Chapter 69
Simon looked down at her with a blank expression.
‘……N-Nefthis?”
“Ah! It's food! Food!”
Nefthis ran in quick, short steps and climbed up Simon's chair while whimpering. Soon, her eyes twinkled and she had to gulp down her saliva.
“Kyaaaaah! Who is this kid?
“She’s sooooo adorable!”
Meilyn and Camibarez screamed and made a fuss, looking at Nefthis.
Nefthis tilted her head, glancing to the side with her innocent eyes.
‘Don’t tell me, do they not know?’
Simon stretched out his arms in fright.
“H-Hold on, guys!”
“Do you want some snacks?”
“Yeah!”
As Nefthis nodded quickly, Meilyn stroked Nefhis’ head while looking like she was about to die from the cuteness.
Camibarez immediately turned to look at Rick.
“Can we feed her, Rick?”
“Huh? Yeahhh……”
“Yaay!”
Nefthis hurriedly picked up the snacks and began to stuff them in her mouth after permission was granted.
Both her cheeks were puffy and plump. She said with a smile on her face,
“Dewicious!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!
“Do you wanna eat this too?”
Meilyn tore the wrapper and held out a cookie. Nefthis opened her mouth wide and took a large bite.
“Nom nom!”
“She ate iiiit!”
“Me too! I wanna do it too!”
……The situation was starting to hit rock bottom.
“Hold on, guys! This person is—!”
“You’re so cute~ What’s your name?”
While frantically putting food in her mouth, she smiled broadly at Camibarez’ gentle question.
“Yeah! My name is Nefthis!”
“Hehe!”
“So cute!”
……They don’t believe her at all!!
Most of the continent’s people who weren’t Kizen officials didn’t know that the so-called 300-year-old Nefthis was actually a small child.
That was because she hadn’t appeared in any official meetings for decades, and only moved behind the name of Kizen. Also, she sometimes took on the form of something other than a girl when she had to show up.
Most of all, the weight and fear of the name Nefthis had given rise to many imaginative speculations.
The people of the continent imagined Nefthis as a terrible witch that transcended humanity, something between human and monster.
Of course, rumors that Nefthis looked like a little girl were also known, but Meilyn and Camibarez had no such suspicion right now.
They just weren’t capable of thinking about the fact that Nefthis could appear here right now.
‘Wh-What should I do?’
Simon felt like he was looking at a ticking time bomb getting close to zero.
On the other hand, Rick, who excelled at information, was moving to another place while ignoring them as if he had already finished grasping the situation.
‘Rick! Do something!’
Simon tried to signal to Rick with his hands, but Rick couldn’t see Simon. He was sitting away from them, face hardened
“……Rick?”
Belatedly, Camibarez turned and looked at Rick. He was kneeling on the chair with a stiff face.
“Why did you just start kneeling?”
“Wh-What are you talking about?! I’ve been sitting like this for my entire life!”
Said Rick, sweating profusely.
Even if he wanted to tell them, Nefthis kept his mouth shut by occasionally giving Rick a strange gaze.
“Is it delicious?”
Meilyn showed a reaction befitting a girl her age for the first time in a while.
As she stroked her hair, Nefthis smiled pleasantly.
“Yeah! It’s dewdicious!”
“Awwwww, my heart hurts……”
“It’s my first time seeing such a pretty girl!”
After eating snacks to her heart’s content and tapping her small stomach, Nefthis jumped out of her chair. Then, she ran to Simon’s side, took his hand, and said,
“Simon! Can I see you for a moment?”
“……Ah, yes.”
The two left the lecture room.
Simon quickly said,
“Nefthis, I’ll apologize on their behalf. They couldn’t recognize you, so—”
“Hehe, don’t mind it! It happens all the time anyway! The snacks were delicious too.”
She said while smiling. Then, she stopped walking and stared into Simon’s eyes. Simon also stopped his steps and waited for her.
“Hmm.”
She gave a wry smile.
“So you finally obtained your Legion.”
