Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 503
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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 503
The battle with the Immortal Army was over.
Following the Ganes Guild, even the Tarados Regular Army had joined Simon’s side. The soldiers wielded their weapons, ensuring the undead regenerating before them would not rise again.
And Simon, uniquely able to annihilate them, moved through their ranks finishing them off with the Sword of Ruin. No more undead soldiers would claw their way back to existence.
“We make camp here!”
“Move quickly before nightfall!”
Darkness was falling. Tarados nights were infamous for their cold, so under Simon’s mediation, the two factions set up camp together.
Even in the midst of this, Serne seemed eager to pit her band of rogues against the regular troops led by Lorain, but Simon talked her down.
Clang! Clang!
While the girls sat resting, Kassan held nails between his teeth, hammering with practiced efficiency. A massive military tent was taking shape before them.
‘This is harder than it looks.’
Simon was helping Kassan as well.
It was a matter of wrapping the tent’s guy-lines around metal stakes and securing them, but there was more to think about than it seemed. The tent had to be drawn taut evenly, and they had to avoid sandy ground in favor of solid earth.
“How have you been? Simon.”
A dark-haired girl approached Simon.
“Oh, Lorain!”
“Want some help?”
“No, no, I can manage on my own.”
She nodded and crouched beside Simon to watch.
There was something unsettling about having someone observe him like this. Simon’s hammer-blows grew more deliberate.
Thud. Thud.
“You shocked me.”
Simon said between hammer-strikes.
“You appearing with the Lord’s soldiers, and Serne bringing the Ganes Guild.”
Lorain smiled faintly.
“There was a lot to deal with.”
She told him that she’d come to this Field Exam to prevent Serne’s conspiracy.
When she learned that Serne was heading to Tarados—Simon’s destination—she’d requested the school prepare an additional Teleport Magic Circle to that city.
But on the eve of the Field Exam, communication with the operative dispatched to Tarados abruptly cut off.
Lorain grasped the gravity of the situation and crossed over to Tarados before Simon.
What awaited her were soldiers sent by the Conspiracy. They’d even tried to seize her at the sight of her Kizen uniform.
“So that’s why there was no Teleport Magic Circle to Tarados.”
“Exactly.”
“How annoying. Really.”
Serne walked toward the two of them, arms crossed.
“How did you manage to chase me all the way out here?”
To evade Lorain’s pursuit, Serne had taken a job in a different region, then used the Ivory Tower’s Teleport Magic Circle to slip into Tarados.
Lorain’s eyes narrowed.
“Of course I followed. Things won’t go the way you and your Ivory Tower want.”
Meeting her flashing red gaze head-on, Serne let out a low laugh.
“You were so docile at school, like a fanged beast in chains. Now that we’re outside, your true nature shows right away?”
She was pointing at the Lock Necklace hanging around Lorain’s neck.
The lock hung open.
“So—”
Lorain spoke in a cold, lethal tone.
“Think carefully before you act. Make one suspicious move and I’ll strike first.”
“My, how frightening.”
“Enough. Both of you stop.”
Kassan, hammer in hand, suddenly emerged from behind the tent.
“We can’t spend all our time here bickering. I want to set out a detailed plan for what comes next.”
* * *
Kassan immediately summoned the key participants into the tent.
The Coachman, who’d done well as a guide, and Sera, the client’s younger sister.
General Amin, who commanded the Tarados Regular Army.
Karak, the bandit captain who led the Ganes Guild and served as Serne’s right hand.
“I’m Amin.”
General Amin began the briefing.
“This encampment we’ve established is the entrance to the Conspiracy’s secret base. All prisoners captured across Tarados are sent here.”
Simon straightened his posture as he listened.
“……What happens to them after they’re sent to the secret base?”
“I only saw the ‘gate’ open from a distance. I’m not certain what becomes of those who are taken.”
“Look, never mind that~”
Serne tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Just tell us how we can get into this secret base or whatever it is.”
She exuded an air so utterly untouchable that even General Amin addressed her with deference.
“Yes. First, the time slot for entry appears to be midnight. All prisoners are moved at night and arrive at these Ruins precisely at midnight. There has never been a discrepancy, and on occasions when prisoner numbers grow too large, we’ve seen them turned away and admitted the following midnight instead.”
This was what he’d learned from Lorain earlier.
