The Night Before the Siege
The five battle wagons carrying the Kizen students cut through the monster horde and made their way steadily toward the Gahal tribe's fortress.
And a short distance away from that scene—
"……So they broke through after all."
Two men stood watching them.
"Gotta say, the way you people handle things is pretty damn sloppy."
The Butcher, perched on a boulder, muttered as he clacked his two kitchen knives together. He was still wearing his bloodstained apron and boots.
"And here you were saying you'd peel that blue-haired one away from the rest?"
"The boy handled it well."
The One-Eyed Gentleman, the single eye in his face the only one remaining, lowered his telescope as he spoke.
"Just as we planned from the start—we'll have to take them at the fortress."
"Fine by me."
The Butcher twirled a knife in a quick flourish and jammed it into the sheath at his waist, beside his apron. In front of him lay a Mimic, butchered with meticulous care.
"Maybe it's because this thing's got no fat on it, but the flavor's garbage."
"Well, I can't say I'm sorry to hear that."
The Butcher walked slowly toward the glow of distant lights.
"The last fortress of the Gahal tribe, eh."
He smirked and folded his arms.
"Dragging students into a place like that? Kizen's way of educating people made no sense back then and it makes no sense now."
"That's hardly the strangest thing they do. I hear they've dropped sleeping children straight onto a battlefield before."
"But here's the thing."
The Butcher shifted his gaze, staring at the countless monsters surrounding the fortress.
"A monster horde this size? Leave it alone and it'll finish the job on its own, no? Doesn't look like there's any room for us to squeeze in."
"Under ordinary circumstances, the Gahal tribe would have met their end right here."
The One-Eyed Gentleman's eye rolled.
"But the situation has changed. Fifty-two Kizen second-years, two Kizen professors, and the teaching assistants they brought along. That fortress is safer right now than the stronghold of any decent-sized territory."
The Butcher let out a dry laugh.
"Aren't you overrating a bunch of kids who came here to play war?"
"Accurate analysis of the enemy is essential."
The One-Eyed Gentleman turned his head.
"But by the same measure, our own preparations are complete."
Keeeee—
Kiiii—
The Mimics around them were gulping down potions filled with vivid red liquid. Other Mimics copied the gesture one after another, and the behavior was spreading through the horde.
Crimson breath leaked from the monsters' mouths, and their eyes bloodshot and bulged.
The monsters were being strengthened.
"Good, good."
The Butcher dragged his bloodstained fingertips across his tongue.
"Let's enjoy the party."
The distance between the wagons and the fortress shrank. Grelion, riding in the first train, stuck his head out the window.
"Assistants! Raise the flags!"
"Yes, sir!"
The assistants hung two banners crossed over the sides of the wagons—one bearing the crest of Kizen, the other a plain blue standard.
The students stared anxiously at the firmly shut castle gates.
"……What happens if they don't open the gates for us?"
"What happens? We all die, that's what."
Eshu snorted at that.
"If you die, I'll turn you into an undead myself. Zombie? Skeleton? Take your pick, pick, pick."
"Those options are garbage. At least offer to make me a Lich."
"You should be grateful I'm not turning you into a chimera's butt."
Ahaha!
They'd just fought a major battle and everyone's spirits were low. This was exactly when Eshu's boundless energy proved useful.
Even while half-ignoring her endless chatter out of sheer exhaustion, the students somehow found themselves relaxing, chuckling before they knew it. Her words, wherever you were, kept you anchored to the ordinary moments of life. The other students loosened up too, tossing in a remark or two of their own.
"Whoa, check out the archers on the walls. There's a creepy amount of them!"
"……T-they're not going to shoot us, right?"
Of course, some people like Toto just spiraled deeper into dread. Simon gave his thigh a light, friendly smack to snap him out of it.
Kugugu—!
Fortunately, the other side had spotted the flags, and the gates of the Gahal fortress began to grind open.
"They're letting us in!"
"We're going in!"
Only then did the students relax, the mood lifting all around.
Passing through the narrow moat and bridge, all five battle wagons entered the fortress without incident. The wagons rolled to a stop, and the students climbed down one by one.
