"Wh-what was he like?"
’What is this conversation? Why is it going in this direction?’ Being forced to listen to them discuss his future self was making Simon squirm with embarrassment.
"He was magnificent."
Serne cupped her cheeks, her smile blissful.
"That strength, that intellect, that quiet intensity. And he thought I was so adorable. ’Ohoho’."
Simon’s face twisted. ’Me? Find Serne adorable? It would be the other way around. Utterly absurd.’
"And he gave me all sorts of advice."
This part was true. His future self had told her, "If you want to find your roots, look for a person named ’Gafen’ in the Holy Federation!"
’Her roots are in the Holy Federation? Where did the Tower Master find her?’ She had been too young at the time, and Serne couldn’t remember where she came from.
"Of course—"
Looking at the intrigued Lorraine, Serne’s lips curled into a provocative smirk.
"He didn’t say a single word about you."
For a fleeting moment, Lorraine’s shoulders tensed, but she quickly masked it with a poker face.
"He was talking about you because you were there. You must be desperate to read so much into it."
"Desperate? About what?"
"I understand your predicament, trying to solve the Ivory Tower’s crisis through recruitment. But ambushing him with a recruitment pitch when he’s trying to focus on his studies and this mission only puts unnecessary pressure on him."
Lorraine’s usual calm demeanor briefly vanished, replaced by the charismatic air of an empress.
"This is a decision for Simon to make next year."
"Ah, that’s true."
The two girls’ deadly glares zeroed in on Simon. Caught in the middle, he felt his breath catch in his throat.
"Everyone, wake up! Everyone, wake up!"
Just then, an assistant’s shout echoed from outside.
"The monster attack has begun! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
The students resting indoors rushed outside into the night, a large full moon hanging in the sky. Clutching their robes against the chilly wind, they prepared for battle.
—This is Hector, the student commander.
Hector’s voice crackled from the communication crystals issued to each student.
—All of you, move to your pre-assigned defensive positions. This may be free-form combat, but you will defend your designated area. I’ll kill any bastard whose area gets breached.
Listening to the transmission, Simon smiled wryly. ’That’s so like Hector.’
—Especially any bastard who abandons their post because they saw a Guardian. I’ll go to that spot myself and kill you.
"Damn. The commander’s gonna kill more of us than the monsters will," a male student snickered.
"Hey. You think that’s funny?"
A female student from Hector’s faction glared at him. The boy whistled and walked away, feigning ignorance.
Simon watched them. ’Hector wants to command strictly according to his own strategy... but control won’t be easy.’
Before defending the fortress, the students were here to obtain a ’Guardian’, the best material for a Dullahan. Guardians were rare monsters that could only be found here in the Frigod Autonomous Region. Killing a Guardian and taking its corpse outside of Frigod was a serious treaty violation, so while one might appear on the black market, you couldn’t find a Guardian Dullahan for sale in any of the Alliance’s necromancer shops. It was an undead that money simply couldn’t buy.
Grelion had provided them with this opportunity. While the Summoning students would be fighting, their eyes would be blazing as they desperately searched for a Guardian.
"Clever, Simon," Serne said, walking alongside him. "Ditching the troublesome commander role so you can focus on finding a Guardian, are you?"
"That’s not why I passed it on," Simon replied. "In a situation like this, I think Hector is a better fit for commander than me."
"Serne Aindark!!"
As they climbed onto the wall, speak of the devil, Hector was approaching, his eyes blazing.
"You’re in Squad 11! Why are you here? Move to your designated area."
"Oh my."
Serne flashed a frighteningly sweet smile.
"Are you ordering me?"
"I have command authority," Hector said, stomping over to stand before her. The other students were watching. He had to put her in her place to establish his authority. "Return to your designated area, Serne Aindark."
He gave his final warning. The pupils of the sweetly smiling Serne turned to ice.
"No."
"Serne."
Simon sighed and pushed her back.
"Why are you causing trouble right from the start? Hurry back to your position."
Then, in a low voice, he added, ’Just let it go this once.’ Her eyes widened, and a slow grin spread across her lips.
"Hmph, well, if Simon insists."
Serne left, humming a tune.
Hector’s face crumpled into a scowl as he turned to Simon.
"You bastard. What the hell was that?"
"What?"
"I asked what your game is."
He looked even angrier than when he had been dealing with the defiant Serne. His squadmate, Pierre Buckler, stealthily moved behind Hector, ready to hold him back.
"You."
Simon said nonchalantly,
"You wanted to command, didn’t you?"
With only those words, Simon turned and returned to his squad. Lorraine, who had been preparing to intervene, smiled faintly. Toto, who had been intimidated by the atmosphere, let out a sigh of relief. Eshe, however, was watching Hector’s scowling face with a distinct flush. As soon as Simon returned, she poked him with her elbow.
