After waking up, Simon and his teammates were chained to their vacation homework, not even allowed a crumb of bread. Kizen’s assignments were notoriously difficult to cheat on; they required essay-style answers based on personal opinion, and even multiple-choice questions were graded on a curve.
With Meirin’s aggressive guidance, Simon and Kamibarez were at least making progress. The real problem was Dick.
"...H-Hey. Sir Meirin," he stammered, his form of address having shifted under duress.
"What is it, you damn commoner?" she shot back. She sat with her arms crossed, her cold gaze fixed on his every move.
"Let’s be human about this and at least get some food."
"Were you being human when you turned in this garbage? You animal."
"Ugh."
Crushed by guilt, he couldn’t win a single argument. The power dynamic had completely flipped since the theater. Simon resolved to finish his own work quickly so he could help Dick, and he focused on sketching out the creative magic circle for his Jet-Black Dynamics assignment.
"Ah."
As he wrote, the ink began to fade. He lifted his quill to find it empty, the nib frayed from overuse. The inkwell, too, was dry. He glanced over cautiously. Meirin was sitting with her legs crossed, glaring daggers at Dick.
"M-Meirin?"
"Yeah."
Perhaps because it seemed their homework ordeal was nearing its end, her voice was a little softer when she spoke to him. Encouraged, Simon ventured, "Could I run out and buy a new quill and some ink? I can pick up some food on the way back, too."
At the mention of food, Dick subtly gave a thumbs-up from across the table.
Meirin sighed. "I’m your team leader, not your mother. You don’t have to ask for permission for things like that. Just go."
"I’ll go with you!" Kamibarez piped up, raising her hand.
Dick’s mouth opened and closed silently, his eyes pleading, ‘You’re going to leave me alone with this monster?!’ But Kamibarez was looking at Meirin and didn’t notice.
"...Hmm, you’re cutting it a bit close, Kami. Are you sure you can finish everything today?"
"Yes! I promise!"
With Meirin’s permission, the two of them escaped the clock tower and descended into the bustling streets of Langerstine.
"Phew, I can finally breathe," Simon said, taking a deep gulp of fresh air.
Kamibarez giggled. "Meirin was so scary."
Simon nodded in solemn agreement.
"Still, she’s spending her own time to help us. I feel a little bad. Let’s make sure to buy her favorite foods on the way back."
"Okay!"
He walked alongside her through the city. Langerstine, he thought, would always feel like a chaotic, beautiful maze. You could enter one alley and find four different paths leading out, all marked with a dizzying array of signs.
"Should we head to Campbell Road first?"
"Since we need a quill and food, wouldn’t the shopping district be better?"
"Ah, good point."
Simon navigated from memory, his feet carrying them through the labyrinthine streets. The city’s architecture was truly peculiar. Houses were built right up against one another, as if they were extensions of the same structure. People used their neighbor’s wall as their own or built additions that encroached on someone else’s yard. There was no rhyme or reason to it, just a jumbled, vertical mess, as if children had competed to stack blocks as high as they could.
"Did you know? One of the Dresden Kingdom’s ten great mysteries is the rent in Langerstine," Kamibarez said.
Simon burst out laughing. "I can believe it. Are the houses packed so tightly because the land is so expensive?"
"No! There’s a reason for the architectural style. A long time ago, a dragon that lived in the mountains burned the entire city down with its breath! Back then, the kingdom’s administration was a mess, so they measured private property based on houses, not land. After Langerstine was destroyed and the surveys were rendered useless, people began building their houses as large and expansive as possible. It became a crazy trend, and the competition got out of control..."
"So that’s how the city ended up looking like this! That’s incredible. How do you know all that?"
Kamibarez’s eyes curved into happy crescents. "The doctor told me."
"Oh, right. The one who taught you Blood Flow Magic during the vacation?"
"Yes!"
