Simon's thoughts raced as he pondered the situation.
Was it truly enjoyable to toy with people like this? Or was it merely a ploy to unsettle him? "Why did you call me here? Serne Aindark."
At his words, the girl perched on the tree gracefully descended, her movements almost defying gravity.
With her platinum hair, perfectly sculpted features, and an aura that made one feel small, she radiated the presence of a ruler.
She was unchanged, still the same daunting figure he had encountered at the teleportation magic circle.
"I wanted to talk to you," she replied in a soft voice.
Simon thought it was the first time he had heard such a pleasing tone.
Yet, despite the sweetness of her voice, alarms blared in his mind, and goosebumps prickled his skin.
"Get to the point," Simon said sharply.
"This is our third time meeting, isn't it? They say meeting three times is fate."
"......."
"You don't seem to agree?" she said, her tone light.
The atmosphere was different from their first encounter.
Back then, she had seemed like a cultured and polite young lady from a wealthy family, but now she felt more like a cunning little devil.
Simon thought this was closer to her true nature.
With her hands clasped behind her back, she twirled slightly.
"Simon Polentia, or should I call you by another name?" A chilling smile graced her lips.
"The Seventh Legion Commander."
"......!!" Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
His heart raced wildly.
"How is Pier? It seems Erzebet didn't come with you. Or perhaps she's transformed into someone else on this island?"
"......."
Important secrets that Simon could never reveal were being laid bare by her words.
"You...!"
"Oh, don't worry. This is a barrier I created, so there's no chance of an observer spying or eavesdropping."
"How do you know all this?"
There was no denying the truth to someone who already knew too much.
She smiled gently, as if to say there was no rush.
"It's good that you acknowledge it. Do you remember where we met for the second time?"
"Before the mission, at the teleportation magic circle."
"At that time, you and I were the only first-years heading to the Kingdom of Carlos."
She lightly clapped her hands together.
"Don't you find it strange?"
Simon bit his lip.
"You've been watching me since then."
"Yes, actually, even before that."
She closed her eyes and pretended to tap her fingers in the air.
"Classified information from Kizen. The Ivory Tower was keeping a close eye on the ruins sealed by Nephthys. I set up an alarm magic that would trigger when the ruins opened, and a few days later, the alarm went off. When I hurried over, lo and behold."
She smiled.
"You had become a legion commander."
"......."
So it had started from that moment.
Simon's mind raced.
"Then how did you find out about Erzebet?"
"Isn't that obvious? When we teleported together, I also stopped by Arnis to keep an eye on you. I read the memories of the lord of Arnis, the captain of the guard, the soldiers, the members of the thief guild, and the dancers. And."
She opened her mouth.
"Even Ellen, whom you released. Do you realize that's quite a dangerous crime? Deliberately sparing a priest."
A slow pressure began to tighten around his throat.
Simon forced a smile. "...... At that time, Ellen was just an individual with no affiliation. We're currently in a truce. It was a measure to liberate a good citizen of the Holy Federation rather than causing trouble by killing them. I don't think it's a serious crime."
"Hmm—your words flow smoothly. Well, you wouldn't need to bring up such trivial matters, would you?" She laughed.
"After all, you're a criminal guilty of high treason."
"......."
"Did you know that the moment you contracted with Pier's legion, which defied the Dark Alliance, you also became guilty of treason? It's a serious matter that could lead to an immediate halt of your exams, and Kizen's crows scattered across the continent could descend upon this island."
Simon slowly touched his forehead. "...... This is absurd."
"Do you have more excuses to make?"
"If you know such facts, why not inform Kizen and have me tried? Why bother telling me, the person involved?"
"It seems it's time to get to the main point."
She smiled brightly.
"Come into the Ivory Tower, Simon."
"......."
A sudden invitation to join the Ivory Tower.
Simon felt the situation was taking a strange turn.
Just a little more.
He needed to draw out more information.
"If you want to recruit me, you should wait until after graduation to formally enter the recruitment process. With the resources and power of the Ivory Tower, I don't think you'd lose in the recruitment battle."
"I don't want someone from Kizen."
"...... What do you mean by that?"
She smiled sweetly.
"Aren't you curious? Kizen is just a school, after all. Why is it that such a mere school organization governs half the continent?"
"......."
Of course, he had wondered about that.
"Take the nearby Kingdom of Dresden as an example."
She spread her fingers.
"Out of the five great generals of Dresden, four are from Kizen. Out of the twenty members of the royal knight order, seventeen are from Kizen. The Minister of Internal Affairs, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defense. Even."
She clasped her fingers and placed her hands behind her back.
"The second-in-command, the Prime Minister, is also from Kizen."
"......."
