Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 652
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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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The Summoning Genius of the Necromancer School — Episode 652
“Mmm, mm. Mmmm mm.”
Beneath the moonlit sky.
Neftis seemed to be in high spirits, striding briskly down the forest path with quick, eager steps.
“Neftis.”
Simon, following behind her, scratched his head.
“Isn’t this the Forbidden Forest?”
“It is!”
“Is it really all right for the Headmaster to bring a student to a place like this?”
“Stop being such a worry-wart! This is practically your second home, isn’t it?”
Simon simply laughed it off as she turned her gaze forward again and continued her hurried pace.
“How are things at the school these days?”
“Every day brings joy and happiness.”
She let out a light laugh.
“Oh come on — you’re lying! You really think you can say that to your Headmaster?”
“I mean it.”
The sincerity came from deep in his chest, but Neftis simply raised her eyebrows as though she didn’t believe a word of it.
“Sounds like you’ve still got energy to spare! I’ll have Jane pile on more assignments!”
“Y-yes, Neftis!”
As Simon looked slightly flustered, Neftis let out a childlike giggle and spun around. He worried she’d topple over, but instead she actually bumped her forehead against a nearby tree with a soft thunk and bounced away from it.
Thump!
She popped back up without missing a beat and continued laughing cheerfully.
“How are you getting along with Lorain?”
“Wonderfully! We’re in the same group, and she’s been such a help.”
“She doesn’t resent me for sealing her Anomaly?”
Neftis’s bangs swayed in the breeze. Simon smiled warmly.
“Lorain is thoughtful enough to understand your intentions better than anyone.”
She nodded in agreement and resumed her quick walk.
Simon chatted with her about this and that, as though it had been ages since they last met.
The incident with Eber Kire.
How he’d met his future self at the Ivory Tower, and how the Artifact Neftis had given him proved invaluable.
And now, having earned Aaron’s recognition, he was undertaking serious study of the True Dragon form.
“I won’t let you down.”
Simon clenched his fist tightly.
“The Chaos Durehan is merely the beginning! I absolutely will perfect the True Dragon by the end of my second year!”
“Hehe, now that’s something to look forward to!”
After exchanging various pleasantries, Neftis brought up the topic.
“The Legion Commander Incident has caused quite a stir, hasn’t it?”
The Legion Commander Incident.
It was the most pressing issue Simon currently faced.
“It can’t be helped. It’s all a burden I have to bear.”
Neftis stopped walking, and Simon followed suit.
Before them now stood Pier’s Ruins — the space where Simon’s Ancient Undead resided.
“Why here…?”
“I want to speak openly with the people involved about the direction of the 7th Legion.”
Neftis gestured toward the Ruins.
“Shall we go in?”
* * *
Simon dismantle the Barrier around the Ruins and descended the stone stairs alongside Neftis.
The place was so dark that it was difficult to make out the steps, but Simon was accustomed to it now.
“Be careful, Neftis.”
“Mmm-hmm~”
Neftis, who had been following behind, suddenly stopped and drew her index finger through empty air. A thin line of light traced across her fingertip, and blood welled up from the wound.
“Oh my.”
She laughed.
“It seems your subordinates won’t permit my approach?”
Whoosh—
Whirrr—
In the next instant, a deep blue light rippled through the empty air, and the spider webs that had been concealing themselves in shadow suddenly became visible, forming a perimeter around Neftis.
‘Erzsebet’s webs?’
[Unauthorized intruder. Withdraw.]
Whoosh!
Flap!
Wingbeats echoed through the darkness, and something pitch-black suddenly burst forth.
Shrieeeeeek!
The cry of some monstrous bird pierced the air.
It was Achemous, commander of the Skull Wing Legion.
“Wait, Achemous!”
[Oh—]
The ceiling suddenly blazed with brilliant golden light.
A woman sat perched on the end of a staff, smiling with interest. Her entire form was composed of sand.
[Is that little one really the infamous Death Witch?]
Herseba, commander of the Mummy Legion.
Rustle—
This time, a single spider’s web trembled in empty air, and upon it walked a woman with eyes of deep crimson, moving with delicate grace.
[After exposing the Legion’s existence to the world, the nerve of this girl crawling all the way here is simply beyond my comprehension.]
Erzsebet, commander of the Spider Legion, had arrived.
“Everyone, please calm down!”
