At the same time, in Bahil's laboratory.
Crash! Bang!
Bahil, with eyes blazing red, was throwing everything within reach.
Statues, trophies, and research instruments shattered as they hit the floor.
"Huff! Huff...!" In an instant, the surroundings turned into chaos.
Bahil leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.
The chief assistant, Chehekl, seemed accustomed to this scene, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed.
After a moment, when the surroundings quieted down, she opened her eyes.
"Have you finished venting your frustration, Professor Bahil?"
"......"
Bahil strode over and collapsed onto the sofa.
He then reached for the table, grabbed a pipe, and lit it with dark magic, taking a deep drag.
"Whooo..."
The smoke curled up into the air.
Chehekl frowned at the sight.
"Professor, smoking indoors is prohibited..."
"Just this once, please pretend you didn't see it, Chehekl."
However, Bahil abruptly threw the pipe he had just lit against the wall, shattering it into pieces upon impact.
"...... Why!" Bahil shouted.
"Why can't you understand my true feelings! Simon Polentia!"
He nervously swept his bangs aside and exhaled a long breath.
Still not calming down, he suddenly jumped to his feet.
"You are a genius! A genius among geniuses, one that comes along once in hundreds of years! Why are you wasting that insane talent on summoning studies? I just can't understand! Summoning studies are an outdated and stale discipline! No matter how well you do in summoning studies, you will only become the second Aaron senior! Why can't you see that?!"
Unable to contain his frustration, Bahil began scratching his body as if it were covered in itchiness.
"Your peak is! Aaron senior! The first special admission student of Kijen, that legendary talent! Think about how he is treated at Kijen now!"
His arms trembled as if having a seizure before he plopped down onto the floor.
Bahil's gaze drifted to a faded picture frame in the distance.
"......"
In that frame, he saw himself and Aaron, both young and wearing Kijen uniforms, with their arms around each other.
The faces of the two boys showed no signs of worry.
They were simply smiling brightly.
Perhaps it was the most radiant time of their lives.
But Bahil knew better than anyone that they had come too far to return to those days.
"It's all so pathetic, I can't stand it."
"...... Professor."
"To see such brilliant talents burying themselves in despair! I will never witness such a sight again! Only I can revive Simon! Only I can carve that rough gem into the brightest jewel in this world!"
"...... Just be honest, Professor."
"Honest? That sounds good."
Bahil jumped up.
"I want him."
A strange smile crept onto his lips.
The veins in his clenched fist bulged.
"I want him madly! Simon Polentia! I must have him!"
Here we go again.
Chehekl wore a look of resignation.
"I am prepared to carve my soul for him. By any means necessary! I will fully unleash his greatest talent and create the second Nephthys!"
Bahil spread his arms wide.
"My dedication! My effort! My sincerity! My soul! My life! All I ask in return for elevating him to the realm of the divine is one thing!"
He smiled with a twisted expression.
"He must serve only me as his master."
"...... Oh dear."
"When someone asks Simon how he reached the top, he will answer, 'It was all thanks to my master, Professor Bahil!' Ahhhh...! Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine!"
Watching Bahil tremble with madness, Chehekl shook her head.
"I'm leaving."
"Chehekl."
Bahil approached her.
"I am someone who must put everything I want into my hands."
Bahil grabbed her arm tightly.
Then he lifted her chin, bringing her closer.
"Just like you."
"......"
His gaze was like that of someone admiring a beautiful piece of art.
Meanwhile, Chehekl, looking at Bahil with disdain, kicked his leg hard.
Bahil grimaced and stepped back.
"That's workplace harassment, Professor Bahil."
"You were the same back in school, still lacking charm, Chehekl."
Bahil straightened his shirt collar and said.
"How can a talent meant to follow in my footsteps be so stiff?"
"Isn't Simon Polentia the one meant to follow in your footsteps?"
"Oh, no way."
The corners of Bahil's mouth lifted.
"Simon Polentia is not just meant to follow in my footsteps; he is destined to surpass me one day! He will stand shoulder to shoulder with Lady Nephthys! I am merely expressing my rightful desires as an educator! No, it is abnormal for someone who claims to be an educator not to feel their blood boil upon seeing such talent. Yet you continue to say my possessiveness is vulgar?"
"Isn't trying to monopolize the right to teach a single student a vulgar desire?"
"Oh dear, you don't lose a word."
Bahil stuffed his hands into his pockets and tilted his head.
"I just had a good idea."
"...... What now?"
"Right now, Simon Polentia is somewhat satisfied with his summoning studies. He has been doing well in Professor Jane's Cyclops practical class with summoning studies. That was the problem from the start!" Bahil's eyes gleamed with madness once more.
"What Simon needs to experience now is a bitter defeat. Only then will he reflect on himself, consider what the problem is, where he went wrong, and think about what path he should choose again!"
"...... That makes sense. So, how do you plan to make such a genius feel defeat?"
Bahil's lips curled into a wicked grin.
"That's an easy task, isn't it?"
Classes were progressing rapidly day by day, mainly due to the duel evaluations.
Even Eric Aura, the professor of the Black Magic class, who was thought to be a thorough theorist teaching the origins of runes, had moved on to combat practice.
Other professors were the same.
Whether it was actively reflecting the students' needs or not wanting to fail future major students, most professors focused on combat black magic this week.