Which was why they were now encamped here at the Ruins, waiting until midnight.
“Then what’s the method to open the gate when midnight arrives?”
In response to Kassan’s question, Amin produced a key from his breast.
“This key was taken from the Lord. At the moment when midnight causes a spatial distortion in the Ruins, inserting this key should open the gate leading to the secret base.”
“Oh, that key! Our boss had one too.”
This time it was Karak, the bandit captain, who raised his hand to speak. He quickly corrected himself as he glanced toward Serne.
“Of course, that was the old boss! Now I serve our Queen!”
“Oh my~ what a loyal gentleman.”
Serne laughed with amusement. Lorain’s gaze turned toward her.
“What did you do with the Black Wolf of Ganes?”
“What did I do~”
Serne gave a small shrug.
“He dared to draw a weapon on me, and since Mind Control didn’t work very well anyway, I beat him into a complete mess out of spite. He was covered in blood, crying rivers, and running away~ I doubt he’s even alive by now.”
“Just as expected of our Queen! There’s probably no one on this continent besides our Queen who could overwhelm the Ganes Guild captain like that!”
Simon let out a hollow laugh as he listened. He’d wondered how she’d taken the Ganes Guild under her control—apparently she’d simply overpowered them by force.
“And how did you manage to bring the Lord’s soldiers with you?”
This time Serne turned the question toward Lorain. The latter sighed before answering.
“Finding you and Simon was the priority, but the situation in Tarados was too grave to ignore. I went to hear an explanation from the Lord anyway, so I killed two birds with one stone.”
As expected.
As the one who would inherit Neftis’s mantle, she too felt a grave sense of responsibility for this Tarados crisis.
“I arrested the Lord and locked him in the Underground Dungeon.”
In fact, the Lord’s reputation among Tarados’s soldiers was abysmal. He’d forced them to play the villains while continually delaying their wages with one excuse after another—it was only natural.
Amin was far more popular than the Lord. When news spread that the Lord was imprisoned and Amin had staged a coup, most soldiers sided with Amin.
All the regular soldiers brought here now were men loyal to Amin, not the Lord.
“Let’s return to the main point. This is a rough map of the interior of the secret base that was kept in the Lord’s Safe.”
Amin laid a map on the table. Kassan leaned his head to peer at it.
“That’s far too classified for an outsider to possess.”
“The Lord entered as a member of the Conspiracy. Given that he provided substantial manpower, he must have been an important figure to them.”
Simon clapped his hands together.
“Good. Then we’ll rest until midnight, and when the time comes, we’ll open the spatial gate with the key and enter.”
Simon turned his head to look at Lisa, who was wearing an anxious expression.
“Don’t worry, Lisa. I promise I’ll rescue your brother.”
“Yes!”
She nodded firmly. At the same moment, the necklace hanging around Simon’s neck swayed.
[Wait, wait! Don’t forget priorities! My body comes first!]
‘I know, Sword.’
Simon glanced around at the other students.
“You’ll all help, right?”
Kassan nodded.
“That’s already been settled. I’m your guardian, and I’ve committed to cooperating in whatever comes.”
Lorain added her voice as well.
“As someone from Kizen, I can’t turn a blind eye to Tarados’s tragedy. I’ll give everything I have to help.”
Serne smiled brightly as she spoke.
“I don’t want to~”
‘What?’
Then she opened her palm to show them.
“Unless you offer me proper compensation?”
“……You really are something.”
Serne is not only inherently powerful, but also someone who needn’t hide her Legion Commander’s strength. Her assistance is essential.
Simon took a long breath and raised his head.
“What do you want?”
“As always, you’ll need to stamp my Coupon Stamp.”
Serne winked and held up three fingers.
“Three stamps this time?”
“…….”
To be honest, he’d tried not to pay attention to her constant talk of coupons at first, but she kept pushing so hard that ignoring her had become impossible.
What wish was she hoping to make once she collected all ten stamps? The thought sent a faint chill down his spine.
“Three is too much. One stamp.”
“Three stamps.”
“One.”
“Three.”
“One.”
Their positions seemed irreconcilable.
Then Serne caught Simon’s arm with an adorable wink.
“What if we add an intimate date together? Three stamps—how’s that?”
“Gasp! My queen……!”
Karak, the thief commander, glared at Simon with eyes burning with jealousy.
