Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 168

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Necromancer School’s Summoning Genius — Chapter 168
Today, he would cross the border.
Simon hadn’t slept properly because of it.
He woke early and packed his bags with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. Since the journey might be long, he carefully stored essential supplies, extra clothes, and provisions in his Subspace without leaving anything behind.
An hour before departure, Richard climbed up to Simon’s room and offered him several pieces of useful advice.
How to act if he was discovered by Heresy Inquisitors, which Priests were sympathetic to the Dark Alliance and which were not, what actions to avoid, how to escape alone across the border if trouble arose — and more.
His counsel was woven through with such meticulous experience and knowledge that Simon marveled at how much he actually knew.
“One last thing.”
Richard’s expression grew serious.
“It’s about what to do if Rette betrays you and tries to hand you over to Efnel.”
Without hesitation, Simon opened his palm.
“I don’t think I need to hear that, Father.”
“I trust Rette too — she risked her life to come here for Anna. But no one knows what the world will bring, do they?”
Simon lowered his hand and offered a faint smile.
“I’ve decided to trust Rette a hundred percent. If I listen to what you’re saying now, doubt about her might creep into my words and actions without my realizing it. For my own safety going forward, I think the best I can do is show Rette a consistent face.”
Richard fell silent.
Simon was startled by the sight that followed.
It was an expression rarely seen on Richard’s face — his teeth bared, grinning so broadly his mouth seemed ready to split.
“You are my masterpiece, Simon.”
Richard pulled Simon into a tight embrace as he spoke. Though it felt awkward to be held by his father after so long, it didn’t feel unwelcome.
“Go safely and return safely.”
“Yes, Father. I will.”
Simon descended the stairs and reached the living room. He saw Rette leaning against the side of the front door, anxiously tapping her feet.
“Why are you taking so long? We need to hurry if we’re going to make the carriage time.”
“Sorry. Should we leave right now?”
“You were dawdling, so I’m taking a moment too.”
Rette hurried into the inner room where Anna was sleeping. Though she’d dozed beside Anna all through the early morning, she wanted to see her one last time.
Her face as she looked down at Anna carried both reverence and grim resolve.
“No matter what happens, I will save you, Teacher.”
Rette kissed Anna’s forehead lightly, etched her image into her memory, then turned and walked away.
“I’ll say goodbye too.”
“Anyway.”
As Simon went to bid Anna farewell, Rette stepped outside. Richard was already in the yard — Simon hadn’t noticed when he’d come down.
“I owe you a great debt, Rette.”
“There’s no debt between me and a Necromancer.”
She replied coldly and walked past him.
It was still early dawn, the world dark around them. She tapped her heel against the ground in a steady rhythm, then drew in a sharp breath.
“Remember this, Necromancer. If anything happens to Teacher Anna, I will be the first to appear before you.”
Her words carried a threat, but Richard smiled gently.
“I’m truly grateful, Rette.”
Richard stood in silence.
Rette spun around sharply, her white hair streaming behind her as she walked away. Simon emerged from the house just then, bowed to Richard, and followed in her footsteps.
“We need to move fast. We’re already thirty minutes behind schedule, so we’ll have to pick up the pace.”
“Let’s go.”
The two of them summoned Shadow Aura and Sacred Flame respectively, scaling the mountain range at dazzling speed. The brightening navy dawn sky was beautiful, and the morning breeze was refreshing.
‘Finally going. To the Sacred Federation.’
Simon thought this was a break from studies unlike anything any Kizen student had ever experienced.

* * *
After crossing Reshill’s treacherous mountain range, Simon and Rette boarded a carriage Richard had reserved in advance, heading toward Hob, a neighboring territory of Reshill.
The two sat facing each other inside the carriage. Rette cast a Soundproof Magic Circle to keep their voices from escaping, then began testing Simon at a brisk pace.
“What’s the proper greeting when you meet Believers?”
Simon clasped his hands together and bowed his head lightly.
“Laus. May the blessing of the Goddess be with you.”
“The greeting for a Bishop-rank High Priest.”
“Gratula mi Civilis. Glory to the great Goddess.”
“The tenth of the Nineteen Ascetic Practices.”
“Abstinence — neither eating, drinking, nor sleeping.”
Rette’s eyes went wide as Simon answered each question without hesitation.
“Were you originally interested in Sacred Federation culture?”
“Just two weeks ago I started taking an interest in it.”
For Simon, who spent his days memorizing the etiquette of four kingdoms in meticulous detail, this was simple enough.
The Sacred Federation was a single nation ruled by the Pope, and its etiquette was nearly unified, which made studying easier. Having grown up watching Anna’s conduct at home, there were customs he was already familiar with.
A few hours passed in the carriage that way. Just as the feeling in his backside was beginning to fade, the bumpy forest path gave way to a smooth, well-paved carriage road.
Moments later, the coachman’s voice rang out.
“Welcome to the domain of Hob!”
They had finally arrived. Unlike Reshill, Hob was a city of considerable size.
Simon paid the coachman and stepped outside. The moment his feet touched the ground, his nausea began to fade and his spirits lifted considerably.
“There’s no time to rest. We must hurry.”
Rette had used this Hob route when she first entered Reshill, so her pace was assured.
The two of them pulled their robes up over their heads and strode swiftly through the darkened alleys at the city’s edge.
Occasionally, gangs lurking in the back alleys tried to provoke Rette, but when one received a single kick that sent him flying five meters through the air to embed his head-first into a building’s rooftop, it was hardly worth noting.
“Here it is.”
The place the two of them reached was an old, ramshackle tavern situated at the far end of the alley, its very existence suspect.
Once inside, Rette led Simon to an empty table and sat down.
They had been sitting there catching their breath for a few minutes when a man in a robe entered the tavern and joined their table uninvited.
“The wolf’s confession is—”
The man spoke quietly, and
“—a foolish sheep’s despair.”
Rette replied. The man nodded.
“I’ve been waiting for you. Please, come this way.”
This man was the Broker who had brought Rette here.
Following him through the back door and outside, they found themselves in an overgrown garden that had fallen into disrepair, with no sign of human presence. The walls and pillars were covered in tangled vines, a complete wreck.
“Before we depart, I’ll settle what remains of your account.”
The Broker spoke over his shoulder. He was asking for payment.
As Rette fumbled through her clothes, Simon flicked out a coin faster, tossing it to him.
“That should cover the expenses.”
Once the Broker caught the coin, Rette spoke with evident displeasure.
“What are you doing? Why are you paying?”
“My father gave it to me. Let us handle the travel costs.”
The Broker, as if accustomed to such situations, produced a magnifying glass and examined the coin closely. Though his face was hidden beneath his hood, his hands visibly trembled.
“How could you possess something so precious…!”
“If you’re the sort of fool who doesn’t recognize the value of this item,”
Simon continued with a slight smirk,
“my father instructed me to pay in cash instead. How would you prefer to proceed?”
“…It’s genuine, without question. I’ll accept this as full payment.”
The Broker hastily tucked the coin away, as though afraid Simon might change his mind.
“What’s the fuss over that old coin anyway?”
Rette asked.
“Currency minted by an ancient empire. It has no intrinsic material value, but the nobility are obsessed with it as a luxury item.”
“I see.”
The Broker rubbed his hands together vigorously. Whether it was imagination or not, he seemed noticeably more deferential than before.
“I’ll confirm once more—whose identity will you be assuming?”
“This one.”
Rette gestured. The Broker produced a forged identity document from his pocket and handed it to Simon.

