Chapter 6
"D-Don't be ridiculous, contact Neftis right now! How dare you people treat me like this…!"
Boom.
Lucius' body vanished from the world.
Only a few drops of what appeared to be blood fell to the floor with a splatter.
That was it.
Everyone stood there with their mouths agape, blinking in disbelief.
"There's no time. All new students, board the ship."
Sillage turned away with his hands behind his back and spoke.
"You too."
"..."
Simon quietly nodded and headed toward the ship.
The mood among the new students had frozen stiff from the earlier incident. However, a few students, unable to contain their excitement, whispered among themselves.
"That's blood-flow black magic!"
"I was aiming for Curse Studies, but I almost changed my mind for a second."
"First-years can take that professor's class too, right?"
As Simon walked toward the ship, he glanced over at Sillage. Sillage was also watching Simon.
Their eyes met, and he smiled.
"Don't worry. I didn't kill him."
"…Ah, yes."
As Simon got onto the ship, Sillage announced,
"Everyone, fasten your seatbelts."
Sillage swept his hand through the air. Reddish droplets spread out, forming a shield that covered the entire ship. Simon watched the scene unfold with curiosity.
'How are we supposed to get to Keyzen on this ship?'
The bow of the ship was facing the ground, not the sea. He wondered if it was going to reverse, but then, a subordinate who had been communicating via device reported to Sillage.
"Professor. It'll arrive in five minutes."
"Guide it as is."
The students' murmuring grew louder. From beyond the distant horizon, a massive splash of water surged toward them.
Swooooosh!
The splash grew larger as it approached, until an unimaginably massive whale burst out from the water.
"Uwaaaah!"
The whale opened its mouth and swallowed the entire ship whole, then dove back into the ocean.
***
The underwater undead, Underworld Whale, obeying Keyzen's command.
It roams the seas of the world, devouring the ports of cities designated by Keyzen.
However, once a year, it serves a different purpose: transporting new Keyzen students who do not have teleportation permits to the school. Simply put, it's Keyzen's high-speed "transportation method".
Though inside a whale's belly, it was surprisingly warm and comfortable. Subordinates of Keyzen who resided in the whale came aboard to assist the new students, even serving meals.
The atmosphere soon relaxed, and everyone began chatting boisterously about their upcoming life.
"You were amazing back there."
Simon was chatting with the student next to him.
The boy with a prominently visible forehead introduced himself as Rowen Oscar. He was so sociable that he had already become friends with several others before approaching Simon.
"I mean, it was a tough situation to step into, but you just ran up and grabbed his wrist like, bam!"
"It wasn't that big of a deal."
Simon replied casually while slicing his fish steak. The tender meat came apart easily, and he drizzled lemon juice gently over it.
Rowen mostly talked while Simon nodded along, listening. Then, Rowen clapped his hands and asked,
"By the way, what was your entrance exam like?"
"Entrance exam?"
Simon tilted his head at the unfamiliar topic.
"There was something like that?"
"Of course! Everyone has to take it to enter Keyzen! In my case, I used Darkness transformation…"
While Rowen naturally transitioned to talking about himself, Simon was deep in thought.
An exam? He had no memory of taking one.
'Wouldn't that raise issues of fairness if I talked about it carelessly?'
He'd even received an item worth 5,000 gold. He couldn't cause any more trouble for Neftis.
As Rowen wrapped up his exaggerated hero tale, he asked with sparkling eyes,
"What about you?"
"Uh, hmm… It was something similar to yours. Darkness transformation."
"Oh, what a coincidence!"
"Everyone, return to your seats. We're arriving soon."
Sillage's voice echoed. The students, who had gathered to chat excitedly, quickly returned to their seats.
It felt like they'd only just departed, and yet they were already arriving. A wave of tension washed over them. Simon fastened his seatbelt and straightened his clothes.
Sillage climbed up to the deck, spread a reddish barrier like before to cover the ship, and then water began filling the whale's belly.
"If you don't want to fall, hold on tight."
Sillage said this with a chilling smile, so Simon gripped the handle of the seat in front of him with all his strength.
Swooooooooooosh!
