Chapter 27

　　"It’ll work?" Dick asked.

　　"What kind of potion is it?" Kamibarez chimed in, both of them approaching with piqued interest.

　　The page Simon had open described a potion that temporarily paralyzed tendon function and contracted muscles. "It’s called… Nervie, I think."

　　Meirin aggressively circled the potion’s name in her book. "Based on the symptoms, it’s a neurotoxin that weakens muscular strength. It says here it’s effective on a range of small and mid-sized monsters, Class 3 and above. It might not have a dramatic effect, but it should be enough to slow the Cyclops down."

　　"Application method?" Dick pressed.

　　"Ingestion or application to a wound," Meirin read. "If we injure it first and then throw a vial of the potion, it should work."

　　Everyone nodded, their faces serious. If it could help them take down the Cyclops, they had to prepare everything they could.

　　"We can reserve a practical lab for the cauldron," Meirin continued, planning. "The problem is the ingredients…" She bit her thumb lightly as she scanned the list. "The basic ingredients are easy to get at Kizen. The tricky ones are the Rehak Mushroom, Blood Slime, and Silk Vine."

　　"Let’s see." Dick’s eyes scanned the list. "If I go down to Rochest and do some legwork, I should be able to find them."

　　"Oh, really?" Meirin’s eyes widened.

　　Dick nodded confidently. "Let’s just get it done. I’ll head down to Rochest after class."

　　Simon, who was looking over the ingredient list, pointed to one item. "This one, the Rehak Mushroom. I’ve seen it at Kizen."

　　"Huh? Where?"

　　"The Forbidden Forest."

　　He had seen the mushroom when he went into the forest to find Pier. A large patch of them was growing under a massive oak tree near the entrance. Meirin and Kamibarez’s expressions stiffened.

　　"How would you know that… no, that’s not the issue!" Meirin exclaimed. "Are you planning to go into the Forbidden Forest right now?"

　　"It won’t take long," Simon insisted. "Dick is risking disciplinary action to go to Rochest, so I should at least do this much. I’ll gather them quickly before it gets dark."

　　"Umm." Meirin’s brow furrowed. "Aren’t there monsters there? Rochest is one thing, but the Forbidden Forest is too dangerous."

　　"Then I’ll go with you!" Kamibarez shot her hand up.

　　Simon turned to her, startled. "It’s too dangerous. And it’s against school rules."

　　"That’s all the more reason you shouldn’t go alone!" she argued, her voice firm. "I can’t let you go into the forest by yourself, Simon!"

　　Kamibarez was surprisingly insistent. Simon hesitated, swallowing hard, but he couldn’t think of a good excuse to refuse a teammate who wanted to help with a group activity.

　　"…Fine," he conceded. "But we leave immediately if it seems dangerous."

　　"Okay!" she beamed.

　　"Alright, so in Rochest, I just need the Blood Slime and Silk Vine, right?" Dick confirmed. "The Rehak Mushroom was the trickiest one, so this saves me some time."

　　"I’ll grab the basic ingredients and wait in the practical lab," Meirin declared.

　　Just then, the bell signaling the end of class rang. "Alright, that’s all for today’s class," Francesca’s voice cut through the noise.

　　"Thank you for your hard work!" the students replied, pouring out of the classroom.

　　Group 7, now with a mission, also moved quickly. Dick headed for Rochest, Meirin for the lab, and Simon and Kamibarez for the Forbidden Forest. As the room emptied, one student who had been lying low on his desk, holding his breath, quietly rose from his seat. He walked toward someone.

　　"Hey, Hector."

　　Hector, who had been silently packing his things, looked up.

　　"I’ve got some interesting information. Want to hear it?"

　　***

　　"It’s risky to go through the main gate. Follow me," Dick said, leading Simon and Kamibarez to a stable in an outlying area of Kizen. "Kevin! You in there?"

　　Dick knocked on the stable door. A moment later, it opened, and a middle-aged man with a sun-tanned face peeked out.

　　"Oh, Dick! Heading out again today?"

　　"Yeah, something came up. These friends are with me today." Dick flicked a coin into the air. Kevin caught it with a practiced motion, a wide grin spreading across his face.

　　"Follow me, customers!"

　　Simon had wondered why Kizen had a stable, but he soon saw they were raising not only horses but also massive skeleton steeds. When one of the skeletal creatures snorted steam and turned to look at them, Kamibarez yelped and ducked behind Simon.

　　"Right this way," Kevin said, gesturing. "Have a good time!"

　　He led them to a corner of the stable. It was an ordinary space covered in straw, but this particular spot was empty of animals.

　　"I’ll go first!" Dick announced, walking toward the wall. Suddenly, the straw-covered floor gave way, and he vanished.

　　"Huh? What the—Dick?" Simon called out.

　　From below, a voice echoed, "Down here!"

　　Simon and Kamibarez exchanged a look, then walked to the spot where Dick had disappeared. The floor beneath them dropped away, and they tumbled into a tunnel. Dick stood with his arms spread wide, grinning.

　　"Welcome to the secret route out of the school!"

　　Simon looked around, amazed. "I never knew a place like this existed."

　　"Heh, it’s a route only a select few know about," Dick said proudly. Above them, Kevin covered the hole with straw again. "Alright, let’s hurry before it gets any later."

　　"Okay!" Kamibarez chirped.

　　"Yeah."

　　They walked through the tunnel, with Dick in the lead, followed by Kamibarez, and then Simon. Dick produced a lantern from his Subspace, illuminating the darkness as he expertly guided them.

　　"Watch your heads!"

