Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 188
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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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Necromancer School’s Summoning Genius Chapter 188
“You remind me quite a bit of someone I know.”
Israphil’s gentle, approachable demeanor shifted in an instant. Simon felt a chill run down his spine, and Rette, too, seemed caught off guard—her eyes wide as a startled rabbit’s.
Simon composed himself and thought carefully.
‘Someone I resemble? Could she know my parents?’
This wasn’t the kind of passing remark someone made in casual conversation. Her voice and expression were far too grave.
She had already settled on her own conclusion and was now simply confirming it. Any attempt to change the subject or muddy the waters would only backfire.
‘I have a feeling I need to answer this very carefully.’
She seemed like a good person, but she was Efnel’s Holy Maiden—the Dark Alliance’s greatest enemy. He could not afford to lower his guard.
As Simon weighed his options,
“I’m not sure who you think I resemble,”
he decided to thrust his head straight into the lion’s jaws.
“but I suspect your guess is correct.”
Simon said this while carefully observing her expression.
First, he needed to determine whether the person she thought he resembled was someone she viewed negatively or positively.
……
Her pupils trembled with hesitation. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly. Her thoughts seemed frozen, her voice becoming just barely slurred.
She was caught in confusion—unsure what she should do. Fortunately, this was not a gesture of rejection. Her genuine feelings were clashing with what she believed she ought to do.
‘That’s enough. I must never speak first.’
Simon waited with patience, his mouth pressed into a firm line. And finally, her lips opened.
“I see.”
She turned her gaze to Rette, her eyes carrying a hint of reproach. Rette flinched and spoke.
“Israphil! I…!”
“Stay quiet, Rette. No wonder you rejected my suggestion to visit during the break and went far away instead.”
Her gaze shifted back to Simon.
“Let me ask you again, Priest Ska. Are you Anna’s son?”
Israphil’s reasoning had been sound. Simon bowed his head.
“Yes. I came here to save my mother, who has fallen ill.”
Suddenly—
Simon doubted his own eyes. Israphil had stepped forward and pulled him into an embrace without warning.
The suddenness of it left Simon’s body rigid and tense.
“Ah.”
Israphil released him and studied Simon’s face with eyes bright with emotion.
“Smile for me.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Go on, smile. Quickly.”
Her voice carried an almost impatient eagerness. Simon hesitated briefly, then forced the widest smile he could manage.
“Ah.”
Emotion bloomed in the depths of her dark eyes.
“Your smile is exactly like Anna’s.”
Israphil said this and drew Simon close again in a tight embrace.
Strangely, at her words—that he resembled Anna—the walls of caution he had built so carefully crumbled away like sand.
“If I may ask, what is your relationship to our mother?”
“Well,”
Israphil closed her eyes again, concealing those dark pupils, and smiled gently as she stepped back from Simon.
“Sisterhood without blood. That would be the most fitting way to describe it.”
“Ah.”
Simon smiled in return.
“Then that would make you my aunt.”
!
At those words, Israphil leaped several meters into the air before coming back down.
“Again! Say it again!”
“A… aunt?”
Hahahaha!
And watching this scene from a small distance away, Rette stood with a vacant expression on her face.
‘I’ve never seen Israphil this delighted. What is this?’
There had been a reason Rette kept Simon’s story secret from Israphil.
If she asked Israphil for help and had her aid Anna and Simon, then not only Rette but Israphil herself would commit a sin against the Goddess. One sinner was enough.
And more than that, Israphil had never expressed any opinion about Anna publicly.
In the Sacred Federation’s eyes, Anna was a traitor who had consorted with Necromancers, abandoned her sacred duties as the Holy Maiden, and betrayed her homeland. Even asking Israphil what she thought of Anna would be presumptuous.
Israphil opened her mouth.
“I’ve been worried as well. Relations between the Sacred Federation and the Dark Alliance have deteriorated drastically of late, and all logistics have been under strict control. I was concerned whether the remedies we receive every year would reach Anna properly.”
Her gaze turned toward Rette.
“Rette. Our nephew crossed the border seeking medicine, and you’ve been guiding him. Is it fair to think of it that way?”
“Oh, no! I’ve already delivered the medicine to Anna! But now a different problem has arisen……!”
