Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 60

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Necromancer School’s Summoning Prodigy — Chapter 60
“Oh.”
The shop owner crossed his arms and smiled.
“You’re a freshman, aren’t you? Already going for a Skeleton Archer?”
“Yes. I’m thinking of giving it a try.”
Skeletons exist in various positions.
Skeleton Archer.
Skeleton Mage.
Skeleton Rider, and so on.
And a ‘Skeleton Archer’ is, simply put, a skeleton that wields a bow as its primary weapon.
At first, Simon had given his Island Rat-Man Skeleton a bow and tried to make it shoot arrows, but it was nothing short of a total disaster. It couldn’t even nock an arrow properly, let alone draw the bowstring.
So he’d flipped through the textbooks looking for a solution, and discovered that there were specific skeleton types suited for the Skeleton Archer position.
“If a beginner’s going to take up the Skeleton Archer, Sapphyros is definitely the safest choice. Come this way.”
Simon and the shop owner moved deeper into the spacious central hall.
Simon’s eyes darted about restlessly. The area was packed with items whose purpose he couldn’t possibly determine. He thought it might be quite fun to come back here sometime when he had a spare moment just to look around.
“The Sapphyros bones are over here.”
The shop owner knelt on one knee and pulled out a box from the shelf below.
He blew away the dust with a soft breath, and a logo gleaming in silver against a black background came into view. It had a distinctly high-end appearance.
“Would you like to see the inside as well?”
“Yes!!”
Simon answered almost loudly. The shop owner smiled with the eyes of someone looking at an adorable junior and opened the box.
“Wow……!”
The interior of the box was lined with an antique red cloth, and in the center sat a Sapphyros skull with two horns jutting out, while the compartments around it each held vertebrae, arm bones, leg bones, and other components sorted by type.
“Skeleton products from the Vanilla brand have the best quality.”
The shop owner pulled out an arm bone and tapped it with his finger as he spoke.
“Ping — see that sound? It means the bone has been properly cured. For Skeleton Archers, the joints in the arms are crucial, you understand. Oh, and of course, the Magical Circle drawn on the skull is like this too.”
The shop owner carefully lifted the skull and showed its interior. A complex Dark Magic Circle was visible inside.
“It’s a Magical Circle carefully engraved by professional necromancers, stitch by stitch. The defect rate is remarkably low, and even if there is a defect, the brand handles After-Sales Service. Bring it to the shop and we’ll replace it with a new one.”
From Simon’s perspective, it was talk captivating enough to be intoxicating, but his smile was gradually faltering.
“Um, that must be really expensive, right?”
“Thirty Gold per set. But the Vanilla brand is well-known to everyone, so it’s worth the price.”
Thirty Gold!
Simon sighed inwardly. He knew that Summoning cost a lot of money, but this was something else entirely.
Of course, as a Legion Commander, it wasn’t his concern, but given that skeletons had a short lifespan, thirty Gold per unit was genuinely chilling in its expense.
“Is there anything a bit… cheaper?”
“Of course! Let me show you.”
The shop owner stood up and scanned through the boxes. Then he carefully pulled out several boxes and set them down in front of Simon.
“From the right: twenty-seven Gold, twenty-four Gold, and twenty-two Gold.”
Even to Simon, who still knew little about the Undead, it was plainly visible that the bone quality grew rougher from left to right.
“And there’s also one for twenty Gold made by an anonymous necromancer.”
As he opened the box tied up hastily with string, a musty smell wafted out and bones lay scattered in chaotic disarray. He rummaged through them and pulled out a skull to show Simon the Magical Circle.
“The Magical Circle still functions properly, but whether it’s defective or not is really just luck.”
That one’s out, Simon thought, turning his gaze to the other boxes.
[Why are you hesitating, boy!]
‘J-jeez, you startled me.’
[Of course you should pick the most expensive Vanilla brand! It’s not like you can’t use a skeleton once it’s broken like other necromancers can! Won’t they all become the strength of your legion!]
‘Well, that’s true, but…….’