Simon stepped forward.
“Neftis came here because she wants to talk with us!”
[The Legion’s affairs are decided by the Legion!]
Roar!
Last of all, from the darkness a towering skeleton, tall as a flagpole, swept down his cloak with a sharp crack and settled into place.
It was Pier, the caretaker of the 7th Legion.
[We cannot allow an outsider into the heart of the Ruins. If you have something to say, speak it here—woman.]
“Well, then I suppose there’s no help for it~”
Neftis shrugged and continued.
“I understand the 7th Legion views me poorly, but right now we must join forces for a single purpose.”
[Krhrhrh! I said the Legion decides the Legion’s affairs. We have no interest in being drawn into your Dark Alliance’s troubles!]
“That’s not it.”
Neftis sat on the stone steps and tapped her fingertips together.
“It’s for Simon’s growth and safety.”
Neftis laid out her plan before Simon and the Ancient Undead of the Legion. All the undead listened silently in the darkness, their eyes gleaming as she spoke.
“I apologize for exposing your existence without permission, but because of it, public opinion has shifted. Now it’s fifty-fifty.”
She pressed her small, delicate hands together and clicked them firmly.
“Half the people who once believed the 7th Legion should be destroyed as a collection of pure evil now think they should be used as a military asset and pardoned. However—”
Neftis looked at Simon.
“Simon is not yet ready to have his Legion Commander status revealed. Most importantly, he lacks the power to protect himself.”
“Neftis! I’m—”
Simon thought he had grown strong enough, but Neftis simply smiled.
“A Legion Commander who has shed the ‘limit’ on numbers and can command infinite forces—such a being is the ideal of Necromancers and their target all at once. Every Necromancer dreams of becoming a Legion Commander. If necessary—”
She clapped her fists together again.
“They will use force.”
……
“A Legion Commander is only truly meaningless if they stand revealed to all and yet no Necromancer dares approach them—a being who commands through sheer dominance alone.”
Currently, all six Legion Commander positions were held by formidable masters, keeping things stable, but decades ago, fierce struggles for the throne were common. In fact, the position changed hands nearly once a month.
There were even secret methods passed down through the generations—ways to claim the rank of Legion Commander without the Caretaker’s blessing.
“That’s why the 7th Legion has become such an issue. A new Legion Commander has been revealed, and he looks like a worthwhile target? Countless Necromancers will come for your life. You don’t yet know how far Necromancers will go for strength and growth, or how relentless they can be.”
Simon finally nodded.
“What should I do?”
“You’ve grown as a Necromancer while studying at the school, so it’s time for your progress as a Legion Commander to accelerate as well.”
She smiled wickedly.
“After all, isn’t the best way to learn a Legion Commander’s abilities directly from a Legion Commander?”
“……!”
Then Pier shook his head.
[That is far too dangerous. Legion Commanders are fundamentally opposed to one another. When they meet, only blood flows!]
Legion Commanders sought each other’s Ancient Undead, making friendship nearly impossible. The fall from dozens of Legion Commanders to seven had been partly due to civil war between them.
[I too must register my objection. There is the example of Magnus, who once targeted the young master.]
Achemous, who placed extreme importance on Simon’s safety, also cast his vote against.
It was then that Neftis wore a knowing smile.
“What if it were a Grand Duke?”
At those words, the expressions of both undead shifted subtly.
Erzsebet spoke from where she lay upon the web.
[Can you draw out his cooperation?]
“That depends on Simon. The Grand Duke’s northern domains, isolated as they are from the continent, would allow for free deployment and training of legions even amid all the chaos—don’t you think it’s the perfect location?”
Simon had no idea what conversation was taking place.
“Wait a moment! Who exactly is this Grand Duke you’re talking about?”
* * *
On this continent, “the Northern Grand Duke” referred to a single person.
Jin Arscalt.
At the northern edge of Kalos Kingdom, bordering the Frostfield where ancient beings untouched by human civilization dwelt and breathed, there stood the hero who held that border. The hero of Kalos Kingdom and of humanity itself—one of the seven Legion Commanders who wielded vast undead legions, sealing off the Frostfield.
It was because the Legion Commander, the Grand Duke, stood firm that the southern regions of Kalos could enjoy fertile lands and temperate climate.
It was all thanks to him.
‘I’m supposed to go there?’
