After the late-night party ended, Simon went up to his room and lay down on his bed. Perhaps because he was feeling restless, sleep didn’t come easily. He stared blankly up at the ceiling for a while, until the accumulated fatigue in his body finally caught up with him, and his eyes slowly closed.
How long had he been asleep? A soft tickling sensation brushed against his nose.
"Excuse me. Are you awake, sir?"
His facial muscles kept twitching, and his nose crinkled. He groggily brushed his face with his arm, but the relief was only temporary. The light tickling sensation returned. Left with no choice, he opened his eyes.
"Whoa!"
A pale face appeared right in front of him. He saw a girl staring intently at him, her large golden eyes wide open. In her hand, she held a piece of fluff that seemed to have poked out from his pillow.
"Lethe?"
Jolted fully awake, Simon hastily pulled up the blanket to cover himself. He was only wearing pants, leaving his upper half completely bare. Seeing him so flustered, Lethe giggled playfully.
"You are awake, sir."
"Why are you in my room?"
"Requesting permission to sit."
Before he could even grant permission, Lethe plopped down on Simon’s bed. She hummed softly as she glanced around the room. Seeing the expression on Lethe’s face, Simon sat up straighter, his own expression turning serious.
"You’re planning to leave."
Lethe nodded. Her white hair swayed lightly, brushing against her shoulders.
"I realized many things after returning from the past. I witnessed Teacher Anna during her days as the Saintess of Miracles, as well as the Betrayal Legion incident. After personally experiencing such monumental events... how should I put it."
She grabbed the swaying ends of her hair and twirled them around.
"I realized my running away was nothing more than a childish tantrum. Teacher Anna endured and overcame incredibly difficult situations. Yet, I could not even handle my own burdens and considered abandoning my position as Saintess."
She let out a long sigh.
"Therefore, I intend to return. I will go back, earn the acknowledgment of the people as a Saintess, and become much stronger. Only then will I be capable of making a difference in this world."
Simon opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately just smiled warmly.
"If that’s what you want, I understand."
"Yes, sir."
"But isn’t it a bit early to leave? You should at least say goodbye when my parents wake up..."
She shook her head.
"I believe I must leave now, while my resolve is firm."
For Lethe, living in this quiet mountain village had been incredibly happy and enjoyable. Having no family of her own, she wondered if this was what having one felt like. That was exactly why she felt that if she stayed any longer, she would become intoxicated by the comfort, and the resolve she had worked so hard to build would dull.
"Besides, you know how it is."
A somewhat embarrassed flush rose to her face as her eyes curved into a smile.
"If I see Teacher Anna’s face when saying goodbye, I will likely lose my composure and cry."
"Haha, I suppose you’re right."
"I have already left a letter."
Rising from her seat, she walked over with light steps and threw open the window of Simon’s room. With a sharp clack, the chilly night breeze rushed into the room, sending Lethe’s white hair fluttering wildly.
"Wait! At least let me escort you to Hob—"
"Ahaha, negative. I cannot cause you any more trouble."
Lethe was not used to goodbyes at all. Instead, she flashed a bright smile and pointed a finger upward, promising a future meeting.
"Until we meet again, continue your training. If we were to meet on the battlefield right now, you would be finished in one or two strikes."
Simon smiled faintly at those words.
"We’d have to fight to find out."
"It is your turn to visit my side next time, understood? Well then!"
Lethe smiled brightly and leaned backward. As her body tipped out the window, Simon jumped up in shock and ran over.
"Lethe!"
Simon hurriedly looked out the window and let out a sigh of relief. Lethe, riding on the back of a white dragon, was smiling sweetly and waving her hand.
"Write to me, Simon!"
Her divine beast, Ran, flashed brightly before shooting off like a comet. Simon stood blankly by the window, watching until the light completely disappeared from his view.
"Have a safe trip back, Lethe."
With Lethe gone, daily life returned to normal. Richard and Anna were disappointed that she had left so early, but they understood her decision. And Simon still had one more thing he needed to do.
"What’s this, Simon?"
Simon approached Richard, who was sitting in the garden smoking a pipe, and handed him a book. It was the book he had obtained after fighting Bleta.
"I recently fought a member of the Secret Society. This is an item he had on him."
"Hmm."
Richard accepted the book nonchalantly, but as he looked at it, his eyes suddenly widened.
"How is this possible..."
His urgent hands rapidly flipped through the pages. His bloodshot eyes frantically scanned the contents of the book.
"It contains the method to create a dark spirit, and even how to coat a spirit in jet-black."
Soon, he reached the final page. He let out a heavy, lamenting sigh.
"What happened to him?"
"He died."
"I figured as much. Did he leave any last words?"
"Yes."
Simon nodded with a stiff expression.
"He said, ’I’m glad you were the last person I saw."
Richard sat motionless for a moment, covering his face with his hand. Then, with a trembling hand, he placed the pipe back in his mouth and exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Look at this."
In the heavy atmosphere, Richard opened the last page of the book.
’Omitted below. Bleta Polentia.’
"Ah..."
"There’s no need to hide it. Bleta was my older brother. He was the eldest son of the Polentia family."
