Summoning Genius of Kizen Chapter 44 "You're confident?" Simon nodded with a serious expression. "Yes. I am confident." And as soon as Simon's answer fell, Jane picked up her quill and signed the request form. "Go ahead." "......Huh? What?" Simon felt all the countless excuses he had prepared in his mind become futile. She's really just letting me go like this? "There must be a reason you say you're confident in front of a Kizen professor. You don't need to persuade me. You are Kizen, and you are solely responsible for the results." Her eyes turned chilling. "I hope you haven't deceived me, Simon Pollentia." Simon's expression hardened as he met her gaze head-on, but there was no further wavering. Simon bowed deeply. "Thank you for trusting me." "......." Her quill paused for a moment before moving again. "Please return safely." It sounded like a casual remark, but somehow, Simon felt warmth in her voice. * * * As soon as Simon returned to the dormitory, he moved busily. "Dick! I'm thinking of going down to Rochester for a bit, is there a safe route?" "Huh? Today?" Simon went down to Rochester using the route Dick told him. There, he purchased a few pieces of equipment, as well as an adventurer's robe and a set of clothes to conceal his identity. Then he immediately went up to the Forbidden Forest and visited Pier's ruins. "Pier! Isn't this perfect?" What Simon readily presented was an empty plate armor, the kind that might be used for interior design in an old castle. Pier's expression turned sour. [You're not telling me to get inside that, are you?] "You said you'd accompany me during the mission, didn't you? You can't go around in any other form." [......Tsk.] In the end, Pier entered the armor. The expression 'entered' was more fitting than 'wore'. After a moment, the armor began to move unnaturally, clanking. [......Am I really supposed to go around dressed like this?] "You look great, Pier!" Simon clapped his hands with a bright smile. Pier bristled and turned around. [Damn it! I told you not to smile like Anna!] "Hahahaha!" Simon, who had put Pier and the Legionized skeletons into his subspace, returned to Kizen. When he entered his dorm room, Dick was asleep, and Kazhan was nowhere to be seen. Simon packed his bags and prepared for the journey alone. He was scheduled to depart by teleportation early tomorrow morning. 'It's been a really long time since I've left Rochester Island.' Simon closed his eyes with an excited heart. * * * Early the next morning. Simon packed his belongings and moved to the designated location. A long-distance teleportation device was installed on the hill behind Kizen, and many students were already waiting for their turn. "Simon!" Turning around at the sound of his name, Simon saw Mei-rin waving and running towards him. It seemed she was also using the teleportation device here. "Hi, Mei-rin." "Hi! But are you really taking that mission?" "Yeah." Mei-rin crossed her arms with a displeased expression. "Investigation missions are hard to complete in just five days. I clearly told you to take an easier one, didn't I?" Simon smiled faintly and replied. "Thanks for worrying about me." "I-I'm not worrying!" She shrieked. Simon chuckled and asked again. "Where are you going?" "A caravan escort mission departing from near Langerstein." She smiled boastfully. "Isn't it great? It's a carriage trip starting from Langerstein." "Still, be careful. What if you run into bandits......." "Oh, come on, do you think it's like the old days? And even if bandits come......." She subtly opened her adventurer's robe. Underneath, she was wearing Kizen's female student uniform: a black jacket, white shirt, and skirt. "I'll just show them this and tell them to scram. Even idiotic bandits know what happens if they mess with Kizen." Simon let out a hollow laugh. He remembered when he encountered gangsters in Langerstein the day before admission, and how they all lost their will to fight the moment Lorraine revealed the name Kizen. "......That's kind of a dirty trick." "That's why caravans request missions from Kizen students in the first place." Just then, the teleportation administrators began calling out students' names. Mei-rin, hearing her name, waved. "Well, bye! See you next week." "Yeah, don't get hurt." "You be careful. Kallos, where you're going, is a frontline country even within the Dark Alliance." Mei-rin said only that and ran off. Quite a few students were heading to Langerstein, so they crowded onto the teleportation device. Langerstein was close to Kizen, and students could enjoy themselves there after their missions, making it a popular destination. Soon, Mei-rin and the other students were teleported, and an administrator called Simon's name along with a few others. Simon walked over. "Please present your identification and request form." An waiting administrator bowed politely. Simon presented his Kizen student ID and the request form signed by Jane. "To Arneish Territory in the Kallos Kingdom. Is that correct?" "Yes. That's right." "Please sign here." "Okay." The administrator, receiving the signed document file, smiled brightly and stepped aside. "Confirmed. Please step up." "Thank you." Simon stepped onto the teleportation device. He noticed a student who had arrived before him. 