Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 628

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

Summoning Genius of the Necromancer School, Episode 628
It had been a match heavy with lingering emotion.
The fatigue and stress that had accumulated from the fanatic crisis seemed to wash away, if only a little, in the roar of the crowd and the laughter of his classmates.
Simon dismissed the Chaos Reaper he had summoned and turned his head.
‘Hector.’
He was brushing the dust from the Divine Dragon’s wings as if something unclean had soiled his possession, sending the scales dancing into the air to clean them.
When his eyes met Simon’s, he scowled deeply.
“What?”
Simon grinned wryly.
“Nothing. Just… thanks.”
“Shut up.”
Even receiving gratitude, he still acted like that.
By now, Simon had come to accept it. Hector retrieved the Divine Dragon components into his Subspace and turned away coldly, walking out of the arena.
“I don’t know what trouble you’ve gotten yourself into, but don’t die carelessly before I have the chance to crush you.”
Simon watched him leave with a smile and said softly,
“Thanks for worrying about me.”
“Shut up!”
The response sounded tinged with distaste, so Simon laughed silently to himself.

* * *
After the match ended, Simon had stepped into the Waiting Room for a drink when his Group 10 teammates and Fitzgerald arrived.
“You did great, Simon.”
Lorain handed him a fluffy white towel, freshly laundered.
It carried the warm, comforting scent of clean fabric. Simon accepted it with a smile.
“Thanks, Lorain.”
“We won! We actually won!”
Eshu was still basking in the afterglow of victory, bouncing energetically before she grabbed Toto by both shoulders and hopped about. His face flushed crimson in the process.
Simon dried his sweat with the towel, then quietly asked Fitzgerald, who was standing beside him,
“How did the morning matches go?”
The match he’d just competed in was the afternoon session, and he’d missed the morning matches due to the investigation into the fanatic incident.
With Simon’s sudden absence, the Summoning Department had a gaping hole in its roster, and other unprepared students had to fill the gap. The schedule was bound to become complicated in multiple ways.
Fitzgerald opened his notebook and answered plainly, without exaggeration or downplaying.
“We placed seventh in the morning matches without you. Today’s overall performance has been mid-tier. The final rankings won’t be clear until the third-year matches conclude, but we’re projected to drop to around third place.”
“…I see.”
Simon bowed his head deeply.
“Ah~ don’t worry so much! President!”
Eshu approached with a cheerful voice.
“Look at everything you’ve done for us! Even the kids who were cursing you shamelessly all morning will have second thoughts after seeing this match…!”
“Eshu.”
Lorain signaled with her eyes, and she belatedly clamped her mouth shut.
Simon offered a faint smile.
“No, no. I deserve the criticism.”
He had been the one to throw cold water on the Summoning Department when it had been riding high in first place.
But Lorain shook her head.
“Student Council work is something we all do for each other, isn’t it? A few people complained a bit, but deep down, they’ll understand your position.”
“…Thank you, Lorain.”
Lorain’s words were warm, but not all students would be as rational and mature as she was.
Still, he was prepared to humbly accept the criticism that would come from failing to secure first place.
‘As long as you all stay safe.’
Simon clenched his fist, steeling his resolve, when Fitzgerald spoke.
“One more match tomorrow. Can I count on you, Simon?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks. These kinds of variables happen anytime. We floundered today, but tomorrow we’ll adapt somehow and work to improve our ranking.”
It was gruff, but this too was Fitzgerald’s own way of offering encouragement. Eshu and Toto chimed in.
“Don’t worry, President~ I’ll smooth things over with the others!”
“Me too! I’ll work even harder to make up for your part, so don’t worry and focus on your duties, Simon.”
“Thanks, everyone. I’ll do my best.”
He had become Student Council President, and he’d prepared himself for this kind of situation.
Right now, his only thought was to protect this school no matter what it took.

