Chapter 723: Episode 723

Up on the rooftop of the Kizen infirmary, two boys in white hospital gowns stood looking down at the empty campus now that the students had left for the break.

"I think I brought this on myself," Aizel said. "It was bound to blow up in my face eventually, one way or another. Graduating while deceiving everyone until the very end was an impossible dream to begin with."

"...Aizel."

"I’m sorry about what happened to you, Simon," Aizel continued, his voice heavy. "You must have prepared so much, and I couldn’t even make it to the duel."

"Don’t say that. With everything that happened, it couldn’t be helped." Simon studied him quietly for a moment. "You look a lot better, though."

"D-Do I?" Aizel scratched his cheek in embarrassment before leaning back against the railing. "Honestly, it’s a relief. I feel so much lighter."

He took a deep breath, letting it out in a long, slow exhale. "I should have just accepted it if my true colors were exposed. Why did I risk my life and try so desperately to hide who I was?"

"The fear of the unknown is always the worst," Simon offered.

"I guess so." The two shared a small smile.

With the mood lightening, Simon asked, "Have you met up with your friends yet?"

"Yeah. They all came to my room right after the vacation ceremony ended." Aizel rubbed his wrist, looking a bit sheepish. "Everyone was really understanding and supportive. A few were disappointed, of course, but I apologized, and I think we worked things out."

’Wow.’

Simon could hardly believe this was the same Aizel. When they first met, Aizel had been a nervous wreck, constantly terrified of his identity being discovered and obsessively scanning his surroundings. Now, speaking with relaxed shoulders and an open demeanor, he exuded a newfound sense of ease.

"And before I leave, I wanted to make sure I thanked you."

"Wait, what do you mean, leave?"

"I’m taking a leave of absence. Honestly, I planned to drop out entirely, but all the third-year professors rushed out to stop me."

Simon had heard rumors to that effect.

"Lord Nephthys refused to accept my withdrawal form, too," Aizel added. "I don’t really plan on coming back, but for now, I’m officially on leave. I think I’ll travel the continent."

He smiled brightly. "I want to travel as my true self and take some time to reflect."

Though they hadn’t known each other long, Simon had shared in Aizel’s struggles, experiencing his highs and lows alongside him. Hearing this brought a pang of sadness.

"I’ll be rooting for you, whatever path you take."

"Thank you."

A sudden breeze swept across the rooftop, sending stray leaves dancing through the air. Simon watched them flutter for a moment before Aizel spoke again.

"Have you heard anything more about the student council president position?"

Simon shook his head. "Lorraine said the faculty is completely split down the middle. From the looks of it, they won’t make a final decision until after the break."

"Kajan Edvalt will be targeting you from now on," Aizel said, his expression hardening. "Kajan has already surpassed me, and he’s the strongest in Kizen. From now on, it’ll be Kajan’s era. Your second semester might be even more exhausting than before."

"If he comes after me, I’ll gladly take him on." Simon calmly dusted off his hands with a slight smile. "He seemed easier to deal with than you, anyway."

Aizel burst into laughter. Brushing his bangs out of his eyes, he looked at Simon.

"I might be bowing out for now. But as I travel the continent, once I learn to love myself a little more... then..." He clenched his fist and held it out. "Let’s have a proper duel."

Simon smiled brightly and bumped his knuckles against Aizel’s. "I’ll be looking forward to it!"

It was a beautiful day, despite the impending farewell.

As the cheerful laughter of the two boys echoed across the roof, a girl leaning against the stairwell wall brushed back her platinum-blonde hair.

"Boys. Honestly," Serne Aindark muttered. She had erected a concealment barrier to hide her presence while she eavesdropped on their conversation.

"They could just end things nicely with a smile. How does a heartfelt goodbye turn into ’let’s fight again next time’? It makes absolutely no sense."

"They didn’t get to settle things properly, so they must both be disappointed," Lorraine whispered. She was pressed flat against the wall beside Serne, peeking around the corner.

Serne twirled a lock of hair around her finger, looking thoroughly unimpressed. Sensing that the boys were about to part ways, she stepped forward.

"Looks like they’re done talking. My turn."

"What? Wait!" Lorraine hissed.

But Serne had already dispelled the barrier and was striding out onto the roof.

"Oh my, Simon!" she called out.

Both boys flinched in surprise.

"What a coincidence meeting you here!"

"S-Serne?" Simon stammered. "Why are you here?"

"You weren’t in your room, so I came up to get some fresh air. I had no idea you’d be up here."

Feigning innocence, Serne strolled over with her hands behind her back and offered Aizel a sweet, eye-crinkling smile. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Aizel. I’ve heard so much about you from Simon."

"Ah, um..." Aizel, who had been completely relaxed just a moment ago, suddenly stammered under her gaze.

Serne lightly nudged Simon’s arm with her elbow—a clear signal for him to introduce her.

Simon quickly snapped to his senses. "Ah, right. This is Serne Aindark, a second-year. She’s the official successor to the Ivory Tower."

"The Ivory Tower...!" Aizel paled.

The moment the introduction was out of the way, Serne switched straight into business mode.

"I heard you’re taking a leave of absence to travel. Do you have any destinations planned? Do you have enough travel funds? Actually, our Ivory Tower..."

