Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner

Chapter 168

He'd be crossing the border today.

Knowing that, Simon couldn't sleep well.

He woke up early and packed his things, filled with both excitement and nerves. It would probably be a long journey, so he packed daily necessities, extra clothes, and food in his subspace.

An hour before departure, Richard came up to Simon's room and gave him some helpful advice.

Things like what to do when caught by inquisitors, information on which priests are friendly to the Dark Territory and which aren't, what not to do, how to cross the border alone should a problem arise, and more.

It was advice dripping with so much experience and knowledge it was suspicious.

"Lastly,"

Richard's face turned deathly serious.

"in case Rete tries to hand you over to Efnel after betraying you—"

Simon, without hesitation, gestured for him to stop.

"I don't think I have to worry about that, Father."

"…I also trust Rete. She risked her life for Anna. But the world is a wild place."

Simon lowered his hand and smiled lightly.

"I decided to trust Rete 100%. If I listen to your idea right now, Father, doubts about Rete might creep into my future actions and speech. So much so that she might start to suspect me. I think the best I can do for myself is to be consistent in my trust of Rete."

"…"

Simon was surprised when he saw Richard's face.

It's something that he didn't see very often. Richard was absolutely beaming with joy.

"I couldn’t have asked for a better son, Simon."

Said Richard, hugging Simon tight. It had been a while since they had last hugged, and Simon was feeling a bit embarrassed, but he didn't feel bad.

"Please, have a safe trip."

"Yes, I'll be going now."

Simon came down the stairs and reached the living room. He saw Rete leaning against the front door, nervously tapping her foot.

"Why are you so late?! We need to leave quickly to get on the carriage in time."

"Sorry. Shall we go?"

"Since you took your time, give me some time, too."

Rete quickly went into the bedroom where Anna was sleeping. Even if she slept next to Anna overnight, it seemed she wanted to see her teacher one last time.

Determination filled her face as she looked down at Anna.

"I'll save you no matter what, Teacher."

Rete lightly kissed Anna on the forehead, took one last look at her, and then walked away.

"I'll see her one last time too."

"Good grief."

While Simon went to greet Anna, Rete left the house. As she left, she saw Richard in the yard.

"We owe you a lot, Rete."

"A necromancer has nothing to owe to me."

She spat before marching off.

Halfway through the yard, she slammed her foot on the ground, then took a deep breath.

"Remember, Necromancer, if anything happens to Teacher Anna, I'll be the first to make you regret it."

She was speaking quite harshly, but Richard smiled softly.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Rete."

"…"

Rete turned around and walked away. Simon, who had just left the house, bowed to Richard and followed soon after.

"Let's hurry up. We'll need to pick up the pace since we're 30 minutes late."

"Alright."

The two climbed the mountain range at a tremendous speed. The bright blue dawn sky was beautiful, and a refreshing breeze blew over them.

'So I'm finally going to the Holy Federation.'

Simon figured it was a holiday unlike any other Kizen student’s past, present, or future.

* * *

After crossing the rugged mountains of Les Hill, Simon and Rete took the carriage that Richard had reserved in advance and headed to Les Hill's neighboring estate of Hobb.

The two sat side by side in the carriage. Rete had formed a soundproofing magic circle and tested Simon rapid fire.

"How do you greet the believers when you meet them?"

Simon put his hands together and slightly bowed his head.

"Benedictio deae. May the blessings of the Goddess be with you."

"Greetings when meeting a bishop-level high-ranking priest?"

"Gloria deae. Glory be to the Goddess."

"The 10th penance?"

"No eating, drinking and sleeping. The penance of abstinence."

Rete's eyes widened at how Simon could answer without hesitation.

"Were you already interested in the culture of the Holy Federation?"

"I became interested in it just 2 weeks ago."

This was fairly easy for Simon, who had memorized the individual etiquettes for all four of the Dark Alliance’s kingdoms.

The Holy Federation was a country ruled entirely by the pope, so the etiquette was almost unified, making it far easier to study. He was also already familiar with a few things from growing up with Anna’s behaviors at home.

Several hours had passed like that as they rode the carriage. Just as their butts were going numb, the carriage crossed from a bumpy forest path to a smooth paved road.

After being on paved roads for a while, the coach shouted,

"Welcome to the Hobb manor!"

They had finally arrived. Unlike Les Hill, Hobb was a fairly large city.

Simon paid the horseman and left . As soon as he could plant his feet on the ground, the motion sickness went away and he felt much better.

"There's no time to rest. Hurry up."

Rete went through Hobb when she first entered Les Hill, so she knew where she was going.

The two of them strode down the dark alleys on the city's outskirts, hoods hiding their faces.

Occasionally, alleyway gangs would pick a fight with Rete, but she’d send them flying with a single kick.

"We're here."

The two of them arrived at an old, suspicious tavern at the end of an alley.

After getting in, Rete took Simon and sat at an empty table.

After catching their breaths for a few minutes, a man in robes entered the tavern and joined the two of them at their table. He whispered,josei

"The confession of the wolf goes to…"

Rete finished,

"…a foolish lamb."

