Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 287: Episode

The forest was unusually dark. Amidst the gloomy hoots of an owl, the carriage carrying Simon’s group finally ground to a halt. The horse was utterly exhausted. Though its wound had healed, the animal had reached its limit, collapsing to the ground, refusing to move. They had no choice but to make camp or abandon the carriage and continue on foot.

Camping meant scouting for danger, so Simon volunteered to check the surroundings alone.

’No droppings or footprints. It doesn’t seem like there are any monsters nearby.’

The bushes trembled. Simon, his hearing on high alert in the dead of night, immediately fired a bullet from the Bone Handgun on his arm.

He heard something shatter. Rushing over, he rummaged through the undergrowth and found a white, mechanical-looking object. A bone shard was embedded in its torso. He pulled it out and examined the interior, finding a divine magic circle etched within.

[A creature,] Pier’s voice noted with his vast experience. [A type of summon those priests use for scouting.]

’So Efnel really is chasing us.’

[Bwahaha, they’ve sent creatures ahead, which means we still have a bit of a lead. But it won’t be long before they catch up.]

Simon nodded grimly. ’We’ll have to give up on camping and move immediately.’

---

Meanwhile, a sharp disagreement had broken out in front of the carriage.

"We should at least get a good rest today and leave tomorrow morning!" Meirin argued, insisting they make camp.

"Considering the urgency of the mission, we must move at once. Get Sasha up!" Seiwyr countered, demanding they proceed on foot.

"That’s ridiculous! What can we do out of the forest without a carriage? Besides, Sasha is injured!" Meirin shouted. Next to her, Kamibarez gave a timid nod of agreement, Sasha clinging tightly to her side.

"If she can’t walk, you can carry her on your backs."

"No, that’s not the problem!" Meirin was now openly confronting Seiwyr. "You might not be, Agent, but we just fought a battle a few hours ago. Everyone’s exhausted! And if you had just brought the communication crystal to contact Vengeance headquarters from the start, we wouldn’t even be having this debate! We could’ve just requested backup!"

"In the heat of battle, it seems to have fallen from my person and was lost. Fortune was not on our side, but this is just one of the many variables one faces in the field."

"You didn’t help at all while we were fighting, so what ‘heat of battle’...!"

Seiwyr shook his head dramatically, then brushed his bangs back with the back of his hand.

"If you continue to undermine our teamwork like this, you should be prepared for the lowest possible score, Agent Meirin."

Meirin’s fists trembled with rage. She couldn’t just punch him. He was damn suspicious, but she had no evidence to prove he was lying.

Just then, Simon returned from his patrol.

"What happened?" Simon asked, sensing the strained silence.

"Simon! Say something!" Meirin darted over and hissed in his ear. "He insists he’s right! He keeps throwing our scores in my face to shut me down!"

Simon simply nodded and took a step toward Seiwyr. "First, to report on my scouting mission—I don’t believe camping is a viable option."

As Simon sided with Seiwyr, Meirin’s lips pressed into a thin, furious line. Seiwyr, on the other hand, smugly flicked his bangs. "As expected, Agent Simon is a man of reason! For your teamwork, I’ll award you points—"

"I found this," Simon interrupted, opening his palm to reveal what looked like a fragment of a doll.

A chill fell over the group.

"Th-that’s one of their creatures, isn’t it?" Dick muttered, his expression troubled. "They’re really after us."

Simon dropped the creature’s remains to the forest floor and nodded. "Before we deal with the Priests, we need to handle our internal problem."

"Internal problem?"

"Yeah." Simon’s gaze shifted. "Agent Seiwyr."

"Yes."

"Did you really lose the communication crystal? Or did you never have it to begin with?"

At Simon’s pointed question, everyone’s eyes snapped to Seiwyr, whose face tightened in displeasure. "What is the meaning of this, Agent Simon?"

"I’m asking if you, Agent Seiwyr, are truly our assigned mentor," Simon stated flatly.

There were too many discrepancies. When they first arrived in the Neutral Zone, Simon had seen faint letters on the missive Seiwyr presented. The name on it hadn’t been Seiwyr’s. Beyond that, when they were attacked by Priests in Sasha’s village, the ground had been torn apart—a complete mess. Yet when they returned later, it was perfectly restored.

The villagers had also been far too calm. A battle had broken out in their lawless town, yet they were nonchalantly spreading out mats to sell their wares. It was bizarre.

On top of it all, Seiwyr hadn’t participated in the fight and claimed to have inexplicably forgotten the one item that could prove his identity. The oddities were piling up. Simon hadn’t pressed the matter until now, but with an attack from Efnel imminent, he knew it was time to eliminate all uncertainty.

Hearing Simon lay out the facts, Seiwyr let out a hollow laugh and shrugged. "Isn’t that all just a wild leap in logic, Agent Simon? Your own delusion?"

Simon stared blankly.

"We’re doing well. We’ve even secured our target. I don’t understand why you’d try to shatter our teamwork and destroy the trust between agents at a time like this. If you persist, I’ll have no choice but to give you the lowest possible score..."

"Go ahead," Simon declared, his words so shocking they made everyone’s eyes widen. "In exchange, I will state the following before Kizen’s disciplinary committee: Agent Seiwyr was never qualified to be my mentor."

"What?" Seiwyr sputtered.

Simon lifted his head, his gaze unwavering. "I’m challenging you to a duel, Agent Seiwyr."

"Simon!"

"Hey, what’s gotten into you?" Kamibarez and Dick cried, trying to hold him back, but Simon just smiled and gave them a reassuring gesture.

"Kizen is a meritocracy, after all," he explained calmly. "If my mentor is less skilled than I am, I’m confident the school will see my point."

