Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 418

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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 Summoning Genius Episode 418
The harsh blizzard she had just endured seemed like a lie.
Beyond the barrier, spread before Simon’s eyes, lay the tranquil landscape of a village.
Butterflies fluttered through the air, birds sang. Simple thatched-roof houses came into view, and people passed along the road.
‘So this is Escail Village!’
Like stepping into a greenhouse within the bitter cold.
He’d heard nothing but dark rumors about Escail Village from Kula down below, yet the reality stood in complete contrast to what he’d imagined.
“This barrier.”
Meanwhile, Rette ran her palm across the barrier, feeling the empty space ripple and give beneath her touch.
“It’s concentrated entirely on thermal insulation—the structural integrity isn’t particularly impressive. Especially from the inside; you could tear right through it with a blade.”
“As long as the insulation holds, that’s fine.”
From here, the outer blizzard appeared hazy and distant. The sight of snow pouring down in torrents seemed so incongruous that the warmth within felt like spring itself.
With nothing more than this paper-thin barrier, heaven and hell had been divided.
“So where do we go from here?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
Rette shrugged her shoulders.
“Best not to wander aimlessly and risk misunderstanding. Waiting patiently seems like the wise…….”
“Who are you?”
Waiting patiently had proven the right choice.
A middle-aged man approached, his straw hat tilted rakishly on his head, short whiskers grown from his ears down to his jaw.
Simon and Rette quickly bowed their heads.
“Raus! We’ve come from outside to teach the children of Escail Village. I’m Shawn Hadder.”
“Lea Bennett,” Rette added.
Both names were false, of course.
“Ah! The teachers from outside.”
The man nodded, his eyes sweeping over both of them carefully.
“Quite impressive that you weren’t eaten by the Snow Woman on a day as harsh as this.”
Simon’s expression stiffened slightly.
Another Snow Woman. Had that woman he’d seen earlier truly been one?
“Please wait here a moment. I’ll bring Petria for you.”
“Petria?”
“She’ll be your guide. Given how severe the blizzard is today, I assumed you wouldn’t be able to come.”
With that, the man vanished.
And moments later.
“S-sorry, so sorry!”
A girl came sprinting from the distance at full speed.
A young woman with ashen hair that bared her forehead, her years few but seeming close in age to Simon and Rette.
“Huff! Puff! We didn’t……! Gasp! Expect you to come……! My apologies……!”
“It’s, it’s quite all right.”
Simon opened his palms in reassurance.
“You’re Petria?”
Rette asked.
“Yes! I’m Petria! I’m in charge of showing you around. This way…….”
Following Petria as she chattered on with explanation, Simon surveyed the village thoroughly.
Fields were visible, livestock raised. Reindeer—beasts native to this region alone—seemed kept for both milk and meat.
Unlike Kula, where people were dying in real time, this city seemed stable, as if wholly adapted to the harsh cold.
‘Hmm, bringing up Kula now would be poor timing.’
It was a topic best broached only after winning the residents’ goodwill and trust.
Simon decided to start with lighter questions.
“Petria. There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Yes, Teacher Shawn! What is it?”
“Is there really a Snow Woman living on this mountain?”
Her footsteps stopped abruptly. She turned, her pupils dilated, staring at him with unsettling intensity. Simon flinched involuntarily.
“Ahahaha!”
Then she broke into loud laughter.
“Of course not! That’s just a legend!”
She wiped away the tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she spoke. Caught off guard by her unexpected reaction, Simon scratched the back of his head.
“But the villager from earlier also said you were fortunate not to be eaten by the Snow Woman…….”
“The adults all believe it. Every year there’s such a fuss! They say we must perform a ritual, make an offering. But I don’t believe in the Snow Woman. Oh!”
She placed a finger to her lips.
“Of course it’s a secret from the elders. Especially from your grandmother, whom you’ll be meeting soon.”
“Ah, yes.”
The village was small, so we reached our destination quickly. It was the largest building in Escail Village—something like a community hall.
“Please, come in.”
Once inside, statues were displayed throughout the building. They appeared to be Snow Women, and Rette’s expression tightened with displeasure.
‘Sacrilege.’
The Sacred Federation worshipped only the Deva Goddess as their sole deity. The veneration of folk beliefs or local gods was strictly forbidden.
From that perspective, the people of this village were deeply suspicious.
“You understand, don’t you?”
“Do I look foolish to you?”
According to Israfil, this region lay far beyond the reach of central Efnel’s influence.
If we came all this way to a remote place like this only to be driven out over religious matters, we’d be the only ones to suffer.
“I’ll take you to see the grandmother now.”
Petria spoke.
“But who exactly is this grandmother?”
“She’s the most respected elder in the village. You could think of her as the village chief.”
Click.
The door opened, and we were led into a small sitting room.
An elderly woman with frail features and ashen hair sat holding a walking stick.
Petria stood beside her and spoke.
“This is Nenia Mijenashi, the village chief.”
But Simon and Rette’s eyes widened at the sight of Nenia.
“The fortuneteller grandmother?!”
“Grandmother, what are you doing here?”
She looked identical to the old woman who had read their fortunes in Kula just a day before.
But Nenia blinked as if she didn’t understand what they were saying.
“…What are you talking about?”
Simon continued the conversation calmly.
“Please forgive us if we’re mistaken, but we saw an old woman who looked just like you in Kula on our way to this village.”
“…That must be a misunderstanding.”
She swept her ashen hair back with her fingers.
“But if you didn’t misunderstand, you may have seen my younger sister.”
“Your sister?”
“Yes. My sister, who broke the village’s rules and was cast out fifty years ago. What do you suppose she’s been doing?”
Rette answered.
“She was telling fortunes on the street. She was doing business with tourists, though she seemed to be struggling with recent difficulties in Kula.”
Nenia clicked her tongue sharply.
“She’s paid the price she deserved. Yet she managed to survive even after receiving the Snow Woman’s curse for breaking the village’s rules—she’s fortunate.”
She turned to look back.
“Petria.”
Petria clasped her hands together and bowed respectfully.
“Yes, Nenia.”
“Show these two guests to a good place to stay.”
“Understood.”
“And you two—”
Her gaze flashed with a sharp glint as she turned to face them.
“It would be wise not to spread talk about my sister in this village.”
With those words, Nenia left the sitting room.
Simon and Rette immediately exchanged glances.
“Do you think they’re the same person?”
Rette shook her head.
“No. These two are definitely different people.”
“…I wonder if that grandmother really was from this village.”