As they searched for a shop that sold quills, they wandered through the streets, feeling like they were on a leisurely tour. But in contrast to their relaxed mood, the local residents seemed on edge, gathered in small groups and murmuring with serious expressions.
’I wonder what’s going on.’
"Extra! Breaking news!" a newsboy shouted, waving a copy of the ‘Langerstine Local’. Well-dressed gentlemen were stopping to buy papers from him.
"Kami, just a second."
Simon jogged over and bought a copy. As he unfolded it, a gruesome photo of a corpse stared back at him from the front page.
[FIFTH VICTIM FOUND! MYSTERIOUS DEATHS CONTINUE!]
[NOT INJURY, NOT POISON, BUT DEATH BY DISEASE]
[A RARE PLAGUE? OR A HORRIFIC SERIAL KILLER?]
Simon scanned the article as he walked back to Kamibarez. It mentioned that the murders had been happening for a week and that the city had recently become infested with rats and insects. The uneasy atmosphere among the residents was almost certainly due to these events.
’The mission Kajan took must be related to this.’
"Simon?" Kamibarez called, approaching with a bright smile. "What are you reading so seriously?"
"The local paper. It says someone died."
"R-Really?" She moved closer to read it, but Simon subtly covered the photograph with his hand.
She tilted her head, looking up at him questioningly.
"Ah, it’s just... The picture is pretty gruesome. I didn’t want you to see it... Was that presumptuous of me?"
"Oh!" Her eyes widened, and she took a small step back. "Th-That was a close call. If I see something that gruesome, it gives me nightmares... Thank you, Simon!"
"It was nothing."
As he folded the newspaper and tucked it into his Subspace, she smiled softly. ‘Simon really is so kind.’
"It looks like something’s happening in the city," he summarized for her. "The victims didn’t die from their usual illnesses, but from multiple, unidentified diseases that all appeared at once. The necromancers specializing in Venomology say it isn’t poison."
"Th-That’s a little scary."
"Agh!"
Startled by a sudden, harsh cry from beside them, Kamibarez yelped and threw herself into Simon’s arms.
’Whoa, that scared me,’ Simon thought, genuinely startled himself. Calming his pounding heart, he turned to see an old woman glaring at them. The whites of her eyes were showing, half her face was grotesquely twisted, and she leaned heavily on a crutch.
"What’s there to be scared of?!" she rasped. "It is a righteous judgment! The Spirit of Disease has descended!"
"...The Spirit of Disease?"
"All who are not righteous will die in the coming plague! Kahahaha!"
Just then, a man with a gaunt face, who was sweeping the street in front of a nearby tavern, yawned loudly. "You’re travelers, right? Ignore the old hag. She’s famous around here for spouting nonsense. And this incident isn’t some ‘Spirit of Disease.’ What’s the big deal about five people dying in Langerstine? This is a city where ten people die a day from gang fights."
"Th-Then what is it?" Kamibarez asked, her voice trembling slightly.
When Simon showed interest, the man flashed a satisfied grin. "Curious, are you? Well, don’t be shocked! This is all a political ploy by those Kingdom Faction bastards to grab the public’s attention! You think I don’t see their scheme? Create a distraction so they can ram their policies through?"
The man sweeping the floor suddenly shouted, "Not on my watch, you scoundrels!" while an old woman’s eyes rolled back in her head as she began muttering a strange incantation.
"Let’s go, Kami," Simon said quietly, guiding her away. "They’re just... eccentric. Don’t pay them any mind."
"...Ah, right."
This was the problem with cutting through the alleys.
They emerged onto a wider thoroughfare, and the oppressive atmosphere immediately lifted, replaced by the bustling chatter of travelers. It was strange how the mood could shift so dramatically from one street to the next.
’Big cities really aren’t my style,’ Simon thought with a wry smile. Just then, Kamibarez pointed to a sign.
"Simon! I see Hampton Road over there!"
