Chapter 190
Things went smoothly.
Simon hid inside a crate on a cargo wagon and safely passed through the Gate of Holiness.
Originally, there was a troublesome procedure where inspectors also checked goods exiting the Federation, but due to the recent Blood Heaven Cult incident, the tight security had loosened somewhat, thankfully.
After passing the Gate of Holiness, he crossed safely into the Harley Desert, the Neutral Zone, and Simon activated the magic circle engraved at the bottom of the crate.
When he opened his eyes, he was once again in the familiar Hove Fiefdom.
He immediately hailed a carriage in Hove and crossed over into the Leshill Fiefdom. He got off at the forked forest road where he had first met Lete, paid the coachman, and ran the rest of the way on foot, over the mountain range.
Everything had gone so smoothly since the Blood Heaven Cult incident that Simon began to feel slightly uneasy.
He had arrived earlier than expected, but what if something had happened in the meantime? That worry began to creep up on him.
Running nonstop like that, he finally arrived home.
"Ah!"
While Simon had been away in the Holy Federation, the house had been completely restored. The traces of damage from the white flame were barely visible, it had been repaired remarkably well.
"Well, if Father put skeletons to work, it'd be done in no time."
Simon approached the door and knocked, his expression tense.
"Father, it's Simon."
Footsteps came from beyond the door, and with a click, the door opened.
Richard was standing there with a bright smile, arms wide open.
"Simon! I'm so glad you're safe!"
The two embraced briefly.
"I brought it! The white leaf from the Tree of Life!"
Simon carefully pulled out the box from subspace and opened it.
"May I take a look?"
"Of course!"
Richard took the leaf and examined it closely with his eyes, then smiled with a sigh of relief.
"It's genuine. Well done, Simon."
"You'll start the surgery right away, won't you?"
"Yes. Everything's ready."
They planned to begin Anna's surgery that very evening.
Richard said Simon didn't need to watch, but Simon insisted that he really wanted to be there.
In case something went wrong again, it wouldn't hurt to have a second capable person in the room.
However, as Richard was preparing for surgery and pulling out the White Leaf, he discovered a note that had been placed underneath the box.
"Did you check this note?"
"No."
Since Simon had treated the item with such care after receiving it, he hadn't thought to check the bottom of the box. Richard unfolded and read it.
"To my brother-in-law."
It began.
"Ah!"
Simon let out a cheer.
"It's definitely from Sir Israfil!"
"Mhm."
Richard already knew from Simon that Israfil was the one who had procured the White Leaf.
He unfolded the entire note. It was densely filled with research about the side effects of Holy Essence removal surgery, and methods to counteract them.
The fruit of intense labor, clearly done for Anna's sake. A smile formed on Richard's lips.
"My sister-in-law may hate me... but I keep receiving incredible help."
"Is it useful?"
"Absolutely. It's research from a divine authority far more brilliant than I am."
Richard rolled up his sleeves, filled with enthusiasm.
"If we follow my sister-in-law—no, Sir Israfil's—theory for this surgery, we won't have to worry about your mother absorbing any more of the Saint's Essence."
"Ah...!"
The surgery was postponed slightly. Richard spent the entire night poring over Israfil's research, contemplating how best to apply it, and then began Anna's surgery that very morning.
He summoned a hundred pure mana magic circles above her body. Watching Richard maintain them effortlessly while performing surgery, Simon was struck anew by how incredible a necromancer his father was.
Simon boldly tried to memorize the formulas used in the procedure, but quickly gave up—they were filled with concepts well beyond a Keyzen first-year's level.
After several hours passed...
"How about omelets for dinner?"
Anna opened her eyes.
Those were the first words she spoke as she gently caressed Simon's cheek. Overwhelmed, Simon hugged her tightly.
"Thank you. And I'm sorry, my son."
The surgery was a success.
Once she regained her senses and began to feel better, Anna—being a top-tier priest—used holy magic on herself to fully recover her health.
She was miraculously back to normal. Her radiant smile had returned, and her face was brimming with vitality.
And as soon as she recovered, she headed straight for the kitchen. Richard insisted she needed strict rest, tried to handle the frying pan himself, and ended up burning everything. He received a solid smack from Anna and was promptly chased out of the kitchen.
"This old man can't cook, it's all your mother's fault."
Richard grumbled to Simon in a barely audible voice.
At the early evening dinner that followed, seeing the table piled high with food, Simon finally felt that his normal life had returned.
His journey with Lete into the Holy Federation, being chased by inquisitors, all felt like a midsummer night's dream.
At dinner, Simon shared what had happened in the Holy Federation (though he softened the details for Anna's sake), and Anna listened with shining eyes, thoroughly entertained. When Simon described the moment Israfil appeared during a dire crisis, she even clapped with joy.
"Israfil is a wise and intelligent child. There's no counting how many wars and tragedies that child has prevented. I'm so glad she became a Saint."
At that, Richard gave a slight cough.
"Well then, Simon, how about telling us what happened at Keyzen...?"
"What happened after Israfil drove out the Inquisitor-Director?"
"Uh, hmm. Yeah, I'm curious about that too."
Seeing how Richard still couldn't stand up to Anna, Simon let out a soft chuckle.
