The Summoning Department. Third-floor practice room.
Like a monk deep in meditation, Simon slowly drew his concentration to a fine point and opened his eyes. On the desk before him, a series of hearts lay on plates. They were experimental hearts from toads and small mammals, arranged from largest to smallest. The difficulty, of course, increased as the size decreased.
"Are you ready?" Professor Aaron asked from behind, a timer in his hand.
Simon nodded briskly.
"I’m ready!"
"Begin."
Simon strode to the heart on the far left. He conjured a few Tool magic circles to assist him, then enveloped the heart with his Cloud and levitated it. Carefully, so as not to rupture it, he began to engrave a micro-magic circle on its surface. ’The first band.’ The circle activated. A stream of Jet-Black flowed out, slowly forming an arching ring around the heart.
"Done!"
Even when Simon removed his hands, the heart remained suspended in the air. Aaron nodded.
"Well done. Next."
One band now orbited the heart diagonally in a clockwise direction. Simon immediately constructed a second band next to it, flowing counter-clockwise. ’The second one is okay, too.’ This, however, was where the real challenge began. He had to create the smallest band within the two intersecting, X-patterned rings.
It was the third band, one that moved back and forth from left to right across the heart. Simon carefully raised both arms. ’Focus...!’ He drew a magic circle on the heart, but just as he had formed about half of the third, compatible band...
’Splat!’
The heart burst. Blood threatened to splatter everywhere, but it was contained by a transparent barrier Aaron had erected beforehand.
"You were hasty," Aaron stated, stopping the timer. "This is what happens when you rush to create the third band without understanding the flow of the other two."
"...Ah."
"You must understand the harmony of each element, Simon," Aaron said, beginning a demonstration.
He levitated a new heart, engraved a magic circle, and swiftly deployed the first two bands.
"Now, watch the movement carefully as the third band is created."
’Thump! Thump!’
Sustained by black magic, the heart continued to beat. Aaron drew the next magic circle and wrapped the third band around it. The band wasn’t drawn at a constant speed; it paused and resumed its formation in time with the heart’s rhythm.
"Yield to the harmony," the professor instructed. "Accept the flow. When the first band completes one rotation and the second completes eight-tenths of a rotation, the third band begins to operate. Like the parts of a piano. You must understand the effect that even the smallest element has on the whole."
And with that, the third band materialized. It pulsed rhythmically, weaving left and right in an orbit centered on the heart, its speed matching the organ’s own beat. ’I see.’ It wasn’t just a matter of wrapping the heart in a perpetual loop. It was as if the pumping heart itself conducted the three bands in a perfect, harmonious dance. To Simon, these three simple bands, moving in concert with the heart, were the very pinnacle of splendor.
"Do not think of the Life Vessel as merely an undead’s heart," Aaron said, his voice low and grave. "You are placing a living, breathing heart into the chest of the dead. It is a ritual that borders on creation, far beyond mere summoning, so approach it with reverence. Banish any thought that this will simply work itself out. You must control every single element from beginning to end."
"I’ll keep that in mind."
Aaron picked up the timer again.
"There are still many hearts left. Try again."
"Yes, sir!"
Simon failed, detonating several hearts in a row, but with each failure, he discovered new avenues for improvement. ’I have to see this through to the end.’ Failure didn’t frighten him. Every time he stumbled, he gathered the scattered fragments of insight and pressed onward.
’What went wrong that time?’ He replayed the theory in his mind, challenging and refuting his own logic over and over. The more samples he had, the more reliable his hypothesis became. Each failure became another stone in the foundation he was building, a stepping stone reaching ever higher. And then, at last...
"Your sixteenth attempt for today. And your two hundred and sixteenth in total."
Aaron turned off the timer.
"Congratulations on your success, Simon."
Before Simon’s eyes, three bands rotated in perfect synchrony. His eyes were wide and unfocused, a thrilling shiver coursing through him. He clenched his fists.
"Yes!"
He threw both arms high above his head in triumph and promptly toppled over. His entire body was drenched in sweat and splattered with blood from the exploded hearts, but a grin of pure accomplishment spread across his face. Aaron watched his student with satisfaction before turning his back.
"Clean up before you leave."
"Yes! Thank you, Professor!"
The moment Aaron opened the lab door and stepped out...
"Eek?!"
A startled cry echoed in the hall. Kamibarez stood there, shoulders hunched, clutching a fluffy towel and a water bottle to her chest.
"Oh, uh, hello, Professor Aaron!"
Her face beet-red, Kamibarez bowed deeply. A faint smile touched Aaron’s lips.
"Kamibarez Ursula. Do you have business in the Summoning lab?"
"Ah, well, I was just..."
"I’m joking. Go on in."
"Y-Yes!"
Kamibarez called out Simon’s name and dashed inside.
’He seems to be enjoying school life.’
With a satisfied, almost fatherly grin, Aaron stuffed his hands in his pockets and shuffled away in his slippers.
"Alright, you maggots! Are you ready?!"
It was the afternoon Venomology class, and Professor Byulya’s voice boomed through the classroom.
"Swallow!"
In unison, the students swallowed the pills they had been holding. Instantly, hives erupted across their bodies.
"Form the hemotoxin! Stimulate your immune response and build up your resistance! The first to clear their hives raises a hand and gets checked by a TA!"
