"Yeah!" she nodded quickly, her cheeks flushed. The sight only soured Raheim’s mood further.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
Simon lowered his stance. "I’m on Meirin’s team. I’ve been watching, and she clearly said she’s not interested."
"Not interested? Meirin, with me?" Raheim lifted the brim of his white cap and roared with laughter, his tanned, sturdy body shaking with each guffaw. "If you’re just teammates, you’ve only known each other for one semester. Meirin and I go back a decade..."
"I’m not interested!!" Meirin shrieked, hiding behind Simon. "I fucking hate the way you hit on me, smirking like you’re all that, so stop following me around like a creep! Dammit!"
This time, the words seemed to land. Raheim’s mouth clamped into a thin, straight line.
"You heard her," Simon said, opening his Subspace and stowing away the various items he was holding. This whole mess had started while he was simply trying to move their spot on the beach. "I’d appreciate it if you’d leave now."
"Unfortunately," Raheim’s lips curled into a smirk, "that just makes me want you more."
Raheim believed that from the moment he met Meirin in his childhood, a switch had flipped inside him. He became obsessed, greedy. He had to possess everything he desired, without exception, and he pursued his goals with relentless determination. So far, there had never been an exception. Not his brother’s position as heir. Not even...
’Father’s position as Lord.’
Watching the Jet-Black energy churn violently within him, Simon sighed. ‘What a twisted person.’ It was getting to the point where he wondered if this was an occupational hazard for necromancers.
[Khahaha! It’s true that being a necromancer is a profession that attracts the mentally ill, but that right there is just plain human ugliness!] Pier’s voice boomed in his head.
’...No, not all humans are like that.’
Suddenly, Simon’s eyes sharpened as he sensed a fluctuation in the Jet-Black. Eight magic circles unfurled from Raheim’s body, and strange, foam-covered projectiles began to fly toward them.
"Meirin!"
This was no joke. Simon spun around, grabbed Meirin, tucked her under his arm like a sack of potatoes, and bolted.
"HEY!!!" Meirin shrieked, her face turning beet-red. She screamed for him to put her down, but Simon was too focused on dodging the incoming attacks to pay her any mind.
’Two from above. Two from directly behind.’
His pupils darted back and forth, tracking the trajectory of every projectile before he threw his body to the side. The projectiles slammed into the sand, erupting in bursts of white snow.
’What strange black magic.’
With a series of nimble hops, Simon dodged every attack. He even kicked one of the incoming projectiles away. Raheim tilted his head as his own missile flew backward and exploded against a nearby parasol.
"Oh, what’s this? You’re pretty good," he remarked, lowering his stance again and activating a series of magic circles. As the formulas were woven at an incredible speed, Simon’s jaw tightened.
’A caster type specializing in multi-casting.’
Every nerve in his body sang with tension as his mind and body shifted into combat mode. But then, he felt something hitting his back.
"Put me down, you crazy bastard!! I’ll stand and fight on my own two feet!" Meirin, her face so red it looked like it might explode, was flailing her legs and screaming.
"Sorry, just a little longer—!"
Simon couldn’t even finish his sentence before he had to dive again. More projectiles rained down, blanketing the area in white snow.
’This is so embarrassing! What is he doing?!’ She was so unnecessarily strong that she couldn’t break free. Dangling from Simon’s side, Meirin was struck by a sudden sense of déjà vu. ‘Wait a minute! Being swung around exactly like this... I’ve seen this somewhere...’
Her mind raced, trying to place the memory. When was it?
Just as her thoughts were about to drift to Deathland, Raheim suddenly appeared behind Simon.
"Simon! Dodge!" Meirin screamed.
But Raheim, who had been charging, threw himself backward in surprise. A gleaming Overlord blade had shot up from the ground at Simon’s feet.
"Too bad," Simon said, a chilling smile on his face.
Raheim’s expression hardened. "This bastard..."
"A fight’s broken out!"
"Who is it? Who’s fighting?"
Students from all over the beach flocked like a cloud of vultures to watch the most entertaining spectacle in the world: other people fighting.
’Damn it.’
