Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 96

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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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Necromancer Academy’s Summoning Prodigy · Chapter 96
Simon rode out from the Manor in a carriage alongside Shun.
“I must apologize profusely for my rudeness earlier, Count.”
Simon, seated across from Shun, wiped sweat from his brow as he bowed—but Shun laughed warmly and waved him off.
“Don’t worry about it! In informal settings like that, just talk naturally with me!”
“That would be… I couldn’t possibly…”
“It puts me at ease too, so do it, alright?”
“Very well.”
Shun was a lively, cheerful boy—a count in title, yet somehow more mischievous and unassuming than typical noble children.
Simon didn’t bother asking how someone so young had inherited a countship and vast wealth. Such circumstances were predictable enough.
‘His parents must have passed away early.’
A boy who’d inherited a countship in childhood and now governed Blue Harbor. Simon found himself growing more curious about Shun.
“That’s Sara Beach—the one with the most tourists! And down that alley there’s a massive shopping district…!”
Shun pointed out landmarks visible through the carriage window with fern-like fingers, describing each one with enthusiasm.
His excited voice brimmed with affection for his domain. Simon played along with his chatter, and the two fell into easy conversation.
“Count, we’ve arrived at the Exhibition Hall.”
The coachman’s voice broke through. Simon had been so absorbed in Shun’s tour that they’d reached their destination.
The moment Simon opened the carriage door, Shun shot out like a cannonball.
“Wait, Shun! You’ll fall!”
Simon scrambled after him in alarm.
Shun bounded up the steps but lost his footing, staggering backward.
Simon caught up from behind, deftly slipped his arms under Shun’s armpits, and lifted him smoothly onto the landing.
“Wow!”
Shun grinned broadly.
“You’re good at your job! Simon! Yeah, just like that!”
……
Simon exhaled in relief, forcing a smile. He had the distinct feeling this assignment was going to be exhausting.
“Count Shun. Welcome.”
The guards flanking the exhibition entrance stepped aside. Shun spun around and laughed proudly.
“The exhibition opens the day after tomorrow, but today I’m making an exception to show my bodyguard early!”
“I appreciate that.”
Squeak—squeak—squeak.
The great doors swung open, revealing the exhibition hall. Simon’s eyes widened.
‘This is…!’
A Next-Generation Undead Exhibition in Blue Harbor.
Blue Harbor was an island that had remained isolated from the mainland for centuries, maintaining its own distinct ecosystem. Consequently, it was home to numerous Unique Species found nowhere else.
The exhibition centered on undead created from Blue Harbor’s monsters, displaying newly developed specimens. Simon felt his eyes glaze over in fascination.
‘I don’t know where to start!’
The most striking piece was the massive dinosaur-form skeleton dominating the central area of the first floor. Its mere presence was overwhelming—the thought of facing such a creature in combat was enough to break one’s will.
And yet.
‘They haven’t solved the balance problem with the lower body to support that weight.’
Dark Element threads woven throughout the exhibition were propping up the dinosaur skeleton to keep it from collapsing. Developing a large-scale skeleton was impressive, but without solving the structural weakness in the legs, it would be impractical for actual combat.
While Simon was lost in thought about what to report to Kizen, he suddenly noticed that Shun had vanished from his side.
“Shun!”
Simon spun around in panic, searching the space.
“Yipe! Hahahaha!”
Shun had somehow clambered onto an animal-form skeleton on display.
“Giddyap! Giddyap! Let’s go! Get moving!”
Shun slapped the skeleton’s back with his palms, and it turned its long neck toward him.
‘D-Dangerous!’
This wasn’t merely a display piece—it had Summoning Magic bound into it.
Simon felt the blood drain from his face as he sprinted forward.
He seized the safety railing with one hand and vaulted over it, concentrating the Dark Element into both his legs.
‘Ebony Step!’
As Simon’s body launched into the air, the skeleton’s jaws yawned wide, snapping toward Shun.
‘I’m faster—!’
Whoosh!
Simon’s arms swept through empty air where Shun had been. A verdant liquid coiled around the boy’s waist, spiriting him away, and Simon’s face collided squarely with the skeleton.
‘That hurts!’
Simon crashed to the ground, cradling his face.
