Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 199

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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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Summoning Genius at Necromancer School — Episode 199
“It won’t take long.”
Wichasha, the Hufa Tribe chieftain who had kidnapped Merin, lifted a crimson cloth and stretched both arms over her head.
“……?”
She, who had squeezed her eyes shut tight, carefully cracked one eyelid open. She’d expected him to strangle her neck or blindfold her with it, but instead the fabric settled naturally across her shoulders and draped down past her chest.
It turned out to be nothing but an apron with a carrot character printed on a red background.
“???”
Suddenly a dining table descended before her, a massive roasted turkey dish was placed down with steam curling up from it, and around it were arranged deep-fried dishes and mushroom soup.
“Release her bonds,” Wichasha commanded.
At his order, a burly man approached from behind her and untied the rope, freeing her hands. The rope binding her legs and waist he left alone.
Click!
Before long, even the dazed and befuddled Hake, intoxicated by nerve poison, was seated in another chair with food appearing before him as well.
“Please, eat your fill!”
The men bowed respectfully.
Soon the atmosphere shifted.
What seemed to be traditional Hufa instruments—unfamiliar yet clear flutes and drum sounds—echoed as background music. And two bare-chested men fanned her from both sides with fans made of leaves.
Merin was so dumbfounded she sat in a stupor, then suddenly erupted in anger.
“What on earth are you doing?”
“We have one condition.”
Wichasha spoke.
“That you remain here for today only.”
“…….”
“Beyond this, we will lay no hand upon your persons nor threaten your wellbeing. Our methods may be clumsy, but while you remain here, we will do our utmost to ensure your comfort.”
Merin let out a bitter laugh.
“This is insane—no, this is a disease! Whether you feed me or fan me, this is clearly kidnapping. Did you really think you could imprison someone like this and just brush past it?”
“I understand.”
Wichasha nodded and approached. Merin turned her eyes away in distaste at the sight of his bulging muscles writhing and two points indecently exposed.
“We kidnapped a Kizen student. We accept the consequences of that act. But we have merely conveyed our demands to you, and we promise that so long as you do not attempt to escape, we will not threaten your wellbeing in any way.”
Merin crossed her arms. She remained cynical and cold in demeanor, but at least now there was room for dialogue.
“Fine, let me hear it. Why are you keeping us here?”
Wichasha opened his palm plainly.
“I will answer that too. But first, may I ask that you eat something? The food is growing cold.”
Far off, two muscular men in red aprons were stirring with ladles when their eyes met Merin’s, and she saw them give a thumbs-up.
“We prepared with such care…….”
“Drop dead. You perverts.”
Merin shot back coldly, and the two chefs lowered their heads with dejected expressions.
Wichasha spoke regretfully.
“Eura and Hake have tender hearts.”
“That’s none of my concern! And why should I put anything in my mouth that those muscle-bound freaks made? It could be poisoned for all I know.”
“If I intended to poison you, I would have forced it down already. But we will not.”
“No matter what you say, I won’t eat even a——”
Grrrrrowl.
Her stomach rumbled at an unfortunate moment. Merin’s face flushed hot.
‘Oh my god, this is so embarrassing! Why now of all times!’
Wichasha smiled meaningfully.
“It appears you woke this morning and have eaten nothing yet, I observe.”
“……Tsk!”
Her face contorted with indignation and shame.
“Let me say again: we are not trash who tamper with food. If you do not eat, that meal will go straight into the garbage. The choice is yours.”
“…….”
Merin fell into deliberation.
Of course, she had no need to eat food provided by her kidnappers.
But, well. This was just her being petulant out of irritation, and if they meant to poison or drug her, they would have done it already by his logic.
Truth be told, if she’s being held captive, she has no real choice. The best strategy is to play along and act compliant here, then strike decisively when they lower their guard.
This was purely a tactical decision. Absolutely not because she was hungry.
At the end of that stream of consciousness, Merin picked up the fork. She gently pressed against the meat of the large turkey before her. Like cheese, the fork sank smoothly into the tender flesh, and juices spilled forth.
She detached a piece of meat with the fork, carefully caught it in her palm, and tried a bite.
“!”
Her pupils dilated.
‘……Man, this is so delicious it kills my pride. It’s like that barbecue I had at Professor Hong Peng’s house back in 1st Year.’
The woman in her trembling grip released the fork without a word and took another bite. Wichasha nodded.
“I’m glad it suits your taste.”
“Ah, shut up! But it really is delicious!”
At that, the two men in aprons who’d prepared the meal beamed visibly and clapped their hands together. Wichasha smiled with satisfaction as well.
“Eura and Hake are suckers for praise.”
“I didn’t want to know that!!”