The former top student of the third year was about to walk out of Kizen on his own two feet. To Serne, the future Lord of the Ivory Tower, he was a mouth-watering prospect. There was no way she was letting him slip away.

She didn’t make a blatant demand for him to join the Ivory Tower right away, of course, but she eagerly volunteered to be his sponsor, offering to fully fund his travels.

"Hi, Simon." Lorraine walked over, watching the scene with a highly displeased glare.

"Lorraine? You were here too?"

"Sorry. I tried to stop Serne, but one thing led to another."

Lorraine was clearly just as invested in Aizel’s future. Kizen considered him a talent they absolutely could not afford to lose. While they wanted to offer him favorable terms, they seemed satisfied with merely preventing his formal withdrawal for now. Pushing him with additional demands would only exhaust him further.

"He’s leaving for now, but he’ll definitely return to Kizen someday." Lorraine glanced over. "Don’t you think so, Simon?"

"Y-Yeah." Simon nodded, but internally, he wasn’t so sure. From what he could tell, Aizel didn’t seem interested in Kizen ’or’ the Ivory Tower.

’He’s really going through it.’

Watching Aizel squirm under Serne’s relentless badgering was undeniably amusing. Serne was speaking sweetly and amiably, even layering on the cute charm of a supportive underclassman, but Aizel wasn’t taking it that way at all.

He stood with his hands politely clasped together, trembling as he listened to a girl a year younger than him. His deeply ingrained herbivore radar had detected the overwhelming predator standing right in front of him.

Simon was just deciding it was time to rescue the poor guy when a voice interrupted.

"Lady Lorraine."

A masked man—one of her direct subordinates—materialized quietly and handed her a note. Lorraine read the paper, her expression stiffening.

"Simon."

"Yeah?"

"The guardian coming to the island to pick you up... it’s your aunt, right?"

Simon’s eyes went wide. His aunt? Not his uncle?

"There’s a problem," she said.

Serne immediately stopped her pitch to Aizel and looked over.

"It seems your aunt has gone missing in Langerstine," Lorraine finished grimly.

---

If someone was an hour or two late for an appointment anywhere else, one might assume they were just delayed. But Langerstine was different.

It was a city swarming with gangs, robbers, and thieves—a place where you’d be robbed blind the second you let your guard down.

Even when Simon had first left his hometown of Leshill to enroll at Kizen, a scammer pretending to be a guide had tried to hustle him. Now, someone completely unaccustomed to the big city had gone missing in that very same place.

"We need to move right away," Lorraine said.

She immediately mobilized her people and prepared a teleportation magic circle bound for Langerstine. Simon was supposed to be resting in the infirmary, but he insisted on going himself. With Simon going, Serne naturally tagged along.

The three of them stepped into the magic circle and teleported straight to Langerstine.

"Welcome, Lady Lorraine." Her subordinates were already waiting for them when they arrived at the port.

"Has Simon’s guardian still not arrived?" Lorraine asked.

"No, my lady. We confirmed that she entered Langerstine, but she hasn’t shown up yet."

Simon rubbed his forehead, worry gnawing at him.

’Knowing Mom, she’s more than capable of getting caught up in some kind of trouble.’

He had no idea why Anna was here instead of Richard, but he had to find her before it was too late.

Lorraine, who had temporarily regained some of her authority within Kizen for the duration of the break, issued a swift order.

"Mobilize every subordinate stationed in Langerstine. We must find Simon’s guardian."

"Yes, my lady!"

"Let’s get moving," Lorraine told the others.

The three of them immediately hit the streets, asking around.

"Excuse me, have you seen a lost noblewoman around here? Silver-gray hair, slender build..."

Simon and Lorraine questioned pedestrians one by one, while Serne used her feathers to subtly manipulate people into answering—or simply read their memories directly.

"Ahem. Now that you mention it..." An old man stroked his beard thoughtfully as Simon approached. "I did see a beautiful lady following a man earlier."

Simon’s expression hardened instantly. "Which direction did they go?"

---

Anna was thrilled to be in a big city for the first time in ages. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she took in the bustling streets.

"Right this way, please."

The person leading her around was a gang member disguised as a local guide. Tourists who made it glaringly obvious that it was their first time in Langerstine were the perfect prey for the local syndicates.

’No husband, no servants, and she thinks she can just wander around Langerstine all alone. Lady’s got no fear.’

How could someone be so clueless about how the real world worked? She was a noblewoman, plain as day. She had probably grown up sheltered like a prized greenhouse flower before being married off to some rural lord, living a quiet life raising kids in the countryside.

Extorting a ransom from her family would be incredibly lucrative, but first, he needed to figure out her background. It would be a massive headache if she turned out to be the wife of some major political bigwig.

"Ah, come to think of it, ma’am. I’ve been a bit forgetful today. Where did you say you were heading once we reached the port?"

Anna smiled brightly. "Kizen!"

’Oh, I’m screwed.’

The gang member’s mouth twitched. Still, he couldn’t be entirely sure yet. He needed to probe a little deeper.

"Haha! You must have an acquaintance at Kizen. What, do they work there as a servant or something?"

"No!" She smiled sweetly. "My son... I mean, my nephew is the student council president!"