Like a dam bursting, the water that had filled up to the top shot out with tremendous force. The speed was dizzying enough to lift them off their feet, and the students' screams echoed chaotically.
At the end of the dark tunnel, a bright light appeared, and the ship shot out toward it.
Fwoooooosh!
They were out.
Thousands of meters above the ground, where the earth looked like a toy. The ship was riding a stream of water expelled by the Underworld Whale.
Soon, the force of the stream weakened, and the ship's bow tilted downward. The students screamed in fear.
Now, they were falling.
"Ugh!"
Simon hugged the front seat tightly.
The surroundings blurred like streaks of light as they descended endlessly downward. His clothes flapped wildly in the wind.
Sssrrk.
At that moment, Sillage scratched his index finger with a fingernail. A drop of blood dripped out, absorbed by the barrier covering the ship. Slowly, their descent began to slow.
Moments later, when Simon cautiously opened his eyes, the ship was descending gently like a hot air balloon.
"Wooooow…!"
The students gasped in awe.
Beyond the blue horizon, the sun dyed the world in shades of orange, creating a truly breathtaking sunrise. Below the ship lay the Rock Island, home to Keyzen.
Lush jungles, smooth plains, waterfalls flowing with fallen leaves, and snow-covered mountains, all the seasons were visible at once from the island.
"Rowen! Wake up!"
"..."
Of course, Rowen and most of the others still had their heads buried in their seats or were retching.
As though a parachute had opened, the ship's speed gradually slowed until it safely touched down on the ground.
Sighs of relief burst out all around. Some students immediately covered their mouths and ran toward the trees to vomit.
"Form four rows and stand in formation."
After a quick headcount, Sillage led the students forward.
Keyzen was an enormous fortress, its scale difficult to grasp. A giant gatekeeper opened the castle gates, and after passing through multiple layers of security black magic, they entered.
Besides the group that arrived on the Underworld Whale, other new students were also present. Judging by their exhausted expressions, they too had endured some kind of dynamic journey.
"We'll be moving quickly. This way, please!"
Once inside, subordinates who had been waiting swiftly guided them. The students entered a nearby building, received their uniforms, and were separated into changing rooms by gender.
"Please finish changing and gather outside within five minutes."
Everything here moved quickly. Caught up in the pace, Simon hurriedly changed into his uniform as well.
'Even the uniforms at Keyzen look cool.'
It fit like a tailored suit, sleek black trousers with a perfect length that looked more like formalwear than a uniform. They clung comfortably to Simon's body without hindering movement at all.
Over that, he wore a white shirt and a red-toned necktie, then pulled on a sharp-looking jacket marked with Keyzen's emblem.
He walked over to the mirror.
'Wow.'
Was this what they called a suit fit? Dressed to the nines, his reflection was striking enough to make him gasp.
The design fell somewhere between a uniform and a suit, stylish enough that he could've walked straight into a banquet hall wearing it.
Simon, feeling buoyant, turned back and forth to admire his new look.
"Check this out! The coat's even enchanted!"
"They say the uniform doubles as combat gear. Supposedly tougher than most armor."
Hearing the voices from outside the changing room, Simon rubbed his jacket. Sure enough, he could sense a faint magical energy emanating from it.
How much would this even cost? It was basically like wearing a bar of gold.
"Two minutes until assembly!"
At the assistant's urgent call, Simon quickly put on his shoes and stepped outside.
Students who had changed into Keyzen's suit-style uniform were checking themselves out in the mirror. Every single one of them had a grin threatening to reach their ears.
"Everyone out now! We're moving!"
Simon and the other male students exited the changing room, while the female students emerged from the opposite one.
The two groups paused as if on cue. Simon, too, froze.
'…The girls' uniforms look even better.'
A sleek black-toned jacket emblazoned with the Keyzen logo, a white blouse underneath, a thin necktie, and a skirt that rose above the knees.
The women's uniforms were also halfway between formalwear and a school uniform, and all of them were perfectly fitted to each individual's physique. The overall impression gave them a slightly more mature appearance.
"Boys and girls, line up in two rows. We'll move to the main hall."