'Ah.' It was a familiar face. They had even taken the student oath together. Simon was the male student representative, and she was the female student representative. This female student, with beautiful ivory hair fluttering, wore a white coat over her Kizen uniform and held a graceful parasol. She also met Simon's gaze and curtsied. "We meet again." The official successor of the Ivory Tower. Special Case No. 2, Serene Eindark. Somehow, a sense of tension flowed. It wasn't because of her background, but because of the peculiar aura emanating from her. '......Suffocating.' Among the many students at Kizen, only Lorraine had this unique aura. Lorraine's aura was strong, imposing, and rough, but Serene's felt like an impossibly high level of dignity. The dignity of a monarch that made others feel small and intimidated, and look up to her. It made him wonder if she was truly the same age as him. Then, her lips parted. "I heard our Mei-rin is indebted to you." "......." She knew that Simon and Mei-rin were in the same class and group. "She can be a bit prickly, but she's a kind and delicate child inside. Please take good care of her." Simon took a slow, deep breath. The trembling and tension in his body gradually subsided, and distracting thoughts vanished. Finally, a relaxed smile appeared on Simon's lips. "Why are you telling me that?" "......Pardon?" "Mei-rin isn't someone under your protection. She's a Kizen freshman, your equal." Simon understood the implication in her words and tone. Serene was so naturally treating Mei-rin as her subordinate. That fact was incredibly irritating. "Mei-rin is doing just fine, without you needing to worry." A deep smile formed on Serene's lips. "I see." This was the first time he had encountered someone who drained so much mental energy just by conversing. Simon turned his head, not wanting to deal with her anymore, but Serene blinked her jade eyes and stared intently at Simon. Sweat beaded on Simon's forehead. "Then, I will activate the device!" Fortunately, the administrator announced the device's activation at an opportune moment. Whoooosh! The teleportation device activated, and a dazzling light enveloped Simon and Serene's bodies. Serene smiled sweetly and said, "See you again next time." I hope not! Simon thought that as he fully entrusted his body to the sensation of floating on two feet. * * * Dark Alliance. Kallos Kingdom, Arneish Territory. The Lord's Office in the Territory Castle. "......It appeared again?" A middle-aged man with a long brown beard sighed with a frown. He was Count Raymond, who governed Arneish. "Yes, I apologize." The captain of the guard bowed with a grim face. Beside him was a corpse on a stretcher, covered with a white cloth. Its face was hidden by the cloth, but its limp hand was shriveled like a mummy. "The frequency of incidents is constantly increasing. This is already the third one this month!" The Count slammed his hand on the table. Then he loosened his shirt collar and sighed, 'Hoo.' "I can't live with this much anxiety anymore! What about the mercenaries hired from outside?" "They are still conducting searches, but even after thoroughly scouring the territory, nothing......." The Count frowned. "They just take the money and don't do their job properly! Send them back!" "Understood! And I apologize for asking, but from Kizen......." "Still no news from Kizen." The Count gritted his teeth. It had been three months since they submitted the request. Victims were continuously increasing due to the unknown phenomenon, but there had been no response from Kizen. The captain of the guard bowed his head. "Perhaps instead of a general request, formally requesting support from Kizen headquarters......." "Call a Necromancer from headquarters? Do you want to blow all the territory's budget on request fees?" "M-My apologies!" The Count leaned back deeply in his chair and said, "You may leave." "Yes, rest well!" The captain of the guard and the guards carried the corpse out of the room. The Count sighed and poured wine into an empty glass. "Would you care for a drink?" The Count raised his glass. Then, a voice came from behind the curtain. "Thank you for the offer, but I am still in the midst of my duties, so I must decline." The curtain drew back, revealing someone sitting in a chair. The person was clad in a robe with a hood pulled low, and pale hair could be seen beneath the hood. The Count immediately gulped down his wine. "I apologize for calling such a distinguished person to this place. But as you know, the situation is quite urgent." The Crown Prince was scheduled to visit the territory next month. It was troublesome to have such unsettling incidents at such a crucial time. The Count's eyes gleamed. "You can truly resolve this, can't you?" The person in the chair slowly rose. A staff in their hand pushed up the edge of the hood, and abundant hair flowed down, revealing the face of a young girl. "Do you not trust Efnel?" The Count flinched. "T-That's not what I meant.......!" "Don't worry, Count. Saving the continent's people from the wicked undead is the will of the great Goddess." A clear smile formed on her lips. "By His Holiness the Pope's honor. I, Ellen Zyle, second-year student of the Holy College Efnel, will surely resolve this incident."
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