The Summoning Genius of the Necromancer School
Unable to ignore it any longer, Simon turned his head towards the window.
As he did, the girl's face quickly ducked down.
"......."
Did she not want to be noticed? Simon turned back and took out a new chiffon cake.
Then, her face slowly rose above the window again.
Blink, blink.
The girl's blue eyes blinked.
Each time the chiffon cake neared Simon's mouth, the blinking grew faster.
Simon smiled inwardly and spoke.
"Lady Nephthys, why don't you come and join me?"
At those words, the girl popped her head up.
"Oh, how did you know? Is it okay?"
As if she had been waiting, Nephthys hopped over the window sill and scurried over, sitting cross-legged in front of the chiffon cake.
She looked up at Simon with wide eyes, resembling a puppy eagerly wagging its tail, making him chuckle.
"Of course. Please, help yourself."
"Hehe, thank you!"
She picked up the chiffon cake with her small hands and began to eat with a soft munching sound.
Watching her small cheeks puff up as she ate, Simon felt a strong urge to pat her head, despite being the ruler of Kizen.
"Would you like some more?"
Simon took out more snacks he had bought from the store, and each time, Nephthys's eyes sparkled.
"So good!" she said, munching on a jam sandwich.
"At home, they never let me eat sweets!"
"...... Ahaha."
Unexpectedly, Simon found himself having dessert time with the great necromancer, whom one would be lucky to meet even once in a lifetime.
As they shared snacks, they talked about various things.
From thanking him for the pocket dimension to stories about Lorraine.
Naturally, the conversation shifted to school life.
"It's your first time at school, right? How is it?"
"It's fun!" Simon answered immediately.
"The professors are great, the friends are kind, the classes are interesting... I think I'm unexpectedly suited for school."
She nodded with a bright smile.
"Ah, it's nice. Talking with you here in Kizen reminds me of Richard."
"My father?"
"Yes! Your father was also a student at Kizen. Didn't you know?"
It was a story he had never heard before.
She chuckled and wagged her finger.
"Richard was no joke. Unlike your mature self, he was a troublemaker and a legendary problem child."
"...... My father?"
Simon's mouth fell open.
The image of his dignified and strict father as a troublemaker in his school days was unimaginable.
"Despite that, he was so smart that he often outwitted the professors while causing trouble. I can't count how many times I had to go catch Richard when he tried to skip class."
"...... It's hard to believe. So, did my father graduate from Kizen safely?"
She shook her head.
"No. He dropped out in the second year."
"...... Ah."
"He suddenly said the school was too small and dropped out. There hadn't been a student like him at Kizen before. Richard was a special case in many ways."
Nephthys placed her arms on the floor and looked up at the ceiling.
Despite her youthful appearance, a deep and poignant emotion passed over her face.
"Yes, I was young back then too."
"......."
Simon wanted to make a comment but held back, feeling it wasn't the right time.
"Anyway! Richard must have explored every corner of Rock Island. If you look closely, you might find traces of your father all over the school!"
"Oh! That sounds fun."
She stood up and dusted off her clothes.
"Well, I have an evening appointment, so I should get going! If I'm late, I might get scolded again. Hehe."
"Already?"
Simon spoke with a hint of regret, surprising himself.
The time with her had been so enjoyable and felt so short that he inadvertently revealed his true feelings.
"We'll meet again soon, Simon."
Nephthys smiled brightly.
"Thanks for the snacks! Goodbye!"
As Nephthys was about to leap over the window, a small note fell from her clothes.
Simon picked up the note and hurriedly ran to the window.
"Lady Nephthys! You left this......!"
Whoosh.
She had already disappeared without a trace.
Simon scratched his head and examined the note from top to bottom.
"Given the circumstances...... it must be for me, right?"
Muttering to himself, Simon sat on the bed and unfolded the folded note.
It was a map.
The map pointed to a location outside of Kizen, marked with a skull symbol.
A skull? Shouldn't there be a treasure chest symbol at the destination? Simon examined the map carefully.
There was no other information except for the destination.
Why did Nephthys show him this place?
- If you look closely, you might find traces of your father all over the school!
Simon made up his mind and clenched his fist.
He decided to set out the next day.
The first weekend morning at Kizen dawned.
The place marked on Nephthys's map was a restricted forest, so he decided to leave when it got dark.
Dick and Kazan had left early, and Simon was engrossed in catching up with his summoning studies.
He thought about studying other subjects but couldn't focus well.
Since he had to choose a major subject before the upcoming group project, Simon decided to dedicate this weekend to summoning studies.
'The difference between skeletons and zombies.
First, obedience to commands.
Skeletons are generally obedient to the necromancer's orders, but zombies rely on instincts and have amplified hatred towards the living, making them difficult to control.'
'The next stage after zombies is ghouls.
They are fewer in number but far stronger than zombies.
Wow, they can move up to 300 meters in a single leap?'
'There's something called a patchwork golem too! When will I be able to make one of these?'
He didn't know studying could be this fun.
Time flew by, and Simon felt a pang of regret each time he checked the clock.
After spending the entire day studying summoning, as the sun began to set, Simon finally took action.
He wrote '1-night 2-day visit to Rochester' on the dormitory leave register.
Rustle.
He left through the main gate of Kizen and arrived at the forbidden forest as night fell.
The reason Kizen prohibited entry to this forest was simple.
'Monster-infested area.'
Monsters lived in the Reshill Mountains too, but what kind of monsters roamed Rock Island was still unknown.
