Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 101: Episode

After Simon’s victory over Gale, the sailors and townspeople worked together, binding the defeated pirates with thick ropes.

"All of Blue Harbor is deeply indebted to you! How can we ever express our gratitude...?" a sailor said, bowing repeatedly.

Simon just smiled awkwardly and waved his hands. "You don’t have to do that. But if you don’t mind, could I interrogate the pirates myself?"

Some of the things Gale had said left him feeling uneasy. He was too exhausted to head to the next location immediately, so he wanted to use the few minutes of rest to get information from the crew.

"Of course. But do you think they’ll talk?"

"Leave it to me."

A moment later, the sailors brought three bound pirates and forced them to their knees before Simon.

"There are some things I’d like to ask you," he began.

The pirates said nothing.

They clearly had no intention of cooperating. One glared at Simon with murderous intent, while the other two stared off into the distance, feigning indifference.

"With your captain captured, there’s no hope for you. You know the penalty for piracy is severe, right? If you cooperate, I can personally request a reduced sentence for you."

He tried a softer approach, but the pirates didn’t even blink. Simon found their reaction odd. Normally, when a leader was captured, the subordinates would lose their nerve and try to save their own skins. These men showed no signs of that. Did they have an ace up their sleeve? 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Question. I’ve confirmed that you’re in league with someone in Blue Harbor. Tell me who it is."

"Fuck off, you little shit! The second these ropes are off, I’ll tear you to pieces!" the first pirate snarled.

"Some little punk thinks he can interrogate me? Huh? If I’d gotten married, I could have a son your age!" the second one snapped.

"You’re making a mistake right now. Do you know who I am? I may be a pirate now, but I have a story that can’t be told..." the third one rambled.

’None of them have any intention of talking.’ There were other persuasive methods, but he was short on time.

"Alright," Simon said calmly.

At his word, three skeletons stepped up, one behind each pirate. The men’s expressions finally hardened as they grasped the situation.

"Feed them," He commanded.

The skeletons immediately grabbed the pirates by their hair, forced their heads back, and shoved potion vials into their mouths. The men made gurgling, pained noises, but with their noses pinched shut, they had no choice but to swallow the contents. All three of them downed the potions in one go and started choking.

"Damn you! What did you do to me?!" The pirates felt their vision spin wildly.

"I’m a necromancer, remember? What you just drank is a potent poison. It will spread throughout your bodies in 15 seconds, and you will die in exactly 5 minutes. It will be more painful than anything you can imagine." Simon then pulled a new potion from his Subspace. This one contained a blue liquid. "However, if you drink this antidote before then, that’s a different story."

Their faces went pale.

"Now, start talking."

Hesitation flickered across all three of their faces, but they couldn’t bring themselves to speak.

"Well, if you don’t want to, I can’t force you." Simon didn’t even wait 30 seconds, let alone 5 minutes, before turning away. "Sailor, please bring the next group."

"Yes, sir!"

"Just dump these ones somewhere. They’ll writhe around and die on their own." Simon lifted his foot, preparing to step on the antidote he’d placed on the ground.

"Finch Nikiman!" the pirate in the center shouted.

The other two pirates looked at him, horrified. Simon smiled.

"We’re working with a necromancer named Finch Nikiman!"

"Is that the truth?"

"My life is on the line, you think I’d lie?! Quick! The antidote!"

Simon stomped his foot, crushing the vial. The three men stared in stunned disbelief.

"You piece of trash!" the pirate on the left screamed. "I told you the truth! Is it fun to toy with people like this? Huh?!"

"What are you talking about?" Simon turned his back, a faint smile on his lips. "That wasn’t poison. It was a motion sickness potion. You’ll be back to normal in a couple of hours."

The pirates were speechless.

"Thanks for your cooperation," he said, waving over his shoulder as he walked away. The three pirates screamed in a frenzy before being subdued by the sailors.

’That confirms it. I have to hurry.’

His stamina had recovered enough to move. Simon immediately broke into a run toward the mansion.

---

He passed through the city center and finally reached Shun’s estate. Simon stopped in his tracks, shocked. The mansion was already on fire in several places, as if it had been under attack for some time.

An entire wing of the mansion, completely consumed by flames, collapsed in on itself. He could faintly hear the clash of steel. The battle with the pirates had already begun.

’Please, please, please...!’

Pushing off with Jet-Black, Simon vaulted over the wall and into the estate grounds.

’CLANG!’

Against the backdrop of the burning mansion, butlers armed with an array of weapons fought fiercely against the pirates swarming in from all directions. Amidst the chaos, Shun, the head butler, and the maids were hunkered down, desperately trying to escape the estate.

"There’s the Count!" a pirate roared.

"Get him!"

Two pirates broke through the butlers’ defensive line and charged forward. Simon urgently stretched out his right arm.

’Bone Armor!’

The bones flew as if they had been waiting for the command. While everyone else cowered, two maids bravely stepped forward with mop handles, and the Bone Armor instantly clad them.

"Fight!" Simon shouted. When the bewildered maids hesitated, unsure of what to do, the skeletons moved their bodies for them, striking down the pirates with brutal efficiency.

