Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner

Chapter 194

"Meilyn is already here?"

Asked Simon as he took a bite of the pudding he bought from a street vendor.

"Uh-huh."

"Didn't Meilyn say she was joining us tomorrow?"

Rick smiled slyly, like a villain plotting something.

"Actually, Meilyn's been in Langerstine for a week already."

"What?"

"You'll find out when you get there!"

Rick led the three to a large theater in the center of downtown Langerstine.

Noblemen in suits and ladies in dresses were going in. From the sounds of the staff shouting, a play was about to begin.

"Three people."

Said Rick, strutting forward, not even entering any kind of queue. The staff boy giving tickets glanced at him.

"…Hmph, do kids these days even watch plays? And tickets for the daytime schedule are already sold out. The ones we have here are for those who pre-booked."

Rick chuckled, leaned over, and proudly pointed to the symbol on his chest.

"We're from Kizen."

Then he turned his gaze to signal the two people standing behind him, Simon and Cami.

Simon sighed inwardly and roughly mimicked Rick's posture while Camibarez blushed and awkwardly followed.

The effect of the name 'Kizen' was immediate. The staff member immediately started acting subserviently, rubbing his palms together and becoming extremely polite.

"C-Can I help you with anything, guests from Kizen? Is there something wrong with our theater?"

Rick's smiling face instantly turned cold.

"Why do you ask? Is there something you're hiding?"

"A-Absolutely not! Shall I call the owner right now?"

"There's no need. We just came silently for a mission. Please don't tell your higher-ups."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

The three of them entered the theater with a free pass.

A female staff member, who seemed a little nervous at the appearance of Kizen students, politely bowed before leading the three of them to the best VVIP seats.

They were on the second floor in a private room with a table in the middle.

The staff asked which wine they wanted to order, but Rick declined, saying he was on a mission, and flicked his finger to point at the door. The staff quickly left.

Simon said,

"This is an amazing seat."

They had a clear view of the stage from their elevated position.

Camibarez looked around nervously, then brushed her skirt and modestly sat down.

"Can we really do this?"

"Of course."

Rick ran his hand along the armrest of his comfortable chair and crossed his legs.

"Aren't we in Kizen for things like this? You shouldn't waste the benefits that you have."

"So…"

Simon crossed his arms.

"When are you going to tell us why you brought us to the theater?"

"Uhehe! You'll know when you see it. Now, it begins!"

The theater turned dark, and mana lights illuminated the stage. The curtains parted, revealing a girl with light blue hair in a white dress on stage.

Simon and Camibarez's jaws dropped.

"M-Meilyn?!"

Rick held his stomach and started laughing.

"Bwahaha! You had such a fun hobby, and you're trying to keep it secret from us? Not a chance, not with my information network."

Soon, Meilyn and a male actor appeared and began to perform enthusiastically.

"Stavarego! I can't leave you!"

Shouted Meilyn.

"You need to run, Almacarina. The armies shall soon overrun this place. Even if I die, you and the child in your womb must live."

Music began to flow seamlessly over the two, who had been arguing over whether to stay or leave.

'I'm excited. I've never heard Meilyn sing before.'

As Simon waited with bated breath, Meilyn clasped her hands together and began,

"My whole life I have lived in a strange fantasy."

Hearing her singing voice for the first time, Simon felt a slight shiver run down his spine.

Such a clear and clean voice… The rest of the crowd had the same reaction as Simon.

"But thanks to you, I see the dark reality."

Meilyn, singing comfortably with her hands on her chest, gradually opened her arms and swayed slightly to the music. The song had passed the intro and was now moving into the rising action.

"If I were born a butterfly, no pollen would I carry, no flower would I bloom."

Everyone was mesmerized by her voice, from Camibarez to even Rick, who was planning on teasing Meilyn.

Then, the climax.

"The world… is!"

Exclamations came from the entire crowd.

Her delicate but powerful vocals, delivered with a slight grimace as the notes reached the top of her vocal range, were a thing of wonder.

