Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 278

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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 of the Necromancer School, Episode 278
Today was Foundation Day.
Though there was no mandatory school attendance, Kizen held free supplementary lectures as if the holiday could not be missed.
These supplementary classes were taught by teaching assistants rather than professors; only students in the lowest academic tier were required to attend, while the rest could choose freely.
“Neither Kizen nor the students have any sense of reason.”
Dick, sitting at his desk sketching an invention, grumbled.
“I heard Curse Magic and Poison Magic are already full. On Foundation Day, people should actually rest.”
Simon let out a small laugh and asked.
“Do you have a mandatory class?”
“Yeah. I’ve got to go to Curse Magic.”
“That’s rough.”
Simon alone was exempt from mandatory classes, since Necromancy was uniquely his weakest subject. Grateful for that fact, he stretched his interlaced hands outward as if warming up.
“But I’m really looking forward to the expedition evaluation.”
“Me too!”
Taking the opening, Simon brought out a new proposal.
“Since we’re going to the Neutral Ground, shouldn’t we gather all the essentials? Want to call Merin and Kamibarez and go shopping together in Rochester?”
At those words, Dick’s movements froze and his expression hardened.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, well—”
Dick, usually so evasive, scratched his head and looked embarrassed.
“I don’t think I can go on this expedition evaluation with you guys.”
Simon hesitated.
“Really?”
“Sorry. I already made a prior commitment with Class G. I’m joining them instead.”
At Dick’s words, Simon’s face fell.
“That’s too bad.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Try asking Merin. She said she’d be at the library all day.”
Team composition and reports were due by tomorrow.
With four people per team, if one spot opened, it had to be filled quickly.
Simon nodded and immediately changed into his school uniform.

* * *
He arrived at the library.
Merin was easy to spot thanks to her distinctive sky-blue hair that stood out anywhere. She’d apparently stepped out of the reading room for a brief rest and was chatting with a female student.
Simon approached them and spoke.
“Merin!”
Merin spotted Simon and turned her head. Simon pressed on urgently.
“Merin, did you hear? Dick—!”
“Hold on, Simon. I need to tell you something important first.”
“Oh, sure.”
His eagerness had almost made him rude. Simon obediently nodded and stepped back to wait.
The two girls soon launched back into their conversation.
From what Simon caught in passing, it was some other people’s love affair—two people dating, the boy cheating, the girl crying and furious while the boy showed no sign of remorse whatsoever. The usual repertoire.
Merin, listening to the story, grew indignant.
“Is he insane?”
“Right?”
The two girls’ chatter went on endlessly. Simon, sensing something like a vast cosmic gulf between them, awkwardly widened the distance and waited.
After twenty minutes, the chatting girl said her farewells and disappeared.
Only then did Merin turn her attention to Simon.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, it’s about the expedition evaluation.”
Finally, he was getting to the point.
“Since Dick said he’s going on the expedition with kids from another class, shouldn’t we quickly fill the empty spot in our team?”
“Our team?”
At those words, Merin let out a short laugh.
“Hey! What do you mean ‘our’?”
“Hm?”
“You were planning to go with me?”
“…No, I mean—”
They’d spent all of yesterday talking about the Neutral Ground together, so he’d naturally assumed they’d go as a team.
“Ugh, seriously. Who in their right mind does an Expedition Evaluation with classmates from the same class? People would laugh.”
She waved her hand dismissively.
“Besides, we’ve been glued to each other all this time anyway. We should get to know people from other classes too. I already made plans to go with that guy you saw earlier and two people from Class H.”
“Oh. Really?”
Was the Expedition Evaluation normally done with a mix of students from different classes?
Simon was a bit taken aback, but both Dick and Merin were discussing it casually.
“You haven’t gone to see Kamibarez yet, have you?”
Merin asked.
“I was just about to. Do you know where she is?”
“She signed up for the Blood Magic supplementary class. She should be at the Hematology Archery Practice Hall.”

