The next day.
Simon was climbing a mountain ridge with a heavy bundle of firewood on his back. Sweat poured down his face, and ragged breaths escaped his lips.
вЂTMKugh!вЂTM
Finally, he couldnвЂTMt hold on any longer and collapsed. The wood he had painstakingly gathered tumbled down the steep slope.
His heart hammered against his ribs as if it would burst, and the veins all over his body swelled fiercely. His muscles screamed, threatening to tear. Simon placed a trembling hand on his chest and activated his black magic.
вЂTMCalmly.вЂTM
As he channeled the black magic of the Rune of Calm, the tremors in his body began to subside.
PhantastusвЂTMs voice echoed in his mind.
вЂTM”IвЂTMve placed an activation curse on you, successor.”вЂTM
вЂTM”The harder you work, the greater the strain on your body will be. Whenever you reach your limit, endure it by soothing your body and organs with a calming curse! This is also an important part of your training!”вЂTM
SimonвЂTMs hand slid into his pocket, his fingers closing around a small pill.
вЂTM”If you truly cannot bear it, take this. However, the lesson on the Sleep curse will end the moment you do.”вЂTM
Simon stared at the pill for a moment before silently returning it to his pocket. He let out a long sigh.
вЂTMHeвЂTMs a good person, but a harsh teacher.вЂTM
If Phantastus hadnвЂTMt given him the pill in the first place, he wouldnвЂTMt have this dilemma. Simon staggered to his feet and went down the hill to retrieve the fallen wood. Stubborn determination flickered in his eyes.
вЂTMI will never give up!вЂTM
"Young master! Thank you ever so much!" an old woman said.
"ItвЂTMs nothing," Simon replied as he set down the firewood. He had brought it for an old woman who lived alone, far from the center of the territory.
"IвЂTMm sorry, Simon. ItвЂTMs because of my leg..." The old womanвЂTMs son, who originally performed this role, was laid up in bed, his leg wrapped tightly in bandages.
"Please, donвЂTMt worry. You must focus on getting well." Simon smiled, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "If you need anything else, please do not hesitate to call on me!"
With that, Simon waved goodbye to the mother and son and departed. He crossed the mountain again, repeatedly casting the calming curse on himself.
Just as he was almost home, he heard the sound of childrenвЂTMs laughter.
"Uncle Phantastus! Over here, over here!"
"Gotcha!"
Phantastus, carrying two village children on his sturdy shoulders, caught the third fleeing child. He set the child down on the grass and tickled them, and the three children erupted in uproarious laughter.
вЂTMPresident Phantastus?вЂTM
Just as Simon was about to approach, he heard a voice from across the path.
"Phantastus! Thanks for helping with the work today!" A village resident named Charles waved.
"Of course I should help! Hahahaha!" Phantastus gave a thumbs-up in his direction.
"You were helping with work in the territory? And looking after the children, too," Simon said as he revealed himself.
The children clinging to Phantastus brightened up when they saw Simon.
"ItвЂTMs Brother Simon!"
"Brother Simon!"
The children climbed down from PhantastusвЂTMs body as if it were a tree and ran to Simon. Simon smiled, stroking their heads.
"Hmm! IвЂTMm indebted to Leshill, so isnвЂTMt it only natural that I help out!" Phantastus laughed cheerfully. "More importantly, how goes the calming training?"
Simon silently took the pill from his pocket, rattled it for effect, and put it away. Phantastus smiled in satisfaction and cast a cancellation spell to remove the curse.
After a short break, Simon climbed the mountain again with Phantastus. It was a secluded place with a high concentration of mana.
"IвЂTMve completed the magic circle as well." Simon held out his palm and raised his concentration.
вЂTMSleepвЂTM
A circle of Jet-Black unfolded, and the magic circle quickly formed with the вЂTMRune of CalmвЂTM at its center. Phantastus stroked his chin and observed it.
"You learn remarkably fast! As expected of my successor!"
"Thank you!"
"Hmm. Then shall we have a taste test?" He sat on the ground with a thump.
"A taste test of what?"
"Your Sleep. I intend to taste the slumber you create!"
He wasnвЂTMt sure exactly what that meant, but he figured Phantastus would allow himself to be struck by the curse.
"The maximum stack for Sleep is five! Stack it all five times and put me to sleep."
"Yes, sir."
Simon moved behind Phantastus. As instructed, he created the Sleep curse on his palm and pressed it to PhantastusвЂTMs back, again and again.
After the fifth time, Phantastus fell to the ground with a thud. Soon, he began to snore.
"...Oh."
Though dubious, Simon looked down at his own palm with an expectant expression.
"Was it a success?"