Suddenly, there were too many people. Deciding to abandon his counterattack and just escape, Simon adjusted his grip, properly holding Meirin in both arms.
Suddenly being held princess-style, Meirin’s heart hammered against her ribs. She was too mortified to do anything. ‘Ugh! Seriously!! What is he doing with so many people watching...!’
"I’m backing off."
Just as Simon was about to flee, creating a foothold of Jet-Black at his feet...
The sharp sound of a whistle froze all three of them.
"What do you think you’re doing on Roc Island!"
"Stop right there!"
It was the Watchmen. They normally patrolled the forests and mountains around Kizen, but they also served as safety officers when students gathered in one area. Getting caught meant demerits at the very least; if the situation was serious, it would be reported to their professors. Raheim also knew this wasn’t the time to fight and straightened up.
"I had fun. You said your name was Simon, right?" Raheim slammed his fists together. "I’ll be aiming for you and only you in the next БМАТ exam. Let’s have a proper match then!"
Simon looked dumbfounded. "What match? What are you talking about?"
"It’s obvious, isn’t it! The winner gets Meirin!"
Meirin, still in Simon’s arms, shrieked, "Hey, you crazy bastards! Who are you to fight over me!!"
"See you later, Meirin." Raheim waved, activating the magic circle beneath his feet. His body shot up like a rocket and disappeared into the sky.
’What in the world is that black magic?’
"Hey! Put me down!" Meirin yelled, smacking Simon’s shoulder. Belatedly realizing she was pressed right up against him in her swimsuit, Simon flushed and quickly set her down.
"There they are!"
"Get them!"
In the distance, the Watchmen were preparing a capture-type black magic. Simon braced himself, preparing a defensive spell. "I’ll block it! In the meantime, you—!"
"Hey, Simon." Meirin suddenly grabbed the back of his collar. "This is payback for earlier."
Then, with a burst of Jet-Black from her feet, she launched them into the air.
’Whoa!’
Simon’s stomach lurched as his vision suddenly shot skyward. Airborne, her feet found the path of ice she had already prepared.
’Ice Road’
A path of ice unfurled in a straight line, propelling them forward at high speed. In an instant, they were soaring over the sandy beach and out across the sea. The frantically chasing Watchmen skidded to a halt at the water’s edge, their expressions dazed.
"This makes us even, okay?" Meirin said with a slight smile, letting go of Simon’s collar.
His legs feeling like jelly, Simon let out a dry laugh and collapsed onto the ice. As they sped across the water...
"Over here! Over here!"
Simon’s eyes widened. Dick was on a boat in the middle of the sea, waving his hands gleefully. Kamibarez was sitting right beside him.
"I’ll pull up over there." Meirin spread her arms like wings and swung one arm wide, causing the ice path to curve smoothly. The ice came to a perfect stop in front of the boat, and the two of them climbed aboard.
"You made it!" Dick grinned, holding out his palm. Simon laughed and gave him a high-five.
"Nice thinking."
"This is just basic stuff!" Dick tried to high-five Meirin as she boarded, but she grabbed him by the hair instead and started hitting his back.
"Did you think I’d forget about the soaked diagrams!"
"Agh! I’m sorry! It’s not like I did it on pur— Ugh! Argh!"
Simon and Kamibarez burst out laughing. Dick, his face contorted in a mask of agony, turned his head. "Oops, they’re pissed."
The Watchmen were firing a net woven from Jet-Black toward the boat. As the net blotted out the sky, Kamibarez waved her arms in a panic. "W-We’re going to get caught!"
"Leave it to me." Dick skillfully operated the boat’s mana engine. He flipped a few levers, and with a roar, the boat began to shake. "Hold on tight!"
"H-Hold on to what!" Meirin yelled.
"Anything!"
The moment the three of them grabbed onto the boat, a deafening roar erupted from the mana engine. The bow lifted sharply as they shot forward.
"Whoa!"
"Wooow!"
The three of them screamed in a mix of terror and excitement. The Watchmen’s nets fell harmlessly into the empty sea as the boat sliced cleanly across the water’s surface.
"Yeehaaaaw!" Dick howled, propping his feet up on the engine. The Watchmen, left high and dry, could only stare in disbelief. "See you later! Hahaha!"