* * *
The village was controlled tightly by the clan chief Nenia and those who bore the name Mijenashi.
All the other village elders we met afterward were Mijenashi as well.
After hearing an endless stream of rules and precautions from them, we finally left the hall under Petria’s guidance.
“Really, what’s with all these rules? This is forbidden, that’s forbidden.”
As Rette grumbled with her arms crossed, Petria bowed apologetically again and again.
“I’m terribly sorry. Our village is rather unusual, you see.”
“So you really can’t leave the barrier?”
“That’s right, and even if you venture outside, the harsh blizzard would make it impossible to accomplish anything.”
Simon and Rette exchanged a quiet glance.
Despite her warnings, both of them fully intended to venture out.
On the surface, they would pose as instructors and earn the villagers’ trust, but once everyone had fallen asleep in the early dawn, they planned to slip outside and search for clues about this harsh blizzard and the “evil” Israfil had mentioned.
An unidentified blizzard.
A Snow Woman.
And the people of Escail Village.
Though various clues and information were tangled together, Simon was certain they all traced back to a single source.
And the moment he uncovered that source and eliminated the cause, both Israfil’s request and peace throughout this entire region would be resolved.
“Petria, exactly who are these people called Mijenashi?”
Rette asked abruptly.
“They’re descendants of the Snow Woman. Under Nenia Mijenashi’s leadership, they oversee the village’s rituals and major affairs.”
As she spoke, she smiled and gestured to herself.
“Oh, and I’m also Mijenashi. Petria Mijenashi.”
“Well, you’re quite the dignitary then.”
At Rette’s playful laugh, Petria’s face flushed red.
“N-no, that’s not it!”
“But you said the Mijenashi family are descendants of the Snow Woman. Yet you don’t believe in her yourself?”
Simon posed a rather sharp question, but she nodded solemnly in response.
“No, I don’t believe.”
…….
“Well, here we are. Please come this way.”
The lodging where the two would stay was a spacious log house with a quiet, serene atmosphere.
Rette was delighted.
“Can we really use the whole house?”
“Of course!”
It was spacious and clean, with a fireplace no less. There were three bedrooms, and various recreational items were visible throughout.
“Finally, my own room! My own room!”
Rette wandered excitedly through the house. Simon and Petria looked around from a slight distance.
“You two will be living here from now on. Your lessons with the children will be held here as well.”
“When will we be able to meet the children?”
“They’ll start coming tomorrow. There are five of them altogether, and they’re all absolutely delightful!”
Petria trembled with excitement at the very thought.
“There’s firewood in the storage, and I’ll personally see to it that you’re supplied with food and necessities every single day.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“Oh! And on the first day of class, some of the village elders will be coming to observe!”
Simon’s eyes widened.
“So the Mijenashi will be attending as well?”
“Yes. But don’t worry too much. Since it’s the first day, they’ll simply observe for a bit to see how you’re doing, and then they’ll leave.”
This brought considerable pressure bearing down on him.
An observation lesson. If they didn’t teach well, they’d immediately come under suspicion and might be driven out of the village.
“Our house is right next door. You can see it from here—the one with the blue roof.”
Petria pointed with her fingertip.
“If you need anything at all or would like me to do something, just say the word! I’ll come running in an instant!”
“How could we possibly impose on someone of the Mijenashi?”
Rette said with a sly smile, and Petria’s face flushed crimson.
“Stop teasing me!”
“Only joking. Thanks for looking after us.”
“Um, and…….”
Petria hesitated for a moment, glancing down at her feet before finally gathering her courage and looking up.
“I-if you don’t mind, could I sometimes come visit? The truth is, there are hardly any people my age in the village. So…….”
“Of course.”
Rette said, settling into a chair.
“And it’s obvious we’re the same age anyway, so feel free to relax. Don’t call us teacher—just call us Rette or Simon.”
“B-but! How could I possibly be so casual with you……!”
“How could I possibly be comfortable speaking so freely with someone as dignified as Mijenashi?”
“Stop it, you’re teasing me!!”
Simon watched the two young women bicker with a smile playing at his lips.
“Well then, I’ll stop by again later! Take it easy, you two!”
Click.
Petria left, and Rette let out a long sigh before leaning back against the headboard.
“So then.”
She turned her head.
“Now, may I ask why you two little ones are hiding under the bed?”
At her words, as if on cue—
two small children, a boy and girl no more than four or five years old, who had been crouched beneath the bed, began to crawl out slowly. Their faces were tight with fear, clearly expecting to be scolded.
“!!”
Rette’s expression softened at the sight of them. Simon’s did too.
“We, we, well, you see…”
The little girl stammered. Then the boy spoke up in her stead.
“We were playing hide-and-seek, and this spot looked empty, so we hid here, but—!”
‘They’re adorable.’
This teacher role, it seemed,
would be something he could throw himself into wholeheartedly, separate from the investigation.

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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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