* * *
Simon headed straight to the Hematology Archery Practice Hall where the Blood Magic class was held.
Peering through the window, he caught sight of an assistant instructor enthusiastically spraying saliva as he lectured. Among the students, he easily spotted Kamibarez with her bat wings folded against her back.
Each time she took notes, her wings fluttered gently, and whenever the instructor emphasized something important, her ears perked up. There was something oddly mesmerizing about watching her.
“Well, that concludes today’s supplementary lecture. Those of you who signed up for the afternoon session, I’ll see you again in two hours.”
“Thank you for your instruction!”
The Blood Magic assistant left, and students began filing out of the classroom in a rush.
Simon leaned against the wall to let them pass by more easily.
Near the end of the stream, Kamibarez emerged, hugging her textbook to her chest with both arms.
“Kamibarez!”
“Oh, Simon!”
She broke into a bright smile and hurried over with quick steps. Her wings fluttered rapidly, betraying her cheerful mood.
“What brings you here?”
“Oh, well…….”
It looked like Dick and Merin were going to the Expedition Evaluation with other people.
He’d need to find two more people.
Simon was about to explain this, but he decided to broach the subject more carefully first.
“Do you already have someone to go with for the Expedition Evaluation?”
“……Oh.”
At his question, Kamibarez’s pupils trembled. Her complexion darkened, and she fumbled for words, her lips moving silently. Then she simply stood there, her gaze fixed on her feet.
Simon forced a smile and spoke gently.
“It’s okay. You can tell me.”
“I’m so sorry. Really, I’m sorry! I already promised to go with the people from the Sadam Club…….”
“Ah, I see. Then there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Only then did Simon realize he was in serious trouble.
He had to submit his team roster by tomorrow.

* * *
After that, Simon rushed around desperately searching for teammates.
“Ah, the invitation is really, really kind of you! But we decided from the start to go as our Team 7. I’m sorry.”
He first approached Toto, who was both his classmate and fellow club member, but Toto already had his team set.
“What? You’re looking for team members?”
Next, he tried Jamie Victoria, the Class A representative.
She grabbed his shoulders in surprise and shook him back and forth.
“Did you guys have a fight? What’s going on? I never worried about Team 7 because you all got along so well!”
“No, we didn’t fight.”
As Simon explained the situation, her expression grew alarmed.
“What do you mean by that? Of course the Expedition Evaluation is supposed to be done with your team members from the same class!”
“Oh, really?”
“Do you think the Expedition Evaluation is some kind of casual field trip? Of course it’s much more advantageous to go with teammates you work well with, people you’ve been coordinating with all semester! If you go with students from other classes, when will you ever synchronize your movements, develop tactics, and work in harmony with each other?”
“…….”
Simon’s expression went blank. He hadn’t thought about that aspect.
“That’s why I asked if you’d had a fight.”
Jamie let out a long sigh and continued.
“The trend is for everyone to go with their own team members unless something serious has happened between them. That’s what I’m doing too.”
“…… Right. Thank you for telling me.”
“I won’t pry into it, but if something’s wrong with Team 7, tell me honestly, okay?”
“We really didn’t fight.”
So whose version of the truth was correct?
Simon walked onward, troubled. This time he’d asked Jamie for directions and sought out Claudia. Over recent events, he’d grown quite close to her.
“No, that’s not right at all! That’s too much!”
Claudia flared up as if Simon’s problem were her own.
“The class representative was right—teammates should go together. And besides! If you’re going with students from other classes, the least they could do is tell you beforehand—that’s just courtesy! Merin’s being ridiculous about this…. I didn’t think Kamibarez would do something like that!”
“I appreciate the anger on my behalf.”
Simon continued with a smile.
“But talking about our teammates behind my back like this is a bit much.”
“Oh, right. I’m sorry…!”
Claudia immediately bowed her head in apology. The moment she lifted it again, fire flashed in her eyes.
“Still, it’s wrong! They absolutely owe you an apology for this!”
……
After parting ways with Claudia, Simon spoke to several other students.
But he couldn’t find a teammate. Most students had already arranged their expedition teams within their own groups.
As Simon walked alone down the corridor, he caught sight of four students crammed into an empty classroom, chattering away merrily.
‘……They look happy.’
A pang of loneliness struck him.
The first solitude he’d felt since coming to Kizen.
Simon trudged forward. Everywhere he looked, clusters of four students seemed to move together. Watching their joy only made the emptiness beside him feel deeper.
‘Still, it’s too early to give up.’
He’d check a few more students from Class A, and if that failed, there was always Kassan, Lorain, Fitzgerald, and Serne. Serne frightened him with whatever strange demands she’d make, but there was no room to be choosy.
‘Time’s running out.’
Simon climbed to the third floor as Claudia had directed. She’d mentioned that Sindy Vivache, also from Class A, was studying in the empty Classroom 302 on that floor.
‘Sindy probably has her own team members though….’
But it was worth a try. Even if Sindy couldn’t help, he might gather other information there.
Arriving at the door of Classroom 302, Simon knocked lightly.
“Who is it?”
Sindy’s voice came from beyond the door.
“It’s me, Simon. Can I come in for a moment?”
“Yeah, come on in!”
With permission granted, Simon pushed the door open with both hands.
Pop! Pop!
Bang!
Paper poppers exploded from every direction without warning.
“Happy birthday, Simon!!”
Woooo—!
A wave of cheers erupted, and confetti and flower petals showered down from the ceiling. A massive cake loomed before his eyes.
‘……??’
Simon’s expression went blank as he looked around.
In the classroom stood Dick wearing a party hat and holding poppers, Merin clapping with a radiant smile, and Kamibarez beaming while holding the cake.
Behind them were Jamie, Claudia, and Sindy as well.
What on earth was all this.
A birthday?
My birthday?
“You mean….”
“What else? It’s a surprise!!”
Merin shouted with laughter.
Kamibarez approached, holding the cake with both hands. “Please blow out the candles, Simon!”
Simon, his face bewildered, blew out the candles. Another roar of cheers erupted.
Dick set off the remaining birthday poppers.
……ahaha.
The loneliness he’d felt moments before melted away like snow, leaving only a tight ache in his chest.
Buried under confetti and flower decorations, Simon placed a hand over his heart, and at last he let out a breath and smiled.
“……You really got me.”
Dick laughed raucously and draped an arm around Simon’s neck.
“You should’ve known! Would we really abandon you for another team?”
“We’re sorry for deceiving you, Simon!”
It had been a surprise all along. Jamie, Claudia, and Sindy had all been bought off with cake.
Simon, the night’s guest of honor, cut the cake and portioned it onto plates. It was so large that even after serving everyone, more than half remained.
“But you guys, there’s something I need to confess.”

