Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 576
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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’s Summoning Genius Chapter 576
Events unfolded precisely as Serne had planned.
The orchestrators of this incident were the Covenant and Ivory Tower Master Bermud.
With the Center Director—Bermud’s collaborator—and the Radical Faction’s inner circle detained and dragged away, the crisis came to an end.
The Dark Alliance interpreted the incident not as the will of the entire Ivory Tower, but as a deviation by a handful of extremists. Bermud’s act of erecting a Barrier in the main tower to confine people seemed to serve as the most decisive evidence.
Without question, Serne Aeindarc was the greatest contributor to resolving this catastrophe.
He had seen through that his adoptive father Bermud was connected to the Covenant, and succeeded in deceiving him thoroughly until the very end.
He had brought his collaborator Simon in through the legitimate channel of a dispatch student, confronted head-on the atrocities that nearly destroyed Kizen, and played his part in the final confrontation with Bermud. He fulfilled his role.
It was all but certain that Serne would claim the position of next Ivory Tower Master.
The internal situation of the Ivory Tower pointed to the same conclusion. With Bermud’s downfall, the Radical Faction’s hostility toward Kizen had been severely weakened, and Daniela’s Moderate Faction, which favored Kizen, had seized power.
The desperate Radical Faction was scrambling to accelerate Serne’s appointment ceremony as Ivory Tower Master.
The Moderate Faction, too, did not oppose Serne—the incident’s greatest contributor—ascending to the position of Ivory Tower Master.
Of course, various rumors circulated.
“He killed his own father, blinded by hunger for power!”
“All that talk about the Covenant and whatnot is just an excuse. He was lucky enough to find a pretext to bring down his adoptive father.”
Hearing the city folk’s whispers, Simon felt a surge of fierce anger. How could they so easily diminish someone who had made such tremendous sacrifice, knowing nothing of the truth?
Simon tried to protest, but Serne pressed down on his shoulder and shook her head.
“There’s no need to engage with them.”
“Doesn’t it anger you?”
A faint smile played at the corners of her mouth.
“Let the monkeys in our heads chatter all they like. I couldn’t care less.”
Simon and Serne walked through the streets together, conversing about this and that. Knowing that such moments would soon become rare, Simon made an effort to speak with her at greater length.
But that respite did not last long. People from the Ivory Tower came rushing over.
“Serne! We’ve been searching everywhere for you!”
“This is no time to be out! The Dark Alliance has requested a meeting…”
She was now the supreme administrator of the Ivory Tower, overseeing all aftermath procedures. With her investiture as Ivory Tower Master looming, she would be consumed by work for the foreseeable future.
She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Then, perhaps we’ll meet again someday. Simon.”
That faintly irritating, fox-like smile.
For the first time, Simon found that her smile looked sad to him.
* * *
When morning broke, Simon boarded the Teleport Magic Circle and returned to Kizen.
Merida had decided to stay with Phantasus a while longer, timing her return to coincide with the final day.
Merida had suddenly started pestering her brother with questions about whether he had a girl he liked, while Phantasus denied it with an expression of bewilderment at why she would ask.
Simon sent good wishes to Phantasus, who would have to endure her interrogation for an entire day.
In any case, he still had one day to spare. Upon his return, the 2nd Year Campus was in considerable disarray.
“Did you hear? The Ivory Tower Master was actually connected to the Covenant!”
“The Covenant—those are the people who tried to overthrow the Dresden Kingdom, right?”
“Could there be members inside Kizen too?”
“…Ugh, no way. Don’t say scary things like that.”
Simon let such talk pass by in one ear and out the other, calmly going about his business to tie up loose ends.
First, he returned to Pier’s Ruins and released the Legion’s Undead.
Achemous’s wounds from the mercury had healed in a single day, and Pier, who had struggled to calm Simon’s Rampage, needed time to recuperate.
And Erzsebet, to whom he had entrusted the investigation of White, had not yet returned. She had secretly followed White to the dispatch location.
He also went to visit Parahan, the Professor of Sacred Defense Studies, after a long absence. He played with the kittens Whitey and Blackie, and trained with the bear Divine Beast Akalion in Divine Beast Training.
Then he returned to the Dormitory and began studying for his exams.
Toto had not yet returned. Since Durahan’s Special Lecture started tomorrow, Simon hoped he would come back without delay.
Scratch. Scratch.
Simon, moving his Quill Pen across blank paper in notes, set the pen down after writing only a few characters.
‘Sigh.’
For some reason, his mood felt unsettled.
In truth, everything had resolved well. Kizen was safe, the Covenant’s evil plans had been thwarted, Merin and Serne were alive, and he had returned before Durahan’s Special Lecture.
So why did his heart feel so heavy?
