"S-Simon? Why are you here?"
Simon blinked at Meirin’s question. That was exactly what he wanted to ask.
"Why are ’you’ here?"
"Well, I’m... Huh?"
She belatedly looked down.
"Whoa! Y-You startled me! What is this?"
Meirin was overly shocked at the sight of the holy golem she had just smashed to pieces.
The body of the holy golem crushed under the ice collapsed with a heavy rumble, and Meirin, who was standing on top of it, slipped right along with the shifting debris.
"Eek!" she yelped, flailing wildly to catch her balance on the ice. She eventually landed on her rear with a dull thud, sliding down to the floor and bumping it a second time.
Simon squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away.
Just watching it hurt.
"Ugh, ow!"
She stood up, rubbing her backside with tiny tears welling in the corners of her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment.
"W-What is it? Weren’t you doing that mission about Goddess Deva or whatever?"
For some reason, her anger was directed at him. Simon held up both palms to placate her.
"I’m here because of that exact mission. What about you, Meirin?"
"I was investigating my own mission!" she retorted.
After hearing the full story, it turned out Meirin’s mission involved a mass amnesia phenomenon among the local residents.
Recently, even a student had been caught up in it alongside the locals, prompting that student to personally drop a letter in the help box.
"So I checked where the victims’ memories cut off and traced every single one of their movements," she explained, pulling out a notebook to show him.
He could see people’s routes neatly marked with drawn lines.
"As I investigated, I noticed overlapping routes. I followed those, taking tips from the residents along the way, and ended up here. Then I suddenly felt holy energy coming from the floor. So I immediately used ’Jet-Black Ice Boundary’ to collapse the old floor, and when I came down..."
Her sapphire-blue eyes turned toward Simon.
"There you were."
Understanding perfectly, Simon nodded.
"It seems our missions overlap."
Simon’s client, Aurore, had been controlled by holy spirit magic in her sleep.
The other residents claimed it was mass amnesia, but they had likely suffered the exact same phenomenon.
’To be fair, there were way too many items prepared for the ritual for Aurore to have gathered them all by herself,’ he mused.
Simon then explained what he had been through. Meirin, who had been listening quietly, scowled slightly.
"I racked my brain checking people’s routes and asking around the neighborhood to get here! And you just used a single artifact?"
Simon beamed.
"That’s what you call working efficiently."
"Hmph."
She marched forward, her sky-blue hair fluttering behind her. Another holy magic circle must have activated nearby, as a fresh holy golem was already rising to its feet like a sentry.
"Anyway, since it’s come to this, let’s take them out together," she said, conjuring flames and ice in her hands.
"How reassuring."
With that, Simon stepped on jet-black and charged forward. Meirin’s covering fire immediately followed.
---
The Kizen Student Council President and Vice President. True to their titles, their combined performance was nothing short of dazzling.
In the blink of an eye, they smashed every holy golem stationed in the ancient sewer and reached its deepest depths.
"Ugh." Meirin rubbed her shoulders, her face pale.
"This place feels awful."
This was the terminus of the old sewer.
Just one more turn down the passage, and they would reach the final sector. The holy energy that had previously been leaking in mere trickles was now pouring out in waves, entirely unconcealed. It was only natural for Meirin, a necromancer, to struggle under its oppressive weight.
’It’s dangerous to go any further,’ Simon thought.
He would be fine if struck by the holy energy, but Meirin wouldn’t be. With their crucial final exams approaching, it would be disastrous if she got hurt.
"Meirin."
"What?"
"It’s too dangerous for a necromancer up ahead. This isn’t something we can handle on our own. Let’s stop the investigation here and bring the professors."
Meirin tilted her head.
"What are you talking about? You say that as if you aren’t a necromancer yourself."
"Huh? No. Haha! That’s not it..."
"Besides, I hate the idea of calling the adults. It feels like running away," she stated resolutely. "This is a mission I—no, our Student Council received. So we have to solve it with our own strength and make it an achievement for the Student Council."
