"D-Don't be ridiculous and contact Nefthis right away! Do you really think you people can treat me like th—!"
Poof.
And Lucius' body disappeared from the world.
A few drops of liquid, assumed to be blood, fell to the floor.
Just like that.
Everyone was open mouthed and blinked their eyes.
"There's no time. All of you freshmen, board the boat."
Said Silage while folding his hands behind his back and turning around.
"You too."
Simon silently nodded and moved to the boat.
Due to what just happened, the atmosphere of the incoming students was silent as a grave. However, some students couldn't hide their excitement and whispered among themselves.
"So that's dark blood magic!'"
"I almost faltered even though I'm planning to apply for curse studies."
"1st years can also attend that professor's class, right?"
As Simon walked towards the boat, he glanced at Silage.
Silage was also looking at Simon.
When their eyes met, he smiled.
"Don't worry. I didn't kill him."
"...Ah, yes."
When Simon got on the boat, Silage said,
"Everyone, fasten your seat belts."
Silage waved his hand in the air.
A reddish bubble spread out and covered the entire boat. Simon observed the situation with curiosity.
'How are we getting to Kizen with this boat?'
The bow pointed towards the shore, not to the sea. Simon wondered if they're planning to make a sternway, but the communicating servant made a report to Silage.
"Professor, it'll arrive in 5 minutes."
"Lure it as is."
The voices of the students grew louder. A huge spray of water was coming to them from the far horizon.
Swooooooosh!
The spray approached, inflating its size more and more, and after a while, a huge, indescribable whale appeared.
"Whoaaaaaaaa!"
The whale opened its mouth, swallowed the boat, and went into the sea.
* * *
An underwater undead called the 'Nether Whale' that followed Kizen's orders.
It was a monster that roamed the oceans of the world and devoured the ports of cities designated by Kizen.
But only once a year. It also played the role of transferring new students of Kizen who had not received teleport permission to the school. To put it more simply, it was Kizen's high-speed 'transportation method'.
Although it was inside a whale, it was quite warm and comfortable. Kizen's servants who resided in the whale came to the boat to provide food and services to the students.
The mood soon relaxed, and everyone started to laugh and talk about their future life.
"You were so cool before."
Simon was also talking with the student sitting next to him.
The boy with green hair and his forehead exposed introduced himself as 'Rowen Oscar'. He was so outgoing that he had already made friends with several people before coming to Simon.
"I mean, it's true! It was an atmosphere in which you couldn't simply just take action, but you jumped in, and his wrist went crack!"
"It's not that big of a deal."
Simon shrugged it off and sliced the fish steak. The steak was gently cut, and he sprinkled lemon juice on it.
While Rowen was mainly talking and Simon listened with a nod of his head, Rowen clapped his hands together and asked Simon a question.
"By the way, what kind of exam did you take for the entrance exam?"
"Entrance test?"
Simon tilted his head at the phrase he had heard for the first time.
"Was there something like that?"
"Of course! Anyone who wants to enroll in Kizen must take one! In my case, I did a shape change of jet-black..."
While Rowen naturally moved on to his own story, Simon was immersed in doubt.
A test? He had no memory of doing such a thing at all.
'Wouldn't it cause trouble regarding fairness if I talk about my case carelessly?'
After finishing the heroic story full of exaggeration, Rowen asked with sparkling eyes,
"What about you?"
"Uh, um… Mine was like yours. Changing the shape of jet-black."
"Oh! What a coincidence!"
"Everyone, take your seats. We'll be arriving soon."
Silage's voice was heard. The students who had been chatting quickly returned to their seats.
It seemed like it hadn't been long since the departure, but being told that they're arriving soon, the tension rushed in. Simon fastened his seat belt and adjusted his clothes.
Silage came up on the deck, spread a reddish substance like a while ago, and covered the boat. Then the whale's belly began to fill with water.
"If you don't want to fall, hold on tight."
Silage had a grim smile on his face as he said that, so Simon grabbed the handle in front of him as hard as he could.
Swaaaaaaaaaaaa!
As if a clogged dam was torn open, the water that filled up spurted out with great force. The screams of the students echoed from going at the speed where their legs were floating.
