Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 315: Episode

’Haa. Haa.’

Night fell. In the darkened forest, shallow, labored breaths echoed through the trees.

"Please wait, Simon."

They say hardship forges a person. Kamibarez, her body covered in scratches and the marks of battle, was making her way back to Simon. The net she dragged behind her was heavy with fruits, herbs, and monster carcasses.

’I will save Simon...!’

She was almost there. As she pushed through the thick undergrowth, she paused just shy of the clearing. A cold fear gripped her. What if something had happened to him while she was gone?

’This is no time to be a fool!’

She wiped her blurry eyes with her sleeve and finally stepped into the clearing.

"Simon!"

To her immense relief, he was still there. She dropped the net and rushed to his side, checking his breathing, pressing her ear to his chest, and feeling his forehead.

"...Huh?"

Somehow, his condition was much better than before. His eyes were still closed, but his breathing was calm, and color had returned to his face.

’A-amazing stamina.’

There was no other word for it. Simon was holding on with everything he had; now it was her turn. She emptied the net and got to work.

The fire Simon’s skeletons had prepared was now a bed of glowing embers. She added more wood and blew on it, coaxing the flames back to life.

Using a flat rock as a cutting board, she crushed fruits to extract their juice. She finely chopped the herbs and set them aside, then dragged over the carcass of the Dire Wolf she had slain. There were no werewolves in this forest, but this would have to do.

’Rip!’

During the island evaluation, she couldn’t have imagined butchering a monster. But now, with Simon’s life on the line, hesitation was a luxury she couldn’t afford. She boldly sliced open its belly and harvested the necessary organs, her mind focused on a single thought: ’I have to save Simon.’

Finishing quickly, she took out her portable magic cauldron and Simon’s as well. Holding one in each hand, she ran.

"Water! Water!"

There was a stream nearby. She ran until her lungs burned, filled the cauldrons to the brim, and sprinted back.

"Aah!"

She tripped on a vine and fell. The water spilled, and for a heart-stopping moment, she was overwhelmed by sorrow and exhaustion. But there was no time to despair. She scrambled up, ran back to the stream, and returned with more water.

"I will save you, Simon!" she muttered, the words a mantra.

Back at the camp, she placed the cauldrons over the fire—one directly in the flames, the other set slightly away. Consulting her Venomology textbook, she added the ingredients in precise order.

She fanned the flames, skimmed oil from the surface, and sprinkled in powdered reagents. Into the hotter cauldron, she dropped the Dire Wolf’s gallbladder whole.

With just under an hour left in the exam, she finally completed the antidote.

’Now I just have to give it to him!’

She carried the cauldron over to Simon and knelt gracefully beside his head, taking a deep, steadying breath.

Her heart pounded so loudly it drowned out the chirping of the night birds. Before her lay the blue-haired boy, his brow furrowed slightly in his unconscious state. He looked so defenseless.

And from this angle, his nape was clearly visible.

’I-I need to focus.’

She squeezed her eyes shut, composed herself, then scooped a spoonful of the antidote and brought it toward Simon’s mouth.

Her arm began to shake uncontrollably, spilling half the liquid.

’Why am I shaking so much!’

To fail at the very last step! Mustering her courage, she held the spoon with both hands, scooped up more of the antidote, and brought it to Simon’s lips.

But how was she supposed to feed it to him?

"S-Simon? Please open up-."

As if he understood, Simon’s lips parted slightly. Kamibarez quickly poured the antidote in. He swallowed, and she scooped another spoonful.

"Please say ’ah-’!"

As she continued to feed him, she felt a strange heat rising within her. Blood rushed to her face, and her nose tingled. A breathy sound escaped her lips.

Again and again, her gaze was drawn to his neck.

She had just unleashed the blood of Ursula to fight those monsters. Now, a terrible something from the abyss raised its head and whispered to her.

’Forget the antidote. Sink your fangs into that white nape. Isn’t that what you truly desire?’

Every time she leaned in, she could feel her fangs ache, yearning to pierce his skin. Her entire being craved his blood.

’No.’

She steeled her heart. She would never hurt Simon. She would not lose to this filthy instinct. With a monumental effort, she administered the third spoonful.

Just then...

Simon coughed.

"Simon!"

He shuddered, his face scrunching up from the bitter taste. He blinked his eyes open, his gaze slowly focusing on her.

"...Wow, this stuff," he rasped, "it works instantly."

A sob of pure relief escaped Kamibarez’s lips. "Simoooon!"

She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Simon smiled, gently stroking her head.

"Thank you, Kamibarez. You did well."

"Ahhh! Phew!!!!"

The antidote was incredibly effective. Simon could already move with ease. Once Kamibarez’s tears subsided, he asked, "How much time is left?"

"L-less than an hour."

"Let’s go." Simon sat up, clenching and unclenching his fists, then looked at her. "We have a scorpion to get revenge on."

