Chapter 550: Episode 550
Benya Vanilla, a third-year, entered the clubroom.
’Who is she?’ the first-years wondered, their eyes wide with curiosity. Then they saw the second-year seniors bow their heads in unison and realized this was someone important. Only then did they notice the brilliant gold badge pinned to her uniform collar. It could only mean one thing.
’A third-year!’
The first-years, focused on competing with their peers, occasionally saw second-years but had rarely encountered a third-year. They were like mythical creatures, objects of both awe and aspiration. A few months of this life felt like death; how could anyone possibly endure it for over two years?
"Good day, Senior!" Having grasped the situation, the first-years all gave a deep bow. Molly and Sasha, despite their royal status, were no exception.
Benya clapped her hands, her face flushed with excitement. "Hello, first-years! Oh my, you’re all babies! So cute." It was her first time seeing them as well. As she chatted with the first-years, the clubroom’s atmosphere turned warm and friendly.
"I had some free time, so I stopped by. You’re in the middle of the entrance exam, right?" Benya asked, turning to the second-years.
Fitzgerald pushed up his glasses. "Yes, Senior. It’s reassuring to have you here. Please, observe with us."
"Thank you." Simon brought a chair from the back. After she sat, he kindly draped a blanket over her lap. Benya thanked him with a gentle, smiling gaze.
"Toto," Fitzgerald prompted.
Startled from his daze, Toto cleared his throat and tugged his black hat down. "A-Ahem! N-N-N-Now then! The interview will begin!" With Benya watching, he was visibly shaken. He’d had a crush on her since their first year. Fitzgerald shot him a look, signaling for him to pull himself together, and Toto nodded.
"As you saw on the flyers, our Mutants Club doesn’t deal with run-of-the-mill summons! We handle our own unique creations!" He covered his right eye with his hat and spun around dramatically. "This is the most basic requirement for entry! I will verify what kind of special summons you possess through this interview!" He thrust his arm toward the first-years. "What unique summons do you commune with, my legion? Show me!"
A delighted squeal came not from the first-years. It was Benya, clapping like a seal from behind them. "Little legionary! You still remember the line I used during my interview? I’m so happy!"
Toto’s face turned beet red. As he stammered, unable to form a word, Simon quickly stepped forward to take over. "Alright, we’ll evaluate the summons one by one, starting from the right. The person on the far right will remain. The rest of you, please step back and sit down."
"Yes, Senior!"
As they moved to the back, the first-years couldn’t help but chatter amongst themselves.
"Third-years are on another level! She called that scary senior ‘little legionary.’"
"But doesn’t that senior in the hat look familiar?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know, that cute girl who was handing out flyers."
"Nah, no way."
Toto was facing the greatest crisis of his life. Cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck. ’If the first-years recognize me, my school life is over!’ He took deep, ragged breaths and pulled his black hat down firmly. ’I am Will Douglas. I am Will Douglas. I am...!’
"You can do it, little legionary!" Benya cheered, waving her hand innocently.
Of course, for Toto, it only had the opposite effect.
With the preparations complete, the first-years came forward one by one.
"The summon I’ve prepared is...!"
"With this summon, I will!"
The summons they timidly produced were modified zombies or skeletons, obviously thrown together hastily for the interview.
"How is this different from a normal skeleton?" Toto demanded.
"Well... it’s pink!"
"Faaaaail!" he roared, as if there was nothing more to see. "Did you really think you could pass with something like this? Don’t underestimate the Mutants!"
The first two applicants were rejected and sent out of the clubroom. The first-years trembled in the suddenly icy atmosphere as Toto, his eyes hidden by his hat, strode over to Simon and whispered frantically.
"What’s wrong, Toto? You’re doing gr—"
"I can’t do it!" Tears welled in his eyes. "I’m the one who failed them, right? I feel so awful! When I failed the last one, we made eye contact, and he looked like he was about to cry! I feel so incredibly sorry!"
He was acting the part of the discipline officer, but he couldn’t suppress his naturally soft heart. Simon comforted him, saying he would give the rejection signals from now on. Toto nodded, steeled himself, and stepped forward again.
"Next!" His voice was a little nasally.
This time, it was finally the turn of the one everyone was waiting for: Sasha.
