’Things are going well today.’
The goal of Simon’s Skeleton Mage operation was extreme efficiency. He had them throw oil berries from the warehouse to douse the ground, then ignite it with Jet-Black Flame, creating a firewall that completely blocked the enemy’s approach to the gate.
As Simon continued this tactic, the Khan Kingdom adapted. They tried spreading bags of dirt and draping water-soaked cowhides over their battering rams, but Simon’s defense, orchestrated by the undead mages high above the gate, remained an iron wall.
The Khan Kingdom had no choice but to abandon the gate and focus on the walls. They brought all their siege ladders and relentlessly sent soldiers scaling the ramparts. When they sent two Kizen students up, the entire southern wall came dangerously close to being captured.
However, thanks to the efforts of Dick and Meirin, the attacking Kizen students were eliminated, and the tide of battle at the southern gate had turned decisively in the defenders’ favor.
"Follow me!"
Dick, now free from his curse, led the soldiers to reclaim the section of the wall the Khan Kingdom had occupied. His actions stabilized the entire southern defense line.
’The southern gate is secure now.’
Simon, who had been quietly observing, raised the Commander-in-Chief’s nameplate to communicate. "Dick, Meirin, you both did great. Rest until the enemy necromancers show up. The other gates should also alternate between rest and combat to prepare for a long battle. If you need support, send a messenger or raise a flag."
Just then, he heard approaching footsteps. He turned to see Meirin walking toward him.
"Ah, Meirin! You worked really hard!"
"Hmph, this is nothing," she said, flicking her hair with her fingertips.
Simon pointed to the jacket draped over her shoulders. "Is that my uniform?"
Meirin froze.
Belatedly realizing how brazenly she’d been wearing it, the back of Meirin’s neck flushed crimson.
"...Ah, yeah. Thanks," she mumbled, handing it back to him. It was a shame. The happiness had been brief, but she was glad for it.
Simon took the jacket and shook it out, preparing to put it on. "Oh."
"Why? Is there something on it?"
"No, it’s just... it smells like you."
’$’@^&@!!!!’
Her face turned beet red. She let out a strangled noise and scrambled backward.
"W-Well, I was wearing it for a bit, so of course it does! What! Should I wash it and give it back?"
"No, no. That’s not what I meant." Simon held the uniform up. He’d noticed a red smudge on the shirt and thought it might be blood, but on closer inspection, it was a lipstick mark on the jacket collar. "But... why is there a lipstick stain?"
’Gah-! Aaaah-!!!’ The memory of burying her face in his uniform came flooding back. Reaching a level of shame she could no longer bear, she clapped her hands over her face. "Th-That’s!"
’Say something! Anything!’
"I fell!!" she blurted out.
"Huh?"
"I fell during the fight and wiped my face with your uniform! Happy now? I’ll pay for the laundry!!"
Even to her own ears, it was the most ridiculous excuse imaginable. She regretted it the second the words left her mouth. ’This is what happens when I speak without thinking...!’
"I see. Are you hurt?" Simon asked, believing her instantly.
In truth, even as he spoke with her, his entire focus was already back on the castle gate.
He was still connected to the thoughts of the Skeleton Mages.
’Dark Blaze, from the right, in sequence!’ he commanded.
As a volley of dark-blue fireballs incinerated a battering ram approaching the gate, a faint smile of satisfaction touched Simon’s lips.
’Why is he smiling all of a sudden?!’ Meirin wondered, her heart pounding. She was already on edge, breathing hard. ’Is he smiling at me? What could that mean? Is he trying to say, ‘I know what you did with the uniform, but I’ll let it slide just this once’?’
As her imagination ran wild, Simon’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.
"Get some rest," he said. "I think I can handle the south gate by myself for a while."
"...Oh, okay."
Meirin nodded awkwardly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. Then, her voice barely a whisper, she murmured, "Hey, about what I said before... nagging you about efficiency... I’m sorr—"
"If it weren’t for your advice," Simon cut in, "I never would’ve thought of a way to fight a long-term battle like this. Thank you, Meirin."
’This guy,’ she thought. ’Sometimes, he’s too nice for his own good. Though, as our leader, I suppose I like that about him...’
"Oh, right," Simon added suddenly. "How did the note tied to the arrow work out?"
"Ah, that was a clever idea," she replied. "Thank you. I put it to good use."
"I’m glad."
Meirin chuckled and lifted her head. "How many hours has it been?"
"Four."
They had to hold out for twelve hours, which meant eight remained. The first four had flown by in a blur. Of course, this was time within the world of the simulation card; Dick had explained that once the siege ended, only three hours would have passed in reality.
"Well then, Simon, I’m going to recharge my jet-black," Meirin announced.
"Alright."
She moved to the edge of the castle wall and sat down, drawing her knees to her chest. Closing her eyes, she brought her hands together over her heart and took a deep, steadying breath. It was a ritual necromancers called ‘recharging’. After a battle, their internal jet-black would be depleted, and the ‘core’ that converted mana into jet-black was often too overworked to function properly.
