Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 17
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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 Prodigy – Chapter 17
“…….”
Simon deliberated.
She understood that Hong Peng’s invitation to become her Direct Disciple was sincere. But what of her own heart?
Combat Magic as a major.
Hong Peng’s classes were undeniably engaging.
The outdoor curricula, the crises that erupted in succession, the meals eaten in the field, the high-intensity competitions—
There were grueling stretches, but she could endure them if she saw each one as a trial to strengthen herself.
Yet.
“I am grateful for such an generous offer, but to be honest, I would prefer to decline.”
Simon rose from her seat and bowed at the waist. Hong Peng nodded readily, as if unsurprised.
“May I ask your reason?”
“There is another field of study I wish to pursue more deeply right now.”
“Mm.”
Her eyes curved into crescents.
“Good. Thank you for being so forthright—it spares me from holding regrets.”
“……Ah.”
“But don’t think this means I’m giving up on you.”
“Pardon?”
Her chestnut hair swayed gently in the breeze.
“There’s still a year before I formally take on disciples, yes? I’ll work harder and do my best to change your mind.”
Simon stood dumbfounded. What have I done to deserve such persistence?
“Besides, now I’m personally curious to see how far you’ll go.”
Hong Peng rose and swept her hand through the air. A Pitch-Black Teleport Magic Circle unfurled across the floor.
“Even if you’re not my disciple, that’s fine. Whenever you need help, come find me.”
“……Thank you, Professor.”
“I’d prefer you keep this matter to yourself. You’re free to go now.”
Simon bowed once more, then stepped onto the magic circle.
Whoosh!
Simon vanished, and wind gusted through the room, rattling the furnishings.
Hong Peng settled into the creaking wooden chair and gazed out the window with a contented smile.
“Professor Hong Peng!”
The door burst open as a teaching assistant rushed in.
“How did it go? What about Simon?”
She smiled and shook her head. The assistant bit his lip, his expression darkening.
“How dare she refuse your offer——!”
“It’s fine, Bread.”
Hong Peng patted the assistant’s shoulder lightly, then returned her gaze to the window. Bread huffed indignantly.
“I don’t understand why you’ve suddenly taken such interest in that student! Wouldn’t it make more sense to approach Hector, who shows greater talent in Combat Magic? There are four other Combat Magic applicants with plenty of promise as well——!”
“A genius.”
She spoke quietly.
“I’ve seen many geniuses since my days in Kizen, but never one of that particular kind.”
“……Yes?”
She offered no further answer, only smiled.
* * *
Simon arrived back in Kizen later than anyone else in Class A.
Exhausted from the demanding class, she was grateful that at least two hours remained before the afternoon session.
She headed back to the dormitory, handed her uniform to the servants for washing, and made her way to the baths to rinse away the sweat.
“Simon!”
She encountered Dick at the bathhouse. He’d arrived a bit later than she had, and he wore an elated expression.
“Heh heh heh! You won’t believe what happened to me earlier!”
“What is it?”
Dick glanced around before leaning in and whispering conspiratorially.
“I was using a Teleport Magic Circle to travel, and suddenly something went bang and blocked me! When I came to my senses, I found myself inside Professor Bahil’s research office out of nowhere!”
Simon blinked.
“Professor Bahil from Curse Studies?”
“That’s the one!”
“Did anything happen while you were there?”
“She just had me clean up.”
“…….”
Simon let out a dry laugh.
“I’ve heard about it from seniors who went to Kizen! Teleport Scout! Professor Bahil picked me out, right? So I’m becoming a Direct Disciple?”
Simon turned her head, sweat beading on her brow.
“Well… I suppose it’s possible.”
“No way! So you’re connected to the real power behind Kizen! You know what a Direct Disciple is, don’t you? It means you can have the time of your life at school! Disciplinary action, expulsion — the supervising professor looks the other way more often than not!”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard all year.”
An interjecting voice made Simon and Dick turn. Hector and two of his faction stood there, having stopped in their tracks.
