The Strongest Student's Chamber
40th floor.
In a pristine reception room, two men sat facing each other over tea.
[How unexpected.]
The first to speak was a man dressed in a butler's formal livery.
[That you could remain undiscovered in such a chaotic situation, and that you could hold out against the Crows — neither was something I anticipated.]
The man speaking, in truth, was not human at all.
Magnus's Ancient Undead — known by the common name of the Zombie Butler.
“Unexpected yourself.”
And across from him, the man draped in a feather mantle — the very symbol of the Crows — opened his mouth.
“Did Magnus's Legion take an interest even in this tedious academic conference?”
This man's name was Evangelos Alphonia. A necromancer known by the moniker Needle.
[The only thing our Legion is interested in is Simon Polentia. But more importantly — are the preparations complete?]
“Perfect.”
Evangelos leaned back leisurely against the sofa.
“I've laid my hands on the apparatus, and there's no stopping it now. Soon the Pentamonium Academic Conference will turn into a living hell.”
[I look forward to it.]
“Yes, yes. Now, speaking of Lord Magnus—”
Evangelos rubbed his forehead and sighed.
“Isn't he moving a bit too recklessly? Especially that attack on the students at Roc Island. My ability to clean up after him has its limits.”
[Which is why this time, we've agreed to use a method that keeps the Legion as hidden as possible.]
The Zombie Butler picked up the thread.
[Deploying naturally spawned undead. Even that was only barely achieved after talking Lord Magnus around.]
“I figured as much.”
[Then please, continue the briefing. Which powerful individuals stand in the way of the plan?]
“This is Pentamonium. There are plenty of strong ones. Of course, when it comes to retrieving Simon Polentia, the biggest obstacles are—”
Suuuh.
He drew a portrait from inside his coat.
“Kajhan Edvalt, and Serne Aindark. These two will be glued to Simon Polentia's side the entire time.”
[We'll take care.]
“Avoid entangling with that creature called Serne especially — it's better for your mental health. And one more person.”
Evangelos stroked his chin.
“There's one who's a genuine monster of a different caliber—”
“This way.”
Simon and Serne were walking down a long corridor, following Kajhan's lead.
“Where are we going now?”
Serne, clinging tightly to Simon's side, was glaring daggers at Kajhan's back with an expression of utter displeasure.
“I need to hurry up and go enjoy my date with Simon!”
“......Serne.”
Simon shot her a look, urging her to fall back a little, but she just arched her eyebrows like a sly fox.
“Pretending to be a couple at outside events is our routine! Have you already forgotten?”
“......What routine?”
“Oh, come on. There are plenty of Ivory Tower elders here at Pentamonium! We have to show them a signal that we're still going strong, and that's how my standing within the Tower grows as your supporter!”
Was she planning to latch onto him with that logic this time, too? But Simon had a logical counterpoint.
“Except there's nobody else here.”
She broke into a sly smile and pressed her cheek against his arm.
“Letting your guard down is a bad habit~”
“.....”
“That's enough of the lovey-dovey act. We've arrived.”
The three of them came to a stop before a massive door.
“Who's in here?”
Simon asked. Kajhan turned back to the two of them and answered in a low voice.
“The Student Council President of Kizen wishes to meet with you.”
“!”
Only then did both of their expressions turn serious.
“Ahh, well, if that's the case~”
A smile crept across Serne's lips as well. Kajhan stared at her straight on.
“Before he's the Student Council President, he's a third-year senior. Show him the proper respect. And Serne — if you carelessly pull out your feathers just because something's annoying you, something irreversible may happen.”
“I know~ I know. I do have at least that much flexibility, you know.”
Serne clicked her tongue.
“Besides, I was curious what sort of man the famous one really is, so this works out nicely.”
Her eyes were those of a hawk eyeing its prey. Third-years were the graduating class, after all — a prime pool for the Ivory Tower to poach from.
“And one warning. No matter what happens beyond this door—”
As he approached the door, Kajhan's voice dropped into something grave.
“Do not scream.”
The two nodded. Kajhan opened the door.
“Kajhan. Mr. President.”
*Glub-glub-glub.*
*Glub.*
The room was full of water.
Black water, dark as a lightless deep-sea trench.
Even with the door open, it did not spill out — it simply pooled inside the room. Kajhan drew one deep breath and stepped inside first.
