Chapter 756: Episode 756

The city of pleasure and amusement, Verino. Located in the northernmost part of the Dresden Kingdom, it shared a maritime border with the southernmost tip of the Shahed Kingdom. While most famous for its beautiful beaches, the shores closed at nightfall, making way for dazzling casinos to open their doors. It was a place where dreams of striking it rich and vain illusions played out simultaneously.

Gold could rain down like a monsoon, but a person could just as easily end up destitute on the streets. Stepping out of his carriage, Simon took a leisurely stroll through the city.

’The beach is just as pretty as the rumors say.’

The cool breeze and the sound of crashing waves seemed to clear his mind. People in swimsuits were everywhere. They lounged under parasols sipping juice, tossed balls back and forth, and dove into the sea for a refreshing swim.

’Hmm.’

However, there was skin everywhere he looked. Skin to the left, skin to the right. Just looking at it made him blush. He had visited the sea a few times before, but as a boy raised in the mountains, Simon couldn’t easily get used to the sight of such a lively beach.

Above all, this was the most crowded beach he had ever visited. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead to avoid getting tangled up in any trouble, when his foot suddenly caught on something, and he nearly tripped. Barely managing to catch his balance, he looked back and saw a tree root jutting out from the sidewalk.

’Doesn’t the city clean this sort of thing up? It’s dangerous for pedestrians.’

Simon brushed it off and continued on his way. But then.

"Ah."

"Whoa!"

To call it a series of coincidences was a stretch; his legs kept catching on things. His foot dug into another tree root, and he nearly bumped his head on a low-hanging branch.

’Am I just having bad luck today? Or...’

Feeling that something was off, Simon stopped and scanned his surroundings.

"Found you!"

A heavily panting voice pierced his ears. When Simon looked toward the sound, a girl with short brown hair was pushing through the crowd, sprinting straight toward him.

"Simon! It’s you, right?"

"Huh?"

Simon staggered as the girl threw herself into his arms, hugging him so hard it felt like a flying tackle. Only then did he realize who she was.

"Sasha!"

"I missed you!" she cried.

She was a Kizen first-year and Special Admission No. 1. Sasha Andrasil. She rubbed her face against his chest like an affectionate puppy before looking up.

"I knew I was having good luck today! To think I’d run into you outside of school like this!"

"R-Right," he stammered.

"I saw you from afar and called out, but you just kept walking, so I had to keep grabbing you!"

As expected, the earlier tripping incidents had been Sasha’s doing. Simon supported her so she wouldn’t fall and asked, "But Sasha, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I’m on a mission with the others."

She pointed behind her with a sullen pout. Just then, two more familiar underclassmen came running through the crowd.

"Student Council President!"

It was an elegant girl whose gracefully braided hair suited her perfectly. She wore plain, inconspicuous clothes to blend in as a commoner, but there was no hiding her inherent dignity and aura. It was the one and only Princess of the Dresden Kingdom, Molly Dresden.

"Hahahaha! It’s been a while, Senior Simon!"

Following right behind her was a red-haired boy carrying three swords. With an impressive lion-like mane of hair that left his forehead fully exposed, he was the Mercenary King, Arthur. The famous Kizen first-year trio was gathered in one place.

"Grow up a little, will you?"

Molly forcefully peeled the clinging Sasha off of Simon. Then, she stood in front of him and bowed politely, executing a flawless curtsy.

"Greetings, Student Council President."

"Ah, hello, Molly."

"I owe you for the recent incident. How is your health?"

"I’m fin—"

A nearby tree vine suddenly stretched out and yanked Molly’s hair. She let out a yelp and jerked her head back. Beside her, Sasha stood with a sullen expression, her index finger raised.

"Don’t interrupt a reunion between Special Admission No. 1s. No. 10," Sasha muttered.

Tearing the branch away, Molly yelled furiously, "Who are you calling the tail-ender!"

"I never said you were the tail-ender. Now you’re just outing yourself. Idiot."

It was still hard to tell whether those two actually got along or not. Anyway, was it really okay to treat a nation’s princess like that? Watching them bicker, Simon broke out in a cold sweat.

