Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 334

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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 Genius — Chapter 334
Everything was pitch black.
In the darkness, the ground beneath Simon’s feet gave way and he plummeted, the sensation bringing dizziness and a throbbing in his temples.
It felt like ten minutes had passed since he entered the Card, but how much longer would this darkness persist?
[1 member of the Offensive Team has entered.]
[Defensive Team (15/15) all members have entered.]
[Offensive Team (15/15) all members have entered.]
!
At last, a new message appeared. It seemed the Offensive Team had all arrived.
[You are on the Defensive Team.]
[Welcome to becoming a Guardian of the Aon Kingdom.]
Being made a Guardian was fine enough, but what mattered most to Simon was when this nauseating ordeal would finally end.
—Why did you take so long?
A hand shot out from the pitch darkness.
That pale, slender hand seized Simon’s and pulled him toward it.
—This way. Dummy.
In the darkness, sky-blue hair flickered into view.
Simon, entranced, grasped that hand and tumbled in the opposite direction.
Whoooooosh!
Blinding sunlight battered his retinas, and cold wind whipped through his hair.
The first sight Simon saw upon escaping the darkness was the beautiful girl with hair the color of sky spreading all around him.
“Let’s go, Simon!”
Merin spoke with a wink, and beside her, Dick—suspended in a water droplet—lounged with one hand cradling the back of his head, laughing heartily.
“You were exactly the fifteenth person! It was cutting it close, but the signal flare operation turned out to be a complete success!”
Looking around, Simon saw other students encased in transparent bubbles.
Fifteen in total, Simon included.
They were all the Defensive Team.
“Deployment!”
The water droplets burst, and fifteen youths began their freefall.
Simon’s eyes widened. Below him lay a massive castle rising like a tower.
The very castle that Dick had sketched on the board stretched out before him in all its complete glory.
Simon gasped involuntarily, then laughed with genuine delight.
“Still green, I see.”
Merin let out a quiet chuckle.
Soon the descent slowed, and all fifteen members of the Defensive Team settled onto the castle’s peak. The smell of aged brick filled the air, mingled with occasional whiffs of something like gunpowder.
Though signs of activity rustled all around, the surroundings were strangely silent. It was hard to believe a war would erupt here any moment.
‘So the inhabitants of this world aren’t human after all.’
They were all beastkin—”rat-men” with rat ears and tails. Of course, they were nothing like monsters like the Ratman.
‘Endolas Bodville really does love his animals.’
Even fully grown adults of this race barely reached Simon’s waist. The weapons they carried were short, and their dwellings small. They scurried nervously about the castle’s interior.
A soldier who’d dropped his quiver and was getting scolded by a superior; a boy soldier hastily writing a letter to someone; an elderly man whose face was smeared with grease.
Each small scene was rendered with meticulous life.
This vivid spectacle gave him the feeling of being suddenly dropped into the heart of an actual battlefield.
“Hey, Carrot!”
“Miri! Long time!”
Meanwhile, the students were greeting each other warmly as acquaintances do. Simon found himself glancing around in case he recognized anyone.
“Ah!”
One figure stood out—a bespectacled face he knew.
“Fitzgerald!”
It was Fitzgerald, a fellow member of the Aberration Club from his year.
Even now, he clutched a book in one hand—a portrait of a true bibliophile.
“Simon.”
He snapped shut the book in his hand—”The Little Ball That Pride Shot”—and approached. The two shook hands lightly.
“Good to see you! Glad we’re on the same team.”
“Yeah.”
Merin, with no familiar faces nearby, stood at Simon’s side with her hands clasped behind her back.
“Someone you know?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Simon stepped back and introduced the two.
“This is Merin Villenne, from the Ivory Tower. And this is Fitzgerald. His last name is……”
“The Ingels family.”
At Fitzgerald’s terse remark, Merin’s eyes widened.
“The Ingels? You mean that Ingels family?”
From Merin’s reaction, it was clear they were a distinguished house. The two clasped hands with practiced grace.
“It’s been ages since I’ve met someone from such a well-established family.”
“Besides the Ivory Tower’s Villeneuve, that is.”
As the two highborn students shook hands, Dick suddenly wedged himself between them.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Dick Hayward!”
Merin’s expression soured.
“You’re out of your depth, commoner. You’re lowering the tone.”
