The genius summoner of the Necromancer School, Episode 6.
"Don’t joke around! Contact Nephtys right now! How dare you treat me like this...!" Poof. Lucius’s body vanished from the world.
A few drops of liquid, presumably blood, fell to the ground with a splatter.
That was all.
Everyone stood there with their mouths agape, blinking in shock.
"We don’t have time. All new students, board the ship," Silaji said, turning around with his hands behind his back.
"You too."
"......"
Simon nodded quietly and moved toward the ship.
The atmosphere among the new students had frozen over after the recent incident, becoming eerily quiet.
However, a few students couldn’t hide their excitement and whispered among themselves.
"That was bloodline black magic!"
"I’m aiming for the curse department, but that almost shook me."
"Are first-years really allowed to take that professor’s class?"
As Simon walked toward the ship, he glanced at Silaji.
Silaji was also looking at him.
When their eyes met, Silaji smiled.
"Don’t worry. I didn’t kill him."
"...... Ah, yes."
As Simon boarded the ship, Silaji spoke.
"Everyone, fasten your seatbelts."
Silaji waved his hand in the air.
A reddish, droplet-like substance spread out and enveloped the entire ship.
Simon watched curiously, wondering, How are we getting to Kizen in this ship?
The bow of the ship wasn’t facing the sea but the ground.
Simon thought they might be reversing, but then a subordinate who had been communicating with Silaji reported, "Professor, we’ll arrive in five minutes."
"Keep guiding it."
The murmurs among the students grew louder.
In the distance, a massive waterspout was approaching from the horizon. Whoooosh! The waterspout grew larger as it neared, and soon, an unimaginably enormous whale burst forth.
"Whoaaa!"
The whale opened its mouth and swallowed the ship whole, diving into the depths of the sea.
The underwater undead known as the "Yellow Spring Whale," obedient to Kizen’s commands.
It roams the world’s oceans, devouring the ports of cities designated by Kizen.
However, once a year, it also serves as a means to transport Kizen’s new students who haven’t received teleportation permits to the school.
In simpler terms, it’s Kizen’s high-speed "transportation method."
Though it was inside a whale, the interior was warm and comfortable.
Kizen’s subordinates stationed on the whale came aboard to attend to the new students, even providing food.
The tense atmosphere soon relaxed, and everyone chatted noisily about their future lives.
"You were amazing earlier," Simon said, conversing with the student next to him.
The boy with green hair that revealed his forehead introduced himself as "Rowen Oscar."
He was so sociable that he had already made friends with several people before approaching Simon.
"Right? The atmosphere was so tense, but you just ran up and grabbed his wrist like snap!"
"It wasn’t a big deal," Simon replied nonchalantly, slicing a fish steak.
The flesh cut smoothly, and he gently squeezed lemon juice over it.
While Rowen did most of the talking and Simon nodded along, Rowen suddenly clapped his hands and asked, "By the way, what did you do for the entrance exam?"
"Entrance exam?" Simon tilted his head, hearing this for the first time.
"There was something like that?"
"Of course! Everyone has to take it to get into Kizen! In my case, I used Onyx to perform shape-shifting..."
While Rowen naturally shifted to talking about himself, Simon was lost in thought.
An exam? He had no memory of taking one. If I talk about this carelessly, won’t it cause issues with fairness? He had already received an item worth 5,000 gold, so he couldn’t cause any more trouble for Nephtys.
After finishing his exaggerated heroic tale, Rowen’s eyes sparkled as he asked, "What about you?"
"Uh, well... mine was similar to yours. Onyx shape-shifting."
"Oh, what a coincidence!"
"Everyone, take your seats. We’ll be arriving soon," Silaji’s voice rang out.
The students, who had been noisily gathered and chatting, quickly returned to their seats.
It felt like they had just departed, but they were already arriving.
A wave of tension swept over them.
Simon fastened his seatbelt and straightened his clothes.
Silaji came up to the deck and, like before, spread a reddish membrane over the ship.
Then, water began filling the whale’s belly.
"If you don’t want to fall, hold on tight."
