Even as he left the exhibition, Simon's mind was filled with thoughts of the 'Overlord' he had seen last.The soft-bodied undead had truly shocked Simon. He felt he could write several pages of a report just on the Overlord alone. "You worked hard today, Simon Hyung!" Shun said on the carriage ride back to the mansion. "Tomorrow's escort mission starts with the evening exhibition banquet." "Banquet?" "Yeah! It's a dinner with our Oldwon family members and the distinguished guests who came for the exhibition. And the day after tomorrow, the exhibition will be open to the public." Simon nodded. "I was planning to come early in the morning." "No need! There's nothing to do if you come early. Just arrive two hours before the banquet." For a 1,000 gold job, the benefits were better than expected. The carriage arrived at the mansion, and Shun waved as he entered with his butlers. The count's family was covering all accommodation costs during the escort mission. The head butler said Simon could stay at the mansion, but Simon declined. He wanted to practice alone in a quiet place. So, the accommodation Simon chose was a small cabin a little distance from the core area of Blue Harbor. It was a small, single-story house with a view of the night sea. The price was cheap, and there were few people around at night, so it was no problem for undead to move about. [Alright, Legion Commander! Cheers!] To lift Erzebet's spirits, Simon had dinner with her and a glass of wine. For the first time in a while, he let the Corpse Spiders roam freely on the sandy beach, sucking the blood of insects and small animals. As soon as dinner was over, Simon went into his room alone. 'I can't waste a single second.' Simon's goal for this mission was to further improve his 'Bone Armor'. He took a deep breath, cleared his mind, ensured he had enough Jet Black in his body, and stood up. Then, he pulled two skeletons from his subspace and placed them on either side of him. 'Bone Armor!' Shwaaaah! The skeletons' bodies disintegrated and began to attach themselves to Simon's body. He didn't expect to reach the level Aaron had shown him before, where the entire body was completely covered. The most important thing was whether it could connect to his limbs and enhance his overall physical strength. 'Focus. Focus.' Setting up the main pillars with large bones wasn't difficult, but when the smaller bones took their places, the balance rapidly shifted. To succeed with Bone Armor, Simon had to completely reverse, even twist, the 'bone connection sequence' he had theoretically or instinctively learned. Vertebrae would go into arm joints, and leg bones would combine with neck bones. Furthermore, since he was using two skeletons, bones from different skeletons would interlock haphazardly. He had to overcome this eerie sense of foreignness and systematically arrange the bones solely to form the shape of 'armor'. Crash! His concentration broke. The ribs he had neglected while focusing on his arms collapsed, and other connected parts scattered like dominoes. Simon knelt on the floor, panting. "Haaah! Haaah!" It was difficult, as expected. It wasn't even this hard when he was preparing the Mud Golem. He wondered when he had last felt such a high wall in Summoning Studies. 'Again!' Simon sprang up and continued to attempt Bone Armor until he succeeded. [Legion Commander~ Your stomach's empty enough now, right? I brought you a late-night snack!] Erzebet, who had come with a plate of food in one hand, paused. Then she shushed the Corpse Spiders that were following her. The spiders, who had been scurrying closer with plates of juice and pudding on their bodies, also stopped. [As expected, the Legion Commander is an amazing practice bug.] -Kiiiririri! [You're not eating bugs, so don't get excited, you idiots.] Erzebet quietly closed the door. * * * "Simon Hyung! You're here?" Shun, dressed in neat formal attire, greeted Simon as he entered the banquet hall. "What's wrong? I gave you a break, but why do you look more tired?" "No, I'm fine." Simon forced a smile. In truth, he had spent most of his break training Bone Armor, which had drained him a bit. Still, he had taken naps in between, so he was in good enough condition to perform his mission. "By the way, do I need to change clothes too?" "What are you talking about? You're wearing perfectly good clothes." Shun said, pointing to Simon's stylish Kizen uniform. "Just need to fix your hair a bit." Shun snapped his fingers, and Simon felt a rough hand grab his wrist from behind. Simon was instantly seated in a chair in the next room, stammering, "Why, why are you doing this?" "Starting the styling. Your eyes might sting." Chiiik! Chiiik! A middle-aged woman in a maid's uniform began spraying something on his head. Simon, whose eyes truly stung, quickly closed them. Shun, who had followed, chuckled playfully. "Wow! Hyung, your scalp is stretching like dough!" "......Be quiet." After his hair was styled, Simon moved into the banquet hall with Shun. In front of the antique tables, freshly cooked food was splendidly displayed buffet-style. Even the smallest utensils looked expensive. "Our spot is here." In front of an indoor fountain not far from the banquet hall's main entrance. Shun sat on the edge of the fountain and continued, "From here, you greet the guests as they arrive, say hello, and