The man nodded.

"I've been waiting for you. Please, right this way."

This man was the broker who brought Rete here.

* * *

* * *

They followed him out the back door, entering an overgrown garden. The walls and pillars were covered in a mess of vines.

"Let's settle the balance first before we depart."

Said the broker while turning back to face them. He wanted to be paid upfront.

While Rete was rummaging through her clothes, Simon quickly pulled out a coin and flicked it to the broker.

"I'll pay with this."

When the broker took the coin, Rete complained,

"What? Why are you the one paying?"

"My father gave it to me. Let me at least pay for the transportation fee."

As if used to such an event, the broker took out a magnifying glass and examined the coin. His face was covered with a hood, so his expression was hidden, but his hands were visibly shaking.

"How did you get this?!"

"My father said I should just pay in cash."

Simon grinned and continued,

"Unless you're an idiot who can't appreciate the real worth of this item. We could just pay the usual fee."

"…It's the real deal. I'll take this for the payment."

The broker quickly pocketed the coin, fearing that Simon would change his mind.

"What's with that old coin for him to be making such a fuss?"

Asked Rete.

"A currency of the old empire. It has no real value, but nobles go crazy over it."

"Aha."

The broker rubbed his hands. Simon wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like the broker had become more polite than a moment ago.

"I'll check again, but who shall be using the undercover profile?"

"This kid."

Rete pointed her thumb at Simon. The broker took a fake ID from his pocket and handed it over.

Skar Seraphino: Apprentice Priest

'From now on, my name will be Skar Seraphino.'

While Simon was fixing the new name in his head, the broker explained,

"This person died suddenly a month ago from a monster attack while hiking. His body wasn't found, so you should be able to use the ID without difficulty for 6-odd months."

"Got it."

The two entered an old abandoned building. A teleportation circle was drawn on the floor.

"I'll see you after moving."

The broker stepped onto the magic circle first. Simon and Rete followed.

Whirrr!

It was different from Kizen's comfortable teleport magic circle. This was by far Simon’s worst ride, probably because the circle was drawn by a hired freelancer.

He spun round and round, and his insides twisted and turned.

Simon staggered back as he opened his eyes in a new place.

'This is…!'

The scorching sun hounded his exposed skin, and the vast desert unfolded. It was interrupted only by a nearby caravan trail and two bald eagles who were screeching from high in the sky.

"Ugh."

Behind him, Rete also staggering forth with her hand on her forehead.

"Welcome to the neutral area, Hali Desert."

Said the broker. Simon fixed his ruffled hair and looked around him again.

'So this is the neutral area you can go to with the red mission forms!'

The neutral area, centered on the Hali Desert in the very center of the continent, was an area where gain and loss intertwined. Priests and necromancers alike could enter this place, so there was endless conflict.

The broker explained,

"The direct route from the Dark Alliance to the Holy Federation is completely blocked, but the route from the neutral zone to the Holy Federation is open for essential goods. We'll blend in with the caravan heading to the Holy Federation here. Do you have any questions?"

The two shook their heads.

"Okay then, let's go."

The broker opened the lid of the wooden box on the wagon in front of the caravan. A magic circle was drawn on the bottom of the box, but it looked very cramped.

The two froze.

"Are we crossing the border in this thing?"

"Yes. The trip will take about four hours."

Simon had only just finished grasping the situation.

'I see, so this is what smuggling is.'

Teleportation was blocked, and people can't enter subspaces.

This traditional method was the best.

"Ugh, what is the meaning of this? When I came over to the Dark Alliance, didn't you just dress me up as a merchant?"

Grumbled Rete.

"Things have changed a lot since then. Security has been strengthened threefold, including investigating the identities of merchants. Also, supervisors have been dispatched, so bribing the inspectors is no longer effective."

"…Ugh."

Rete, who had been poking her forehead with her finger, looked up at Simon.

"You can go in first. I'll go in the other bo—"

"I'm sorry, customer,"

Broker rubbed his hands together.

"but the both of you must go into one box."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"

Screamed Rete in fright.

Then she strode over and grabbed the broker by the collar.

"You bastard! What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

She lifted the broker off the ground, his feet dangling in the air.

"Huff! P-Please don't do this!"

"You're just trying to screw with me, aren't you? Are you telling me to go inside that cramped shit with that bastard?"

"I-It can't be helped! Getting even one empty crate on the cargo list took a lot of work! If you want to take a more comfortable route, you'll have to wait about three months."

"…Kugh!"

Even with Richard at her side, Anna would be in danger if she had to wait three months.

Rete bit her lip and threw the broker to the ground.

"Stop it, Rete. We just have to endure it for four hours."

Simon had quickly accepted the situation, even entering the box and sitting down.

"Oh, it's cozier than it looks once you’re inside."

Said Simon optimistically, tapping the box.

Rete sighed as she covered her face with her palms.

'…Oh Goddess, what have I done to deserve this 20th penance?'

——