As she continued to melt the crowd's emotions, the song came to a close.

"Even if we never meet again."

With a jet of fire appearing between the two, Meilyn and the male actor were separated.

After a moment of stunned silence, the audience gave a fierce round of applause.

"Th-That was amazing!"

Before she knew it, Camibarez was clapping with tears in her eyes. Simon also jumped to his feet and clapped.josei

It was the first time in his life that he had ever seen a play in such a large theater, but the most amazing thing was that the actress whose voice dominated the audience was his friend.

Moreover, Meilyn, wearing such careful makeup and an elegant dress, looked more like a proper adult than someone their age.

Soon after the song ended, the play moved to 15 years later.

"Yaaaawwwwwnnnnn."

Rick didn't even hide his boredom. The story was fairly typical.

Meilyn separated from her husband, had to give birth to a daughter by herself, and raised a child who grew up wondering who her father was before going abroad.

Later, she fell in love with a young foreigner who helped her, but despairs once she realizes he is actually her biological father's son. Her half-brother.

'…I mean, why do they still continue then?'

In the end, the two ended up throwing themselves into the river in rejection of the prejudices and shackles of society.

A sudden turn of events. Simon decided to give up on thinking about it.

"How unbelievable. They need to fire the theater director for this."

Said Rick, clicking his tongue.

So the final act arrived. All the actors came out to dance and sing, Meilyn included.

And then the finale. The curtains were drawn fully open, and the lights brightened.

The actors bowed their heads, and the audience, soaked in bright stage lights, all stood up and clapped.

The three of them did the same.

After a while, the curtains drew closed once more, and the audience started to filter out.

"Come on, let's go!"

Rick said excitedly.

"To where?"

"To Meilyn's prep room, of course! Our show is just getting started!"

The three of them walked out of the VVIP section and toward the actors' prep rooms.

The staff told them that outsiders weren't allowed, but again, upon seeing Rick's Kizen uniform, they stepped aside.

Rick walked past, his eyes quickly scanning the signs on each room until he stopped at one of them.

"It's here."

Rick knocked slightly, and a voice from inside the room said, "Come in." Rick smirked and gestured for the rest to follow.

"We're going in!"

"Yeah!"

The three of them burst through the door.

Meilyn, who was brushing her hair neatly in front of the mirror, belatedly realized who had entered.

"Wha…"

After spacing out for a moment, her eyes widened as if they would pop out of her skull.

"Wha! Whawhawhawha… Whaaaaaaaaaat???"

She scrambled to her feet, her face flushed red.

"Why are you guys here?!"

Simon smiled and waved.

"That was a good play, Meilyn."

Meilyn's face went red as a rose in full bloom when she recognized Simon.

Camibarez put her hands together, her eyes shining in astonishment.

"Your singing was so good, Meilyn! Your dress is beautiful as well!"

"Thank you, Ca— No, more than that, you crazy bastards! How did you guys find this place?"

Her questioning gaze turned to Rick.

"Tsk! It was you, wasn't it?!"

"That's right."

Rick dismissively flicked the air, a move he'd been pushing as his signature lately.

It was a good way to bring out anger and disgust, and one of the accessories in Meilyn's hand landed cleanly on his forehead.

"I want to be left alone, so get out of here, right nowwwwwww!!"

* * *

* * *

After receiving more embarrassment than she could bear, Meilyn ordered them to leave, but they weren't really the type to listen.

Simon was sitting on the couch, munching on the snacks, and Camibarez had come up behind Meilyn and was fiddling with her dress.

Meilyn covered her face with her hands, then glanced between her fingers at Simon.

"D-Did you see it?"

"See what?"

"My acting."

"I did. From beginning to end."

"Anxsjdvr…"

An incomprehensible sound left her mouth and she buried her face between her knees. Rick was busy laughing at her, and Simon spoke softly as if to soothe her.

"What are you so embarrassed about? You acted and sang well."

"It's completely different if somebody I know sees it!"

Meilyn fanned her face to cool herself off.

