"Sorry I’m late."

As everyone’s eyes focused on him, Kamibarez’s eyes welled up with emotion.

"Simoooon—!"

She ran forward with her arms wide open and threw herself into Simon’s arms.

’Uh, huh?’

Simon was taken aback by the girl who had suddenly rushed at him. The familiar black uniform, the familiar crown of her head. And above all, the adorable little bat wings fluttering with joy.

’Why is Kamibarez in the North?’

As Simon looked down at her with a dazed expression, he suddenly felt his chest grow damp.

"Simon."

She slowly lifted her head, which had been buried in his chest. Her large eyes, brimming with emotion, came into view. On the verge of tears, she studied Simon’s face, then broke into a wide smile like a blooming flower.

"I’m so glad you’re safe!"

’Ah.’

Simon felt his face flush without realizing it.

"Uh, yeah."

Just then, the Grand Duke, who had approached from behind with her arms crossed, gave a mischievous smile.

"How amusing. Is she your girlfriend?" the Grand Duke inquired.

Their faces flushing crimson, they whirled around and shouted in unison.

"No!"

"No!"

The Grand Duke chuckled at their flustered denial.

"Very well." She turned her back, her long hair fluttering behind her. "You may use my office to catch up. Once you are finished, report to me at the training grounds outside the castle."

"Ah, yes! Thank you!" Simon replied quickly.

---

In the Grand Duke’s office, Simon and Kamibarez recounted their separate adventures. Kamibarez shared the story of her time waiting in Vilkenos and her unexpected battle with ’The Fourth’. In turn, Simon described joining the Northern Army with the Grand Duke to fight the Northern God, carefully omitting any mention of being a Legion Commander or the full truth about Zairos.

"I’m sorry, Kami," Simon said, scratching the back of his head. "You got dragged into this mess because of me."

"N-No! I was the one who insisted on coming!" she protested, shaking her head. Her cute bat wings flapped in tandem with the movement. "Besides, it is a necromancer’s duty to deal with evil undead that torment people! It was a great learning experience to apply what I learned in the special class to a real battle!"

Suppressing the urge to pat her head, Simon offered a gentle smile.

"By the way, Kami, how did you know I was in the Kalos North?"

The destinations for the special classes were confidential—not to be shared externally and kept private even among Kizen students for security reasons. Yet Kamibarez had somehow bypassed all of that, simply because she wanted to return to school with him.

At his question, Kamibarez flapped her wings, her eyes wide with innocence.

"I spoke with Lady Nephthys!"

Simon’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"With Lady Nephthys? Directly?"

"Yes! Her subordinates contacted their superiors through a crystal ball, saying they needed permission, and then they suddenly looked so surprised." She closed her eyes, reliving the moment. "It turned out Lady Nephthys herself took the call! She asked a few questions and then asked if I would be alright going to the Kalos North, where you were. She said she could send me but warned me to be careful!"

Simon let out a bewildered laugh. ’I have no idea what she’s thinking.’

He always felt this way about her; Nephthys’s actions were utterly unpredictable. First, she had revealed the existence of the 7th Legion during the Dark Festival, and now she had abruptly introduced the special class system and sent him to the North. In the end, Vilkenos was safe thanks to Kamibarez’s heroic efforts, but he could clearly picture Jane’s suffering, cleaning up after a superior who constantly stirred up trouble.

"Still, rules are rules. Could you keep the fact that I was in the Kalos North a secret?"

"Yes, of course!"

Reunited after so long, the two chatted away happily. They were already well past their original return date, but it seemed the school, having heard about the unavoidable circumstances in the North, was being lenient.

’Ugh, when am I going to get to all my overdue homework and assignments?’ he wondered.

It looked like he would have to pull an all-nighter to finish the work that had piled up during the war.

’Ah, right.’

Simon suddenly remembered that the Grand Duke was waiting for his report and shot to his feet. She must be anxious to know what had become of the Northern God.

"You rest here," he said. "I am going to give my report to the Grand Duke."

Kamibarez nodded with a bright smile.

"Okay, Simon!"

---

A short walk from the castle through the gardens led to the Grand Duke’s training grounds. Simon strolled through the now-familiar space, memories of his training sessions with her resurfacing one by one.

He recalled how she would get angry if he failed to execute her teachings correctly, sometimes striking him with her scabbard. Then, just as suddenly, she would gaze at the sky, fire an Arrow of Gale, and return as if nothing had happened.

Now, all of that was over.

"Ah."

He spotted her sitting on a tree stump in her training clothes. The Bow of Gale, which she rarely parted with, was laid on the grass, and various pieces of training equipment were scattered around her.

"You have come." She smiled as she turned to face him.

Simon smiled back and walked closer.

"What about your training?"

"Upon arriving, I put on my training clothes and picked up my equipment out of habit, only to realize something." Her voice was tinged with a strange wistfulness. "The war is over. There is no longer a need for it."

