Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 206: Episode

Nephthys had gifted him a massive Subspace. Simon bowed and expressed his thanks over and over again, but Nephthys simply patted his head, saying he had earned it. To be more precise, she had to stretch her arms and hop up and down until Simon crouched down to offer his head.

On their way out of the shop, while Nephthys and Stephanie chatted, Simon stammered to Lorraine, "B-But is it really okay for me to just accept this? She said it was priceless."

A mischievous smile played on Lorraine’s lips. "You put it on quickly enough when Mom told you to try it."

"N-No! That was just..."

"I’m kidding." She let out a rare, soft laugh. "By the way, are your father and mother doing well?"

"Yeah. Thanks for asking."

"As they are my mother’s old comrades, I should visit them with a gift sometime to pay my respects."

For someone his age, Simon thought, Lorraine was remarkably mature and composed. It felt like she carried a different weight on her shoulders. Rumors were already circulating that she had some influence in Kizen’s management.

"The semester starts tomorrow," she said. "What were you up to?"

"Doing vacation homework with my group at our lodging. Our place is really nice; we’re staying in the suite below the clock tower. You should come visit if you want."

She shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but it’s okay. It’d be awkward for them if I suddenly showed up, and I have to prepare for tomorrow, too."

"Did you finish your homework?"

The corners of her lips turned up. "I have to start now."

It was worth remembering that, for all her black magic skills that far surpassed a student’s level, Lorraine’s written grades weren’t that great.

---

After parting ways with Nephthys and her daughter, Simon returned to the clock tower.

"Wait! This is wrong! Who writes a curse formula like this?" Meirin’s voice rang out.

"Dick! This part is wrong, too!" Kamibarez added.

Everyone was in the final stretch. Dick was at the center of it all, racking his brain over his homework while the two girls relentlessly nagged and offered advice.

"Just leave me alooooone!" Dick wailed, his eyes landing on Simon as he entered. He looked as if he’d just seen his savior. "Simon! Help me!"

"Alright." Simon slipped off his shoes and sat across from Dick. "Should I help with Summoning?"

"Ah! Not that one!"

Though it felt like too many cooks spoiling the broth, their four heads combined were enough to whip Dick’s vacation homework into a passable state. Afterward, Simon and Kamibarez sat side-by-side to finish their own assignments.

"I’m looking forward to the opening ceremony tomorrow," she said, setting down her quill.

Sensing a new topic, Dick quickly jumped into the conversation. "We’ll get to see the new professors! Hey, did you guys know? Besides the new Venomology professor, Byulya, the Hemomancy professor is changing, too."

"Yeah," Simon said.

"Yep," Kamibarez added.

Dick was at a loss for words. This wasn’t the reaction he’d hoped for. "W-Well, then you probably don’t know who the new professor is..."

"Professor Walter Han," Simon answered curtly.

"Actually, we saw him this morning, Dick," Kamibarez said with a bright smile.

Dick pressed a hand to his forehead, a look of bitter disappointment on his face. "Ah, and there goes my secret info."

"Hey! Didn’t I tell you to stop fooling around!" A clatter came from beyond the wall, and Meirin emerged, clad in pajamas. Her hair was tied back, and her face was shiny from a recent wash. Dick, who had been slacking, flinched and pretended to focus on his homework.

"Meirin! Let’s have a pajama party!" Kamibarez exclaimed, clapping her hands.

Meirin nodded. "After we make sure the boys finish all their homework."

"Hehe, I guess we won’t be able to do it tonight then."

"Stop picking on me, everyone," Dick whined. "I even got this place for us. This is really upsetting."

"Stop making a big deal out of nothing," Meirin retorted. "If you don’t like it, you should’ve done your homework in advance."

Simon smiled as he watched the three of them bicker, then crossed his arms thoughtfully. "I wonder how the second semester will go, with its quasi-wartime curriculum."

"What’s there to wonder about?" Meirin said, sitting down and propping her chin on her hand. "At the start of the vacation, the atmosphere was so tense it wouldn’t have been strange if a war broke out. But now things with the Holy Federation have calmed down, right? It wouldn’t be strange if we just went back to our normal classes."

