Chapter 17

The Summoning Genius of the Necromancer School

"..."

Simon pondered.

He understood that the offer from Hong Peng's direct disciple was sincere.

But what about his own feelings?

Major in Dark Arts.

There was no doubt that Hong Peng's classes were interesting.

The outdoor curriculum, the consecutive crises that popped up, meals eaten outside, and even the intense competition.

There were tough parts, but if he thought of it all as part of the training to become stronger, he could endure it.

However.

"Thank you for the generous offer, but... to be honest, I would like to decline."

Simon stood up and bowed.

She nodded calmly, not seeming too surprised.

"May I ask why?"

"There is another field of study I wish to delve deeper into at the moment."

"Hmm—"

Her eyes curved into a crescent shape.

"Alright. Thank you for being clear so I don't hold any unnecessary regrets."

"... Ah."

"But that doesn't mean I'll give up on you, Simon."

"Sorry?"

Her brown hair fluttered slowly in the wind.

"There's still a year left before you declare your major, right? I'll try harder to win you over by then."

Simon was simply dumbfounded.

Why would she go that far for him...

"And personally, I'm curious to see how far you can go, Simon."

She stood up and waved her hand.

A pitch-black teleportation magic circle spread across the floor.

"It's fine even if you're not my disciple. If you ever need my help, feel free to come to me."

"... Thank you, Professor."

"I'd appreciate it if you kept this matter a secret. You may go now."

Simon bowed once more and stepped onto the magic circle.

Whoosh!

As Simon disappeared, the wind blew, causing the decorations in the room to sway.

She sat down on the creaky wooden chair and looked out the window with a relieved smile.

"Professor Hong Peng!"

The door burst open, and an assistant came running in.

"What happened? What about Simon?"

She shook her head with a gentle smile.

The assistant bit his lip with a frustrated expression.

"How dare he refuse the professor's offer...!"

"It's alright, Bread."

She lightly patted the assistant's shoulder and looked out the window.

Bread spoke with a huff.

"I don't understand why the professor suddenly took an interest in that student! Wouldn't it be better to offer it to Hector, who has more talent in Dark Arts? There are also four other aspiring Dark Arts students with enough potential..."

"Genius."

She spoke quietly.

"I've seen many geniuses in Kizen, but it's the first time I've seen 'that kind of genius.'"

"... Pardon?"

She smiled without answering.

Simon was the last to arrive at Kizen from Class A.

He was exhausted from the grueling classes, but fortunately, there were still more than two hours left until the afternoon classes.

He returned to the dormitory, entrusted his uniform to the servants for washing, and headed to the bathhouse to wash his sweat-soaked body.

"Simon!"

He met Dick at the bathhouse.

Dick arrived a little later than Simon, but he seemed unusually excited.

"Hehehe! You won't believe what happened to me earlier!"

"What is it?"

Dick glanced around once and whispered in a secretive voice.

"When I stepped on the teleportation magic circle to move, suddenly I felt something bang! blocking me! When I came to my senses, I was suddenly inside Professor Bahil's research lab!"

Simon blinked.

"Professor Bahil of Curse Studies?"

"Yeah!"

"Did anything happen there?"

"He just made me clean."

"......."

Simon let out a wry smile.

"I've heard from seniors who attended Kizen! Teleportation Scout! Professor Bahil must have picked me, right? Am I becoming a direct disciple too?"

Simon turned his head, sweating.

"That... might be the case."

"Wow, to think I'd connect with the real power of Kizen like this! You know what being a direct disciple means, right? It makes school life so much easier! Many cases of disciplinary actions or expulsions get overlooked if the supervising professor turns a blind eye!"

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard this year."

At the sudden voice, Simon and Dick turned their heads.

Hector and his two followers had stopped.

"A commoner with nothing becoming Professor Bahil's direct disciple? Even a passing dog would laugh."

His friends chuckled.

Dick slowly stood up with a smile on his lips.

"Oh dear, did the young master get upset? Does everything have to be the best for you, and it seems Professor Bahil noticed me more than you?"

"......."

Hector took a step closer.

Upon closer look, he was not only tall and large but also had a solid muscular build.

"Watch your mouth, merchant brat."

"Being a merchant brat, I know your kind well."

Dick waved his wrist mockingly.

"I heard you even criticized Maylin in Dark Arts class? Do you think you're the only one with a story and hardships in the world? You're just a nobody too, you punk. Acting like passing the Moore family's education is some kind of noble title."

An enraged Hector roughly extended his right arm.

A pitch-black magic circle formed in his palm, and Dick's body twisted, slamming harshly into a pillar.

"Ugh, ugh!"

"A lowly brat should know what to say."

Hector, with bloodshot eyes, swung his arm to the side.

"Just die here, you punk."

Crack!

It was a curse.

As Dick clutched his throat in pain, the surrounding students murmured and stood up.

"Ugh, haha!"

Even in this situation, Dick grinned and raised his middle finger.

Hector's expression turned icy.

"Calm down, Hector!"

"Hey! Isn't this crossing the line? Using a curse outside of class...!"

Two friends tried to intervene, but with one annoyed swing of Hector's arm, they were knocked over.

Just as Hector was about to draw a magic circle on his other palm.

"......!"

Suddenly, a foot came rushing towards Hector's face.

Smack!

Hector barely managed to block it by crossing his arms.

He slipped on the slippery bathhouse floor and fell to one knee.