Simon sat in the Student Council Room, flipping through a book’s pages rapidly.
*Geography and History of the Continent: Integrated Edition*
It was a book borrowed from the Library containing geographical information about various regions of the continent, and Simon was examining where he would be going.
‘The Frostfield, and Northern Kalos.’
It was a place virtually isolated from the continent, with slow information flow and a cultural gap of over a hundred years from the south, as far as he’d read.
Communication Crystals barely functioned there due to the extreme cold, and the culture was described as extremely harsh, rugged, and barbaric.
Simon skimmed through the book.
‘Even if it’s overrun with monsters and isolated, people still live there, don’t they? Using legions seems risky for discovery.’
Why had Neftis been so confident?
While Simon was absorbed in the book, the Student Council Room door burst open and Merin rushed in.
“Everyone! There’s a new official notice!”
Simon quickly shut the book. Kamibarez, who had been working, and Dick raised their heads, and Malcolm, who’d come for tea again today, stood up.
“A new notice? What is it?”
“The candidates for Special Training have been selected!”
This was directly connected to Simon’s upcoming training under the Legion Commander in the north. Being in the Student Council meant they got information faster than ordinary students.
“What now? Special Training this soon?”
Dick muttered while checking the notice.
Special Training was a system that had existed in Kizen for a long time—a curriculum that broke away from standard textbook-based education, allowing Necromancer students to receive intensive, specialized field training in their particular strengths. The duration was two weeks.
Originally, only third-year students participated, or second-year students at the earliest in the second semester. After all, second-year students needed to focus on progressing through lessons and absorbing new knowledge.
In effect, Neftis had forced this issue to give Simon access to the Legion Commander training.
“There are ten candidates total, and the deployment sites seem to be confidential. Your name’s on the list too, Malcolm.”
“I see.”
Malcolm was a prime example of a Special Training candidate.
He was a Necromancer so thoroughly specialized in Doppelgänger magic that he fought almost entirely through Doppelgängers, but Kizen didn’t offer separate instruction in that art.
Special Training, however, allowed students to master their unique techniques. The point was to provide thoroughly personalized instruction.
“Kamibarez! You’re on it too!”
“Mm.”
Though Kamibarez could grow plenty strong continuing her Blood Magic studies at school, it seemed likely she’d go to learn better control of Ursala’s blood during this Special Training.
Among the other Top Ten, Queen Bee Merdiana and Magic Sword user Jules had also been selected. All of them were students with distinctive talents.
“Even Simon’s name is here.”
Dick let out an exclamation of surprise. Merin, who’d been looking beside him, glanced at Simon.
“But Simon’s unexpected. Aren’t you the prime example of someone who got strongest through Summoning Magic lessons? Why need Special Training?”
As the group’s attention turned to him, Simon answered quickly.
“Seems like I’m going to learn how to operate special summons more effectively.”
The Overlord, the Guard, the Chaos Reaper, and the Chaos Durehan that had recently joined his roster.
The main undead Simon commanded were somewhat outside the standard curriculum. At his explanation, the others nodded in understanding.
‘That went smoothly.’
In any case, Special Training would take place within a week.
It seemed he’d need to prepare thoroughly while keeping a low profile to avoid the press.
‘A Legion Commander and master of Northern Kalos.’
Simon gazed out the window.
‘I wonder what kind of person he is.’
* * *
That evening.
The Forbidden Forest.
[So, you’ve gone out of your way to summon me alone.]
Pier stood with his arms crossed, his dark blue cloak billowing around him. Before him, Neftis let her silver hair stream in the wind.
[Is there something more you wanted to say, beyond what we discussed yesterday?]
“Yes. You know there is.”
She was grinning at him.
“You remember when you went north with Richard back then, don’t you?”
[……I do.]
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The wind gusted harder, sending the cloak and her hair dancing.
[How premature.]
In the silence, Pier spoke first.
[The timing of revealing the true nature of the 7th Legion, and now pushing the boy into training as a Legion Commander when he should be devoting himself to studying Necromancy—it all seems rushed.]
“…….”
[What’s your reason?]
She tilted her head.
“Because there simply isn’t much time left.”
[Woman.]
Pier’s eyes flashed.
[I knew you were absent during the Eber Kire Incident, but something must have happened in the meantime.]
Neftis chuckled softly.
“Who knows?”
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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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