Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 420: Episode

"Now, Greet!"

"Goodbye! Teacher!"

The first observed class had been a resounding success.

"We were worried for nothing!"

"These new teachers are different."

The adults of Eskyl and the Mizenasi family all seemed satisfied. Seeing their approval, Simon sighed in relief.

After all the children and adults had departed, Petria beamed at them. "Congratulations! Leah and Sean have earned the elders’ approval!" She informed them that there would be no more observations and no interference with their lessons. "However, the village chief, Nenya, has asked that you continue the divinity training. I think I’ll have to come and observe during those sessions."

"Understood," Lethe replied.

"Well then, please get some rest!" Petria bowed deeply before closing the door behind her.

Lethe snapped her fingers, activating the soundproofing spells on the walls and ceiling, then collapsed onto the sofa. "I’m exhausted." She sprawled out and let out a long sigh.

As he tidied up the toys the children had scattered, Simon said, "Good work, Lethe."

"You too. We’ve cleared a huge hurdle."

Now they could confidently use Eskyl as their base of operations. The plan was simple: gather information within the village by day, and at night, when everyone was asleep, slip past the barrier to scour the mountain range.

"Let’s rest and get some sleep this evening," Lethe said, looking over at Simon. "We’ll head out at dawn. Eskyl might seem peaceful, but Kula has probably run out of food by now and descended into hell. We need to solve this mission as quickly as possible."

"You’re right." Many lives were at stake. Furthermore, Israphel had warned that this crisis had the potential to spread beyond the Holy Federation to the Dark Alliance—to the entire continent.

Simon’s fists clenched, his resolve hardening. ’I have to give it my all!’

---

In the pre-dawn darkness, Simon and Lethe slipped past the village guards and out beyond the barrier.

The wind howled. The bitter cold was as relentless as ever, and the blizzard raged, creating a world of death where they couldn’t see an inch in front of their faces.

Growls and screeches echoed through the storm, heralding the attacks of mountain monsters. A four-legged beast with a twisted spine and patches of its body frozen solid lunged at them.

’Holy Spear’

The divine spear Simon created struck the creature’s spine—its weak point—again and again, bringing it down. Once the monster fell, Simon approached its remains.

"Lethe."

"What is it?"

With a single, casual wave of her hand, several monsters turned bone-white and shattered into pieces.

"These are undead."

"No wonder divinity was so effective," Simon murmured. "I didn’t realize there were undead monsters this far up."

The snow-covered mountain teemed with unclassified, unknown creatures. Lethe tilted her head back, her gaze fixed on the obscured peaks.

"This mountain is definitely suspicious."

Through the blizzard, the summit was a faint silhouette.

"We’ve been walking for so long," Simon said, "but looking at the peak, it feels like we’ve barely made any progress."

"I know. It feels like we’re just walking in circles," he agreed. "The moment we get distracted by a monster attack, we lose our bearings."

"We need a way to keep from getting lost," Lethe declared, her breath misting in the frigid air. The sight of her white hair dancing in the flurrying snow was strangely captivating. "I suppose there’s no other choice."

After a moment of deliberation, she shut her eyes tightly.

"I’m going to unleash something big."

"Something big? Don’t tell me you’re going to use your Saintess’s authority here."

Lethe shook her head, her fingers toying with the choker at her throat. "As the Saintess of the Stars, my authority is focused solely on destruction. I’m going to prepare a large-scale white magic spell, so I need you to buy me some time. Five minutes... no. Ten should be enough."

"Leave it to me."

With a soft rustle of her robes, Lethe knelt in the pristine snow. She brought her hands together in prayer and closed her eyes, her expression reverent.

"O Mother of All."

A soft hiss filled the air.

The sound grew as a wave of divine power emanated from her, and a magic circle began to materialize on the ground. Simon took a startled step back.

"Please hear the prayer of your sinful daughter," she whispered.

The very atmosphere shifted. Amidst the raging blizzard, a hole was torn through the hazy sky, and a brilliant column of light descended. Bathed in its glow, Lethe was a dazzling sight, her hands clasped as she prayed with all her heart.

Monstrous shrieks and chittering echoed through the air as creatures, drawn by her divinity, swarmed toward them. Simon immediately fired the Holy Sphere he had prepared.

Lethe’s incantation continued, and the divinity in the air swelled to an almost suffocating intensity.

"Simon."

Her voice cut through the chaos. Having dispatched the last of the monsters, Simon turned to face her.

"Open your eyes," she commanded, "and watch carefully."

With a deafening ’whoosh’, in a single, breathtaking instant, the bitter cold and the blizzard were utterly annihilated. Night became day.

’Whoa...!’

His surroundings were bathed in perfect clarity. Simon marveled at her power, which could bend the very weather to her will, but his eyes quickly widened. He couldn’t afford to waste the precious moment she had created.

’Just as I thought.’

Behind them, Eskyl Village was visible, nestled within its shimmering barrier. They had wandered for hours, yet they were only a thirty-minute walk from the village. They hadn’t gotten far at all. From here, he could see all the way to the mountain’s summit. Just below the peak, a dark maw opened in the rock face—a cave, from which an ominous aura bled into the air. It wasn’t as far as he’d feared.

"Lethe! Over there!" Simon shouted, pointing.

Lethe, who had been focused on maintaining the spell, snapped her eyes open and thrust her arms forward.

