Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 174

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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 Summoning Genius of Necromancer Academy — Episode 174
A second-year student of Efnel wearing a counterfeit uniform.
It looked interesting, so I decided to humor her for a while. Lette rose from her seat and bowed respectfully.
“I didn’t realize a senior was present in the cabin. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Ellen’s shoulders twitched slightly as she stood with arms crossed in confident composure.
“Me, me a senior…? Is that right?”
“Yes.”
Lette unfastened the buttons of her robe and slipped it off to the side.
She wore the same Efnel uniform as Ellen—white blouse and skirt—but the radiance emanating from the fabric was entirely different. Standing side by side, the comparison was immediately stark.
All at once, the uniform Ellen was wearing looked pathetically amateurish.
“I am your direct junior, a first-year student of Efnel—Lette Shardenar. I was admitted as the number one selected candidate.”
Ellen’s face visibly drained of color. The girls who had been snickering behind Ellen fell silent.
“Is something the matter, senior?”
Lette, who had been bowing respectfully with her hands clasped, lifted only her head. A smile played at her lips.
“Your complexion looks rather poor.”
“Oh, oh, oh, it’s nothing! No, no, no! Hehehehe!”
…The real thing had shown up.
Who would have thought an active Efnel student was on this train? And a number one selected entrance candidate at that.
Ellen, breaking into a cold sweat, glanced back desperately for help—but the girls had already fled.
“Ellen Zail? Ellen Zail…?”
Lette furrowed her brow, her expression contemplative, then spoke.
“Forgive me for asking, but I haven’t heard that name before. Might I ask which subject is your major?”
“S-Sacred Studies! Oh, I mean, my major is— Hehehehe!”
“Ah, I see.”
Lette clapped her palms together, her eyes crinkling warmly. Ellen forced a smile and swallowed hard.
Would she really let this slide? If I can just get through this crisis, I can simply get off at the next station…
“What a coincidence.”
Lette withdrew a Communication Crystal from her pocket.
“I was just about to report to my supervising professor. Since you’re a Sacred Studies major, you must know Professor Rahul, yes?”
“P-Professor Rahul…!”
“Shall I introduce you?”
Sweat dripped steadily from Ellen’s forehead onto the floor.
If Professor Rahul found out she was wearing a counterfeit uniform, it would truly be the end.
As Ellen stammered helplessly, Lette nodded knowingly and set the Communication Crystal down.
“Impersonating Efnel.”
Lette’s voice turned frigid.
“That’s a serious crime, isn’t it?”

* * *
Meanwhile, Simon was returning to the first-class cabin after his visit to the restroom.
‘Wow, that’s strange. How can there even be a restroom inside a train? How do they dispose of the waste?’
Lost in such idle musings, Simon belatedly sensed something amiss.
The first-class cabin, which had been so noisy moments ago, now lay under a heavy silence.
‘They were making such a ruckus earlier. Did everyone fall asleep?’
Puzzled, Simon made his way back to cabin A2.
“Hm?”
A rather bewildering sight greeted him.
Lette sat with one leg crossed over the other, swirling a wine glass, while beside her knelt a girl in the exact same Efnel uniform, hands raised in the air.
“Hey! Aren’t your ears working properly?”
As Lette spoke irritably, the girl jumped and jerked both arms upright.
“Don’t sit with your backside on your heels! Raise your buttocks! Keep your knees straight. Yes, hold that posture. If you don’t want to really get chewed out.”
The girl trembled while standing in punishment. Simon felt the face was somehow quite familiar.
“You’re back.”
Upon spotting Simon, Lette spoke without much interest. Ellen, ashamed of the third party’s arrival, kept her head down but stole glances at Simon with only her eyes.
“Huh?”
Ellen’s pupils began to shake violently.
“Wh-wh-wh-what?”
Before her stood someone who absolutely should not have been in this place. Ellen was so startled that her posture collapsed.
Simon recognized her and grinned, waving his hand.
“Long time no see, Ellen.”

* * *
Ellen Zail.
A priest girl from Efnel whom Simon had met on his first assignment after arriving in Kizen.
Her true identity was nothing more than an expelled Efnel student. She had come to work for the Dark Alliance through a broker to earn money for her younger siblings’ living expenses, and had crossed paths with Simon in the process.
“You were still doing that?”
Simon pointed to Ellen’s fake school uniform and spoke. Her face flushed crimson as she replied in a barely audible voice.
