Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner

Chapter 191

2am.

There was something eerie about the city at night. No lights, just a looming darkness.

It was a side of Langerstine that only its residents knew. Tourists only thought of this place as a bustling metropolis.

But this night in particular, while everyone was asleep, a hooded figure quietly took in the night view from his chair on a terrace.

"Yaaaawwnnn."

A lazy voice came from behind him as if to break the immersion.

There was a man holding his bulging belly, his full beard swaying as he staggered onto the terrace.

The hooded man smirked, placing the cigar he was smoking between his fingers.

"Tired?"

"Don't even get me started."

The bearded man smacked his lips and rubbed his eyes.

"Making this mess by visiting so early in the morning… How could I not be tired?"

"You've adapted well to city life."

The man's gaze fell on the bearded man's bulging belly and stretched clothes.

The bearded man chuckled, and he patted his stomach.

"It's a neighborhood full of frauds, but once you get used to it, it's alright. After all, I'd rather live a life full of drama than herd sheep on the grassy plains."

"Sounds like you're having fun."

The man's tone expressed displeasure, contrary to his words.

The bearded man yawned again.

"I'm sleepy, so get to the point already. I already told you that I can't find them."

"It's someone else today."

The man tossed the stub that remained of his cigar out off the side of the building and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It was a photograph taken with a mana camera.

"I'm looking for this boy."

The bearded man's eyes blinked as he looked at the photograph.

"I heard he's an S.A. 1 student being pampered by Kizen. His name is Simon Polentia."

The bearded man frowned.

"…I'm warning you, it's better to not get involved with Kizen. Especially not their students. You know what Nefthis did to Efnel after they terrorized a bunch of first-years, right?"

"I know."

The man took the photo and put it back in his pocket.

"Just tell me if you can find him or not."

"Well, even if we don't look for him, it's back-to-school season soon, so I'm sure he'll be he—"

The bearded man flinched and turned around.

"What's wrong?"

"…We're not alone."

The bearded man walked slowly and peeked into the living room. A mouse was running around the house.

He let out a sigh of relief.

"We're on the third floor, for goodness' sake! When did that thing get in here?"

He muttered irritably before grabbing a nearby broom. The mouse was busy nibbling on the crumbs of snacks in the house.

"That's right, stay still…"

As he lifted his broom, the rat looked back at the bearded man. Its eyes were gleaming with the insanity of a wild beast.

"…!"

Right on cue, hundreds of pairs of eyes flashed from the shadows.

"Ahhhhhh!"

The bearded man fell to the floor in panic, losing his grip on the broom. A swarm of mice began spilling forward.

The hooded man jumped to his feet as well.

"Dammit! It's him!"

"Uwaaah! Aaaagh!"

The bearded man tried to run back into the living room to escape the horrific swarm of mice, but his path was blocked by countless cockroaches coating the walls, floor, and ceiling.

He covered his mouth and retched.

Shrrrrrrrrr.

Something was rising from the darkness outside the terrace.

It was a person.

He was standing on the edge of the terrace, upon the third floor, and something indeterminable swarmed around him.

"Ahhh! Ahhhhhhh!"

The bearded man's mouth foamed in terror while the hooded man smirked and pulled a sword from his waistband.

"To think you'd come to me yourself!"

The man charged in.

Tap.

On his first step, red spots appeared all over his body.

Tap.

On the second, those red spots became terrible rashes

Tap.

On the third, his hands and feet turned a sickly yellow.

Finally, as he took his fourth step, he collapsed on the floor, groaning.

"Kuugh! Kuugghh!"

The man with the sword foamed up and grunted in pain.

The bearded man shivered in fear as he watched the new arrival stepping forward.

"Wh-What's wrong with—?! I mean, p-please spare me!"

"Did you…"

The new man's lips cracked open.

"Did you just say Simon Polentia?"

* * *

"Simon! Are you done packing?"

"Yeah, Mom! I'm done!"

