Chapter 191

Chapter 191

2am.

There was something eerie about the city at night. No lights, just a looming darkness.

It was a side of Langerstine that only its residents knew. Tourists only thought of this place as a bustling metropolis.

But this night in particular, while everyone was asleep, a hooded figure quietly took in the night view from his chair on a terrace.

"Yaaaawwnnn."

A lazy voice came from behind him as if to break the immersion.

There was a man holding his bulging belly, his full beard swaying as he staggered onto the terrace.

The hooded man smirked, placing the cigar he was smoking between his fingers.

"Tired?"

"Don't even get me started."

The bearded man smacked his lips and rubbed his eyes.

"Making this mess by visiting so early in the morning How could I not be tired?"

"You've adapted well to city life."

The man's gaze fell on the bearded man's bulging belly and stretched clothes.

The bearded man chuckled, and he patted his stomach.

"It's a neighborhood full of frauds, but once you get used to it, it's alright. After all, I'd rather live a life full of drama than herd sheep on the grassy plains."

"Sounds like you're having fun."

The man's tone expressed displeasure, contrary to his words.

The bearded man yawned again.

"I'm sleepy, so get to the point already. I already told you that I can't find them."

"It's someone else today."

The man tossed the stub that remained of his cigar out off the side of the building and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It was a photograph taken with a mana camera.

"I'm looking for this boy."

The bearded man's eyes blinked as he looked at the photograph.

"I heard he's an S.A. 1 student being pampered by Kizen. His name is Simon Polentia."

The bearded man frowned.

"I'm warning you, it's better to not get involved with Kizen. Especially not their students. You know what Nefthis did to Efnel after they terrorized a bunch of first-years, right?"

"I know."

The man took the photo and put it back in his pocket.

"Just tell me if you can find him or not."

"Well, even if we don't look for him, it's back-to-school season soon, so I'm sure he'll be he"

The bearded man flinched and turned around.

"What's wrong?"

"We're not alone."

The bearded man walked slowly and peeked into the living room. A mouse was running around the house.

He let out a sigh of relief.

"We're on the third floor, for goodness' sake! When did that thing get in here?"

He muttered irritably before grabbing a nearby broom. The mouse was busy nibbling on the crumbs of snacks in the house.

"That's right, stay still"

As he lifted his broom, the rat looked back at the bearded man. Its eyes were gleaming with the insanity of a wild beast.

"!"

Right on cue, hundreds of pairs of eyes flashed from the shadows.

"Ahhhhhh!"

The bearded man fell to the floor in panic, losing his grip on the broom. A swarm of mice began spilling forward.

The hooded man jumped to his feet as well.

"Dammit! It's him!"

"Uwaaah! Aaaagh!"

The bearded man tried to run back into the living room to escape the horrific swarm of mice, but his path was blocked by countless cockroaches coating the walls, floor, and ceiling.

He covered his mouth and retched.

Shrrrrrrrrr.

Something was rising from the darkness outside the terrace.

It was a person.

He was standing on the edge of the terrace, upon the third floor, and something indeterminable swarmed around him.

"Ahhh! Ahhhhhhh!"

The bearded man's mouth foamed in terror while the hooded man smirked and pulled a sword from his waistband.

"To think you'd come to me yourself!"

The man charged in.

Tap.

On his first step, red spots appeared all over his body.

Tap.

On the second, those red spots became terrible rashes

Tap.

On the third, his hands and feet turned a sickly yellow.

Finally, as he took his fourth step, he collapsed on the floor, groaning.

After paying for and stepping out of the carriage, Simon closed his eyes and took a deep breath, filtering out the cacophony of chatter that filled the streets.

'Let's meet up with Cami.'

Rick said he was busy doing something in Langerstine, and Meilyn said she would arrive tomorrow. It seemed quickest to meet Camibarez first.

Simon climbed the sloping central road at a leisurely pace.

'If I remember correctly, she said she'd be waiting on Kemmelroad.'

Kemmelroad was a street that sold necromancer supplies. Simon remembered buying his subspace and textbooks there with Lorain before he started school.

He walked along, reminiscing.

'By the way, this place It's hillier than I remembered.'

Again, the city's sloping roads were quite steep, and he had to work up a sweat to get to the main business district.

There was even a joke that those living in Langerstine can never skip leg day, even if they tried.

Rattle rattle!

A carriage pulled up beside Simon as he walked up the hill.

"Hey~!"

Simon stopped. The carriage door cracked open, revealing a pair of shapely legs.

Then, it was fully opened, revealing a woman with long, ivory hair.

As Simon stood there dumbfounded, she smiled and pushed up her sunglasses.

"Good to see you again, Simon~ Are you here to prepare for school?"

"Serene!"

It was Serene Aindark, Kizen's S.A. 2 and the official heir of the Ivory Tower.

She winked and asked,

"Were you going somewhere?"

"Why?"

Simon couldn't help but put his guard up in the presence of Serene. She moved to the side and patted the spot where she'd been sitting.

"Langerstine is complicated. Hop on! I'll take you where you want to go."

"No, there's no need for you to"

"What do you think you're doing?!"

A harsh shout interrupted him, soon followed by many other voices coming from behind Serene's carriage on the road.

"Are you crazy?!"

"Why the hell are you stopping in the middle of the road?!"

Looking back at the furious coachmen, Serene grabbed a handful of her long ivory hair and shook her head gracefully from side to side.

As her velvety hair swayed side to side, white feathers flew out of it and stuck themselves into the napes of the complaining coachmen. Their anger was soon replaced with flushed cheeks, and they looked a little tipsy.

"Ehehehe."

"You know, you can stop the carriage from time to time"

"Life is healthier when you take it easy."

Simon laughed awkwardly at the men's sudden change in behavior.

As the passengers in the carriages urged them to move on, the coachmen got mad at them. This moment froze up traffic all over Langerstine.

"Are you going to keep a lady waiting?"

Serene smiled as she patted the empty seat again.

"Haaa."

Eventually, Simon hopped onto the carriage.

"Let's go~"

She said in a sweet voice, and the coachman flicked the reins to get the horses going.

"Where were you headed?"

She put her sunglasses back on and chuckled.

"Kemmelroad."

"You heard him, driver!"

Through the thin fabric, the silhouette of a man could be seen flicking the reins, skillfully guiding the horse's head so it would trot into a side alley.

Serene stretched out her long legs, crossing one over the other, and then clasped her hands together in her lap and smiled.

"We're going to have another intense time at Kizen, aren't we? Let's work well together for the semester."

"Yeah. Thanks for the ride."

"No problem~ So, this counts as another stamp?"

"I'll get off."

"Ahaha! I'm just kidding!"

Simon didn't really mind, but the more Serene mentioned stamps, the more it started to bother him.

That was when Serene rapped her fist on the coachman's back through the thin fabric.

"Hey, driver, are you really not going to say hello? You haven't seen each other for almost two months."

""

'Just who is he?'

The silhouette pulled his fabric aside, revealing a familiar face.

The man had gray hair, a face full of scars, a sharp jawline, and the eyes of a wolf.

The surprise of meeting him here only made the encounter more exciting for Simon.

He shouted,

"Kajann!"