Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 257: Episode

"This is the baby Deimos, the main ingredient for the famous Nether Whale! We’ll start the bidding at one hundred gold!"

At the auctioneer’s cry, a wave of jeers rippled through the gathered crowd.

"Why don’t you mention that it’s an empty shell with the most important ’heart’ missing?"

"Who’s going to pay a hundred Gold for something you can’t even use to make a Nether Whale?"

"Exactly!"

Just then, a hand shot up. "One hundred Gold."

Despite the jeers, other hands immediately followed.

"One hundred and ten gold."

"One hundred and twenty gold!"

As the price climbed, Simon was still waiting for Benya’s answer to his question. Could a Deimos be used as a skeleton? She was deep in thought, her eyes closed.

"Well, it’s unprecedented," she said finally. "To ignore the perfect success formula of a Nether Whale and just strip the bones to make a skeleton... Hmm."

"We have no choice, since they took the heart." Of course, he knew that if it were an intact Deimos baby, the price would have soared into several thousands of Gold.

"That’s true, but..." She slowly opened her eyes. "A skeleton version of a Deimos... I think it’s worth a try."

"That’s all I need to hear." Simon prepared to join the auction. "What do you think the market price is?"

"At least around two thousand Gold," she answered immediately. "If you’re buying, I can cover about half on the condition that you give the byproducts, besides the bones, to us at Vanilla."

"Really? Yes! Let’s do that!"

"Okay. But does a student like you have a large sum like a thousand Gold?"

Simon nodded. He still had the two thousand Gold he’d received from Princess Molly for the recent performance evaluation.

"Two hundred and ninety Gold!"

"Three hundred gold!"

The price had already reached three hundred. The auctioneer interjected, "From now on, we will raise the bids by fifty gold. For those who wish to purchase at three hundred and fifty..."

"One thousand gold."

The area fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. Simon had raised his arm and entered the fray.

"Who is that?"

"He just threw out a huge number."

"Is he the son of a high noble?"

"He looks rich."

Knowing the market price was around two thousand gold, Simon saw no reason to waste time. He planned to jump in, shake off the small-time bidders, and push the price straight to two thousand.

As expected, another hand went up. "Ahem, one thousand and fifty Gold."

"One thousand three hundred Gold."

"A-Ahem! One thousand three hundred and fifty Gold."

"One thousand six hundred Gold."

As Simon countered swiftly, the man who had bid one thousand three hundred and fifty froze, his expression hardening. A murmur went through the crowd.

"Looks like this one already had an owner."

"That kid’s tough. He’ll keep matching no matter how high it goes."

"Why don’t you try?"

"What if I call one thousand six hundred and fifty and he backs out?"

Amidst the whispers, Simon stared down his only rival. The slightly flustered man met Simon’s perfectly calm gaze. Simon could feel his opponent’s will breaking.

"One thousand six hundred gold! Any more bids?" The auctioneer looked a bit flustered himself. He had expected the price to go higher, but the bidding had cooled down much faster than he thought. After dragging it out for a few more moments, he finally declared, "This item has been sold for one thousand six hundred gold!"

’Nice!’ A grin threatened to split Simon’s face. It was pure luck. He had expected the other bidder to push higher, but it seemed they had other things to buy. Splitting the cost with Vanilla meant he would only pay eight hundred Gold, a considerable saving. Even after paying, he would still have twelve hundred Gold left.

Soon, the crowd that had gathered for the auction dispersed, leaving only Simon and Benya. Benya was on her communication crystal, making a call.

"Our people will be here soon to move it to the warehouse," she said. "We’ll dismantle it there, do some basic processing, and then immediately engrave the Summon Skeleton magic circle. I’ll handle the cost as a perk for you, my boy."

"Thank you, Senior Benya!" Simon exclaimed, letting out a silent cheer of joy.

"You’re my club junior, so I have to put in this much effort. In return, you have to be nice to the first-years who join after you, okay?"

"Yes, I will!"