“……!!”
Simon felt his heart sink. She returned to her childish smile again and took Simon’s hand.
“This isn’t really the place to talk about it, so shall we move someplace else?”
“What?”
Nefthis jumped up while holding Simon’s hand.
With the sensation of his legs suddenly floating, Simon felt as though he had gone beyond all dimensions of space.
When he opened his eyes, the surroundings had changed into another place.
‘Where in the world is this place?’
It was someone’s room.
There was a combination of cream and pink wallpapers, the curtains were frilled, and displayed on the shelves were decorative items and cute stuffed animals. The room had a really pleasant smell.
‘Don’t tell me…’
Simon turned his head to look at the girl who was outwardly the most suited to this room.
“I didn’t know you had this kind of taste, Nefthis……”
“This isn’t my room, though.”
“What?”
At that moment, there was the sound of a blanket being pulled behind him.Simon looked back in shock.
He could see a pretty girl with red eyes, a blank face, and dark hair down to her back that still had some moisture remaining.
“L-Lorain!”
Simon’s face flushed red.
Lorain was wearing comfortable shorts she wore at home, and only wore undergarments to cover her top.
She covered her body with her arms with an expressionless face and looked at Nefthis.
“Mother.”
“Yeah?”
“When you’re teleporting a guy into my room, you’re just trying to mess with me, right?”
“What are you saying?!”
Nefthis put her hands on her hips and proudly said,
“I’m here because I have something to tell you guys at the same time!”
“Haaaah.”
Letting out a deep sigh, her red eyes flashed fiercely.
“You’re always like this, Mother.”
“Hmph. Same goes for you!”
Nefthis jumped around.
“You overslept again even though it’s an exam period, didn’t you? Look at Simon. He’s even doing group study, gathering his group members by himself!”
“I’ll take care of myself.”
“Don’t you know that I keep getting messages from Professors these days?”
“Even if I don’t know those little formulas, it has nothing to do with my skills!”
A bloody atmosphere rose up between them.
Judging from the content, it was a typical fight between a mother and a rebellious daughter, but if you looked at it from a step back, it could be seen as nothing but a fight between sisters.
‘……I wanna go back to my dorm.’
Simon was attached to the wall, face pale after suddenly being caught up in the world’s scariest mother and daughter fight.
“Please just hurry up and finish it, mother. And Simon?”
“Ah, yes?”
“Could you quit glancing at me?”
Simon shed tears inwardly.
‘It’s not that I’m looking at you because I want to.’
* * *
* * *
Lorain got up from the bed and pulled out some clothes from the hanger, wrapping them around her body. Simon could finally look at her properly now.
“Well, Simon! First of all, about the story you reported.”
Said Nefthis after planting her butt on a nearby chair.
“The story I reported?”
“Yeah! About the spy that infiltrated the Kizen.”
So she heard it from Lorain.
Simon waited for her next words nervously.
“I’ve assigned trustworthy servants for investigations for now. We’re also getting clues little by little.”
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
“But the reason why I came to you is to warn you.”
Nefthis continued in a serious voice.
“I think that traitor knows your identity.”
Simon felt his heart sinking. Nefthis slowly continued,
“Do you remember that Cyclops Evaluation last time? The reason why the Cyclops that your group faced at that time was particularly strong wasn’t because of the side effects of drugs or curses during the capture, but because someone deliberately took some measures.”
“……!”
Nefthis smiled.
“You’d of course know what their intentions were even if I didn’t say it, right?”
……Disguising it as an accidental death.
Simon gulped.
“Simon.”
This time, Lorain opened her mouth.
“Since you said you met them in the Forbidden Forest, the spy is far more likely to be at the school than at the Kizen Headquarters. If you stay here, your life may continue to be at risk.”
“Yup. Something like that.”
Nefthis folded her arms while smiling with her eyes.
“Lorain was very worried about you, you know!”
“Mother!!”
“Anyway, do you really not want to accept Kizen’s protection measures?”