She wiped the tears from her eyes and beamed. "Yes! Simon!"

Kamibarez took a dose of the antidote herself, and they ran back to the desert. Scorpions were most active at night.

’Come out, come out.’

Simon ostentatiously flared his jet-black aura and sprinkled the blood of the Dire Wolf as he walked.

The reaction was immediate. As if their opponent had also been waiting to settle the score, the sand began to rise.

"Simon! Over there!"

"Yeah, I see it," he said. "But..."

Two mounds of sand were rising. Soon, two scorpion tails shot out and slammed down.

’Craaash!’

Simon and Kamibarez leaped back in unison. A grin spread across Simon’s face.

"Looks like it brought its spouse."

’-Kireerireerireeree!’

There were two Desert Scorpions. One of them, judging by its cracked armor and bleeding wounds, was definitely the one they’d fought before. It seemed its injuries had only made it more aggressive.

"Ready?"

"Yes! Simon!"

Their opponents had doubled, but now that they were prepared for the poison, the scorpions were far less of a threat. The two creatures charged, kicking up sand.

"Come forth," Simon commanded, dropping a golem’s core to the ground. The ’Cloud’ he had already prepared swirled around it.

"Blood Golem."

The core and the ’Cloud’ fused, and two massive arms erupted from the ground, blocking the charging scorpions head-on.

’Rumble!’

A torso, legs, and a head rapidly formed. The rising Blood Golem overpowered the scorpion it had caught, pressing it down with immense strength.

’Swoosh.’

Simon moved his arm. The golem pinned the scorpion’s face with one hand while its other fist relentlessly smashed the creature’s armor, shattering it before plunging into the exposed flesh. As blood spurted out, the wounds Simon had sustained began to heal due to the ’Vampiric’ effect.

’Whoosh!’

Kamibarez handled the second scorpion. She danced and dodged, nimbly avoiding its attacks while preparing her own black magic.

’Blood Thread’

Once again, her binding spell shot out. Simon, having finished creating the golem, charged forward with his remaining ’Cloud’. They moved like intersecting flashes of light, weaving red and turquoise ribbons around the two scorpions, entangling them.

The scorpions thrashed their tails, trying to strike them, but it was useless.

’I can see all its movements clearly!’

He was already familiar with their attack patterns. The enraged scorpions sprayed poisonous mist, but with the antidote in their systems, it had no effect.

And then...

’It’s complete.’

While frantically dodging, Simon had finished weaving a new curse. He glanced to his side and shouted, "Kamibarez! Fall back now!"

"Okay!"

As she retreated, Simon unleashed the curse’s magic circle. It materialized as two interlocking circles, like a yin-yang symbol. He pulled them apart and slapped one onto each scorpion.

The effect of the ’Hostile’ curse activated.

The two scorpions, which had been working together, locked eyes. They shrieked and lunged at each other. ’Crack!’ They fought with savage fury, smashing each other’s carapaces with their tails and tearing at each other with their claws.

"S-Simon! What is this...?" Kamibarez asked, stunned.

"It’s a hostility curse, a type of confusion magic," Simon explained. It was one of the four great curses Bahil had taught him. When the two parts of the single magic circle were attached to different targets, it filled them with an overwhelming animosity, forcing them to fight. It was a curse best suited for monsters; while it could incite hostility in humans, they would likely realize they were cursed before turning on their allies. Bahil had explained, however, that if cast secretly, it could be an effective tool for sowing discord.

As the scorpions tore each other apart, Kamibarez cast her ’Blood Threads’, binding the two brawling creatures together.

"Return, Blood Golem."

Simon entered the final phase of the battle. The Blood Golem’s body collapsed like melting ice cream, its core dropping to the ground with a soft ’thud’ before dissolving into a turquoise cloud that flowed back into Simon’s magic circle. He promptly broke the cloud’s composition, pulling forth a dark blue bow and arrow.

’Simon Remake - Blood Arrow’

Simon nocked the arrow and took aim at the scorpions. The creatures, still bound by Kamibarez’s restraints, were just beginning to shake off the curse and regain their senses.

’Too late.’

The moment Simon released the string, a line of pure darkness shot forward, its destructive power converged into a single point that pierced through the scorpions.

A flash of light, and then the world was plunged into darkness.

A deafening roar followed, swallowing everything in its path as a fan-shaped wave of jet-black energy radiated from the point of impact, tearing the scorpions to shreds. A towering fountain of sand erupted into the air, and Simon and Kamibarez threw their arms up to shield their faces from the ensuing shockwave.

"Haaaah," Simon let out the breath he had been holding as the jet-black bow dissipated into the air.

Kamibarez beamed, her face alight with relief. "W-We did it, Simon!"

"You were amazing, Kami," he replied.

The two finally allowed themselves to smile, sharing a high-five. They had cleared the test with just five minutes to spare.