“A powerless commoner becomes Professor Bahil’s Direct Disciple? Even a stray dog would laugh at that.”
His friends snickered alongside him. Dick rose slowly from his seat, a faint smile playing at his lips.
“Oh my. The young master seems a little bothered? Everything has to be your achievement, but it looks like Professor Bahil noticed me more than you?”
“…….”
Hector took a step forward. Up close, he was imposingly tall and broad-shouldered, his entire frame corded with lean muscle.
“Watch your mouth, merchant.”
“And that’s exactly why I understand your type so well — being a merchant myself.”
Dick swung his wrist dismissively, his tone dripping with contempt.
“You tore into Maerin during Combat Magic class too, didn’t you? Everyone’s got their sob story, their struggle — but you’re no exception, you bastard. You strut around like passing House Muir’s education makes you royalty.”
Hector’s face flushed with rage. He thrust his right arm forward violently, and a Pitch-Black Force magic circle blazed into being across his palm. Dick’s body crumpled, slamming hard into a pillar.
“Ugh—hack!”
“A wretch like you has no business speaking.”
Hector’s eyes blazed red with fury as he swept his arm sideways.
“Just die right here.”
Crack-snap!
A curse. Dick gasped and clutched at his throat as the other students around them stirred, rising from their seats with anxious murmurs.
“Ack—hack-hack!”
Even in agony, Dick managed a grin, raising his middle finger. Hector’s expression turned cold and hard.
“H-Hector, stop!”
“Hey! That’s crossing the line! Using Curse Studies outside of class—!”
His two friends rushed forward to restrain him, but a careless swing of Hector’s arm sent them sprawling to the ground.
Just as Hector began tracing a magic circle in his other palm—
“……!”
A sole of a shoe suddenly hurtled toward his face.
Swoosh!
Hector barely managed to cross both arms defensively, blocking the blow. His feet slid across the slick bathhouse floor, and he dropped onto one knee.
The impact shattered his concentration; the curse unraveled, and Dick gasped for air as the pain released him, stumbling backward.
Tap.
Simon descended to the ground, her eyes gleaming with lethal intent.
“There you are. I was wondering when you’d show up.”
Hector grinned savagely and pushed himself up. Pitch-Black Force poured from both his hands, and Simon channeled it through the Ring on her finger, seizing an invisible lever.
It was a powder-keg moment.
Bang!
A bucket flew at Hector’s feet and shattered, sending splinters everywhere.
Both Hector and Simon flinched. The other students let out startled cries.
“……Quiet.”
Water cascaded down.
A man rose from the bathtub. Water streamed down his back, which was marked with such countless, terrible scars that it was almost painful to look at.
“Do you all really want to die?”
And he was someone Simon knew. Her eyes went wide.
‘Kassan!’
The very same man who had been living like a mouse in her room.
“……Kassan Edvalt.”
Hector lowered his arms, regarding him.
“I’d heard the rumors, but you’re still clinging to this school?”
Kassan cracked his neck in silence. Each time he did, a sickening crunch issued forth — a sound so grotesquely loud that it seemed impossible the human body could produce it.
“Hector!”
“B-be careful. That guy’s completely unhinged.”
His friends rushed over, positioning themselves defensively in front of Hector.
But.
“Stand down.”
The words that came from Hector’s mouth were unexpected. His two friends turned to him in bewilderment.
“You’d do well to watch yourself. There won’t be a second chance.”
Hector strode out of the bathhouse without looking back. His companions, stunned for a moment, scrambled after him like frightened animals.
“Dick!”
Simon hurried over to check on Dick, who lay crumpled on the floor.
“Are you all right?”
“It’s nothing serious.”
Dick giggled.
“That curse he threw at me was just meant to scare. I don’t know what he thinks he’s doing.”
Splash.
Once the commotion ended, Kassan sank back into the water and closed his eyes. The other students in the bath had already begun edging away, sensing his mood.