Rette explained the whole situation from beginning to end. Israphil, who had been listening gravely, nodded.
“Anna has the Purification Essence…… I see. So that’s why.”
Israphil placed her hand on her hip.
“You meant to go to the Tree of Life to obtain the White Leaf, the most crucial material for the surgery? That’s far too reckless. How did you intend to obtain it?”
When Simon and Rette exchanged a somewhat anxious glance, Israphil raised her voice.
“Speak without hesitation!”
The atmosphere suddenly felt like they were being scolded. As a flustered Rette stammered, Simon spoke in her stead.
“We intended to find our way to where the Tree of Life is located and conduct a trade with its guardians.”
Simon withdrew Ancient Empire Coins from his pocket.
“If the trade were to fail, we were prepared to steal it as a last resort. I apologize.”
Israphil shook her head firmly.
“Youth is no excuse for such recklessness! The mountain where the Tree of Life stands is overrun with Grade 6 and Grade 7 monsters! You two students meant to break through there?”
At that, Rette bristled and interjected.
“You know my abilities! I could manage……!”
“Rette, be quiet. When you return to Efnel after the holiday, it’s a month of fasting.”
Rette bowed her head glumly.
Three months of self-imposed fasting plus another month imposed by the Holy Mother’s command. The thought crossed her mind that she might spend an entire semester eating nothing but bland rice gruel.
Israphil shifted her gaze to look at Simon.
“Of course, that Necromancer who will become my brother-in-law would have arranged something……”
Simon flinched.
“As an adult, I cannot permit children to venture into such a dangerous place alone.”
“Israphil! We absolutely must……”
“I will retrieve it for you.”
“Pardon?”
As Simon let out a sound of bewilderment, Israphil smiled brightly.
“I am a Demigod in this Sacred Federation. There is nothing impossible for me through my power here. I will surely obtain it.”
Her words brimmed with unwavering confidence. If the Holy Mother herself took action, what in this land could be impossible?
Simon, moved by emotion, quickly bowed his head.
“Thank you so much, Israphil!”
At his words, Israphil smiled again.
“I have a villa nearby that I purchased. Let us go there.”
As Israphil moved her fingers, the three figures became enveloped in mist.
* * *
The villa Israphil brought them to was a quiet wooden house overlooking the seashore.
Simon and Rette spent two days living there. Fatigue accumulated from the journey and battles meant they spent most of their time sleeping.
It occurred to him that had they ventured to the Tree of Life in such a depleted state, it would have been difficult indeed.
Two days later, Israphil returned.
“I told you I would obtain it, did I not?”
As she opened the box, a white leaf rested on a crimson cushion came into view.
Remarkably, the leaf emanated a subtle Sacred power, and its distinctive markings matched precisely what Richard had described.
Simon’s arm trembled.
‘I never thought I could obtain this so easily!’
Israphil stood with the box open, regarding Simon with expectant eyes. Soon Simon broke into a radiant smile and spoke.
“Thank you so much, Aunt!”
Israphil merely lifted the corners of her mouth slightly, but Rette recognized it as an expression of immense joy and giggled.
The three shared an evening meal together and talked.
“But Israphil.”
“Yes, speak.”
“You said you and our mother share a Sisterhood without Blood, didn’t you? I’m curious what your relationship with her is like.”
“Ah, I see I haven’t explained that.”
Strictly speaking, she was not truly Simon’s aunt.
Originally, Israphil had been Anna’s attendant during her time as Holy Mother. Like Rette, who had nowhere to go, Anna had taken in the orphaned Israphil.
Anna noticed Israphil’s talents. When Anna rose to become Holy Mother, she granted Israphil the position of eldest daughter of the Cross Family, which had become vacant. When Anna enrolled at Efnel, she personally petitioned the Pope so that Israphil, mere attendant though she was, could study there.
The two, once in a master-servant relationship, spent their school years as inseparable friends and graduated with outstanding records.
—Someday you’ll walk in my footsteps, Israphil.
When Anna, the brightest star of that era, said such things, Israphil tilted her head in confusion. She had graduated second in her class, following Anna’s lead, but her talents didn’t come close to matching Anna’s own.
At the time, she didn’t understand what those words meant.
