Nephthys filled him in on the details. Since the test was conducted without any gear, there had been a slew of injuries, both major and minor. Over fifty students had already been admitted, though thankfully, there were no fatalities. The weapons were enchanted with a remote-control black magic that halted any blade just before it struck a vital area, such as the head, heart, or solar plexus. The targeted student would then be flagged as ‘eliminated due to death’ and teleported to the infirmary.
Nephthys had come to check on the situation and decided to stop by Simon’s room. Her explanation for chewing on Pier was simply that she’d gotten hungry. Pier, however, was still fuming, his rage echoing in Simon’s head.
"Muahaha!"
Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Nephthys treated the hospital bed like a playground, rolling all over it. It was incredibly distracting, but he did his best to ignore her and focus on the mana screen. It turned out that the test wasn’t being held for all 898 students at once but was being conducted in groups of about three hundred. The final group was just starting the first stage.
"By the way," Nephthys, who had been scurrying around under the covers, poked just her head out to look at Simon. "Have you been worried about anything lately?"
Simon flinched but kept his composure.
"I think it would be a lie to say a Kizen student has no worries."
"A scary man!"
Simon blinked at the random comment.
"A scary man was trying to get onto Roc Island!"
"Uhh...!" Simon’s expression hardened.
"He tried to enter as an observer this time, so I turned him away," she said, rolling onto Simon’s legs before tumbling off again. "But I’m not some all-powerful god, you know. I can’t block everything. Kizen is a complicated place, and I can’t focus solely on its affairs! I have to go fight the Holy Federation tomorrow!"
She tried to hop off the bed, but the blanket she was wrapped in got tangled with her clothes, turning her into a cocoon as she flopped to the floor. Despite the tension, Simon let out a small laugh.
"Aren’t we in a truce with Efnel?"
"That was broken a long time ago. The peace we have now is simply one built on the blood someone else is shedding." Freeing herself from the blanket, she grunted, "Oof," and tossed it back onto Simon’s bed. "The point is, be careful of the scary man! Because scary men are, well, scary!"
"...Ah, yes. I’ll keep that in mind."
She raised an arm, shouted, "Bye-bye!" and then darted out of the room. Simon waved back. Once the door closed, he sighed in relief.
’So Lady Nephthys was protecting me.’
The odds of defeating Magnus in a fight were still slim to none. If the existence of the Legion of Betrayal became public, not even Nephthys could help him.
[There’s no need to overthink it, boy! Your identity cannot remain a secret forever!] Pier’s voice cut through his thoughts. [Don’t obsess over the situation. What’s important is ‘you’! When the world learns you are a Legion Commander, how they treat you will depend on the position you’ve attained, the skills and connections you’ve acquired, and the achievements you’ve accomplished!]
He was absolutely right. Simon nodded and clenched his fist.
"I’ll study harder, Pier."
While resting in the hospital, he watched his friends’ matches. Kamibarez, who had made the most progress over the break, delivered an admirable performance. During the third stage, where weapons rained down endlessly, she created a whirlwind of blood and moved swiftly within its protection. The projectiles were swept away by the vortex, and just as her strength was about to give out, she narrowly slapped the red buzzer, passing the stage with confidence.
Dick, as expected, lived up to his reputation. He exploited the third stage’s system, where mana sensors triggered the weapon traps. As soon as he arrived, he sent out wind-up toys to map the trap’s logic, then produced an antenna-like lightning rod—an invention designed to attract ambient mana. Draped in a mana-blocking cloak, Dick walked backward, pressing the rod to the ground. The sensors activated, and a storm of weapons rained down on the lightning rod, leaving Dick completely unharmed. The sensors, naturally, prioritized the object radiating the most mana.
"Hahahaha! This is Dick’s Stealth Mode!"
After passing with his trick and hitting the buzzer, he was asked if he wanted to proceed to the fourth stage. Without a moment’s hesitation, he flashed a bright smile and chose to end the test.
’Dick is nothing if not consistent.’ Simon could only laugh.
After all the tests concluded, the results of the three groups were combined to determine the final rankings.
Simon Polentia – 10th. Kamibarez Ursula – 98th. Meirin Villenne – 220th. Dick Hayward – 564th.
Simon had lost a full thirty minutes summoning the Blood Golem in the third stage, but he showed incredible grit in the final stage, securing a spot among the top ranks. Meirin’s pacing had been her downfall. She had exhausted all her strength in the third stage and spent too much time recovering her Jet-Black in the fourth, causing her rank to plummet. In contrast, Kamibarez, who had placed in the middle ranks during the first test, now broke into the top one hundred, showing remarkable improvement.
As always, the students’ rankings fluctuated wildly depending on the theme of the test. This time, Necrology and Jet-Black Dynamics aspirants generally scored high, while Venomology aspirants tended to lag.
The final first-place victor was, as expected, the giant half-blood Chatel Maer. It was only natural that the student considered to have the best defense in Kizen would dominate a test themed around defense and endurance. The gap between him and the second-place student was staggering.
And, as always, Lorraine and Serne seemed utterly unconcerned with their rankings. Both had ended the test after passing the third stage, acting as if they had some other objective entirely.
With that, all the tests were over. In addition to the forty-eight students who failed to pass the third stage, the last two to clear it were also eliminated. In total, fifty students had their Kizen uniforms confiscated, their expulsion confirmed.
