Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 213: Episode

"P-Professor Bahil...!"

Rikon dropped to his knees before Bahil, his supervising professor. He pointed to his own chest with a trembling hand. "Y-you, you remember me, right?"

"Of course, Rikon." A gentle smile touched Bahil’s lips. "I heard your voice from afar and came right away, knowing it was you."

Rikon’s face lit up. "P-please! There must be some mistake for Kizen to drop me! If you say something, Professor...!"

"Ah, actually, the reason I came is..." Bahil’s smile vanished. "...to say goodbye."

"...What?"

Bahil stroked the brim of his hat. "You are a moderately competent student. If this had been a normal curriculum instead of the second integrated semester, you might have survived for quite a long time. You might have even become a second-year."

"Th-that’s right! I’m still—!"

"But crucially," a toneless voice flowed from Bahil’s lips, "Kizen has no need for a necromancer who cannot fight a Priest."

At that one sentence, Rikon’s face stiffened.

"We are fortunate to have filtered you out here. No matter how skilled a commander is in normal times, a unit led by someone who wets their pants at the mere sight of divinity will surely become prey for Priests in a war." The corners of Bahil’s mouth rose in a devilish smile. "By filtering you out, we have saved many lives."

The words were like a curse, cruelly digging into Rikon’s heart. Seeing his head droop as he collapsed with a devastated expression, Bahil gestured to the minions. They grabbed his arms and dragged him off the campus.

A deafening silence fell over the area.

"Mocking the loser is the right of the victor," Bahil said, pressing his fedora down firmly as he looked back at the students who had come to jeer. "But there is nothing more unsightly than mocking out of envy, without having the proper skill and qualifications yourself."

The silence grew heavier, and some students even blushed. As Bahil turned and walked away, the hesitant female TA quickly followed him.

"Professor Bahil..."

"You are under disciplinary action, TA Arita." She flinched. "To be swayed by personal feelings and fail to handle such a trivial matter properly, was this a problem that required my direct intervention?"

For a professor to reprimand a TA in front of all the students was highly unusual. But she swallowed hard and bowed her head as if she had prepared for this. "I apologize. I will gladly accept any punishment..."

"I will send a letter to the public necromancer school, Moiran."

She looked up in surprise.

"Rikon is a decent talent. A place like Moiran would gladly take him. Whether he gets his act together, becomes the top student at Moiran, and returns to Kizen as a transfer student, or breaks down completely, depends on his own mindset."

The TA’s eyes filled with emotion. She bowed deeply. "Thank you, thank you so much, Professor...!"

Bahil gave a slight wave of his hand and walked away. As the students heading to the grand auditorium made way for him, he paused midway and said in a gentle voice, "See you in class."

Simon looked up in surprise. Bahil had already turned his back and was quickly entering the grand auditorium.

Soon, he disappeared, and the students’ voices exploded. The main topic, of course, was Bahil.

"From now on, I’m going to..." Dick slammed his hands together with a determined expression. "Major in Cursology—Oof!"

"Please grow up! You moron!"

When the two turned around, Meirin and Kamibarez, who had changed into their new uniforms, had arrived.

"When did you get here?"

"We just got here after hearing the commotion," Kamibarez replied with a smile.

Dick hit Simon’s elbow with an excited face. "Hey! Hey! More importantly, did you see that? You guys heard it too, right? Professor Bahil told me he’d see me in class! Isn’t this the perfect setup for me to become his direct disciple?"

Simon turned his head, offering no comment, and Meirin sighed. Kamibarez, seeming to believe it purely, repeatedly asked, "Really? Really?"

"Now, students! Please hurry and enter the grand auditorium!" Minions came out and shouted. "The opening ceremony will begin shortly!"

---

Simon felt the pleasant excitement of a new beginning as he entered the large, magnificent grand auditorium.

’Being here reminds me of the entrance ceremony.’

It was dizzying just thinking about it now. To think that he had been sitting there, knowing nothing, and then was called up as Simon Polentia, Special Admission Number One, to give the student representative’s oath—his heart still pounded.

"Now! Please take your seats!"

"The event will begin shortly!"

Minions went around, seating the chattering students. A little while later, the curtain behind the grand auditorium’s stage was drawn back, and a man appeared with slow steps.

"Quiet."