"President! President! You and Hector seem pretty close!"
Simon scratched the side of his head.
"I really don’t think Hector would see it that way."
"C’mon, it’s obvious you guys get along! Think you can introduce me?"
The recent incident might have improved her relationship with Toto, but that was all. Her crush on Hector was clearly still going strong.
"No, we’re not that close..."
As he spoke, Simon flinched. He saw Toto standing behind them, his head hung in dejection.
"You’re in the same Class A, so you must be close! Oh, right, you said the Death Knight boy was also in Class A in the first year, right?"
As Eshe said that and approached Toto, Simon’s expression turned pained.
"Y-yeah. I was in Class A."
"Really? Awesome! Then maybe you could tell Hector about my..."
"Eshe!"
"Eshe!"
Simon and Lorraine shouted in unison. Eshe turned to them, a question mark hovering over her head. Before Simon could say anything, Lorraine spoke, her face a cold mask.
"Read the room. Now is not the time for that."
This was a fortress wall, and an army of monsters was advancing on them.
"Ah, I’m sorry, Lorraine. I was just trying to lighten the mood..."
Simon sighed in relief internally. ’Nice timing.’
Lorraine turned her head and spoke sharply.
"Toto, you get a grip too."
"Y-yes!"
Simon glanced at the dejected Eshe, rolling his eyes. ’She’s really something else.’ When you talked to her, you forgot whatever crisis you were in and got sucked into her world. She was the type to crack a joke even if a mana bomb went off right in front of her.
A crackle of static preceded Aaron’s voice from the communication crystal.
—This is Aaron.
All the students stopped and focused on the transmission.
—A minor problem has occurred. The number of monsters is far greater than the Shahed Kingdom predicted.
The students looked over the wall. Under the pale moonlight, a black tide of troops was advancing. The rhythmic thumping of their march carried on the wind.
They had only ever seen monster attacks as chaotic, roaring charges, but the Mimics’ advance was as orderly as a human army’s. They held torches, and some waved flags or blew horns.
The students, who had come up to the wall joking around, now had grim expressions.
"...That doesn’t look like a ’minor’ problem."
"There are too many!"
—Of course, as Professor Grelion said, as long as we are here in the name of Kizen, there can be no retreat.
Aaron’s voice came through the crystal again.
—Headquarters has determined that this battle will be difficult for the students alone and has issued additional instructions. Professor Grelion and I will also actively intervene.
A tremendous cheer erupted from the students. The Gahalic warriors preparing arrows on the wall turned in surprise, wondering what all the commotion was about.
"We get to fight with the professors!"
"This is awesome!"
To the students, a ’Kizen Professor’ was a living legend.
Above the pale moonlight, the massive undead battleships that symbolized Aaron began to materialize, one by one.
"Hmph."
And on the roof of a building below the wall, stood Grelion.
"Those bastards at headquarters. They talk about letting me train juniors and live out my golden years in peace, but they always find a way to drag me back in."
In front of him, six briefcases lay on the ground. They were shaped like briefcases, but their surfaces pulsed like living things.
"Yes, so you want to run wild today."
A briefcase with strange insect wings attached to its surface hopped up and down as if to volunteer. Grelion grinned and picked it up.
With a soft click, he undid the seal and opened the case. Inside, a mass of pulsing organs shot up. After gazing at it fondly for a moment, Grelion unhesitatingly slammed the open briefcase into his own body.
The sound of cracking bone and crunching flesh filled the air as the briefcase latched onto Grelion’s body. Countless nerve-like tendrils erupted from the case, piercing his skin and burrowing into his flesh.
"Guuuh!"
The whites of his eyes showed as he drooled. The blood vessels all over his body turned black, and the creature’s eyes embedded themselves in his chest. The flesh that flowed out of the briefcase concentrated behind his back, sprouting six different pairs of wings. A new, monstrous arm grafted itself over his own. It was as if he were carrying a massive chimera on his back.
"Khahahahahaha!"
’Grelion Original – Chimera Skin’
With a booming crack, Grelion launched himself into the air.
[All necromancers of Kizen, listen!]
At his shout, which echoed as he spread his six wings, all the students looked to the sky.
[On this continent, when we take the field, it must be a promise of victory! Win, and win decisively, by any means necessary!]
His monstrous arm spread out, and in the center, a semi-circle of compressed, unidentified energy formed.
Under the moonlight, a new moon had risen.
[Hah!]
Grelion threw the semi-circle. It flew over the fortress, slammed into the ground, and then carved a path forward, obliterating every monster in its radius.
Another roar of approval went up from the students. A single blow, and five hundred monsters—no, more—were instantly vaporized. In the path where the moon had passed, not a single trace remained.
Feeling the thrill of battle for the first time in a long while, Grelion roared.
[Begin the battle!]

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