Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 596
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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 596
Though the “uninvited guests” claiming to be lackeys of the Covenant had inserted themselves into the conflict, the fortress war in the Frigod Autonomous Region ended in humanity’s victory.
The Gahal Tribe residents sang of their miraculous triumph.
But the Mimics would return. Even though their forces had been greatly reduced this time, as long as the seeds of Mimics hiding in the remaining thirty-nine fortresses were not eradicated, it was certain that humanity would eventually face defeat in this war.
Yet at this moment, someone stepped forward.
It was entirely unexpected.
“Caring for the people’s welfare is also a noble’s duty, isn’t it? I needed to restore the Ivory Tower’s damaged reputation step by step, and this is a perfect opportunity.”
It was Serne.
She contacted the Ivory Tower headquarters and had several Time Artifacts recovered from the collapsed Tower of Time brought here.
And what she did next was simple.
She simply scattered the Time Artifacts throughout the fortress. The Mimics swarmed over in droves, vacantly observing the human behavior displayed by the artifacts.
And the next day.
Something remarkable occurred.
The Mimics began fighting among themselves.
To seize power, to secure food, to claim wealth.
Within the fortress, they killed and were killed in endless cycles.
Then an individual who had secured control of a fortress, unsatisfied with that dominion, led the other Mimics to attack different fortresses.
A great war erupted between the thirty-nine fortresses.
A particularly powerful Mimic emerged that had seized control of more than ten fortresses and built a formidable faction, yet fell to betrayal and death at the hands of what it thought was an ally.
The faction maintained by one powerful Mimic’s charisma collapsed, and they began killing each other once more.
The monster scholars observing this spectacle were astonished. The Mimics’ numbers had been reduced by an almost unbelievable magnitude in their frenzied self-destruction.
They asked Serne: exactly what had she shown the Mimics?
She answered with a smile.
“Human history.”
Though the Ivory Tower had certainly filtered out humanity’s more positive aspects, what the Mimics witnessed was nonetheless genuine history and actual events.
Monsters who rose to prominence by imitating humans found themselves stumbling toward self-destruction through that very imitation.
* * *
The two-night, three-day Dullahan intensive retreat had ended.
The Butcher that Simon had defeated was transported to the Kizen headquarters, and after enduring a grueling second night, the students took brief rest before proceeding through the third day’s schedule as well.
The Summoning Studies students arrived back in Rocksum that evening on the third day.
They all staggered back to the Dormitory utterly exhausted.
“Still, Rin and Rune professors never showed up in the end.”
Toto mumbled as he flopped onto his bed. Simon settled onto the adjacent bunk and picked up the thread.
“The retreat’s over, but the Dullahan Special Lecture isn’t finished yet.”
This retreat too was merely one component of the Dullahan Special Lecture curriculum. Starting next week, the formal Dullahan Special Lecture would resume in Rocksum.
“Besides.”
Toto stifled a yawn, his drowsy face softening as he continued.
“I fought hard at the fortress, but I wasn’t able to secure a Guardian. How about you, Simon?”
“I did… secure one.”
Simon smiled wryly and scratched the back of his head.
“It’s just missing its head.”
“Huh?”
Toto bolted upright.
“Wait, what do you mean? A Dullahan carries its head in its own hands — it’s not like it’s truly a headless Undead!”
He was right.
A corpse rendered essentially useless through severe damage.
The sensible choice would have been to discard it and obtain corpses of other Dullahan materials — an ‘Ogre Lord’ or an ‘Avalon’ — from the Necromancer shops instead.
But.
“I’m going to try regardless.”
Simon had no intention of taking the easy path.
“I’ll substitute another Undead’s head in its place.”
“That’s, that’s what now?”
Toto sprang up at hearing this notion.
“You learned it yourself, Simon! A Dullahan’s Linkage Rune works precisely because the head and body remain separate yet connected as the same Undead’s body! Making a Dullahan with something like that is impossible!”
Simon slowly leaned his back against the headboard.
“And I learned something else too.”
“You mock me now, but history will prove my research.”
“The first Necromancer to create a Dullahan — back then, a severed corpse was considered worthless by the standards of that age, yet he shattered that wisdom and ended the Age of Knights.”
Staring up at the ceiling, Simon’s eyes glinted with conviction.
“I want to change common sense too.”
* * *
The next morning.
After his specialized coursework, Simon found himself with Dark Runic Studies—Jane’s general education class—waiting for him, and one he hadn’t attended in some time.
Moreover, it was the final Dark Runic Studies lesson before the midterm examination.
Simon, who’d arrived at the classroom early, settled into a convenient seat and stretched languidly.
Savoring the peaceful routine he’d missed for so long, he was extracting his textbook with unhurried movements when—
“Simon~”
The moment he turned his head, Simon’s face brightened at once.
“Oh, Kamibarez!”
Kamibarez came bounding over with her delicate bat wings fluttering, Toto scampering at her side. She came to a halt in the seat beside his, beaming widely.
“It’s been forever! Simon!”
“Yeah.”
Simon grinned.
“Right after the dispatch evaluation, one retreat after another—hardly had a chance to say hello. You been well?”
“Of course! With midterm season, the Student Council hasn’t had anything major to handle!”
“That’s a relief.”
Kamibarez’s wings dipped slightly as her delighted smile faltered.
“Say… did anything happen at the Ivory Tower?”
“Ah.”
Simon scratched his head.
“I’ll explain that once Dick and Merin get here—piece by piece. But why do you ask?”