"Meirin!"
"I’m going. You can either wait here or go call a professor."
Her resolve was firm.
She must have been holding a grudge over their low evaluation score in the ’Student Communication Activities’ category.
’I have no choice.’
Simon walked after her.
"Wait."
"What? If you’re thinking of stopping me..."
Simon firmly grabbed her shoulders from behind. Not expecting the sudden contact, she let out a startled squeak.
He then forcefully turned her around to face him directly.
"W-W-What is it?!"
"I have something to say."
Meirin’s face flushed bright red. Wearing an incredibly serious expression, Simon slowly leaned in.
Meirin, who had been glaring at him defiantly, eventually couldn’t overcome her embarrassment and turned her head away as he drew closer.
"W-W-What are you trying to say all of a sudden?!"
Simon spoke in a quiet whisper.
"Sleep well."
Her eyes fluttered shut, and she slumped forward. As the strength left her body, Simon quickly caught her, supporting her weight. Her sky-blue hair, flowing like a silken stream, brushed against his chest.
Having successfully cast ’Sleep’, Simon let out a sigh of relief and very carefully laid her down on the ground.
He then rummaged through his pockets and pulled out the holy subspace artifact.
"Good thing I brought this just in case. Come out, Akalion."
A divine beast resembling a plush teddy bear popped out of the artifact with a soft ’poof’.
It was Akalion, one of Simon’s divine beasts.
"Protect Meirin here. You have to keep her safe by any means necessary."
Akalion let out a soft hum and nodded. When Simon infused it with holy energy, the beast’s body rapidly expanded, transforming into a massive bear with thick white fur.
’Alright, let’s go.’
Leaving Meirin to Akalion, Simon walked alone toward the final location.
He closed his eyes and centered himself with a reverent heart.
’I can do anything.’
A warm flash of light washed over him as the jet-black within his body subsided, instantly replaced by the comforting power of light. Now fully embodying a priest, Simon walked forward without a shred of hesitation.
The final area of the ancient sewer he arrived at contained none other than...
’Just as I thought.’
A massive altar.
It was large enough to be considered a small cathedral. In stark contrast to the filthy sewer walls, this section alone was built of pristine white marble, lined with various brass trays and candlesticks. Above all, an intricate holy magic circle was carved directly into the stone.
The source supplying holy energy to all these elements was a single, blindingly radiant object resting at its center.
’Ever Kire’s holy relic. So there was still one left.’
The nightmarish, atrocious fanatic, Ever Kire.
She had installed powerful holy relics all over Roc Island, attempting to dedicate the island to the distorted Goddess Deva she had created.
However, that attempt was thwarted by Kajan and the Kizen agents. They analyzed the holy wavelengths she generated to pinpoint the locations of the relics and succeeded in destroying all ten of them.
Subsequently defeated by Simon and Lethe, and unable to use the power of the holy relics, Ever Kire was killed by Nephthys, who had just returned to Kizen.
That was the course of events during the Dark Festival incident.
But...
’There was one more?’
Ten wasn’t all of them. It seemed this one was a spare prepared just in case. If she had tried to activate this relic as well, she would have been caught by Kizen analyzing the holy wavelengths.
Because she had planted this horrific tactical weapon in an unknown, forgotten corner of Roc Island, it had slowly triggered a disaster, dragging the innocent residents into its wake.
Simon stepped forward to retrieve the holy relic.
’Of course there’s a guard, right?’
A sharp, piercing alarm echoed through the chamber. Just as he expected. The moment the altar detected an intruder, all the surrounding holy magic circles activated.
The holy magic circles thrummed to life, their runes emitting a brilliant glow. The light converged in the center of the floor, weaving together to form the shape of an entirely new magic circle.
With a violent tremor, a massive arm burst out from within it and planted itself on the ground. Then, it hoisted its upper body up in one swift motion.