The students, who had been craning their necks to see who it was, soon let out a great gasp. Hollow eyes and dark circles, a listless expression that seemed devoid of any motivation, and shaggy, almost unkempt hair. Seeing him, a deep smile spread across Simon’s lips.

’Long time no see, Professor Aaron!’

Still, perhaps because it was an official occasion, he was dressed sharply in a suit, a far cry from his usual shabby attire. The female students in the front screamed with joy at the extremely rare sight of Aaron in a suit.

"Do you not know the word ‘quiet’?"

At that one sentence, a dead silence fell over the auditorium. As the students stiffly placed their hands on their knees and darted their eyes around, Aaron trudged over and stopped at the very front of the stage. A minion set up a stand microphone with an amplifying crystal sphere and stepped down.

"Ah. Hmm." Aaron adjusted the volume of the amplifying crystal sphere and opened his mouth. "First, congratulations on passing the opening exam. I am glad to be able to spend a new semester with you all safely."

The students, watching his expression, cautiously clapped a few times. Seeing this, Aaron raised only the corners of his mouth with a stoic expression. "You don’t look thrilled."

’Woohoo!!’

The explosive cheers that erupted as if on cue were deafening. Simon and Meirin covered their ears. Students were untying and waving their neckties, Kamibarez was clapping enthusiastically, and Dick was standing on his chair, whistling.

"Good. I have no intention of starting the second integrated semester in such a stuffy atmosphere either. You are the victors. I will allow you to savor the feeling of victory, however fleeting."

Listening quietly, Simon let out an ambiguous laugh. The word ‘fleeting’ sounded strangely significant.

"Now, I will explain the test you have just taken. I imagine there are still some students who are bewildered." As he gestured, a large mana screen appeared in the air. "This is the main core program that will run through the entire second integrated semester. Its official name is the ‘Comprehensive Black Magic Aptitude Test.’ It is also called BMAT."

After a cough, Aaron continued his explanation. "This is the most important test that will replace the existing first-semester final exam and second-semester midterm exam. The written portion will be evaluated all at once in the final exam at the end of the second semester. The frequency of dueling evaluations will also be reduced compared to the first semester."

The students looked at each other and murmured in unison. Meirin sighed with a troubled expression. "I expected this, but in the end, they’re getting rid of the written exams."

Meirin’s greatest strength was the written exams. Considering she had placed second in the entire school on the midterms, it was a disappointing development for her.

Kamibarez said comfortingly, "But you still placed in the Top Ten in this opening exam! You’ll be able to do well in the practical exams too."

"Yeah. Thanks, Kami."

Meanwhile, Aaron’s explanation continued. "The Comprehensive Black Magic Aptitude Test, also known as BMAT, is divided into a total of five tests."

A new screen appeared, showing videos of a desert, a snowy mountain, a grassland, and so on. The students scrambled up from their seats to try and figure out the content of the next test.

"This video is just a sample, so you don’t need to pay much attention to it. To get to the point, you will be thrown into five different types of battlefields, and your various black magic application skills will be tested as necromancer agents."

Students who had been struggling to fly with all sorts of black magic above the clouds were crashing into obstacles and falling in great pain. Simon thought it was a huge relief that this course was just a sample.

"Each test has a theme, and the evaluation criteria also differ. The rankings will be determined from first place to the very last, 898th place. The bottom fifty will be expelled on the spot. Go home."

The students swallowed nervously. He said there were five tests in total, so just from the BMAT alone, 250 students would be definitively cut. If you included the bottom squad from the dueling evaluations and failures in the final exams and grades, it was terrifying.

"And the opening exam you just took is also one of these five. The theme of this test was, needless to say, divinity response, mental management, and trauma recovery."

Simon nodded. If this were also counted as one of the five, it meant there were four tests left in the second integrated semester.

"I’ll tell you in advance, the tests are difficult," Aaron said in a heavy voice. "It’s not a matter of fifty people; anyone who falls below the standard will be eliminated. I’ve seen one hundred twenty people get cut all at once. Getting first place is important, but always prioritize survival above all else."

"Understood!" the students replied in tense voices.

"Also, the theme of the test can be somewhat extreme. There are cases where a student who placed first in one test ends up in the bottom ranks in another. A tip for you is to not be buried in just one skill, but to improve various techniques and raise your overall level as an elite necromancer. Still, if you insist on focusing on just one thing, then improve its application to the point where you can handle any situation with that one skill."

