Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 659

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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 659
On the second day in the North, Simon rode out alongside the Grand Duke for joint combat operations.
Their objective was to intercept the Undead forces advancing toward Bilkenos. Before long, an Undead army composed of zombies from Northern monsters appeared before them.
—A test.
Just before combat, the Grand Duke, armored head to toe in pitch-black Full Plate Armor, spoke those words.
—Win a battle using only a single type of Undead. If you cannot manage that much, you lack the qualification.
Simon answered in kind.
—I’ll show you.
And so the battle began.
Simon’s choice was the Corpse Spider unit, which he hadn’t deployed in some time. He would not commit Erzsebet or himself—only direct them through command to annihilate the enemy forces.
At first, it felt unfamiliar.
Until now, he had always entrusted each unit’s command to the Ancient Undead while he himself, clad in Pier, fought from the vanguard wielding the Sword of Ruin.
But commanding from the rear proved different.
‘Good, advance gradually.’
Things that had gone unnoticed before now became visible.
How the Undead accepted his commands. How far the forces could move, and how far his orders reached.
It wasn’t simply a matter of barking “Fight rough!” and hurling troops at each other.
There was efficiency to it.
There was tactics to it.
Simon had chosen the Corpse Spiders for this battle because of the terrain.
The area was forested, so he exploited the trees to maximum effect. He sent the larger spiders to the front to block the zombies’ movements with their bodies, while the remaining spiders climbed the trees and descended from above to ambush.
Each time the Corpse Spiders swung down along their webs like pendulums to strike the zombies, enemy numbers dropped sharply.
‘Keep applying pressure from the flanks!’
Any Undead that slipped through would become casualties for the Northerners. Not a single one could escape.
He deployed the reserve unit to seal the flanks and had them fire the Web Technique to block the gaps.
Gradually, he began to develop expertise.
Zombies, when faced with one of their own in front, couldn’t kill it or push through—they simply stalled in place. Simon bound the zombies with webbing to create walls, steadily shrinking their territory.
But then—
‘Ugh!’
The mental shock of having an allied Undead destroyed and the Telepathy forcibly severed was something he never seemed to adapt to.
The fatigue from issuing commands was already immense, and when the exhaustion from destroyed units piled on top of that, his mind began to cloud over.
‘I have to keep the ones in front alive!’
Beyond the deteriorating mental state, the number of Corpse Spiders he’d brought to the North was not infinite. With larger battles ahead, he wanted to preserve every unit he could.
Simon concentrated on controlling the spiders visible at the front.
‘Fire webbing from the legs to block them, that’s it! Climb higher into the trees, evade as much as possible…’
Thud!
Suddenly impact struck the back of his head, and Simon crashed face-first to the ground. His concentration shattered in an instant, his mind going blank white.
Simon turned to look behind him.
It wasn’t an enemy attack. The Grand Duke, mounted on her horse, held her scabbard. Sharp light gleamed from within her helmet.
[Focus, you fool.]
“Your Highness! What are you—!”
[Look at your right flank.]
Simon’s eyes snapped to the right wing. The Northern zombies were breaking through the loosened encirclement on the right and pouring out in a torrent.
[You tried to save a handful of subordinates and lost the entire army.]
She spoke coldly.
[Living in peace at school has given you sloppy habits. Who told you to fight like some ordinary Necromancer?]
‘!’
A tingling current seemed to run down Simon’s spine.
[Tinkering about trying to use a handful of Undead efficiently—that is the way of a mere Necromancer. We are Legion Commanders!]
The Grand Duke raised her sword and issued orders. The Phantom Dullahans under her command rode forth, striking down the escaped zombies and covering Simon’s blunder.
[A Legion Commander must always read the greater battlefield. When you become fixated on the few, the many suffer losses. Think bigger! If a position is lost, don’t force it to survive—let it fall. Consider instead what damage you can inflict on the enemy in its place!]
As Simon pushed himself up, intensity entered his eyes.
‘She’s right.’
He focused once more.
Let the front collapse. The difference in weight class between spider and zombie was unavoidable.
Instead—
‘Lure them deep and encircle them!’
The spiders began aggressively surrounding and annihilating the zombies that came in too deep.
The Corpse Spiders had their webs. He seized upon the stasis effect of binding them and rendering them immobile.
While the zombies were locked in place, the Corpse Spiders could swing across their webs and strike from above.
Attack is the best defense. The crumbling front line had already stabilized.
[Blasted fool. He only understands a thing after he’s made a mistake.]
Even as she spoke, the Grand Duke’s tone carried a note of amusement rather than genuine irritation.
Time passed like that.
“Haah…”
Simon had managed to annihilate the enemy forces using only Corpse Spiders. The moment the battle ended, he collapsed where he stood, breathing heavily.
‘I… I did it.’
It felt entirely different from his lessons at the Necromancer School. Above all, when commanding his Legion back home, he’d always had to worry about prying eyes.
But the North was different. The Grand Duke could move Undead throughout the entire North, and even if people saw them, it was simple enough to say they belonged to her forces.
Out here on this vast, snow-covered plain, he could deploy his Legion freely.
Thunk.
Simon turned his head. A water pouch lay nearby.
[You scraped through with a passing grade. Replenish your water.]
“Thank you!”
Simon uncapped the pouch and gulped the water down greedily.
After the battle, he saw the Grand Duke remove her helmet. The cascade of long hair that had been bundled up tumbled down like a waterfall—a sight that never failed to impress him.
[Here you are, useless as you are, guzzling like a pig. How long do you plan to sprawl there? We have another battle.]
The water pouch slipped from Simon’s hands and fell.
“Y-you’re joking, aren’t you?”
She laughed sharply.
[No jest. Didn’t I tell you? I’ll work you to the bone.]