Simon moved cautiously.
'A stream flows to the east, and Kizen's walls are visible to the west.
Okay, I'm on the right track.'
Checking the map carefully as he walked, everything was going smoothly so far.
However, as he ventured deeper into the forest, animal cries became more frequent, and he found droppings.
Poking them with a stick, they were moist and sticky, indicating something had been here recently.
'......
I just want to go back.'
It would be a lie to say he wasn't scared, but Simon steeled his resolve.
He walked as quietly as possible, even if it meant moving slowly.
And then.
-Grrrrrr.
A growl came from nearby.
Simon froze, covering his mouth and lowering his stance.
His eyes, accustomed to the darkness, caught a black shadow standing under the trees.
It was sniffing the air.
'A monster.'
The monster's head turned, and its glowing eyes in the darkness locked onto Simon.
Thud!
'It's fast!'
Simon quickly reached for the dagger at his waist.
The eyes in the darkness flashed, and a silver streak approached with a swish! sound.
Simon drew his dagger and swung it towards the streak.
Clang!
With the sound of metal clashing, Simon was knocked over.
The claws, swung again, left a long scar on the tree.
'A werewolf!'
A dangerous creature that was a death sentence for most ordinary people.
Fortunately, it wasn't fully grown, as its size was small.
'Before entering Kizen, I would have run away......!'
Simon steadied his grip on the dagger and stood up.
With his left hand, he let the darkness flow from his ring and pulled an imaginary lever.
Clatter.
A pocket dimension opened on the ground, and bones sprang out from within.
'Reconstruct!'
The bones, scattered in the air, began to align themselves around a skull in an orderly manner.
Soon, two completed skeletons stood before Simon.
'Got it!'
Simon clenched his fist.
It was his first time using a necromancer's skill in real combat.
It felt reassuring.
Regardless of their strength, just knowing he wasn't alone provided mental relief.
Now it was 3:1 in the blink of an eye.
The werewolf, outnumbered, hesitated but soon bared its teeth, ready to fight.
Thump.
Thump.
Simon summoned two old short swords from the pocket dimension.
The skeletons caught the swords flying through the air.
-Kyaaah!
The werewolf lunged, and the battle began.
Slash!
A long wound appeared on the werewolf's abdomen from the skeleton's sword strike.
But it charged forward, swinging its right arm to smash the skeleton's upper body.
Crash!
Half of the bone-made upper body flew off with a single blow.
Simon felt a sharp pain in his head, connected to the undead.
But taking advantage of this moment, the other skeleton circled around and stabbed the werewolf's empty side with a short sword.
-Kyaaah!
The werewolf let out a pained scream.
Simon stretched out his right arm roughly.
'Reconstruct!'
The shattered bone fragments trembled and began to reassemble into the skeleton's body as if time were rewinding.
The reconstructed skeleton immediately stabbed the werewolf's chest with a short sword.
"Now! Charge!"
The two skeletons, with their swords still embedded, dragged the werewolf and slammed it against a tree behind them.
With a thud, the tree shook violently, and leaves fell.
'Now's the time!'
Simon, holding the dagger, made the final charge.
The werewolf, pinned to the tree, swung its arms wildly, shattering the skeletons.
Thud!
But Simon's dagger pierced the werewolf's neck before the skeletons lost their strength.
The terrible sensation of flesh and muscle tearing traveled up his wrist, but this was a life-or-death situation.
Simon gritted his teeth and applied force to the handle.
Crunch.
Crack.
Finally, the werewolf's body went limp.
Simon, who had been backing away with heavy breaths, collapsed onto the ground as his legs gave out.
'......
That was close.'
His lips trembled from the lingering tension of the battle.
'No time for this.
I need to clean up quickly.'
It would be troublesome if other monsters were drawn by the noise and the smell of blood.
Struggling to his feet, Simon attempted 'Reconstruct.' One skeleton was too damaged to restore, but the other was barely functional.
Simon put the reconstructed skeleton back into the pocket dimension and resumed his journey.
'Come to think of it, this was my first battle since entering Kizen.'
In just three days, Simon's abilities had grown significantly.
How much stronger could he become if he endured here for a year, or even three years? He couldn't help but imagine.
After walking for about another 20 minutes, he arrived.
'Here it is.'
He reached the area marked with a skull on the map.
Looking around, it was empty.
The only oddity was that no trees or grass grew in this spot.
'I guess I should dig?'
Simon opened the pocket dimension and took out a shovel he had borrowed from the dormitory gardener.
Catching the shovel spinning in the air with style, Simon rolled up his sleeves and began digging the ground.
Thud! Thud!
If anyone were watching, they would have been impressed by his skillful digging.
The work didn't take long.
The shovel hit something solid.
Simon crouched down and brushed the ground gently.
'It's a stone floor.'
The floor was made of a special black stone.
As he cleared away the dirt, Simon soon discovered a hollow mark in the center of the floor.
It was shaped like a human handprint.
He tentatively placed his right hand over it, finding the size roughly matched.
But this wasn't the kind of relic that would open with just that.
Closing his eyes, Simon activated his core and let darkness flow from his palm.
Woooooong!
As Simon's darkness seeped into the relic, the floor lit up.
Then, with a grinding sound, the floor opened like magic.
'Stairs!'
Stairs leading underground appeared.
Simon grinned triumphantly.
What secrets were hidden here? Why had Nephthys called him to this place?
Feeling his heart pound with excitement, Simon stepped forward.