“What kind of bodyguard daydreams on the job?”
A man was approaching through the dim lighting.
His eyes were long and narrow, his lashes pronounced, his nostrils small, his mouth wide. One hand was thrust into his trouser pocket, while the other arm had transformed into something liquid, gripping Shoon firmly.
When the man set Shoon down, the boy broke into a brilliant smile and shouted.
“Uncle Pinch!”
The man called Pinch reformed his hand to its natural state and ruffled Shoon’s hair.
“You need to be careful, all right? There are moving undead around here—it’s dangerous.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine! Oh, let me introduce you!”
Shoon pointed toward Simon as he spoke.
“The strongest bodyguard from Kizen! A special-admission first-year student—Simon Polenthia!”
“Mm.”
Pinch stroked his chin, appraising Simon from head to toe. Then he smiled broadly and extended his right hand.
“I’m Pinch Nikiman. I’m a Necromancer too.”
“Simon Polenthia.”
The moment Simon grasped Pinch’s hand for the handshake, the man’s hand melted away to liquid. Simon was startled inwardly, but he showed nothing and remained perfectly still.
“Ha ha ha! Just joking, just joking!”
Pinch reformed his hand and gave it a light shake before tucking it back into his pocket.
“So you’re a first-year earning pocket money? I don’t know what soft sentiments brought you to this resort island, but regardless, you should do your job properly. Wouldn’t you agree?”
It was a rebuke to protect Shoon as he should. To this, Simon placed his clenched fist over his left chest and bowed deeply.
“Forgive my negligence, my lord.”
Of course, he bowed not to Pinch, but toward Shoon.
…….
Pinch’s eyebrows twitched.
“Hey, Simon! What are you doing!”
Shoon grabbed Simon’s trouser leg and shook it.
“And uncle, stop scolding my bodyguard! That was my mistake just now!”
“Ha ha, scolding? I was just offering some advice to a junior.”
Pinch wiped a thin film of sweat from his brow and made excuses, casting a sidelong glance at Simon.
‘Well, well…’
He’d thought the boy was some delicate young master who knew nothing of the world, but it seemed he had his own sharp edge.
As Simon raised his head, Pinch cleared his throat and spoke.
“So you’re Kizen’s special-admission first-year, then?”
“Yes.”
“You must have high expectations on your shoulders. As a senior, let me offer you one piece of advice: don’t assume that everything taught at Kizen is the absolute truth. Frankly, Kizen itself has gone astray quite a bit these days. It was legendary in the past, but recent teaching methods feel rather outdated and rigid, if I’m being honest….”
“Pardon me, Senior Pinch.”
Simon cut in and asked,
“Are you a Kizen graduate?”
…….
The corner of Pinch’s smiling mouth twitched.
“Ahem. No, I started at the public Necromancer academy, Aland.”
“Ah, I see.”
“You’ll meet them soon enough, but the top-tier students from Aland, Sierra, and Moiran transfer into Kizen through the transfer-admission system. They’re superior in every way to the original Kizen students!”
Simon smiled faintly.
“Wow, that’s impressive! If they’re superior to Kizen students, wouldn’t there be no need for them to transfer into Kizen at all?”
‘…This punk really…’
He laughed as if nothing were wrong, yet subtly rubbed people the wrong way.
But he couldn’t directly criticize Kizen in response, so Pinch had no choice but to swallow his anger.
“Ahem. Each institution has its own strengths and weaknesses, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“Uncle Pinch! Hurry up! You promised to introduce us to the undead!”
“Ah, right.”
Pinch quickly composed himself.
“Let’s set aside schoolboy talk. The true career of a Necromancer doesn’t begin until after graduation, does it? Now I’ll show you the professional realm.”
“I look forward to it.”
Simon said this while placing a light hand on Shoon’s shoulder. When Shoon looked up questioningly, Simon merely smiled without speaking.
But—
‘Run away again and you’ll be in trouble.’
He sent that message through a glance beneath his smile. Shoon felt a chill run through him and shivered.
“Now then, honored guests. Allow me to explain this piece first.”
As a Necromancer affiliated with Blue Harbor, Pinch was a pioneer in next-generation undead research. The Exhibition Hall contained a hundred pieces total, of which twenty were Pinch’s own creations.