Simon’s eyes widened.
Once again, it was a holy spirit made of holy energy.
However, this one was far more gruesome than the spirit he had exorcised from Aurore. Nestled within a massive cluster of wings were three female heads—one laughing, one crying, and one remaining eerily silent. Tiny, dot-like eyes were embedded all over its grotesque form.
[Death. Death. Death.]
[Revival. Revival. Revival.]
[Destruction. Destruction. Destruction.]
The triplet guardian moved its arms in a fluid, dance-like motion.
’It’s fast!’
Before Simon even had a chance to react, ethereal flowers bloomed from the shabby sewer walls, scattering a thick cloud of white pollen with a soft rustle.
All of it was holy energy.
Simon’s body was buried in the pollen. Having successfully locked down its prey, the triplet guardian approached and embraced Simon with both of its massive arms. All three faces, which had previously expressed completely different emotions, now twisted into identical, mocking smiles.
In response, Simon wrenched his right arm free and struck the creature with all his might, the heavy impact echoing loudly through the chamber.
The triplet guardian shrieked and was sent flying backward, the suffocating pollen vanishing instantly as if swept away by a fierce gale.
"That won’t work," Simon muttered.
The guardian, slumped on the floor, hummed in panic. The heads exchanged strange words among themselves before looking at Simon.
With a resonant hum, it prepared a new technique. Each head opened its mouth, combining three distinct magic circles to unleash a single, devastating strike.
’Holy Light’
A pillar of light crashed down with a blinding rush, centered on Simon, and immediately spread outward.
As the light cleared, the guardian stared straight ahead.
The intruder necromancer had been swept up in the white magic and vanished without a trace.
Just as the triplet guardian finally smiled in satisfaction and turned around...
"What are you doing?" Simon asked calmly.
Simon was standing perfectly fine on top of the triplet’s heads.
In front of his outstretched right arm, a holy spear wrapped in countless ribbons of blessing was spinning furiously.
’Simon Remake - La Escrim’
With a sickening crack, the spinning holy spear dug into the guardian, entirely shredding its torso.
A single strike was all it took. Simon landed lightly on the ground as the ruined, massive holy body collapsed behind him, scattering faded rubble in all directions.
Simon lightly dusted off his hands.
"Isn’t this a bit too weak for something Ever Kire prepared?"
In truth, since it was meant to block intruders on Roc Island—a place crawling with necromancers—preparing only purification-type magic specifically tailored for anti-necromancer combat had been a fatal mistake.
Simon turned his head.
The dead center of the altar.
He could see the holy relic Ever Kire had installed.
’Hmm.’
He couldn’t feel Ever Kire’s specific holy signature. Although it was a holy relic kept on standby as a spare, it seemed to have been neglected for so long that the raw holy energy inside it had naturally leaked out over time.
That massive accumulation of holy energy had activated the prepared magic circles, ultimately awakening the entire altar.
Driven by a basic instinct to ensure its own survival, the altar had taken control of Aurore and the local residents to secure the necessary rituals and sacrifices.
"Anyway, what should I do with this?"
Simon pondered in front of the holy relic.
It would be a completely useless—even harmful—item to any normal necromancer, but Simon was different.
An item was just an item. He figured that if he could simply stop the holy energy from leaking, it might have some other practical use.
Just as he was contemplating what to do with it...
The holy relic suddenly moved on its own with a low thrum. The holy magic circles blinked on and off, emitting a noise.
[Holy magic effect disabled. Special wavelength confirmed. Target confirmed as Ever Kire.]
"What?"
He didn’t quite understand the situation, but the sensation was deeply unpleasant. Did it just mistake him for Ever Kire?
"Talk about a ridiculous misunderstanding," he muttered.
He definitely needed to destroy this thing. Simon was about to reach for the holy relic when its lid suddenly popped open. Thick tendrils of holy energy shot out like vines, tightly wrapping around his body.
Simon flinched.
