Pinch's body, split in half, drifted down into the deep sea. Simon, who had been staring blankly at the sight, suddenly clutched his mouth. '…Ugh, I can't breathe!' [Run, boy! Keep firing by injecting Jet Black into the greatsword!] Simon nodded, turning the greatsword towards the sea and his body towards the surface. As he fired short slashes in that position, Simon's body was propelled forward with whooshing sounds. 'Th-this is my limit!' His rationality was on the verge of evaporating due to extreme exhaustion and lack of oxygen. He bit his lip until it bled, barely maintaining consciousness. Somehow, he reached a point where the ship was visible. Now, with just one step left to reach the bottom of the ship. Click! Click! A sound of air escaping was heard from the tip of the greatsword. All the Jet Black had been consumed. Just as Simon's rationality, which had pushed past its limits multiple times, was finally about to collapse. Splash! Shun was seen swimming towards him in the water. 'Shun…!' Simon and Shun reached out their arms to each other. This time, there was no mistake. They firmly grasped each other's hands, and at that moment, Simon's consciousness faded. *** Whoosh! "Pwoof! Ugh! Ha!" In the violently surging sea, Shun and an unconscious Simon burst to the surface. "Grab this!" Erzebet threw a rope made of spider silk. As Shun swam and grabbed the end of the rope, Erzebet, with the monstrous strength of an Ancient Undead, pulled them onto the deck in one go. "Cough, cough! Haaah! Phew!" Shun, on the deck, continuously spat out water. "Count! What about Master?" "He's fine! He just lost consciousness from exhaustion." The two quickly began first aid for Simon. But now, even the pirate ship wasn't safe. The hull was gradually sinking due to the hole in its bottom. -Kiiiriri! Just then, a Corpse Spider appeared and signaled Erzebet. "A-a spider?" "Do not worry, Your Excellency. They are allies." As she gestured, five Corpse Spiders laboriously brought a small but intact wooden boat. "It seems there was an emergency escape dinghy. Let us take this to Blue Harbor." Shun raised both arms high. "Well done! Spiders!" -Kiiiririri! The spiders raised their front legs, mimicking high-fives among themselves. Erzebet stroked Pier's skull, which had separated from Simon. "Pier, you worked hard too." [Kuhuhu! My whole body aches!] "Your condition will improve a bit once we get the saltwater out on land. Come, let's move quickly!" *** "……" How long had he been unconscious? Simon finally regained consciousness and opened his eyes. After staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, he abruptly sat up. 'Ugh.' A sharp pain surged, and his entire body felt stiff and sore. Bandages were wrapped in various places on his body. "Master! Have you opened your eyes?" Erzebet, who was the first to notice Simon waking up, rushed over. Then she vigorously shook his shoulders. "Do you recognize who I am?" "O-oh, I'm dizzy, Erze……" "That is a relief!" The surrounding maids also sprang to their feet. "Sir Simon!" "Count Shun! Sir Simon has woken up!" "Oh, really? Simon Hyung!!" Shun ran over in one stride and hugged Simon tightly. Shun had also been dozing off in the room, waiting for Simon to wake up. Simon, who had been blankly tracing his memories for a moment, chuckled and placed a hand on Shun's head. "You saved me, didn't you, Shun?" "No! Hyung saved me!" This was the Oldwon family mansion. Simon heard the full story from Shun. Today was the fifth and final day of the mission. A day had passed since the pirate attack. The remaining pirate remnants, having lost their captain Gail, were all suppressed by Blue Harbor's navy, which had regrouped its forces. It was particularly crucial that a ship's worth of pirates had been expended fighting Pinch due to Erzebet's scheme. After the battle, Simon was immediately moved to the mansion for treatment, and Pier was also safe and sound. Blue Harbor's main downtown area had been burned by the pirate ship's bombardment, but the fires were now under control, and reconstruction had begun. Shun added that with the Oldwon family's wealth, it wouldn't take long to restore its former appearance. And Shun decided to re-investigate the circumstances of his mother's death. Suspicions had arisen that some elders of the Oldwon family were involved in the incident, seemingly wanting to arrange a political marriage for Shun's father, who was then the eldest son, with a new noble lady. It would take considerable time to excise the rotten parts of the family, but Shun's resolve was firm. Simon, having heard all the explanations, let out a long sigh. "It's a relief that it ended safely. The mission period didn't even exceed." "Yeah! Actually, an agent from Kizen came to find you." The man in black, who had been standing almost invisibly pressed against the wall, bowed his head. Simon also greeted him and asked, "When do I have to return to school?" "There's no need to rush. Just tell us the time you wish to depart today, and we will prepare the teleportation accordingly, Student Simon." "Yes. Thank you." Perhaps to allow Simon to rest, Shun, the maids, and the agent left the room. Only Erzebet, his close aide, remained, peeling fruit. Simon briefly scanned her up and down. "By the way, Erze. Why are you dressed like that?" She, dressed in a maid's uniform, turned to Simon and grinned. "Since