An Unauthorized Outing
A few days later.
The day of the Dispatched Evaluation for Kizen's first-years had arrived.
Long before dawn, while everyone else still slept, Simon slipped out of the dormitory, passed through the Forbidden Forest, and made his way into Pier's ruins.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Like a troupe of villains preparing world domination in some secret underground base, legionified skeletons and corpse spiders filed in perfect formation into the colossal subspace Simon had opened for them.
“You two are coming along as well?”
“Of course we must, Legion Commander!”
Erzsébet, commander of the spider legion, declared.
“Leaving her alone with Prince? I'd be so worried I couldn't sleep a wink, my lord.”
Pier, seated upon the altar, spoke up as well.
“Outside Roc Island, no one knows when or how Magnus might move! With external schedules of this sort, one can never be too careful!”
Watching the Legion's undead stream into the enormous subspace, Simon scratched his head.
“W-well, I don't think we need to bring this many...”
This wasn't exactly a march to war — two hundred skeletons and a hundred corpse spiders. Add two Ancient Undead to that, plus Prince and the zombie corps joining later, and it was a fighting force capable of turning any ordinary territory into a wasteland in a single day.
Simon decided to make things absolutely clear.
“There will be far too many eyes on this evaluation. Unless my life is in immediate danger, please don't come out. Nine times out of ten, I'll manage on my own somehow.”
When a Legion moved, it inevitably left traces behind.
Pier had been discovered by Magnus precisely because he had moved alone through the Cave of Screaming, and that was how things had spiraled this far. If the Legion itself began operating openly, it would hand Magnus far too much information.
“Then how about this!”
Pier said, blue-black flames flaring in his eye sockets.
“We will only step forward when your life is threatened, or when a Legion-versus-Legion response is required against an attack from Magnus's Legion! How does that sound?”
“Yes, those terms work for me.”
While the two of them hashed out the details, Erzsébet was quietly watching, her eyes glittering with something meaningful.
With every preparation complete, Simon left Pier's ruins and returned to Kizen.
As he climbed the hill where the teleportation magic circle stood, he found crowds of students murmuring among themselves, their faces equal parts excitement and nerves.
“Simon~ Over here!”
Camibarez waved her hand vigorously. Beside her were Dick, chattering away in his usual jesting manner, and Meilin, arms crossed.
“There you are.”
“Hurry up! Always late, you sleepyhead!”
Simon hurried over and joined the three of them.
“Here, put this on.”
Meilin handed him something. It was a breathable desert robe, complete with a turban to keep out the sand.
“Meilin bought them for us!”
Camibarez, already wearing hers, twirled in place. Simon accepted his robe with a bright smile.
“Thanks. I'll take good care of it, Meilin.”
Meilin gave an embarrassed cough — ahem — and flapped her hand dismissively.
“I-it's only what a squad leader should do!”
Once everyone had donned the robes Meilin had provided, they fell into easy chatter. The main topic, naturally, was the Neutral Zone.
“The Neutral Zone! I never thought I'd live to see the day I actually set foot there!”
At Dick's exclamation, Camibarez fluttered her bat wings and nodded.
“I-I couldn't sleep a wink! I'm a little scared... but having everyone with me puts me at ease!”
“Same here.”
Simon agreed with a smile.
It was the first time the four of them would carry out a mission together. Their teamwork was seamless, and each of them was more than capable of handling their own role — even far from the academy, they were in solid hands.
When Simon agreed, Camibarez giggled happily, her long sleeves fluttering.
“Aww, Kami's so cute.”
From behind, Meilin wrapped her in a tight hug.
“You stay close to me, got it? Don't get lost! And don't go following any shady strangers!”
“Yes, ma'am!”
Camibarez had long since learned how to play along with the jokes.
There was a time she couldn't tell teasing from sincerity and simply trembled — but Dick, more than half of whose words were jokes, had forced her to adapt whether she liked it or not.
“I'm most curious what kind of necromancer ends up as our mentor.”
At Simon's words, Dick eagerly cut in.
“I'm not asking for much! Adult necromancers are all lunatics, so I just hope we get one of the less crazy ones!”
“That actually sounds like a pretty tall order...”
Boop.
Suddenly, a pair of woman's hands covered Simon's eyes from behind.