Just then, Phantastus, who had been sleeping soundly, began to toss and turn. He scrunched up his face, rolling restlessly from side to side. He scratched his stomach and even hugged a nearby tree.
And after five minutes.
Phantastus woke with a gasp. Simon approached him in surprise.
"H-How was it?"
"Hahaha!" He covered his forehead and chuckled slightly. "It still has a bitter taste. I had a nightmare for a moment!"
"A nightmare?"
"Yes! I dreamed of my second day at Kizen!" Phantastus wiped his face with his palm. "In Cursology class, I was the only one who failed Exhaust while everyone else succeeded, and in Combat Magic, I couldnвЂTMt even do the Jet-Black Step, so I was the only one to fall into the water! I could hear my classmatesвЂTM laughter. And during dueling practice, I was brutally beaten by a girl I had a secret crush on. She ground my face into the dirt and said..." His mouth opened. вЂTMYouвЂTMre trash.вЂTM
SimonвЂTMs face contorted.
"Did that... really happen?"
"Hahahahaha! ItвЂTMs all in the past!" Phantastus stood up, brushing off his backside. "In the end, all those trials became fuel for my growth!"
There was certainly no regret or disappointment in his voice.
вЂTMHe truly is an amazing person,вЂTM Simon thought, his eyes beginning to sparkle.
"Ah, for your reference!" A mischievous smile spread across PhantastusвЂTMs face. "That girl who stepped on me and insulted me during practice became my vice president two years later!"
Simon burst out laughing.
"ThatвЂTMs hilarious! Your stories about Kizen are incredible."
"You think so? Hahaha!" Phantastus also laughed, his shoulders shaking with mirth.
"Now! ItвЂTMs your turn."
"My turn?"
A Sleep magic circle unfolded on PhantastusвЂTMs palm. It wasnвЂTMt the complex magic circle he had shown at first, but the simpler, basic version he had taught Simon.
"This time, itвЂTMs your turn to be struck by Sleep!"
"W-What? Why me all of a sudden?"
"To cast a good curse, one must feel and experience it firsthand. Of course!" Phantastus charged without warning. "You can resist if you can!"
PhantastusвЂTMs right arm brushed past SimonвЂTMs shoulder. A touch-activated curse. Simon instantly felt the effects of one stack of Sleep, and his vision swam.
вЂTMThe drowsiness...!вЂTM
An incredible wave of drowsiness washed over him.
Dodging the left arm Phantastus swung, Simon quickly backpedaled. He tried to form a magic circle for a counterattack, but—вЂTMUgh!вЂTM
His concentration wavered. He was as tired as if he had been awake for a month straight. He couldnвЂTMt even think about forming a magic circle; all he wanted was to sleep. The intense urge to sleep dominated his entire body.
"Your movements have grown sluggish!"
Phantastus instantly closed in and struck SimonвЂTMs thigh, making it two stacks. He spun, touching SimonвЂTMs arm for the third.
His eyelids felt as heavy as lead. He wanted to drop everything and just sleep.
вЂTMGet a grip!вЂTM
Before he even knew how it happened, he was hit again, bringing the count to four stacks. He was reaching a point where fighting was impossible. Strength drained from his limbs, which began to slip from his mindвЂTMs control. The encroaching slumber was so sweet, so alluring, that it crowded out every other thought.
вЂTMUghh!вЂTM
To sleep in the middle of a battle was death.
вЂTMIs my body, in that sense, so desperately craving death?вЂTM he wondered. He was realizing what a truly terrifying curse this was.
"Alright! Now for the fifth and final stack!"
PhantastusвЂTMs arm came closer. Fighting back with sheer willpower, Simon ducked to evade the blow, then swung his leg up in a powerful kick.
The kick whistled through the air. He aimed for the chin, but Phantastus tilted his head back, dodging it easily. Simon immediately spun, preparing his next kick, but—
A hand shot out and grabbed the back of his head, plunging him toward the dirt floor.
"Sweet dreams."
As he was buried in the dirt, the smell of soil washing over him, Simon lost consciousness.
вЂTMChirp! Chirp, chirp!вЂTM
The song of mountain birds stirred Simon from his slumber, and his eyes flew open. He was lying sprawled on a grassy field. With a soft rustle of grass, he reached up to touch his forehead.
"Ah..."
"How was it?"
He turned his head toward the voice and saw Phantastus leaning against a tree, a gentle smile on his face.
"Was it not a sweet sleep?"
He hadnвЂTMt dreamed. Or had he? More importantly, his mind was incredibly clear. He was in peak condition. Vitality coursed through his veins, and a pleasant warmth spread through him even as he lay still.