send them inside." "Understood." "The guests will probably say a word or two when they see your Kizen uniform, Simon Hyung. Just respond appropriately! Can you do it?" "I'll try." Simon adjusted his tie, steeling his resolve. Just then, the head butler, standing at the banquet hall's main entrance, spoke. "Count. Guests are entering." "Alright! Let's begin." The main doors opened, and a gentleman in formal wear and a lady in a dress entered hand-in-hand. The head butler announced loudly, "Lord Kinola Oldwon and Lady Sophie Oldwon are entering." Oldwon, the same family as Shun. Simon quickly absorbed the situation information and read the atmosphere. The Kinola couple stood before Shun. "Welcome, Uncle!" "Haha! I greet Count Shun." The two exchanged brief pleasantries. Perhaps due to his position as Count, Shun did not offer the first bow. 'Alright, focus.' The Dark Alliance has different formalities and etiquettes for each nation. The Alliance currently consists of four kingdoms: The 'Dresden' Kingdom, with Rankerstein as its capital, close to Kizen. The 'Baldwin' Kingdom, to which Simon's hometown, Reshill, belongs. The 'Kalos' Kingdom, where Simon's first mission, Arnish, was located. The 'Shahed' Kingdom in the North, which, though part of the Alliance, feels isolated. Blue Harbor is part of the Baldwin Kingdom. Simon was well-versed in their etiquette. After their conversation, the Kinola couple approached Simon. "Uncle! This is Special Admission Student No. 1 from Kizen!" "Ah, this is...!" "My name is Simon Pollentia." Simon smiled gently, bowed his head, and shook his hand. He lightly kissed the back of the lady's hand. "Thank you, Kizen student, for gracing our family's exhibition with your presence." "It is thanks to the Count's summons. I am honored." After exchanging a few words, Simon straightened his back and bowed again. Simon was, after all, here as an escort, and while the Count himself introduced him for a greeting, it would be rude to engage in too long a conversation. The Kinola couple seemed to understand this and entered the banquet hall. "The Lord of Galan Territory, Baron Ryan Darby, is entering!" Simon's mind spun rapidly. Galan was a territory of the Dresden Kingdom. This time, Simon greeted them with Dresden etiquette. Ten or so guests followed in quick succession, but Simon was unhesitant. His ability to respond perfectly according to the guest's nationality, status, and gender was beyond skillful; it was dazzling. Shun, seeing this, was surprised and nudged Simon's leg. "What, Hyung? How do you know so much?" "My father taught me etiquette very strictly." He had been beaten every time he made a mistake. At the time, he wondered why he needed such etiquette training in a rural territory, but there truly was no meaningless learning. Simon maintained a smile throughout, responding to the guests' words. "I apologize. I am currently on escort duty for the Count." "I am honored to have received the Count's grace to be here." "Yes, it's all thanks to the Count." "Wouldn't Count Shun know better than I?" The Kizen uniform stood out everywhere. So, some people paid more attention to Simon than to Shun. Each time, Simon would greet them, then take a step back, thoroughly elevating Shun. 'The reason Shun's Oldwon family paid 1,000 gold to hire me for this mission.' He knew it well. A splendid trophy to grace this event with the prestige of Kizen's Special Admission Student No. 1. And a kind of safety net, guaranteeing the young, unstable Shun, who had just inherited the countship, the backing of Kizen's Special Admission Student No. 1. 'As you expected, I will somehow earn my 1,000 gold.' In this place, no one could look down on Shun. Simon remained strictly a supporting character, focusing on elevating Shun. The family members and butlers also smiled broadly, seeing Simon's handling of the situation. "He's deep-thinking for a young man these days." "Yes. He knows his position perfectly." "His personality is upright. He's respectful to elders. It's no wonder people are so eager to bring in Kizen graduates." "Shhh, shhh. Lord Pinch might hear you." Just then, the head butler looked around. "But where is Lord Pinch?" * * * At the same time. Pinch, who had secretly slipped out of the banquet hall, looked around to ensure no one was present. Then, he pulled out a communication crystal ball from his pocket and spoke in a calm voice. "It's me." -We've departed as planned. We should reach Blue Harbor the day after tomorrow. A man's rough voice came from the communication crystal ball. "Understood. There are no problems here either. All the main figures of the family have gathered at the banquet." -No problems? Our intelligence network reported a concerning rumor. The man's voice turned cold. -The rumor about a Kizen student entering Blue Harbor. "Ah, no need to worry about that. Kizen, it's just a first-year chick, not even a variable. If you're so worried, I'll handle him myself, so don't fret." -A first-year, huh... Pinch chuckled. "Why, are you scared now?" -Don't provoke me, Necromancer. No matter who the opponent is, we will sweep everything clean, leaving not a single blade of grass. Of course, as long as the payment is confirmed. "Of course. I, Pinch, guarantee it." The corners of his mouth lifted. "Everything on this island is yours."
Please login to track progress