Silaji’s eerie smile made Simon grip the handle of the seat in front of him with all his might.
Whoooosh! Like a dam bursting, the water that had filled to the top gushed out with tremendous force.
The speed was so dizzying that the students’ legs felt like they were floating, and screams filled the air.
At the end of the dark tunnel, a bright light appeared, and the ship shot out toward it.
Whoooosh! They were out.
Thousands of meters above the ground, where the land looked like toys.
The ship rode the water spout expelled by the Yellow Spring Whale.
Soon, the force of the water spout weakened, and the bow of the ship pointed downward.
The students screamed in terror.
Now, they were falling.
"Ugh!" Simon hugged the seat in front of him.
The surroundings blurred like streaks of light as they descended endlessly.
The wind whipped their clothes madly.
Swoosh. At that moment, Silaji cut his index finger with his nail.
A drop of blood was absorbed by the membrane surrounding the ship, and the descent gradually slowed.
When Simon cautiously opened his eyes, the ship was descending slowly, like a hot air balloon.
"Whoaaa......!" The students exclaimed in awe.
Beyond the blue horizon, the sun dyed the world in orange, presenting a fantastical sunrise.
Below the ship, the landscape of "Rock Island," where Kizen was located, came into view.
Lush jungles, smooth plains, waterfalls with falling leaves, and snow-capped mountains.
All four seasons could be seen on this island at once.
"Rowen! Wake up and look!"
"......"
Of course, Rowen and most others were still burying their heads in their seats or retching.
The ship, now descending like a parachute, finally landed safely on the ground.
Sighs of relief erupted everywhere.
Some students immediately covered their mouths and ran toward the trees to vomit.
"Line up in four columns outside," Silaji said after a quick headcount, then moved the students along.
Kizen was an enormous castle, its size hard to fathom.
A giant gatekeeper opened the gates, and they passed through multiple layers of black magic security before entering.
Aside from Simon’s group, who arrived via the Yellow Spring Whale, other new students who had come through different routes were also visible.
They all looked equally exhausted, likely from equally dynamic journeys.
"We’ll hurry a bit. Please follow me this way!" Subordinates waiting inside the castle quickly guided them.
The students were led to a nearby building where they received their uniforms and were divided into male and female changing rooms.
"Please change and gather outside within five minutes."
Everything here was swift.
Simon, swept up in the atmosphere, quickly changed into his uniform.
Kizen’s uniforms are stylish too. The sleek black pants fit perfectly, more like a suit than a uniform.
They clung to his body without hindering movement.
Over them, he wore a white shirt and a red-toned tie, then donned a stylish jacket with Kizen’s emblem.
He approached the mirror.
Wow. Is this what a suit fit is? His appearance, dressed sharply, was stunning enough to elicit gasps.
The design, somewhere between a uniform and a suit, was so refined that he could wear it to a banquet.
Feeling lightheaded, Simon turned around, savoring his new look.
"Look! There’s magic on the outerwear!"
"The uniform doubles as combat gear. It’s said to be tougher than most armor."
Hearing voices from outside the changing room, Simon touched his jacket.
Indeed, a faint magical energy flowed from it.
How much does this cost? It was practically like wearing a block of gold.
"Two minutes until assembly!" At the subordinate’s urging voice, Simon hurriedly put on his shoes and stepped outside.
Students in Kizen’s suit-style uniforms were admiring themselves in the mirror, their lips curling upward in delight.
"Please come out now! We’ll move!" Simon and the male students stepped out of the changing room, and from the opposite side, the female students emerged.
Both groups paused almost simultaneously.
Simon did too.
*......
The girls’ uniforms are prettier.* The sleek black-toned jackets with the Kizen logo, the white blouses and thin ties inside, and the skirts that rose above the knees.
The female uniforms, also a blend of school and suit designs, fit everyone perfectly, giving off a slightly more mature vibe than their age.
"Male and female students, form two lines and proceed to the auditorium."
Perhaps because they had seen each other’s impressive appearances, a strange atmosphere flowed between the two groups as they moved toward the auditorium.