"Special Admission No. 1, Sasha Andrasill," she announced proudly, then smirked at Princess Molly, who was biting her lip. "Allow me to show you."
Sasha produced a summon from her subspace. It was a creature wrapped in brown vines, with two round eyes peering out from the tangle.
"It’s a Vinepus!" Benya squealed, stomping her feet with joy. "You turned a vine monster into an undead, right? There aren’t many necromancers who can handle one of these properly!"
"Correct. But by using my innate ability," Sasha said, raising a finger, "I can forcibly amplify the Vinepus’s power."
Vines shot out wildly in all directions. The problem was that Sasha’s ability was too strong. The vines spread as if they had gone berserk, instantly overwhelming the small clubroom. Simon easily leaned back to dodge one vine and knocked away another that was heading for Benya. Fitzgerald and Toto scrambled under the desk. As the other first-years crouched to avoid the chaos, Molly was the only one who got caught. A vine ensnared her leg, hoisting her upside down.
"Aaaah!" she shrieked, desperately grabbing her uniform skirt. The first-year boys and Toto flinched and ducked their heads.
"Ah, my bad," Sasha said with a wave of her hand. Molly dropped to the floor, landing on her backside with a dull thud.
"Ugh, hey!" Molly shouted, her face bright red. "You did that on purpose!"
"My undead control is still unrefined, which is a weakness," Sasha said, ignoring her. "I hope to polish my skills further by joining the Mutants. That is all."
"Don’t ignore me!"
’...Haha.’ Simon let out a troubled smile. No matter how equal everyone was within Kizen, to treat the royalty of a nation like that... he couldn’t tell if she was clueless or just had nerves of steel.
"So, the result?" Sasha asked boldly.
Benya was fidgeting, dying to touch the Vinepus, while Toto was trying to hide his surprise. Simon spoke on their behalf. "You pass. Good work, Sasha."
"Thank you!" Sasha beamed at Simon, then whipped her head around to give the other first-years a victor’s smirk as she rejoined them.
"Whoa, not bad, Sasha!" Arthur held up his palm for a high-five, but Sasha breezed past him. He scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Next."
"That’s me!" This time it was Arthur’s turn. "My name is Arthur Bleman! I’m still lacking in many ways, but I have inherited the name of the Mercenary King!"
"The Mercenary King!" Benya clapped. "I love the stories about your grandfather."
Fitzgerald also pushed up his glasses. "There are many books about him. He was a warm-hearted hero who helped the struggling people of the continent."
"Thank you for thinking so highly of him!" Arthur beamed. But now was the time to prove his own skills. He drew a sword from his subspace.
"A sword?" Toto frowned. "Are you mocking the Mutants? Bringing a weapon to a summon interview!"
"This isn’t just an ordinary weapon," Arthur said, gripping the hilt with both hands. "It’s a proper summon!"
As Arthur’s Jet-Black flowed into it, the sword began to whir and activate.
’Ah, that thing.’ Simon had seen it once before, when he fought alongside Arthur on the Parona Peninsula. It was a ’snake-belly sword’, forged from the bones of a massive monster. Several large bone segments were connected by a wire, allowing it to extend and retract like a whip. It resembled an Overlord, but it was controlled by a summoning magic circle, just like an undead.
Since the room was small, he couldn’t swing it, but he demonstrated by infusing it with Jet-Black, making the blade extend and retract. Gasps of admiration filled the room.
"This sword was passed down from my grandfather," Arthur explained. "After he died, I replaced the magic circle with my own Jet-Black, but the sword doesn’t fully obey my commands. It’s probably because I’m weak." He lowered the sword with a bitter smile. "But one day, I want to perfectly master not only this sword but also the other two my grandfather left me! Here at Kizen, and here in the Mutants Club!"
"W-Well, it’s certainly cool, but!" Toto stammered, pulling down his black hat. "That’s still not what you’d call a conventional summon...!"
"It’s amazing!" Benya shouted. "Bravo!" she added with a moved expression, applauding enthusiastically. "Mercenary King legionary! Your sword is exactly the kind of bizarre and unique summon that fits our club! And it even has a story!"
"Hahaha! Thank you!"
"Can I touch it?"
"Yes! Of course!"