Naturally, the Vanilla Group had several warehouses and businesses in Ballot Harbor. Benya left to check on the situation, and the auction house agreed to safely store the item until Vanilla could take possession.

’I have some time to kill.’

Feeling elated, Simon decided to explore the market on his own. He still had plenty of money. The thought that he could actually afford the things here made everything seem fascinating. He decided to venture deeper into the market.

’Ah! There it is!’

He belatedly found a stall selling a complete set of Poloran bones in perfect condition. The quality was excellent, and all the bones were present.

’Things like this always show up after you’ve already bought something.’

He considered buying it as a Plan B in case the Deimos skeleton failed, but that felt like an over-the-top expense. Resisting the impulse, Simon moved on.

Countless aquatic monsters were displayed in ice cases. There was a giant octopus monster, a sea crocodile-like creature. At first, the sight had been physiologically repulsive, but now, thinking of them as potential undead, he felt a little better. There was more to see than he had expected. The more he learned, the more interesting the place became. The thought that he was gradually becoming a true necromancer gave him a strange feeling.

’This is actually fun. But...’

As he wandered, lost in thought, Simon looked around. ’Where am I?’

At some point, the crowds had vanished. He seemed to have wandered too deep into the market. He calmly scanned his surroundings before stepping into an alley.

The moment his foot crossed an invisible threshold, the reek of blood slammed into him. He thought his nose had gone numb after being here for so long, but this was so foul it felt like it cleared his sinuses.

’I’m getting dizzy.’

Since this was a market that sold goods to customers, the sanitation wasn’t all that terrible. But the further he walked, the worse the bloody stench became.

’That must be the source.’

He saw a building that looked like a warehouse, its old door slightly ajar.

It looked dangerous. He decided to just walk past it. But just as his reason took hold, his intuition began to nudge him, insisting that something was happening inside. ’Are you sure you don’t want to look? You might think about it every night. You’ll regret just passing by. Just take a quick peek through the open door and get out.’

It was strange. Drawn by an inexplicably strong sensation, Simon moved as if possessed. It felt like his nose was about to fall off, but his feet continued to lead him into the warehouse.

And inside that warehouse...

He witnessed a pile.

’Ugh!’

Simon immediately dropped to one knee and dry-heaved. It was a pile of hearts. A countless number of hearts, all piled up. A magic circle was drawn on the floor, and though it seemed a long time had passed since they’d been removed, the hearts were still pulsing with a sickening beat.

’What the hell is this? Why are there only hearts here...’ No matter how crazy necromancers were, this was not a normal sight.

Just then, he heard footsteps from right outside the warehouse. Simon’s mind snapped back to reality, jolting him from his stupor.

"You’ve acquired some good hearts."

"Yeah. It was a coincidence, seeing the juvenile Nether Whale here."

The voices of two men. The footsteps grew closer. Simon scrambled to hide.

A moment later, the footsteps stopped.

"The door is open."

"Ah, I left it open for a moment when I went to get you. It has a ’Perception Jamming Magic’ on it anyway."

"It doesn’t matter if they see, but be careful from now on."

"Haha! Who would come all the way out here?"

Soon, two robed figures stepped into the warehouse. Simon’s heart hammered against his ribs.

He was plastered to the ceiling near the entrance, held fast by his Jet-Black. The thought that he would be discovered the moment they looked up sent his heart pounding wildly. If he were caught, he certainly couldn’t talk his way out of it by claiming he’d taken a wrong turn. The only saving grace was the overwhelming stench of blood and the sheer density of Jet-Black that saturated the warehouse; even a necromancer would have no way of sensing him.

"I’ll check the condition of the goods one last time," the subordinate announced, carefully opening a box.

Inside a glass case, a heart rested. Based on what he’d pieced together, Simon had a good idea of what it was.

’So they’re the ones who bought the Nether Whale and only took its heart.’

Just then, the other man in the warehouse lowered his hood. Brown hair spilled out, revealing a pair of glasses that caught the dim light. The moment Simon recognized him, he nearly cried out.