“It’s just…”
Kamibarez fidgeted with her hands and feet.
“Since the Ivory Tower incident, Merin’s been acting… off.”
Simon’s heart lurched.
Now that she mentioned it, Merin had gone straight to the Ivory Tower after the dispatch evaluation to gather information. Ever since returning to Kizen, she’d seemed unwell.
“Acting off how?”
“Well… she still smiles and laughs as usual, but she seems to have a lot on her mind. There’s a heaviness to her expression that wasn’t there before.”
It seemed he’d need to find time soon and talk with Merin properly, piece by piece.
For now, he’d arrived early anyway. Simon stepped out of the classroom to use the restroom while he still had time.
“Oh, Simon! Long time no see!”
Jane’s Dark Runic Studies class drew many Class A students, and Simon recognized most of the faces. Unlike how the departmental students called him “President” or “Valedictorian,” the Class A cohort addressed him simply by his name.
Simon exchanged greetings with them as he walked, when—
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
A familiar sky-blue head of hair came into view. Simon flinched and ducked behind a pillar.
‘That’s Merin!’
But she wasn’t alone. She was dragging someone by the wrist.
“Merin! My wrist hurts~”
Being dragged was none other than Serne. Merin’s face was terrifyingly rigid as she hauled Serne toward some destination.
‘What’s going on?’
Simon quietly slipped into pursuit.
They exited the building and made their way into a secluded area behind a distant structure.
Thud!
Merin pinned Serne against the wall and spoke with razor-sharp precision.
“Tell me exactly what happened at the Ivory Tower.”
“You’re scaring me, Merin.”
Serne trembled, feigning fright.
“If you corner me like that, I won’t be able to say anything at all.”
“…Ugh.”
Ordinarily, Merin would have pinned her with a contemptuous glare, but instead she pressed her forehead and exhaled a long breath before stepping back.
“Tell me. I have the right to know about this situation.”
“But Merin—you went to the Ivory Tower, didn’t you?”
Serne tilted her head in confusion.
“You must have heard everything from Daniela. That’s all I know.”
“I see.”
Merin’s eyes narrowed.
“What about the Frozen Clock?”
For the first time, a hairline crack appeared in Serne’s smile. Simon’s heart sank alongside her.
“You already know what happened. Don’t dodge the question—tell me straight.”
Merin’s eyes blazed with intensity, her small fists clenched hard enough to shake.
“Unsealing the Frozen Clock’s Absolute Sealing has been the Ivory Tower’s lifelong ambition, hasn’t it? A plan that existed long before my father and grandfather were even born. The project to relocate the Ivory Tower to neutral ground.”
Serne’s lips tightened slightly, and Merin’s blue eyes flashed with understanding.
“But only Absolute Sealing can undo Absolute Sealing. And to break that seal, you have to sacrifice the caster’s life.”
……
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
Serne exhaled quietly.
“Yeah. So what?”
“Don’t tell me—”
Merin’s voice began to tremble with anxiety.
“—you were actually trying to take the position of Master of the Ivory Tower—”
Serne silently opened her palm.
Whoosh!
A magical circle materialized, and suddenly an enormous array of Frost Boundary formulas floated through the air. Merin flinched, her head rising to take them in.
“These are the formulas for breaking Absolute Sealing.”
Serne smiled softly.
“The previous Master of the Ivory Tower, Bermund, developed them himself. If you have talent with Frost Boundary magic, you can use these formulas to unseal Absolute Sealing without any side effects. That’s how I managed to break it this time.”
……
“As if it’s news. The idea that only Absolute Sealing can break Absolute Sealing—that’s ancient wisdom, three hundred years old now. So your questions are answered?”
Merin’s expression twisted, her pupils wavering, and then—
“Ugh, this is so frustrating!”
She let out a furious cry.
“I was an idiot for even entertaining the thought that you might actually—that you could possibly—”
Merin spun on her heel and turned away. Serne quickly stepped forward and looped an arm through hers.
“My, what kind of thought were you entertaining, exactly?”
“Stop! Don’t cling to me like that—it’s disgusting!”
“Is that all you came for? Leaving already? Come play with me~”
“Get away from me!”
Merin shoved her back and pointed sharply at her face with one finger.
“Listen here. Postponing your appointment as Master of the Ivory Tower was a mistake! Mark my words—when I graduate from Kizen, I’m the one who’s going to become Master of the Ivory Tower!”
Serne laughed and ran her tongue across her lips.
“Good luck with that~ ordinary girl.”
“Shut up!”
Merin stormed off, fuming. Simon let out a relieved sigh.
Thump.
Then Simon’s head turned. Serne was sliding down the wall, her back against it, until she sank to the floor and released a long, shaking breath.
Hidden behind her long hair, her expression couldn’t be seen.
……
He had no right to comfort her.
No one on this continent did.
‘Hang in there, Serne.’
Simon slowly rose to his feet and stepped away.
And in the distance, he caught sight of a girl with sky-blue hair crouching with one hand pressed to her chest, her shoulders trembling.
‘Hang in there, Merin.’
* * *
At that same moment.
Rocksum Dock.
“Please step aside!”
“Coming through!”
A crew of sailors had just descended from a large ship and were swiftly moving something wrapped in heavy packaging.
Whatever it was seemed dangerous—the package bore multiple layers of sealing magic.
“Perfect timing.”
And standing behind them was a girl with cream-colored hair streaming in the wind.
Having given the signal that the cargo had arrived safely, she smiled as she looked upon the sealed box.
“Will we be able to prepare everything before their lessons end?”
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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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