Chapter 335


    Two hourster, having surveyed the castle to check on supplies and the condition of the walls, the students assembled back in the conference room.


    "Is everyone here?"


    Said Rick, stepping forward. One of the girls, who had been doing a headcount, replied,


    "One of us is still missing."


    At that, Meilyn nced around and let out a small sigh.


    ''He''s alwayste.''


    Of course, the person who was missing was Simon.


    "The Khan Kingdom will be invading soon. We''re running out of time, so let''s get started. Let''s start by taking turns describing what we saw in the c—"


    "Hold on."Just then, a boy raised his hand. Half of his hair was shaved to bristles, he bore thick eyebrows, and his features were strong and built overall.


    "My name is Yowoo. First, I''m d we''re on the same team. I just have one question."


    He red at Rick.


    "Why are you acting like you''re the leader, as if it''s something guaranteed?"


    The other students nodded in agreement. Meilyn ced her hand on her throbbing forehead and spoke up.


    "I told you not to be so gant!"


    Rick quickly made a smiling face and waved his hands.


    "I''m not interested in being a leader or something. Just trying to be an advisor since this is my third time doing this siege theme, so I''ve got some know-how of my own."


    "…You better keep your word."


    Yowoo jumped to his feet.


    "I think it''s right to pick a leader first and establish amanding system. And Rick mentioned that it''s his third time, but who isn''t experienced on this theme at this point?"


    "Right!"


    "This is my third time as well."


    Chimed in some of the students.


    Feeling a sense of crisis, Meilyn nced at Fitzgerald beside her and asked.


    "Don''t tell me, are you experienced, too?"


    "This is my second time."


    As they say, once you''ve tasted the siege theme, you''re bound to keeping back. It appeared that the experienced ones were better at finding the cards to get into the theme.


    ''It can''t be that Simon and I are the only beginners, right?''


    While Meilyn was panicking, the mood of the conference room was focused on Rick.


    "And you, Rick! Don''t you remember thest time you screwed up big time back when you were on the defense team? You had the forces concentrated on the north gate and got us in trouble!"


    "Right!"


    Without letting any emotion show on his face, Rick snubbed,


    "Wow, you''re picking on such a trivial thing! Countless reasons can lead a war to defeat! I recognize all your faces. Do you want me to point out everything you all did wrong?"


    "Silence!"


    Boomed Yowoo.


    "There''s no time to quarrel over everything, so let''s start with choosing the suprememander first. Where''s the namete?"


    "Here."


    Rick ced the namete he received from the king down on the table.


    It was the symbol of the ''suprememander.''


    Inside Ends'' game, all crystal balls brought from the outside be useless. However, the wearer of this namete couldmunicate with all guardians and was authorized tomand the entire army.


    "Without furtherments whatsoever, I want to be the suprememander of the game this time."


    Said Yowoo, cing his hand on the namete.


    "If there are no objections—"


    "Not so fast."


    An unseen foot kicked across the table and pushed the namete aside.


    "You can''t just sneak it like that."


    The person who ced his foot on the table was a male student with long hair. He had a ssic snake-like face. There was a massive gap between his eyes, and his eyes were so thin it was like he was constantly squinting.


    "In every siege theme, there''s always ''highest contributor.'' Besides, this time, there''s the generous gift from Ends at stake. I cannot give away the position of suprememander that easily~ I, Vuine, also wish to be inmand."


    A hand that came out from within the table snatched the namete this time.


    "My name is Penggel."


    Soon, the female student fully appeared, standing up through the table before sitting down at the edge of the table.


    "Themander''s greatest virtue must be survivability. Last game, the defense team screwed up because the suprememander was captured too quickly. Therefore, it''s obvious that a Necromancy aspirant should take the—"


    "No. Themander''s greatest virtue is the ability to make good judgments."


    Fitzgerald appeared out of nowhere and took the namete from Penggel''s hand.