"By the way, Meilyn, how did you get into such a fancy play?"

Asked Camibarez, and Meilyn told them the truth.

She was always interested in theater. She often went to watch plays and loved to sing as a hobby.

The problem came when Serene recently came to her while they were training in the Ivory Tower during the holidays. They got into a fight and made a deal that they'd compete in elemental dark magic.

"Serene placed her title of Heir to the Ivory Tower as her bet."

Said Meilyn, scratching the back of her neck. Simon, listening to the story, silently laughed.

He could see the picture in his head. She must've accepted it blindly.

"It was Serene's condition that I join the theater and play as an actor myself if I lost."

"Oh! And you got completely destroyed, I see?"

"Yeah! But not as much as I'll destroy your mouth if you keep talking!"

Rick shut up at once. She covered her face with her hands again.

"But Serene, that fox…! She somehow managed to get a big theater gig in Langerstine and got my name on the list of actors! Ugh, honestly…!"

"Well, you looked like you had a lot of fun on stage for something you were forced to do."

Said Simon with a smile. Meilyn blushed and stuck her tongue out in reply.

"But I loved it! You were stunning, Meilyn, and your voice was so angelic I almost thought that the Goddess might be real!"

"…Thanks, Cami. You're the only one I have. Those two just want to make fun of me."

Then Rick hugged himself in an overly exaggerated motion and bemoaned in an awkward feminine voice,

"Stavarego! I can't leave you!"

"Diiiiiiiieeeeeee!"

Howled Meilyn, throwing everything she could get her hands on. Rick chuckled and ran away.

"Ugh, honestly! Now he's gonna tease me about that for the entire semester! I didn't want him to find this out, no matter what!"

"Hahaha!"

The four of them shared a hearty laugh and exchanged stories.

Meilyn removed her makeup, changed into her more comfortable school uniform, and stepped out of the prep room.

"But the Almacarina role was slightly off for you, Meilyn. She's the heroine's mom!"

Meilyn giggled, being reminded of her own thoughts on the matter.

"It was hella weird! The director is out of his mind, casting someone in her thirties as the daughter. Well, it can't be helped. Someone with good acting skills and fame should be the main character in this industry."

"Ohh, my daughter! Ludogorami, my heart is breaking apart!"

"I think I need to break you apart."

"Ack! My bangs! Not the bangs!"

* * *

Outside the prep rooms, where four were chatting wildly.

There was a girl with platinum hair. She was leaning against the wall by the door, waving a rustling feather. She giggled before pushing herself upright.

A staff member with a feather tucked into his nape brought two cups of tea on a tray, looking completely charmed. The girl, Serene, smiled and lifted her teacup.

The staff member then walked past her to the side, up to another figure standing by the door.

"It's on the lady over there."

It was a huge man wrapped in a black cloak. The man's face stiffened at the kid's words.

"Get lost."

Thud.

At Dietrich's bloodlust, the feathered boy fell to the ground. His pants were drenched, whether from the tea on the tray or something else. Or both.

"What a waste~"

Said Serene, sipping her tea gracefully.

"Do you also have a business with them?"

"Remember, human,"

Dietrich's eyes flashed red.

"if you use your filthy power against my daughter, that will be the day the Ivory Tower falls."

"Yeah, yeah."

Serene shrugged.

"You do know that an adult interfering in a kid's fight doesn't look that good, right? To think that the Vampire Lord is a fool for his daughter."

"Are you trying to claim you're one of those 'kids'?"

"First of all, I'm still seventeen, so~"

The two of them stared each other down, but they were soon interrupted by the door bursting open.

"Come on! Now that the gang is finally back together, let's go grab a drink!"

Shouted Rick. Meilyn and Camibarez followed, and Simon, the last to come out, closed the door behind them.

"Simon?"

Camibarez stopped walking, looking back at Simon. He was staring at the floor.

He could see a feather and a large footprint on the floor. He smiled quietly and looked back up.

"It's nothing. Let's go."

——