As Simon listened to Pinch’s explanation, he found himself genuinely impressed.
Setting aside personality and character, there was nothing to fault in his skill. Using the monsters of Blue Harbor, he had constructed undead with novel functions at remarkably high quality.
‘But perhaps because this is an exhibition showcasing entirely new undead, the practical applications leave something to be desired.’
Some of the undead seemed utterly useless in any real context. So Simon ventured to point out the shortcomings as best he could, drawing on whatever shallow knowledge he possessed.
“Wouldn’t the tail of this Locker Worm Skeleton be better covered in protein or chitin rather than forced together with bone? The way it is now, a few swings and the joints will be overloaded—it’ll become unusable.”
At Simon’s observation, Pinch’s face flushed and he reacted with surprising sensitivity.
“Heh, and what does a first-year know? There’s a reason behind every piece of work. You can’t solve practical problems just by spouting ideas without thinking them through!”
“Ah, yes. I apologize for the intrusion.”
Pinch pulled a notebook from his pocket.
“So which parts would you suggest covering in chitin?”
“?”
As they continued this back-and-forth discussion, they made a full circuit of the exhibition hall. Shun’s concentration had already flagged; he yawned repeatedly.
Seeing this, Simon tapped Pier’s Avatar insistently.
‘Pier. Are you there? Help me out for a moment.’
[What are you talking about?]
While Pinch rattled on with his explanation and Shun yawned continuously, Simon unfastened Pier’s Avatar from his uniform and held it out to the boy.
“Shun, look at this.”
“What is it?”
“Poke it and it moves?”
Shun poked at Pier’s Avatar with his fingertip. Pier immediately cried out in alarm.
[What are you doing! I am not a toy!]
“Whoa! The skeleton’s jaw keeps chattering when I tickle it!”
“Pretty cool, right?”
[Boy! Release him from my presence at once!]
“What happens if I pinch it like this?”
As Pier was prodded and played with, Shun quickly recovered his focus and joy. In this manner, they ascended to the fifth floor of the exhibition hall.
“Now I shall unveil the highlight of this exhibition.”
When Pinch lowered the white cloth that had been covering something, a large aquarium-like tank emerged. Inside was a skeleton of a form Simon had never seen before.
The body resembled an alien creature mixing jellyfish and octopus, its frame composed entirely of bone, maintained in shape by the thick gelatinous liquid surrounding it.
Most remarkably, the creature’s long tentacles were formed of pure bone—they looked like mechanical limbs with perfectly interlocking joints, yet they were unmistakably bone.
“The Mollusk Undead Overlord.”
Pinch’s expression grew serious, all playfulness vanishing.
“The material is a deep-sea monster—a kraken. It resembles the cephalopods that dwell in the depths, but uniquely, its vital parts are composed of bone, satisfying the conditions for a skeleton. Furthermore, this specimen is not yet fully grown. No one has ever captured an adult kraken.”
Pinch placed his palm over a magic circle. With a deep hum, the overlord began to move.
‘Insane……!’
Simon couldn’t maintain his composure; shock was written plainly across his face.
Six long tentacles composed of bone moved with the fluid grace of a living cephalopod’s arms. He had never imagined bone could be so supple.
“It possesses both speed and cutting power.”
Pinch withdrew a steel plate from a subspace and held it overhead. The overlord, seeing it, moved its tentacles.
Slash.
One long tentacle extended from the tank and cut through the air in a single clean line, and the steel plate split neatly in half. A second tentacle followed, piercing through the center of the falling fragment.
‘Wow. Seriously.’
As a summoning scholar, this was torture—such a magnificent undead right before his eyes, and he couldn’t use it.
Pinch gave a signal, and the waiting staff quickly draped the cloth over the tank again.
“Pinch.”
“Yes, do you have a question?”
“If someone wanted to purchase this undead, roughly what would the price be?”
Pinch laughed and placed a hand on his hip.
“Is that a question on behalf of Kizen? Or—”
“No, no. It’s just a personal question.”
“Well. This is a research specimen of astronomical value, not for sale, and not even mine. But if I had to venture a guess……”
Pinch paused thoughtfully before answering.
“At minimum, I’d have to ask for ten thousand gold.”

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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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