“I’m s-sorry. I meant to stop after that day, but… working as an Efnel priest and working as an ordinary priest really do have different commission rates…….”
“This is a complete mess.”
Lette Shardenar spoke coldly after hearing the full story.
She had just double-checked that the Sound Blocking White Magic Circle drawn on the wall was functioning properly before returning to her seat.
“Beyond impersonating Efnel, you actually infiltrated the Dark Alliance under that false identity and worked for them? Are you insane?”
Ellen hung her head in shame, and Lette continued.
“I was willing to treat you with respect as a senior since you did attend Efnel at one point, but your character is simply inferior. I’m contacting Sky Island right now to summon the inspectors.”
“No, no, wait!”
Ellen grabbed Lette’s leg in desperation, pleading.
“Come on! Let go!”
“If those people catch me, I might actually die! If I die, my siblings……!”
“If you truly cared about your siblings, you never would have done something so reckless in the first place!”
Lette coldly pried Ellen off her leg like she was removing a leech.
“Even if you do end up dying or imprisoned, don’t worry. I’ll make sure your siblings are taken care of and placed in a respectable convent.”
“No, please! I’m begging you!”
No matter how much Ellen pleaded through tears, Lette remained an unmovable wall of resolve.
Seeing no sign of forgiveness forthcoming, Ellen’s gaze shifted toward Simon instead.
“Simon, please help me!”
“Clinging to him won’t do you any good.”
Lette let out a derisive laugh.
“We’re in the Sacred Federation. What influence could he possibly have…….”
“Don’t worry, Ellen.”
Simon patted Ellen’s shoulder reassuringly.
“Lette won’t send you to prison.”
“Simon……!”
Ellen’s eyes glistened with gratitude. At his words, Lette burst out in bitter laughter.
“Are you serious? What gives you the right to say such a thing, swordsman?”
“Actually, Lette is just as guilty. She’s the one who brought me here in the first place.”
“Hey!! You lunatic!”
Lette erupted, grabbing Simon by the collar.
“Do you want to die? Why would you say that?!”
Simon smiled broadly.
From Simon’s perspective, it would be problematic if Ellen were captured. If her name or his identity were revealed during interrogation or torture, it would be disastrous.
Ellen, having quickly grasped the situation, suddenly brightened and clapped her hands together.
“Ah! So now we’re all bound together by the same fate!”
“Ugh……!”
Lette irritably released Simon’s collar and flopped onto the bed, then fixed him with a hard stare.
“……I won’t forget this, swordsman.”
“I’m sorry.”
Simon apologized.
“But if Ellen, who knows my identity, gets captured, it becomes a problem for us, doesn’t it? There’s no point in taking on that kind of risk.”
“I understand that, but I didn’t want to get tangled up with her like this.”
“Don’t worry. Ellen’s discreet.”
Isn’t that right? Simon asked, looking at Ellen, and she nodded vigorously with an expression full of loyalty.
Lette frowned deeply, clearly displeased.
“By the way, senior, who said you could put your hands down?”
At Lette’s single word, Ellen, now meek as a lamb, immediately raised both arms.
After that, the three of them shared various conversations in the same cabin.
Ellen said she was on her way to complete a new assignment, and since her destination lay farther than theirs, it seemed they would be able to travel together for the entire train journey. She mentioned that her seven younger siblings were doing well.
“But isn’t it strange? How did you manage not to get caught by the heretic inquisitors on the train while wearing that fake uniform?”
At Lette’s question, Ellen laughed sheepishly.
“I’m definitely a priest by credentials! I just told them this outfit was cosplay, and aside from their utterly contemptuous stares, they let it slide without a problem?”
“Now that’s something to be proud of.”
The purpose of a heresy inquisitor is to root out heretics and bring them to judgment. It seemed they simply overlooked this sort of impersonation matter—it wasn’t their jurisdiction.
Simon watched Lette.
“Don’t you think you could lower your arms now?”
Two hours had passed, yet Lette was still punishing her senior as though she meant to kill her. By now Ellen’s arms trembled visibly, and Simon felt sorry watching her struggle.
“Don’t interfere. This is a matter for the Priests.”
Lette snorted dismissively.
“Considering a dropout dared impersonate Efnel, this is hardly punishment at all. It’s nothing but child’s play. Wouldn’t you say, senior?”
“Y-yes! That’s right! Ha ha ha ha!”
