"Hurry! This way, young man!" Benya shouted.
That evening, Simon accompanied Benya to Rochest to meet Gellen Eclipse, the creator of his Subspace.
'But why are we running?!' he wondered.
Some people just had too much energy. Despite their hurry, Benya was laughing boisterously and greeting every single resident they passed. Without fail, every one of them recognized Benya of the Vanilla family.
"By the way, Senior," Simon panted.
"What is it, young man?"
"Isn't it illegal to be outside Kizen on a weekday? Is it really okay to go around announcing our identities like this?"
He had changed out of his uniform and donned a hooded robe to avoid being spotted by school officials, yet Benya was waving to everyone she saw.
She flashed a brilliant, toothy grin.
"Of course it's not okay!"
Simon was speechless.
"If we get caught, well, I'll just consider it a vacation, take the punishment, and get some rest!"
Was this the composure of a second-year, or was she just born this way? She remained an enigma. Fortunately, they reached their destination without incident.
The meeting was set for a small cafe in the city. After ordering drinks, they headed to the second floor, where a single man sat at a table. He was middle-aged, dressed in an old-fashioned, autumn-leaf-colored coat and a fedora. When he saw them coming up the stairs, he smiled brightly and rose to his feet.
"Hello, Gellen!" Benya greeted him with a wave.
The man removed his fedora, placed it neatly over his heart, and bowed his head.
"It's been a while, miss."
For a moment, both Simon and Benya were speechless. With his hat off, the man's bald head was on full display, the stark emptiness of the crown made even more prominent by his long sideburns. Simon squeezed his eyes shut. Even the perpetually energetic Benya was at a loss for words, her gaze darting away.
Gellen, completely oblivious, put his hat back on and turned to Simon.
"You must be the student...!"
"Yes. I'm Simon Polentia of Kizen."
"Ah, pleasure to meet you!" The two shook hands. "I heard the story! I was floored when I learned the person who bought my greatest masterpiece was Kizen's Special Admission No. 1! Haha! For someone in my line of work, there is no higher honor!"
"The honor is all mine," Simon replied. "I've been very pleased with the Subspace."
The three of them sat down to talk business.
"The young lady explained the situation," Gellen began. "You'd like to commission a dedicated Subspace."
"That's right!" Simon confirmed.
"I'd like to see the undead for myself, if I may."
"Of course."
The second floor was empty aside from them, and there was plenty of room. Simon immediately summoned the Overlord.
"Oh... so this is it!" Gellen exclaimed, unable to hide his excitement. Benya's eyes sparkled, though she had seen it just yesterday.
Simon had the Overlord feign an attack on an imaginary foe.
"Like this," he explained. "I want to attack my opponent using only the tentacles, keeping the main body safely in the Subspace."
"Haha, impressive. Very impressive!" Gellen returned to the table and pulled out a small pouch. He emptied its contents with a clatter: an assortment of rings, earrings, and necklaces. "This one! Or perhaps this one?"
Curious, Simon leaned closer as Gellen sorted through the items.
"What are all these?"
"Ah, all of these are Subspaces!"
Simon's eyes widened. It was as if dozens of mansions were laid out on the table before him.
"To be more precise, they are 'shelved works' that haven't been officially released," Gellen clarified. "I never make the same product twice. When a new inspiration strikes, I create it, and these are the ones that were set aside due to issues with practicality." He held up a sleek ring. "I heard you're on a tight schedule."
"Yes, I have an important evaluation coming up..."
"I can only remain on Roc Island for about four more days myself. To create a Subspace within that time, it would be better to modify one of these shelved works rather than build one from scratch. It will be much cheaper, and I can guarantee it will be finished on time."
Simon's eyes grew wider still.
"Is it really possible in just four days?"
"I will do my best. However, there are a few conditions you'll need to agree to," Gellen said. "First, a dedicated Subspace is a highly customized product, so I don't recommend using it for anything other than its intended purpose. Second, because it will be operating at an abnormal output, there may be risks due to overload. I won't know the exact nature of those risks until it's complete. Is that acceptable?"
The item Simon would be getting was one of a kind. And if the risk was due to 'overload' rather than a defect, the terms were more than reasonable. Simon nodded.
"Alright. Then, about the production cost..." He glanced at the Subspace ring on his right hand. The standard model had cost 5,000 Gold. How much would a custom piece be? He only had 1,000 Gold to his name.
Gellen closed his eyes, seeming to ponder the price.
"You're going to give him a good bargain, right, Gellen?" Benya suddenly interjected, propping her elbows on the table and cupping her chin in her hands with a sweet smile. "For my sake."