“……”
Simon firmly shut his mouth.
“If you’re worried about being expelled from Kizen, I can process it as repetition like your roommate, Kajann. Just go back to your hometown until the case is resolved and start over next year.”
“……I’m really grateful for your concern, but I won’t change my mind.”
Simon slowly raised his head up.
“I think my current life is worth protecting and taking this risk. Please let me remain in the school. I’m also looking for clues on my own, so it should be a help.”
Lorain bit her lip, making a complicated face, and Nefthis nodded her head with a light heart.
“Actually, I knew you’d obviously say that! You’re Richard’s son, after all.”
She took out a silver necklace from her subspace. As Simon looked at it, wondering what it was, she motioned for him to lower his body.
Simon quickly knelt down on one knee. Nefthis got on her tiptoes and hung the necklace directly on Simon’s neck.
“What’s this?”
“An artifact. There are a lot of troubles happening on the continent recently, so I can’t just focus on you, you see. So I’ll give you this. The power contained in this necklace will protect you.”
Simon gulped as he saw the dazzling light coming off the necklace.
It wasn’t hard to guess that it was more expensive than anything he owned.
“If this artifact warns you of danger, you must stop everything you’re doing and leave the place right away. You know what this means, right?”
“Yes. I’ll mark your words.”
“And…”
Nefthis turned to look at Lorain.
“You take care of Simon too, please.”
“……I know, Mother.”
She answered her primly. Then, Nefthis jumped up onto the bed.
“Waaaake up! Hurry on and waaaake uuuup!”
“Th-That hurts!”
“Simon.”
Nefthis pulled Lorain’s arm and looked back at Simon.
“I’ll send you back to where you were studying. Bring this lazy bastard with you!”
“Mother!”
Lorain shouted with a bewildered expression,
“Why am I going there?”
“Hmph! You’re never gonna step outside the house if I don’t do this!”
“It’s study! It’s going to be awkward if I join, and I’ll be a nuisance to Simon’s friends!”
Lorain shouted and pushed Nefthis’ arm away with force, flopping her down on the bed.
Sob.
Tears suddenly began to form in her eyes.
“Hic. Huuu! Uwaaaah! My daughter keeps on troubling me all the time! Idiot Idiot! Lorain is such an idiiiooot!”
Nefthis flailing her arms and legs about resembled the typical image of a child throwing a tantrum.
Simon was just reading their countenance, not knowing what to do, and Lorain let out a deep sigh before pressing her forehead as though feeling a little guilty.
“Haaah…… Fine. I’ll go.”
“Mhm mhm! Then I’m counting on you with Lorain, Simon!”
Nefthis, who stopped crying immediately, came down from the bed. Simon was a little perplexed by her complete change in attitude, but Lorain grunted and opened the closet as though used to it.
“Just come out when you guys are ready!”
Nefthis left the room while humming. Lorain took a uniform out of her closet.
“Sorry, I’ll stay silent for an hour or so and take my leave.”
“Nah, nah. We’re happy to have more study members.”
Lorain suddenly stopped moving and stared at Simon’s face.
“……Wh-What’s wrong?”
“Are you planning on watching me change?”
Simon, whose face turned red at those words, hurriedly ran out.
* * *
After a while, Lorain joined Group 7’s study session.
“……”
“……”
Meilyn, Camibarez, and Rick recognized the big name, Lorain, and their faces turned pale.
There was an awkward atmosphere running in the lecture room as the five were seated together. Only the eyes were busy moving, glancing at her.
Meilyn was staring at Simon’s face as if asking for an explanation, and Rick was wishing that he had around ten hearts.
To think that he just saw Nefthis, and now Lorain!
“This is Lorain from Class L.”
Simon on the other hand introduced Lorain with a smile as if it was nothing.
“She wants to study together, at least for today. Would that be alright?”
The three quickly nodded their heads. Even if it wasn’t okay, it had to be okay.
After looking around with an expressionless face, Lorain began to say something in a calm voice.
——