“Run!”Simon grabbed Kamibarez’s hand and ran. At the same time, a chilling whoosh! sound of air being torn echoed from behind them.Boom!Thud!Black crosses repeatedly slammed into the ground, creating large craters. Simon’s eyes widened drastically.‘…A Priest using Jet Black?’Simon felt the situation had become far more serious.It wasn’t just a Priest secretly infiltrating Locke Island.‘…There’s a traitor inside Kizen!’Simon had two reasons for thinking this.First, Jet Black and Divine Power were conflicting forces; one could only use one or the other.Second, this Priest was using Jet Black, not Divine Power.This meant they weren’t an external infiltrator but someone who had been active within Kizen.Nine times out of ten, a spy from the Divine Federation, leaking Kizen’s information.No one prayed to a god in Kizen. That’s why this Priest must have gone deep into the Forbidden Forest, where people rarely ventured, to perform their prayers.Simon and Kamibarez had simply been unlucky enough to witness it.In other words, there was one clear conclusion to be drawn.‘If we’re caught, we’ll definitely be killed!’Whoosh!Whoooosh!Jet Black crosses poured down indiscriminately. Blood splattered on his arm and thigh, and a stinging pain surged through him.‘Haaah! Haaah!’Simon’s eyes, wide with ragged breaths, suddenly fixated. Something moving like a snake appeared directly in front of them.“Watch out!”Simon shouted, bending his waist back.A pitch-black chain made of Jet Black shot out, narrowly grazing Simon’s hair.Simon straightened up and looked to his side.“Are you al—!”She was drifting away.“Si-Simon!”Her leg was bound by a chain. Both of them desperately reached out, but their hands missed by a hair’s breadth, flailing in the air.Soon, she was pulled away into the darkness at a terrifying speed.“Ugh!”Simon gasped and rushed forward.When he got closer, he saw she had hit a tree and lost consciousness, her body tightly bound by black chains.‘Kami’s caught!’Simon gritted his teeth and looked back.The robed Priest was slowly approaching. The darkness of the deep hood was so profound that their face couldn’t be seen.Due to the baggy robe, their gender and physical information were also impossible to discern. There was almost no information to be gathered from their appearance.Then, the Priest raised their left arm.Thwack!Simon immediately stomped on the Jet Black and hid behind a tree. The surging chain struck the tree and bounced off.Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!They were clearly a highly skilled practitioner; this time, dozens of crosses simultaneously unfolded in the air.To manifest crosses, symbols of Priests, with the power of Jet Black, symbols of Necromancers.Simon felt an inexplicable sense of incongruity.With the Priest signaling by pointing their palm towards the ground, the crosses poured down all at once.‘Ugh!’Simon pulled out a skeleton’s shortsword from his subspace and dashed forward.Crosses embedded in the ground like tombstones. And at an unavoidable moment, a black trajectory surged towards Simon’s side.Clang!Simon immediately swung his shortsword, deflecting the cross. A tingling sensation shot through his wrist, and the shortsword shattered into pieces.Shhhwaaaaa!This time, chains flew from both left and right simultaneously.Simon immediately lowered his body as if to kiss the ground, dodging, then grabbed a stone lying on the ground.‘Jet Black Imbuement!’Whoosh!Simon, having imbued the stone with Jet Black, turning it black, straightened his upper body and threw it with all his might.Whoooosh!Simon watched the flying stone with desperate hope.‘Hit! Reveal your face!’Perhaps not expecting Simon to counterattack, the Priest tilted their head slightly late. The right side of their hood tore slightly, but unfortunately, that was all.“….”Though their face wasn’t visible, Simon could feel intense anger emanating from the Priest.More crosses appeared in the air. Simon tried to move to dodge, but the range of the crosses extended beyond his front, reaching even above his head.This was unavoidable.“Huuuuh.”Simon closed his eyes in resignation and raised both arms. And then.