    Penggel''s face stiffened. Perhaps she''d been cursed, because she couldn''t move.


    "I am Fitzgerald of ss R. I''m confident that my knowledge and judgment are second to none."


    "Who judges that you have a good judgment?"


    Fitzgerald''s body froze this time. His arm was frozen with ice.


    He dropped the namete, and Meilyn, who caught it from below, ruffled her light blue hair and smirked.


    "Second in the entire school in practical assessments. Part of the top 10 twice in BDMATs. I see that people I have never seen or heard before are trying to step up because there are no S.A.s, but I think the suprememander must be someone with a good record."


    Yowoo, the first who brought this topic up, red at her.


    "Meilyn Villenne. How many times have you experienced the siege theme?"


    A guilty expression formed on Meilyn''s face, then she avoided his eye contact.


    "…Th-This is my first time."


    "Hah, look at this!"


    Yowoo''s mouth broke into a wide smirk.


    "Only the suprememander canmunicate with the other guardians. We can''t give such an important position to a person who knows nothing."


    "Exactly! You shouldn''t meddle in if you don''t know how to y the game."


    "Oh! You''re going too far, honestly!"


    Meilyn''s eyes sparked up with fire, too.


    "It''s not like you guys yed that many times. Why are you boasting about it so much?"


    "Experience is the most important thing~"


    "You stay out of this, snake man!"


    "After all, I feel like I''m the most qualified person for it!"


    "No, it''s me!"


    <em>mor mor mor!</em>


    The meeting was turning into total chaos as they fought for the position of suprememander.


    Rick, observing the scene, turned around and pulled out a note and a quill. Then, he began to scribble something.


    [Hey, the meeting turned into a disaster. Show up fiercely, okay? Fiercely.]


    Then, he pulled a skeleton out of subspace and sent it outside. Everyone was too busy fighting to pay attention to what Rick was doing.


    <em>Thud!</em>


    mming the table in anger, Yowoo shouted,


    "Ugh, this is so frustrating! Then, let''s have a duel before the siege st—!"


    <em>Poooooooooooooow!!</em>


    Suddenly, the door to the conference room flew open and broke off its hinges, smashing right through the wall behind Yowoo.


    <em>"Kyaaaah!"</em>


    <em>"Pant!"</em>


    The entire conference room shook.


    <em>"Hieeek!"</em>


    Yowoo stepped backward as dust rose like smoke from the walls.


    All eyes turned toward the now-empty door frame.


    What could be seen first was a foot swirling with dark-blue jet-ck. Then, the foot lowered, and the figure stepped inside.


    <em>Step… Step…</em>


    Gulps could be heard all around the room.


    A blue-haired boy had appeared, shutting everyone''s mouths.


    In the heavy silence, he spoke up.


    "Sorry, I''mte. My name is Simon Polentia."


    And just like that, the suprememander of the defending side was decided to be Simon.


    * * *


    * * *


    The time of war was fast approaching.


    All the troops of the Aeon Kingdom were now stationed within the castle walls and ready, guarding the four gates to the outer walls of the castle.


    Of those gates, alongside Rick and Meilyn, Simon decided to guard the south gate.


    ''The atmosphere is so heavy.''


    A heavy tension was in the air. Myriads of emotions shed in the eyes of the heavily armored animal-humans.


    Nervousness, fear, excitement, terror, and the knowledge that most of them would probably not make it out of this alive.


    The detail in their expression gave Simon goosebumps. He wondered if this was really a world created by one man.


    Simon collected his mind and looked down at the castle walls. They weren''t as high as he''d expected, but they would do a decent job of keeping the enemies at bay.


    Outnumbered tenfold, they had to maximize the fact that they were in a castle to their advantage.


    "By the way, Simon."


    Rick spoke to Simon while he enchanted the quivers of the soldiers.


    "What took you so long?"


    "I configured my skeleton mages to fire elements and set up some stuff while looking around the castle."