Simon looked at the boxes thoughtfully. Pier wasn’t wrong.
If he was going to buy anyway, shouldn’t he choose quality?
“……I’ll take three Vanilla sets, please.”
“Ooh, you’ve got guts! Very well.”
The shop owner whistled and pulled out two more boxes labeled with “Vanilla” in silver lettering.
Simon, watching silently, suddenly felt curious and asked.
“By the way, why is the Undead product brand called Vanilla?”
The shop owner picked up a bone and sniffed it.
“The bones have a vanilla scent.”
“…….”
“Just kidding. The brand founder’s surname is Vanilla. Now, let’s head to the counter.”
“Ah! Wait a moment, please.”
Simon swallowed hard and spoke.
“There’s one more thing I’d like to purchase…….”
The shopkeeper smiled warmly at Simon’s request.
“Oh, that one’s no joke—it’ll cost you a pretty penny. Shall I show you where it is?”
[Are you insane? Get a grip on yourself! You’re planning to dump all your mission earnings into this?]
Simon felt cold sweat trickling down his spine, yet he nodded with an easy smile on his face.
“Yes, please.”

* * *
“Thank you for your patronage!”
The shopkeeper bowed deeply as Simon left the Necromancer School shop, a satisfied smile on his face. As a bonus, he’d even received three bows—the kind used by Skeleton Archers.
[Tch. Look at you grinning like that.]
Pier grumbled.
[You went ahead and bought that expensive thing anyway.]
“Haha…… Sorry for splurging without asking, Pier. But—”
His heart raced. He’d stored the items he’d purchased today in his Pocket Dimension, but he was itching to open it up again, just to look at them and touch them.
“I thought it was absolutely necessary for this Duel Evaluation.”
[Hmm, if that’s the judgment of the commander, I have nothing more to say. Now that you’ve bought it, use it without regret!]
“Yes!”
He needed to return to Kizen before it got any later. He pulled his hood down low and quickened his pace.
He’d lingered too long at the Necromancer School shop—the night had grown deep, and the streets were empty of people.
It was then, as Simon hurried forward with long strides, that—
‘Ah……!’
His face went pale the moment he spotted someone approaching from the opposite direction. He immediately spun around and ducked into an alley between buildings.
[Huh? What’s wrong? What happened?]
“Someone I know.”
Simon peeked his head cautiously out from the alley.
Despite the robe he wore, the face visible beneath it and the white clothes were unmistakable to any Kizen student.
“Professor Bahil? What are you doing in Rochester…….”
[Is that a problem? Maybe he stopped for a drink after work.]
“Hmm.”
True enough—it wasn’t Simon’s concern what his professor did in his free time after leaving campus.
Simon watched until Bahil disappeared down the opposite street, then slipped out of the alley and ran toward Kizen.

* * *
“Phew, I made it.”
Fortunately, he’d arrived at the Dormitory without incident. There had been a tense moment when he nearly crossed paths with a Sentinel on patrol around Kizen, but he’d managed to slip through without trouble.
When he opened the door to Room 409, his sanctuary, the familiar scene greeted him.
Dick was sprawled on his bed reading a magazine, while Kashan slept as always, his blanket pulled up over his head, snoring contentedly.
“Oh, you’re back! Simon.”
Dick sat up as he spoke.
“It’s the Sentinels’ patrol day today—did anything happen?”
Simon shrugged.
“Almost ran into one, but I got away clean.”
“Haha! You’ve got guts, really. In class you’re all diligent and upstanding, then you’re always cutting loose—sneaking off to Rochester and all. These days you’re out more than I am!”
Simon laughed it off with a vague chuckle, stripped off his school uniform, and hung it in the wardrobe. He changed into light short sleeves and prepared to head out again.
“Where are you going now?”
“To summon Skeletons.”
“Right now, all of a sudden……? What are you making?”
“A Skeleton Archer.”
At that, Dick sprang from his bed like a released spring.
“Wow! Wow! You’re already going to use a Skeleton Archer? For this Duel Evaluation?!”
