"Education."

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

Seeing the utterly bizarre expression on his face, the Grand Duke narrowed her eyes.

"Do you have a complaint?"

"N-No, ma’am!" he yelped.

Her fierce glare was enough to extinguish any protest he might have had.

She crossed her arms arrogantly. "Hmph. I took a fool who could not form a proper encirclement without leaving gaping holes and constantly mixed up defensive maneuvers with redeployments, and in just two weeks, I made him capable enough to slay the Northern God. I believe my abilities as an educator are beyond question."

Simon smiled and pointed to himself. "Isn’t that just because the student was exceptionally competent?"

"You are certainly getting bold on your last day."

"I have to speak my mind, too."

They shared a quiet chuckle, their eyes meeting. Her gaze wavered out of habit, but this time, she held it, staring straight at him. Pleased, Simon smiled again and joked, "You do know that assaulting a student is grounds for disqualification as an educator, right?"

"I believe an appropriate level of corporal punishment is necessary for correction and reform."

"You would be in serious trouble for that at Kizen! It’s full of children from high-ranking noble families! Even the professors from the frontier do not do that."

She snorted, unimpressed. "I am the Grand Duke. I need only be careful around royalty. Tell anyone whose parents are of a rank lower than Duke to get lost."

"...That mindset itself is what disqualifies you as an educator."

They burst into laughter again. Simon was enjoying himself, but a pang of sadness hit him as he realized this was their last time together.

"Well, I was jesting about crushing them with my status," she said, brushing her hair back. "When I leave the North, I must abide by the laws outside it."

Simon was more surprised that her talk about education had not been a joke.

"But why the sudden interest in education?"

"To be honest, you and Kamibarez were impressive."

The North had plenty of excellent warriors who could open their cores, all of them tempered by a lifetime of war. But the young necromancers from Kizen possessed capabilities beyond anything she had imagined. She wanted to understand how Kizen cultivated such outstanding talent. And she wanted to help the next generation—to do something more productive than killing.

She herself had never been formally educated. She wanted to willingly share the experience and knowledge she had earned through her own grueling self-study.

And above all else...

’I want to keep watching you,’ she thought, her eyes fixed on Simon. ’To see how far you can go.’

Simon blinked, then broke into a gentle smile. The Grand Duke could not hold his gaze any longer, turning away and covering the bridge of her nose.

’He has all of Yona’s womanizing tendencies, but with some strange new elements added in.’

"Your Excellency! Disciple!"

The conversation was interrupted by Godric, who arrived with the North’s famous cold tea. Simon took a sip of the bitter drink and was surprised. It was delicious, much better than the first day. The ingredients seemed the same, but something had changed. He had a feeling he would find himself craving this addictive, bitter flavor long after he returned to Kizen.

"We will need to maintain communication regarding the monster situation, as well as with Zairos, the new Northern God," the Grand Duke said, picking up her teacup and changing the subject. "Once you return to Kizen, how will you contact him?"

"There is a liaison," Simon explained. "They will remain in the North and serve as the connection between you and Zairos."

"And who might that be?"

Simon smiled. "Grayson."

"...That milkmaid." The Grand Duke’s expression soured slightly as she took a sip of her tea. "What happened with her is regrettable."

"Yes."

"Where is she now?"

---

In a small village on the outskirts of Vilkenos...

[Heave-ho! Time to work!]

Grayson, now an undead, rolled up her sleeves and got to work on the neglected chores. She cleaned the farm, cleared the reindeer droppings, and laid down fresh straw. She refilled the dry water troughs and replenished the feed.

She had feared the animals might have starved after being left alone for days, but the clever reindeer had simply hopped the fence to graze outside. The moment she returned with food, they came back on their own.

[Hello, everyone. Have you been well?]

She washed their dirty fur and milked the ones with swollen udders. After filling the jugs to the brim and loading them onto the cart, she attached a note.

’I’m sorry for the delay in supplying milk due to recent circumstances. I’ve included more than usual to make up for it.’

She could not have complained if the merchants had cut ties with her, but she hoped they might be forgiving, given the recent chaos that had engulfed all of Vilkenos.

Grayson walked toward the reindeer.

[Alright, time for you all to eat... Ah.]

A few of the animals were huddled against the fence, trembling in fear. They had always been so fond of her, but now they scattered the moment she approached.

[Sorry, the smell of death is pretty foul, isn’t it?]

She gave a wan smile and sniffed her own arm. Of course, with her sense of smell gone, she detected nothing.

On her way to fetch water from the river, she caught her reflection. One of her eyes was missing. Her once-fair cheek was now a festering ruin, pitted with rot. The bones of her shoulder were starkly visible. A gruesome sight.

Unable to bear it, she turned her head away.

’The undead are not yet completely dead.’

The voice of the young necromancer who had saved her echoed in her mind. He had told her that if she truly cared for her father and felt guilt for what she’d done to the North, she had to be the one to make things right.

But she could not delude herself. She was no longer human. She could no longer deliver milk to the Grand Duke’s castle or chat with the merchants who came to buy it. She could not use her earnings to buy bread in Vilkenos or gossip with friends her age. All she could do was quietly manage the farm for her dementia-addled father, and then disappear.

’When you no longer have any lingering attachments, we can talk then.’

He had said that, too, and the words had brought her a strange sense of peace.

She picked up a mop handle to clean the warehouse one last time when she saw him.

[Ah.]

