the golem poured into the circle.
Good. Next phase.
Simon tore open a colossal subspace and called the skeletons out in a rush.
Twenty standard skeletons, each bearing spear and shield, and three Skeleton Archers.
Twenty-three undead in all.
The number of undead Simon could simultaneously control at present was a mere six. This was nearly four times that.
[KHAHAHAHA! Don't you think that number is reckless, boy?!]
I'll make it work. No matter what.
Simon lowered both arms.
Shaaaaaaaah!
From the magic circles that had swallowed the Blood Golem, Cloud came pouring out and sheathed each skeleton's frame.
There was no law saying Cloud was for golems alone. Through all his training, he had already confirmed that skeletons and Cloud could be combined.
Focus!
Cloud refined through the Blood Golem coated the bones of all twenty-three skeletons.
Like a suit of armor layered over the first, the crude bone joints took on an emerald sheen, and wisps of vapor trailed from the skulls' eye sockets like heat haze.
Tak-tak! Tak!
Tadadadak!
The Cloud-wreathed enhanced skeletons each settled into their own distinctive stances — spears shouldered, swords angled, bows raised.
Flutter!
Behind them, capes of emerald Cloud billowed in the wind.
Thanks to Cloud's effect, Simon could handle all twenty-three enhanced skeletons as if they were extensions of his own body, far beyond his normal limit of control. Even the Blood Golem's Blood Drain and Life Link remained fully active.
Not summoned undead, not natural undead, not even a Legion — undead that only Simon could wield, and that followed only Simon.
Kyruk!
The cries of Kobolds reached his ears. Simon's eyes moved toward the sound.
Shwaaak!
Shwok!
The instant Simon's gaze touched them, ten skeletons broke into a Dash and severed the heads of the Class 3 monsters in single strokes.
Shink.
The Skeleton Archers nocked arrows to their bowstrings. Cloud wrapped around the shafts, enchanting them, and the arrows flew true to punch straight through the Kobolds' brows.
Shhhhhhhh.
Finally, a handful of Cloud morphed into the shape of a crown and settled into Simon's raised hand above his head.
As Simon pressed the crown down onto his head, the presence of all twenty-three skeletons came into sharp, vivid focus.
And one of his eyes turned a brilliant, luminous emerald.
Let's go.
Chwak!
Chak!
Twenty-three Royal Guards swept after Simon, their capes of shadowless emerald streaming behind them.