Maybe it was from seeing how good each other looked, there was a strange tension between the two groups as they walked toward the auditorium.
Everyone kept sneaking glances at each other's outfits. Whenever their eyes met, they quickly turned away. Simon could already hear murmurs about who was cute or handsome. So this is what school life feels like, he thought.
They descended the stairs and finally entered the grand auditorium, where the entrance ceremony was about to begin. Many students had already taken their seats, and Simon's group was among the last to arrive.
"Simon! Can you believe this? We're at Keyzen! Damn, it doesn't even feel real!"
Rowen, who had parted ways with him briefly in the changing room, had somehow found him again and started chatting away. Simon took a glance around and asked,
"Are all these students new admits?"
"Of course! There are a thousand first-years alone!"
Simon's jaw dropped. That was way more than he'd expected.
"And about three hundred second-years, and even fewer third-years, less than half that, I've heard."
"…What?"
"Get it now?"
Rowen chuckled ominously.
"Only the top 30% of these thousand make it to second year. That's how brutal the survival competition is."
Survival competition, in school?
Simon couldn't quite wrap his head around it. Just how intense did it have to be for 700 students to drop out?
While he was lost in those thoughts, assistants began guiding all students to sit down.
Rowen scanned the auditorium quickly and started pointing out notable figures.
"Serne Eindark! She really did enroll this year. Official successor to the Ivory Tower."
Simon followed Rowen's gaze and saw a girl with long platinum-blonde hair and a cold expression.
"All the big names from around the world are here! Darwin Carradin! Jay Sanders… Whoa, what the hell?"
"Where?"
"Look behind you."
Simon turned and saw someone impossible to miss.
A male student over three meters tall. The unfortunate souls seated behind him were craning their necks and pouting in frustration.
"Shatel Maer. Half-giant."
"…He's huge."
"Bet he'll major in physical magic. Who's gonna take on that physique?"
Rowen shook his head in disbelief.
"And then… hehehe."
Looking to the left, Rowen's lips curled up. Not just him, many eyes were drawn to the same person.
A black-haired, red-eyed girl sitting calmly.
"No doubt about it, she's the top of this year. Loraine Arkbold."
Simon flinched but didn't show it. He simply nodded.
"I thought she'd be a 'special case' because she's Lady Neftis' only daughter, but apparently she got in with her own scores."
"Yeah?"
"She may not be the top or second-ranked officially, but everyone knows. She's the best of this year's class."
Simon agreed. He had seen her skills firsthand and knew better than anyone.
Then a man's voice rang out from the stage.
"We will now begin the entrance ceremony! All students, please rise."
A man who seemed to be the host took the mic and began the proceedings.
True to Keyzen's style, everything moved smoothly with no fluff. The vice principal's speech and the administrator's explanations were concise and to the point. It was refreshing for the listeners.
But the loudest cheer erupted when the faculty took the stage.
Top-tier necromancers, including Sillage, who were still active in the field. They were celebrities even Simon, who wasn't well-versed in the continent's affairs, had heard of.
As their once-distant idols appeared before them, the students' reactions bordered on fanaticism.
Rowen, beside him, was practically foaming at the mouth in excitement, while Simon watched the faculty side carefully.
"Lady Neftis isn't here."
Rowen chuckled at Simon's murmur.
"You think the great necromancer would show up to some first-year entrance ceremony? You're lucky to catch a glimpse of her by third year."
"…Is that so?"
Simon figured no one would believe him if he told them that such a person had gotten ice cream on her face and gotten lost in Langerstine.
"Next, we'll have the student representative address. All students, please rise."
At last, the final event of the entrance ceremony. Simon also rose from his seat.
According to Rowen, one male and one female student, each the top of their year, were chosen to represent the class.
"Will the called students please come to the stage?"
The host opened a document and called out,
"Special Entry No. 2, Serne Eindark."
A roar of applause burst out. The platinum-blonde girl rose and walked forward.
Murmurs of "Ivory Tower successor" spread through the hall.
"And, Special Entry No. 1…"
As the host spoke again, the murmurs stopped all at once.
"Simon Follentia."