[Target confirmed. Target confirmed.]
Simon felt his breath catch in his throat. The holy relic was abandoning the altar entirely, attempting to use Simon himself—who currently radiated holy energy—as its new medium.
’What is this? It’s dangerous...!’ he thought, panic flaring.
But the moment he came into direct contact with the relic’s holy energy, the image of a pure white throne flashed vividly in his mind.
’The Essence of the Saintess.’
More accurately, the remnants of the ’Essence of Harvest’ resting dormant within his body were stirring to life.
’You’re going to step up?’ he wondered.
Simon relaxed his body and closed his eyes.
Since it seemed to be trying to help him, he quietly let the essence do as it pleased.
Soon, the holy vines binding Simon’s body cracked and splintered, and vibrant stalks of wheat sprouted through the glowing gaps.
The wheat swayed violently with a soft rustle, greedily sucking up every last drop of the massive amount of holy energy stored inside the relic.
"Ugh!"
Simon staggered, a sharp headache piercing his skull.
After some time passed...
The holy relic, now reduced to nothing more than a faded, old kettle, dropped to the floor with a sharp clatter.
All the holy energy in the area had been absorbed into Simon. Nothing remained but an empty, obsolete husk.
All the holy magic circles faded, and the altar ceased functioning.
"Haa, phew."
Simon panted, staring at his own body.
His entire body was brimming with holy energy, and the wheat that had grown on him was completely gone.
Amidst his confusion, Simon could physically feel a profound change within himself. Carefully raising his index finger, he closed his eyes and gathered his focus.
With a soft rustle, a single stalk of wheat sprouted from his fingertip.
Although it couldn’t compare to the overwhelming power the Saintess of Harvest or Ever Kire had wielded, it was undeniably the true authority of a Saintess. Finally relieved, Simon wiped the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
’I have no idea what just happened. Should I ask Mom?’
"Mmm’—"
Just then, he heard Meirin’s voice from behind. Startled, Simon rushed over to her.
"Meirin!"
The effect of his ’Sleep’ spell must have worn off, as she was just beginning to stir.
Simon quickly returned Akalion to the holy subspace and seamlessly reverted to his necromancer state.
"Hehehe."
But she was smiling.
"...Pion, it’s embarrassing if you carry me like that again," she mumbled.
’Pion?’
’Just what kind of dream is she having?’
Seeing Meirin smiling so goofily, Simon felt a sudden chill run down his spine and quickly snapped his fingers.
"Huh?"
She opened her eyes.
Jumping up from her spot, Meirin looked around wildly.
Her face turned even redder.
"What, what! What happened?"
"It seems you lost consciousness for a moment when that holy relic over there exploded."
Simon smiled and pointed forward.
"Want to go check it out?" he asked, gesturing down the hall.
---
After checking the scene one more time, Simon and Meirin returned to the school and reported in.
Personnel from Kizen Headquarters were immediately dispatched to inspect the scene, confirming that it was a spare holy relic used by Ever Kire.
"On behalf of our department, I would like to express our gratitude."
"Great work, both of you."
Since they had solved quite a major case this time, Jane was highly pleased. It was decided that they would continue to receive reports as the investigation progressed.
Five stars were now practically guaranteed for their problematic evaluation category. Kizen also agreed to fully compensate the town for all the houses and roads Simon and Meirin had destroyed during their operation.
"And Professor, I have a favor to ask!"
Following that request, Aurore was able to move into a new house.
Recently, the second-year student’s grades had been excellent. Because she had been unfairly kicked out of the dorms due to her racial characteristics, she was selected as a recipient of the school’s academic support fund. Thanks to that, she would finally be able to live in a much better place.
At dawn, on the day the situation finally began to settle down...
Simon stood within Pier’s ruins. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and then slowly opened them.
"It’s complete."
In the palm of his hand, a single stalk of wheat, glowing with a brilliant purple light, swayed gently in the quiet air.
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