Benya was already completely smitten. Fitzgerald was the president and Toto was the interviewer, but in this club, Benya of the Vanilla family was an absolute authority. Even from Simon’s perspective, Arthur’s summon-weapon was more than qualified.
Toto cleared his throat. "P-Pass."
"Thank you!"
---
The interviews for the other first-years continued. From that point on, Simon didn’t even need to give a signal; Benya’s reactions said it all. If she was squirming with excitement in her chair, it was a pass. If her reaction was lukewarm or she just offered a regretful smile, it was a fail. Toto started making his judgments based on her expressions. In truth, no one here knew more about undead than her, the heiress of the Vanilla family.
Now, it was the turn of Special Admission No. 10, Princess Molly. Looking anxiously at the seniors, she produced a skeleton from her subspace. At first glance, it looked ordinary, but...
"A-A special skeleton made of lapis lazuli, which is more precious than gold!"
Benya shot forward and began examining the skeleton with nimble hands, then whipped her head around. "Where did you get something like this, Princess?"
Molly lowered her head, blushing. "M-My father gave it to me as a Kizen entrance gift... He had each of the undead from our textbooks crafted for me out of lapis lazuli."
"Incredible!"
As expected of the royalty from the wealthy nation of Dresden. She had passed on the sheer power of capital alone. So far, nine of the seventeen applicants had been accepted.
Finally.
A single footstep sounded as White came forward. Toto had been desperately trying to maintain a serious atmosphere, but in front of White, a fellow second-year from the Summoning Department, he quickly deflated.
"...G-Go ahead."
White nodded and then looked at Simon, who wore a perplexed expression. ’Why me again?’
White was gesturing for him to come over.
"Using my innate ability," White stated.
’Ah.’ White’s ability seemed to be absorbing an opponent’s Jet-Black and converting it into a heterogeneous ‘White Jet-Black’. He needed an opponent’s energy to use his skill.
"Simon, you don’t have to. I’ll..." Fitzgerald started to rise, but Simon stopped him with a hand gesture.
"No, it’s fine. I’ll go." He was the one White was after. Simon calmly walked forward and stood before him. The two faced each other for a moment without a word.
"What should I do?" Simon asked.
In response, White silently held out his palm.
’I just need to touch it?’ Simon held out his own hand and met White’s.
A jolt went through him. The Jet-Black in his body began to drain into White. Fitzgerald and Toto readied their curses, preparing for any contingency, but nothing happened. Simon had been tense, worried White might drain all his energy, but he simply absorbed an appropriate amount and then stepped away.
An otherworldly White Jet-Black pulsed from his hand. He used it to draw a summoning magic circle on the floor, then produced an empty suit of armor from his subspace. When he dropped the armor onto the circle, the White Jet-Black began to flow inside.
’This is...’
The white energy took on a human form, becoming a warrior clad in armor. It seemed it could only move within the magic circle, but it was undeniably a summon created through a summoning ritual.
"White legionary! That’s so coooooool!" Benya couldn’t hold back and shot forward, touching the armor all over and showering it with praise. "Your innate ability is amazing, but the composition of the summoning circle is so novel! I’ve never seen this formula array before. Wow! How did you even think of this?"
’Even I can see we can’t fail this one,’ Simon thought. It was the most powerful summon he had seen so far.
Just then, the large white cohort White had created turned to stare at Simon. A spark crackled from its body, and it raised its arm toward him.
"Uh?" Simon blinked.
’-$@&!#^&’
He could feel a voice, like the thought-form of an undead. Was it... trying to shake his hand? As if mesmerized, Simon placed his own hand in the outstretched hand of the white summon.
With a whoosh, the white summon’s body crumbled, and the Jet-Black that composed it was sucked directly back into Simon’s body.
The pieces of armor clattered to the floor as the summon was dispelled.
"Huh?" Simon looked down at his hand with a bewildered expression. The Jet-Black he had lost to White had returned to him completely.
White grimaced and dropped to one knee with a thud.
"What’s wrong?"
"Are you okay?" the other students asked, approaching in alarm.
White looked up at Simon, sweat streaming down his forehead.
It was the look one might give a monster. Simon didn’t know what had just happened, but for White, it was clearly something he had never expected.