Ignoring him, Simon pressed on with the negotiation.
“If anything, shouldn’t I be asking for fewer?”
“That’s so unfair!”
“Fine—throw in the time you’re spending, and we’ll call it two stamps.”
“Then I’ll take it!”
Serne extended her hand with satisfaction at last, and Simon clasped it in agreement, sealing the deal with a handshake.
* * *
As time passed, the light around them began to fade.
Serne, possessed of a markedly independent streak, draped the blanket over herself without hesitation and closed her eyes to rest, while Kassan pored over a detailed analysis of the secret base’s map.
Lorain, meanwhile, announced she would prepare dinner.
“I’ll keep it simple. Before a big fight like this, it’s good to have something in your belly.”
She rose with a bucket in hand, and Simon followed, getting to his feet as well.
“Let me help you with that.”
As dusk settled over the Ruins, the two of them walked together to draw Underground Water, which reportedly flowed near the site.
There were no proper cooking facilities, so they’d have to make do on their own. Fortunately, Simon had a Cooking Set in his Subspace, so he planned to prepare a simple vegetable broth.
“…….”
Bucket in hand, Simon stole a glance at Lorain as they walked.
Her pace today was light, almost bouncing along at times.
Her expression seemed somehow unburdened.
It was certainly different from how she appeared at school.
“Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
Lorain asked playfully. Simon flinched and quickly looked away.
“Oh, I…….”
“Does this bother you?”
She held up the Lock Necklace, swaying it back and forth. Simon gave a small nod.
In truth, he’d wanted to ask about it for some time now, but lately Lorain’s expression always carried a shadow, and it might be a family matter involving Neftis, so he’d been holding his tongue.
“During the break, my mother said something to me.”
Lorain fingered the lock, her long lashes lowering.
“Over your first year at Kizen, how much have you grown compared to Simon and your other classmates? That’s what she asked.”
“…….”
“I had no answer for her.”
Lorain was already a complete Necromancer in her own right.
Her Red Ability, which enhanced her Undead, became formidable enough to topple ten Skeletons single-handedly when applied to them, and faster than any Skeletal Horse in existence when granted to one.
But the strength of her Ability brought with it a dangerous dependency.
Simon scratched his head awkwardly.
“……She was comparing me to you? I feel a bit guilty now.”
“Don’t be. And the second example my mother gave was Phantasus. He perfected a single Curse without any Ability at all and became the strongest at Kizen. Hearing examples like that, I realized I haven’t grown at all since my first year. That’s what struck me.”
Simon listened quietly, nodding as she spoke.
“I also admitted to myself that I lacked motivation in my first-year studies.”
Night wind swept past, and her black hair fluttered.
“Nothing taught at school was stronger than my Ability, so rather than studying, I threw myself into school administration and tried to prove to the adults that I had the skills of a manager. But in doing so, I forgot what mattered most—my role as a student.”
They arrived at the place where the Underground Water flowed. As Lorain lowered the bucket into a dug hollow, it began to fill gradually with water.
The two sat down and waited.
“That’s when I imposed a limit on myself.”
She drew her legs up, pulling them to her chest.
“Don’t interfere with the school’s operations until graduation. That’s Mother’s order.”
“……So that’s why you didn’t step forward to stop the third-year initiation ceremony.”
“Yes. I have no authority to do so. And second—”
She locked the clasp at the end of her necklace, then summoned a wave of jet black darkness across her palm.
Not a hint of red energy flickered through it—only pure, pristine black darkness, dark as her own hair, rippling across her skin.
“I will seal my Anomaly within the school.”
“…….”
“From now on, every lesson, every test, every practical assessment—I have to solve them all without my Anomaly, relying only on a Necromancer’s true power. I can use my Anomaly only when I need to fight with the Arcbold Family name on the line, or when my mission requires me to stop Serne.”
Simon opened his mouth.
“I’m not one to tell you what to do, but isn’t that constraint a bit extreme? You’ve been blending your Anomaly into your darkness this whole time and casting black magic that way. If you suddenly cut that off…….”
“Yes, you’re right. I might become an below-average Necromancer in Kizen.”
She closed the palm that had summoned the darkness and clenched her fist tight.
“But after a day or two of living that way, Simon.”
Then she looked at him and broke into a genuine smile.
“I came to respect you.”
Simon gestured to himself, caught off guard.
“Me?”
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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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