Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 663

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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 663
“What else? I’ll blow this creature apart with a Corpse Explosion.”
Prince jolted at those words.
[What? You’re not seriously thinking of using Corpse Explosion on me, are you? Have you lost your mind?]
Simon spoke up, flustered as well.
“I—I don’t think that’s such a good idea, even if I say so myself.”
“What’s the problem?”
The Grand Duke folded her arms and spoke flatly.
“It’s not as if you’d be sacrificing your original body, and you have nine lives to spare. Besides, even the lives you’ve lost regenerate with time. Especially that enormous mass of dark energy concentrated in this zombie’s body—it’s practically made for a Corpse Explosion.”
“……….”
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like she had a point.
As Simon’s expression grew uncertain and he glanced away, Prince bounced indignantly.
[Hey! Simon! You too?]
Prince shook Simon’s collar back and forth vigorously. Pier’s Fragment Form, clinging to Simon’s clothes, let out a cackle. “Hehehehe.”
[Pier, don’t you say a word!]
Prince beat him to it, narrowing his eyes and glaring at Simon.
[No! No! No! I’m being clear about this—I’m absolutely not doing anything like Corpse Explosion!]
‘He’s stubborn.’
Simon stole a glance at the Grand Duke, and she gave him a slight nod. It meant: go on, do what you can to persuade him. He’s your Ancient Undead, after all.
‘Serne would be good at this.’
Simon paused for a moment, then let out a deliberate cough.
The key was understanding what made him tick—his sense of wonder.
And what he found cool.
This creature’s mental age had frozen at that of a seven-year-old child. Having lived through endless centuries at that level of maturity, he’d warped into something twisted—this was Prince now.
To talk to him, you had to pitch everything at his level.
Simon gestured dramatically, sweeping both arms wide.
“You know, Prince? Picture fluffy clouds drifting through your mind.”
[Huh? What are you going on about?]
Prince remained wary, but his eyes rolled upward.
He seemed to be thinking.
“What if there were clouds not just in the sky, but on the ground too?”
[Clouds on the ground?]
“Of course. They suddenly surge up and sweep away everything around them.”
[Oh! That sounds awesome!]
“That’s what an explosion is. Don’t you think explosions are the true dream of every real man?”
[No!]
Prince caught on immediately and let out a sharp cry.
[Not cool at all!]
‘…He’s only quick-witted when it matters.’
Simon continued to press Prince afterward, trying again and again to convince him.
-Just this once, okay? Just try it once, and if you still hate it then, I’ll never ask again.
-When we get back to Langoustin, I’ll take you to the toy shop! How about it?
-A true hero appears like the wind, and disappears like the wind……….
Since Simon wasn’t sure exactly what kind of “coolness” would hook him, he focused on quantity over quality. But no matter what carrot he dangled, Prince stubbornly shook his head.
[No!]
Of course, there was always the option of using Absolute Command to force Prince to cast Corpse Explosion regardless of his wishes.
But that was, at best, a last resort. A Prince who’d suffered a wound to his heart might never answer Simon’s call again.
Obtaining Prince’s consent was a prerequisite.
“Prince.”
Simon sighed inwardly and spoke gently.
“You can come back anytime, even if you die. You’re not even afraid of death in the first place—so why do you hate Corpse Explosion so much?”
[There’s a difference between dying because you have to in a fight and being forced to suddenly explode from the start!]
Prince shrieked.
[And dying hurts! Plus, it’s not cool at all!]
“Huh?”
[A true hero fights and survives to the very end—disappearing in a puff because he exploded first? That’s not cool!]
Simon began to see the shape of it. He crouched down in front of Prince and let words tumble out like a eloquent stream.
“A truly cool hero is one who sacrifices himself for his companions.”
[That’s not cool!]
“And then, when his companions are at their lowest point, he suddenly comes back to life! That’s what I think a real hero is—don’t you?”
Simon, too, had grown stubborn once he’d fixated on “Prince’s Corpse Explosion.” He knew nothing of surrender.
As the persuasion stretched on for hours, the Grand Duke waited nearby, running through her own training routine.
And so, after hours of negotiation:
[……Just this once.]
Unlimited access to the toy shop, delivery of toys to Deathland, playtime whenever he wished—after paying an astronomical price in promises, Simon finally extracted Prince’s consent.
“Grand Duke! Now that we’ve got approval…….”
Simon turned with a bright grin, but the Grand Duke, who’d been doing push-ups moments before, had vanished. He looked behind him to find her standing far back.
Do it.
She mouthed the words. Simon smiled wryly and turned back to Prince.
“Then here we go!”
Simon raised his hand. Prince’s face went rigid with tension, his small fists clenched tight.
“…….”
[…….]
Simon stood blank for a moment, then slowly lowered his raised hand.
“Wait—how do I actually do this?”
[Idiot!]
Prince’s voice rang out, exasperated.
[Just use Corpse Explosion on this zombie I’m inhabiting, obviously!]
“I tried that just now. It doesn’t work.”
Simon could detonate any zombie—whether summoned or Legion-formed. The problem was that once Prince inhabited a zombie, Simon lost all ownership and control of it.
The zombie didn’t feel like it had vanished. He could only sense Prince’s presence—his mental communication alone.
“Fool. Your stupidity’s flaring up again.”
The Grand Duke, who’d been standing at a distance, suddenly whooshed forward to his side.
“Of course a standard Corpse Explosion formula won’t work. You’ll need to rework it specifically for Legion use. Think of it as layering the spell directly onto Prince’s body.”
“……Layering it on.”
“Of course, you won’t be able to improvise such a formula instantly. Consider today a reconnaissance mission—you’ve found your next objective. Moving forward…….”
Whoom!
Then a dark-blue circle materialized before Simon’s palm. Countless formulae inscribed themselves within it, unfolding in three dimensions.
“If I’m layering it on, something like this?”
The Grand Duke’s eyes widened as she watched Simon seize the core concept instantly and rapidly sketch out a Magic Circle tailored for Prince’s use.
Her expression read: What in the world is this now?
“Why the look?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
Prince began stomping his feet against the ground in frustration.
[Why are you working so hard at this? Are you really that eager to blow me up?]
Prince sounded genuinely put out.
In any case, though temporary, Simon had successfully created a dedicated Corpse Explosion Magic Circle for Prince. He affixed the circle to Prince’s body and prepared to activate it.
“Here goes!”
Simon retreated as far back as he could manage and spread his palms wide.
Whirrrraaang!
The Magic Circle he’d completed had grown to a scale and density that could no longer be called a single circle. Nine overlapping Magic Circles meshed intricately together, rotating in perfect synchronization. The Grand Duke watched from an even greater distance than before.
‘Corpse……!’
Simon slowly clenched his fist.
Shrieeeek!
Light erupted from Prince’s body. With each twitch of Simon’s closing fist, the radiance swelled larger.
Sweat beaded on Simon’s forehead, and his raised arm trembled violently.
‘Corpse……!!’
Prince squeezed his eyes shut. Light continued to swell across his frame.
‘Exp……!’
[I’m scared! No! No! No!]
Suddenly Prince threw a tantrum.
The swelling light began to recede. Simon’s fist, moments from closure, was forcibly wrenched open.
“Prince!”
[It’s scary!]
Simon tried to complete the Magic Circle’s invocation, trying to clench his fist, but Prince’s will rejected the explosion.
‘Damn……!’
Two wills collided violently. But the Dark Magic was already in motion, and if this continued, Simon—as the caster—risked a Dark Backlash.
“Just this once, I’m begging you!”
Crying out, Simon forced his fist closed against the resistance.
“Detonate!”
Light flashed across Prince’s body. He squeezed his eyes shut.
[……]
And moments later.
He opened his eyes.
[What?]
Prince looked down at his own body.
[I’m fine?]
Whoosh—
Even as he spoke, Prince’s body suddenly scattered like black smoke and vanished. All that remained where Prince had been was charred debris, crumbled like coal, scattered across the ground.
“……A failure.”
Simon lowered his hand, his disappointment plain. The Grand Duke slipped to his side again with a sharp sound.
‘Still, not bad. To achieve this much on the first try.’
Simon rummaged about and pulled out a fresh zombie, summoning Prince back.
Black lightning fell again, and the zombie transformed into Prince.
[Ugh, what was that just now? That felt awful!]
Prince immediately began complaining the moment he appeared.
“What seems to be the problem?”
Simon asked. The Grand Duke rested her chin on her hand, thinking deeply.
“The conditions simply aren’t fully aligned, it seems.”
“I see?”
“The formula needs refining, certainly, but the real issue is that your will and Prince’s are at odds.”
She turned to look at Simon.
“With the Legion Commander and Ancient Undead’s wills in conflict, no Dark Magic will yield good results.”
In the end, there was one fundamental challenge.
Prince had to come to accept Corpse Explosion of his own will.
‘Still, I’m getting the feel for it.’
Simon clenched his fist.
Just as Prince began eyeing escape, wary of another Corpse Explosion.
“Want to have a snowball fight together tonight?”
[Really? Yes!]
At least he was simple enough to distract.