His vision plunged into darkness in an instant.
“Guess who-o-o?”
Simon's shoulders flinched.
Wait — that voice?
He quickly pulled the hands away from his eyes and turned around.
“Hi there! Simon!”
Simon nearly screamed on the spot.
A woman with luxuriously flowing hair, tangled like sea foam — he recognized her at a glance.
'E-Erze?!'
Astonishingly, Erzsébet was dressed in a Kizen uniform. Her adult frame stretched the fabric taut, her outer coat was tied around her waist, and her tie hung loosely around her neck. Her hair was dyed pink.
'Weren't you in the subspace?!'
“Simon.”
Meilin pointed at the uniformed Erzsébet.
“Who is this?”
“Ah, well...”
As Simon's mind went white and he stammered, Erzsébet took his arm without permission and beamed.
“Nice to meet you all! My name is Elizabeth Wafer! Simon and I are childhood friends from the same hometown! Summoning major, Class E!”
...I have never heard that backstory in my life.
'Erze!'
Simon shot her a meaningful glance, silently urging her back into the subspace, but the pink-haired Erzsébet showed not the slightest intention of complying, smiling sweetly all the while.
“C-childhood friends?”
Camibarez covered her mouth with both hands, glancing back and forth between Simon and Erzsébet. Then her eyes fixed on their linked arms.
“Hey.”
Meilin, by contrast, was glaring at Simon with an icy expression.
“You're from Leshill or wherever, right? How come you never mentioned a hometown friend coming to Kizen?”
“N-no, that's...”
“Actually~ I moved to a different territory for a while. That's how we ended up reuniting here at Kizen.”
Erzsébet handled it with practiced ease.
“...Hm.”
Meanwhile, Dick was staring at Erzsébet with an expression of tremendous gravity.
Simon's heart skipped. With Dick's information network, it wouldn't have been strange for him to know every student in Class E. Had he already noticed that no girl named Elizabeth Wafer existed in that class?
“Khoff! You lucky bastard...”
He was just an idiot.
Dick lunged forward and grabbed Simon by the collar.
“If you knew a childhood friend this amazing, you should've introduced us ages ago!”
Meilin shoved her way in from the side.
“Hey, but are you actually Simon's childhood friend? How long have you two known each other?”
“Ah, hello! I-I'm Camibarez Ursula! I'm, um, not a childhood friend, but still...!”
Chaos was breaking out.
Simon desperately gathered his wits and seized Erzsébet by the wrist.
“Sorry — give us a moment, we need to talk!”
And so, half-fleeing, he led her away into the deep shade of the trees.
Simon pressed her back against a tree.
“What was that all of a sudden, Erze?!”
She let a sly smile slip and flicked her tongue out.
“A slight act of rebellion, my lord.”
“Rebellion? You know we're in a dangerous situation with Magnus's Legion right no—”
“Do you know I've been cooped up in the ruins every single day this whole semester?”
Simon's interrogating expression faltered, a flicker of guilt crossing it.
“Fufu, you know the girl joined the Legion for one reason and one reason only — you, my lord. I understand our circumstances, truly I do. But I've been residing in the ruins this whole time — scouting with my spiders whenever Magnus's Legion threatened to land on Roc Island, and whenever you did visit, you were far too busy training with Pier. When I finally thought I might get an outing, it turns out I can't leave because of Magnus's Legion again.”
She placed a hand over her chest.
“So this time, I simply flung myself out into the world~! If I must be punished, I shall gladly accept it.”
'...Ugh.'
Come to think of it, he really hadn't been paying her nearly enough attention lately.
Simon let out a sigh.
“I'll be more mindful from now on. But next time you feel like rebelling, tell me first.”
“I shall keep it firmly in mind, my lord.”
Thankfully, Erzsébet returned to the subspace without much resistance.
Just then, a commotion erupted around the teleportation circle. It looked like they were about to depart, and Simon hurried over.
'Chaos from the very start. Absolute chaos.'
He could see the squad members already stepping onto the teleportation circle.
“Student Simon Polentia. Is student Simon Polentia present?”
“Yes, here!”
Simon dashed over and caught up with his squad.
Camibarez looked at him and asked,
“Simon! Where's Elizabeth Wafer?”
Hearing it a second time only confirmed it — that name had been thrown together in seconds.