* * *
The day was growing darker by the hour.
Simon and Kamibarez were racing through the streets with such exhaustion that their entire bodies had begun to wilt.
“Let’s split up and search. It’ll be faster that way.”
Kamibarez nodded at Simon’s suggestion.
“That sounds good! But if we find either of them, how will we let each other know?”
“Wait a moment.”
Simon opened a pocket dimension and pulled out a lantern set he’d made yesterday with a few sheets still remaining. He’d already crafted it several times, so folding took no time at all. Once he’d quickly completed two more sheets, Simon handed one to Kamibarez.
“It’ll be a while before the thousand lights begin. Whoever finds them first sends up a lantern. And—”
Next, Simon retrieved from his breast a music box that had belonged to Dick.
It was something they’d once used in Deathland to draw the zombies’ attention, and Dick had taken the idea, modifying it to gather zombies. Last night over drinks, he’d proudly called it a hit and gifted one each to the three of them.
“The one who finds them first sends up the lantern, then hangs the music box from it so it plays.”
“Perfect!”
And so the two split apart, combing through every corner of Langoustin and questioning the people they met.
‘So many men in robes had walked by suspiciously, yet witnesses were oddly scarce. They’re probably not far from the Clock Tower Lodging. Somewhere secluded, with sparse foot traffic.’
Simon began searching primarily the narrow, labyrinthine alleys.
‘Hmm, that old woman?’
As he entered the alleys of the Harlem District, packed with ramshackle houses, he spotted an old woman whose eyes held only whites and whose face was twisted grotesquely on one side. It was the same woman he’d seen with Kamibarez earlier, the one who’d spoken about the Disease Spirit and such.
She lay prostrate on the ground, muttering something in a thin voice. Simon approached her.
“Excuse me.”
She’d been murmuring strangely when she suddenly jerked her head up.
“The rats are gone.”
“I’m sorry?”
“All the city’s rats have vanished. The insects too, the crows—all of them.”
Simon crouched down beside her.
“Why would they disappear?”
“They answered the call of the Disease Spirit.”
The woman, still muttering, suddenly raised her voice sharply.
“The Spirit is wrathful! Tonight, someone in this city will die!”
…….
Another murder? Simon asked in a grave tone.
“Is there any way to find where the Disease Spirit is?”
“The Spirit is—!”
She was about to continue when she suddenly froze in terror and clamped her mouth shut.
Sssssssssss—
Countless insects poured from every corner of the Harlem District alleys, covering the ground in writhing darkness.
“It comes! It comes! The Spirit arrives!”
The old woman cried out in alarm and rushed into her shack, slamming the door with a bang.
Simon simply stood in place. In moments, the swarm of insects swept past him in a torrent.
‘Ah.’
Though they’d rushed toward him with terrifying speed, they parted precisely to avoid him, flowing onward instead. Simon kept his distance and followed them.
‘Where are they going?’
The insects delved deeper into narrower, darker alleys.
Bang!
Simon’s head snapped toward the sound.
The wall of a wooden building suddenly shattered, and from within, a tidal wave of black rats surged forth, lifting Simon bodily into the air.
It was like the flow of water itself. With incredible speed, the rats bearing Simon hurled him down the alley below.
“Oof.”
Simon landed without impact. The rats scattered and vanished, and he looked about, getting his bearings.
Deep in the Harlem District—among the half-basement buildings, Simon had arrived before a tavern.
‘Is this where I’m meant to enter?’

Simon braced himself and pushed open the tavern door.
“Pardon the intrusion—ugh!”
A stench of liquor assaulted his nostrils.
Several patrons, reeking of drink, were sprawled about in disarray. Even the man who appeared to be the tavern keeper lay passed out, his face flushed crimson.
In the midst of all this wreckage, a single figure sat upright in the center of the room, perfectly composed.
Glug. Glug.
A woman held an entire drum barrel aloft with one hand, tipping it to her lips as though it weighed nothing.
Her throat worked rhythmically as the liquid went down. Her legs were splayed wide across the table, soles of her feet on display—bare, unshod feet.
‘Who… who is this?’
Simon had believed himself acquainted with every manner of oddity Kizen had to offer, yet this woman defied all precedent.
Hair the color of rust and brown stood out at wild angles, matted and knotted like a porcupine’s quills, with two ears jutting animally through the tangle.
Her body was draped in what could generously be called rags—if one could call such things clothing at all. Scraps of fabric had been haphazardly layered and wrapped around her torso as though bound with bandages. Grime and stains marked both her skin and her garments everywhere.
What was this person?
When was the last time she bathed?
She resembled less a civilized human than a wild beast—like the feral child raised by wolves from a storybook, grown to adulthood. A savage in the truest sense.
Yet paradoxically, she bore none of the foul reek that typically clung to the unwashed. Instead, a sharp, acrid chemical odor cut through the air around her.
“You.”
Thud!
Having finally drained the barrel dry, she set it on the ground and grinned wickedly. Her teeth were triangular and pointed, shark-like.
“Simon Polentia. That’s you, right?”
She knows my name. Simon tensed, his expression guarded.
“And who might you be?”
“No promise in you, is there? Answer a question with a question—what’s your game?”
She flicked her hand, and a crow descended through the air, dropping a bottle of liquor on a nearby table. Without bothering with an opener, she twisted the cork free with her bare hands and raised it to her lips.
Glug, glug.
She drained the bottle in one continuous pull, then exhaled a satisfied “Ahhhh!” and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
‘Come to think of it…’
Simon’s eyes narrowed.
‘There’s something oddly familiar about her.’
“So you’re a 1st Year at Kizen too, yeah?”
“Ah, yes! That’s correct.”
She rested her arm on the chair’s armrest and laughed, a sharp, staccato sound.
“Ever heard of Hong Peng? I’m his twin sister.”
Simon’s eyes widened in shock.
So that’s why she looked familiar!
The resemblance was there in the features—though her bearing, her clothes, her manner of speech and accent, her complexion, all seemed utterly foreign. She was like a feral version of Hong Peng.
“But… why would Hong Peng’s sister be here…?”
“My name is Byeol-Ya Toon Sokuem Malarat.”
She opened her mouth wide, and her shark teeth gleamed.
“No point hiding it now. I’m the new Poison Magic professor at Kizen!”

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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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