‘Now!’A massive greatsword appeared behind the Priest.KWA-AAAAAANG!With an ear-splitting roar, the Priest’s body slid backward.They had instantly wrapped themselves in Jet Black like a shield, avoiding being cut in half, but all the crosses they had been casting scattered or fell to the ground, leaving behind ashes. [Kuhuhuhuhu! Are you alright, boy!]Pier appeared, emitting fierce blue flames from his two eye sockets.His towering height, well over 2 meters, the intangible cloak fluttering on his back, and the pure white greatsword in his hand.At the sudden appearance of an ancient-grade undead, the Priest visibly seemed flustered.‘Pier!’[Stay back! This opponent is too much for you yet!]Pier raised his massive greatsword beside his face. Simon nodded obediently.‘Please!’[Khahahaha! I wonder how long it’s been since I’ve had a battle! Now, here I come!]Pier stomped on the ground.The ground shattered as his body surged forward like a bullet. The Priest also formed a Jet Black shield in front of them.CRASH-AAAAAANG!The shield and greatsword collided, the air screamed, and the ground overturned. Nearby trees were uprooted and sent flying.This was already a battle far beyond Simon’s ability to intervene.Abandoning any lingering thoughts, he turned and ran towards Kamibarez. Perhaps Pier’s surprise attack had canceled not only the crosses but also the chains, as she was freed from her bindings and slumped on the ground.“Kami!”Fortunately, she seemed to have only lost consciousness from the shock and wasn’t seriously injured.Simon gently picked her up. He’d felt it several times before, but her body was worryingly light.Boom!As a large rock fragment fell nearby, Simon put more distance between them. The surrounding terrain was changing with every clash between Pier and the Priest.‘Pier! How is it?’[Kuh! Not easy!]Pier’s voice trembled.[This one! They’re ridiculously strong with just Jet Black magic! They might even be professor-level!]Even for an Ancient Undead, Pier’s power was greatly diminished, having just been released from his seal.Moreover, Pier was the Legion’s administrator, not originally a combatant. If the opponent truly was a Kizen professor, it was bound to be a difficult fight.‘Something.’Simon bit his lip. He couldn’t just lose his father’s undead so futilely.‘There must be a way…!’Simon’s eyes suddenly widened as he searched for a breakthrough.‘Pier! Get away from the Priest! And while you stall, somehow make a lot of noise!’[What?]‘No time to explain! Hurry!’Perhaps trusting Simon, Pier silently distanced himself from the Priest. He then swung his greatsword, causing the ground to erupt wildly and tearing the air to create loud explosions, generating noise.From the Priest’s perspective, it might have seemed like a waste of power, but this was the only way to survive right now.And soon after.“Over there! I heard a sound from there!”“Sounds like an explosion?”A light appeared in the distance. Simon clenched his fist.‘It worked!’The Watchmen had arrived, drawn by the commotion.Hours ago, they had been a source of fear, but at this very moment, Simon couldn’t have been happier to see them.The Priest, who had been pressing Pier, also spotted the Watchmen’s lights.From their perspective, more witnesses would only complicate the situation. Ultimately, the Priest ceased their battle with Pier and fled into the forest.“Don’t chase them, Pier!”Simon ran over. Pier, who was panting with his greatsword plunged into the ground, grinned.“Are you okay?”[This much is no problem! More importantly, staying here might lead to another troublesome situation.]“Yes, I suppose so.”The sound of hunting dogs and the Watchmen’s lights were now right in front of them.Pier picked up both Simon and Kamibarez at once.[Let’s get out of here! Hold on tight!]Pier pushed off the ground and soared into the air.The surrounding terrain rapidly receded behind them at an incredible speed.***Pier took the two of them out of the Forbidden Forest to a point where Kizen’s walls were visible.[I can’t enter from here either.]Pier said, setting them down.[I smell something unpleasant, seems like there’s a wide-range detection magic.]Simon nodded. Kamibarez was still unconscious and hadn’t woken up.“Thank you, Pier. You saved us.”[Kuhuhu! I can’t lose my contractor so soon after getting one! Go in carefully!]