The Substitution and the Prize
Having summoned Pier from the subspace bracelet, Simon opened his own subspace this time.
"Okay, now's the moment. Nobody's around — come into my side, quick. Pier."
Pier clicked his tongue.
[How stifling! I've only just stepped outside, and now I must go back in?]
"We have no choice. Hurry, before someone sees us."
There was a reason they had to resort to such a cumbersome method of moving the Legion.
Before teleporting to the island, Kizen had announced an inspection of every first-year's subspace. But from Simon's point of view, he needed to somehow bring Pier along in order to win over Big Kroom, the Legion's new commander — so he'd pulled a small trick.
"Legion Commannderrr~"
At the sudden, booming voice, Simon whirled around in alarm.
TA Brad was running toward him.
The sight of that burly, broad-shouldered bald man scampering up with his arms swinging side to side, cute as a schoolgirl, sent a shudder of wrongness down Simon's spine.
"I mished you sooo much!"
Brad clung to Simon's arm and cooed in a cutesy voice. Simon grimaced at the sheer uncanniness of it all.
"Why are you here? Erze. Professor Hong Peng's assistant was right there, wasn't she?"
"I told her I had shome business to attend to."
"Ugh... get back before you're found out."
Here is how events had unfolded.
Last weekend, Simon had won the wager duel that Brad himself had proposed, earning the right to order him to do anything. So Simon had gone to the inn where Brad was staying.
At the time, Brad was packing his belongings like a man who had resigned himself to everything.
"Why are you sulking around like that? I have no intention of demanding your retirement."
Brad lifted his head and looked at Simon.
"Instead, from this moment on, you will become my chess piece."
Simon held Brad's weakness firmly in his grasp. Brad bristled at once.
"You dare treat a mere freshman like your errand boy!"
"If you refuse, so be it. I'll simply go to Professor Hong Peng and tell her everything."
At those words, Brad's face froze instantly.
"You, a man of education, struck a Kizen student under the pretense of a wagered duel. And the most damning part of all is what you demanded if you won..."
The corner of Simon's mouth lifted.
"That I be admitted as Professor Hong Peng's Direct Disciple."
"..."
"Let me make one thing perfectly clear. That wasn't done for the Professor's sake — it was an insult to her decision."
Hong Peng had already accepted Simon's refusal to become her disciple. Then Brad had suddenly butted in, declared that if he won, Simon would enter as her Direct Disciple after all — and started pounding on him.
That was a flagrant dismissal of Hong Peng's wishes.
"The Professor believes what happened between us was nothing more than a petty quarrel. But imagine how disappointed she'll be when she learns the truth..."
The corner of Simon's mouth curved upward.
"I trust you understand."
"Kgh...!"
In truth, by forcing that wager on Simon in the first place, Brad had thrown himself into a trap he couldn't crawl out of.
And so it was that Simon acquired himself a fine chess piece named Brad — who, as it happened, had just been selected as one of the TAs accompanying the expedition to the island.
Simon borrowed Brad's subspace and ordered him to vanish for the duration of the island survival, never showing his face to a single soul.
"...You intend to impersonate me, don't you."
"How did you know?"
"I've seen beyond imagining what Kizen students are capable of. On this brutal playing field, a body double is practically routine."
Brad scratched at his head roughly.
"Do as you like. But if you get caught out there, don't come crying to me."
"Of course."
So Brad had gone into hiding, and Erzsébet had shapeshifted into him and come to the island in his place. Pier, tucked inside Brad's bracelet subspace, had crossed over to the island safely — TAs' subspaces weren't subject to inspection.
"Everyone fell for the maiden's performance flawlessly!" Erzsébet declared in Brad's thick, gravelly voice.
"...I'm about to lose my lunch, so please stop."
"Anyway! We're going to meet Big Kroom now, aren't we? I want to come along!"
"Absolutely not."
Simon refused flatly.
"If Brad suddenly disappears from his post, the school will get suspicious. For this, me and Pier are more than enough."
[Kuh-hahaha! The boy speaks true! Scram, already!]
"Pier, even you! Everyone is so cruel!"
Erzsébet deflated and hung her head low.
"...I shall return, my lord."
"..."
But seeing her so utterly crestfallen, Simon felt a twinge of conscience.
If anything, it was no exaggeration to say that Erzsébet had done nearly all the work of this operation, from recruiting Brad to impersonating him. He realized he'd been rather cold about it.
[What are you doing, boy?]
Just then, Pier's voice sounded inside Simon's head.
[If she troubles you so, then bestow a reward. Praising a vassal's merit is a Legion Commander's duty, after all!]
'Wh-what reward?'
[You already know what she loves. You need not ask.]
Of course he knew. Simon let out a small sigh and looked up. The burly man was standing there, head bowed, with the most woebegone expression in the world.
"...Erze. Could you shift back to your real self for a moment?"
"Yes?"
She gave him a puzzled look, but obeyed, returning to her original form. Simon walked over to her with stiff, wooden steps.
[Legion Commander?]
Then he stretched both arms out stiffly and hugged her shoulders tight.
