In truth, it wasn't just the students who were fired up about this 'Dark Festival.'
"Winning the department championship is so obvious that there's no need to discuss it further," Bahil, the man in a stylish, immaculate white suit, said as he lifted his coffee cup. In front of him, the key figures of the Curse Department, including the third-year representative, all stood at attention.
"But there is something more important."
Bahil set his teacup down on the desk. "I don't care about the others, but the Summoning Department must be brought down. By any means necessary."
A third-year student rubbed his palms together and said, "Understood, Professor! To be honest, we don't even need to lift a finger for those guys! Just look at their recent Dark Festival record: sixth, fifth, seventh, seventh, seventh. If we just leave them alone, they'll..."
"It is precisely because you would spout such nonsense," Bahil cut in, a vein popping on his forehead, "that is 'precisely' why I have called you here to discuss this."
The students' expressions froze under the overwhelming pressure. It felt as if the air had grown heavy, pressing down on their heads and shoulders.
"Oh, my apologies." He dispelled the atmosphere and smiled faintly. He was back to being the gentle, sophisticated Bahil who was respected by many students.
'Click.'
Bahil lifted his teacup and closed his eyes. 'Phantasus Hugh Ikel... That fellow made the department too soft.'
Back when he taught the third-years, the Curse Department had been elite mad dogs who pursued only victory and results. But in the short time he had gone down to teach the first-years after his academic research, Phantasus had completely changed the atmosphere of the Curse Department. The thought of having to aim for the championship with these third-years, who were smiling limply without any competitive drive, gave him a headache.
"The role of the second-years is particularly important."
With a sharp snap of his fingers, Bahil made Merida Hugh Ikel, who had been dozing off, shoot her head up. She tried to pretend she hadn't been sleeping, but a line of drool was already trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Glares that screamed 'Are you crazy, in front of the professor!' poured in from all sides, but Merida simply slurped up her drool and stared into the void with sleepy eyes.
"The second-years' target is Simon Polentia. You must defeat him in the competition."
The look in Merida's eyes, which had been half-closed and drowsy, changed slightly. Bahil caught it. "Hoh, it seems you have an interest in him."
It was rare for Merida to show a reaction, so the other students also looked at her with slightly surprised eyes.
"Come to think of it, Merida, I heard you were dispatched to the Ivory Tower with my... no, with Student Council President Simon."
'Nod.'
She moved her head instead of answering.
"Can you win?"
Merida blinked her round eyes a few times before answering. "I can't win."
The students stared at the back of her head in horror. 'You should have at least said you could win!' Right now, the students just wanted to get out of Bahil's lab alive.
Bahil made a strange expression and leaned forward. "Are you admitting that Simon Polentia is a cut above you?"
"Normally, I would have won," she said bluntly. "But my brother, Phantasus, taught Simon the same Sleep magic as me. And during the Ivory Tower dispatch, I even showed him 'Muamongjung,' the State of Selfless Dream."
"I appreciate your honesty." Bahil wiggled his fingers. "It's true that he is strong. But he doesn't have any special curse resistance or dispel techniques, so there's plenty of room to exploit. I will bestow upon you all the special curses I have newly created."
A chance to learn Bahil's new curses! Merida's expression didn't change much, but the other second-years clenched their fists with excited faces.
"Thank you! Thank you! We'll do our absolute best! Professor Bahil!"
"I'll take responsibility for turning Simon Polentia into a half-corpse...!"
With a deafening crackle, the student who made the last remark was suddenly struck by black lightning and sent flying into a bookshelf. Bookshelves toppled over with creaks and groans, and various documents and scraps of paper flew everywhere.
"Poison is only medicine when administered in small doses," Bahil said, lowering his raised index finger. Among the collapsing bookshelves, a mouse was twitching as if having a seizure. "Watch your words in my presence."
The students' expressions hardened. 'Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!' He was the one who told them to beat Simon Polentia, but when they said they would crush him, he reacted like a maniac. They had no idea which tune to dance to.
'Knock, knock.'
Just then, a knock came at the lab door. Bahil spoke without turning around. "I believe I said not to let anyone in."
But ignoring his words, the door slid open. "Excuse me, Professor."
It was Chehekle, the head teaching assistant of the Curse Department. It took her five seconds to grasp the situation. The collapsed bookshelf, the mouse, and the students with expressions that screamed 'Please save us!'. It was a familiar sight.
"It's getting very late. The dormitory proctor will be looking for them, so I will be sending the students back now." She used a cancellation spell to turn the student who had become a mouse back to his original form. The student was trembling, thoroughly terrified. "Please go now. Take this student with you."
"Y-Yes!"
"Excuse us!"
The students fled Bahil's lab as if escaping. And amidst the chaos, the third-year department representative, horrified, ran back in, snatched up Merida who had been left behind while dozing, and left.
'Click.'
Chehekle closed the door, and for a moment, silence filled the lab.
"My, my." Bahil smiled faintly and lifted his teacup again. "If you're too gentle with the students, they get spoiled, Chehekle."
"You crossed the line," Chehekle said in a sharp voice. "What kind of professor in the world curses a student and turns them into a mouse?"
"I apologize for that. I got carried away because he failed to grasp his place."
Chehekle shook her head and rubbed the space between her eyebrows. 'He must be jealous after hearing about Simon's success with the Dullahan.'
"Time is flying by. Before I knew it, the midterm exams were over. At this rate, we'll miss our chance." Bahil tapped the armrest with his fingertips. "This Dark Festival is our chance. I may have to consider drastic measures."
