With a deafening rumble and a thunderous crash, the roofs and debris of the ruins, which had floated high into the sky as if defying gravity, plummeted to the ground one by one. Not a single tower remained standing in the ancient city. They had all been sheared flat, leaving nothing but clean cross-sections. Meirin stared blankly at the debris raining down around them.
Then, a sudden realization hit her. ’Am I... being held by Pion right now?’ At that thought, her face flushed as red as the sunset sky.
Finding it hard to believe, she turned her head, her gaze meeting the terrifying skull helmet that concealed his entire face. A shadow-like cloak wrapped around his imposing frame. He was intimidating, certainly, but she didn’t feel an ounce of danger from him. Amidst her swirling thoughts, she suddenly worried if she had been eating a bit too much lately.
She nervously shifted her arms, wrapping them securely around his neck. He didn’t react, simply standing like a stoic statue on the hill.
"T-Thank you for saving me," Meirin stammered, her face burning hot.
As expected, he didn’t reply. He felt more like a block of stone than a person, but the radiating warmth against her arms proved he was a living, breathing man with a beating heart.
"You came again. Just like when we first met in the Deathland, during the Saintess incident, and in the Neutral Zone."
He remained silent. They crossed paths far too often for it to be a mere coincidence. There had to be some underlying fate drawing them together this frequently.
"The new Seventh Legion Commander," she murmured, solidifying his identity before dropping her voice to a whisper. "Who exactly are you?"
Before she realized it, her pale, slender fingers grazed the helmet, tracing the boundary where the cold metal met the nape of his neck. She wanted to pull it off right then and there. She wanted to see his face. ’Couldn’t I just take it off?’
’His hands are full holding me anyway. Just a little bit more. If I just muster a little more courage...’ Her fingertips slid beneath the edge, lifting the helmet ever so slightly.
A smooth, sharp jawline, a distinctly masculine Adam’s apple, and the taut skin of his neck came into view. Just that glimpse was enough to make her breath hitch and force a dry swallow down her throat. ’I want to see. I want to see his face.’
It was a burning temptation, a true Pandora’s box. She felt that if she could just look upon his face, all her frustrating questions and the tangled knots in her heart would finally unravel. But... ’What right do I have?’
’When all I ever do is rely on his help.’ Moreover, the Legion Commander of Betrayal was desperately hiding his identity from the entire continent. Was it really okay for her to expose him just to satisfy her own curiosity? She knew it wasn’t.
Meirin pulled her hand away. The skull helmet slid back down, completely concealing his jaw once more.
[I came to secure my undead.]
Finally, the stoic Legion Commander spoke. His voice was so cold and eerie that it made her shoulders flinch. Yet, despite the trembling in her chest, she offered a resolute smile.
[Just like in the Deathland, an Ancient Undead of the former legion was here. That is all.]
"Oh."
Her mind raced. The giant snake they had fought earlier must have been a summon or familiar controlled by an Ancient Undead. A creature powerful enough to hold back Professor Hongfeng had been lurking in this grassland, and Pion, the newly ascended Legion Commander of Betrayal, had come to claim it. The complex puzzle pieces were finally snapping into place.
[I have no more business here.]
Meirin felt herself slowly descending as the Legion Commander bent his knees to set her down. Her feet, which had been dangling in the air, gently touched the ground.
[Return to your companions.]
She didn’t want to. She didn’t want to leave his side. If she had her way, she would have clung to him and stubbornly refused to let go, whining like a child. What if he just whisked her away right now?
She imagined living with him in some secret place no one in the world knew about. However, contrary to her selfish desires, she obediently stepped back and stood straight. She wanted to look her absolute best in front of him. Having set Meirin down, Pion turned his back, his tattered cloak fluttering sharply in the wind.
Meirin quickly spoke up.
"Are you leaving?"
No answer came, but she recognized the silence as an affirmation. She slowly leaned forward, resting her body against his broad back.
"Don’t listen too closely to the hurtful things people say," she murmured.
He remained silent.
"I’m always watching you. Watching you fight the Saintesses of the Holy Federation, the Ancient Undead that throw the world into chaos, and the prejudices of the world."
Emotion bled into her voice.
"Even from afar, I will sincerely cheer you on. And,"
Finally, Meirin smiled brightly and stepped back.
"I believe that this world, too, will soon recognize your efforts and dedication."
Pion didn’t say a word. He didn’t nod, nor did he confirm or deny her words. He simply stood still for a moment before bending his knees. With a powerful leap, he soared into the air, vanishing toward the far end of the temple in an instant.
"Pion," she whispered.
Clasping her hands together, her face flushed, Meirin gazed longingly in the direction he had disappeared.
Meanwhile.
’I’m in big trouble!’ After displaying the imposing, solemn demeanor of a Legion Commander in front of Meirin and slipping behind the temple, Simon was sprinting across the ground as fast as his legs could carry him. ’What do I do now? Everyone must be looking for me.’
’Where should I say I went?’ Simon pushed up Pier’s helmet with his fingertips and took a deep, ragged breath. His face was burning hot.
[Kuhuhuhuhu!]
Pier’s booming laughter echoed in his head.
[How amusing! Are you embarrassed by what that girl said earlier, boy?!]
’T-That’s not it!’
Simon shook his head vigorously in denial as he ducked into a nearby ruined temple. He frantically scanned the area, searching for a suitable place to pretend to be unconscious.