’P-Professor Walter?’

What was he doing here?

"The condition is perfect," Walter said, adjusting his glasses. "And the plan?"

"It’s proceeding smoothly. We’ll be ready before the deadline."

The two began to discuss the details. Though terrified, Simon hung on every word.

"I will explain, Lord Judas."

’Judas.’ There it was again. That name.

It was the name engraved on the fountain pen Walter cherished. From what Simon had observed, Walter had a habit of keeping that pen in his breast pocket, no matter where he was or what he wore. When they first met in Langerstine, Walter had claimed to have inherited it from someone else. But there was no mistaking it—that man had just called him ‘Judas.’

’Professor Walter lied.’

But the name wasn’t the immediate problem. ’Judas. Judas.’ The name gnawed at him. He felt as if he’d seen it somewhere before, but the memory was frustratingly vague. Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside, and another person entered. This time, a woman.

"Lord Judas, Count Caron has arrived." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"I’m on my way."

Walter pulled his hood back up and headed for the door. The two of them exited the warehouse, and the door clicked shut.

---

Now, only Simon and Walter’s subordinate remained. Relying on the light of a single, flickering mana bulb that seemed ready to die at any second, Simon assessed the situation. The man had flipped a crate over to use as a stool and was now tending to the magic circle that managed the hearts.

’What should I do?’

He could likely handle this if he used his Legion Commander’s power or summoned Prince, but he didn’t want Walter to have any inkling that someone had been inside this warehouse. Still clinging to the ceiling, Simon forced strength into his trembling legs, pressed his back flat, and raised both arms. His target was the largest heart. He would remotely draw a new magic circle upon it.

’Th-this is difficult.’

Just maintaining this position was an incredible strain, and now he had to draw a magic circle from a distance.

In an instant, his forehead was slick with sweat. A bead rolled down and splattered on the floor below. To Simon, the sound was deafening, but thankfully, the man hadn’t noticed. He was humming to himself as he worked on the magic circle.

’I-I wish I wouldn’t sweat.’

The thought only made him more nervous, and soon his hair was soaked. He couldn’t afford to sweat too much, nor could he lose his grip on the ceiling. And through it all, he had to draw a magic circle from afar.

’Focus. Focus.’

He was drawing a defective magic circle. It had no real effect—just a mess of failed formulas designed to shatter the moment it was activated. He’d never imagined he’d need to intentionally create such a thing, but that day had come.

’Now!’

Simon activated the circle. A grating shriek, like nails on a chalkboard, echoed through the warehouse.

"Huh? Wh-what the hell?" The man jumped to his feet in alarm.

A moment later, a sickening ’pop’ came from the heart Simon had targeted, and blood began to stream from it.

"What went wrong?!"

The man seemed to think he’d made a mistake during his repairs. Panicked, he scrambled to fix the formulas, terrified that the other hearts might be damaged as well. This was his chance. Before the noise subsided, Simon agilely dropped from the ceiling and darted to the door.

’Creeeak.’

He eased the door open, braced for discovery, but the defective circle’s screech was so loud and the man so consumed by shock that he remained oblivious. He was utterly engrossed in his frantic repairs. Simon slipped out and pulled the door shut, then broke into a dead run.

Sweat poured down his face, and the coppery taste of exhaustion filled his mouth. His heart hammered as if it would burst. All he wanted was to get away from this place.

"Oh, hey!"

After running for what felt like an eternity, he finally spotted the auction house. Benya was standing out front, looking for him.

"I was worried when you didn’t show up! Where have you been?"

At the sight of her face, a wave of relief washed over him, and his eyes began to well up. He quickly grabbed his hood, pulling it low to hide his expression as he gasped for breath.

"Let’s go, quickly, Benya."

"Uh, okay?"

"To that Vanilla warehouse you mentioned—the one where you’d do the work. We have to go now."

"Ah, alright. We have to take a carriage from here, is that okay?"

Simon nodded, his breathing still ragged. "Yes."

Right now, his only thought was to leave this place far behind.