Chapter 17
***
"...."
Simon pondered.
He understood that Hongpeng's offer to be her direct disciple was sincere.
But what about his own feelings?
Majoring in Martial Combat.
Hongpeng's class had undoubtedly been enjoyable.
The outdoor curriculum, the continuous stream of challenges, the outdoor meals, and the intense competition.
There were difficult moments, but he could endure them if he considered them all part of the training to become stronger.
However,
"Thank you for your generous offer, but... to be honest, I'd like to decline."
Simon stood up and bowed.
Hongpeng didn't seem surprised and simply nodded.
"May I ask why?"
"There's another field of study I'd like to pursue more deeply at the moment."
"Hmm."
Her eyes crinkled into crescents.
"Alright. I appreciate you being upfront with me so I don't have any lingering regrets."
"...Ah."
"But that doesn't mean I'm giving up on you, Simon."
"What?"
Her brown hair fluttered gently in the wind.
"There's still a year left before you have to declare your major, right? I'll work harder to change your mind."
Simon was speechless. Why would she go to such lengths for him?
"And, personally, I've become curious to see how far you can go."
She stood up and waved her hand.
A Jet Black teleportation magic circle appeared on the ground.
"It's alright if you're not my disciple. If you ever need my help, don't hesitate to come find me."
"...Thank you, Professor."
"I'd appreciate it if you kept this matter a secret. You can go now."
Simon bowed deeply once more and stepped onto the magic circle.
Whoosh!
Simon vanished, and the wind blew, rustling the decorations in the cabin.
Hongpeng sat down on the creaky wooden chair, with a light smile on her face as she looked out the window.
"Professor Hongpeng!"
The door burst open, and an assistant rushed in.
"How did it go? What about Simon?"
She smiled and shook her head.
The assistant's face crumpled, and he bit his lip.
"How dare he refuse your offer...!"
"It's alright, Brad."
She patted the assistant's shoulder gently and looked out the window.
Brad fumed.
"I don't understand why you're so fixated on that student! Wouldn't it be better to offer the position to Hector, who's more talented in Martial Combat? There are four other aspiring Martial Combat students with plenty of potential...!"
"A genius,"
She said quietly.
"I've seen many geniuses at Kizen, but I've never seen 'that kind of genius' before."
"...What?"
She just smiled without answering.
***
Simon was the last student from Class A to return to Kizen.
He was exhausted from the strenuous class, but fortunately, there were still more than two hours left before the afternoon class.
He returned to the dormitory, dropped off his mud-caked uniform for the servants to launder, and headed to the bathhouse to wash up.
"Simon!"
He ran into Rick at the bathhouse.
Rick had arrived a little later than Simon and seemed strangely excited.
"Hehehe! You won't believe what happened to me!"
"What is it?"
Rick glanced around and whispered conspiratorially,
"I stepped onto the teleportation magic circle, and suddenly, I felt something block me with a bang! When I came to my senses, I was in Professor Bahil's research lab!"
Simon blinked.
"Professor Bahil from Curseology?"
"That's right!"
"Did anything happen there?"
"He just made me clean."
"...."
Simon chuckled wryly.
"I heard about this from older students! Teleport scouting! Professor Bahil picked me, right? Am I going to be a direct disciple?"
Simon turned his head, sweating nervously.
"Th-That might be the case."
"Holy shit, to be connected to such an influential figure at Kizen! You know what being a direct disciple means, right? Your school life will be a breeze! They say disciplinary actions and expulsions are often overlooked depending on the professor's favor!"
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard all year."
Simon and Rick turned their heads at the sudden interruption.
Hector and two of his faction members were standing there.
"A talentless commoner like you, a direct disciple of Professor Bahil? Even a dog would laugh."
His friends snickered.
Rick slowly stood up, with a smile playing on his lips.
"Oh dear, seems like the young master is a little jealous. Everything has to be about you, doesn't it? Upset that Professor Bahil took notice of me instead of you?"
"...."
Hector took a step closer.
He was tall and bulky, his body rippling with muscles.
"Watch your mouth, merchant scum."
"And because I'm merchant scum, I know your kind all too well."
Rick sneered, flicking his wrist.
"I heard you badmouthed Meilyn in Martial Combat class too. You think you're the only one with problems in the world? You're just a piece of shit too, you know. Acting like graduating from the Moore family's education is some kind of achievement."
Infuriated, Hector lashed out with his right arm.
A Jet Black magic circle formed on his palm, and Rick's body slammed against a pillar.
"Ugh!"
"Lowly scum like you should know what not to say."
Hector's eyes were bloodshot as he swung his arm sideways.
"Just die here, you bastard."
Crack!
It was a curse.
Rick clutched his throat in pain, and the surrounding students gasped and stood up.
"Ugh, kh!"
Even in pain, Rick grinned and flipped Hector the bird.
Hector's face hardened.
"C-Calm down, Hector!"
"Hey! Isn't this crossing the line? Using curses outside of class...!"
His two friends tried to intervene, but Hector shoved them aside with an irritated wave of his hand.
Just as Hector was about to draw another magic circle on his other palm,
"...!"
A foot suddenly appeared in front of his face.
Crack!
Hector barely managed to block the blow with his crossed arms.