‘From now on, my name is Scar Seraphino.’
As Simon committed his new name to memory, the Broker added an explanation from beside him.
“One month ago, this person died suddenly after a monster attack during mountain pilgrimage. Since the body was never recovered, you should be able to use this identity without issue for approximately six months.”
“Understood.”
The two entered an abandoned building. A teleport magic circle was drawn on the floor.
“We’ll meet after the transfer.”
The Broker stepped into the pocket dimension first. Simon and Rette followed, stepping onto the magic circle.
Whoooosh!
Unlike Kizen’s smooth teleportation magic circle, the ride was abysmal—perhaps because it had been drawn by some hired freelancer. His body spun wildly, and his stomach turned over several times.
Simon stumbled forward as he opened his eyes in the new location.
‘This is…!’
A blazing sun bore down, and an endless desert stretched before him. High in the sky, two vultures shrieked as they circled overhead.
“Ugh.”
Rette appeared behind him shortly after, staggering and holding her forehead.
“Welcome to the Neutral Zone, the Hali Desert.”
Broker spoke. Simon ran a hand through his disheveled hair and took another look around.
‘So this is the Neutral Zone you can reach with a Red Request!’
Centered on the Hali Desert in the continental heartland, the Neutral Zone sprawled across a region where competing interests tangled in knots. Both Priests and Necromancers could enter here, making it a place of endless conflict.
Broker continued his explanation.
“The direct route from the Dark Alliance to the Sacred Federation is completely sealed off, but the passage from the Neutral Zone to the Sacred Federation remains open for essential supply shipments. We’ll slip in with a merchant caravan headed that way. Do you have any questions?”
Both shook their heads.
“Then let’s go.”
Broker opened the lid of a wooden crate loaded onto a cart in front of them. A magic circle was drawn on the crate’s floor, and it looked cramped.
Both of their faces stiffened.
“We’re supposed to get inside that and cross the border?”
“Yes. The journey should take about four hours.”
Simon finally grasped the situation.
‘Ah, so this is smuggling.’
Teleportation was blocked, and people couldn’t enter a subspace either. This old-fashioned method was the best option left.
“Are you serious? When I crossed into the Dark Alliance, you just had me pose as a merchant.”
Rette grumbled.
“The atmosphere has changed considerably since then. Security has been tripled, and inspections of merchants have intensified. Supervisors were even dispatched from headquarters, which means bribing the inspectors no longer works.”
“……Ugh.”
Rette tapped her brow with her fingers, then lifted her head to look at Simon.
“You go in first. I’ll take a different crate—”
“I’m sorry, but madam.”
Broker wrung his hands.
“Both of you must ride in the same crate.”
“What did you just say?!”
Rette let out a sharp cry of protest and strode forward, grabbing Broker by the collar.
“You bastard. What are you trying to pull?”
She lifted her arm and Broker’s feet left the ground.
“Gaah! Please, don’t—!”
“You’re messing with me right now, aren’t you? You want me to squeeze into that box with this guy?”
“I—I’m afraid I have no choice! Getting just this one empty crate added to the cargo manifest was already an enormous favor! If you want a more comfortable route, you’ll need to wait roughly three months.”
“……Tch!”
Even with Richard here, a three-month delay could put Anna in danger. Rette bit her lip hard, then threw Broker to the ground.
“Stop, Rette. It’s only four hours.”
Meanwhile, Simon, quick to accept the situation, actually climbed into the crate to test it himself.
“Actually, it’s cozier than it looks once you’re inside.”
Simon tapped the crate gently, speaking with genuine optimism.
Rette covered her face with her palm and sighed as if the earth itself were swallowing her whole.
‘……Oh, Goddess. Why do you test me so?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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