Simon forced a laugh.
“She went back to her own squad. Haha.”
Dick stroked his chin with a deeply satisfied look.
“Elizabeth was truly the best. To think Kizen had a girl like that.”
At that moment, the teleportation overseer spoke up.
“Right then, is everyone here?”
“Yes!”
On the teleportation circle stood not only Simon's Class A, Squad 7, but squads from other classes as well.
The overseer lifted a stack of documents.
“Now, all of you are headed to the Neutral Zone.”
Waaaaah!
The students outside the circle burst into cheers.
The odds of being sent somewhere safer than the Neutral Zone had just risen — slightly.
“Even so, it's still a ninety percent chance of the Neutral Zone. So what.”
Meilin grumbled in a sulking voice.
“Squad leaders, step forward.”
Meilin and the other squad leaders lined up before the overseer, who handed each of them a thick envelope.
“These letters contain information on your dispatch location and your mentor necromancer. Proceed to the address within. Good luck.”
“Thank you!”
Before long, they had taken their places on the teleportation circle.
All four clasped hands, standing in a circle. When Camibarez hesitated shyly, Simon reached out first and gently took her hand. Within his palm, her hand felt incredibly small.
“Departing now!”
All four of their feet lifted off the ground at once.
The moment the teleportation began, Simon felt as though he were careening down an endless slide through a world of abstract shapes.
Usually, closing your eyes and opening them again meant the scenery had simply changed — but this time, it meant they were crossing an immense distance.
Just when he thought he couldn't bear it any longer—
His feet grew heavy, and the sensation of solid ground returned. Wind brushed his skin, carrying the smell of salt.
When he slowly lifted his eyelids at last, light came flooding in.
'Ugh.'
The sunlight was blinding. He waited a moment for his eyes to adjust.
“Is e-everyone okay?”
“...Uuuugh. Alive, at least.”
The other three, who had ridden the teleport with him, were sprawled across the ground in utter disarray.
Simon walked over to them.
“Shall I help you up?”
Meilin, slumped on the ground like a mermaid, opened her eyes.
And the first thing she saw upon waking was Simon, backlit by the dazzling sun, smiling down at her with his hand outstretched.
“...Meilin?”
She stared blankly for a moment — then, 'Wha-!', startled herself awake and grabbed his hand. The next instant, she was pulled to her feet as if by tremendous gravity.
“...Thanks.”
She murmured her gratitude in the tiniest of voices. Simon flashed a smile, then went around helping the rest of the squad up as well.
'So this is...'
He slowly looked around.
The Neutral Zone.
Neither the land of necromancers nor the territory of priests — a space of perfect neutrality and freedom, and at the same time, a lawless region infamous for the worst public order on the continent.
The sun beat down fiercely from overhead, and all around them stood strange, earthen houses that looked as though they had been piled up from packed soil. The ground was ochre-yellow, and a hot wind blew through the muggy air.
“L-look over there! The sea is pitch black!”
Camibarez pointed at the sea visible at the city's edge.
This was the nearby sea known as the Black Sea. They said the marine monsters here possessed strength on an entirely different level.
'It feels like a completely different world.'
Simon's heart was already racing.
Being dropped into such an unfamiliar, exotic place was unnerving — but the comforting thing was that the people beside him were exactly the same as always.
“Hoo-hah-hah! Breathing outside air after so long, I feel alive again!”
Dick, apparently sharing the sentiment, took a deep breath.
“Being cooped up in Kizen is suffocating. Every now and then you've got to get out and feel the open air — that's what living is all about! Heh heh.”
“Keep it down, idiot!”
Meilin pressed a finger to her lips. At the sudden appearance of the boys and girls, several onlookers had begun murmuring as they stared.
The four of them pulled their robes down over their heads and slipped away, retreating into a tucked-away corner behind the buildings.
“First things first — let's open the letter the overseer gave us.”
“Yeah, good call.”
Meilin drew the envelope from inside her coat, and the other three gathered around her.
“Here goes nothing.”
When Meilin declared it with grim resolve, the three of them nodded. She slowly broke the envelope's seal.
Crack!
Dark magic had been laid over it — black currents of electricity snapped and sparked with a crackling sound.
Meilin unfolded the letter with a solemn face.
“Wh-what is this?!”