“Yes, thank you.”Pier disappeared into the darkness.Entering through the main gate would require explaining the situation to the guards, so Simon passed through the stable’s underground tunnel, just as he had when they first left, to get past the wall.Soon, Simon climbed the ladder, pushed aside the straw on the ceiling, and poked his head out.“Ah, you’re back?”Kevin, who was watering the horses in the stable, spotted Simon and smiled.“Has Dick come in yet?”“No, the Watchmen suddenly swarmed outside, so he hasn’t come this way. Dick might be looking for another route that goes around.”“I see. Thank you for letting me know.”Kevin pointed at Kamibarez, who was in Simon’s arms.“Is that young lady alright?”“She pushed herself a bit too hard while being chased by the Watchmen. She’s fine.”Simon flicked a coin from his pocket, just as Dick had done, offering it as a tip. It was a tip to keep their secret.Kevin smiled broadly and bowed.Having left the stable, Simon pondered where to go.Should he go to the Central Infirmary? But he would surely be interrogated about how they got injured, and if he told the truth, it would eventually reach the professors and officials.A battle in the middle of the night. Even if the Priest had seen his face, there was a high chance Kamibarez hadn’t seen theirs yet.To avoid putting her in danger again, the person who treated her had to be trustworthy.‘Someone trustworthy…’Going to Neptis would be the safest, but he didn’t know where she was right now.After much deliberation, Simon started walking.***Kizen Male Dormitory Building 1, Duty Room.“Yawn.”Lena, the dorm manager, yawned widely and rested her arms on the desk, leaning forward.“I hate night duty…”Cleaning, laundry, cleaning, laundry. Of course, her main job was dorm management, but serving the noble young masters never got easier.She chuckled wryly, looking at a messy document.“Bringing female students to the dorm room for a three-on-three what? Ugh, these crazy psychos…”Kids these days really had no cute side.When she said she’d report it to the professor in charge, since it wasn’t something to be overlooked, they immediately threatened her by bringing up their family names, which was absurd. “Ah, I just want to quit everything…”Knock, knock.Then, a knock came from the door.What could it be at this late hour? She rubbed her eyes and said,“Come in.”Click!The door opened, and a male student entered, carrying a female student in his arms. Lena’s eyes widened, and she shot up.“Again, again a female student in the male dorm! What kind of…!”Lena, who had been shouting in excitement, belatedly realized the male student looked familiar. Moreover, his uniform was covered in dirt and blood. “Ah… Si-Simon student?”“Help me.”Simon said in a strained voice. Lena hurriedly ran over and cleared the items on the duty room bed. Simon laid Kamibarez on the bed.“What happened? You shouldn’t have brought her here, you should’ve gone to the infirmary first…!”“It’s a bit complicated.”Simon’s expression hardened.“It’s difficult to explain the details, but I can’t take her to the infirmary.”“…”Four years as a Kizen dorm manager.She had endured four years in this notorious place, where 95% of people who came for the high servant’s salary ran away within a month.During that time, Lena had truly experienced all sorts of things and knew about Kizen’s darkness. Students would do anything to survive in Kizen.Yes, truly, anything.Not going to the infirmary to avoid disadvantages, even when injured, was a very common occurrence in Kizen.She sighed deeply.“Get out.”“Huh?”Lena pushed Simon’s back. Simon said, flustered,“Wa-wait, Lena! I…!”“I need to treat the female student’s injuries, so get out!”“Ah…”As Simon scratched his head awkwardly, Lena grabbed the emergency medical kit and placed it beside the bed, then drew the curtain with a swish so Simon couldn’t see.A moment later, the rustling sound of Kamibarez’s uniform being removed could be heard.“…Haaah.”Lena’s sigh could be heard from beyond the curtain.“Honestly, tell me what happened. There are scrapes and knee injuries, but this wound on her thigh…”Her voice turned cold.“It looks like a cut from something sharp, doesn’t it?”
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