* * *
After two more battles with the Grand Duke, they returned.
The next battle he fought with only Zombie units, and the one after that with only Skull Wings.
He knew the characteristics of each type of Undead, but applying them in real combat was another matter entirely. Thanks to this, Simon could cement his understanding of the various traits of different Undead firmly in his mind.
[Fool! Your Undead are slipping away!]
Whenever Simon made a mistake, the Grand Duke showed no mercy.
She’d strike him with the flat of her sword, sweep his legs out from under him.
Such brutal Northern methods of instruction were enough to break anyone’s spirit.
“Ugh!”
Yet every time, Simon would rise without hesitation, shaking off the blows, and his eyes gleamed with concentration. No matter how many times he fell, he got back up and focused anew.
[That boy—dull as his mind is, I have to admit I like that fire in his eyes.]
Even the Grand Duke, who became a demon during instruction, could not help but acknowledge his determination.
As twilight darkened into night, the final battle ended.
“Phew…”
Simon rode back exhausted, slumped in his saddle. The helmeted Grand Duke clicked her tongue.
“You’re barely grown and already complaining. A victor must maintain his dignity—sit up straight with your spine.
Even as she said this, the Grand Duke wore a playful smile on her face. Simon slowly straightened his upper body.
“You’re still keeping busy.”
Even while tutoring Simon, the Grand Duke was managing the scattered Undead units across the North or loosing arrows to answer requests from her knights.
She must have been just as exhausted as Simon, yet showed no sign of fatigue whatsoever. A monster’s stamina, paired with extraordinary willpower.
‘This is the caliber required to be humanity’s hero.’
It would be no exaggeration to say that this vast North was maintained solely by her existence.
“Curious.”
The Grand Duke spoke.
“Is there anything else you wish to learn?”
“Hmm.”
Though his body and mind were worn, Simon’s eyes lit up again at the mention of learning.
He pondered for a moment, then spoke.
“Do you happen to know Magnus, the 5th Legion Commander?”
She smiled wickedly.
“I do—that arrogant bastard.”

* * *
Simon recalled his encounter with Magnus.
It had been after the Pentamonium incident, during the hostage negotiations.
Simon had brought the Zombie Butler he’d captured from Pentamonium, while Magnus had brought Achemous, whom he held. The purpose was to exchange two Ancient Undead.
At that time, Magnus had said:
—Want to know something, as your senior? The true way to use Ancient Undead.
Magnus did something to the Zombie Butler that had been restrained by Simon’s Legion—he didn’t lay a hand on it, and there was no sign of Dark Magic at work. Yet the Web Technique and Curse Amulet that had been binding the Zombie Butler tore apart, freeing it, and its body swelled to the size of a giant.
Enhancement of an Ancient Undead.
But that wasn’t all. The Zombie Butler spat a white liquid from its mouth, and from that liquid rose elite soldiers—the “White Ghosts”—creatures it certainly hadn’t possessed before.
“So that’s it.”
The Grand Duke, who had been listening quietly to Simon’s explanation, spoke.
“It’s a technique called Geheim, one that can be used when a Legion Commander and an Ancient Undead move in perfect harmony. It’s the hidden trump card available only to the Ancient Undead of a Legion.”
Such a technique existed! Simon’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Does that mean you can also…!”
“Of course. The Ancient Undead I command can use it as well.”
“Then… could you teach me?”
She furrowed her brow with a grunt.
“Very well. Starting tomorrow, bring one of your Ancient Undead at a time.”
Nice!
Simon clenched his fist.
“But listen, you dull-witted fool—don’t misunderstand. Geheim isn’t something I can teach you from start to finish. The best I can offer is analysis and counsel born from experience.”
Simon’s brow furrowed in question.
“Is it because each Ancient Undead has a different temperament?”
“So your thick skull does work after all. And if the Legion Commander changes, so does the Ancient Undead’s Geheim. It exists only between you and your Ancient Undead—there’s no room for a third party like me to interfere.”
This also meant that even among the 7th Legion Commanders, Simon’s and Richard’s Geheim would differ entirely.
She lifted the corners of her mouth in a faint smile.
“Getting to know each other will be the most important thing. You’ll have a very busy time while you’re here in the North.”
Getting to know each other—the phrase tickled at him, neither quite clear nor entirely mysterious.
Simon pondered for a moment, then lifted his head.
“Could you at least give me a hint?”
“I told you to bring them tomorrow. Impatient, aren’t you? Well, then.” She rubbed her stiff shoulders, lost in thought.
She rubbed her stiff shoulders, lost in thought.
Then she opened her mouth.
“Think about why your Ancient Undead follow you. That’s where it begins.”
Simon fell into deep thought.
‘Why my Ancient Undead follow me.’
Now that he thought about it, he remembered that he’d promised to have a glass of wine with Erzsebet tonight.
He decided to start with her first.

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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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