Just then, a student in the very front row shot their hand up. Aaron ignored them and continued his explanation, but the hand waving back and forth seemed to bother him, as he frowned and looked at her.

"What is it, Jamie Victoria?"

By now, there was no professor who taught Class A who didn’t know the name of Jamie, the master of questions. She shot up from her seat and asked in a loud voice so that the other students could hear.

"This is Jamie Victoria from Class A! I’m curious as to when the theme of the test will be announced!"

"It will not be announced." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Jamie froze with her arm still raised. The other students also murmured in confusion.

"You must figure out the theme of the test yourselves. The content of the lectures, the topics of performance evaluations, the flow of supplies, rumors among residents, legends and folktales, and so on. We will provide hints in various ways. There may even be hints in the jokes that professors casually drop, so pay attention to everything."

While the students gaped in astonishment, Dick looked like he was about to scream with joy. "Crazy! Wow! This was an information war? This semester is gonna be so much fun! Hehehehehe! You’re all dead now!"

Simon quietly massaged Dick’s shoulders. He had to survive at Kizen.

"Of course," Aaron’s mouth opened again. "There will be rampant false rumors and wild goose chases to eliminate competitors. I’ll tell you now that it’s most important to keep the rumors in the back of your mind and focus on improving your own abilities."

For some reason, Simon felt as if Aaron was looking at Dick as he spoke. Dick, feeling the same vibe, was sweating and smiling awkwardly.

"This important explanation has gone on a bit long." The minion from the broadcasting team standing in front of the stage was gesturing wildly, signaling for him to wrap it up quickly. "That’s all for the briefing on the new test. We will now officially begin the event."

After finishing his explanation, Aaron stepped aside and became the host of the opening ceremony. Simon had thought Aaron wouldn’t be good at this kind of event, but he was surprised to see him handle it better than expected.

The following national anthems of the four kingdoms and the school song were quickly skipped over or omitted. Speeches from people dispatched from each kingdom, announcements from the facility manager, and warnings from the head of the watchmen went on and on.

"Next is the student representative’s oath. The male and female students who are called will please come forward." Aaron lifted the paper in his hand. "Originally, we should reflect the first-semester final exam grades, but due to the special circumstances, we will proceed the same as the entrance ceremony. Special Admission Number One, Simon Polentia. Special Admission Number Two, Serne Aindark."

’Woohoo!’

Simon stood up with a look of resignation, as if the inevitable had occurred. Dick, even more excited than Simon, slapped his arm, and Kamibarez clenched her fists and cheered him on.

Meirin, on the other hand, looked extremely displeased. When Simon subtly gave a look to the two of them, Dick and Kamibarez belatedly sat down. It was obvious she wouldn’t be happy that Serne, her polar opposite and sworn enemy, had been chosen as the female student representative.

Simon went up to the front of the stage first and was waiting when Serne came walking past the students, her gait that of a queen. Then, she stopped after coming up one step and turned toward Simon, extending her right hand and giving a bright smile. It was a clear request for an escort.

"...Hey, don’t do that." Simon showed his refusal in embarrassment, but Serne pretended not to hear, only tilting her head and waving her outstretched hand. The event was delayed while Simon hesitated, and the broadcasting minion, unable to watch any longer, cleared his throat.

Having no choice, Simon took Serne’s hand and escorted her onto the stage like a gentleman. Sparks flew from Meirin’s eyes as she watched. "UGHHHH!!! She’s doing that just for me to see!"

Kamibarez desperately held her back and tried to stop her.

But a little ways off, another man was just as excited, kicking the seat in front of him and thrashing about. "Damn it! If things had gone normally, I should have been up there, not him!"

"Calm down, Hector!" Hector’s faction members were holding him back and trying to stop him.

While Meirin and Hector were rampaging, Aaron proceeded with the event regardless. "All rise. Recite the oath along with the student representatives."

The sound of nearly nine hundred students rising all at once was deafening. Simon and Serne also made eye contact and nodded. As if a minion had used black magic, a paper with the oath written on it was floating in the air in front of the two of them.

The two straightened their chests, raised their right hands, and opened their mouths.

"I swear," Simon began.

"I swear," Serne echoed.

Then, from behind them, the sound of eight hundred ninety-six students shouting in unison, "I swear!" could be heard. Simon took a light breath and opened his mouth.