‘Focus. Focus.’
Simon gripped his Quill Pen again, forcing intensity back into his eyes.
* * *
The next day.
The Summoning Studies Classroom was filled with energy, not like any ordinary day, but far more vibrant than usual.
“I’m back!”
“Ugh—I feel like I’m dying! Made it back right at dawn, just like I promised.”
“How was the dispatch?”
“Honestly, I gritted my teeth the whole way, swore I’d make it today no matter what. I’m literally covered in blood. You get what I mean, right?”
The students who had returned safely before the special lecture began were in high spirits, chattering excitedly among themselves.
Simon took his seat as well.
“Hey, President!”
Eshu, a member of their Group 10, waved at him warmly. Simon returned the gesture with a smile.
“Did you hear? I heard! I definitely heard!”
She rushed over and perched herself directly on Simon’s desk.
“Your dispatch was to the Ivory Tower, right? That’s huge! Did you get caught up in the Ivory Tower incident?”
Simon laughed wryly.
“Well, yeah. That’s how it turned out.”
A few nearby students showed interest.
“What’s this Ivory Tower incident?”
“You don’t know? The whole Dark Alliance was turned upside down yesterday!”
“I just got back from work—how was I supposed to know?”
Students who had returned yesterday or today didn’t yet know much about the Ivory Tower incident. Eshu, with her gossipy nature, began talking up a storm, and the other students’ eyes grew wider and wider.
“The Ivory Tower Master was part of the Covenant?”
“That’s Serne’s father! He’s in our department!”
“President! Have you seen the Ivory Tower Master’s face? What happened?”
The students’ attention zeroed in on Simon. He was the eyewitness to this whole Ivory Tower incident, standing right in front of them.
‘Damn. They specifically told me not to go around spreading weird stories about this.’
He’d already been ordered to keep quiet about it by headquarters.
Simon was trying to calm down his excited friends when—
“Sorry, hold on a second.”
A black-haired girl suddenly appeared among the students surrounding Simon.
At Lorain’s arrival, the students around him parted like a receding tide.
“Come with me for a minute, Simon.”
“Sure.”
The other students swallowed their burning curiosity and could only watch the two figures leave the classroom in silence.
Lorain led Simon out to a quiet spot beyond the classroom. She came back with a coffee from a small campus shop nearby and handed it to him.
“You’ll drink this, right?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
The two of them walked to a secluded area behind the building, each holding a drink.
Simon finally caught his breath, straightened his necktie, and took a sip of coffee.
“?”
It wasn’t coffee.
It was incredibly sweet—strawberry-flavored, to be precise.
“Ugh.”
Lorain was also sticking her tongue out slightly, her brow furrowed.
“Sorry, they must have switched them. My head’s all over the place.”
“You can’t stand bitter coffee?”
Simon laughed and swapped the drinks with her. When she gave him a look that said don’t laugh, he feigned innocence and took a careful sip of the coffee.
She got straight to the point.
“Can you tell me what happened with the Ivory Tower incident?”
“Sure.”
Lorain was one of the few people who knew Simon was a Legion Commander, so he could share most of what had happened.
Of course, he left out anything concerning Serne and Merin’s privacy, and explained only the basic sequence of events.
“…The Covenant. They’re more dangerous than I thought.”
Lorain bit her lip lightly.
“They were trying to send the Time Tower into a rampage and hurl it at Rocksum.”
Simon crossed his arms as he continued.
“The Blood Heavenly Cult, Tarados, the Dresden Kingdom, and now the Ivory Tower—the Covenant, hiding in the shadows of the continent, has begun openly revealing its ambitions.”
“…Who on earth is behind all this? The Saints of the Sacred Federation?”
Simon shook his head.
“Not the Priests. The Blood Heavenly Cult, which the Covenant supported, even hijacked a Sacred Federation train.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“The Covenant people seemed to call someone an ‘elder.’ Does anyone come to mind?”
She rested her chin on her hand, thinking.
“‘Elder’ is too vague for that. It could be the Dark Alliance’s senior council members.”
They’d exhausted their theories, but even as the Dark Alliance’s heir apparent and an active Legion Commander, their knowledge of the Covenant had limits.
Simon changed the subject.
“Will Serne be able to come back to school?”
“Probably not. It’ll be difficult.”
Lorain answered.
“Bermud’s faction inside the Ivory Tower was arrested en masse, wasn’t it? The remaining radicals will rush to seat Serne as the Ivory Tower Master just to survive themselves.”
“…….”
“And more than that.”
Lorain closed her eyes and continued.
“Serne hated this school anyway. I doubt she’d want to come back to Kizen.”
“That’s… true.”