　　At first, they could walk by simply ducking, but the passage grew progressively narrower. Soon, they reached a section where they had to get on the ground and crawl on their knees.

　　"…Kami," Simon said hesitantly.

　　"Yes!"

　　"Do you, uh, want to switch places?"

　　"Why?" she asked, turning around, her eyes wide with curiosity.

　　Meeting her gaze, Simon quickly looked away. "It’s nothing," he mumbled.

　　Looking forward presented a rather awkward view, so Simon kept his head down as he crawled. Dick, who seemed to understand the situation, chuckled to himself, but Kamibarez remained blissfully unaware, tilting her head in confusion.

　　It didn’t take long to reach their destination. Dick stood and tapped the ceiling, which opened like a lid. He skillfully climbed out, then reached back to help Kamibarez and Simon up.

　　"Wow, we’re really outside," Kamibarez breathed, looking at the distant walls of Kizen.

　　Dick replaced the lid, carefully covering it with dirt to conceal their tracks. "Alright, let’s split up here. I’m heading to Rochest."

　　"Got it," Simon replied.

　　"Be careful, Dick!" Kamibarez called out.

　　As Dick set off for the city, Simon and Kamibarez began their walk toward the Forbidden Forest. Night fell quickly in the woods. Under a brilliant full moon, darkness pooled between the leaves, and the air filled with the chirping of insects and the hooting of owls. The atmosphere was undeniably eerie, and Simon worried Kamibarez might be frightened, but…

　　…Why does she look like she’s enjoying this? he wondered.

　　Her eyes sparkled as she took in her surroundings. She crouched to gently touch a wildflower, then took a deep breath, sniffing the earthy scent. She seemed brighter and more cheerful than she ever did at Kizen.

　　"Night walks are so much fun!" she exclaimed.

　　Simon belatedly remembered she was a vampire. "You like the night?"

　　"Yes!" She turned, her hands clasped behind her back, and smiled brightly. "The night is so comforting."

　　…Is it? He couldn’t relate, but he decided to respect it as a racial trait. Now in high spirits, Kamibarez chattered away.

　　"This is a bit late, but thank you for helping me during the last Combat Magic class."

　　"Oh, when you were getting on the hippo’s back?"

　　"Yes! I just couldn’t get up on my own. I was at a loss and looked around… but everyone pretended not to see and turned away. I know it’s a competitive class, so it can’t be helped, but you were the only one who readily offered me a hand, Simon."

　　"I just did what anyone would do."

　　Her gaze intensified. "Doing what anyone would do is what’s amazing!"

　　"…I-Is it?"

　　As they talked, they neared their destination. For Simon, who used to run up and down the rugged mountains of Leshill several times a day, a forest path like this was familiar territory. He had a knack for remembering paths he’d only traveled once.

　　"There it is," Simon said, pointing. Under a large oak tree, a dense cluster of mushrooms was visible.

　　"Ah, they really are Rehak Mushrooms! There are so many!" Kamibarez gasped.

　　"I’m not sure how much we need, so let’s take them all."

　　"Okay!"

　　Simon took out an empty box, and they began picking the mushrooms, carefully packing them inside. Within minutes, the box was full. Simon closed the lid and safely stored it in his Subspace.

　　"That was faster than I thought," Kamibarez remarked.

　　"Yeah."

　　They had too much time to kill before Dick returned. They decided to head back to Kizen and meet up with Meirin.

　　"Oh! By the way, Simon, what brought you to Kizen?" Kamibarez asked as they walked.

　　"Hmm." Simon thought for a moment. "Well, it started with my parents sending me here."

　　"Ah, that’s usually how it is."

　　"But as I attended school, I started to develop my own goals," he explained. He had discovered Summoning, and for the first time, he truly wanted to become a necromancer. Then he learned his father’s secret and formed a pact with his undead Legion. He’d also made close friends. "So, Kami, what about you…"

　　He trailed off, suddenly stopping. He shot out an arm, halting Kamibarez beside him.

　　"What’s wrong?"

　　"Hide!" Simon grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind a tree. In the distance, the bobbing light of a lantern cut through the forest darkness, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps.

　　"Oh…!" Kamibarez’s face went pale. "It’s Kizen’s Watchers…!"

　　"Watchers?"

　　"Yes, the people in charge of security around Kizen! They manage the forest and hunt monsters to keep the population down. If they catch us…!" She swallowed hard. "Even with the student protection period… we won’t get off easy."

　　Woof! Woof!

　　They even had hounds, their noses pressed to the ground, sniffing. As the light drew closer, the figures of men with bows slung over their backs came into view.

　　Simon’s brow furrowed. This is strange.

　　The timing was too perfect. A large-scale search had begun just after they entered the Forbidden Forest. Besides, Dick knew the guards’ schedules inside and out and had specifically chosen a time when they were off duty. This wasn’t a regular patrol; it was an unscheduled sweep.

　　Well, I’ll think about that later, he decided. For now, he had to focus on getting out of there.

　　He glanced at Kamibarez. She was pale and trembling, muttering, "What do we do?" over and over.

　　"Kami. Look at me." Simon gripped her shoulders firmly, turning her to face him. Her eyes were wide with terror. "We can get out of here. Just trust me. Keep your eyes on my back and run. Can you do that?"

　　She bit her lip and gave a slight, jerky nod.

　　Simon let her go and tapped the skull-shaped badge on his uniform. Pier. Respond.

　　A moment later, a blue light flickered in the skull’s eye sockets.

　　[Hm? Did you call me, boy?!]

　　Things have gotten a little complicated. Staring at the approaching lantern lights, Simon spoke to Pier, his expression grim. It seems the Legion will have to step in.