In the early hours, when Simon came downstairs from his room on the second floor to the living room, he found a well-ironed Kizen school uniform. Anna had washed it carefully so the enchantment on it wouldn't be ruined.

He carefully picked up the uniform that was as good as new.

'I'm finally getting to wear this again.'

He changed into his uniform, feeling a little touched.

He felt its smooth, soft texture as he slid his legs into the dark suit pants. Next, he buckled his belt and slipped his arms into the white shirt. He buttoned it up, tied the red tie over it, and finally put on his patterned blazer.

In the mirror, he saw himself in a smart-looking suit.

'I feel like I'm enrolling in Kizen again.'

As he looked at his reflection, Anna appeared from the kitchen.

She skillfully placed a slice of apple pie into her son's mouth and smoothed out his tie.

Then, she took a step back and clasped her hands together, pridefully gazing upon Simon in his school uniform.

"Wow~ My boy's all grown up."

"Are you ready, Simon?"

The door opened, and Richard walked into the house. A man in a brown robe was with him.

"Who's this, Father?"

"He's one of Kizen's servants, sent by Nefthis herself. He has prepared a teleport circle in the yard."

The servant bowed politely.

"Student Simon, I have prepared a magic circle to teleport you to an outer city nearby Langerstine. From there, you can take a carriage and reach your destination within two hours."

"Ah, thank you for your service!"

As expected from Kizen. It was something Simon only realized during his recent trip to the Holy Federation, but teleport circles really were precious.

This magic circle, freely available to every student in Kizen, was actually a device of astronomical cost, labor, and effort.

Most people would die without ever being able to ride one.

"Then, I'll be waiting outside."

The servant stepped out, and the time to say goodbye was soon approaching.

Richard put his hand on Simon's shoulder and explained what he should expect in the second semester, including what to do if the Legion was discovered by a professor or other students. Beside them, Anna was stacking up lunch boxes.

Dear Camibarez Ursula,

Anna had packed a lunch for each member of the group, sticking a note on top with their names and a heart. She also left a short message asking them to take care of Simon and wishing them well in school.

Simon took all of Richard's tips to heart, placed Anna's lunchboxes carefully in his subspace so they wouldn't fall apart, and bowed politely.

"I'll be off."

When he stepped out the front door, he saw the magic circle in the yard.

Simon walked up to it, turning back to see Anna and Richard standing at the door.

Anna couldn't hold in her tears, so Richard was hugging her gently. She leaned into him.

"Be careful, Simon! You must never let your guard down in Kizen. It is not safe like home. Do everything you can to steal for your own the knowledge and know-how of the greatest necromancers of our time!"

"Please, stay safe! Never skip your meals!"

Simon bowed to his parents again, then turned around and stepped onto the teleport circle.

'I'm finally going back to Kizen!'

Simon's feet floated up in the air.

* * *

* * *

As expected, it was a pleasant teleport compared to the ones he suffered in the Holy Federation.

He opened his eyes to find himself in a small rural town. It was a satellite city of sorts to support the extremely overpopulated city of Langerstine.

Many coaches were lined up on a well-used dirt road, with drivers and passengers haggling over the rates.

Simon waited in line, and it didn't take long for him to reach the front.

"To Langerstine, please."

"Yes! I'll take you there safely."

The carriage departed, and Simon began working on the rest of his holiday homework.

The ride took almost two hours, but the time flew by. He was awoken from his state of heavy concentration as he finished off a few problems by the carriage driver calling out, "Langerstine!"

Only then Simon did take his eyes off his homework and look out the window.

"Wow…!"

Langerstine, the capital of the Dresden Kingdom and the closest port city to Roke Island.

Even though this was his second time seeing the place, he was still in awe at the sight of it.

Tall buildings stood together to make a forest of urbanization, crowded carriages rushed across the paved streets, and the entire place was bustling with fervent activity.

Simon's carriage stopped just inside the gate of Langerstine.

