Chapter 50

The Summoning Genius of the Necromancer School Chapter 50

In the end, Lord Raymond knelt before Simon, pushing his soldiers away.

Though he felt a boiling rage inside at being in such a position before a boy who was like a son to him, he had no choice in front of the undead army.

"…No matter how powerful Kizen is, this kind of show of force is troublesome."

Yet, he had not completely surrendered.

There was still strength in the lord's eyes.

"The Dark Alliance firmly recognizes the autonomy of the nations and territories under its banner. This is an area where Kizen cannot interfere! What do you plan to do if this escalates into a diplomatic issue?"

Simon, seated in the lord's chair, smiled faintly.

"Let’s get to the point."

He pulled out evidence from his robe and dropped it on the floor.

A broker's contract, an advance payment made to Ellen, and even the torn remnants of Efnel's school uniform.

"You were colluding with Efnel's priest."

Raymond felt his blood run cold.

"Even while having entrusted a request to Kizen. This is treason, and you incited a clash between the necromancer and the priest. Is this how I should interpret it?"

"…N-no, that’s not it!"

Simon’s gaze turned icy.

"And you mentioned that my actions could escalate into a diplomatic issue, but by that logic, your actions could lead to war across the continent. Am I wrong?"

Raymond was drenched in cold sweat.

The reason he had tried to keep Simon in the territory was to prevent a conflict between Kizen and Efnel due to the double request.

But it had already been discovered by Kizen.

He was troubled.

If this continued, he would die.

Not just him, but the entire territory would be annihilated.

'I have to do something.

At this point, it’s either death or fainting…!'

Raymond suddenly stood up.

"How dare you!"

He shouted angrily.

"A person with no power other than being affiliated with Kizen! How can you discuss treason with such flimsy evidence!"

Simon chuckled softly.

It was like watching someone throw themselves into the lion's den.

But he didn’t feel bad about it.

Holding all the cards, watching his opponent struggle was somewhat enjoyable.

[Hehehe! Is the boy finally showing his true colors!]

'Please be quiet, it’s ringing in my ears, Pier.'

Simon nodded at Pier, who then opened the robe that was wrapped around him.

"Uh… uh?"

Raymond's pupils began to shake violently.

This was wrong.

This was really wrong.

What emerged from Pier's robe was Ellen, standing dazed with drool dripping from her mouth, her forehead marked with a magic circle.

"I captured Efnel's priest during the mission."

Simon said as if delivering a death sentence.

"She’s under a curse and is temporarily unconscious. If we send her to Kizen for interrogation, we could learn a lot of things. Isn’t that right?"

Thud.

Raymond collapsed to the floor.

The situation was settled for now.

Raymond confessed to all his crimes and pleaded for his life, offering his neck in exchange for sparing the territory.

And one thing.

It was somewhat unexpected; Raymond was a well-respected figure among the territory's people.

He had staked his entire political life on the territory's development, personally working to attract investments.

He had even managed to arrange for the prince's visit this year.

But the disappearance incident had caught him off guard.

If this became an issue, all plans, including the prince's visit, would be ruined.

So, Raymond teamed up with Erzebet, who ran an information guild, to block all information leaks (it seemed he had no idea that Erzebet was the mastermind behind the incident).

He secretly requested various mercenary groups, renowned knights, and Kizen for help.

However, Kizen had not responded for three months, and a growing anxious Raymond eventually contacted the priest through a broker.

But then Simon intervened, taking on a request that Kizen was about to discard, and the situation became tangled.

"I have committed a grave sin."

Raymond, lying on the floor, wept bitterly.

"Honestly, I never trusted the brokers from the beginning. They claimed to be Efnel's priest, but I thought someone of that caliber wouldn’t need to go through a broker. In my desperation, I accepted the offer, but I never expected the priest from Efnel to actually come… I was too naive."

Simon, who had been sitting with an air of authority, looked taken aback.

At the same time, Ellen, who had been pretending to faint on the sofa, also looked surprised.

In fact, the magic circle on her forehead was fake.

"This incident is solely my fault! You can take my life if you wish! But please spare this territory…!"

Simon, who was beginning to feel a twinge of guilt, cleared his throat.

"Alright. I understand the situation well."

"…."

Raymond remained motionless, forehead pressed to the ground.

He was ready to accept any punishment.

"Lord Raymond. Let’s make a deal."

"…Huh?"

"I haven’t been here long, but I’ve come to like this territory. It’s a strategic point close to the Holy Federation. If a full-scale war breaks out, I don’t want to see this vital area turned into ruins."

Raymond lifted his dazed face.

"Of course, if things proceed according to procedure, Kizen will annihilate everything related to this territory."

"Ah…"

"But I don’t believe you acted with malicious intent. I will cover this incident on my end, as long as it doesn’t harm the territory."

"Will you really do that?!"

"I’ll give it a try. But…"

Simon lowered his voice.

"It might cost a bit."

Raymond quickly pressed his forehead to the ground and shouted.

"I will pay with all my possessions!"

Thus, Simon obtained 500 gold, ten times the initial request fee of 50 gold.

With a hefty purse tucked into his spatial pocket, Simon left the reception room with the utmost courtesy.

[What’s this, boy? You acted so cruelly, yet you’re surprisingly frugal.]

"It’s fine. I’ll be satisfied with this much for the trouble."

Simon shrugged.

"After all, this is all tax money from the people of the territory, right? We’re not robbing from the wicked."

