Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner

Chapter 199

"This won't take long."

Wichasha, the chief of the criminals who had kidnapped Meilyn—the Hoopa Clan—held the red cloth over her head.

"…?"

Meilyn squeezed her eyes shut.

Then, after a few seconds of nothing happening, she opened her eyes again.

She thought WIchasha was going to strangle her or blindfold her, but instead, the cloth settled over her shoulders and fell down her chest.

That was when she belatedly realized it was just an apron with a carrot character on it against a red background.

"???"

Suddenly, a table was pushed in front of her. A large, sizzling turkey roast was placed on it, and other fried dishes and a mushroom soup were put around it.

"I order you untie her."

As Wichasha spoke, a buff man came up behind Meilyn and undid the ropes binding her wrists. However, the ropes around her legs and waist weren't untied.

Thud!

Before she knew it, Rick—woozy from the neurological poison—had been seated in another chair, and food was being served on a plate in front of him.

"Please enjoy!"

The men all bowed down in greeting, and the mood instantly flipped.

The unfamiliar but clear sound of foreign flutes and drums, seemingly traditional instruments of the Hoopa Clan, played in the background, and two shirtless men fanned her with leaves from either side.

Meilyn was frozen out of sheer confusion before then flying off the handle.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

"We have only one condition."

Said Wichasha.

"I just want you all to stay here for single day. No more."

"…"

"We willn't harm you or threaten your safety any more. Our methods may be clumsy, but we will do our best to make you all safe during your stay."

Meilyn burst out laughing at his nonsense.

"This smells so strongly of bullshit even rats would barf! Whether you're feeding or fanning us, this is still clearly a kidnapping. Did you really think you could keep people locked up like this and get away with it?

"I know."

Wichasha nodded and approached. Meilyn looked away, disgusted by how his muscles flexed and made his bare nipples twitch.

"We have kidnapped Kizen student, so the punishment is ours. But I have said our demands. Unless you try to flee, we will not be threat to your safety."

Meilyn crossed her arms, still clearly cynical and cold, but she decided to keep talking.

"Let's hear it. Why do you want to keep us here?"

Wichasha gestured to the tables in front her.

"I will answer that question, but first, why not eat? The food will be cold."

In the distance, two muscular men in red aprons were standing over pots and stirring their ladles. Then, they looked up at Meilyn and gave her a thumbs-up.

"We did our best to prepa—"

"Die in a hole, perverts."

At Meilyn's icy reply, the two cooks were crestfallen. One of them was almost sobbing.

Wichasha mourned,

"Eura and Hake have fragile heart."

"That's none of my business! And why should I put anything made by those nipple-baring perverts in my mouth when it could be poisoned?!"

"If we were going to poison you, we would have force fed you like we did your friend. But we did not."

"I don't care what you say. I'm not taking a single bi—!"

Grrrruumble.

'Gaaaah! This is so embarrassing! Why now, out of all times?!'

Wichasha gave a meaningful smile.

"I believe you haven't eaten anything since you wake up."

"…Ugh!"

Her face twisted in frustration and embarrassment.

"Again, we are not scum who play with food. Also, this will go straight to trash if you do not eat. Your decision."

"…"

Meilyn went deep into thought.

'Of course, I don't have to eat the food the kidnappers prepared me.

No, but this is just me throwing a tantrum. If they were going to poison or drug me, they would've done it a long time ago as they said.

I don't really have a choice here, seeing as I'm being held hostage. It's best to play nice here, pretend to be cooperative, and then take them by surprise when they're off guard.

This is all strategy. I'm not doing this because I'm hungry.'

Having made up her mind, Meilyn picked up her fork. Then, she took a small portion of the massive turkey dish in front of her.

Her fork easily nestled itself into the tender meat, releasing a symphony of juices locked inside.

She carefully raised the fork to her mouth and took a bite.

"!"

Her eyes widened.

'Hah, dammit… This hurts my pride, but it's damn delicious. It tastes like the barbecue Professor Hong Feng cooked in the first semester.'

Her fork shook slightly in her grip and she wordlessly took another piece. Wichasha nodded.

"I'm happy you enjoy."

"Ah, shut up! But it is actually delicious."

At that, the two aproned men high-fived in visible delight. Wichasha also smiled approvingly.

"Eura and Hake are weak to compliments."

"I don't want to know such things!!"

* * *

* * *

The day was getting darker.

Simon and Camibarez were running through the streets.

"Let's split up and look for them. It'll be faster that way."

Camibarez nodded at Simon's suggestion.

"Alright! But how do we let each other know when we find them?"

"Give me a moment."

Simon opened his subspace and pulled out the lantern-making sets they'd bought yesterday. There were still two more left, having been bought as spares in case they messed up.

Making the lantern was a breeze, as he had done it many times already. After quickly completing two lanterns, Simon gave one to Camibarez.

"We've got a little while before the Thousand Lights start, so whoever finds them lights the lantern first, and…"

The next thing Simon pulled out from his pocket was a music box.

The idea came from using a music box as a way to attract zombies in Death Land, but Rick modified a few to be even better for that purpose, being louder and easier for zombies to locate.

He'd given one to everyone when they were drinking the day before, bragging that it was his magnum opus.