"But why did things calm down?" Kamibarez asked.

"Oh, that!" As a topic he knew came up, Dick excitedly chimed in. "Apparently, some heretical group called the Blood Heaven Cult drew all the heat! They were trying to start a fight between the Holy Federation and us, you know?"

"Right. It was a huge issue in the Dark Alliance, too," Meirin added.

During this conversation, Simon subtly turned his head, feigning ignorance. The fact that he had been at the center of that momentous historical event was still hard to believe.

’I wonder how Lethe, Ellen, and Lady Israphel are doing. I hope Metin overcomes his divinity slump, too.’

Just then, Dick came over and slung an arm around Simon’s neck. "Ahem, what are you getting all sentimental about? Don’t keep your fun thoughts to yourself; share them with me!"

"Haha! They weren’t very fun thoughts, actually."

Late into the night, the four of them chattered away as they finished their preparations for the new semester.

---

Early the next morning, Simon packed his things, listening to the sleepy yawns of Dick and Kamibarez. Meirin, as tireless as ever, was nagging away. Simon, with his boundless stamina, had already finished his own preparations and was now taking care of all the cleaning.

"Thanks for the fun stay!" Dick shouted as the four of them left the clock tower lodging.

They walked through the empty streets, where only a few people were about, sweeping their yards and preparing for the day. Before heading to the assembly point, they stopped by the bookstore. They had originally planned to buy their second-semester textbooks yesterday, but an unexpected incident had forced them to buy them today. Textbooks were expensive in Rochest, so it was common to buy them here before crossing over to Roc Island.

The bookstore was filled with other first-year students who had the same idea.

"Oh! It’s Meirin!"

"Simon!"

They ran into some familiar faces from Class A: Jamie Victoria, the master of questions and class president, and Cindy Vivace, the ace of Spiritology. While Meirin and Jamie chattered away, Cindy nudged Simon’s elbow and snickered.

"Hey, how’ve you been?"

"Just getting by," Simon replied, one hand protectively clutching the wallet in his pocket.

Seeing this, Cindy laughed. "I’m not gonna steal it anymore, dude!"

It was great to see the other Class A students after a two-month break. The reality of the new semester was finally sinking in. Kamibarez and Dick joined the conversation, and they all caught up on what everyone had been doing.

Meanwhile, Meirin and Jamie were so engrossed in their own talk that they had wandered off.

Jamie whistled. "What’s this? You got even prettier during the vacation. Look at how your hair shines."

"Thanks for the empty compliments," Meirin replied curtly, though she wasn’t in a bad mood. She had actually put a lot of effort into growing her hair for an upcoming play.

"Ah, but I’m a little jealous," Jamie sighed. "My group is all girls. But you’re walking around with two guys in tow."

"W-What do you mean, in tow!" Meirin shouted, her face flushing red.

Catching her reaction, Jamie smiled knowingly. "Spill it. Which one of the two is it?"

"Hey! Stop it! The others will hear...!"

"Could it be Dick?"

"Are you crazy?" Meirin’s face was dead serious.

As if she had gotten her answer, Jamie giggled. "If you need any help, you can always tell your big sis."

"It’s not like that, so cut the crap and worry about your own love life. I heard you like Hector, right?"

This time, it was Jamie’s turn to blush. "Hey! If you say that one more time...!"

"What are you two talking about?" Their conversation was cut short by Cindy’s intrusion. She was notorious among the girls for having a big mouth. As both of them fell silent, Cindy seemed to misunderstand and looked at Meirin. "Wow, Meirin likes Hector? You have... interesting taste."

"...Should I freeze you or burn you?"

After buying all their textbooks, the four left the bookstore. There were various routes to Roc Island, but most people who came to Langerstine took the Nether Whale. Simon’s group was no different.

"This is my first time riding the Nether Whale!" Kamibarez said, her face alight with excitement.

Dick, chewing on some jerky, asked, "Then what did you ride for the entrance ceremony?"