’Illumination’

A blinding white flash shot from her hands. Simultaneously, the brilliant daylight was swallowed by darkness, and the blizzard returned with a renewed, furious howl. The beautiful vista from moments before vanished like a fleeting dream, and the world was once again a maelstrom of cold, frost, and blinding snow.

"Haa... haaa..."

Lethe made a pained sound as she struggled to her feet. Simon rushed to her side.

"Lethe! That was incredible—!"

Her legs gave out, and she slumped forward, falling into Simon’s arms with a soft thump,

"L-Lethe?"

"Overdid it..." she mumbled, her eyelids fluttering.

Simon’s voice softened.

"Let’s call it a day and head back to the village."

Lethe gave a meek nod. A rare hint of cuteness, he thought. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and easily lifted her into his arms.

"Just rest. We’ll be back in the village in no time."

A sudden sound echoed in the quiet air as her fist connected squarely with his jaw.

Simon let out a strangled cry as he tumbled into a snowdrift.

"Wh-What was that for!" he yelled, clutching his throbbing cheek.

"D-Don’t carry me... like that," she slurred. "It’s... embarrassing."

To think the way he was holding her was the problem at a time like this. As Simon stared in disbelief, Lethe, her eyes half-lidded with drowsiness, slowly raised her arms toward him.

She looked like she was asking to be held. The tips of Simon’s ears burned red.

’...Surely she doesn’t mean for me to hold her facing me.’

He approached and turned his back to her. A moment later, he felt the soft thump of her leaning against him. After settling her securely on his back, Simon stood.

"Lethe?"

She was already fast asleep. Hearing the sound of her steady, rhythmic breathing, Simon turned and began the long walk back to the village.

---

The journey back had been grueling. After a brutal climb, he had carried an unconscious Lethe all the way back to Eskyl Village. Once he had settled her in the adjacent room, Simon had collapsed onto his bed and fallen into a deep sleep.

He drifted into a dream. In it, Lethe, drained and limp after using her powerful magic, held her arms out to him. Feeling a little shy, Simon had hesitated before turning his back to offer her a piggyback ride, just as he had in reality.

But then a sharp ’thwack’ sent his dream-self reeling as her fist slammed into his face.

"Ugh!"

A muffled grunt escaped him as he opened his eyes, his vision completely obscured by something soft.

’A pillow?’

He’d been hit with a pillow. It was lifted away to reveal Lethe, her expression a familiar blend of chic and languid.

"How many times do I have to tell you to get up?!"

"L-Lethe?"

"Hurry up. I made breakfast."

She hopped off the bed and strode out of the room without a backward glance.

Simon sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Now that she mentioned it, a delicious aroma filled the air.

’I’m starving.’

He shuffled like a zombie to the dining table, where a pot of meat soup was bubbling invitingly. Simon staggered into his seat.

’Hm.’

As a Saintess, Lethe had her hands clasped in prayer before the meal. Once she finished, Simon casually scooped up a spoonful of soup.

"How is it?" she asked.

"Oh." Simon blinked. "I’m surprised. It’s actually good."

"...You have a real talent for making a compliment sound like an insult. Truly remarkable."

He took a few more spoonfuls. The more he ate, the more he was reminded of a familiar, nostalgic taste.

"This couldn’t be..."

"Of course it’s Miss Anna’s recipe." Lethe aimed her spoon at him like a sword. "Mark my words. You can insult my cooking, but I won’t stand for you insulting Miss Anna’s recipe."

"Why would I?"

The taste of home was a welcome comfort, and Simon polished off the bowl in an instant.

"Come outside when you’re done," she said.

"Huh?"

"It’s time for your lesson."

He assumed she meant preparing for the children’s class and followed her outside. But it turned out...

"As promised, I’m going to teach you the proper way to use ’La Escrim’."

’He’ was the student. She crossed her arms and tilted her head.

"Go on. Cast it."

"Ah, okay."

Simon nodded and began to form ’La Escrim’. He used a Holy Sphere as the core, wrapping it in bands of divinity to increase its power and penetration. The ’Output’ formula was applied to each band, and he maximized their velocity, causing the Holy Sphere to spin like a drill.

"That’s enough. Dispel it."

Simon released the spell.

"I’ll admit, I’m impressed by your ability to replicate it after seeing it only a few times," she began, "but it’s all show. A crude imitation, nothing more."

She wagged her index finger as she launched into her explanation. "First, the core of La Escrim shouldn’t be a ’Holy Sphere’; you need to create a unique shaft designed specifically for the spell. And the bands of divinity aren’t just raw power; they need to be woven from blessings."

"Ah! So they were blessings, not just bands?"

"Correct."

She demonstrated, conjuring the divine bands herself. "They are the blessings of Reinforcement, Rotation, and Rush. The key is to interlock all three to create a synergistic effect."

Lethe taught him everything—the specific blessings, the runes, the formulas.

"A-Are you sure it’s okay to give me all this?" he asked, even as his hand flew across his notepad, excitedly jotting down every word.

Lethe smirked, placing a hand on her hip. "Frankly, it’s embarrassing to have you using such a cheap copy of my original work. Besides, I can use much stronger magic now."

"Well, thank you!"

After the lesson on ’La Escrim’ was over, she got to the main point.

"Bring out the kitten divine beasts and the bear."

"Huh?"

"You’re handling your divine beasts all wrong. I’ll take this opportunity to teach you properly."