Chapter 95
Chapter 95
'D-Didn't she hear it?'
'Ugh, for real! Stupid Rick! Because of you again!'
At that moment, when everyone was clearly nervous, Francesca walked past Simon and his friends and headed to the lecture desk.
'D-Did she not hear us?'
She seemed to glance at Simon and friends, even from the lecture desk, but she proceeded with the class without saying anything.
"We'll proceed to the next page."
The way she rolled up her sleeves and tied her back long hair made her look like a gladiator preparing for battle.
"There's a famous saying in regards to poison."
She took a deep breath and said,
"Alle Ding' sind Gift und nichts ohn' Gift; allein die Dosis macht, dass ein Ding kein Gift ist. It roughly translates to: All things are poisonous and nothing is without poison - only the dosage decides the outcome."
"......"
"What is poison? A chemical that contains poison? No. Anything that's harmful to humans can be poison."
She continued, looking around the students,
"Then here's a question. Assuming you consume the same amount of spices and poisonous herbs, why might the spices end up being worse for your health?"
Class President Jamie raised her hand immediately.
"It's because the amount of poison didn't reach the lethal dose!"
"That's correct, Jamie. 5 points."
Jamie was visibly delighted.
"Any poison needs a lethal dose to be effective. Many poisons are used medicinally as long as they dont exceed the lethal dose. Then, on the other hand, why do you think substances that aren't poisonous aren't poisonous? Jamie?"
Hit with a sudden question, Jamie pondered for a bit with a stiff expression before saying,
"I-Is it because they dont harm the body?"
"It's simple. It's because their lethal dose is the amount needed to make you explode and die."
Loud laughter broke loose.
"Therefore, the basis for dealing with poisons is to accurately determine the lethal dose by analyzing the opponent. You'll have to apply a different lethal dose to poison a monster. By the end of this lesson, we will have tackled the three laws required for lethality calculation."
Francesca effortlessly explained difficult theories one after another. Meilyn was clasping her hands in front of her face to hide her sheer joy.
"Ah~ She's so good. How can every single word she speaks be so easy to understand?"
Simon silently took notes and listened to Francesca's class. Then Rick tapped Simon's arm with his elbow.
"You're always quiet during Poisonous Alchemy. Is something wrong?"
"Hm? Not really."
Time passed, and the class ended. The students all packed their things and left the lecture room.
As Simon was also about to leave the lecture room
'Huh?'
He saw a familiar person.
It was none other than Jane's assistant. Simon remembered practicing his sparring with her in preparation for the first Duel Evaluation. After that spar, he felt like she was somehow avoiding him.
"Ah!"
She kept looking around, eventually finding Simon and walking up to him.
"Simon!"
"Hello assistant teacher. What brings you here?"
Instead of answering, she asked a question.
"Have you decided what mission you're going to take this weekend?"
"No. I'm still thinking about it."
"That's great!"
She grinned.
"Professor Jane called for you."
* * *
Simon arrived in front of Jane's lab along with the assistant. The assistant lowered her voice, whispering,
"Professor has become very sensitive due to recent incidents, so please be aware of that."
"Alright. Thank you for telling me."
"Then we'll go in now."
The assistant took a deep breath, then politely knocked twice.
"Professor Jane. I brought Simon."
He could hear a voice telling the assistant to let only Simon in. The assistant opened the door for Simon and bowed her head slightly. Simon nodded back and went inside.
Jane was buried in her towers of documents as always. Apparently her primary office was in the Kizen HQ. Simon couldn't imagine how much paperwork the HQ would have if the lab had this much.
"Please have a seat."
Jane was still moving her quill, not even glancing up.
"Yes, thank you."
Simon sat down, balled his hands, put them on his lap, and straightened his back.
Just like last time, meeting Jane was always nerve-wracking for him.
"A designated mission was sent to you, Simon."
Designated missionsunlike normal missions where any student can take it after the commissioner requests itare when an external commissioner directly designates a student to perform the task.
Of course, it was only possible for a considerable bigshot or a wealthy man to have the influence to make such a request to Kizen.
"Please check the contents."
Jane offered him a golden request form unlike the normal white or blue. Simon blinked before looking down at the form.
Request: VIP guarding
Request Rank: D
Request Reward: 1,000 Gold
Location: Territory of Blue Harbor
Details: Closely guarding VIP during the undead exhibition.
Special Notes: Participation in the Blue Harbor Undead Exhibition is required.
After reading the request form, Simon's eyes popped out of his head.
'The reward is 1,000 gold for a D-rank mission?'
It was twice as big as the 500 gold earned after some trickery in his last mission. As expected from a designated mission, the commission fee was on a whole new level. Above all, Simon was curious about the undead exhibition event.
"Of course, it isn't mandatory just because it's a designated mission. Are you going to do it?"
"Yes! Of course I'm gonna do it!"
Usually, no mission satisfied both personal interests and desired rewards.
By the nature of VIP guarding, the mission's difficulty could vary depending on who the VIP was, but it was just going to be five days at most.
Simon thought it was pretty doable.
"Then I'll consider it accepted."
Jane quickly scribbled her signature on the request form and stamped a seal.
"As a matter of fact, I was thinking of sending a servant to the exhibition, but this saved me the trouble."
"Huh?"
"For a necromancer of the modern era, exploring and analyzing new trends is very important."
She presented some documents to Simon.
"While you're at it, please go take a good look. I want you to fill out these documents after the visit."
"This is"
It was a report. A professional report for the purposes of anticipating investment value, core competencies, and future returns.
Simon was taken aback.