At Simon’s words, the other three members of Team 7 flinched visibly.
“What? What is it?”
Kamibarez asked.
“Hey! You didn’t go and find other team members without us, did you?!”
Merin spoke with an anxious expression.
Simon shook his head and continued with an embarrassed look.
“Today isn’t actually my birthday.”
A pause hung in the air.
Suddenly an awkward silence fell over Classroom 302. All eyes turned toward Dick.
“Hey, you idiot! You said today was Simon’s birthday!!”
Merin shrieked indignantly.
Dick looked flustered, sputtering before turning to Simon.
“You circled the date on the calendar in your dorm room! You even wrote ‘birthday’ next to it…!”
“Oh, that’s my mother’s birthday.”
……
Silence descended again.
Then Merin and Simon exchanged a knowing glance. Merin grabbed the half-eaten cake and charged forward.
Splat!
She smashed it directly into Dick’s face.
“Hahahaha!”
“Oh, that felt good!”
Everyone clapped loudly and laughed. Even Dick, his face covered in cake, laughed good-naturedly and licked the frosting off with his tongue.
“Ugh, I can’t see! I can’t see!”
Saying so, Dick dove toward Merin’s School Uniform to wipe his face clean.
“Aah! Stop! Don’t come near me!”
“Revenge!!”
While everyone else laughed and made a fuss, Kamibarez came to Simon’s side and said.
“I’m looking forward to working together on this expedition, Simon!”
Simon smiled warmly.
“I’m counting on you too.”
His chest felt warm.
Though it wasn’t his real birthday, he sensed that today’s party, opened up by everyone, was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.
“Man, I’m jealous. I wish our team had this kind of atmosphere.”
Claudia was murmuring when Merin rushed over and smeared cake on her cheek. The two of them began playfully bickering.

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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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