“If we’re talking about lowering the tone, I’ve seen noble ladies drool through their meals just the same.”
“I—I never—!!”
As the students bantered back and forth, easing their tension, the palace doors swung open and a bald man in armor emerged.
Of course, like everyone present, he was a rat-kin.
“Squeak-squeak! Guardians! We have been awaiting you!”
Dick raised his hand in friendly greeting.
“Wow! Uncle Yomong! Hello!”
He spoke as though addressing a neighborhood acquaintance. The man called Yomong’s eyes widened.
“Squeak—squeak? But I haven’t even introduced myself yet. How could you possibly know my name……?”
“Oh! Didn’t I mention it? The thing is, I’m a psychic! I can read people’s minds. Should I go ahead and recite your next line for you?”
Dick bowed respectfully as he spoke.
“Squeak-squeak! His Majesty awaits you, Guardians. Please, allow me to escort you inside.”
“!! W-wait, how on earth did you—!”
Merin grabbed Dick’s ear.
“Stop embarrassing us with that ridiculous act!”
“Ow! Ow ow! My ear’s going to fall off!”
Watching the two bicker, Fitzgerald blinked.
“Are they fighting?”
Simon smiled wryly.
“……Our team is just like this normally.”
After some commotion, the fifteen students followed Yomong’s guidance into the castle without incident.
As befitted a royal palace, it was vast—the central hall alone could comfortably accommodate thousands of rat-kin.
‘There are civilians in the palace too.’
Women and children scurried about. Food was being distributed throughout the halls.
“Squeak. This way, please.”
And seated upon the throne was a benevolent-looking rat-kin, mouse-ears protruding from his head with a crown resting beneath them.
“Squeak-squeak! Welcome, welcome! Righteous Guardians!”
The King rose from his throne and greeted them loudly. The civilians receiving their rations turned to look and cheered.
“Your arrival is as the prophecy foretold! All the people of this realm have been awaiting you!”
The “Guardians” that had been mentioned repeatedly were, in this setting, heroes from another world sent down by the creator that the rat-kin revered.
The Guardians were all granted legitimate command authority—they could lead soldiers under the King’s name, and the soldiers were sworn to obey them.
Simon listened to the King with his ears while his eyes remained fixed on the civilians, who were taking their portions and moving toward the wall behind the throne.
Merin seemed curious about the same thing and raised her hand.
“Your Majesty, why are there civilians in the palace?”
“Squeak-squeak! I shall show you myself!”
The King led the students toward the area behind the throne.
A low rumbling sound echoed from below.
Behind the throne lay an underground cavern of black stone. Within it huddled elderly people, women, and children.
“This is the Obsidian Cave. Squeak-squeak.”
The King explained personally.
“It existed long before the kingdom was founded. Aon Castle stands so steep and high because it was built atop the mountain range and obsidian mines.”
The cavern descended so deep and wide that the bottom could not be seen clearly. Civilians crouched and sat on every level.
Simon walked alone to the stone and tapped it gently with the back of his hand.
“Is it safe down here? If a battle breaks out, won’t it collapse?”
“Squeak-squeak. Fear not. The obsidian mine is extremely resistant to external impact—the safest place in this entire kingdom. Even if the castle above crumbles entirely, the mine itself will remain secure.”
Simon nodded.
He wasn’t certain how obsidian was treated in this world, but obsidian was renowned as a high-strength mineral.
Another student raised his hand.
“What if an enemy nation enters the mine and climbs up into the kingdom?”
“Squeak-squeak. There is no such danger! The only entrance to the mine is right here—the very top of the castle, where the palace stands. That is precisely why I gathered the civilians in the mine.”
The King placed a hand over his heart, his voice grave and resolute.
“I shall perish upon this throne. I will never shield my life behind my people.”
“……Your Majesty.”
Merin’s expression softened with genuine emotion. Dick thrust his thumb upward in approval.
“You needn’t worry about them reaching here, sir!”
“Indeed! Within the next few hours, the vile Kan Kingdom will launch their assault. They have plundered and ravaged our lands as they advance—only this capital remains. The entire nation stands ready to fight unto death.” The King’s jaw tightened as he addressed the students. “I implore you: lead the soldiers and hold back the enemy. If we can endure just today—nay, merely half a day—reinforcements will arrive! Absolutely!”
Dick stepped forward as their representative, striking his chest with conviction.
“Leave it to us, Your Majesty!”