The impact canceled the curse he was casting, and Dick, freed from the pain, retreated while coughing.

Tap.

Simon landed on the floor, his eyes gleaming fiercely.

"So, you finally stepped in."

Hector grinned as he got up.

He emitted darkness from both hands, while Simon channeled darkness into the ring on his hand, gripping an imaginary lever.

At that tense moment.

Bang!

A bucket flew and shattered at Hector's feet, scattering fragments.

Hector and Simon flinched, and the other students screamed in surprise.

"...... It's noisy."

Swoosh.

A man who had been sitting in the bath stood up.

Water flowed down his back, which was covered in countless scars that seemed horrifying.

"Do you really want to die?"

And he was someone Simon knew.

Simon's eyes widened rapidly.

'Kazan!'

It was none other than the person who lived quietly in Simon's room.

"...... Kazan Edvard."

Hector lowered his arms and looked at him.

"I heard rumors, but you're still hanging around the school?"

Kazan silently cracked his neck.

Each time he did, a loud cracking sound, hard to believe it came from a human body, echoed.

"Hector!"

"Be careful. That guy's eyes are crazy."

His friends rushed over to block Hector's front protectively.

However.

"Let's stop."

The words that came out of Hector's mouth were unexpected.

His two friends looked at him in surprise.

"You should watch your behavior too. There won't be a second time."

Hector strode out of the bathhouse.

His friends, who had been momentarily stunned, followed him out as if fleeing.

"Dick!"

Simon quickly checked on Dick, who was lying on the floor.

"Are you okay?"

"It's nothing."

Dick chuckled.

"The curse he used on me was just to scare me. What guts does that guy have anyway?"

Swoosh.

As the situation ended, Kazan returned to the bath and closed his eyes.

The students in the same bath subtly glanced at him and quietly moved away.

Simon stood up and spoke.

"Kazan. Thank you for helping..."

"You guys are noisy too."

He spoke with his back turned.

"Get lost."

"......."

Simon let out a faint smile.

He thought, after all, he wasn't a bad person.

There was a minor incident, but it ended without major issues.

In fact, Dick revealed that he had intended to provoke Hector to draw out a disciplinary action.

Of course, since Simon attacked Hector, even if a disciplinary action was issued, both would be affected, so he cleanly abandoned the plan.

When Simon, feeling awkward after hearing the story, apologized, Dick laughed brightly.

"It's much better that you stepped in! When you kicked Hector, it felt so refreshing."

Provoking Hector was partly out of impulse, and since it was during the student protection period, even if a disciplinary action was issued, it wouldn't have a significant impact.

Hector must have known that too.

After finishing their shower, they found their clean uniforms, washed with magic, delivered in front of their dorm room.

The two quickly changed into their uniforms and safely completed the one remaining afternoon class.

By the time they finished all their schedules, it was already getting dark.

Simon and Dick were on their way back to the dormitory after having dinner.

"Ahhh! Finally, it's the weekend!"

Dick stretched and shouted.

"Simon, what are you going to do this weekend?"

"The weekend? I don't have any plans."

"Oh, you can't do that! How you spend your weekends at Kizen is really important."

"Do you have any plans?"

Dick nodded.

"For me, the weekend schedule is more important than the weekday classes. I'm going down to Rochester."

Rochester, the affiliated city of Kizen.

It's a medium-sized city activated by visits from Kizen's staff, students, and servants.

Known as a haven for necromancers and a student city, it's filled with numerous restaurants, inns, and necromancer-related shops.

You can often find Kizen students working part-time to earn money for class materials.

Especially on weekends, the city boasts a huge floating population as students flock there.

Usually, when Kizen students say they're going out on the weekend, it means they're going to Rochester.

"But what are you going to do in Rochester?"

"Business planning."

Dick answered seriously.

"The monthly allowance Kizen gives for living expenses isn't enough to live on. I'm not good enough at studying to get a scholarship either. I need to quickly make use of my skills."

Simon nodded.

It was a quick move, typical of Dick.

"Simon, you should also create a route for money to come in. The professors only provide materials during the student protection period. The monthly living expenses aren't enough to cover the enormous cost of materials for Kizen's classes. That's why upperclassmen have their own unique income routes."

"Hmm, really?"

Having to be self-sufficient in areas outside of class, it wasn't an easy life.

Moreover, Simon was interested in summoning studies, which required a huge amount of materials, so he needed to come up with a plan.

"Hehe, or you could wait for me to settle in Rochester. I might be able to get you a job too."

"No. It's right for me to earn the money I need."

"... Oh, you're quite firm about financial matters."

Before entering the dormitory, Dick secretly left for Rochester, saying he was preparing for tomorrow's schedule.

Of course, leaving Kizen on weekdays is prohibited, but due to Kizen's free school culture, it's not a big problem as long as you're not caught.

Simon entered the dormitory alone.

To get into the holiday spirit, he bought some snacks from the store and entered his dorm room.

He intended to properly thank Kazan if he was there, but today he was out as well.

Left alone, Simon sat on the spacious floor and opened the snacks.

It was a pack of six fluffy mini chiffon cakes.

Simon put one cake in his mouth.

It was delicious.

As he savored the rich buttery flavor and chewed, he felt a gaze.

Simon cautiously rolled his eyes towards the window.

There, hanging by the window, was a girl blinking her eyes.

'Nephthys...?'

For reference, this was the fourth floor.