Hampton Road was the vibrant heart of Langerstine, a massive shopping district teeming with youthful energy. They followed the sign, but before they even reached the main road, they spotted the very shop they were looking for.
"Should we get our new quills there?" Kamibarez suggested. "They’ll probably be more expensive if we buy them in the central district."
"Sounds good."
They were walking with light steps when a bell jingled and two young men stepped out of the shop. Simon froze. Stepping out of the shop was someone more troublesome than a disease spirit and more aggravating than an anti-kingdom conspiracy.
’Of all the places to run into this guy.’
Given his explosive personality, a confrontation was guaranteed. Wanting to avoid a pointless fight, Simon turned his back as naturally as he could. "Kami, hold on a second."
"Yes?"
He took her wrist and, trying not to be obvious, steered her toward a side alley. "Wh-What’s wrong? Is something the matter...?"
"Simon Polentia."
His feet stopped dead. He had only glanced for a second before turning away, but Hector had still noticed him. Simon sighed under his breath and turned around.
"Hector."
It was Hector Moore, from his own Class A, along with another student from his clique. A smirk spread across Hector’s face. A grim laugh escaped his lips, and Simon knew he was cornered. This wasn’t the middle of the semester, nor were they on Roc Island or the Kizen campus. They were in a public area, with no faculty around to break up a fight between students.
"I figured you’d be in Langerstine, but to run into you right here!" Hector stomped his right foot down with a ‘thump’, clenching his fist and raising it toward Simon. "I’ve waited all break for this moment! Let’s settle this, Simon Polentia!"
"Kami," Simon whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. "We’re running."
"What?"
In the next instant, he swept Kamibarez into his arms, ignited Jet-Black at his feet, and launched himself forward.
He covered dozens of meters in a flash, landed on a nearby roof, and leaped into the air. He could hear Kamibarez’s startled scream and the murmurs of people on the street pointing up at them. The scenery blurred behind them.
’There’s no reasoning with that guy.’ It had been a while since they had last seen each other, and Hector’s fighting spirit had swelled to an explosive level. Trying to explain that ‘fighting is wrong’ would be a complete waste of breath. The only way to deal with a mad dog was to run.
"S-Simon!" Kamibarez cried out from his arms, pointing upward. "He’s coming from above!"
’Huh!’
Simon whipped his head around to see Hector, wings of a Corpse Dragon sprouting from his back, plummeting from the sky with his elbow aimed straight for them. Simon hurriedly threw up an arm to guard.
The force of the blow sent Simon hurtling downward. He smashed into a wooden shack on a street below, splintering it to pieces as he hit the ground.
"Ugh!" Simon groaned, embedded in the crater he had created. His Kizen uniform had protected him from injury, but the impact sent a shockwave of pain through his entire body.
"A-Are you okay?" Kamibarez asked, worried.
"I’m fine."
Hector landed gracefully and strode toward them. "Get up, Simon Polentia," he commanded, his voice booming. "This is your chance. Fight me properly."
Kamibarez scrambled to her feet and spread her arms protectively in front of Simon. Hector’s eyebrow twitched.
"Move."
"Are you out of your mind? Attacking someone out of the blue!" Though her legs trembled in fear before the towering Hector, her voice grew louder. "Kizen students have a duty to maintain their dignity, even off campus! You’re nothing but a common thug!"
Hector’s expression turned to ice. "I won’t warn you twice. I have no interest in small fry, so get out of my way."
"If you’re that desperate to fight Simon..." She placed a hand on her stomach, and a soft click echoed. Her eyes blazed red as the wings on her back expanded. Biting her thumb hard, she drew blood, which began to swirl violently around her. "You’ll have to go through me first!"
"...Kami?"
Her entire aura had shifted, as if she were a different person. Simon, pushing himself up, stared in astonishment.
"What are you?" Hector was just as surprised, a corner of his mouth twisting into a grin. "You’ve gotten pretty interesting since I last saw you."

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