Thanks to that, the repertoire for the students' duel evaluations had greatly diversified.
Of course, this condition applied to all first-year students at Kijen.
Today, after attending morning classes and finishing an early lunch, Simon was on his way to the next class with Dick.
"The second and third classes are all about blood flow studies."
Due to the professors' circumstances, the blood flow studies class had been scheduled for the entire week.
It was common for the schedule to be extreme because the professors were active necromancers.
At the same time, Simon sighed.
"This week, there isn't a single class on summoning studies."
Dick shrugged and replied.
"I heard Professor Aaron is on a business trip."
It was disappointing.
Given that it was the duel evaluation season, Aaron would surely have taught attack magic, which would have been a great reference for Simon.
Even if that weren't the case, it would have been a chance to ask how to fight on equal footing with other students using summoning studies.
"Huh?"
Dick, who was biting into a sandwich for dessert, suddenly stopped walking.
"Simon! Look over there!"
"Huh?"
"The duel evaluation brackets are up!"
In the direction Dick pointed, a large bulletin board was visible, already crowded with students.
The two hurried over.
'The first opponent I will face since coming to Kijen.'
With a pounding heart, Simon searched for his name.
'It seems I just need to avoid a few monsters.'
Nephthys's daughter, Lorraine Archbold.
The heir of the Ivory Tower, Serne Aindark.
The giant hybrid, Chatel Maer.
They were the three he absolutely had to avoid.
Simon thought he could manage to fight anyone else.
'Ah, found it.'
[Second Arena - Round 1 Match 12]
Group A Simon Polentia vs Group G Haren Cork
'Who is Haren Cork?'
It was a name he had never heard before.
Dick seemed to feel the same, chuckling.
"Rigan Chofra? That's quite a unique name. Is he from Shahead?"
"Dick, you don't know him either?"
Dick nodded and looked at Simon's opponent.
"Haren Cork from Group G... Should I find out about him? Like his specialties or subjects of interest?"
Simon scratched his head.
"That would be too much trouble for you."
"No, since Rigan is also in Group G, I thought I might as well do it. It would be good for you to have information about your opponent, right?"
"Yeah, I would appreciate that."
Simon turned his gaze back to the bulletin board.
Haren Cork.
What kind of dark magic user would he be? The duel evaluation wasn't just about hitting and fighting.
It was a stage where students could exchange dark magic with each other, allowing for the most accurate comparison of their achievements.
It would be a lie to say there was no pressure, but at the same time, his heart raced with excitement.
"I hope class ends soon."
Hearing Simon's muttering, Dick blinked.
"Huh? Why all of a sudden? You usually like attending classes."
"I have personal training to do in the evening."
Dick chuckled.
"This guy is trying to cheat again. What training are you doing? Honestly, how many kids can respond to your martial arts and killing kicks?"
"...... Don't call it a killing kick. And I'm not focusing on martial arts this time."
"Then?"
"I'm going to try fighting with summoning studies."
Dick's eyes widened in surprise before he broke into a grin.
"Should I do it in the Meirin version or the Kami version?"
"...... What is that?"
"Anyway, choose."
"Meirin?"
Dick crossed his arms with a smug expression and suddenly turned his head.
Then, in a forced feminine voice, he said, "I clearly said? Fight with martial arts."
"Pfft!" Simon laughed so hard that he almost drooled.
Dick, who had been smiling proudly at his friend's satisfied reaction, suddenly got knocked down by a bag flying at him.
"Just die!"
Meirin was fuming, her face flushed red.
Next to her, Kamibarez was desperately trying to stifle his laughter, covering his mouth.
"Ah, why! It sounded the same to you too... Aaaah!"
"Dieee!"
As soon as the day's classes ended, Simon used Kevin's stable route to cross over to Rochester.
'It's been a while since I've seen Rochester at midnight.'
The streets, which had been so lively during the weekend, felt a bit strange, dark, and quiet.
It was best not to be discovered as a Kijen student, so he wore a robe, but there were many boys and girls wearing robes just like Simon.
'First, to the necromancer shop.'
Simon headed to the necromancer shop he had visited not long ago.
"Welcome~"
Last time he came, Rowen was working part-time, but this time a young man wearing monocles was sitting at the counter.
'So this is the shop owner.'
He had heard a rough story from Dick.
He had made it to the second year at Kijen but had fallen behind in the competition and was now running a shop in Rochester.
Simon bowed respectfully.
"Hello! Senior!"
The shop owner smiled awkwardly.
"Haha, there's no need for you to call me senior, being a Kijen student."
Simon raised his head.
"But you've made it to the second year..."
"I'm a dropout. A current first-year student at Kijen is far more valuable than an old dropout."
Still, he seemed to be in a good mood, smiling.
In fact, many of those who had settled down and run businesses in Rochester were former Kijen students.
Whether they couldn't forget their glorious days as Kijen students or had some nostalgia that kept them from leaving, they lived around here even if they could no longer enter Kijen.
The reason why the high-ranking nobles who were mostly Kijen students couldn't recklessly cause trouble in Rochester was precisely because of the existence of these people.
"By the way, what are you looking for, student?"
At the shop owner's question, Simon's eyes lit up as he answered decisively.
"I want to create a skeleton archer."