"That is a statement I cannot ignore," Seiwyr snarled. A low rumble filled the air as a torrent of Jet-Black energy erupted from his body. "I am a 3rd-Circle necromancer from Vengeance, officially recognized by the Federation! I will not tolerate any further insults!"

As Simon began to draw on his own Jet-Black, Meirin frantically grabbed his hand. "You said Efnel is coming! This is no time to be fighting amongst ourselves!"

"It’ll be over quickly. It’s fine," Simon said soothingly, approaching Seiwyr.

"This is your last chance, Agent Simon!" Seiwyr warned, his voice grave. "Kizen has granted me legal command over you. Apologize at once and obey my orders!"

"If that’s what you want, then show me what you’re capable of." Simon took another step forward.

"How dare you!" Seiwyr roared.

A magic circle flared to life on his palm. Hazy smoke billowed out from behind him like a cloak, spreading across the ground like a carpet. From within it, six blurry, giant figures began to rise.

Dick gasped. "That’s an Advent Spell from Necrology! He summoned six of them!"

Compared to Prince Andre—a second-year from Kizen who had only managed a single Advent figure—Seiwyr’s display was overwhelming.

"This is your final, final chance," Seiwyr declared, pushing his bangs back with the back of his hand and lifting his chin to look down on Simon. "Stand down."

Simon ignored him and kept walking. Seiwyr’s pupils wavered; he had clearly expected Simon to back down by now.

"Ahem! It’s... it’s not too late! If you stand down now, I will graciously forgive—"

"Let’s continue," Simon cut in. "This is a duel, isn’t it?"

"This is your absolute last chance!"

As the situation took a bizarre turn, the other three students just blinked in confusion.

"Do not test my patience! Stop right there, Simon Polentia!"

Simon kept walking. Seiwyr finally swung his arm down in a violent motion. "Give up!"

The six Advent figures swung their massive weapons. They stopped just inches from Simon’s neck. His teammates screamed in terror, but Simon took it a step further. He boldly pressed his neck against the blades. His body simply passed right through them.

"Illusion magic," Simon stated, his voice calm. He reached for one of the giant’s bodies, and his hand passed through it as well. Everyone stared, their eyes wide with disbelief. "You’ve been deceiving us with illusions from the very beginning, haven’t you? From the blank letter to the fight with the Priests in the village."

"Ugh...!" Seiwyr’s face flushed crimson. He stumbled back, then spun around and bolted into the forest.

In that instant, an enchanted rope shot out and wrapped around his legs. With a strangled ’ugh’, he crashed to the ground.

"And where do you think you’re going?" Dick drawled.

He dragged the sputtering Seiwyr back to the group by the rope.

"W-wait, Agent Dick! I thought you, of all people, would believe me—"

"The more I think about this, the more disgusting it gets," Dick said coldly, stomping his foot on Seiwyr’s back. "You were just playing us from the start?"

"Uhh! N-no, that’s not—"

"Move it, commoner." Meirin cracked her knuckles as she approached. "I have some business with him, too."

"Ahh!"

"Guys, wait a second," Simon intervened.

Meirin spun on him. "Don’t you dare stop me!"

"Let’s at least hear his side of the story first," Simon reasoned. "We can beat him up after that."

"So the beating is still on the table?!" Seiwyr shrieked.

In the end, the man who had claimed to be their mentor was subdued, tied up, and forced to confess everything. Seiwyr was a rookie who had joined Vengeance only a year ago. His claim of being 3rd-Circle was a lie; he was a 1st-Circle novice. His Kizen graduation was also a fabrication; he was a dropout from Aland Necromancer School.

He was, in many ways, a substandard professional, but he excelled in one field: illusion magic. It was this talent that had gotten him intelligence missions for Vengeance.

However, for all his boasting, he was prone to mistakes, and his reputation for being all talk had spread. After a thorough dressing-down from the president of Vengeance, he was told not to even dream of a promotion. Soon after, he found his name on the layoff list.

He knew that if he were fired, no one in the necromancer industry would ever hire him again. He had to survive, and to do that, he needed to accomplish something significant.

Just then, two major missions came to Vengeance: the dispatch of Kizen students and the recovery of a promising Saintess candidate. An idea sparked. Rather than wait to be fired, he would succeed at both.

He lay in wait for the students, and the moment they arrived in the Neutral Zone, he cast an illusion to lure them to him. He deceived them into thinking he was their mentor and planned to use their strength to secure the Saintess candidate, all while observing from a safe distance under the guise of "education."

As expected, the Kizen students were exceptional and successfully secured Sasha. He had believed that if he returned to headquarters and declared the mission a success, his superiors would finally see his worth.

"...You’re completely insane," Meirin muttered, squatting in front of him. The man who had been so high and mighty was now prostrated on the ground, his pride shattered. "Is Kizen a joke to you? Is this mission a joke? Do you have any idea what kind of hell we’ve been through because of your greed?"

"I-I’m sorry."

Meirin’s anger still simmered as she glared at him. Dick added his two cents. "We could just say he died in battle and leave him tied to a tree. Food for the monsters."

Tears welled in Seiwyr’s eyes. "P-please, spare me! I’ve committed a crime worthy of death! Just let me live... please!"

Simon stepped forward. "I’d like to question you further, but we’re out of time. We need to find a safe place before Efnel’s pursuit begins in earnest." He looked down at the pathetic man on the ground. "Agent Seiwyr. There’s something you need to do for us."

"W-what is it?" Seiwyr stammered. "I’ll do anything to live!"

A devilish smile touched Simon’s lips. "You’re going to be the bait."