A bright light was seen at the end of the tunnel in the hole where it was pitch black and the boat slipped out in an instant.
Whiiish!
They flew out.
Thousands of meters above the sky, where the ground looked like a toy.
The boat was aboard a stream of water spewed out by the nether whale.
Shortly after, the power of the water gradually weakened and the bow turned downward. The students screamed in horror.
Now, they'd fall.
"Kugh!"
Simon hugged the seat in front of him.
Soon, the surroundings passed like a beam of light and they plummeted endlessly. The hem of Simon's clothes fluttered like crazy in the wind.
Slice.
At that moment, Silage cut his index finger with his fingernail. A drop of blood that spilled out was absorbed by the surface covering the boat, and the falling speed slowed little by little.
When Simon carefully opened his eyes after a while, the boat was slowly descending like a hot air balloon.
"Whoaaaa…!"
The students were astonished.
The sun, which dyed the world in orange light over the blue horizon, presented a truly fantastic sunrise. Under the boat, the scenery of 'Roke island', where Kizen was located, drew attention.
From lush jungles, to slick wilderness, to waterfalls with fallen leaves, to snow-capped mountains. You could look down at the four seasons at once on this island.
"Rowen! Wake up!"
"..."
Of course, most of them, including Rowen, still had their heads shoved into the seats or were dry heaving.
The boat finally landed safely on the ground after slowly landing as if it had opened a parachute.
Sighs of relief could be heard from everywhere. Many students immediately covered their mouths and ran to the trees to vomit.
"Come out and stand in 4 columns."
After a quick headcount, Silage moved his students.
Kizen was a large castle that was difficult to estimate the size of. The giant gatekeeper opened the gates and they entered through several layers of dark security magic.
Some students arrived through other routes besides Simon's party who had ridden the Nether Whale. Judging from their exhausted faces, it looked like they also had a 'dynamic' trip.
"We'll fasten up the pace a little. Please come this way!"
Upon entering the castle, the servants that were waiting quickly guided them. The students went straight to a nearby building, were provided with uniforms, and then moved to the changing rooms, divided by men and women, to change their clothes.
"Please finish changing clothes within 5 minutes and assemble outside."
Everything was quick in this place. Simon quickly changed into the school uniform as he was swept away by the atmosphere.
'Even the uniform looks cool in Kizen.'
The seemingly tailor-fit stylish black pants were more like a suit than a school uniform. Even if it was clinging, moving wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest.
He also wore a white dress shirt, red-tone tie and finally a stylish jacket with Kizen's insignia on it.
He then walked up to the mirror.
'Wow.'
So this is how I look with a suit on.
The appearance of himself well-dressed was so astonishing.
The design was somewhere between a school uniform and a suit, but as is, it was sophisticated enough to go to a banquet.
Feeling like he was walking on a cloud, Simon looked back and forth, enjoying his new outfit.
"Look at this! The jacket has magic enchanted on it!"
"They say that school uniforms are also used as battle uniforms. It's apparently stronger than any other decent armor."
Simon gently touched the school uniform jacket as he heard the voice outside the changing room. Perhaps magic was really enchanted on it. Subtle mana flowed from his clothes.
I wonder how expensive this would be.
In fact, it was almost like he was dressed in gold nuggets.
"Two minutes before the assembly!"
Hearing the servant's rushing, Simon hurriedly put on his shoes and went outside.
The male students who had changed into Kizen's suit-like uniforms were looking at themselves in the mirror, the corners of their mouths so raised that they almost ascended to the sky.
"Please come out now! We'll start moving!"
Simon and the male students came out of the changing room, and the girls went out of their changing room on the other side too.
The two groups paused as if they planned it beforehand. That included Simon.
'...The girl's uniform looks prettier, doesn't it?'
A stylish black-tone jacket with the insignia of Kizen, a white blouse, a thin tie, and a skirt that was slightly above the knee…
The girl's uniform was also designed to be in between the school uniform and a suit, and they all fit neatly according to their body type. It also felt that they looked a little more mature than their age.
"The male students and female students will each stand in two lines and head to the main hall."