I call the Legion Commander 'Master, Master,' the maids of the mansion thought I was in the same profession and lent me an outfit. Does it suit me?" She held her skirt and twirled. Simon let out a small laugh. "Let's rest for just two more hours and then return to Kizen." "Huh? Wouldn't it be better to rest a little longer?" "I have a mountain of things to do. I need to write a report to submit to Kizen, and prepare for tomorrow's classes. Staying at the mansion indefinitely would also be a nuisance to the people working here." "If that is the Legion Commander's will, then I understand. I will inform the head butler over there." After finishing his breakfast-lunch of porridge, Simon, having recovered his strength, put on his freshly laundered Kizen uniform and, guided by the butler, stepped out of the mansion. "Sir Simon! Good luck!" "We'll never forget you~!" "If you ever quit school, come to your unnie! Got it?" The maids, who had rushed out of the mansion, ignoring their work and duties, waved their handkerchiefs and bid Simon farewell. Simon also politely greeted the people who had taken care of him during his stay. Shun, waiting in front of the carriage, chuckled. "Simon Hyung, you're popular with the maid unnies, aren't you?" "……I don't really know why." "Oh my, with such a beauty next to you, where are you looking?" Erzebet deliberately hugged Simon's arm. Then, shouts and protests to 'get away' erupted from the mansion. Erzebet stuck out her tongue, teasing them. "Stop joking around and let's go quickly." "Yes!" Shun climbed into the carriage, followed by Simon and Erzebet. The coachman started the carriage, and the wheels began to roll. "What about the agent from Kizen?" "He's preparing the teleportation or whatever at the rendezvous point. More importantly, Hyung." "Hm?" Shun chuckled. "It's not over yet." As soon as the carriage exited the mansion's main gate, Simon's eyes widened. The residents gathered in front of the mansion erupted in applause and loud cheers. "Goodbye~ Kizen student!" "Thank you for saving Blue Harbor!" "Please visit our shop sometime!" In front, he saw residents who had fought alongside him wearing Bone Armor. "We'll never forget fighting together!" "Goodbye!" Simon felt a lump in his throat. He showed his face out the window and waved directly to the people. "Good luck! Simon Pollentia, son of Blue Harbor!" Ah, that's a bit much. The people of Reshill would be disappointed if they heard that. "Uhuhu, why is the public sentiment so good? What have you been doing when I wasn't looking?" "……No, I just fought as you commanded." The carriage, which had been diligently driving past the mansion and downtown, slowly came to a stop. It was a very familiar place, the Undead Exhibition hall where Simon had worked. "Why are we here?" "I need to pick something up." Shun hopped out, and Simon and Erzebet followed. The guards at the door stepped aside. One of the guards, meanwhile, thanked Simon for protecting Blue Harbor and offered him good wishes. Simon responded with a smile and a bow. "I'm just going to get something. Are you coming with me?" "Still, I'm your bodyguard until today." "Oh. Right!" Shun chuckled and went up the stairs first. "It took a little time to get permission." As they ascended the stairs, the head butler and other butlers bowed respectfully. The head butler held a large box in his hands. "What's this?" "What do you mean? It's your mission reward." Simon took the box and carefully opened the lid. Inside, 1,000 shining gold coins were visible. 'Ah…!' When he heard '1,000 gold,' it hadn't quite sunk in, but seeing the contents directly, he finally realized it was a considerable fortune. Simon said, moved, "……Really thank you, no, thank you, Count." "Ahaha! Why the sudden formal speech?" Shun laughed loudly and gestured to the butlers. The butlers began to move busily. "And Hyung. Did you forget something?" "Hmm?" "Yesterday, I said I'd pay an additional commission fee if you protected this island and its residents." At that, Simon scratched the side of his head with an embarrassed expression. "No, you really don't have to……" "Pull it off." At Shun's command, the butlers pulled away the cloth. A soft-bodied skeleton in the shape of a mollusk, contained in an aquarium, was revealed. "The next-generation undead, the Overlord, valued at 10,000 gold." Shun took a deep breath and continued, "From now on, it's yours, Simon Hyung. I hope you'll accept it." "……?!!" Simon's mouth dropped open, struck by a shock like a tidal wave. While a skeleton made from a skeleton horse or a demon's bones had once been on Simon's bucket list, he hadn't even considered owning this Overlord, which was valued at over 10,000 gold. "Shu-Shun! This is too much……" Shun grinned and rubbed his nose. "Seeing your reaction makes me think I did well to give it to you! You'll accept the sincerity of me, the Oldwon family, and the residents of Blue Harbor, won't you?" "……" Shun had completely blocked any avenue for refusal and demanded an answer. Simon, who had been blankly standing with a myriad of emotions crossing his mind, finally nodded slightly. As if they had been waiting, the butlers and Erzebet clapped and congratulated him. And. [@$*Legion$@&%&Commander$!!!] He didn't understand the words, but it roughly sounded like Pier was overjoyed.
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