Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 86

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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 Necromancer Academy’s Summoning Prodigy Chapter 86
Amusement.
Simon had entertained a great many thoughts in the span of a few short breaths.
Was it truly amusing to toy with someone like this? Or was it meant to shake him?
“Why did you call me all the way out here? Serne Aindarc.”
At his words, the girl who had been perched on the tree descended with practiced grace—moving as though gravity held less sway over her.
Platinum-blonde hair, features arranged with an almost geometric precision, and that same aura that Lorain carried—the bearing of a sovereign that made others feel small in her presence.
She was unchanged. Just as when they’d met at the Teleportation Magic Circle, she remained the sort of person who was daunting to face.
“I wanted to speak with you.”
Her voice was mellow and pleasant. Simon thought he had never heard such a beautiful timbre in his life.
But while his ears took comfort in it, his mind blazed with alarm. Gooseflesh crept across his skin.
“Get to the point.”
Simon’s voice had turned sharp.
“This is the third time we’ve met like this, isn’t it? They say if you meet someone three times, it’s fate.”
……
“You look like you don’t agree? Well, that’s fine.”
The atmosphere was different from their first meeting.
Back then she’d seemed like a well-bred, polite young lady of means. Now she carried the feel of a cunning little demon. Simon suspected this version was closer to her true self.
She turned on her heel, hands clasped behind her back.
“Simon Polentia—or shall I call you this instead?”
A chilling smile played at her lips.
“Seventh Legion Commander.”
……!!
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heart began to pound violently.
“Is Pier doing well? It seems Erzsebet didn’t come along. Or perhaps she’s disguised as someone else on this island?”
……
The crucial secrets that should never have been revealed were pouring from her lips one by one.
“You……!”
“Oh—don’t worry. We’re inside a Barrier I created, so there’s no way for Observers to peek or eavesdrop.”
“How do you know all this?”
Against an opponent who already knew far too much, denial would be pointless.
She smiled gently, as though telling him not to rush.
“Since you’re admitting it so readily, I’ll tell you. Do you remember where we met the second time?”
“Before the mission departure—on the Teleportation Magic Circle platform.”
“The only first-year students heading to Kalos Kingdom that day were you and me. Just the two of us.”
She brought her palms together lightly.
“Doesn’t that strike you as strange?”
Simon bit his lip.
“You’ve been watching me since then.”
“Yes. Actually, even before that.”
She closed her eyes and tapped the empty air with her fingertips in a playful gesture.
“A first-class classified secret of Kizen. The Ivory Tower had been closely monitoring a ruin that Nefertiti had sealed away. I personally installed an Alarm Magic to trigger when the ruin opened. Then days later, the alarm went off. I rushed over to see, and what do you think I found?”
She smiled.
“You’d become a Legion Commander.”
……
So it was from that moment.
Simon’s mind raced, struggling to keep pace.
“Then how did you learn about Erzsebet?”
“That’s simple enough, isn’t it? When we crossed over via Teleportation together, I also dropped by Arnish to watch you. I read the memories of Arnish’s lord, the captain of the guards, the soldiers, guild thieves, and dancers. And then.”
She opened her lips.
“Ellen Zail, whom you released. Do you realize how dangerous a crime that is? Deliberately sparing a Priest.”
The pressure tightened like a noose around his throat. Simon forced a smile.
“…Ellen had no affiliation at that time. She was just an individual. Besides, we’re in a ceasefire now. Rather than stirring up trouble by executing an innocent Holy Federation resident, it seemed more prudent to release her based on prisoner protocol. I wouldn’t call it a serious crime.”
“Hmm—your words certainly flow smoothly. Then again, there’s no need for me to bring up such trivial matters with you, is there?”
She laughed.
“You’re a criminal guilty of First-Class Treason.”
……
“The moment you contracted with Pier’s Legion in rebellion against the Dark Alliance, you became complicit in that treason as well. Do you understand what that means? The exam would be halted immediately, and there’d be nothing strange about the ravens of Kizen scattered across the continent descending on this island. It’s a critical matter.”
Simon slowly pressed his hand to his forehead.
“This is ridiculous.”
“Will you make further excuses?”
“If you know such facts, report them to Kizen and have me brought to trial. Why are you telling this directly to the person involved?”
“I think we’ve reached the point where the real discussion can begin.”
She smiled, her eyes crinkling with amusement.
“Join the Ivory Tower, Simon.”
“…….”
An offer of recruitment to the Ivory Tower, out of nowhere.
Simon sensed the conversation was unfolding in an unexpectedly particular direction.
A little more.
Just a little more to draw out.
“If you want to recruit me, wait until after graduation and formally compete in the recruitment tournament. With the Ivory Tower’s wealth and influence, I doubt you’d lose in such a tournament.”
“I don’t want a Kizen product.”
“……What do you mean by that?”
She smiled knowingly.
“Aren’t you curious? Kizen is nothing but a school, yet somehow a mere academic institution is governing half the continent. How do you explain that?”
“…….”
Of course he’d wondered about such a thing before.
“Take the nearby Dresden Kingdom as an example.”
She spread her fingers wide.
“Of the five supreme generals of Dresden, four are Kizen graduates. Of the twenty royal knights, seventeen are Kizen graduates. The Minister of Administration, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defense. And even——”
She folded all her fingers and clasped her hands behind her back.
“The second-in-command, the Prime Minister himself, is a Kizen graduate.”
