Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner

Chapter 184

"Then can I confess to Simon today?"

Rete flinched at Ellen's sudden announcement.

Catching her confusion, Ellen smirked mischievously.

"I-I mean, why are you asking me that?!"

"It's a joke~!"

Rete's kick came from nowhere.

Ellen fell backward onto the floor with a groan as Rete stomped on her face.

"…I'm going to kill you, I swear!"

Growled Rete, her face a light red, before bringing her feet back together.

Despite being kicked in the face, Ellen cackled with delight.

"I know, I know. A confession when the fate of the continent is at stake? I can't distract Simon with something like that. Even I can put that together."

This was Ellen's first time since being expelled from Efnel that she wore a school uniform (although it was a fake) and casually chatted with a girl her own age.

Such chatter was once part of her daily routine, but it soon became only a thing of dreams.

Ellen still longed for those days.

"Then how about this…"

"Don't care! Don't say it!"

"Honestly, necromancer or not, don't you find Simon rather attractive?"

Rete sighed, sitting back down with her knees to her chest.

"Yeah, you're right. He's quite handsome."

"Waaaaaaah! I knew you'd agree! Are you serious? Are these your true feelings?"

Unable to learn from her recent mistake, Ellen was struck by Rete's second kick.

Rete replied sourly,

"I'm a girl, too. I'm not blind. I know that bastard looks great, and that he has a great personality."

"Then, why—?"

"He's a necromancer."

Spat Rete.

"They hurt me as a child. They hurt me bad. Now, even the word 'necromancer' is enough to make me shudder. I don't find them attractive or appealing. I just hate them."

Ellen blinked.

"Even after he risked his life to save all of us when we're practically strangers to him?"

"Ugh! But the bottom line is, he's a necromancer! A monster with a core in his heart who disturbs the dead's rest!"

Watching Rete so deeply engrossed in the topic, Ellen sort of felt good. This was exactly what she wanted.

"Then, how about we look at it this way?"

As Ellen held up a finger, ready to make a point, Rete cut her off.

"Oh, could you please stop with your interrogating? You're worse than the inquisition!"

"What if Simon isn't a necromancer but a separate being?"

Rete went silent at that question.

"I mean, think about it! What other necromancer can use divinity? Simon is something we have no word for! Can you really say that Simon's just a necromancer because he has a core despite using divinity like one chosen by the Goddess? His divinity is too pure and too warm for that."

"…"

Rete began flicking her bottom lip in deep thought. But what Ellen wanted wasn't serious contemplation or debate, just mindless banter.josei

As Ellen was about to open her mouth again…

"What are you guys talking about that's got Rete thinking so seriously?"

Simon had returned, a smile drawn on his face.

Ellen smiled awkwardly and gave a small wave. However, Rete jumped from hearing Simon's voice, and a scowl quickly formed on her face.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! If you're coming over, at least make some sound!"

"Hm?"

"Why do you scare people sneaking up behind them? Are you a pervert?"

"I think that's your problem for not recognizing the sound of a cabin door opening."

Teased Simon as he set a large platter of fruit before them.

Ellen's eyes twinkled.

"Woah! What's this?"

"I got it from the kitchen."

"Ohh, as expected from Simon! How thoughtful of you!"

The three of them nibbled at the fruit and started exchanging stories.

Rete's eyebrows twitched soon after biting into a piece of fruit Simon had cut for her.

"They're here."

As she stood up, the other two started looking around in confusion.

"Who?"

"Some Heavenly Blood bastards entered the detection magic circle I installed around the train. There's at least 100 of them, including zombies."

Ellen's jaw dropped, and Simon quickly stood up.

"Let's go to the engine room."

"Yeah."

Ellen went to warn the others about the situation while Simon and Rete went to the engine room.

Methyn stood up and said,

"Welcome back. The fuel is now halfway f—"

"Tell everyone to leave. We need to get the train going. Now."

"Did something happen?"

"Heavenly Blood is coming after the train."

At that, Methyn immediately ran out.

Rete sat down in the engine room and put her hand on top of the magic circle.

After taking a deep breath, she furrowed her brow and let divinity flow.

The divine magic circle whirred into action, and a vast world of complex formulas unfurled in her mind.

Clackety-clack!

Not long after she touched the magic circle, the train began moving. Simon exclaimed,

"You actually made it go backwards?! Huh!"

"It's a little slower in reverse, but it should be fine once it picks up speed."

Said Rete, standing from her seat.

"Come on, let's go stop some heretics."

* * *

* * *

The two left the engine room.

Simon stared out the window. There, he could see the train running on what looked like nothingness in the darkness of night. And…

[Kiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee!]

Just as Rete said, the zombies had begun to swarm.

Thud! Thud!