Simon closed his eyes, focusing on the flow within his body. This was Professor Byulya’s immunity class, a continuation of the infamous ‘poison-eating’ lesson that had been a hot topic since the beginning of the semester. They had moved beyond simply enduring poison. The evaluation was now based on how quickly one could adapt, create antibodies, and stabilize their body against a foreign toxin.
While Simon’s skill in ‘Jet-Black Venomology’ was average, in this particular class, he was unparalleled. It had all started during the Desert Scorpion hunt with Kamibarez. After being poisoned by the monster, Simon had lost consciousness and drifted dangerously close to death, but he had ultimately managed to overcome the venom. Since then, his resistance, fortified by black magic, had become formidable.
His hives were already subsiding faster than anyone else’s in Class A.
Finally, after a quick check in a hand mirror confirmed his face was clear, Simon shot his hand into the air. The TA who saw him glanced at the timer.
"Simon Polentia! Six minutes and ten seconds!"
A ripple of murmurs went through the students. The head TA double-checked Simon’s condition before writing his name in the number-one spot on the blackboard.
"Hector Moore! Six minutes and forty-three seconds!"
"Dammit!"
Hector slammed his fist on the desk in a burst of fury. Byulya saw this and cackled with laughter.
"Hey, good job, Dragon! Second place is great, too!"
Hector’s expression shifted in a flash as he bowed his head respectfully to her. Dick caught the act and snickered under his breath. "Typical two-faced Hector," he muttered.
Though their times varied, every student in the class eventually succeeded in forming a resistance system.
"You all make it look so easy now. That’s all for today! Have a good weekend!"
"Thank you for the lesson!"
The last class of the day, Byulya’s Venomology, was over. As Simon and Dick were chatting and heading back to the dormitory, two male students from Class A with an interest in Venomology caught up to them.
"Simon! How in the world did you build up your resistance like that?"
"Come on, teach us!"
Since he had nothing to hide, Simon told them about his Desert Scorpion hunt with Kamibarez. The two students listened, their faces draining of color.
"Sh-Should we go get stung by a Desert Scorpion, too?"
"You know, there are all sorts of ways to kill yourself," Dick quipped, telling them not to even dream of it.
As the four of them walked along, trading idle banter, they spotted a female student peeking around the corner of the practical training building. She had cream-colored hair and wore a short skirt, her eyes accentuated with intricate makeup. She seemed to be looking for someone.
"Whoa."
One of the students walking with them let out a gasp of pure admiration.
"Who is that?"
"Hey, hey. Watch your mouth," Dick hissed, shooting him a horrified look. "She’s a second-year."
To the first-years, Kizen’s second-years were practically gods. The student quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Ah!"
Just then, the second-year senior waved in their direction.
"Hey there, junior!"
They glanced around, wondering who she was calling, when Simon’s eyes widened in recognition.
"Benya!"
Simon excused himself from the others and ran over. Left behind, Dick and the two other students could only stare, their envy palpable.
"Benya... you mean ’the’ Benya Vanilla, right?"
"Some guys have all the luck..."
They watched as the two greeted each other warmly and began to chat. Then, with an excited expression, Simon grabbed Benya’s wrist and broke into a run. Startled, she was dragged along, shouting, "Wait, junior!"
"Ooh."
The envy in the three boys’ eyes intensified.
"Simon’s got more nerve than he lets on..."
"Dick!"
Meirin and Kamibarez came running up from behind.
"Where’s Simon?" Kamibarez asked, slightly out of breath.
Dick shrugged.
"He grabbed some beautiful senior’s wrist and ran off with her."
"He what?" Kamibarez breathed.
"What?" Meirin snapped.
The expressions on Kamibarez’s and Meirin’s faces froze solid.
Finally.
The time had come.
’The heart you ordered for the Life Vessel has arrived! They say it’s in Rochest right now.’
The time to create the lich he had dreamed of was here. Tonight, Simon planned to begin the ritual.
"Wait for me!"
When Simon looked back, he saw Benya hurrying toward him from a distance, panting for breath. No matter how much she channeled Jet-Black into her steps, she couldn’t match his speed. Realizing he had gotten carried away, Simon stopped.
"My apologies!"
"Ugh’, honestly!"
Benya opened her subspace and summoned a skeletal horse. Leaping onto its back in a single, fluid motion, she spread her arms and shouted.
"Grab on!"
Simon’s hand shot out and caught hers. He used the horse’s torso as a stepping stone and swung himself up behind her.
"Have you ever ridden before?"
"Yes! Should I take the reins?"
"Please."
Benya swung both her legs to one side, and Simon moved past her to grip the skeletal reins.
And so, the skeletal horse arrived in Rochest at top speed.
"We got here in no time!"
Simon, who had dismounted first, offered Benya his hand like a gentleman.
"Thanks."
She landed lightly on the ground and returned the skeletal horse to her subspace.
"This way, let’s go!"
"Yes, of course."
Having come into a large sum of money from the recent Pentamonium Academic Conference, Simon decided to spare no expense. The item he had ordered from Vanilla this time was the ‘Heart of Herseva’—a core component for a lich’s Life Vessel worth a staggering 25,000 gold. And it was waiting for him in Rochest.

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