The Polentia family was a family of elementalists. And Richard’s father, the head of the Polentia family, had four sons. There was a reason he mercilessly abused his sons, including Richard. While it might have partly been to vent his anger, the most important reason was that he wanted to raise his sons to be the most powerful ’dark elementalists’ in the world.
Dark elementalists fed and grew on negative energy—the terrible emotions and memories of humans. The head of the Polentia family abused and assaulted his own sons, hoping they would harbor more powerful negative energy than anyone else. It was the Polentia family’s desperate last resort as their influence declined with the changing times. He had been conducting experiments to combine a necromancer’s jet-black with dark spirits.
And all this information—the true nature of the dark spirit experiments and why he had to be abused—Richard only discovered through personal investigation twenty years after leaving the family.
"My brothers submitted to our father’s abuse," Richard said in a hard voice.
"Please spare me, Dad, please spare me," they just helplessly appealed to our father’s mercy. Only I, who was a rebel from birth, resisted and talked back. I thought my brothers were frustrating, but I couldn’t leave my own flesh and blood behind in that hell, so I told them we should run away immediately, even if it meant tomorrow night."
Simon swallowed hard, hanging onto every word.
"But what I got in return was my brothers’ betrayal. Subjugated and brainwashed by our father’s absolute authority, my brothers told him about my plan to escape, and begged in terror for him not to hit them because they were good boys. I was locked in solitary confinement, covered in blood, and survived for months by drinking dew. And filled with spite, I thought to myself: They are no longer my brothers, they are all just the same Polentia bastards."
Muttering bitterly, Richard brushed back his disheveled hair.
"That’s how I escaped the family and lived as Yona. From what I heard later, a massive fire broke out at the Polentia estate. Everyone there died at that time. It was probably... Bleta’s doing."
Simon silently nodded. Dark elementalists, who handled spirits that fed on negative emotions, inevitably suffered mental collapse and distortion. It was more than plausible that Bleta would commit such an act.
"Bleta must have been plagued by immense guilt. For the Secret Society to approach a man whose mind had already shattered and manipulate him to their will would have been child’s play."
Exhaling a long stream of smoke, he waved the ’Dark Spirit’ book Simon had brought him.
"This is still too dangerous for you."
"Are you going to burn it?"
"No."
He stared at the book with a complicated gaze.
"Still, it is the last legacy of the Polentia family. I plan to look into various ways we might be able to put it to use. If there is a way to mitigate side effects like the negative emotions, I will teach it to you as well."
Simon’s eyes sparkled. Richard placed the book on his lap and spoke with absolute finality.
"Until then, don’t even dream about it. No matter how much you love learning."
"Of course!"
"Good."
Richard stood up from his seat.
"Start getting ready to head out. We still have a long way to go to finish cleaning up the aftermath of the heavy rain."
Simon smiled cheerfully.
"Yes, sir!"
With that, Simon went into the house to pack his things. Richard took one last deep drag of his pipe.
"The Secret Society..."
A faint anger flickered in his eyes as he looked at the book left behind by his last blood relative.
"They’re starting to cross the line."
With Lethe gone, daily life returned to normal. The restoration work from the heavy rain in Leshill continued. They re-dug drainage ditches ruined by mud, cleared away dangerous trees that threatened to collapse, and guided encroaching monsters back away from human territory. Alongside Richard, Simon built new homes for the territory residents who had lost their shelters to the swollen valley waters.
The rhythmic sound of hammering echoed through the air. Listening to the sound of hammering, Simon lay on a picturesque grassy field. He supported the back of his head with his arms and soaked in the blazing sunlight. Time really flew by.
Working frantically, several weeks had already passed. Simon rolled over and gestured. Bones clattered as skeletons hammered nails and floated in the air in their Bone Armor state to carry toolboxes. Now that they had accumulated experience and proficiency, mistakes like before no longer occurred.
Placing wood, securing it with ropes, and hammering nails—the division of labor was systematic. Even the detailed work was handled without a hitch.
’My undead control has really improved a lot during this time.’
Simon grinned and looked back. While his undead were building the house, the empty Dragonian suit, without a wearer, was moving on its own, performing martial arts movements. It extended its legs and swept its arms in fluid arcs. It was as smooth as a human’s movements.
Passing territory residents would often stare in awe, fascinated by the sight. However, Simon rested his chin on his hand, seeming somewhat dissatisfied.
"Hold on, come here."
Simon turned off the power to the Dragonian’s magic circle, then tweaked the parts that creaked or had unnecessary movements on the spot. Since he still had spare drake bones left, he even replaced parts if necessary. After swapping out the creaking spots with new bones, Simon had the Dragonian suit perform the martial arts movements again.
"Hmm."
He was satisfied as the movements became slightly smoother than before.
"Alright."
Both the reconstruction of Leshill and his undead training were going smoothly. It was peaceful. However, just lying on the grass under the warm sunlight occasionally made him feel bored. In the past, he would have loved lying around all day, but lately, being stuck in Leshill made him antsy.
It was likely because he had gone on such incredible adventures and gained so much combat experience since enrolling in Kizen.