"Can I really write an important report like this? I'm still"
"If you're a Kizen student, you aren't an amateur. Kizen may take the form of a school, but it's also a regular organization paying salaries."
She put down her quill and clasped her hands.
"You are the only Kizen member going to the exhibition this time. Participate in the event with the determination of a representative of Kizen. You must never do anything that brings trouble to others."
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind!"
Somehow, things seemed to be bigger than he thought.
A 1,000 gold mission, plus representing THE Kizen. Simon left his seat with a pounding heart.
* * *
* * *
That night, at Piers ruins.
[Kyaaah! Blue Harbor?!]
Elizabeth put her hands to her cheeks and let out a scream of joy.
[It's a really famous beach resort!]
[We aren't going there to play around, Elizabeth.]
Said Pier while wiping his greatsword with a dry cloth.
[From what I've heard, that island was isolated from the mainland for a long time, resulting in a special ecosystem. We'll find new undead and make it the strength of the Legio]
[Commander! What do you think of this piece??]
When Elizabeth touched her body, what was once a dress turned into a swimsuit. Simon's face turned red after being caught off guard.
"......Eliza!"
[What about this one?]
When she touched it once more, it became a more revealing swimsuit. Simon quickly turned his head and said,
"Are you going to swim? Isn't it bad for the undead to go into the sea?"
[It'll sting a bit. Still, a vacation-resort vibe exists all across the wide beach, don't you think? I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight with all this excitement.]
"......You don't sleep to begin with."
Pier hit the stone altar with his fist.
[How pathetic, Elizabeth! How can you call yourself a Captain of the Legion with such rotten thoughts!]
[I think it's better than being a boomer Legion-brain killjoy.]
[......What? What do you mean?]
[I'm learning their slang these days in preparation for the situation where I have to transform into Kizen students.]
[I don't know what those words mean, but I feel very insulted!]
"Now, now. Stop fighting."
Simon got up and opened his subspace. What he took out was an empty set of armor.
"This is for Pier. I ordered a bigger size than before."
[Oh! Yes, this is what I'm talking about!]
"And Eliza. I'm telling you in advance, but I must focus on my mission. I probably won't have any time to play."
Elizabeth, switching between one piece swimsuits and bikinis, made a gloomy face.
"Enjoy your vacation at the beach. When I'm done with my mission, I'll stop by for a bit."
[Really?]
She clapped her hands and rejoiced. Simon turned his head to look at Pier.
"What about you, Pier?"
[I'll go around the island to see if there's anything useful! Let me know right away if anything happens!]
"Aye, alright."
Simon stretched his arms.
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
* * *
The next morning.
Simon was the first among the Kizen students to ride the teleportation circle. This time, he teleported alone, without any other students.
Whirrrrr!
He was now able to find comfort in the familiar sensation.
When he opened his eyes after a while
'Woah.'
A completely different view unfolded.
In front of him soared an expansive blue sky and lay a white sand beach, with an emerald-blue ocean filling the space between.
This was Blue Harbor, an island known as a nature resort blessed by the heavens.
At the sudden appearance of Simon, who fell from the air, a young couple kissing nearby got startled and held each other close.
Simon smiled in embarrassment and bowed his head.
"Have a nice day~"
Going to a more secluded place, Simon then took Elizabeth and Pier out of his subspace.
"You two, please avoid being too conspicuous here."
After saying that, Simon looked at Elizabeth in a bikini and Pier in full-plated armor in the scorching sun and pressed his forehead.
"It'd be hard not to be conspicuous Just, please, don't cause any trouble."
[Kuhehe! Don't worry, Boy!]
[Freedom and happiness await me!]
After parting ways with the two undead, Simon looked at the map in the request form and moved. It wasn't as big as most islands, but the more he looked at it, the more he thought it was a beautiful city.
The buildings were stylish and newly built, and the streets were clean and tidy. It was worth adding that, as if emphasizing the blue in Blue Harbor, all the houses were unified in their blue paint.
'Ah, this is the place.'
He arrived at the destination. An exceptionally large and splendid mansion among the city's new buildings. Looking at it, he thought it'd be a place for a wealthy person who could pay 1,000 gold for a five-day escort.
'I'm getting a little bit nervous.'
Simon fixed his tie, touched his bangs once, and moved forward.
Standing in front of the gate were two tall men who appeared to be guards.
"Ah, hello. I'm"
Tatap!
The moment he arrived, the guards parted for him and bowed down to 90 degrees.
"Welcome! The Count is waiting for you."
It seems that they recognized him immediately after looking at the Kizen uniform, not even needing to see the request form. Simon easily passed the mansions guards.
"Bwahahaha!"
As he entered, he heard a child's laughter from the garden.
He saw a boy running around with a shovel in one hand and a basket in the other. His face and clothes were covered in dirt, and two middle-aged men in butler uniforms were trying their best to stop him.
"Oh!"
Then the boy found Simon and pointed at him with his finger.
"It's Kizen! He came!"
The boy threw the shovel on the floor and rushed to Simon.
"Your clothes look super cool!"
Then he started groping around Simon's uniform with his dirty hands.
Simon wept inwardly.
'It hasn't been long since I washed this.'
"Hello. What are you doing here?"
"I was playing! My name is Shun!"
"I'm Simon. I want to meet the Count, where should I go?"
The boy smiled.
"I'm the Count!"
"Hm?"
The butlers approached from behind while clearing their throats.
"Please have some respect. You're talking to Count Shun Oldwin."
Simon's eyes widened.
So this kid was the client who paid 1,000 gold?