’The standards at Kizen are something else.’
Most students had managed to pass the third stage, which had seemed punishingly difficult. They had all struggled and been injured, but like Dick, they had found a way through. There was, in fact, a hidden element to the stage. Simon, who had been running like a madman, was completely unaware of the "rest zones" scattered throughout the stage—areas where weapons didn’t fall. By using those zones, it was possible to pass with less difficulty. Only three students in all of Kizen, Simon included, had brute-forced their way through in a single, relentless push.
The second Comprehensive Black Magic Evaluation concluded with tremendous success and generated a huge buzz. Articles hailing this Kizen generation as "the greatest of all time" spread throughout the Dark Alliance, and the scouting war, still two years away, was already showing signs of overheating.
Simon was discharged the next day and returned to his dorm. The weekend had begun, and Kizen had declared it the "Mission Evaluation" season—a period of up to four days, including the weekend and two weekdays. Kizen often scheduled these evaluations after major tests to give students a chance to decompress. Those who had already completed difficult missions could take on light assignments on Roc Island and relax. However, students who had only taken easy missions now had to consider blue or even red-level requests, regardless of their condition.
Having been diligent with his missions, Simon decided to take it easy this time with a simple task on Roc Island. He had just recovered, and more importantly, leaving the island meant risking a run-in with Magnus’s legion. Staying on the safe haven of Roc Island, under the protection of Nephthys and Kizen, was his best option.
’I’ll take a break from training and focus on Cursology and my written studies in the dorm.’
For the first time in a while, his mind was at ease. Dick, on the other hand, was preparing to leave early in the morning, his expression haggard.
"...I’m off to the Shahed Kingdom," he announced.
"Wow, that’s far."
For Dick, who had only ever taken missions on Roc Island, it was an unavoidable choice. He had to tackle something difficult now to lessen the burden for the next evaluation. Meirin and Kamibarez had decided to form a партию to take on a merchant escort mission. Since Simon planned to stay on Roc Island, he would be remaining behind.
"...Ugh, what a pain. Well, I’m going to wash up first," Dick grumbled.
"Okay."
Dick headed to the bathroom. Kajan had also left on a private mission. Alone, Simon sat at his desk and opened Bahil’s Cursology textbook.
’Huh?’
A letter fluttered in through the open window. The envelope alone screamed elegance.
’Is this what a royal decree feels like?’
Simon broke the seal and pulled out the paper.
’You haven’t forgotten the debt you owe me, have you? I’m using one stamp on my coupon! Please come down to Rochest by noon. I’ll be waiting.’
’P.S. I don’t know if I really need to say this, but don’t be tasteless and come in your school uniform.’
Simon’s expression froze.
’...Don’t tell me.’
He flipped the letter over. A white feather was attached to the envelope. It was definitely from Serne.
’I really don’t want to go.’
Just hearing her name was exhausting. Things had gotten a little better since they’d been in contact more often, but his honest wish was to avoid her if at all possible. Deciding to just keep studying, Simon picked up his quill and underlined a sentence in his book.
...It was nagging at him. He tried to ignore the letter, but his conscience pricked him. He had received too much help from her to just blow her off. During the island survival assessment. When he was learning Internal Jet-Black Eruption. And during the Saintess incident. There had been moments that would have been perilous without her help.
"Hey," Dick, fresh from a quick shower, snatched the letter from Simon’s desk. His playful expression hardened as he read.
"...N-No way!" The hand holding the letter trembled. "Anyone can tell that’s a girl’s handwriting! Rochest on the weekend? If she says not to wear your uniform, is she telling you to dress up for a date? Wow, damn...!"
Seized by jealousy and betrayal, Dick lunged forward and put Simon in a headlock.
"You cheap bastard! You said you didn’t have a girlfriend! Spill it! Who is she!"
"Ugh! That hurts, Dick!"
"Some of us have to go all the way to Shahed, and you get to go on a date with a girl? A daaate? A couuuple?! All couples should just die! There is only righteous fury for couples!"
"I said it hurts! Let go!"
But Dick, blinded by jealousy, had no intention of letting him go. Just then, Simon’s arm shot out from the hold while his other hand grabbed the back of Dick’s knee.
"Argh!"
Dick’s vision spun 180 degrees. The next thing he knew, he was sprawled on his own bed.
"I told you to stop," Simon said, lightly dusting off his hands.
’Damn it!’
As expected, he couldn’t beat the brutish country boy in a contest of pure strength. With his clothes on, Simon looked lean, like a delicately raised young noble, but underneath, he was solid muscle.
Dick buried his face in his covers with a look of despair.
"This world is so unfair! It’s all about looks!" As Dick wailed and pounded the bed, Simon sighed.
"Cut it out. Don’t you have to leave early today?"
"...This hopeless world! I hope it just burns!" Dick grumbled, getting up to pack his travel clothes. Simon opened his own wardrobe.
’Clothes other than my uniform...’
Kizen uniform, adventurer’s gear, an everyday robe, the robe he bought in the Holy Federation, a formal robe for outings. It was a pathetic lineup.
"...Dick?"
"What?!" Dick answered bluntly.
Simon gave an embarrassed smile and scratched the side of his head. "Could I... borrow some clothes just for today?"
Dick charged at him in a fresh wave of fury. There are times when a man must fight, even when he knows he will lose.

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