’How am I supposed to wait until the semester starts?’
Just as Simon was sighing heavily, his eyes widened.
"Ah!"
That man with a long, horse-like lower face was Gilbert, who handled the mail for Leshill. Simon jumped up from the grass and ran over.
"Mr. Gilbert!"
The man, walking with a mailbag slung over his shoulder, saw Simon and burst into a hearty laugh.
"Haha, look who it is. Young Master Simon!"
"Have you been well?"
Simon, having dashed over in a single breath, stared at the bag with sparkling eyes. Gilbert chuckled and rummaged through it.
"I had to stop by your house anyway, so this saves me the trouble."
He handed Simon an armful of letters. There were letters from Meirin, Dick, and Kamibarez. Simon smiled brightly and thanked Gilbert.
"Thank you!"
In his somewhat boring life in Leshill, the letters from his friends were his only joy. It was his only way to communicate with them. After finishing the rest of his work, Simon returned home and opened the letters on his bed. Now, he could tell who was who at a glance just by looking at the contents.
’You should be grateful that I’m taking time out of my day to send you a letter! Today I focused on studying jet-black flame systems, and...’
Meirin’s neat and sophisticated handwriting.
’Simon! I brought a puppy to the old castle to raise, but my dad is against it. What should I do?’
Kamibarez’s cute, rounded handwriting on stationery decorated with ribbons and stickers.
’Hey, I set up a stall outside and sold potions. Made five gold just today. Oh, and my twin siblings managed jet-black form transformation. They might actually come as first-years next year.’
Dick’s handwriting was so messy, and the content so scattered, that Simon had to read it a couple of times to understand. The stationery even seemed to be scrap paper, as the back was covered in various calculations.
The more he read his friends’ letters, the more he wanted the break to end so he could see them again. Resting and healing in peaceful Leshill was nice, but he found himself missing the fierce days at Kizen, clashing with his peers. As he skimmed through the various letters, Simon’s eyes widened.
"Huh?"
An unexpected letter had arrived.
’To Student Simon Polentia’
Simon immediately looked at the bottom of the letter.
’From Professor Hongfeng’
’P-Professor Hongfeng?’
Startled, Simon sat up straight. This was his first time receiving a letter from a professor. Perhaps because he was a student, a wave of tension washed over him reflexively, making him wonder if he had done something wrong.
However, he figured Hongfeng wasn’t the type to send a letter just to scold him. Relaxing his mind again, he tore open the envelope.
’Hello, Simon. It is Professor Hongfeng. I wanted to send you a letter but had a hard time because I did not know your address. Even with my status, the headquarters said they could not disclose a student’s personal information, so I fought with the staff.’
’Nephthys, who was passing by, said she would send it by mail for me instead. I hope the letter arrived safely.’
Simon smiled broadly as he read down the letter.
’I feel like I can hear her voice every time I read it.’
And he also realized that while Hongfeng pronounced certain words strangely, her writing was completely normal.
’Getting to the point, I would like to invite my most cherished students to my hometown home in the ’Grassland’.’
A jolt of surprise ran through him.
Excited, Simon jumped up from the bed and stood straight. She was inviting him to her home?
’My hometown in the Grassland is a quiet place with beautiful nature. There are many fun things to do. There are also many ancient ruins and adventures. I will guide you myself, and I am confident it will be fun.’
Simon’s hands trembled as he quickly read through the rest of the letter. The trip would be about a week long. She added that when the trip ended and the semester started, she would use her authority as a Kizen professor to let them use a teleportation magic circle to go straight to Roc Island. This meant there would be no scheduling issues.
Even the members going together were perfect. It would have been awkward if someone they weren’t close to was included, but she had invited the core four: Simon, Meirin, Dick, and Kamibarez.
’I-I want to go.’
Simon gulped. He felt that the break, which he had assumed would pass by in boredom, would be packed with excitement if he visited Hongfeng’s home.
’DRIP. DROP.’
The sound of dripping rainwater echoed in a place where light barely seeped in. Somewhere in a deep underground temple filled with tangled vines and moss, Hongfeng hung in the darkness.
Her long brown hair, once tied tightly back, hung damp and heavy, dripping with rainwater. Both of her arms were raised, suspended by thick chains. Hissing softly, snakes slithered across the floor before slipping into the cracks between the bricks of the underground temple.
[Is it bearable, Professor Hongfeng?]
A dark voice echoed. Drained of all strength and slumped over, she slowly raised her head. Through her drooping hair, her eyes alone still shone brightly.
"I know who you are."
Her lips twitched.
"Former Ancient Undead of the 7th Legion, Mur, the Zin of the Dead. Many acrozz the continent dezire your painful demize."
A robed figure revealed itself from the darkness. Gripping a massive staff, only its glowing eyes flashed from within the cowl.
[I am honored that you know me.]
He glided forward without a single footstep, as if floating in the air.
"What iz zomeone like you plotting in the Grazzland?"
With a heavy thud, the staff struck the floor, and a low voice echoed.
[You will soon find out, even if you do not want to. Watch slowly in despair.]

Comments

Loading...