As he shared stories about his Team 7 teammates with his parents, Simon found himself missing his friends more and more.
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
Anna asked, eyes sparkling like a young girl's. Richard's face stiffened as he absentmindedly twirled his fork.
"Simon should be aiming for the top. He doesn't have time for dating. He can pursue that after he's an adult. You've seen how talented Lete of Efnelle is. Let her be your inspiration and work even harder."
"Oh my~ I don't quite agree with that."
Anna said with a smile, looking at Simon.
"My biggest regret is never dating a single boy at Efnelle. The elders would follow me around even at school, lecturing me about the Saint's virtue and purity. It was absolutely dreadful."
Simon was genuinely surprised.
They say married couples grow alike, but how could two people differ in opinion on even the smallest things? Once again, a subtle tug-of-war between the couple over Simon's love life began—but of course, it didn't last long.
"Simon. Have Lady Neftis or your professors ever said anything about your father's school days?"
Anna asked. It seemed she had some idea about Richard's school life as well.
Simon, out of loyalty to his father, didn't say anything. But when Anna saw the bitter smile forming on his lips, she nodded as if that alone was enough.
Feeling the pressure, Richard broke out in a cold sweat and muttered in defense,
"...It was only three. Just the three I told you about, dear."
Upon hearing Richard's excuse, Simon failed to keep a straight face, and Anna, catching even that reaction, narrowed her eyes.
"Dear. Could we talk for a moment after dinner?"
"...Ahem, I'm kind of tired."
"It'll just take a moment."
Using dishwashing as an excuse, Simon quietly escaped and offered a silent prayer for his father's soul.
* * *
It had been a while since he came up to his room, and Simon found a mountain of letters piled on his desk.
They were letters from his Team 7 teammates—Dick, Maelyn, and Kamibarez.
'Sorry I couldn't reply right away.'
Simon picked up the envelope from Maelyn, which was on top.
True to her nature, the envelope looked incredibly antique and expensive. It was just a casual greeting letter, yet she had even sealed it with high-quality wax.
Tearing open the seal and unfolding the stiff letter paper, Simon saw her elegant handwriting.
She had written a total of three letters. To summarize the contents:
-You should feel honored that I'm writing to you. This is actually my first time writing a letter, and I'm sending it to you first. Aren't you honored?
-I'm doing great, I'm amazing, I'm cool, I'm training well, and basically I'm the best.
-I sent you three letters and you didn't send back even one? You wanna die?
After reading the final letter, Simon let out a concerned laugh. If he didn't write back quickly, he might face a furious or deeply sulky Maelyn the moment school resumed.
Next was Dick's letter.
Dick had written a whopping seven pages. The envelope and paper were plain, white, and utterly unremarkable—cheap-looking, in other words.
The paper inside was covered in messy, barely legible handwriting. To summarize:
-Let's hang out.
-Let's hang out.
-Writing this letter, and a pretty girl just passed by.
-Let's hang out.
-Can I come over to your house?
-Let's hang out.
-Let's hang out.
Dick truly seemed to have nothing in mind but playing around.
Suddenly, Simon started worrying about him. Was this guy even doing his summer homework?
Lastly, there was Kamibarez's letter.
She had also written three pages. They came in a pink envelope brimming with girlish charm, and the lavender paper inside had cute handmade stickers attached. The care she'd put into it was obvious.
The paper was slightly wrinkled, with many signs of having been written, erased, and rewritten.
-Simon! Are you doing well? I'm doing well. I'm staying in the lab of a student recommended by Professor Sillage. What's Leshill like, where are you staying?
-I'm going to work hard during the break so I don't fall behind you three! How about you, Simon?
-Um... your reply isn't coming. Ah, I'm not trying to force you to write back! Or... did I say something that upset you? If I did, please tell me... I'll work hard to fix it during the break...
Reading Kamibarez's letter made a part of Simon's chest ache. He felt like garbage for not replying while he'd been stuck in the Holy Federation.
'I hope she wasn't hurt. Alright, time to write back.'
Besides the letter he wrote on the Holy Train, Simon began a new one to explain everything.
He wrote: he had to leave home for a while due to some personal matters and couldn't reply, that he was really sorry, that he was doing well, diligently working on his summer homework, and that he hoped the break would end soon so they could reunite. He was looking forward to seeing them again.
As soon as morning broke, Simon crossed the mountain and personally handed the letters to a mail carrier, even bowing as he asked him to deliver them well.
Back to his normal life, Simon was helping Richard with fief duties while steadily training in necromancer fundamentals.
Before long, he received replies from all three at once. Reading them, it was clear they understood Simon's situation. Kamibarez, perhaps feeling relieved that the misunderstanding was cleared up, had added even more stickers to her stationery.
While exchanging letters, Dick proposed something new.
"Let's all meet up in Langerstine before we head to Roke Mountain! We can buy textbooks for the second semester, grab supplies, and share stories! And finish up any leftover summer homework. Deal?"
'Sounds like fun.'
It was exactly what Simon had hoped for.
The more he exchanged letters, the more he missed the three of them. Simon immediately wrote back agreeing to the plan.
'I'm really looking forward to next week.'
The thought of returning to Keyzen after the break filled him with excitement.
Leaning back in his chair, Simon smiled.
It really was time to get ready for the new semester.