An old man had wandered out of the house. He had hazy eyes, white hair, and stick-thin limbs. He was a man so lost to dementia that he could not remember his own name, let alone his daughter. It was her father.

[Father! What are you doing outside—!]

She stopped short, the words catching in her throat. She had spoken out of habit, freezing in horror. She could not get any closer to him in this state.

The moment she turned to leave, a voice called out.

"Grayson?"

Her steps halted.

"Is that you, Grayson?"

She turned back, her face a mask of trembling hope. A rotting body, a decaying face, gaunt bones exposed to the air. But...

"...Where have you been all this time?"

To him, she looked the same.

[Father.]

She moved toward him.

[Do you remember me? Do you remember my name?]

"Of course I do. It’s the name... I gave you."

[You don’t even remember your own name, Father.]

"I might not remember the name someone else gave me," he said with a smile, "but I remember the name I gave. Grayson. My daughter."

Her shoulders shook. A broken body that could no longer shed tears. And yet...

’Thank you. Thank you, Simon.’

Even in this state, she knew she had made the right choice to stay.

’Thank you so much for giving me a second chance.’

---

The next day.

Simon and Kamibarez, ready for their departure, stood in the courtyard of the Grand Duke’s castle. The usual blizzard and biting cold were gone, replaced by a clear, blue sky. Two of Kizen’s robed subordinates waited by a teleportation magic circle they had laid out.

"You have endured much, students."

"Preparations for transport are complete."

As Simon and Kamibarez followed them toward the circle, a massive crowd of Northerners, who had come for a final farewell, surged around them.

’Wow.’

Simon smiled brightly, taking in the scene. He recognized many faces from the past two weeks: the warriors he used to brawl with at the pub, the innkeeper couple, the Northern generals, and even the young standard-bearers who had caused a ruckus in the meeting hall. All of them were clapping and cheering.

"Farewell, brother! Come visit the North anytime!"

"It was an honor to fight alongside you!"

It was a starkly different reception from his first arrival in the Kalos North.

"Kami! Goodbye!"

"We won’t forget you!"

"Thank you! Thanks for the blood!"

Tears welled in Kamibarez’s eyes as she waved to the people she had grown so fond of. A group of brawny, mustachioed men ran up and handed her a lunch box filled with all the foods she had mentioned she liked.

A little further on, he saw more familiar faces: the butler Godric and Great General Ganiro.

"Thank you for saving the North, Disciple, Lady Kamibarez. We will never forget you," Godric said, his usually grumpy face streaked with tears as he shook both their hands.

After exchanging farewells, Simon turned to Great General Ganiro.

"Is your arm okay?"

"Haha! It’s fine. A little thing like this is nothing!" With the North liberated, the once-hysterical general had become far more easygoing.

Finally, standing before the teleportation circle, the Grand Duke grinned and gestured with her chin.

"Say a few words, Great General."

"Yes! Everyone, listen!" the excited general boomed, stepping forward and raising his arm. "The North was an abandoned land! No one fought with us! Our requests for aid were ignored, and the observers tried to use us. So we gritted our teeth and vowed to fight with our own strength, needing no one’s help! But!"

He extended his arm, pointing at Simon and Kamibarez. "There were people who helped us! Though not of the North, though not Northerners, these complete strangers risked their lives to fight alongside us!"

"Ooooh!" the warriors roared.

The Great General spread his arms wide. "You are our friends! Whatever happens when you return to Kizen, the North will stand with you! We will gladly march to war for our friends, even if it means making an enemy of the entire continent!"

"WHOOHOO!" The excited warriors grew rowdy.

"That’s right!"

"Let them all come!"

"Let’s fight!"

As the crowd cheered, the Grand Duke smiled and nodded, the warriors looking ready for another battle.

Ganiro let out a powerful breath and drew the sword from his back, raising it high.

"The North!"

With a chorus of ringing steel, weapons rose all around them. It was not just the warriors. Merchants raised arrows, women brandished daggers, and standard-bearers lifted the flags of the North high into the sky.

"Will not forget the ’pride’ you have shown us!"

A profound silence fell after the boisterous cheers faded, leaving only eyes full of trust.

Smiling, Simon clenched his fist and raised it high. Overwhelmed with emotion, Kamibarez covered her mouth with one hand and raised the other. The Kizen subordinates, completely bewildered, could only stare.

’G-Good heavens. Is this really the notoriously stuffy Kalos North?’

’What on earth happened here?’

After their final goodbyes, Simon and Kamibarez approached the Grand Duke one last time. She smiled crookedly and put her arms around their shoulders.

"You young ones will have to forgive him. The Great General is getting old and gets carried away."

"Haha," Simon laughed.

"Thank you for coming to the North," she said, her voice warm. "I hope we can meet again soon."

"Yes!" they answered in unison.

The Grand Duke’s eyes found Simon’s.

"Insolent one."

"Yes, Grand Duke."

"Give my regards to your father. And..." She hesitated for a moment, then cleared her throat and managed an awkward smile.

"M-May I write to you?"

Simon grinned.

"I’ll be waiting!"

On their last day in the North, under a bright sky so different from their first, surrounded by warm people and showered with applause and cheers, Simon and Kamibarez made their triumphant return to Kizen.

---

After returning to Kizen, everything seemed perfect.

"Why are you two so late?! We’re in big trouble!"

Until, that is, they reached the student council room.

Meirin shouted, her light-blue hair flying around her.

"Aizel is back!"