"By the way."

Simon finally looked at Arthur.

"What are you doing dressed like that?"

While everyone else was walking around in beach-appropriate attire, Arthur alone was fully decked out in armor. He was drawing stares from all directions.

"I’m on a mission, Senior!"

Arthur raised his scabbard and held it in front of his forehead in a mock salute.

"During vacation, I return to my main job and work as a mercenary! A ’phantom thief’ sent a calling card to the biggest casino in this city, so I’m investigating."

"As expected of the Mercenary King. You’ve been working hard."

Molly chimed into the conversation.

"We were exchanging letters with Arthur and came here to help him out with his mission."

"Phantom thief, my foot."

Sasha rested her hands behind her head.

"It’s obviously just some petty thief pulling a stunt for attention. Let’s wrap this up quickly and go play."

Simon briefly looked at his three underclassmen, who were particularly outstanding even among the first-years. He didn’t know the specifics of their mission, but he figured there wouldn’t be any problems if they were on the case. Still, he decided to ask out of courtesy.

"Do you need any help?"

The three of them paused for a moment, but soon offered gentle smiles.

"Thank you for the offer, but we’ll be fine," Molly politely declined.

"Haha! It would ruin Kizen’s reputation if the Student Council President stepped in personally just to catch a petty thief!" Arthur said, patting his own forearm.

"That’s right, Simon! Leave this to us!" Sasha chimed in.

They couldn’t have been more reliable. Simon nodded encouragingly.

"Alright, good luck."

Sasha beamed with a goofy smile, while Molly glared at her classmate from behind, still looking annoyed.

Arthur asked again, "By the way, Senior Simon, what brings you to Verino?"

"This is just a layover for me."

Simon explained that he was staying here for about a day before heading to the grasslands at Professor Hongfeng’s invitation. Hearing that, a storm of immense envy flared in the eyes of the three first-years.

"That sounds so, so, so fun! Take me with you, Simon!" Sasha immediately clung to his leg.

"What about your mission and your classmates?"

"That idiot king and the tail-ender are Kizen students too, so they’ll figure it out!"

"Hold on! I definitely heard you call me the tail-ender this time! How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that...!" Molly shrieked.

Simon struggled to pry off Sasha, who was whining to go with him. Of course, her ability to freely manipulate plants would be useful in the grasslands, but wasn’t this their first vacation at Kizen? He wanted them to spend at least their first break together with their classmates.

"Besides, we’re not just going on a vacation of our own accord. We’re going because we were invited by Professor Hongfeng."

"Really? That’s a shame."

She said that, but Sasha still looked ready to follow Simon to the ends of the earth. Right then, a loud explosion erupted from behind.

The screams of tourists echoed in the distance, and someone could be heard shouting, "Thief!"

Arthur, who had been smiling affably, suddenly gained a serious look in his eyes.

"It’s an incident! Let’s go! Sasha! Molly!"

Leaving a crater in the sand, Arthur launched himself forward and began sprinting away, pumping his arms wildly.

"Please excuse me first, Student Council President!"

Molly pulled out her subspace familiar, mounted it, and chased after him.

"No, seriously. I told you we only need to catch the phantom thief."

Sasha let out a deep sigh, summoned her own vine familiar, and climbed on.

"See you later, Simon! I’ll come visit you when I have time!"

"Got it. Don’t push yourselves too hard."

Simon waved at the three of them as they grew distant.

’They’re a rowdy bunch.’

He chuckled and stretched his arms wide. As soon as they disappeared, the surroundings became peacefully quiet, almost like a lie.

’Well then, should I go find my classmates too?’

’ ’

Simon walked along the coastal path for a while. With the first-years gone, the calm atmosphere persisted. He left the swarming city center and emerged onto a reasonably quiet stretch of the beach.

’At least one of the three should be playing on the beach.’

Thinking that, Simon looked around. As he continued down the path, the atmosphere of the beach suddenly changed. Everything from the parasols to the sunbeds was entirely luxurious and high-end.