* * *
The real combat training in the Northern Region continued.
This time Simon learned to divide his forces, commanding two armies in simultaneous combat. With his troops encircling the enemy undead and solidifying the siege, Simon’s eyes widened.
“Gourmet! Now!”
The Gourmet, a Named Undead newly acquired in the Northern Region, charged ferociously and swept through the dense enemy lines with its single foreleg.
“Close in!”
Swish! Swish-swish!
Herseba’s mummies wrapped bandages around another Named Monster’s arm. This one was a large, wild yeti—its name was One-Eyed.
“Prince!”
[Going!]
Prince kicked off the ground and leaped, striking the Named Monster’s face with a fierce blow. It fell with a heavy thud.
Mopping up the remnants was simple.
[Ha ha ha! You see? You saw, right? I’m strong without Corpse Explosion too!]
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Simon smiled and gestured to Pier. Pier placed a hand on One-Eyed’s core.
Legionization was completed at once, and the massive creature rose to its feet. Simon held up his palm.
Shhhh—
One-Eyed pressed its face close and rested its forehead against Simon’s open hand.
“Good.”
Simon smiled as he stroked its trembling fur.
-Grrr!
Not to be outdone, the Gourmet, a senior Named in the Legion, thrust its own face forward. Simon scratched the Gourmet’s head as well.
Two Named Undead now.
‘The power increase is solid. If this keeps up, I could even form an entire unit of Named in the Northern Region.’
“Grand Duke!”
Just then, a messenger from the Northern Region was approaching.
Since Simon had to play the part of the Grand Duke, he quickly donned the helmet and turned around.
Then he activated the Transformation Magic the Grand Duke had placed in the helmet and spoke.
[What is it?]
“There’s a council meeting, sir. You need to return to Bilkenos immediately!”
[Understood. What’s the matter?]
The messenger answered at once.
“Our scouts have located the Three Brothers.”
‘Finally!’
Sooner than expected, the moment of reckoning had arrived.
And at the same time.
‘The chance to use Prince’s Corpse Explosion in real combat!’
Prince seemed to sense it uncannily and leaped to his feet.
[Hey! Stop looking at me like that, will you!]

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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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