'That's not real water... right?'
Simon wasn't sure, but like Kajhan, he took one great breath and followed him in.
*Glub-glub-glub-glub.*
The moment he entered the room, he knew.
This was real water.
His body tried to bob upward with the buoyancy, so he concentrated jet-black into both feet to steady himself and looked around.
An unbelievable scene spread out before him. Sofas, tables — every piece of furniture imaginable floated suspended in the water, and between them swarmed schools of toothed fish he'd never seen in his life, devouring one another in a churning frenzy.
*GLUB!*
Beside him, a monstrous shark the size of a beast glided past.
When it bared its teeth at Simon, he nearly let out a scream. He barely clamped a hand over his mouth and held it in.
'......!'
And there, in the very center of this water — in what looked like the darkest, deepest space of the room—
Something enormous sat.
It was leaning back against a sofa, chin propped in one hand. A bluish light shimmered in its two eyes, radiating a crushing, overwhelming presence.
It was bigger than Hector, though smaller than Chatel, the giant-blooded. Simon found himself thinking it was probably the largest size a human man could possibly attain.
'So this man is—'
Simon swallowed hard.
'The strongest necromancer in the entire academy.'
Kajhan, apparently used to situations like this, swam over, found the light switch, and flicked it.
*Snap!*
The lights came on, flooding the room with brightness — and the water filling it vanished without a trace.
Simon, hit by the sudden change in gravity, landed square on his rear end on the floor.
*BOOM! THUD! CLATTER!*
The sofa, the tables, all the furniture crashed back down into their original places.
“Hnnph. Haaah.”
At last Simon let out the breath he'd been holding. His hair and uniform were drenched, water dripping off him in beads — and within five seconds, it evaporated away as if it had never been there at all.
'And that man?'
The Student Council President remained exactly as he'd been — sprawled out, chin resting in his hand.
*Rrrrrrhh—*
A strange sound came from his nose.
“Mr. President.”
Kajhan approached him.
*Rrrrrrhh—* came the sound once more.
“Your juniors are here. It's time for your appointment.”
*Pffk.*
The sound of a bubble bursting from his nose.
The man went 'Mmm?' and opened his eyes, blinking around the room.
“Ah, right. I dozed off.”
Kajhan's face hardened into a deep scowl.
“Dreaming in a place this crowded — are you in your right mind?”
It was a sharper, more cutting tone than the Kajhan Simon knew.
“Hm! As if dreaming or not dreaming were up to me?”
“Be aware that your dreams are weapons of terror more horrifying than anything else in this world. If you're tired, go sleep in some remote desert.”
“Hahahaha! Your temper hasn't changed a bit, Kajhan!”
The Student Council President threw his head back and laughed heartily.
“So, these are the ones! Mm!”
He rose to his feet.
Standing, he looked even more colossal. Each footstep sent a heavy resonance through the floor as he strode toward Simon.
“Phantasos Hugh Ikel! That is the name of this body!”
“Simon Polentia.”
The moment Simon grasped Phantasos's hand, his small palm vanished inside that enormous one. And as Phantasos pumped the hand up and down, Simon's entire body was flung about violently along with it.
Having finished shaking Simon's hand, Phantasos turned his head. Serne gave a sly smile and extended her white hand, palm up.
“Serne Aindark, at your service, Mr. President~”
At her audacious gesture, Phantasos instead laughed with delight and bowed at the waist. He took her hand and pressed a light kiss to the back of it — and Serne looked thoroughly pleased with herself.
“Mm! Sit!”
Phantasos turned his back.
Soon the three of them were seated in a row on the sofa, while Phantasos claimed an entire sofa to himself. Even then, his sheer bulk made it look far too small.
“Special Admissions No. 1 and No. 2! I've heard all about how you two are the finest male and female students of the first year!”
“The finest pair, as well.”
Serne added, leaning her body slightly toward Simon.
“Yes! Yes! The finest pair as well! Hahahaha! I don't dislike a junior with a firm sense of identity like you!”
“Oh my~”
Serne covered her cheeks with both hands, feigning embarrassment. Unexpectedly, the two of them made a perfect match. Did monsters simply recognize their own kind?
“The President will be graduating from Kizen soon.”
Kajhan said.