"Do you understand now? The power holders of the alliance are all in cahoots, boasting proudly of their Kizen alumni status, forming a sort of cartel. They are more loyal to Kizen than to any state or institution that pays them or grants them power."
Most of the Dark Alliance nations, including Dresden, operated in this manner.
It was no exaggeration to say that key positions were almost entirely held by Kizen graduates or their affiliates, except for those who entered to counter the 'Kizen cartel.' Kizen held the reins of talent.
However, not just anyone could occupy key positions, as the abilities and work capabilities of Kizen graduates were extraordinary.
From the state's perspective, possessing talents from Kizen was essential to gain a stronger voice against the Dark Alliance.
"Alright. The reason you're bringing this up is."
Simon raised his head to look at her.
"You need someone who can break free from Kizen's influence and be wholly loyal to the Ivory Tower."
"You're quite clever. It's nice to have a quick conversation."
She wanted a pure member of the Ivory Tower, not a Kizen graduate.
It made sense.
"Do you think you have no choice?"
Serne smiled gently.
"Will you be executed for treason, or will you join the Ivory Tower?"
"......."
"Still, this is a top-tier workplace, and it has its perks, you know? Your classmate Meilin is here, and you can have as much money or power as you want..."
"I'll ask just one thing."
Simon spoke seriously.
"Do you need my pure strength? Or do you need the power of the legion?"
She smiled brightly.
"Let's say both, for courtesy's sake."
"...... What I'm worried about is."
Simon bit his lip.
"I still can't trust you. How can I be sure that if I go to the Ivory Tower, I won't lose my legion?"
She blinked.
"You have lower self-esteem than I thought~ I thought you wouldn't need to worry if you showed your abilities."
"......."
"Well, that's fine. If you join the Ivory Tower, I promise as your successor that you can keep your legion. Now, please answer me. Simon Polentia."
Hoo.
Simon exhaled deeply.
He was getting too caught up in her pace.
He needed to regain his own rhythm.
Taking a deep breath, he began to manipulate the darkness, and gradually, the trembling in his body ceased, and distracting thoughts faded away.
Finally, with a cool head, Simon looked at her with a cold gaze.
'The atmosphere has shifted.' She sensed Simon's change as well.
But calming down wouldn't resolve the situation.
"Serne. You..."
Simon's lips twisted.
"You're not very good at politics, are you?"
She narrowed her brows.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Threatening someone while laying your cards on the table like that is not a good habit."
Serne was born strong.
There was no need to think complicatedly.
It was a simple Yes or No regarding her demands.
Life or death.
No one could escape her binary choice.
Hiding one's cards was an act of the weak.
Therefore.
"You will never let Kizen know that I am the legion commander."
This time, he had made a mistake.
"Oh? Why do you think that?"
"You want to escape from Kizen by any means necessary."
"......."
For the first time, she did not respond.
"Actually, I've heard such stories. The Ivory Tower is divided into pro-Kizen and anti-Kizen factions."
"Oh, how interesting that you speak of internal matters. You have a good information network~ Meilin isn't foolish enough to spill internal stories."
In truth, it had merely been idle chatter during a meal with Dick.
"You and the current head of the Ivory Tower are typical anti-Kizen factions. Your attempts to gather legion commanders and strengthen your power."
Simon placed his hands on his waist.
"You want to become independent from Kizen, don't you?"
"......."
"But if I inform Kizen that I am the legion commander and have you executed? Then who will take over the legion I possess?"
Simon smiled slyly.
"A more powerful necromancer, absolutely loyal to Kizen, will become the legion commander. If that happens, your independence will drift even further away. And you can't just kidnap me and implant the legion into a necromancer from the Ivory Tower."
Simon crossed his arms and continued.
"That would be a declaration of war against Kizen."
The kidnapping of the top student, and the fact that this top student was actually the legion commander, and that they would kill him to take the legion.
If such an event occurred, Nephthys would leave not a speck of dust behind at the Ivory Tower.
Historically, she had been quite ruthless regarding such matters.
"You know one thing but not the other," Serne smiled brightly.
"In that case, there might be another option. Eliminate you and bury the legion so that no one can obtain it."
"Aha."
Simon grinned.
"I'm sorry, but that option won't work."
As Simon pulled an imaginary lever, a spatial rift opened wide.
[Hahaha!]
Serne took a step back, startled.
A tall skeleton draped in a cloak of shadows emerged from the rift.
Following it were skeletons with dark blue flames in their eye sockets and the corpse spiders of Erzebet, pouring forth like demons from another dimension.
'Why is Pier here?' Serne bit her lip. 'They must have conducted a spatial inspection at Kizen.'
"You just said that observers can't see within your barrier, right?" Simon grinned.
"That was also a mistake."
Crash! Bang! The legion surrounding Serne roared fiercely, igniting their fighting spirit.