Simon got to her feet and spoke.
“Kassan. Thank you for—”
“You’re all being loud,” he said flatly.
He kept his back to them.
“Get out.”
……
A faint smile crossed Simon’s face.
He wasn’t a bad person after all, she thought.
* * *
Despite the minor incident, everything resolved without serious consequence.
Dick later revealed that he’d been deliberately trying to provoke Hector into getting disciplined. But when Simon attacked Hector, it meant both of them would face punishment—so he’d abandoned the plan cleanly.
When Simon apologized after hearing the story, Dick broke into a wide grin.
“Are you kidding? You stepping in was way better! Seeing you kick him like that—I’ve never felt more satisfied.”
Half of his provocation had been a burst of emotion anyway, and besides, they were still in the Student Protection Period, so even a formal reprimand wouldn’t leave lasting damage. Hector would have known that too.
After showering, they found their uniforms already cleaned by laundry magic waiting outside their dormitory room.
Both quickly changed and made it through their last class of the afternoon without incident.
By the time they’d finished all their scheduled classes, dusk had settled over the campus. Simon and Dick were heading back to the dormitory for dinner.
“Yes! Finally, the weekend!”
Dick stretched and shouted with relief.
“What are you doing this weekend, Simon?”
“The weekend? I don’t really have any plans.”
“What? That won’t do! How you spend your weekends at Kizen is actually really important.”
“So you’ve got something planned, then?”
Dick nodded emphatically.
“Honestly, my weekend schedule matters more to me than weekday classes. I’m heading down to Rochester.”
Rochester—Kizen’s satellite city.
It thrived because of the constant traffic from Kizen staff, students, and attendants who all needed to visit.
Known as both a necromancer’s haven and a student town, it bustled with countless restaurants, inns, and necromancy-related shops. You could always spot Kizen students working part-time jobs there to scrape together materials fees.
Weekends especially saw a surge of students pouring in, generating massive foot traffic—so when Kizen students talked about “going out for the weekend,” they almost always meant Rochester.
“What are you planning to do there?”
“Business venture.”
Dick answered with uncharacteristic seriousness.
“The monthly stipend Kizen gives us isn’t enough to live on. And I’m not such an outstanding student that I can count on a scholarship. I need to leverage my talents and earn money quickly.”
Simon nodded. That was very like Dick—always quick to seize an opportunity.
“You should think about setting up some kind of income stream yourself. Right now professors are supplying your materials, but that only lasts through the Student Protection Period. The monthly stipend alone won’t cover the enormous material costs of Kizen’s curriculum. That’s why upper-year students all have their own independent income channels.”
“Is that so?”
She had to be self-sufficient even in practical matters—life here really wasn’t easy. And since Simon was interested in Summoning Magic, which demanded astronomically expensive materials, she’d need to find a solution.
“Or, you know, you could wait for me to get established in Rochester. I could set you up with a job too.”
“No. Money I need, I earn myself.”
“…Oh, so you’re strict about finances.”
Before heading into the dormitory, Dick mentioned preparing for tomorrow’s schedule and slipped quietly away to Rochester.
Of course, leaving Kizen during the week was technically forbidden, but given Kizen’s famously liberal atmosphere, it was rarely a problem as long as you didn’t get caught.
Simon entered the dormitory alone. To enjoy the weekend mood, she stopped by the convenience store and picked up a snack before heading to her room.
She’d hoped to properly thank Kassan if he was there, but he was out too.
Left alone, Simon sat on the spacious floor of the dorm room and opened her purchase—a soft, pillowy package of Mini Chiffon Cake, six pieces in all.
Simon popped one into her mouth.
It was delicious. She savored the rich butter flavor as she chewed contentedly, when—
……
She felt a gaze on her.
Simon carefully rolled her eyes toward the window. There, clinging to the windowsill, was a girl blinking rapidly.
‘Yes, Neftis…?’
For the record, they were on the fourth floor.
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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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