'Oh, for crying out loud,' Simon thought, sighing internally. 'Please stop, Benya... that won't work on someone like him in a business deal...'
"Ahem." To Simon's surprise, Gellen was beaming like a proud father. "Actually, even if the young lady hadn't asked." He turned to Simon. "Just having Kizen's Special Admission No. 1 use my product is a huge promotional opportunity. I've decided to factor that into the price."
"Good job!" Benya grinned, holding up her palm.
Simon, his face alight with excitement, gave her a high-five before turning back to Gellen.
"The down payment is 500 Gold," Gellen stated. "After that, depending on the materials and magical effects required, the price may increase by a few hundred Gold. We'll set the maximum at 1,000 Gold. Do we have a deal?"
For a Subspace custom-made by Gellen himself, the price wasn't just good; it was a steal. And it was just within his budget. Before Gellen could change his mind, Simon nodded eagerly.
"We have a deal."
The meeting was a success. Gellen would begin work immediately, while Benya planned to finish some business in Rochest before returning to Kizen. Simon walked back alone through the night.
"The weather is nice," he murmured to himself.
Perhaps it was the anticipation of his new Subspace, but even the cold night wind felt pleasant. The sound of leaves rustling was refreshing. All he had to do now was avoid the watchmen and get back to Kizen safely. After sneaking out a few times, even the dark path felt familiar.
[Boy,] Pier's voice echoed in his mind. [You readily paid a large sum to a stranger. Is this Gellen person trustworthy?]
"More than anything, I trust Benya's recommendation."
An arrangement made by the daughter of the Vanilla Group's chairman was as reliable as it got. Besides, Gellen was a big name in his field; the chances of him ripping off a Kizen student for a mere 500 Gold were practically zero.
'Price aside, the real question is whether he can finish it in time.'
He needed the Subspace completed quickly. His next opponent was Malcolm Randolph, Special Admission No. 10. It would be his first time fighting another special admission student. Though Simon had become No. 1 through Nephthys's recommendation, the other special admissions had all earned their spots through proven skill and achievements. Their strength was undeniable.
He recalled what Dick had told him about Malcolm.
—"I know a second-year who runs a betting ring. Apparently, they're all very interested in the first-years' duels and bet a lot for fun. But when I saw the odds for your match, I was shocked."
Dick's expression had been grim.
—"The odds of Malcolm winning are over eighty percent. That's really, really strange. The seniors haven't seen you fight yet, right? Without any information, common sense says Special Admission No. 1 should beat No. 10. For the odds to be that skewed means there's something that makes everyone overwhelmingly confident in Malcolm's victory."
While a student betting ring wasn't the most reliable source, it wasn't something to be dismissed lightly. This duel would not be easy. To secure a victory against Malcolm, Mud Golems and Skeleton Archers wouldn't be enough. He had to somehow master the Overlord by the day of the duel.
'When I get back, I'll train with the Overlord for just three more hours...'
Just then, one of Erzebet's corpse spiders appeared on the path ahead. Simon dropped into a crouch.
"What's wrong?"
The spider scraped its two front legs on the ground, drawing an X. The mark sent a chill down Simon's spine. It was the corpse spider's 'double X' signal, which meant only one thing.
'A Priest has appeared!'
The memory of that moonlit night was still seared into his mind: fleeing from the watchmen with Kamibarez, only to stumble upon a Priest at prayer and nearly be killed for it. He would never forget the chilling gaze from beneath that hood.
'Pier!'
[I just received the report! I'm heading to the forest now!]
'I'm on my way, too!'
Simon dug his heels in, channeling Jet-Black, and sprinted toward the Forbidden Forest. As he crashed through the undergrowth, Nephthys's words echoed in his mind.
—"Remember the Cyclops evaluation? The creature your group faced was unusually strong. That wasn't due to some side effect from capture. Someone intentionally tampered with it."
He could feel the Priest's insidious influence spreading. That was why he'd sent Erzebet's corpse spiders to patrol the forest, to notify him the instant a Priest appeared. The plan was for Erzebet to disguise herself as an associate and extract information. If she failed or was discovered, they would either subdue the Priest or retreat and inform Lorraine to investigate every route into Kizen.
"Hah! Hah!"
He couldn't let him get away this time. Simon's lungs burned as he reached the heart of the Forbidden Forest.
In the distance, a massive explosion roared, followed by the sound of splintering trees. Something had gone wrong. The fight had already started.
'...You have to be safe, Erzebet!'
His opponent was a powerhouse on par with a professor. Simon pushed more Jet-Black into his legs and ran with everything he had.

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