He slipped on the wet floor and fell to one knee.
The impact disrupted the curse he was casting, and Rick, freed from the pain, coughed and stumbled back.
Thud.
Simon landed, his eyes blazing with anger.
"So, you finally decided to show up."
Hector grinned and stood up.
He emitted Jet Black from both hands, and Simon channeled his own Jet Black into his ring, grasping the imaginary lever.
Just as the situation was about to explode,
Crash!
A bucket flew towards Hector's feet and shattered, sending fragments flying.
Hector and Simon flinched, and the other students screamed in surprise.
"...Shut up."
Whoosh!
A man sitting in the bath stood up.
Countless scars, horrific to behold, covered his back as water streamed down his body.
"Do you all want to die?"
And Simon knew him. Simon's eyes widened.
'Kajann!'
It was the very same person who lived in Simon's room like a mouse.
"...Kajann Edvalt."
Hector lowered his arms and looked at him.
"I heard the rumors, but you're still clinging to this school?"
Kajann cracked his neck without a word.
Each crack was unnervingly loud, a sound one wouldn't expect from a human body.
"Hector!"
"B-Be careful. That bastard's lost it."
His friends rushed forward and stood in front of Hector, as if to protect him.
However,
"Let's go."
Hector's words were unexpected. His two friends looked at him in confusion.
"You'd better behave yourselves too. There won't be a second time."
Hector strode out of the bathhouse.
His friends, momentarily stunned, followed him as if fleeing.
"Rick!"
Simon rushed to Rick's side.
"Are you okay?"
"It's nothing."
Rick chuckled.
"The curse he used on me was just for show. Like that bastard has the guts to do anything."
Whoosh.
With the situation resolved, Kajann returned to the bath and closed his eyes.
The other students in the bath discreetly moved away from him.
Simon stood up and said,
"Kajann, thank you for..."
"You're noisy too,"
He said without turning around.
"Get out."
"...."
Simon smiled faintly.
He felt reassured that Kajann wasn't a bad person after all.
***
Despite the minor incident, everything ended without any major problems.
Rick revealed that he had provoked Hector intentionally, hoping to get him disciplined.
However, since Simon had attacked Hector, both of them would be penalized if disciplinary action was taken, so he abandoned his plan.
Simon, feeling embarrassed after hearing this, apologized. Rick laughed brightly.
"It's much better that you stepped in! It felt so good seeing you kick Hector."
He had partly provoked Hector out of frustration, and since it was the student protection period, any disciplinary action wouldn't have any significant consequences.
Hector would have known that as well.
When they finished showering, their clean uniforms, laundered with cleaning magic, were waiting for them in front of their room.
They quickly changed and attended their last afternoon class without any further incidents.
By the time they finished their schedule, it was already getting dark.
Simon and Rick were on their way back to the dormitory after dinner.
"Ahhh! Finally, the weekend!"
Rick shouted, stretching.
"Simon, what are you going to do this weekend?"
"Weekend? I don't have any plans."
"Come on, you can't do that! How you spend your weekends at Kizen is really important."
"You seem to have plans."
Rick nodded.
"My weekend schedule is actually more important than my weekday classes. I'm going to Rochester."
Rochester, Kizen's subsidiary city.
A medium-sized city frequented by Kizen staff, students, and servants.
It was known as a haven for necromancers and a student city, filled with numerous restaurants, inns, and necromancer-related shops. It was also common to see Kizen students working part-time jobs to earn money for class materials.
Especially on weekends, the city was flooded with students, and for Kizen students, "going out for the weekend" usually meant going to Rochester.
"What are you going to do in Rochester?"
"Business planning,"
Rick replied seriously.
"The allowance Kizen provides isn't enough to live on. And I'm not exactly a top student who can get a scholarship. I need to start making use of my skills."
Simon nodded.
It was a characteristically proactive move from Rick.
"Simon, you should also find a way to earn some money. The professors providing materials is only for the student protection period. The monthly allowance isn't enough to cover the exorbitant cost of Kizen's classes. That's why older students all have their own sources of income."
"Hmm, is that so?"
Having to be self-sufficient financially outside of classes made life at Kizen even more challenging.
Since Simon was interested in Summoning, which required expensive materials, he needed to come up with a plan.
"Hehe, or you could wait until I'm settled in Rochester. I might be able to get you a job."
"No. I should earn the money I need myself."
"...Oh, you're quite meticulous about money."
Rick snuck off to Rochester before entering the dormitory, saying he had to prepare for tomorrow's schedule.
Leaving Kizen on weekdays was prohibited, but due to Kizen's relatively liberal atmosphere, it wasn't a big deal as long as you didn't get caught.
Simon entered the dormitory alone.
He bought some snacks from the store to enjoy the weekend mood and returned to his room.
He had intended to thank Kajann properly if he was there, but Kajann was out.
Left alone, Simon sat on the floor and opened his snacks.
It was a box of six fluffy mini chiffon cakes.
He popped one into his mouth.
It was delicious.
He savored the rich buttery flavor, chewing contentedly, when...
"...."
He felt a gaze.
Simon cautiously turned his eyes towards the window.
He saw a girl hanging from the windowsill, blinking at him.
'L-Lady Nephtys...?'
This was the fourth floor.
***
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