    "Yeah, so setting up what?"


    "You see…"


    Simon replied with a quiet whisper.


    <em>Swoosh.</em>


    After hearing Simon''s answer, the arrow Rick was enchanting ttered to the floor.


    "…Wow, shit. Are you sure you aren''t out of your mind? You''re really nning to use that here?!"


    "It''s ast resort."


    Simon smiled lightly. Rick shook his head.


    "Jeez. You look so normal, yet you''re manic when ites to strategizing."


    "Is that apliment? Or an insult?"


    "For a necromancer, it''s a hugepliment!"


    Beamed Rick before starting to enchant the soldiers'' armor. Simon also finished cing his skeleton mages and stretched.


    "Ah."


    Meilyn came into his view.


    She was leaning against the wall while resting her chin on her hands, staring up at the sky. Somehow, she had a grave expression, so Simon approached her at a leisurely pace.


    "What are you thinking about?"


    "Wah!"


    She got startled and jolted upright. Then, she red at Simon and shouted,


    "Ah, please! Don''t sneak up on me like that!"


    ''…She really does get startled easily.''


    After being around her for a while, Simon came to the conclusion that Meilyn did have a little bit of scaredy-cat side to her.


    Simon scoffed and stood beside Meilyn, looking out to the fields beyond the castle walls. She pouted for a while, then turned to stare outside as well.


    For a while, the two stared at the sky silently.


    "The sky is so beautiful."


    Softly muttered Meilyn.


    "Right?"


    "It''s a shame that Cami isn''t around."


    "Yeah."


    "…"


    "…"


    An awkwardness suddenly filled the air.


    Is it because they hadn''t been alone together in a long time? Or was it just that they felt awkward?


    Simon wanted to continue the conversation somehow.


    "What were you and Serene talking about ear—"


    Meilyn''s expression, which hadn''t seemed so bad, quickly ignited into burning rage.


    Simon quickly turned his head away, feeling like punching himself in the mouth.


    "Let''s… not talk about that woman here, shall we?"


    "S-Sorry."


    Meilyn sighed heavily.


    "It was nothing. Just a pointless conversation."


    <em>"You''ve got it all turned around."</em>


    At that moment, Serene''s voice rang in her ears.


    <em>"If you can bring Simon to the Ivory Tower, don''t you think it will change the way the elders look at you?"</em>


    <em>"That''s practically you pulling off something I couldn''t do. Isn''t it?"</em>


    Meilyn let out an annoyed sigh.


    Serene''s attitude, always thinking she was on top of everyone else, was just so annoying to her.


    "The second semester is almost over now."


    Meanwhile, Simon was sweating profusely and trying to change the subject.


    "If we be second-years…"


    This time, his voice became a little weak.


    "We''re all going to split up, aren''t we?"


    "That''s inevitable. We all have different majors."


    As Meilyn replied, she heard Serene''s voice again in her ear.


    <em>"I''m going to stick around Simon by picking Summoning as my major in my second year! Don''t you think that now is your only chance to…!"</em>


    "Ughhh!!"


    Meilyn frantically scratched her head. When Simon flinched and took a few steps away from her, Meilyn btedly said,


    "No, I''m not talking to y… Ah."


    "What''s wrong?"


    The gazes of the two of them turned to the front.


    A group of soldiers in ck armor had begun to approach.


    "Enemies! The soldiers of the Khan Kingdom have appeared!"


    "Prepare for battle!"


    Bing serious in an instant, Simon put his hand on the namete.


    "Everyone, get ready. Stay in your assigned areas as much as possible unless anything particr happens."


    Blue gs were raised at all four gates.


    It was a sign to confirm that they heard him.


    ''…I-I''m getting so nervous.''


    The enemy was approaching the castle. Simon strengthened his resolve, and blue mes began to glow in the eye sockets of the skeleton mages at his back.


    Soon, the war will begin.


    ——