“…….”
“Do you understand now? The power brokers of the Alliance are all bound together as seniors and juniors. They take immense pride in their Kizen graduation and form a sort of cartel. They’re more loyal to Kizen than to the nations or institutions that pay their salaries and grant their power.”
Dresden and most of the Dark Alliance nations operated in precisely this manner.
Apart from royal-faction talent brought in to counter the Kizen Cartel, it was hardly an exaggeration to say that key positions were dominated almost entirely by Kizen graduates and their connections.
Kizen held talent in its grip.
Yet placing just anyone in high office was unthinkable—Kizen graduates possessed transcendent ability and professional competence. For the nations themselves, acquiring Kizen-educated talent was essential to maintain stronger influence within the Dark Alliance.
“Fine. The reason you’re broaching this topic——”
Simon lifted his gaze to meet hers.
“You need someone who can break free from Kizen’s influence and remain entirely loyal to the Ivory Tower alone.”
“Exactly as sharp as I expected. I love how quickly you grasp things.”
Not a Kizen graduate belonging to the Ivory Tower, but a pure Ivory Tower member.
It made sense.
“Do you think you have a choice?”
Serne’s eyes crinkled with a gentle smile.
“Execution for treason, or joining the Ivory Tower.”
“…….”
“Even so, it’s a first-rate workplace, and quite pleasant in its own way. Your classmate Merin is here too, and whether you want money or power, you can have as much as you——”
“Just one thing.”
Simon spoke with sudden gravity.
“Do you need my pure strength? Or do you need the Legion’s strength?”
She let out a soft laugh.
“Let’s say both. For courtesy’s sake.”
“……What concerns me——”
Simon bit his lip.
“I still can’t trust you. How do I prove I won’t have my Legion stripped from me once I’m at the Ivory Tower?”
She blinked.
“Your self-confidence seems lower than I thought. If you prove your ability, there’d be no need for such worries.”
“…….”
“Well, fine. Once you join the Ivory Tower, I promise as your successor that you’ll be able to maintain your Legion. So, give me your answer now. Simon Polentia.”
Siiigh.
Simon exhaled a long breath.
He was being pulled entirely into her rhythm right now.
He needed to regain control of the conversation.
As he took a deep breath and channeled the Dark Element, the trembling in his body gradually ceased and stray thoughts scattered like dust.
At last, Simon’s mind cleared cold and sharp, his gaze turning glacial as he studied her.
‘The atmosphere has shifted.’
She too sensed the change in Simon, but regaining his composure didn’t resolve the situation before them.
“Serne. You…….”
Simon’s lips twisted.
“Politics isn’t your strength, is it?”
She narrowed her brow.
“I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”
“Laying all your cards bare like that and threatening people. It’s not a good habit.”
Serne had been born strong.
There was no need to think in complicated ways.
Yes or no to her demands.
Life or death.
No one could escape from her binary choice. Concealing one’s hand was the act of the weak.
So.
“You can never let Kizen know that I’m a Legion Commander.”
This time, she’d made a mistake.
“My, why would you think such a thing?”
“Because you want out of Kizen no matter what it takes.”
“…….”
For the first time, she offered no answer.
“Actually, I’ve heard talk like that before. That the Ivory Tower’s interior is divided into pro-Kizen and anti-Kizen factions.”
“My, commenting on the Tower’s internal affairs. You certainly have a good information network~ Though Merin isn’t foolish enough to spill such secrets.”
The truth was it had been nothing but idle chatter from Dick over a meal.
“You and the current Tower Master are the typical anti-Kizen faction. You gathering Legion Commanders, building your strength——”
Simon placed a hand on his waist.
“It’s because you want independence from Kizen, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“But what if I let Kizen know I’m a Legion Commander and have me executed? Then who does my Legion fall to?”
Simon’s lips curved upward.
“A stronger Necromancer with absolute loyalty to Kizen becomes the next Legion Commander. If that happens, your independence becomes even more distant. And it’s impossible for you to kidnap me and have the Tower’s Necromancer graft the Legion onto themselves.”
Simon folded his arms and continued.
“That would be a direct declaration of war against Kizen.”
The kidnapping of a Special Class 1 Student, and it turns out that Special Class 1 Student was actually a Legion Commander, and you kill him to seize the Legion.
If such a thing happened, Nefertiti would leave not a speck of dust of the Ivory Tower standing.
Historically, she’d been quite ruthless on such matters.
“You know one part but miss two others.”
Serne smiled sweetly.
“Wouldn’t there be another option? We eliminate you and bury the Legion so no one can have it.”
“Ah.”
Simon laughed sharply.
“I’m afraid that option doesn’t hold.”
Simon pulled an imaginary lever and tore open a Dimensional Rift.
[Krahahahahahahaha!]
Serne faltered and took a step back.
A tall Skeleton wrapped in a Shadowless Cloak. The Ancient Undead Pier emerged from the Subspace.
Behind him, Skeletons with blue-green flames burning in their eye sockets and Erzsebet’s Corpse Spiders poured forth like demons from another dimension.
‘Why is Pier here?’
Serne bit her lip.
‘Kizen definitely conducted a Dimensional Inspection.’
“You just said that within your Barrier, Observers can’t see anything, right?”
Simon laughed sharply.
“That was a mistake too.”
Click!
Clack!
Shrieeeeeeek!
The Legion surrounding Serne roared fiercely, their fighting spirit ignited.

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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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