Maybe because they saw each other's wonderful looks, a strange atmosphere flowed between the two groups moving towards the main hall.
While walking, they looked at each other's outfits, and when their eyes met, they would quickly turn their heads. He could hear the murmur of who's handsome or who's pretty already.
'So this is what school life feels like.'
They went down the stairs and finally entered the main hall where the entrance ceremony would begin. Many freshmen had already taken their seats, and Simon's party was almost the last.
"Simon! Is this real? We're at Kizen! Woah… Damn! This doesn't feel real!"
After parting in the locker room for a while, Rowen somehow found Simon and started chatting with him.
Simon looked around once and asked him,
"Are all these people freshmen?"
"Of course! There're 1,000 freshmen in the first year!"
Simon's jaw dropped. It was much more than he thought.
"And I heard that there are about 300 students in the 2nd year, and less than half of that in the 3rd year."
"...What?
"You know what I mean, right?"
Rowen let out a dark laugh.
"Out of these 1,000 people, only the top 30% can be promoted to the 2nd year. The competition for survival is that fierce."
Having to struggle to survive in school.
Simon couldn't really understand it using common sense. How hard could a school be to have 700 students drop out?
In the meantime, all the students were seated by the servants.
Rowen did a quick scan around him and began to describe various people of interest.
"Serne Aindark! She enrolled this year after all. The official heir to the Ivory Tower."
In the direction where Rowen was pointing, a cold-looking female student was there with her ash-blonde hair hanging down.
"All the prodigies from around the world are here! Darwin Kerradin! Jay Sanders… Wow! Who's that?"
"Where?"
"Look behind you."
When Simon looked back, there was one person who stood out more than anyone else.
A male student over 3 meters tall. The unfortunate students who sat behind him made a long face while moving their heads.
"Chatelle Maerre, a half-giant."
"...He's big."
"He's probably going to major in magic fighting. Who could handle that physique?'
Rowen shook his head from side to side.
"And then... Hehe."
The corner of Rowen's lips went up as he looked to the left at a person who drew many eyes, not just Rowen's.
A black-haired, red-eyed girl was sitting calmly.
"No matter what anyone says, this year's top will be Lorain Archbold."
Simon flinched, but nodded his head without showing his thoughts.
"She's Nefthis's only daughter, so people thought she would be a special admission, but apparently, she just took the entrance exam with a moderate grade."
"Is that so?"
"She wasn't really in first or second place, but in fact, everyone probably knows that she's the best freshman this year."
Simon agreed. He knew her skills better than anyone because he had seen them right in front of his eyes.
At that moment, a man's voice could be heard from the platform.
"Then we'll now start the entrance ceremony! All students, please stand up from your seats."
A man who appeared to be the master of ceremonies conducted the event.
He proceeded quickly and neatly, as expected from Kizen, and the Vice-president's speech and the manager's explanation of precautions were only as long as necessary. It was really comfortable as a listener.
And the biggest cheers broke loose when the teachers appeared.
Like Silage, they were top-class necromancers who still played active roles. They were so famous that even Simon, who wasn't really familiar with the continent's situation, had heard of them.
When idols appeared that they'd only heard of through words, the students' reactions almost resembled fanatics.
While Rowen next to him was foaming his mouth and shouting, Simon observed the faculty's side.
"So Nefthis isn't here."
Rowen chuckled after hearing Simon's muttering.
"Why would that great necromancer come to the 1st year's entrance ceremony? Even if you were a 3rd year, you would barely see her face."
"...Is that so?"
Even if I told him, he wouldn't believe that such a person was lost in Langerstine with ice cream in her mouth.
"There'll now be the oaths of student representatives. All students, please stand from your seats."
Finally, the end of this entrance ceremony approached. Simon stood up with everyone else.
According to Rowen, the student representative was composed of the best 1st year male and female students.
"Students who are called, please come up to the platform."
The host spoke while opening the document.
"Special Admission #2, Serene Aindark."
A huge cheer broke loose. The girl with ash-blonde hair got up from her seat and walked towards the front.
He could hear people everywhere talking about her being the heir of the ivory tower.
"And Special Admission #1,"
When the host opened his mouth again, silence filled the room.
"Simon Polentia."