Chapter 242

Chapter 242

After purchasing clothes for the ball, Simon and Lorain traveled back to Kizen together through a teleportation circle.

Upon returning to Kizen, Jane, the Vice-President, immediately called for Simon and Lorain.

They still weren't officially appointed, not yet having received their mission letters.

The two headed to the building where Jane's lab was at.

"...So."

Walking beside Simon, Lorain stared at him.

"You're saying that the whole thing was to pay off your debt to Serene, and acting friendly with her in Langerstine was to show off your friendliness for the Ivory Tower."

"Yeah! Yeah, that's it!"

Simon eagerly explained himself to clear up the misunderstanding.

"What a bad joke..."

Lorain closed her eyes after listening to the whole thing.

"She may not have used her feathers, but she can't seem to get enough of people unless she's controlling them somehow."

"...Haha."

Just like that, while listening to Lorain, they arrived at Jane's office. Lorain stepped forward and knocked.

"Professor Jane. We're here in regards to the mission."

Click!

The door opened right as Lorain finished speaking, Jane could be seen sitting at her desk in the distance.

She was buried in a mountain of documents despite it being the weekend.

"Welcome."

The two of them walked over and stood in front of Jane.

"This is a designated mission for you two. The client is Princess Mollie of the Dresden Kingdom."

Jane briefed them shortly, but they already knew the story.

They both agreed to accept the mission and took the letter.

"You're going to a royal event on behalf of Kizen, so please be very careful with your appearance and words, and do not tarnish Kizen's honor. That is all."

The two of them bowed. As they turned to leave, Lorain looked at the stack of papers and murmured,

"Must be tough working under my mom, Professor."

"It can't be helped."

Jane gave a small laugh.

"It was destined to be this way ever since Nefthis picked me up. And Simon Polentia?"

Simon replied nervously.

"Yes, Professor!"

"How are..."

She paused writing for a moment and looked up.

"...your injuries?"

"Oh!"

Simon was a little surprised. To think that the cold-blooded Professor Jane was worried about him!

Simon answered, feeling a little bit touched,

"I'm fine, thank you ma'am!"

"I'm glad to hear that. Please look forward to the briefing for the next Beginner Dark Magic lesson."

"What?"

"Falling from first to tenth overall is too much of a deviation, even considering that the theme of the test was unfavorable to Summoning aspirants."

Jane began to smile in anticipation.

"I'll analyze and criticize you thoroughly next week, so you'd better be prepared."

They may've been in a room where the temperature was closely monitored, but Simon felt a chill run down his spine.

"I-I won't let you down next time!"

"And you shouldn't. You are excused."

Jane picked up her quill again, and Simon and Lorain walked out of the office.

"..."

After the students had left and the door was closed, Jane put down her quill. She tapped the mana projector on her desk, and the video she watched earlier continued to play.

It showed Simon marching forward, slaying kobolds with his royal guards. A smile tugged at Jane's lips as she heard the crowd cheer.

She couldn't tell how many times she'd watched it already.

'This is the first time...'

She was Kizen's Vice-President and the Witch of Death's advisor, but for the first time, she envied the subject professors who could have their direct disciples.

* * *

The next afternoon.

Dressed in a fancy tuxedo with a matching bowtie, and leather shoes, Simon made his way to the hill where the large teleportation circle was.

However, as it was his first time wearing something like this in school, he had overlooked one fact.

"Yeah..."

Simon continued, looking at Lorain's dress,

"...By the way, you really do look great in that dress."

"Thank you. You look good in a suit, too."

"Me? I was ridiculed all the way here, though."

"I wonder~"

Serene, who was standing next to him, smiled.

"I wonder if they were really ridiculing you."

* * *

The three rode the teleportation magic circle directly to the royal palace of the Dresden Kingdom.

On one side of them was stopped carriages, and lavishly dressed nobles stepped out of them while royal butlers politely ushered them in.

Simon was about to take the two girls in dresses inside when a butler approached them.

"You must be from Kizen, right? The princess is waiting for you."

The three were guided in through a different route than the regular guests.

'I guess since we're here as Princess Mollie's bodyguards...'

Simon looked around. The palace was large and opulent, as expected of the place a royal family resided.

A sumptuous red carpet covered the floor, and the walls were lined with golden decorations. It was the height of luxury, with not a millimeter wasted.

After a while, the three were stopped in front of a room. The moment the butler opened the door, a girl in a white dress came running out, smiling broadly.

"Welcome, all three of you!"

It was Princess Mollie, the client of this mission, also known as Dr. Necromancer because of how fond of them she was.

The three greeted her politely, and the whole time she jumped in place, looking like a young fan meeting her favorite actors and actresses.

After greeting Lorain and Serene in turn, she approached Simon.

"I'm so sorry about my brother back in the first semester."

At that, Simon waved his hands in bewilderment.

"N-Not at all, Princess!"

"I heard you did a magnificent job on the recent BDMAT! I couldn't go and see you in person because my mother grounded me, but I keep hearing news about it! I'll be cheering you on from the palace!"

Seemingly excited, Princess Mollie was incredibly talkative. But Simon didn't mind her interest and enthusiasm.

With a smile on his face, he eagerly chimed in when he felt the need.

As she got to fangirling about the second test, Princess Mollie said,

"I was especially surprised to hear you used a blood golem to pass it! Isn't that a technique used by third-years? Am I right? That's amazing! How great would it be to have someone as great as you, Simon, come to our kingd—! Oh, I'm sorry! I shouldn't be talking about things like that here! Ahaha! Please pretend you didn't hear anything!"

The eyebrows of Serene and Lorain, who were standing in the back while smiling faces, twitched.

They were both very sensitive about recruitment. They hadn't expected the Dresden royal family to also show interest.

Afterward, Princess Mollie continued her rambling.

"Actually, I'm 16, and next year I'll be 17! I want to get into Kizen, so I've begged my mother to awaken me a core!"

'Hm?'

Simon blinked at the incredible story. It occurred to him that a royal family member might become his junior as a first-year.

"But Mother is really against it. She says women have a hard time giving birth to a child when they awaken their cores."

"Ha! Spreading bullsh—"

Serene quickly came to her senses and corrected,

"It is a shame that such an absurd belief has spread around~"

"Right, right?"

Princess Mollie looked back at Simon.

"I've already figured out what subjects I'm going to take when I get to Kizen, and what I'm going to major in! I was originally going to major in Poisonous Alchemy, but after seeing your duel evaluation, Simon. I changed my mind! I want to major in Summoning, too!"

Simon smirked.

"I think it's a worthy study. If you enroll in Kizen next year, I'll teach you well!"

Princess Mollie clasped her hands together in awe.

"I'll be in your hands then, Senior!"

"!"

Simon's shoulders trembled slightly.

He thought he'd be a first-year student for the rest of his life, but suddenly, hearing the word senior made his heart flutter.

Of course, that was in the distant future. Right now, all he could think about was surviving his first-year.

"Ahem."

That was when Lorain cleared her throat.

"Princess, don't you think you should be getting ready now?"

"Ah! You're right! Come on now, let me show you around. This way, please!"

——