The Summoning Genius of the Necromancer School
Simon decided to set a trap to catch the mysterious priest, who was suspected to be a 'spy' for Efnell.
He planned to release the corpse spiders near the forbidden forest, where the priest had been spotted, and wait.
If the priest appeared, the news would reach Simon immediately, and Erzebet and Pier would spring into action.
Erzebet would disguise herself as a high-ranking priest to approach him and extract information.
"I’m sorry, but if the opponent is a priest, won’t it be obvious that I’m undead?"
"I don’t think so. That guy is using pitch black magic."
Pitch black and divine powers are opposing forces.
The unique sense that allows a priest to detect undead beings only arises when they possess divine power.
And that traitorous priest had given up his divine power to use pitch black magic.
Even if he found out, it wouldn’t matter.
Pier and the entire legion would swarm in to attack the priest together.
Even if the opponent was truly a professor-level threat, it would be hard to guarantee victory, but at least it would be no problem for Pier and Erzebet to escape.
"I understand. I will start studying the appearances and behaviors of upper-class priests from now on."
"Okay, I’m counting on you."
The trap was set.
The priest would likely be cautious for a while and wouldn’t enter the forest directly, but Simon could only hope that he would eventually fall into the trap.
With that, Simon released the undead in the ruins and returned to Kijen.
After the mission period ended, a new life at Kijen began.
When Simon entered the classroom after a long time, the atmosphere was brighter and more lively than usual.
Laughter erupted from all around, and conversations flowed endlessly.
Everyone was busy sharing stories from their missions, and it seemed that even a whole day wouldn’t be enough to exhaust all the topics.
"Have the others not come yet?"
Dick had rushed to the bathroom complaining of sudden diarrhea while walking to school together, leaving Simon to arrive alone in the classroom.
As he searched for a suitable seat, he spotted a familiar face.
"Meilin!"
She was chatting with two other girls, but upon noticing Simon, her face suddenly turned red, and she quickly hid something behind her back.
The two girls giggled and poked her arm, causing Meilin to scold them playfully.
"What’s going on?"
As Simon approached, Meilin flinched and took a step back.
The girls greeted Simon warmly and then turned their attention back to Meilin.
"Then we’ll step aside since we’re just the troublemakers~"
"Oh ho ho!"
"Hey!! You guys are really dead!"
They laughed and ran off to another spot.
Meilin shot a glare at Simon, then cleared her throat.
"You’re surprisingly bold, aren’t you?"
"What do you mean?"
"...... Are you just oblivious or what?"
She sighed softly and revealed what she had been hiding behind her back.
"Here."
"Um......?"
What she handed over was a set of carrot cakes wrapped in pretty paper.
Simon blinked in surprise.
"Is this for me?"
"D-Don’t get the wrong idea! Please! I’m just giving it to you because we’re in the same group!"
She pushed the cake into Simon’s arms and quickly withdrew her hands.
Turning her flushed face away, she fanned herself with her hands.
"Thanks. But why the sudden gift? It’s not even my birthday today."
"......."
She looked at Simon with an expression that seemed to ask if he really didn’t know.
"It’s Cake Day today."
"Cake Day?"
"Yeah! It’s the day when girls give cakes to boys!"
Simon’s mind raced.
Cake Day? He had never heard of such a thing before.
In Reshill, the only holidays were Thanksgiving, the day to feed the goats, and the day to pull weeds.
Perhaps it was a culture unique to the city.
Seeing Meilin’s reaction, it seemed that anyone who didn’t know about this would be seen as foolish and rustic, so it would be wise not to act like a fool by buying something unnecessary.
Having grasped the situation, Simon smiled brightly.
"You really thought of me. Thanks, Meilin."
"......."
Meilin’s hand, which had been fanning herself, moved even faster.
"Thought of you? I’m just giving it to you out of pity, out of pity! If you and Dick don’t get anything from the girls in the same group, it’s just over......."
"Hello~ Simon!"
At that moment, two girls from Class A approached.
"Here! Lemon cake!"
"This one is black tea cake! Thanks for teaching me the martial arts stance in the last Matuhak class!"
They placed their cakes on top of Meilin’s cake.
Simon felt a bit dazed but quickly smiled and said, "Thanks, girls! I’m glad I could help back then."
"...... Ah."
Suddenly, the girls’ cheeks turned bright red.
"I’ll enjoy it."
"Ah, okay!"
A slightly awkward yet strange atmosphere lingered.
Then, the girls waved goodbye and hurried off to another place.
"...... Pretty impressive."
Meilin, who had been watching with her arms crossed, wiped the sweat from her brow.
"But that was a thank you for all three cakes, right? Now that’s the end of those three......."
"Simoooon!"
This time, who was it now?
When Simon turned around, he saw Kamibarez running toward him with whipped cream smeared on her face.
She held a large box containing a cake.
"Oh, Kami."