As usual, Simon reported for duty at the student council room. He stylishly put on the student council president's coat hanging on the rack and turned around.
"Alright, let's get star..."
"Simon?"
With a heavy thump, Meirin set down a hill of documents on the desk and smiled sweetly. "Don't you dare strike a pose when you're late. Instead of looking cool, hurry up and review this."
"O-Okay." Instantly intimidated, Simon sat demurely in his office chair.
Meirin rushed off to find other materials, shouting, "Oh, look at the documents next to that first! It's a compilation of student complaints from the last Dark Festival. We're having a meeting about it in an hour!"
"Ah, got it."
Work just kept piling up. Just as Simon picked up the documents next to him and quickly skimmed through them.
"Work, work~"
With another thump, Dick set down another stack of documents. Simon stared at him with his mouth agape.
"What's this now...?"
"The list of sponsor support for this Dark Festival." Dick grinned, showing his teeth.
Simon flipped through the documents. "Wait a minute... Isn't something this important a matter for the committee to review?"
"Those are the official Dark Festival sponsors. These are more like sponsors who are coming in to provide free support to the students."
"What's the difference?"
Feeling his head start to ache, Simon began working on tasks related to the Dark Festival. The work for the Dark Festival was on a completely different level from the usual student council duties, both in volume and difficulty. He realized that even the tasks he'd previously dismissed as trivial had incredibly specific and detailed procedures behind them.
'Maybe... studying really was the easiest part.'
The work for the Dark Festival was overwhelming enough to make him think that. On top of that, the student council president's judgment was crucial. Meirin, Dick, and Kamibarez would handle their tasks, filter out the nonessentials, and submit only the most important items to Simon, leaving the final judgment and decisions to him.
Simon ran a hand through his hair as he looked over the maps and research materials. 'Build a main road on the hill? Couldn't that cause a landslide if it rains? And the festival is less than a week away...'
Of course, making the decision—and taking responsibility for it—was also his burden to bear. He felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier.
'The solution can't be worse than the problem.'
Simon stamped it with the rejection seal and moved on to the next document.
And just like that.
"Alright, time for a meeting!" Meirin announced.
An hour flew by in an instant. Work, meeting. Work, meeting. Even late into the night, the work showed no signs of ending. Normally, they would have had to be back in their dorms before curfew, but Jane had pulled some strings to grant them a special privilege. Of course, at this point, he wasn't so sure it was a privilege at all.
"Wow, the campus is creepy," Dick said, looking out the window. "All the lights are out. I think our building is the only one with its lights still on."
A crumpled ball of paper hit Dick, making him stagger.
"I told you to stop getting distracted!" Meirin shouted.
"Wow, seriously. Let a guy breathe! Are you a slave driver? You're going to work me to death!"
"What are you talking about? You've been slacking off every chance you get!"
As she spoke, Meirin pressed a hand to her forehead. "Ugh,' my blood sugar is crashing. I'm craving something sweet."
"Me too!"
A knock sounded at the door.
As if on cue, Mojo, the leader of their direct subordinates, entered the student council room. "A delivery from Professor Jane. She said you should eat while you work."
The four students' eyes widened. A team of subordinates brought in freshly baked pies, platters of chicken, and an array of other delectable dishes. Meirin scrambled to clear the cluttered desk.
"You should have some too, Mojo!" she offered.
"Thank you for the offer, but we're having our own meal in the break room. Please, enjoy."
The members paused their work, gathering around the table for a late-night feast.
Meirin's face lit up with bliss as she bit into a slice of pizza generously drizzled with honey. "This is literally saving my life."
"It's so delicious!" Kamibarez chirped.
Simon and Dick devoured their food with the intensity of soldiers in battle.
"Wow, I had a huge dinner, but I can still pack this away," Dick marveled.
"Tell me about it," Simon agreed.
The four of them enjoyed their meal in a cheerful, easygoing atmosphere. Chewing on a chicken leg, Dick leaned back against the sofa. "Eating is great and all, but we have to pull all-nighters like this for nearly three weeks? I'd rather you just kill me now."
"I'm just so happy right now!" Kamibarez exclaimed, flapping her small bat wings. "Being here together like this, working late, eating delicious food, and just talking... I know I'll look back on this as a really fond memory!"
She meant that this—the hard work, the late nights—was all an essential part of the school experience. Simon and Dick nodded with a smile. Kamibarez clenched her small fists, her eyes shining with determination. "I'm going to work even harder from now on!"
Meirin couldn't hold back any longer. "Kami! You're so adooorable!" She suddenly launched herself forward, burying her face against Kamibarez's shoulder. Kamibarez's eyes went wide with surprise before she softened, gently stroking Meirin's hair.
"Meirin, why have you been acting like such a baby lately?"
"Hehe, I've always been like this."
Simon smiled to himself. Meirin had been through an emotional wringer recently, but it seemed she had finally recovered and found her footing again.
"Ugh, that cutesy voice is so cringey, seriously." Dick grimaced in disgust but couldn't hide his own chuckle, which earned him a swift kick from behind by Meirin. The room filled with the bright, clear sound of Simon and Kamibarez's laughter.
Two days later, Simon and the student council members stood atop a hill, looking out at the sea.
"They're here!" Kamibarez announced.
Roc Island, home to Kizen, was notorious for its violent currents and towering waves. But today, the sea was uncharacteristically calm, and it would remain so for the next few weeks.
"I'm so excited for the Dark Festival!" she added.
"Yeah," Simon agreed. "This is where it all really begins."
Against the backdrop of the brilliant blue sea, a fleet of thousands of ships sliced through the water, their destination set for Roc Island.

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