They walked while stealing glances at each other’s outfits, quickly turning their heads when their eyes met.
Whispers of who’s handsome or pretty already reached their ears.
Simon thought, So this is what school life feels like.
After descending the stairs, they finally entered the grand auditorium where the entrance ceremony would begin.
Many new students had already taken their seats, and Simon’s group was among the last.
"Simon! Is this real? We’re at Kizen! Wow, this doesn’t feel real!" Rowen, who had briefly parted ways in the changing room, found Simon again and started chattering.
Simon looked around and asked, "Are all these people new students?"
"Of course! There are 1,000 first-year students alone!" Simon’s mouth fell open.
It was far more than he had imagined.
"And there are about 300 second-years, and less than half that for third-years."
"...... What?"
"You get what I’m saying, right?" Rowen let out a dark chuckle.
"Only the top 30% of these 1,000 students will advance to the second year. That’s how fierce the survival competition is."
A survival competition at school? Simon couldn’t quite grasp it with his common sense.
Just how intense could it be for 700 students to drop out?
As he pondered this, the students were seated under the subordinates’ guidance.
Rowen quickly scanned the surroundings and began pointing out various notable figures.
"Serne Aindark! She enrolled this year, as expected. The official heir of the Ivory Tower."
Rowen pointed toward a cold-looking girl with platinum blonde hair.
"All the promising talents from famous families are here! Darwin Carradine, Jay Sanders... Wow! Who’s that?"
"Where?"
"Look behind you."
Simon turned and saw someone more striking than anyone else.
A male student over three meters tall.
The unfortunate students sitting behind him were craning their necks and looking miserable.
"Chatel Maer. He’s a giant hybrid."
"...... He’s huge."
"He’ll probably go into the martial arts department. Who could handle that physique?" Rowen shook his head.
"And... hehe."
Rowen’s lips curled as he looked to the left.
Not just Rowen, but many others were also looking in that direction.
A calm black-haired girl with red eyes sat there.
"Without a doubt, she’s this year’s top. Lorraine Arkbolt."
Simon flinched but nodded without showing it.
"She’s Nephtys’s only daughter, so I thought she’d get special treatment, but apparently, she just took the entrance exam like everyone else and got in with a decent score."
"Really?"
"She’s not first or second place, but everyone knows. She’s the best among this year’s new students."
Simon agreed.
He had seen her skills firsthand and knew better than anyone.
Then, a man’s voice came from the podium.
"We will now begin the entrance ceremony! All students, please rise."
A man who seemed to be the emcee proceeded with the event.
True to Kizen’s style, it was clean, efficient, and without unnecessary frills.
The vice-principal’s speech and the administrator’s explanations of precautions were just the right length.
It was truly comfortable for the listeners.
The biggest cheer erupted when the faculty appeared.
Top-tier necromancers like Silaji, still active in the field.
Even Simon, who wasn’t well-versed in the continent’s affairs, had heard of these famous figures.
The appearance of these idols, whom they had only heard of, elicited reactions akin to religious fervor from the students.
While Rowen next to him was foaming at the mouth and shouting, Simon carefully observed the faculty.
"Nephtys isn’t here," Simon muttered.
Rowen, hearing this, chuckled.
"That great necromancer wouldn’t show up for a first-year entrance ceremony, would he? You’d be lucky to see him even once by the time you’re a third-year."
"...... Is that so?" The fact that such a person had ice cream smeared on his face and got lost in Langurstin was something no one would believe even if told.
"Next, we will have the student representative pledge. All students, please rise."
Finally, the last part of the entrance ceremony.
Simon also stood up.
According to Rowen, the student representatives were the top male and female students from the first year.
"The following students, please come to the podium," the emcee said, holding up a document.
"Special Case Number 2, Serne Aindark."
A huge cheer erupted.
The platinum blonde-haired girl stood up and walked forward.
Whispers of "Ivory Tower heir" could be heard everywhere.
"And Special Case Number 1." When the emcee spoke again, the murmurs ceased.
"Simon Polentia."