It was then that something seemed to alert Lette—she stiffened and opened her mouth.
“The inquisitors are coming. Senior, you should hurry back to your seat.”
At those words, Ellen’s face drained of color. She bowed quickly to both of them and returned to her place.
With swift movements, Lette erased the Sound Blocking White Magic Circle she’d inscribed on the wall, sat down, and composed herself.
Simon felt tension crash over him all at once. He pulled out the Holy Scripture he’d borrowed from Lette and pretended to read.
“Mm.”
Lette tilted her head.
“Isn’t pretending to read that a bit much?”
“I’m going for the zealous devotee angle.”
“Right. Just don’t let them catch on.”
Footsteps. Footsteps.
The heresy inquisitors appeared in earnest. They carried weapons and torture implements, producing a metallic clatter as they passed down the corridor.
A deathly silence fell over the train car.
“We’ll be conducting some brief questioning. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Perhaps because this was a space where Priests and their families stayed, their manner was more courteous than the inquisitors Simon had seen at the Night Market.
Simon strained to listen to the heresy interrogations taking place in the other cabins.
Nothing too difficult arose. The questions were sensible enough. Simon thought at this level of difficulty, anyone could manage.
Footsteps. Footsteps.
And finally, the heresy inquisitors came to a halt at Lette and Simon’s compartment.
“Forgive the intrusion during your rest.”
Senior Inquisitor Bakara bowed with unusual courtesy. His gaze fixed on the School Uniform Lette wore. The other inquisitors behind him flinched at the sight of her.
“Ah, you boarded at the last station. We’ll need to conduct some brief questioning. Please forgive us for doubting your faith—it’s procedure from above, and we’d be most grateful for your cooperation.”
Lette gave a cool nod.
“Sure, go ahead.”
Bakara asked a few simple questions, and Lette answered with curt remarks as though wondering why he’d bother asking such things.
Even when he posed questions with subtle twists, she answered each with penetrating clarity, not a moment’s hesitation. The inquisitors marveled at such solid faith befitting an Efnel student.
“That concludes the questioning. We’ll conduct a final physical inspection.”
“Seriously? How tedious.”
“My apologies.”
Bakara glanced aside and nodded. A female heresy inquisitor stepped forward and spoke.
“Priest, we’ll move to the changing room.”
Lette, uneasy at being left alone with Simon, ground her teeth.
“Do we really have to be so formal and meticulous about this?”
“My apologies. Given recent circumstances… we ask for your understanding.”
No matter how much of an Efnel student one was, there was no way to obstruct the official procedure of a heresy inquisitor’s interrogation.
In the end, Lette walked away with the female inquisitor, glancing back at Simon with an anxious look. Simon gave a reassuring nod. Lette nodded in return and headed toward the changing room.
“Now, it’s your turn, Priest. You’ll first…”
“Senior, wait a moment.”
A young heresy inquisitor pushed past Bakara and entered.
The moment he stepped into the cabin, he raised his leg and slammed it hard against the table with a loud bang.
“Long time no see.”
Simon’s eyes widened.
It was Metin—the heresy inquisitor he’d encountered at the Night Market before.
“Back then you slipped away like a loach. This time, there’s nowhere to run.”
Metin sniffed the air as he spoke.
“Ahh! This scent of darkness—you’re done for. I’m going to expose every last bit of your identity here!”
“Metin!”
Bakara gripped Metin’s shoulder.
“Nothing has been confirmed yet. It’s unbecoming to prematurely declare the Priest a heretic…”
Slap.
Metin brushed Bakara’s arm aside and fixed Simon with a vicious stare.
“You. Will die. Here.”
That was when it happened.
Metin thought he’d backed Simon into a corner, yet Simon simply smiled—a gentle, knowing smile.
There wasn’t even a trace of malice in that warm, composed expression, and Metin found himself flinching without understanding why.
“I believe you’ve misunderstood something rather significant, Interrogator.”
Simon clasped his hands together and summoned his Sacred power.
As a pleasant, subtle radiance of Sacred Flame spread through the interrogation room, the other interrogators let out soft sighs of admiration and smiled.
‘It’s been so long since I’ve felt such pure Sacred power.’
‘It feels like my whole heart is becoming clean.’
Metin’s expression twisted visibly.
“Please, ask away. Ask me anything.”
Simon smiled.
He didn’t know how the man had detected it—whether it was scent or something else.
But this time, he’d chosen the wrong opponent.

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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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