She took a deep breath as she stood in front of Simon.
Then, with determination in her eyes, she presented the cake.
"...... Simon! I-I’ve really caused you a lot of trouble, and I-I’m really grateful! Please continue to take care of me this semester!!"
She bent down slightly, offering the giant cake.
'What on earth is Cake Day? Why are they going this far for me?'
Simon felt a bittersweet emotion.
Meilin, who had come closer to sneak a peek, also widened her eyes in surprise.
"Wow! A homemade cake? Amazing......."
Kamibarez’s face turned even redder at those words, and she shook her head vigorously.
"N-No! It’s not homemade! I just bought it from Rochester......."
"Kami."
Simon stepped closer and took out a handkerchief from his pocket.
He gently wiped the whipped cream off her cheek.
"Wait a moment, you’ve got something on your face."
"......!!!"
Her face turned as red as it could get.
She quickly shoved the cake into Simon’s arms and dashed out of the classroom.
"What’s wrong with her?"
"...... Sigh, you really."
Meilin sighed, pressing her forehead.
After that brief incident, Simon sat down and neatly placed the cakes he received on his desk.
He took a deep breath and slowly looked around.
The classroom was now filled with colorful cakes, and a pink atmosphere flowed between the boys and girls exchanging cakes.
It turned out that the lively atmosphere Simon had first felt was a mix of the joy of reuniting after the mission and the power of Cake Day.
And there, in the corner of the classroom, he spotted Hector.
Sitting with his legs spread apart, he wore a very annoyed expression, yet he was sporting a ridiculous pointed hat.
In front of him, cake boxes piled up like a mountain.
"Oh, hello, Hector!"
At that moment, a girl cautiously approached him.
She was even from another class.
"I-I prepared this......."
"...... Just put it anywhere and get lost."
"Ahhh!"
She added another cake to the mountain and ran out of the classroom with a bright red face.
Seeing Hector scratching his head in annoyance, unable to even get angry, was somehow amusing.
'He must be having a hard time too.'
As Simon thought that and took out his textbook, he heard a voice.
"Hello~ Simon."
Simon looked up.
"Oh, class president."
Jamie Victoria.
She had earned the title of class president after saluting as the representative of Class A in the Poison Studies class.
She had short green hair and a slender figure, making it hard to tell at first glance whether she was a girl or a pretty boy.
"Cheese flavor, vanilla flavor, and cinnamon flavor. Which one do you like?"
She rummaged through a package she was carrying on her back and asked.
"I like cinnamon......."
"Oh! This one was unpopular, so thank you for choosing it!"
She handed a box of cupcakes to Simon.
He thanked her and asked, "Are you giving these to all the boys in Class A?"
"Yeah! It’s a way of saying I hope we have a good semester together. See you!"
She winked and headed off in another direction.
The two boys sitting behind Simon, who were pitifully without a single cake, sparkled their eyes as if they had seen a savior when Jamie approached.
"...... Simon, you."
Meilin, who had unpacked her things next to him, wore a meaningful expression.
"You didn’t know about Cake Day, did you?"
Simon’s shoulders flinched.
Seeing his reaction, she shook her head in disbelief.
"I’m telling you. This is school, school. If you don’t want to be ignored by your peers, it’s best to know about these basic holidays and trends."
She had a point.
"But."
"Are there other holidays like this?"
"Of course!"
"The next one will probably be the day when boys give cakes to girls. What day is that?"
Meilin smiled slyly.
"Accessory Day."
Simon let out a hollow laugh.
"...... That’s unfair."
"Hey, if you have a conscience, would you want girls to give cakes and receive real jewelry in return? It’s just a playful exchange."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, yeah."
She smiled brightly.
"Of course, if the boys want to give something real, I won’t stop them~"
......
Indeed, the world is unfair.
After the chaotic preparation time for class ended, the first lesson at Kijen finally began.
The first class was Jane’s introductory dark magic course.
"I’ve received reports that all of Class A has safely returned to Kijen. As the supervising professor, I am satisfied."
Jane looked around at the students and continued speaking.
"First, there’s an important announcement."
She received a new document from her assistant and began to read.
"Yes. Starting this week, duel evaluations will begin."
A chorus of anxious voices erupted from all corners.
The lively atmosphere that had been filled with Cake Day quickly froze.
Regardless, Jane continued her explanation.
"The duel evaluations will take place throughout the first semester. The rules are simple. You will engage in one-on-one battles with other first-year students from Kijen. Not just Class A, but all the way to Class N. All fourteen classes will be competitors."
She approached the blackboard, chalk in hand, and drew a simple diagram.
"The winning side will move to the upper squad, and the losing side will move to the lower squad."
Upper Squad 30%
Middle Squad 30%
Lower Squad 30%
Lowest Squad 10%
"The squads will be updated weekly. And any student who remains in the lowest squad until the end of the semester will."
She looked around at the students coldly.
"Be expelled."