"Whoever finds the kidnappers first will send up their lantern and hang the music box from it so the other notices."

"Sure!"

Then, the two of them split up and searched every corner of Langerstine, asking around for clues.

'There were so many robed men walking around suspiciously, yet so few witnesses. They must not be far from the clock tower. But because no one saw where they went, they must be somewhere both deserted and hidden.'

Simon began to explore, focusing on the narrow, labyrinthine alleyways.

'Oh, that old lady is…'

As he turned into an alleyway filled with rundown shacks, he saw a familiar old woman with white eyes and with half her face grotesquely distorted. It was the same old woman who blabbered about the spirit of disease when he was with Camibarez the other day.

She was lying on the ground face down, muttering something. Simon walked over.

"Um, excuse me?"

She mumbled something strange, then jerked her head up toward Simon.

"No rats."

"What?"

"No rats can be found in the city. Nor bugs, nor crows. Nothing."

Simon squatted down.

"Where did they go…?"

"They answered the spirit of disease's call."

She mumbled before suddenly raising her voice.

"The spirit is furious! Tonight, another person shall die in this city!"

"…"

'You mean there will be another murder like those?'

Asked Simon, his voice grim.

"Do you know where I can find this 'spirit of disease'?"

"The spirit is—!"

As she was about to answer, something moved in the corner of her eye, making her shut her mouth in fright.

Deep hums came from every direction, overpowering every other sound in the midday alleyway. Then, the sound was broken by a cacophony of skittering feet.

From every corner of the alleyway swarmed countless bugs, dyeing the floor black.

"It's here! It's here! The spirit is here!"

The old woman ran into her shack, slamming the door shut.

Simon, having nowhere to run, just stood in place. Soon, the swarm of bugs scurried toward him before passing him by in a flash.

'Ah.'

They approached with tremendous force. He was worried that they would climb up onto him, but they filtered around his feet and continued to someplace else.

Simon followed the bugs at some distance.

'Where are they going?'

The bugs were getting further and further away into the narrow, dark alleys.

Then…

Bang!

Simon turned his head in surprise.

A nearby wall burst open, and a wave of black rats came crashing out. They lifted Simon up with them, flowing like a stream of water.

With unbelievable speed, the swarm of rats carrying Simon sent him flying down the maze of alleyways before throwing him off at some strange destination.

"Tadah."

Simon stuck the landing unharmed, and the rats scattered before disappearing.

He looked around.

He was in the deepest parts of the city's downtown in a space filled with semi-underground buildings. The specific building he found himself in front of was a bar.

'Are they telling me to come in?'

Simon braced himself and pushed open the door.

"Excuse m— Ugh!"

The smell of alcohol stung his nose.

Several drunken people were sprawled out in a mess. A man who appeared to be the bar's owner was also sprawled out with a grimace on his face.

The only one sitting upright in the center of the room…

Gulp. Gulp.

Simon saw a woman holding an entire keg in just one hand, chugging the contents.

He could see her throat glugging down what had to be gallons of some strong drink, yet she was just casually seated with her legs kicked up on the table in front of her.

'Wh-Who is that?'

Simon thought he'd already met the weirdest people in the world by attending Kizen, but this person easily took the cake.

Her grayish-brown hair was tangled and spiky like a hedgehog, and her ears poking out from that hair were similar in shape to a cat's ears.

She wore rags in a way that vaguely resembled clothing. A myriad of cloths were haphazardly chucked over her body and bandaged together, each visibly covered in dirt and stains. Her skin was no better.

'What is this person? And how long has it been since she last washed?'

She looked more like a wild beast than a civilized person, like a baby raised by wolves in a fairy tale. A wild person in the truest sense.

But the room wasn't flooded with the stench of someone so filthy. Instead, the smell of dangerous chemicals pierced Simon's nose.

Seeing Simon gawking at the entrance, the woman said,

"You're…"josei

Thump!

She grinned as she emptied the keg and set it on the floor. Her teeth were jagged like a shark's.

"Simon Polentia, right?"

'She knows who I am.'

Simon's heart was pounding from nerves as he replied,

"And who are you?"

"Be a man. Are you supposed to answer a question with a question?"

She held out her hand, and soon a crow swooped down, dropping a bottle of liquor from the bar into her open hand. She popped the cork with ease and guzzled the contents down.

Gulp. Gulp.

After emptying the bottle, she smeared her hand across her mouth and gave a happy sigh.

'Now that I look at her…'

Simon narrowed his eyes.

'She looks kind of like someone I know.'

"Anyway, you're a first-year Kizen student, right?"

"Ah, yeah! That's right."

She giggled, resting her arms on the armrests of her chair.

"Then, do you know about Hong Feng? I'm her twin sister."

Simon's eyes widened.

'No wonder why they looked alike!'

Their auras, the way they dressed and spoke, their accents, and the tan on their skin were completely different. However, the underlying features like facial structure and eye color were the same. She was almost like a bestial version of Hong Feng?

"B-But what brings you here, Ms. Feng…?"

"My name is Belya Tun Sokum Marerat."

Her shark teeth flashed as she opened her mouth.

"I guess there's nothing left to hide. I'm Kizen's new professor of Poisonous Alchemy!"

——