Meirin let out a pained groan. "Hey! It’s too fast!"
"I-I’m going to fly off!" Kamibarez shrieked, her lower body bouncing dangerously.
Seeing this, Simon quickly shifted his position. He spread his arms, bracing both girls by their shoulders as he held onto the boat.
"Hahah! He always has to be the cool one, doesn’t he?" Dick laughed cheerfully and steered the boat into a turn.
Simon lifted his head. "Where are we going?"
"To somewhere a little quieter!"
The boat took them to a small, deserted island. It was tiny, but the current was weak and it was peaceful—the perfect spot for the four of them.
They had a wonderful time. Simon taught Kamibarez how to swim, and she picked it up almost immediately. Meirin focused on refining the breathing magic circle, while Dick managed to modify his strange flippers into a usable form. In the evening, they built a bonfire and enjoyed a simple barbecue.
"Haaaah, this is the life," Dick sighed, his face flushed from the alcohol as he collapsed onto the sand. Simon was busy grilling meat while Meirin and Kamibarez chattered away.
"By the way, who was that guy who was bothering you, Meirin?" Kamibarez asked.
"Ugh, I have no idea who that pervert was!"
Simon placed the cooked meat on a plate and looked at Meirin. "But he seemed to know you."
"That was just a line! You know, ‘Haven’t we met somewhere before?’ Ugh, seriously! It gives me the creeps."
Dick glanced at Meirin. "You don’t know him? He’s that guy."
"What are you talking about, you psycho? Stand up straight and talk."
"No, that... who was it... Ah! Right! Special Admission No.8, Raheim Northfold. He’s the Lord of the Snowy Plain Castle!"
Kamibarez’s eyes widened in shock. "Oh, he’s a huge deal!"
"Snowy Plain Castle? Hmmm." Meirin crossed her arms. "That area has a lot of mana stone deposits, so it’s aligned with the Ivory Tower. I went there a few times when I was little..."
"Maybe you met him then?" Simon suggested.
Meirin frowned. "No, I went with my mom when I was a complete baby, so I don’t even remember it! And I caused so much trouble back when I was the heir..."
"Sounds like you were a tomboy when you were little, Meirin!" Kamibarez giggled.
"It’s just my embarrassing past when I was immature," Meirin sighed. "And if he’s acting like this because we met briefly as kids, then seriously. He kept bringing up my heir status just to get on my nerves, and then what? He says he’ll put in a good word with the Ivory Tower for me. How could I not be pissed off?"
The other three looked stunned. Meirin was extremely sensitive about Serne and the Ivory Tower succession. Saying something like that to her was no different from begging to be killed.
"Ugh, I’m so mad! If I see him again, I’ll just punch him right in the jaw—" Meirin stopped mid-sentence and glanced at Simon.
Simon smiled, as if to ask what was wrong.
Meirin sighed. "...I guess I should go see him."
Kamibarez was startled and tried to stop her. "Wh-Why? He’s a weird guy! It’s dangerous to go see him!"
"I don’t want to either, but he said he’s going to target Simon during the exam. I can’t let him get hurt because of me, so I’ll at least try to talk to him..."
"I’m fine," Simon replied calmly. "If the rule is for students to fight each other, then it doesn’t matter. And you said he’s Special Admission No. 8, right? I’d actually like to have a go at him."
’Ooooh...’
Dick whistled, and Kamibarez let out a quiet gasp.
"So you’re saying you’re Special Admission No. 1, huh? Hehe! An elite needs to have this much spirit!" Dick crowed.
"The courage of the strong!" Kamibarez added.
"No, no, it’s not like that!"
While the two of them were busy teasing him, only Meirin was looking at Simon, her face subtly flushed. When their eyes met, she whipped her head away and cleared her throat.
"Y-You definitely said you were fine, right?"
"Yeah. You don’t need to go groveling to that guy because of me."
Dick let out a sound of admiration and raised his glass. Sometimes, this guy was cool even from another man’s perspective. "The mood is perfect! Let’s survive the next БМАТ and see each other again!"
The four of them energetically clinked their glasses together in a toast.

Comments

Loading...