"I'm sorry, but outside carriages can only go this far. The city is quite unfriendly to outsiders, you see."

"Alright. I'll walk the rest of the way, then. Thank you for your work!"

After paying for and stepping out of the carriage, Simon closed his eyes and took a deep breath, filtering out the cacophony of chatter that filled the streets.

'Let's meet up with Cami.'

Rick said he was busy doing something in Langerstine, and Meilyn said she would arrive tomorrow. It seemed quickest to meet Camibarez first.

Simon climbed the sloping central road at a leisurely pace.

'If I remember correctly, she said she'd be waiting on Kemmelroad.'

Kemmelroad was a street that sold necromancer supplies. Simon remembered buying his subspace and textbooks there with Lorain before he started school.

He walked along, reminiscing.

'By the way, this place… It's hillier than I remembered.'

Again, the city's sloping roads were quite steep, and he had to work up a sweat to get to the main business district.

There was even a joke that those living in Langerstine can never skip leg day, even if they tried.

Rattle rattle!

A carriage pulled up beside Simon as he walked up the hill.

"Hey~!"

Simon stopped. The carriage door cracked open, revealing a pair of shapely legs.

Then, it was fully opened, revealing a woman with long, ivory hair.

As Simon stood there dumbfounded, she smiled and pushed up her sunglasses.

"Good to see you again, Simon~ Are you here to prepare for school?"

"Serene!"

It was Serene Aindark, Kizen's S.A. 2 and the official heir of the Ivory Tower.

She winked and asked,

"Were you going somewhere?"josei

"Why?"

Simon couldn't help but put his guard up in the presence of Serene. She moved to the side and patted the spot where she'd been sitting.

"Langerstine is complicated. Hop on! I'll take you where you want to go."

"No, there's no need for you to—"

"What do you think you're doing?!"

A harsh shout interrupted him, soon followed by many other voices coming from behind Serene's carriage on the road.

"Are you crazy?!"

"Why the hell are you stopping in the middle of the road?!"

Looking back at the furious coachmen, Serene grabbed a handful of her long ivory hair and shook her head gracefully from side to side.

As her velvety hair swayed side to side, white feathers flew out of it and stuck themselves into the napes of the complaining coachmen. Their anger was soon replaced with flushed cheeks, and they looked a little tipsy.

"Ehehehe."

"You know, you can stop the carriage from time to time…"

"Life is healthier when you take it easy."

Simon laughed awkwardly at the men's sudden change in behavior.

As the passengers in the carriages urged them to move on, the coachmen got mad at them. This moment froze up traffic all over Langerstine.

"Are you going to keep a lady waiting?"

Serene smiled as she patted the empty seat again.

"…Haaa."

Eventually, Simon hopped onto the carriage.

"Let's go~"

She said in a sweet voice, and the coachman flicked the reins to get the horses going.

"Where were you headed?"

She put her sunglasses back on and chuckled.

"Kemmelroad."

"You heard him, driver!"

Through the thin fabric, the silhouette of a man could be seen flicking the reins, skillfully guiding the horse's head so it would trot into a side alley.

Serene stretched out her long legs, crossing one over the other, and then clasped her hands together in her lap and smiled.

"We're going to have another intense time at Kizen, aren't we? Let's work well together for the semester."

"Yeah. Thanks for the ride."

"No problem~ So, this counts as another stamp?"

"I'll get off."

"Ahaha! I'm just kidding!"

Simon didn't really mind, but the more Serene mentioned stamps, the more it started to bother him.

That was when Serene rapped her fist on the coachman's back through the thin fabric.

"Hey, driver, are you really not going to say hello? You haven't seen each other for almost two months."

"…"

'Just who is he?'

The silhouette pulled his fabric aside, revealing a familiar face.

The man had gray hair, a face full of scars, a sharp jawline, and the eyes of a wolf.

The surprise of meeting him here only made the encounter more exciting for Simon.

He shouted,

"Kajann!"

——