People were approaching from the far side as well—a band of Gahal warriors, and among them a man in the prime of life whose armor was unusually ornate.
On this side, Grelion, professor of Summoning Materials Studies, stepped forward as their representative.
"Hahaha! It's been far too long!"
"ⴋⴘØⴆⴇÐ!"
The two men shared a single fervent embrace, then launched into conversation.
Simon couldn't make out a word of it, but astonishingly, Grelion seemed to know the Gahal language—the two were communicating just fine.
Grelion turned back to the students, who all wore baffled expressions, and kindly interpreted for them.
"He says he's grateful we came all this way to help them."
"!"
The students then bombarded the Gahal with greetings in whatever foreign languages they happened to know. Eshu finished it off with a cheerful "Heeba-heeba," which meant absolutely nothing.
Still, the universal language of all nations—the handshake—worked perfectly. The socially gifted students clasped hands with the soldiers, and some even bumped fists with them.
"Professor Aaron."
"Yes."
The professors held a serious meeting for about ten minutes. Grelion's position was rather hardline, while Aaron seemed to be calming him down somewhat.
Before long, a conclusion seemed to be reached, and Aaron stepped forward.
"All students, attention."
The students immediately fell silent and turned to him.
"According to the Gahal, the monsters will launch their attack at dawn. The students will man the walls in three shifts, and the rest will rest inside. Light outerwear is fine, but don't sprawl out completely."
"Yes, sir!"
"And now, regarding the chain of command."
Aaron's Head Assistant came to his side and opened a case. Inside lay a set of communication orbs.
"Our basic policy is free combat, but a minimum of communication and command structure is necessary. I will appoint a student commander."
Aaron lifted the red orb from the case.
"We have no shortage of talent here, but……"
His gaze swept the crowd and stopped on one person.
"Our department does happen to have a Student Council President."
Every other student's eyes were already fixed on Simon.
Hector, who had been subtly hoping for the position, clicked his tongue.
"May I say something?"
Simon raised his hand.
"Go ahead."
"Normally I'd take command myself, but this is a department-wide training camp."
With that, Simon pointed to his side.
"So I believe the right thing is for the department representative to take command."
"……!"
Hector glared at Simon with wide, bulging eyes.
His look said it plainly: What scheme is this?
"A sound suggestion."
Aaron nodded, then tossed the red communication orb.
"Today's student commander is Hector Moore."
Receiving the red orb, Hector's pupils wavered considerably.
"When battle begins, move according to the student commander's orders. I know you'll all be tempted by the Guardian—the material for your Durahans—but don't overextend yourselves. In particular, chasing the Guardian down off the walls is suicide. Keep that firmly in mind."
"Yes, sir!"
Aaron folded his arms.
"The professors will communicate if a problem arises. When the professors give an order, stop what you're doing and follow it as your top priority. That is all."
The formalities moved quickly.
The assistants drew up the shift rotations, and the first shift team climbed the walls. The remaining students were all guided into the Gahal barracks buildings.
"Hello there~"
Eshu waved. Young children, their lower halves wrapped loosely in cloth, waved back shyly before getting embarrassed and running off to play among themselves.
The barracks were full of women and children. Simon wondered why they hadn't fled a fortress that was about to become a battlefield—but every one of them seemed to carry an unshakable resolve never to abandon their home.
All the warriors had gone out to the walls, so there were plenty of rooms to spare. The students could settle in wherever they liked.
A warm hearth fire burned in the central hall, its smoke escaping through the hole in the ceiling that served in place of a chimney.
Simon and his Squad 10 teammates claimed a single room, the four of them together.
"You idiot! Is there actually something between your ears or not?!"
Eshu was wrapping a bandage around Toto's arm.
"What were you thinking, charging out to save the President, huh? What exactly goes on inside that skull of yours that made you pull a stunt like that?!"
"I'm sorry, Eshu. M-my arm hurts!"
Toto pulled a face on the verge of tears.
And a little apart from the two of them, Simon and Loraine sat side by side.
"Funny, coming from you, Eshu. You rushed out recklessly to save Toto too, didn't you?"
Loraine said it with a sly, wolfish smile. A flicker of guilt crossed Eshu's face, and she immediately began stammering out excuses.