“Yeah. Whether it’ll work or not, I’m not sure yet.”
“That one’s still pretty tricky for us to assemble! What brand is it?”
“Vanilla.”
Dick’s eyes lit up as he grabbed Simon’s shoulder eagerly.
“Hey, what are you doing? Let’s go, come on!”
“……Haha.”
The two headed out of Room 409 toward the Pantry Room. The Dormitory’s study hall was crowded and had a strict atmosphere, so they’d come here instead.
“This place is perfect.”
The spacious room was empty except for the two students who had just arrived and sat down.
“Hurry! Get it out, now!”
Simon opened his Pocket Dimension and pulled out the box. A sleek black container gleamed with silver lettering: Vanilla.
Dick let out a delighted whistle.
“Can I open it?”
“Go ahead.”
The moment Dick lifted the lid, pristine white bones emerged against luxurious crimson silk.
“Beautiful craftsmanship. Really beautiful.”
Students from nearby desks, curiosity piqued, drifted closer.
“What is that?”
“Sapphyros Skeleton Archer Set. Vanilla brand.”
“Wow……!”
“That’s a Vanilla product?”
They all examined the box with the reverence of people glimpsing something brand new.
Simon watched them and smiled to himself. There was something good about studying at the Necromancer School—a shared passion that united everyone here.
“But where’s the assembly guide?”
“Hold on.”
Simon rummaged through the box and found a folded paper tucked inside. He spread it out and finished his preparations.
“Okay, let’s begin.”
“Let’s go!”
Simon first breathed Dark Magic into the Summoning Magical Circle drawn on the skull.
The colorless circle turned black, and the runes interlocked and rotated, establishing themselves as a living ecosystem of magic.
“Is it done?”
Simon picked up the skull, set it down, and murmured to himself.
The Magical Circle was functioning, but the skull showed no movement. Examining the circle more closely, he spotted runes that still hadn’t activated properly.
“Look at this, Simon!”
Dick, studying the assembly guide, spoke up.
“See these four corners of the Magical Circle? You need to apply a Circling technique to the Dark Magic and insert it there!”
“What’s Circling?”
“It’s a technique used in Dark Magic Theory when crafting Magical Circles. We haven’t even learned it yet in class.”
A Skeleton was too ambitious a project for a freshman to tackle, so obstacles appeared from the start. Simon retrieved his Dark Magic Theory textbook from his Pocket Dimension.
“Circling…… Circling…….”
He skimmed the table of contents and found the Circling section about halfway through. He opened to that page.
“Wait, this……?”
It felt familiar somehow—similar to what Bahil had explained about Core Operation.
Circulation of Dark Magic.
Observation.
Black Sun.
It was nearly identical to the Core Operation Simon currently used. He wondered if Bahil’s tips had perhaps been based on this very Circling technique.
‘I might be able to do this.’
Simon slowly raised his right arm and closed his eyes.
‘Not conversion—circulation. An image of circulation.’
Whoooosh—
Dark Magic began to rise slowly from Simon’s palm.
-Dark Magic has a nature of remembering.
Bahil’s voice echoed in his memory.
-Like a person’s limbs, you see. When you repeat the same motion hundreds or thousands of times, eventually the Dark Magic will seek to recreate that learned pattern without conscious thought. Remarkable, isn’t it?
Simon gritted his teeth.
Hold the center. Observe. Let the Dark Magic remember this flow on its own, keep it disciplined.
Swirrrrrrl—
The Dark Magic stabilized. Sweat poured from Simon’s body like rain.
‘I’ve got it.’
Now, even when he shifted his attention slightly elsewhere and looked back, the Dark Magic continued rotating on its own.
This was Circling.
Simon compressed the vortex of Dark Magic into a smaller form, then inserted it into one of the four corners of the Magical Circle.
Whummmmm!
The corner lit up. Like a machine receiving power, the runes that had been frozen around it suddenly came alive and began to move.
“You…… what…….”
Dick stood speechless.
“……You just glanced at the textbook once and pulled that off? Are you some kind of genius?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————