The maids’ eyes widened in astonishment as they watched the pirates fall to punches and kicks delivered by their own bodies.

"Look over there!" one cried out.

"It’s Sir Simon!"

Another maid shook Shun’s shoulder. "My lord! Look! Sir Simon is here!"

"Huh? Simon?" Shun peeked his head out from his hiding spot. He could see Simon, a whirlwind of motion, using his Bone Armor to support five different skirmishes at once.

"Simon!" he yelled, a wave of relief washing over him.

Simon turned to look at him and shouted urgently, "Shun! Are you hurt?"

"I’m fine...! Ah! Watch out!"

Two pirates shattered a window behind Simon and lunged at him. Simon effortlessly leaned back, dodging the incoming sword thrust. He then grabbed the pirate’s arm, pulled him forward, and smashed his left elbow into the man’s nose.

The pirate’s body tumbled to the ground. In a single fluid motion, Simon ducked under a spear swung from behind, planted a hand on the ground, and spun, kicking his right leg up high.

The second pirate, struck squarely in the head by the tip of Simon’s foot, flew back through the window and collapsed in a heap. Simon panted as he straightened up.

"Woooahh!" the maids screamed, this time in delight.

"Sir Simon!" They jumped up and down on the spot, realizing they were finally safe.

’Ah, but I’m exhausted,’ Simon thought, the fatigue from his fight with Gale still weighing heavily on him. As he took a long, steadying breath, a deafening boom echoed through the air. The wall of the mansion’s third floor collapsed, and people began to plummet toward the ground.

’Bone Armor! Hurry!’

The Legion Skeletons disassembled into a storm of bone fragments, flying toward the falling people and latching onto their bodies. The armor absorbed the impact, allowing everyone to land safely.

"Phew..."

Simon wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up at the gaping hole in the third-floor wall. A large man stood silhouetted against the flames. He wore tight-fitting armor on his portly body and carried a massive iron mace on his shoulder. After a moment of surveying the scene below, he leaped.

He was heading straight for Shun.

"Shun! Move!" Simon yelled.

Shun and the maids spotted the falling man and scrambled back.

A large crater formed where he landed. As if completely unaffected by the impact, the man lifted his head, perfectly fine. His mace shimmered with a palpable aura of magical energy.

"I am Vice-Captain Valdez," the man announced, grinning at Shun, who had fallen to the ground. "You’re coming with me, Count."

Just as the man reached for Shun, a flash of white shot through the air as Bone Armor clamped onto his arm.

Simultaneously, more pieces attached themselves to his right leg and left foot. As Simon sprinted toward Shun, he issued an absolute command.

’Interfere!’

The pieces of Bone Armor began to move on their own, twisting and pulling.

"What the hell is this?!" Valdez roared, looking as if he were caught in invisible restraints. He staggered and shook his body, eventually trying to tear off the armor with his bare hands. In that brief window, Shun, who had been crawling away, scrambled to his feet and started running toward Simon.

"Simon!"

"Shun!"

The two ran toward each other. Valdez, having ripped the Bone Armor off with sheer force, staggered a step behind them.

’Just a little more!’

Just as their hands were about to touch...

Their fingers missed, grasping at empty air as Shun’s body was flung upside down into the air.

"Woaaah!"

"Shun!"

Both Simon and Valdez stopped in their tracks. And then...

’Devouring Dragon’s Rush.’

A dragon made of green liquid slammed into Vice-Captain Valdez.

"Aaaaaarghhh!"

Valdez’s upper body melted and dripped away in a grotesque cascade. The maids screamed at the gruesome sight of his skeleton clattering to the ground.

"Didn’t I tell you before?" a calm voice stated. Simon whipped his head around. "How could a so-called bodyguard let his guard down?"

Finch Nikiman was approaching, his arm transformed into a liquid tendril that held Shun’s leg.

"Uncle Finch!" Shun threw his hands up and cheered.

"It’s Sir Finch!"

"We’re saved!"

The household retainers sighed in relief, some hugging each other in joy. But amidst the celebration, one person’s expression was cold and twisted: Simon’s.

"Everyone, you can rest easy now that I’m here," Finch announced.

"Sir Finch!" The head butler ran over, panting. "Why was the family’s necromancer so late? The mansion was attacked, and the Count was nearly killed!"

"My apologies, Head Butler," Finch said smoothly, then looked at Simon. "I was busy sinking two pirate ships. Hm? And why do you look so tense?"

Simon’s jaw tightened as he gritted his teeth.

"Let the Count go," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

Finch offered a strange, unsettling smile. Shun, who had been hanging upside down, was returned to an upright position, but Finch’s liquid hand still didn’t release him.

"I’m afraid I can’t do that. I can’t trust you. A bodyguard who abandons his post, leaving the Count vulnerable... I will be filing a formal complaint with Kizen."

"Don’t scold him, Uncle!" Shun protested. "Simon left because I ordered him to!"

Finch’s expression hardened as he stared at Simon. "When it comes to the Count’s protection, I cannot make any compromises. From now on, I will personally guard him. You will go north and deal with the remaining pirates..."

"Finch Nikiman."

Simon took a deep breath. People were dying. There was no more time for psychological games.

"Why did you betray the Count?"