The people wandering around were in swimsuits, but not a single one of them had gotten wet. Seeing them adorned with heavy jewelry, it seemed they had no intention of dipping into the seawater anyway. Serving those people were waiters in rather ridiculous outfits—swimsuits paired with bow ties—pouring wine.

It definitely looked like an exclusive area for wealthy nobles rather than commoners. Simon was about to turn around and head back when he heard a noisy commotion from behind.

"Did you come alone without any servants? Will you give us the honor of escorting you?"

"Oh, for goodness’ sake, I said no!"

Simon stopped dead in his tracks. That sharp, snappy voice. It was familiar.

A group of pompous nobles had crowded around the source of the noise.

"An invitation to our family’s villa..."

"Would you like to go to an evening party together?"

"How many times do I have to tell you I don’t want to!"

As Simon walked closer, the figure of the woman sitting on the sunbed, currently being hit on by the men, became clearer. Without realizing it, Simon was captivated.

Blue hair flowing like a gentle stream. Sapphire-like eyes and skin as white as jade. Eyebrows furrowed together in fierce annoyance.

She wore a white swimsuit, paired with a sheer cover-up draped over her shoulders. In her hand, she held a glass of lemonade.

’Could it be.’

Just then, the woman noticed him as well. Her heavily scrunched expression melted away like a lie, and her blue eyes shone with a bright gleam.

"Simon, over here!"

The nobles who had been harassing her whipped their heads around in a panic. Simon flinched and stopped in his tracks. It wasn’t because of the nobles.

’M-Meirin?’

It had been a while since he had seen her out of her school uniform. Somehow, she looked a bit more mature and grown-up. Seeing Simon’s reaction, the nobles’ expressions hardened.

"Oh, come on. Pretending to know a passerby is..."

Simon quickly snapped out of it and strode over. As he approached, she broke into a wide smile, ran over, and immediately clung to his arm, speaking in a coquettish voice.

"What took you so long?"

Simon’s face turned bright red.

"S-Sorry."

What more needed to be said in this situation? Two of the other nobles gave up and turned their backs. However, the one standing in the middle...

A blond noble with a protruding potbelly, sporting strange frills on his men’s swimsuit, didn’t seem ready to give up. He stomped over.

"You there!"

He gestured toward Simon.

"I am Antonio Bertonot of the Bertonot Marquisate!"

Having revealed his status as a Marquis, the corners of Antonio’s mouth curled up in a smug smirk.

"I was hoping to invite this young lady to my villa for a moment..."

"I am the Kizen Student Council President, Simon Polentia."

For a moment, Antonio’s soul seemed to leave his body. It was an absolute title that completely overshadowed any ordinary noble status. The two men who had come with him quickly backed away.

"Taking my Vice President away..." Having regained his composure, Simon lightly wrapped his arm around Meirin’s shoulder. Her cheeks flushed faintly. "To discuss official business. Would that be alright?"

"A-Agh!"

His face turning ashen, Antonio trembled as he spoke.

"How dare you, in front of a Marquis! If you’re going to lie, at least put some effort into it...!"

In an instant, the sandy beach was dyed pitch black as a fierce gale whipped up around them. The sky gradually dimmed, and the sand distorted, cracking apart with a sickening creak.

A sudden, chilling atmosphere descended upon the beach that had just been full of youth and vitality. The rotting arms of zombies and skeletons abruptly thrust out from various spots in the sand.

Terrified, Antonio gasped for air, his shoulders heaving. In the darkness, the blue-haired boy’s eyes flashed as his hair fluttered in the wind.

Antonio’s legs shook violently.

’Could he really be Kizen’s...!’

At that moment, a skeletal hand shot out from beneath his feet and grabbed his leg. With a face full of terror, Antonio collapsed onto the ground.

He couldn’t even scream. He foamed at the mouth, and a dark stain spread across his pants. At the sharp sound of a clap, the sky cleared up once again.

The blue-haired boy, hands still clasped together, looked down at him with a polite smile.

"Well then, please excuse us."

Simon guided Meirin away. With a soulless expression, Antonio blankly stared at Simon’s retreating back.