Then one day, Anna became embroiled in some grave incident and vanished without a trace. Rumors spread that she’d married a Necromancer and abandoned her vows as a saint.
Efnel, concerned for the dignity of sacred authority and the waning prestige of the sainthood, announced that Anna had died a martyr in battle. And the Miracle Essence, passing over countless candidates for sainthood, came to Israphil.
And so she’d arrived at this present day.
‘I wonder.’
Simon rested his chin in his hand, listening to Israphil’s reminiscence.
‘What was Mother like during her time as a saint?’
Whenever Simon found himself in crisis, people like Rette and Israphil—those who had once received help from Anna—continued to appear and lend him their strength.
Even now that they stood as enemies, they hadn’t forgotten Anna.
He was curious about Richard’s school days, too—the notorious troublemaker and Legion Commander of Kizen—but he also found himself wondering about Anna’s time as a saint at Efnel.
“It’s rather absurd for a saint to speak of such things.”
Israphil picked up her fork and spoke.
“From now on, never mention the name Anna to anyone in the Sacred Federation, and don’t reveal your identity first. That was truly dangerous behavior.”
Her point was well taken.
Israphil was an oddity within the Sacred Federation, and among the Priests, there were far more extreme fanatics like Rette, the Heretic Inquisitor.
The moment Anna’s name—the name of a traitor—came up, they would gnash their teeth and seek to kill.
“Rette and I happen to be entangled in a rather personal relationship, so we were fortunate, but you’re a Necromancer. When you meet a Priest, be vigilant without exception and prepare yourself to fight and strike them down. This is for your sake.”
It was a reminder that he should henceforth carry the self-awareness of a Necromancer and clearly distinguish friend from foe.
Had he and Israphil met on the battlefield rather than through Rette’s introduction, Simon might well have died by her hand.
And there was no guarantee such a thing wouldn’t happen in the future.
Simon nodded solemnly.
“I’ll keep it in mind. Still, the fact that people like you both exist gives me hope.”
“Hehe! Our nephew does have such a lovely way with words.”
‘…What…?’
Because Israphil had taken such an obvious liking to Simon, Rette felt somewhat left out.
‘Hmm, is this what he felt back when Mother and Anna were playing together?’
“If you’re not going to eat this omelet, I’m having it.”
“Wait! I’m eating it!”
Israphil, who had been watching the two of them bicker with an amused smile, opened her mouth.
“So you’ll be heading back to the Dark Alliance tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
Simon nodded.
“Now that I have what I came for, I want to go back and treat Mother right away.”
“Of course. Anna’s health is the priority. I’d love to prepare a Long-distance Teleportation Magic Circle for you if I could.”
“No, no, I couldn’t possibly trouble you further. I’ll take the Holy Train back.”
Simon knew that Israphil had to leave for the Sky Island early tomorrow morning. Israphil spoke to Rette.
“Please guide him well to the very end, Rette.”
“Yes, of course. I understand.”
She answered with a slight pout. Israphil rose quietly, smiling to herself.
“Then shall we all get some rest?”
“Yes!”
* * *
The two of them parted ways with Israphil, returned to the city where the station stood, and boarded the Holy Train.
There was nothing difficult about it. They simply had to retrace the path they’d come by.
But.
“3rd Class?!”
Rette wailed.
The return train had no reservations, so every seat in 1st and 2nd Class was occupied.
Rette could have used her Efnel School Uniform to drive the 1st Class passengers down to 3rd Class and claimed the seats for herself, but neither of them wanted to go that far.
In the end, they decided to use 3rd Class for the return journey.
“Oh, looks like we have new arrivals.”
“Welcome aboard~”
Simon greeted them warmly in return. Rette, her expression sullen, simply gave a slight nod and climbed up to her upper bunk.
This train also had Heretic Inquisitors aboard, and due to the recent incident of train hijacking, they conducted their questioning with rigor. But Simon, already thoroughly tested by Metin’s interrogations, was ready.
He passed through without raising a hint of suspicion.
“Hup.”
Simon climbed up to the upper bunk and pulled out a piece of paper.
-Richard.
-Merin.
-Kamibarez.
He planned to write a letter to each of his teammates, one by one, and send them once he returned home.
‘The Kizen term break is drawing to a close.’
Simon picked up his quill pen with a flutter of anticipation.
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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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