The train hadn't picked up speed yet, so the zombies caught up and clung on. Screams broke loose throughout the cabins as the undead let out horrible shrieks from the windows.

Simon immediately opened the ceiling hatch and climbed onto the roof.

Clackety-clack!

He looked down at the walls, hair buffeted by the cold winds whipping his face. Black and red objects covered the sides of carriages. With a swift motion, he donned his robe, inside out, and strapped on the mask.

Crush!

Kicking the first zombie that climbed up, Simon pulled out his last remaining zombie from his subspace.

"Prince. It's time for work again."

Simon spoke into the pale ring on his left hand and touched it to the zombie's body. Immediately, a black thunderbolt fell, and Prince got up from the ground while yawning.

[You called back so quickly. Is it those bastards from Heavenly Blood or whatever they're called?]

"Yeah."

He saw zombies clambering up to the roof of the train. But with a glare from Prince…

[Kiiiiiiing!]

The zombies' eyes turned gold, and they kicked at zombies below, knocking them off the wall and sending them plummeting to the ground.

Simon left Prince to take care of the front, and he ran across the roof to the next car.

{Bone Armor - Handgun Mode}

Equipped with Bone Armor handguns on both arms, he ran across the train roof, firing rounds at any zombies daring enough to show their faces, and he kicked away the ones already on top.

"You're here again?"

He saw Methyn fighting on the roof of the train like him. Methyn's question had a hint of mischievousness, but Simon shrugged it off and moved on to the next car.

"Stop them!"

"Get them off however you can!"

It helped that there were numerous priests and clerics among the passengers.

They sent volleys of attacks and slayed any zombies who found the already broken windows and climbed through.

The civilians who couldn't use divinity still joined in the defense, putting up barricades over those broken windows.

Clackety-clack! Clackety-clack!

The train was picking up speed. Simon ran frantically from the front car to the tail while firing at anything that moved.

"Huff! Huff!"

Out of breath, Simon finally reached the tail car.

Most of the zombies could no longer keep up with the train, so they just had to make their way through the ones already in front of them.

However…

"…What the fuck is that?"

Simon doubted his eyes.

Zombies were swarming the railroad tracks, building a wall of flesh with their bodies. The zombiemancer in charge must've realized the zombies couldn't keep up, so they were trying to block the train itself.

'I need to get rid of them right now!'

Decided Simon, holding the pale ring close to his mouth.

"Prince, come to the tail car of the train! Immediately!"

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Just as Simon finished his sentence, heavy footsteps could be heard in the distance. They went silent for a few seconds, then Prince fell from the air and landed next to Simon.

A large dent formed in the ground beneath him, and the people below screamed.

[I'm here. What is it?]

"See that wall of zombies? Use your crown to take control of one zombie in the middle."

[Ah, okay. I see what you're planning.]

Prince strained his eyes as he gazed further than usual to make a connection. The eyes of a zombie in the middle of the wall turned gold, just like Prince's, and Simon activated the dark spell he had prepared.

"Corpse Explosion!"

Kabooooooooom!

The zombie exploded, and the wall fell with it.

Zombies were scattered through the air, and seconds later the train slammed head-on into the few that remained.

Bones crunched and organs burst as they were crushed beneath the wheels. The lucky ones were only sent flying through the air, helpless to the whims of the breeze.

[Simon! There's another wall behind them!]

"Just keep doing what we're doing!"

'They had a trick like this. No wonder they took so long to start attacking.'

Prince took control of a zombie in the middle and subordinated it to Simon, who then blasted it with Corpse Explosion to take down the wall.

Five walls later, and the tracks were finally clear.

The train had also picked up enough speed that even the nimblest blood zombies couldn't keep up. Priests in the cars had also cleared out the zombies that clung to the walls or got inside.

"We did it! We survived!"

"Waaaaaaaaaah!"

The passengers cheered, throwing their hands in the air. Simon also jumped down to the train floor, gasping for breath, and smiled.

[Hey.]

Prince held out an open palm, looking a little shy.

Simon gladly reached out and gave him a high five. Then, Prince turned his hand to the side.

"?"

[Gosh! When you start high fiving, you obviously have to do a palm slap, a fist bump, then go a thump, thump, bump, bump as well!]

"…?"

Simon blinked in confusion, then said,

"Oh, you mean like a secret handshake??"

[Yeah, like that!]

Simon ended up doing a weird high five that involved slapping each other's palms up and down, fist bumping, elbow bumping, and then turning their backs to each other and bumping once more.

Only then did Prince smile with satisfaction.

[Yeah, yeah! This is what I'm talking about!]

Prince snorted with excitement at the synced movement.

[You have to do this every time you summon me from now on! When I hold out my hand, you'll do this, alright? Remember the order!]

"…By the way, where did you learn this?"

[I just came up with it!]

Prince didn't mention that he used to play with Richard like this.

——