"...I see."

"Are you injured?"

"Nothing major. I should be fully recovered in a few days."

"That is a relief."

Simon then reported on the events that had transpired in the Frost Field. As she was a fellow Legion Commander, he could tell her everything, including the truth about Zairos.

The Northern God they had been fighting was, in fact, Zairos himself. He had been a guardian protecting the North under Yona’s command, but as time passed, he came to believe Yona had abandoned him. His mind, worn down and fixated on his old orders, became vulnerable. The Northern God had exploited that weakness. Zairos believed he had eliminated the entity and taken its place, but in reality, he was merely its puppet.

Thus, the bloody war had raged on between the Grand Duke—who had grown and established her power during the five years Zairos had bought them—and Zairos, the new Northern God.

"So that is what happened." Having learned the whole truth, she seemed lost in thought. She tilted her head back to look at the sky and gave a bitter smile. "I have wronged Zairos."

Simon was startled. He had assumed that even with the Northern God gone, she might hold Zairos responsible for his role as their mortal enemy. Instead, she was expressing remorse.

"How could I resent him? For all these years, he was the benefactor who protected the North."

Her voice grew heavy. "Had I paid him more attention, perhaps this would never have happened. But for those five years, I did not have a moment to breathe. My duties as Grand Duke, my training as a Legion Commander, unifying a divided North, instilling pride in despairing residents... I was busy enough just managing myself."

"...Grand Duke."

She gave a self-deprecating smile. "But that, too, is an excuse. The North and I were too busy enjoying the peace earned through Zairos’s sacrifice."

She clenched her hand into a tight fist. "For those five years, we were arrogant, believing peace was a given. We have long paid the price for that. There is no peace without sacrifice."

Simon nodded silently.

The two then came to an agreement regarding the Frost Field. The Grand Duke would rule only the North proper. While she would reclaim the territory lost to the Northern God, she acknowledged the Frost Field as the ’domain of the 7th Legion’ and recognized Zairos’s autonomy. She also promised to forbid her people from entering the hazardous region.

However, with the populace currently intoxicated with victory, they needed a compelling reason to enforce the restriction.

"There is no need to invent a reason. The Frost Field is not home to only the undead."

"You mean the monsters," Simon clarified.

"Indeed."

The Frost Field was teeming with countless monsters. The Northern God, it turned out, had not been an entirely negative influence; it had also served to control the burgeoning monster population. There had even been times in the past when the monsters’ forces were stronger than the Northern God’s.

Whether the monster population exploded to an uncontrollable degree or the undead forces grew too powerful, the result would be the same: disaster for the North. The balance between them was crucial.

"Zairos mentioned it as well before I returned to Vilkenos," Simon said, crossing his arms. "He said that death struggles to overcome life."

"That is the truth." The monsters of the Frost Field boasted an insane reproductive rate. During their mating season, they would birth countless offspring that reached maturity in just a few years. Soon, their numbers would swell enough to cover the mountains.

"I plan to cooperate with Zairos to reduce the monster population," the Grand Duke said nonchalantly. "Of course, that will be nothing compared to the war with the Northern God."

"Yes, I suppose so."

At last, the North was at peace. One thing was certain: as time passed and Zairos solidified his position as the new Northern God, the number of monsters descending into the North would also decrease. A true golden age might finally dawn.

"The war is over," Simon said, stretching his arms wide. "The North will be at peace, and you’ll be a little freer from your duties."

"I suppose so."

"What are your plans now?"

"I wonder." She closed her eyes. "I am still pondering that myself."

Jin Arscalt had lived for the sole purpose of protecting the North and eliminating the Northern God. But in an era of peace, she would be free from the duties of the Arscalt line.

"Instead of being the Grand Duke, why not try living as just ’Jin’?"

At Simon’s suggestion, she seemed a little embarrassed and cleared her throat.

He pressed on. "Is there anything you want to do?"

"I have never given it much thought."

"Then what about an interest, or a hobby?"

"I have none."

A person who had poured their entire life into their duty often did not know what they liked or what to do when they finally had free time. Simon found that deeply unfortunate.

"Well," she began, a playful smile touching her lips, "entering the kingdom’s political scene could be amusing. I could certainly knock those central nobles down a peg."

"Haha! That’s true." If the Grand Duke turned her attention from the North to the central government, the political landscape of the Kalos Kingdom would be thrown into chaos. It was the very situation the nobles dreaded.

Simon scratched the side of his head. "But that’s not something you would enjoy, Grand Duke. You would just be doing it because you dislike the nobles."

"True. In fact, I detest politics." She closed her eyes for a moment, then looked at Simon.

He stared back, waiting.

"Come to think of it," she said, "there is one thing that has recently piqued my interest."

"What is it?"

A meaningful smile graced her lips.

"Education."

A phantom pain shot through the back of Simon’s head and down his spine.