Pier’s lips curled up.

Though he shared many similarities with Richard, the former commander, this boy was fundamentally different.

"Ellen, you did well too."

Ellen, who had been inside Pier's robe, poked her head out.

"Hehe! How was my act? Was it good?"

"Can you wipe the drool off your mouth before you speak?"

"Ah, ah!"

Embarrassed, she quickly retreated back into the robe, and Simon chuckled.

As they left the lord’s castle feeling accomplished, suddenly, the surroundings became chaotic.

"Move quickly!"

"Hurry!"

Fully armed soldiers were rushing somewhere.

"What’s going on?"

[Looks like someone is attacking.]

"Let’s go check it out."

Simon ran after the soldiers.

"…!"

From the second floor of the castle, he looked down to see countless corpse spiders swarming at the castle gate.

And in front of them stood a familiar figure.

Simon quickly turned and dashed down the stairs.

[Boy! Slow down!]

"Ah! It hurts!"

Simon arrived at the castle gate faster than the two.

Just in time, the heavily armed soldiers were preparing for battle.

"What’s happening?"

At Simon’s question, the captain of the guards, wearing a helmet, spotted Simon and quickly saluted.

"It’s the undead! It seems they are trying to attack the lord’s castle. It’s dangerous, so hurry inside…!"

"Please open the gate a little. I’ll go take a look."

"Y-yes? But that’s too dangerous!"

Simon smiled and placed a hand on his chest.

"I’m still learning, but I’m also a necromancer. Handling the undead is my job, so trust me just this once."

"Hmm…"

Eventually, the captain of the guards opened the gate slightly.

Simon slipped through, followed by Pier and Ellen.

As Simon nodded to the captain, who returned a stern nod, the gate was closed behind them.

'I didn’t expect to come out so recklessly.'

Simon slowly walked toward the swarm of spiders surrounding the castle.

A woman in a wine-colored dress stood before them.

The madam of the Thieves Guild.

At the same time, the former commander of the legion, Erzebet.

"What’s going on? Erzebet."

[Simon Polentia, son of the former commander Richard Polentia.]

She gracefully knelt on one knee.

"I, Erzebet, wish to serve you as my master. Therefore, I request the opportunity to join your legion and to take the test."

Pier chuckled and crossed his arms.

Simon maintained his composure and cleared his throat.

"Please withdraw your subordinates. Let’s talk in a quiet place."

Before moving to the lodging, Simon decided to part ways with Ellen.

He untied the ropes binding her arms.

"Today’s events are best kept secret for both our sakes, so please keep it under wraps."

"…."

She stared intently at Simon’s face.

"Huh? What’s wrong?"

"Ah, well… it’s just that what I heard about necromancers is a bit different from reality."

Pier grinned and raised his great sword.

[If it’s about turning you into a skeleton to keep the secret, I can make that happen right now!]

"Eek!"

She gasped and hid behind Simon.

Pier laughed, and Erzebet, who had been watching from a distance, bit her lip and glared at Ellen.

"And this."

Simon pulled a pouch from his spatial pocket.

"This is your share of the request fee that I took earlier."

"Ah…!"

"Take good care of your siblings."

Tears of gratitude began to well up in her eyes as she hugged the pouch to her chest.

"Thank you so much, Simon! I will never forget this kindness!"

"Where did you say you were going?"

"To a territory called Roharon in the Holy Federation."

"Alright, I hope you return safely to the Holy Federation."

"Yes! Thank you! I will never forget this!"

As Simon turned to leave, Ellen shouted loudly.

"Will we meet again someday?"

Simon shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe next time will be on the battlefield?"

"Haha…"

Ellen thought he was quite decisive in drawing the line.

"If I ever have to go to the Holy Federation, I’ll ask for your guidance then."

"Yes! Of course!"

She waved her hand vigorously until Simon and his group disappeared from view.

[Not only did you spare the priest, but you also sent her off with money.]

"Yes."

[What’s the reason?]

Simon smiled slightly and crossed his arms.

"I thought it would be a good idea to build connections with the priest’s side for when I have to carry out a mission with a black request. Plus, giving her money makes her a true accomplice, and she’ll trust me sincerely."

[Hehe! It’s hard to tell whether your actions are good or evil!]

"Well."

Simon put his hands in the hood pocket and tilted his head.

"Must everything be categorized so rigidly as good or evil?"

[.......]

Half of my blood is from the priest.

I have no reason to hate those living on the other side.

There’s no need to go to extremes.

I just want to take my share in the middle." Pier’s lips curled up deeply.

[It seems it will take time to fully understand you!]

Simon smiled brightly and turned his head.

"Erzebet."

[Yes.]

"You won’t unleash the spider army to attack after I’ve safely released Ellen, right?"

She flinched inwardly but soon bowed her head.

[... Of course not.]

"That’s all I needed to hear."

Simon began to exchange jokes with Pier again. Erzebet, following behind them, was caught in a strange emotion. Simon’s back, who had once accepted the Holy Spear on her behalf, lingered in her mind.

After being rejected by Simon once, Erzebet had gathered her resolve many times. Joining the legion would bring her no benefit, only bind her to a troublesome contract. But… '…In the end, I’m walking back into hell on my own.'

She had never once overcome her own feelings.

"Erzebet?"

[Ah, yes.
I will go.]

Still.

Even if she regrets it, even if she can see the future, even if the end is utterly tragic.

She would make the same choice again and again.