* * *

Two thousand against twenty thousand.
A ten-fold difference in military power.
True, they held the castle, but even a cursory glance revealed the bitter truth: this aged, weathered fortress was far from an impregnable bastion. Built by the small-framed beast-folk, the castle itself was cramped, its gates hung loose and decrepit, its walls shamefully low. What might seem adequately tall to the rat-folk could be scaled without difficulty by Necromancers wielding Darkness. The defense was essentially doomed from the start—with one exception: time favored the defenders.
Dick, who had repeatedly run siege scenarios, had experienced both Aon Kingdom victories and Kan Kingdom victories. He already knew how this would end.
If they could endure long enough for Aon Kingdom reinforcements to arrive, the defenders would triumph. If the castle fell and the King perished before then, the Kan Kingdom would claim victory.
“Let’s split up from here!”
The students dispersed from the Royal Palace, quickly surveying the castle and its surroundings to identify key checkpoints. They agreed to reconvene in two hours.
“Every game changes the castle’s layout, supplies, food stores—you name it. We need to do constant checks.”
Sometimes there were massive catapults; other times, reinforcement liquids for the gates, moving defense towers, or flying horses appeared.
Simon decided to scout the castle alone. Dick approved and handed him the checkpoint locations: descend from the Royal Palace, inspect the castle walls, and stop by the Supply Storage along the way.
Simon descended the castle stairs by himself, surveying the passages and corridors as he went.
Built atop a mountain range and mine, the castle afforded a vertiginous view of the Surface below. The slope was treacherous enough that he wondered how many people had fallen to their deaths during daily life.
‘Ah, found it! The Supply Storage.’
Simon located the vital checkpoint without difficulty and stepped inside.
Dick had mentioned that everything here could be put to use if one was resourceful. Simon began rummaging through the supplies.
“Sir, what is this?”
Simon lifted a black sphere from a crate—it resembled a wooden fruit. The storage keeper’s eyes widened.
“That’s an Oil Fruit, Guardian! It’s filled with plant-based oil. Crack it open and set it aflame, and it burns splendidly. You’re welcome to take what remains, sir!”
“Is that so?”
Simon smiled as he stowed them into his Subspace. He had made his decision on the spot.
‘This Skeleton Mage should be fire-aspected.’
Nearly a week had passed since he created his first Skeleton Mage, and the third BMAT was fast approaching.
In that span, Simon’s Summoning Magic proficiency had grown by leaps and bounds.
“All of you, come forth.”
His Subspace opened, and eight Skeleton Mages materialized before him, bowing in supplication.
Simon unfurled a Magic Circle.
Whoom!
The first Magic Circle.
Whoom! Whoom! Whoom!
The second, third, and fourth Magic Circles.
Simon’s fingers moved with practiced grace, manipulating the suspended Magic Circles with ease. They displayed different parameters in the air before him.

The inspiration, naturally, came from the Summoning Magic lessons where he’d studied similar systems.
Then Cloud flowed from Simon’s body like connecting threads, stretching downward to link the central Magic Circle with the skulls of all eight Skeleton Mages.
Their current registered technique was Cold Bolt from the Dark Ice Boundary.
“I’m changing them to Dark Blaze from the Dark Flame System.”
As Simon manipulated the central Magic Circle, the Magic Circle patterns inscribed on each Skeleton Mage’s skull began to shift in response.
Normally, rewriting a Skeleton Mage’s registered spells was an agonizingly difficult process. But Simon possessed Cloud, which allowed him to overlay the central Magic Circle’s structure onto the Skeleton Mages with deceptive simplicity.
Whooooom!
“Application complete.”
Simon deactivated the Magic Circle and Cloud. He decided to test just one of them first.
“Dark Blaze.”
Crack!
The Skeleton Mage he’d randomly selected raised its staff, a Magic Circle blooming at its tip—and above it, flames danced.

Simon nodded with satisfaction.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Click, click, click!
Simon led the way forward, with the Undead mages carrying staves trailing behind him.
The beast-soldiers who witnessed the sight began to stir nervously.
“……S-scary, squeak.”
“Squeak-squeak! But at least the Guardian is on our side, so that’s a relief.”
Simon arranged the Skeleton Mages in a line so they would follow without alarming the soldiers too much.
‘Since it’s come to this.’
He gazed at the castle as if steeling himself.
‘I’ll make sure the Aon Kingdom wins, and I’ll claim the top prize myself.’

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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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