By sitting comfortably and drawing in mana through controlled breathing, they could gently coax the exhausted core back to life and revitalize their bodies. While it wasn’t dramatically more effective than natural recovery, it was better than nothing. The downside was that it required complete focus, leaving the necromancer utterly defenseless.
The clatter and clack of bone broke the silence.
It was common practice to summon skeletons from a subspace to stand guard, just as Meirin was doing now. Maintaining a simple connection to their thoughts consumed no jet-black.
’Meirin’s doing fine,’ Simon observed.
He took the opportunity to check the current status.
[Defending Team (15/15)]
[Sieging Team (12/15)]
The pace was nearly ideal. The sieging team was down to twelve, likely having lost another member at a different gate, while the defending team had yet to suffer a single casualty. Even with their forces outnumbered ten to one, it seemed having even a dilapidated castle was a massive advantage.
’If everyone keeps this up, we can hold the outer castle for at least half the time,’ he mused. Just as he allowed himself to relax, a notification flashed.
[Miri Baretta eliminated.]
’Huh?’
[Paul Sejin eliminated.]
Simon’s eyes widened. Both were students on the defending team.
[Defending Team (13/15)]
[Sieging Team (12/15)]
"...What’s going on?" he muttered.
"Co-Commander-in-Chief! We have a serious problem!" a messenger cried, sprinting toward Simon in a panic. "The north gate!"
"The north gate?"
Just then, a new message materialized before him.
[The Outer Wall’s North Gate has been breached.]
[Outer Castle Fall event has occurred.]
[All troops of the Aon Kingdom will retreat to the Inner Castle.]
Dismay washed over Simon’s face. The north gate had fallen before the messenger even reached him?
’Who did this?’
His head snapped toward the north gate.
’Who’s stationed there right now?’
’Pant, pant!’
A male student from the defending team sprinted along the castle wall. It was You, the same student who had vied for the Commander-in-Chief position until the very end. He had been defending the east gate, but the moment he heard the call for support, he had taken off for the north. To his shock, a message announced the breach before he even arrived.
’How? The north gate had a stronger team than the south gate,’ he thought, bewildered.
All around him, terrified beastmen soldiers scrambled frantically toward the inner castle. It was pandemonium. Shoving past them, You finally reached the north gate.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
An utterly incongruous sight met his eyes. A girl in a white uniform sat perched on the castle wall, an expression of pure leisure on her face. Amidst the splattering blood, the clang of steel, and the cacophony of screams, she alone seemed to exist in a separate, peaceful world.
’Elisa Celine!’
The enemy’s Commander-in-Chief had taken the field herself. The flag of the Khan Kingdom fluttering behind her was proof that she had already captured the wall.
’The north gate was defended by four necromancers. There’s no way Elisa took them all down at once.’
You’s eyes darted around frantically.
’Who was it? Who in the world...’
A sudden roar made him whip his head around. A colossal slash carved its way along the castle wall. Every living thing it touched was torn to shreds, annihilated so completely that not even a single cell remained.
’No way!’
At the origin of the slash, he saw a boy with an eyepatch and an expressionless face. He hadn’t even drawn the longsword sheathed at his waist.
’Special Admission No. 5, Jull Vinchere!’
You’s jaw dropped. A monster like that was here, too?
"Ah, ahhhhhhh—!"
Another agonized scream ripped through the battlefield. He turned to see a mountain of a man holding the face of Bwine—the ace defender of the north gate—in a single hand. Bwine shrieked, his legs flailing wildly. Below him, the bodies of two other students who had already fallen were slowly fading away.
The massive wings, the scales... there was no mistaking him.
’Hector Moore is here, too!’
Hector tightened his grip, and the barrier protecting Bwine’s face shattered with a sickening crack. Bwine’s body slumped to the ground before dissolving into thin air.
[Bwine Lodreck eliminated]
[Defending Team (12/15)]
[Sieging Team (12/15)]
"Good work, everyone," Elisa chirped, a bright smile on her face as she raised a hand. "The siege starts now! And what better way to kick off an event than with some splendid fireworks!"
With a sharp snap of her fingers, a deafening barrage of cannon fire shook the air as over a dozen cannonballs soared into the sky from outside the castle.
The bombardment rained down with a series of thunderous explosions, blasting soldiers to bits and reducing buildings to rubble.
’This is insane!’ You thought, his lips trembling. The sight of Elisa, Jull, and Hector standing beyond the burning ramparts was terrifying. ’How are we supposed to beat that combination?’
"You little grunts should hurry up and scram," Elisa called out, having finally spotted him. "If you want to stop us, why don’t you run and get Simon Polentia?"
A chilling roar from directly above made You look up. A ghost ship’s cannonball was plummeting toward him.
"Retreat! Retreat! ’Squeak!"
"Squeak!’ Run to the inner castle!"
The beastmen of the Aon Kingdom descended into chaos. Elisa smiled and waved her arm.
"The rats of the Aon Kingdom are fleeing to the inner castle," she declared. "Don’t let a single one get away!"
At her command, the cavalry of the Khan Kingdom poured through the gate like a bursting dam.

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