"I came from the Kalos Kingdom on something like a giant eagle! It was perched on a building, so the eagle just lifted the whole building and dropped it on Roc Island."

"...Wow, that’s Kizen for you. Absolutely amazing."

The four arrived at the pier. A large ship was docked, just like last time, with Kizen minions directing students aboard. Dick was busy explaining to Kamibarez. "Once we’re on the ship, the Nether Whale will come and swallow us!"

"Woooow!"

"You four over there." Just then, a man wearing a cloak adorned with black crow feathers fixed his gaze on them.

"Stop chatting and hurry up. There are people waiting behind you."

"Ah, yessir! Sorry!" Dick bowed his head and quickly ran toward the ship. "Guys, did you see that? It was a Crow!"

The Crows were an organization composed of Kizen’s elite agents and a core part of its power structure. Among the current professors, Bahil was a known member.

Meirin’s expression turned serious. "It’s not the professors this time, but the Crows. Is there some kind of problem?"

"Ooh." Dick, a lover of conspiracy theories, had a sparkle in his eye.

A frightened Kamibarez quickly shook her head. "I-I don’t think we need to read that much into it. Maybe they’re just short on manpower."

"Let’s just get on before we get yelled at again," Simon said.

The four of them sat down together. A moment later, the other students boarded, including Hector and his faction. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to notice them and went down the stairs to the lower deck. Soon, all the Kizen students in Langerstine were aboard. The Crow agent, after receiving a personnel report from the minions, was the last to board.

"Agent, we will arrive in five minutes," a minion reported.

The Crow flicked his hand with a tired expression. The minions bustled about, shouting for the students to fasten their seatbelts.

’Long time, Nether Whale.’ Simon fastened his seatbelt, his heart pounding with anticipation.

"There it is!" a student shouted.

From the distant horizon, a giant spray of water approached. The students, half-nervous and half-excited about returning to Kizen, let out a cheer.

A massive plume of water erupted, and the Nether Whale that emerged from within swallowed the ship whole before descending back into the sea.

---

"You may now unbuckle your seatbelts."

The ship had safely settled inside the Nether Whale’s stomach. As if on cue, the students chattered loudly as they unbuckled their belts and stood up. Despite being inside a whale, the interior was quite warm and comfortable. Minions attended to the students, offering desserts and food from a menu. Simon chose a cream coffee.

"I-It’s a little scary," Kamibarez said, her eyes wide as she looked around the crimson interior of the whale.

Dick chuckled. "Don’t worry, we won’t go down to the stomach. The real highlight is after we get out, so look forward to it!"

"A highlight?"

"Uh-huh. We drop from thousands of meters in the air straight to the Kizen campus. The sunrise view is just... ’chef’s kiss’!"

At the mention of thousands of meters, Kamibarez shivered in fear. Just as Meirin was about to smack Dick for scaring her—

Suddenly, the ship began to shake violently.

"W-What was that?" Dick yelped.

"An explosion?" Meirin guessed.

Dick looked at Meirin, startled. "How hard did you hit me?"

"You crazy bastard! You think I did that?!"

The shaking grew more intense, and the pained cry of the Nether Whale echoed through the ship. Simon grabbed the railing.

’...What’s going on?’

His vision began to blur. Then, with a deafening ’KABOOM!’, the ship lurched violently, and Simon’s world went black.

---

’SPLASH!’

The sound of crashing waves filled his ears. Simon slowly lifted his heavy eyelids. His mouth tasted of sand, and his head was groggy.

Seawater washed over his body. He realized he was face-down in the sand. He couldn’t make sense of anything. Pushing himself up with both arms, he struggled to lift his torso.

"Dick? Meirin? Kami? Where is everyone?" Simon called out, looking around, but his friends were nowhere to be seen. He was utterly alone.

His gaze belatedly turned toward the sea. The incoming tide was a sickening crimson.

"Huh!"

Simon scrambled to his feet and spun around. His eyes widened at the sight that greeted him through the thick sea fog. The massive, lifeless body of the Nether Whale was floating belly-up a good distance away. The entire sea was stained red with its blood.

"What in the world happened?"