Serne had always viewed her forced enrollment at Kizen under special exception as a form of hostage-taking. The trouble she’d caused back in her 1st Year had that same bitter flavor—*if you want to test me, go ahead*.
Lorain lifted her head, her expression complicated.
“But now that I think about not seeing that troublemaker anymore… I can’t say I feel purely relieved.”
That was probably true.
Serne desired the destruction of Kizen. That much hadn’t changed even now.
So she’d initially aligned with Bermud’s plan, but the moment she learned he was a puppet of the Covenant and he demanded Simon’s life, she turned against him.
Serne had simply refused to be used by the Covenant and acted to save Simon and Merin—but in doing so, she’d ended up saving Kizen itself.
From Lorain’s perspective, having been at odds with her, the feeling would be unsettled.
“Simon! Lorain!”
That was when.
Eshu was shouting from outside the window.
“Sorry to interrupt your date, but they moved our classroom! It’s next door! Class starts soon!”
Simon nodded.
“Thanks for letting us know, Eshu!”
Lorain, who’d been sipping strawberry milk, pouted.
“It’s not a date or anything.”
The two of them returned to the building and entered the new classroom.
Teaching assistants were decorating the board—balloons hung from it, and a banner stretched across the middle.
As Simon and Lorain tried to find good seats, they spotted a familiar face already seated in the classroom.
“Ah, Simon! I’m here!”
“Toto!”
Simon’s face brightened. He’d been worried that Toto hadn’t arrived before homeroom. Eshu and Lorain, also in the same group, greeted him warmly.
The seats filled quickly.
The bulky and scattered Hector was there, as was Aseraz, who’d recently emerged as a formidable rival, and even White, still gazing out the window as always.
“…….”
Simon turned to look behind him.
While other seats were filling rapidly, the seat directly behind Simon remained empty.
Serne’s reserved seat, as it were.
She’d always enjoyed sitting right behind him, and since anyone who sat there would only be marked and evicted by her, the students now deliberately left it vacant.
But Serne would not come.
She had become the Ivory Tower Master.
“Professor Aaron is entering.”
The teaching assistant announced. The noisy students fell silent at once.
Click.
As always, Aaron appeared in casual comfort—a loose shirt, shorts, and dragging slippers. He looked a bit better after his recent rest.
He climbed onto the podium, and in the silence of the students, he lifted his head.
“Did the dispatch go well?”
Yessss!
A roaring chorus erupted, followed by cheers and laughter scattered throughout the room. Aaron didn’t stop the celebrating students, letting them have their moment.
“Before we begin the special lecture, I’ll take attendance.”
Aaron picked up the attendance sheet.
“Matt Comer.”
“Here!”
“Rauvel Bruenmuros.”
“Present!”
Aaron called out names one by one in his lazy voice, and the students raised their hands to respond.
According to Dick, it was typical for about ten students to be late from a dispatch evaluation like this, so the return rate was remarkable.
That was how much power Aaron had leveraged with the “Durahan Special Lecture” held over their heads as collateral. Every student had pushed through their dispatch missions in the field as if dancing between life and death. Many, like Toto, had ground away at it with sheer determination, finishing before dawn and managing to arrive just this morning.
The roll call continued on until a certain name was called.
“Serne Aindark.”
The lively classroom fell into heavy silence in an instant.
Aaron simply hummed, checked the attendance sheet, and called the next student’s name.
And so every student’s name was called—except Serne’s.
“Excellent results.”
Aaron set down the attendance sheet and spoke.
“Fifty-one out of fifty-two returned. It’s now definite that the Summoning Department has set a new record this time.”
But this time, there were no cheers from the students. Aaron surveyed them all and continued.
“I hear there were a few who whined and cried, insisting they had to return early to their dispatchers…”
Eshu and a handful of others flinched at his words.
“I’ll count that as part of your negotiation skills too. Consider the complaints filed by the dispatchers as your responsibility.”
Aaron opened his textbook.
“Now, if we turn to page one hundred sixty…”
“Sorry I’m late~”
Everyone’s heads turned.
“A few minutes late doesn’t count as absent, right?”
?!!
Simon shot up from his seat without thinking.
Murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur!
A girl with hair the color of ivory swept into the classroom, and several students burst into cheers.
‘Serne!’
He’d never imagined he’d see her in a school uniform again.
Aaron let out a short laugh and opened the attendance sheet once more.
“Don’t be late again.”
“Understood~”
Serne approached with a bright smile, walking past to the seat behind Simon’s—his usual spot. Simon stood there still dazed, his mind spinning.
“You…”
Confusion overwhelmed him. What was happening? What would become of the Ivory Tower Master position?
He wanted to ask immediately, but for some reason the words wouldn’t come.
“Ufufu.”
She winked and smiled.
“Let’s call it a decision based on priorities.”
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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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