“After graduation, he's set to join the Crows. He shares the record for youngest ever, alongside Professor Bahil. Before that, he wanted to meet with you two and—”
“Kajhan! Sorry to interrupt the explanation, but I turned down the Crows!”
Kajhan's brow furrowed as he looked at Phantasos.
“Why did you refuse? Wasn't joining the Crows the dream of the strongest man?”
“Mm! It was, it was! But I felt I needed a journey to find my true self first!”
Listening to the two of them talk, Simon felt his mind going numb.
The old saying that there is no such thing as a sane necromancer seemed to be true. Of course, the strongest necromancer in the academy did not appear to be sane either.
“Enough about me in front of the juniors! More importantly — what brings you two to the Pentamonium Academic Conference?”
Simon answered Phantasos's question.
“I'm here to present a thesis—”
“Mm! A thesis?”
Phantasos cut him off. He shook his head as if doubting his own ears, then thrust his face forward, eyes blazing.
“Did the professors send you here?!”
'He got even bigger?'
Simon could have sworn Phantasos's enormous frame had doubled in size.
An ability? Dark magic? Or just an illusion? That outstretched, angular face filled Simon's entire field of view.
He stammered out an answer.
“N-not exactly that. Haha.”
......Somehow, he decided it was better to just be honest.
“I came to make money.”
*Clap!*
Phantasos clapped his hands.
*Clap! Clap! Clap!*
With every clap, a ripple of force spread out like a shockwave, rattling the objects around the room.
“Mm! Magnificent!!”
His voice boomed through the chamber.
“Securing your capital in advance for the sake of your dream is a worthy endeavor in itself! The awareness is properly hammered in! Junior!”
“Is — is that so?”
“And what about you? Were you sent by professors to present some thesis as well?”
This time Phantasos turned to Serne. She answered with a foxlike grin.
“I came here to seduce a man~”
“PERFECT!!!”
*BANG! BANG!*
Phantasos sprang up from his seat and gave a standing ovation.
“Absolutely splendid! That's the spirit! Mm! Now I see why you two are the best of the first year!”
Then he looked at Kajhan, seated in the third chair.
“Learn from your juniors, Kajhan! Stop spending every waking hour doing nothing but the missions you're ordered to run!”
Kajhan didn't dignify that with a response — he just absently scratched at the scar over his eye.
“Mm! Mark this well, my juniors!”
He pounded his chest with both fists.
“The world exists by virtue of my existence! You are not merely the masters of a single life — the world itself belongs to you! The circumstances around you! Your past and your background! Listen to other people's opinions, and you will accomplish nothing!”
He pointed one huge finger at Simon's face.
“You! What will you do once you've made your money!”
“I... want to create a Lich.”
“Mm! Why do you want to create a Lich? That's still well beyond what a first-year could manage!”
Simon made an embarrassed face. He'd wondered whether he really had to tell a complete stranger about this, too.
“Because it's a goal I absolutely must achieve.”
*Tap.*
Phantasos froze mid-motion. Then his huge eyes began to tremble.
“Say no more!”
He surged to his feet and came closer. Simon rose too, bracing for another handshake—
*Grab!*
“Magnificent!!”
This time it was a bear hug. Simon felt the air slam out of his lungs.
“That's it exactly! Mm! A first-year ought to be creating a Lich, at the very least! The bigger your dream, the bigger the world you get to challenge!”
He released Simon and snorted a great puff of air.
“It's because you set a goal like that that you're here in a place like this while everyone else plays around, aren't you!”
“Th-that's certainly true.”
“Exactly! Keep running like that, for your own dream! Any wall in life — if you run with your eyes on the sky, you'll look up one day and find you're already past it!!”
He spread his enormous arms wide.
“Let nothing whatsoever dictate who you are! Shatter the world for the sake of your dream and drag it along behind you! That is precisely—”
*BOOOOOM!*
He struck his own chest and grinned wide.
“THE PATH TO BEING THE STRONGEST!”
The instant those words landed, Simon felt something catch fire in his chest.
'Wow. This guy is so cool.'
Watching Simon's eyes sparkle, Serne and Kajhan both stifled laughter inside. He really was just a boy, after all.
“My proud junior! In that spirit, let me ask you one thing!”
Phantasos thrust his palm out flat.
“How do you feel about the position of the next Student Council President?”
“......I'm sorry?”
For a moment, Simon's mind came to a complete halt.