"The battle is over, so people will come looking for me soon," Simon muttered. "Do you want to retreat to the subspace, Pier?"
[No, I still have work to do!]
With a clatter of bones, Pier detached himself from Simon’s body. The towering skeleton chuckled, hoisting his greatsword over his shoulder.
[I will continue to chase after Mur.]
"Will you be okay on your own?"
[More than enough!]
Simon nodded, warning him not to overdo it. Pier detached his ’clone’ and handed it over. Simon pinned it to his clothes like a badge before Pier strode out of the temple. ’Then where would be a good place for me to... Ah!’
He spotted a small gap beneath a caved-in section of the ceiling. Simon forcefully squeezed his body inside. He planned to claim he had been luring and fighting monsters when the temple suddenly collapsed, knocking him unconscious.
"Simon! Where are you?!"
"Please answer! Simon!"
Right on cue, the desperate voices of Dick and Kamibarez echoed from outside the temple. Panic spiking, Simon desperately shoved himself deeper into the rubble.
[Kuhuhu! I wonder if you really need to go this far!] Pier’s clone remarked, observing the ridiculous situation.
"I have to. I was missing throughout this entire battle, after all."
Simon tapped the ceiling to ensure the collapsed debris was stable before continuing.
"If I don’t want them connecting the dots between the Legion Commander and Simon Polentia, I need to do at least this much, even if it’s a little dangerous."
[Kuhuhu!]
Well, all that was left was to fake fainting. ’Should I bang my head hard against the ceiling? Or should I scream for help and act like I just woke up?’ No, that lacked realism.
Just as Simon was racking his brain—
’CRACK!’
He heard a distinct grinding noise, like a load-bearing stone slipping out of place. ’Huh?’ A moment later, Dick and Kamibarez heard Simon’s bloodcurdling scream and urgently rushed inside.
It was the afternoon of the next day when Simon finally opened his eyes. ’Ah.’ He was inside Professor Hongfeng’s house. Glancing down, he saw his leg tightly wrapped in bandages and completely immobilized.
According to Kamibarez, when they found him, the debris from the collapsed ceiling had shifted and pinned his leg. He was incredibly lucky it hadn’t been worse. Why on earth had he done that? Simon promised himself over and over that, no matter how desperate the situation, he would never do something so recklessly stupid again.
"Simon! I’m so sorry. You were trying to save us, and...!"
"I told you not to overdo it! Honestly, you’re impossible!"
He had worried his friends might criticize him for missing the main battle, but upon seeing him injured, they only offered encouragement, wishing him a speedy recovery. Above all, they kept apologizing. In any case, the situation had been resolved. The Eildar Hydra was completely destroyed.
The moment Simon severed his target’s neck, he had strongly sensed that it was the final head, and his instinct had been correct. Professor Hongfeng, the Combat Magic students, and the first-year trio had joined forces to sever the ninth head. With Simon taking out the tenth, the Eildar Hydra, the secret weapon Mur had painstakingly prepared, was permanently erased from the world. Mur had vanished from the grassland shortly after his Hydra’s destruction.
The villagers he had captured were also safely returned. They had been cursed and held in the experimental area for the next ritual, only to be discovered by the escaping Combat Magic group. Reunited, they hugged one another, tearfully reveling in their freedom. After waking up, Simon was confined to bed rest in Hongfeng’s house.
Hongfeng occupied the bed opposite his. Her condition had been so dire that Simon’s injuries and exhaustion paled in comparison. It was only natural, considering she had pushed herself to fight for over a month without a drop of water or a crumb of food. Yet, the moment she regained consciousness, she devoured every scrap of food in sight.
’Is she an elephant?’ Simon watched in sheer horror as she polished off fifty servings of food in a single sitting. Then, taking breaks to meditate, practice deep breathing, and accelerate her digestion through various martial techniques, she visibly regained her muscle mass and returned to her former self.
The word ’superhuman’ truly must have been coined for Professor Hongfeng.
The day the battle ended had been a frantic blur, but by the following evening, the Marlat clan hosted a grand feast to celebrate everyone’s safe return. They stacked timber in the center of the village to build a roaring campfire, and the locals celebrated by performing traditional dances and passing around strong drinks. The Student Council members, the first-year trio, and the Combat Magic students happily mingled with the crowd.
Thanks to Hongfeng’s emphasis on education within her clan, quite a few of the younger members spoke the continental language fluently. While everyone else was having a great time dancing and clinking glasses, Simon could only watch.
"Ugh."
He observed the festivities from a half-reclined position, his leg still heavily bandaged. Confined to strict bed rest, he couldn’t partake in the rich food, let alone the alcohol. It was a struggle just to shift his weight.
He was quietly watching Dick regale the Marlat clan with exaggerated tales of their battle against the Hydra when a familiar voice called out.
"How are you holding up?" Meirin asked, approaching with a bright smile.
"Oh, Meirin."
"Mind if I sit next to you?"
"Of course not."
Meirin plopped down beside him. Simon instantly went rigid.
"I’m always watching you. Watching you fight the Saintesses of the Holy Federation, the Ancient Undead that throw the world into chaos, and the prejudices of the world."
"I believe that this world, too, will soon recognize your efforts and dedication."
Ever since hearing those heartfelt words, Simon hadn’t been able to look her in the eye. Just the memory of it made his face burn.
"You know, Simon," she began softly.
"Yeah?"
"I have something to tell you."
She stared intently into his eyes.
"I met Pion yesterday."
Simon gulped.

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