* * *
Simon emerged from the arena and made his way back to Professor Greyion’s Cave, the base camp where Neftis’s inner circle had gathered.
In the time since his match, the security had been substantially reinforced.
Necromancer operatives stood guard at every corner of the cavern, and the barriers were layered three, four deep.
After navigating the elaborate security protocols and descending into the cavern’s depths, he found the Sacred Priestess of Harvest still seated in her chair, with only one-third of her face remaining.
‘Mm.’
It pained him each time he looked at her.
Despite her ravaged face, the Priestess Authority still radiated outward—wheat sprouted haphazardly across the cavern walls.
“You’ve arrived, Simon.”
Kassan, who had been conversing with the operatives, turned and greeted him.
“Welcome, Student Council President.”
Aleister, the raven operative and Neftis’s closest aide, also offered a warm reception.
Simon approached the two men and returned their greeting.
“Have a seat.”
“Of course.”
Aleister was steeping tea leaves in a pot. Despite his rough, weathered appearance, his movements were practiced and graceful.
Simon accepted the teacup he was offered and spoke.
“Has there been any progress on the matter?”
“Much has transpired in a short time.”
Kassan settled into the seat beside Simon, his expression weary as he rubbed his neck.
“First, it appears the Dark Festival will proceed as planned.”
Kassan, Aleister, and Neftis’s other trusted associates do not fully trust the Kizen Headquarters as a whole. Information inevitably leaks if they’re included.
The matter of Ever Kire’s Supernatural Ability. In particular, the fact that they brought the Sacred Priestess of Harvest into the heart of Rocksum in collaboration with Israphil’s faction of the Sacred Federation—none of the other headquarters personnel know this.
However, the Priest they captured this time was spotted by Quinter, a raven operative and Bahil’s former classmate, so they informed Kizen Headquarters of the capture.
Kizen Headquarters and the Dark Alliance were pleased to have apprehended the Priest who entered Rocksum, and they appeared intent on proceeding with the Dark Festival.
“The only definitive proof that Ever Kire entered Rocksum is, regrettably, the state of the Priestess before us—reality itself torn from her body.”
Kassan gestured with his index finger toward the faceless Sacred Priestess of Harvest.
“Needless to say, we cannot reveal the Priestess.”
“Of course not.”
This matter was a secret transaction between Israphil and Neftis, unknown to either the Sacred Federation or the Dark Alliance.
If it became known that they had colluded with an adversarial nation, it would bring catastrophe. This card could never be played openly.
“But there is new intelligence.”
Aleister spoke thus and withdrew new top secret information from an envelope.
“Regarding Ever Kire.”
He laid the documents flat on the table and activated the Magic Circle drawn upon them, unfurling a Mana Screen.
“First, the large quantity of blood found near the Sacred Priestess of Harvest. The operatives who discovered the scene first collected samples before the blood could be fully absorbed by the sand, and analysis confirmed it belonged to a Priest.”
He turned to look at Simon.
“That blood was not from the Sacred Priestess of Harvest, nor from the Priest we captured this time, nor from Professor Parahan or his instructors.”
“Then it’s highly likely to be Ever Kire.”
“That’s our assessment. And.”
Snap!
Aleister unfolded a chart and handed it to Simon.
“This is a manifest of the vessels docked at Kizen Harbor. In summary, one ship among those moored appears to have departed.”
Indeed, twenty-six vessels were registered as having left Rocksum that afternoon, but upon inspection of those remaining, it appeared one more had departed.
One ship had simply vanished like a shadow.
Such a thing would be impossible in Rocksum, where all maritime security was being meticulously maintained.
‘Did Ever Kire interfere?’
That was Simon’s thought.
“We’ve only just received word ourselves, but that vessel was discovered at an outer harbor near Langoustin. And blood identical to that found around the Sacred Priestess of Harvest was discovered aboard.”
“In other words.”
Kassan set down his teacup and continued.
“There are two possible scenarios. Ever Kire sustained grievous wounds attempting to seize the Sacred Priestess of Harvest and has already fled Rocksum. Or—”
“Ever Kire arranged it to make us believe that. Is that what you mean?”
“Precisely. You catch on quickly.”
Aleister, who had been listening to their exchange, lowered his arm and continued pacing.
“I am inclined toward the former scenario.”
“Mm.”
“This is conjecture from this point forward. Ever Kire severed the head of the Sacred Priestess of Harvest, who had been at rest with her Divine Power and Authority sealed.”
In Simon’s mind, he could envision the fanatic Ever Kire slicing away the face of the Sacred Priestess of Harvest with his Supernatural Ability.
“After eliminating her, Ever Kire must have grown careless. He was preparing the Teleportation Magic to remove evidence and abduct the Sacred Priestess of Harvest, but the headless Priestess was still able to wield her Priestess Authority.”
Aleister reached out and fingered the mana that had grown throughout the cave.
“Ever Kire, uncertain whether the Priestess could still fight, suffered grave wounds in the ambush. When our Necromancers began swarming in afterward, he abandoned the Priestess and fled. And he’d have escaped Rocksum before security tightened. That much is my conjecture.”
Simon, who had been listening in silence, tilted his head.
“Isn’t that an overly optimistic chain of events? I doubt a fanatic like that would abandon his purpose so easily.”
“Ever Kire attempted to kill the Priestess whom the Priests praise as ‘the Goddess’s closest daughter.’ Immediately after, his faith could have crumbled, and his Divine Power might have suffered damage. It’s actually quite common among Priests.”
Simon shot up from his seat. What was he saying?
“If you’re talking about a Holy Slump, that doesn’t make sense! In the first place, Ever Kire tried to neutralize the Priestess because she stood in the way of his plan!”
Such a lack of understanding about Priests.
Though, this was the continent’s average. Whether Necromancers or Priests, each might be absolute in their own domain, but mutual understanding between them was abysmal.
“Now is not the time to judge right and wrong by speculation alone.”
Kassan interjected.
“We need not rush to discuss it until concrete results emerge.”
Aleister nodded, and Simon regarded him with a puzzled expression.
“Results? Is there something else coming?”
“Afterward, contact came from the Priestess of Divine Sea.”
Kassan scratched at the scar beneath his eye as he continued.
“Learning what had happened to the Sacred Priestess of Harvest, she suggested that the situation appeared far graver than anticipated and promised additional support.”
Simon’s eyes widened.
He’d naturally assumed they would simply retrieve the Sacred Priestess of Harvest and wash their hands of it.
“A-additional support? Who’s coming?”

* * *
The Dark Alliance.
A Teleport Magic Circle in the Unnamed Forest.
“Yes, everything’s ready.”
A girl with hair as white as snow held a Communication Crystal, speaking into it.
A worried voice came through from the crystal, but the girl answered briskly.
“Of course. I’ll keep it in mind.”
Around her, Paladins knelt on one knee in unison, their swords planted in the ground as they waited.
“Yes, I’ll contact you when the job’s done.”
Click.
The white-haired girl in a black robe, finished with her communication, slung a bag lightly across her shoulder. As she smoothed her white hair within the robe, it darkened and shimmered with an ashen tone.
She tapped her shoes lightly against the ground, then touched the Chalk Necklace at her neck before glancing back at the Paladins with a gentle smile.
“Then, I’ll be off.”

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