"Th-that was different! Toto was in danger—no, wait! I mean, if anyone drops out of the exercise, our whole team's evaluation scores get wiped!"
Simon added fuel to the fire.
"Remember how furious you were when I went to save Toto? 'He might already be dead. Even if I have to go alone, I'm going'—remember?"
"AAAAAAH! I can't hear you! Not listening! Shut up!"
Simon and Loraine burst out laughing at each other. Eshu let out a strangled "Grrgh," whirled her head away in indignation, and Toto looked ready to drip red right off his face.
"D-did you really……"
Squeezing out every scrap of courage he possessed, Toto lifted his head and spoke in a voice barely louder than an ant's footsteps.
"W-were you really going to save me?"
"No! For the millionth time, no! You just charged in so stupidly I had no choice!"
Watching the two of them bicker back and forth, Loraine murmured quietly.
"Those two seem to have gotten closer somehow, don't you think?"
Simon nodded with a smile.
"Get some sleep, Loraine. I'll wake you when it's your shift."
"I'm fine. I couldn't sleep if I tried."
The two of them leaned against the wall and talked in low, easy voices.
About the battle that had just ended.
About life back at school.
About crafting their Durahans.
And right around then—
"Hello there~ Simon. You two look awfully cozy."
Serne swept in, her ivory hair streaming behind her.
Simon greeted her with a smile, but Loraine narrowed her eyes and went on guard at once.
"I told you—no feathers."
At some point, Toto and Eshu had slipped off to the next room. Serne simply shrugged.
"Do you have any proof it was me? I'd say they just went off to have a nice time on their own."
"Why are you even here? Aren't you on the first shift?"
Serne smoothed down her uniform skirt, sat down primly across from Simon, gazed at him for a long moment, and smiled.
"I just didn't feel like it. I asked someone to swap with me."
Watching Serne announce her truancy so brazenly, Loraine's mouth fell open.
"You really are……! I thought you'd changed at least a little after the Ivory Tower incident!"
"Changed? Change what? Right, Simon?"
"That's right. Still the same as ever."
At the sight of the two of them stifling their laughter, Loraine's lips jutted out two full spans.
"Simon. Our Ivory Tower is ready for you."
Serne said it in a voice pitched low, deliberate.
"Right now, no one in the leadership knows you're a Legion Commander, and no one's forcing your hand. You could walk in whenever you like, freely. Into the new, young Ivory Tower that I and Mayrin will lead—"
"What nonsense."
Loraine cut in.
"Simon is the Student Council President of Kizen. Even headquarters holds him in high regard—"
"Oh, who cares about some piddling evaluation from Kizen headquarters~ A person's own choice matters more, doesn't it? It was the same with recruiting Senior Phantassus last year, remember? We dangled a Crows position as bait, and he slipped right through our fingers."
As if the words had struck a sore spot, Loraine bit her lip slightly.
"The truth is, we've been courting Senior Phantassus for our Ivory Tower too. Once you and Phantassus both join, Simon—that would truly be the golden age of the Ivory Tower, wouldn't you say?"
"I don't know. Is it really as easy as you make it sound? This is the same Ivory Tower that tried to slip past us and defect to the Neutral Zone."
A faint crack appeared in Serne's smiling face.
"Hm~ And that foolish plan was drawn up before I was even born, so what can I do about it? What matters is now."
With that, Serne gazed at Simon with half-lidded eyes. Then she raised a hand and held it just beneath his nose.
"Mmmhmm~"
A faint blush rose in Serne's cheeks, and her lips fluttered.
"Just ten more years. Only ten more years, and~ If it were up to me, I'd kidnap you outright. Lock you up in the tower, feed you nothing but water, and raise you myself."
Simon shuddered.
Serne just might actually do it, and that made him a little afraid of her.
"Oh, that's right~ You've never seen him, have you?"
Serne turned her head and gave a knowing, meaningful smile.
"What Future Simon looks like."
Loraine flinched. She, too, had been briefed on the Frozen Clock incident.
"I got to see what Simon looks like all grown up, even if only for a moment, back in the Tower of Time."
Unable to hide her tension, Loraine swallowed hard.
"……Wh-what was he like?"