"Um..." Simon answered, his voice still heavy with sleep. "It really was a sweet sleep."
"Now вЂTMthatвЂTM is what I call a delicious sleep!" Phantastus declared, spreading his arms wide. "You were only out for about ten minutes, but doesnвЂTMt the world look different now that youвЂTMre awake?"
"It certainly does." Simon rose to his feet, unwilling to waste this surge of energy. "Then, if youвЂTMre ready, letвЂTMs begin the next training session!"
"Hahahaha! ThatвЂTMs the spirit, Successor!"
The lessons with the cheerful Phantastus were a daily delight. Of course, his training wasnвЂTMt the only thing on SimonвЂTMs schedule.
"Are you ready, Simon?"
Anna, who usually confined herself to the kitchen, had her hair tied back tightly as she oversaw SimonвЂTMs divine beast training. The power of the former вЂTMSaintess of MiraclesвЂTM was undeniable; with a simple gesture, she cast a mana barrier over an area the size of a training field. It was designed to block both presence and divinity—an essential precaution here in the Dark Alliance.
"IвЂTMm starting, Mom!"
Simon tossed Whitey and Blackie into the air, their forms shimmering with divinity. He then imbued Akallion with the same holy power, causing the beast to swell in size. He fitted Akallion with the special reins for divine beasts he had received from Israphel before climbing onto the chariot that descended in a halo of light.
"LetвЂTMs go!"
The moment Simon pulled the reins, the chariot lifted off the ground and soared into the air. A brilliant divinity, reminiscent of the sun, formed a radiant circle, and the chariot and Akallion alike were wreathed in white sparks.
"Run, you three!"
SimonвЂTMs body shot forward like a streak of light. His scream—вЂTMAaaaaah!вЂTM—echoed across the field. The speed was still insane.
"If you hit the barrier, you fail, Simon!" Anna shouted from below. "DonвЂTMt be afraid of the speed! Focus on your bond with the beasts!"
"Yeeeeeeeeeees!!"
Like a single beam of light, Simon zipped around inside the barrier. After some time, Anna cast a large divine barrier on the ground below.
"Finish it here!"
The chariot, which had been careening through the air, came to a sudden halt. Then, it transformed into a bolt of lightning and crashed into the divine barrier with a deafening rumble. The paralyzing ability was powerful enough to have incapacitated the dungeon master, Karisa, in a single blow. A moment later, Simon was rolling on the ground, holding the cats and Akallion, now shrunken to their normal sizes, in his arms.
"Simon! Are you okay?"
"...I-IвЂTMm fine, Mom!"
вЂTMMeow! Meow!вЂTM
The divine beasts also seemed thrilled to have run around after so long. Simon shot to his feet, a wide smile on his face.
"I think IвЂTMve got a feel for the speed now!"
"Good. LetвЂTMs do some more training to get you more accustomed to it."
And so, his mornings were spent training in Divine Beast Studies with Anna, while his afternoons were dedicated to sleep training with Phantastus. In the evenings, however, chaos training with Richard awaited him.
Gripping the Chaos Spear, Simon launched a fierce offensive. Richard met his assault, dazzlingly wielding a spear forged from pure jet-black.
вЂTMClang! Clang! Clang-clang-clang!вЂTM
Every time father and son swung their spears, a violent spray of violet and black sparks erupted between them.
"Simon! You are now the Student Council President of Kizen! Do you understand the weight of that responsibility?" Richard demanded, deflecting SimonвЂTMs chaos before thrusting the tip of his spear forward.
"Of course!" Simon ducked his head to dodge, simultaneously lowering his hand. Richard easily sidestepped the violet spear that fell from the sky, took a step back, and then charged forward. "Countless challenges will come your way!"
The eyes of the father and son met head-on as they locked spears in a brutal contest of strength.
"The third-years will resent you, and the second-years will be looking for any opportunity to usurp you! The faculty will constantly test the new president. YouвЂTMll face endless provocations and challenges throughout the semester! What do you think is the most essential tool for overcoming all this?"
SimonвЂTMs eyes hardened as he spun his body.
вЂTMVwoooosh!вЂTM
The Chaos Reaper, hidden in his shadow, swung its massive scythe. A violet scar tore through the air, and the surrounding trees were sliced clean through.
"Strength." Simon readjusted his grip on the Chaos Spear and smiled. "The most essential thing is вЂTMstrengthвЂTM."
"Exactly, Simon! The semester is just around the corner." Richard held up his fingers. From the ground, the ghouls under his control staggered to their feet. "For the rest of this break, give it your all! Become a man worthy of being the Kizen Student Council President!"
"Yes!"
Simon kicked off the ground and threw himself at the swarming ghouls.

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