[...!!!]
Erzsébet froze as though time itself had stopped. Simon whispered, in a voice just barely soft enough for her alone to hear.
"Th-thanks for your hard work. Erze."
Erzsébet's pupils dilated.
Her heart.
Her heart was melting and dripping down like ice cream on a summer day.
"Ahem."
Scarlet-faced, Simon hastily backed away.
"Now change back into Brad and return to your post. No good can come of raising suspicion."
And with sweat beading on his brow, Simon fled like a man escaping a crime scene. Pier's clone cackled loudly at the whole spectacle, having apparently never seen anything so entertaining.
[...]
Erzsébet, who had been staring blankly at Simon's retreating back, slowly brushed a hand over her shoulder. Then, cheeks burning crimson, she buried her face in her palms.
[...What a truly lovable master he is.]
No amount of oaths — a hundred, a thousand vows of loyalty — could possibly be enough.
* * *
Night was closing in.
The Kizen students had gradually acclimated to the unfamiliar environment and its monsters, and were now pressing on toward the island's center. But as darkness began to fall, a new crisis loomed.
As is the way of tropical lands, Kera Island's temperature swung wildly between day and night. The muggy heat suddenly gave way to a chill sharp enough to bite, and it was common knowledge that monsters grew even more active after sundown.
"We'll have to build shelter if we're going to survive the night."
"Fire first! Get a fire going!"
They needed campfires for warmth and shelter for proper sleep. But the students struggled from the very first step — finding a site. Camping deep in the jungle invited monster attacks, while riverbanks and open plains left them vulnerable to ambush by other students.
Some tried to get clever and build in the trees, but they lacked the skill for it.
"Ugh, my back. I'm actually dying."
"We're only staying one night, aren't we? Wouldn't the real way to save strength be to skip this whole circus?"
A few of the students hauling logs gave up entirely, overcome with deep cynicism, and declared they'd simply camp in the open. But the temperature kept plummeting as night deepened, and blocking even just the wind began to look very wise indeed.
And so, while the students sweated through one improvised solution after another—
Thock! Thock! Thock!
Snick. Snick-snick.
Simon's house was barreling toward completion without a hint of hesitation.
He laid out logs of uniform size, lashed them tight with sturdy vines again and again until they were anchored firm, raised the pillars, slotted the roof into grooves he'd carved in advance to build the frame, and finally draped large leaves pulled from his subspace over the top like shingles.
"You — tie down that fence. Put the delivered logs on the right side."
Knock-knock. Tak.
One human and four undead working in tandem, and boom — a house. Its size was small enough for Simon alone, but as a one-night dwelling, the quality was quite respectable.
Simon had built his house on the beach side, in the exact opposite direction of the Kizen students' advance. Being near the shore, it sat just outside the primary hunting range of the carnivorous monsters — perfect in every respect.
"The best part is not having to worry about anyone watching."
He lit his campfire without a care, ground up insect- and snake-repelling herbs, mixed a little into water, and painted the mixture evenly around the house. Once every task was done, Simon slipped straight into his finished cabin. He'd built it himself, but it felt wonderfully cozy all the same.
"Alright, then."
Simon lay down flat and pulled the leaf blanket over himself.
"Time to sleep."
[What? You're sleeping already?]
Pier exclaimed in shock.
[It's hardly that late in the evening!]
"I'm sleeping early so we can get moving before dawn tomorrow. Oh, right!"
Simon sat up, plucked Pier's clone from his uniform where it dangled like an ornament, and hung it outside the house like a decoration.
[What is this?! What are you doing, boy!]
"Stand night watch, please, Pier. Undead don't sleep, after all."
[Kgh! Unacceptable! I am the Administrator of the Legion! How dare you use me in such a manner!]
"Pleeease~ And I'll leave this here, so wake me at four in the morning."
Simon set his wristwatch down where Pier's clone could see it, then ducked inside.
[He's using me as an ALARM CLOCK!!]
Simon severed even the undead's ability to reach his mind, pulled the leaves over himself, and settled in. He tossed and turned for only a moment before slipping into deep sleep, breathing soft and even.
* * *
[Up, boy! It is the hour you named!]
At the shout of Pier's clone, Simon bolted upright. Then, shivering with cold, he rubbed his shoulders and sniffled.
"Whoof. Nights really are cold. Thanks, Pier."
[I shall never forget this humiliation!]
"The moment money comes in, I'll recruit more troops for the Legion."
[Ah, so now you learn to bestow rewards.]
Simon stepped outside with a yawn. The dawn sky glowed a beautiful shade of teal. From the distant sea came the soothing hush of waves rolling ashore. It was, all in all, a rather picturesque scene.
"Well then — shall we be off?"
Simon opened his subspace and brought out four skeletons.
"Now, we lift on three. One, two, three!"
Simon had the skeletons hoist the entire house overhead.
Built light and single-occupant from the start, it rose without the slightest difficulty.
[And what is your plan now?]
"Did I not tell you?"
Simon grinned.
"We're descending straight to the center — in one move."