The Summoning Genius of the Necromancer School
"Hello. Just treat me as if I'm not here, and you all can continue as you were."
Lorraine simply finished her self-introduction and sat down, opening her textbook.
Dick, Maylin, and Kamibarez glanced at her while pretending to focus on their notes. 'How can she act like she's not here!' After all, she was the daughter of Nephthys.
The atmosphere was anything but comfortable.
The classroom felt stifling.
'...
But.' Maylin rolled her eyes. 'How does Simon know Lorraine?' She pondered for a moment and then understood.
Simon was the first special admission student, having been directly recommended by Nephthys.
It wouldn't be strange for him to be acquainted with her.
'She's pretty...' Kamibarez was genuinely admiring her.
Her black hair, reminiscent of the night sky, and her ruby-like red eyes, along with her unique, unapproachable aura, gave Lorraine a distinctive presence among the students of Kizen.
And Dick, who valued connections above all, had a strong desire to strike up a conversation with Lorraine.
However, he thought it was more likely he would say something awkward and get on her bad side, so he held back.
"Let's just study."
Scratch, scratch.
Only the sound of quills could be heard in the quiet classroom.
The lively atmosphere had turned silent, but in truth, this was a better environment for studying.
Everyone was focused on their work, trying not to pay attention to Lorraine.
"......."
At that moment, Lorraine bit her lip and frowned as if she had hit a wall in her studies.
Simon, noticing her expression, quietly asked, "Is it not going well?"
"...... Yeah."
"Where?"
"Here, number 7." Simon spoke loudly as if to let everyone hear.
"Oh, really? Maylin is good at curse studies."
Maylin, who had been focused on her studies with her head down, suddenly flushed and looked up.
She mouthed, 'Hey! Be quiet!' but as soon as Lorraine raised her head, she quickly shut her mouth.
Simon chuckled and said, "Maylin, can you explain this?"
"...... Uh, okay."
Eventually, a bit awkwardly, Maylin approached Lorraine and began explaining problem number 7. It was only natural that Lorraine couldn't solve it since she didn't know the formula.
After listening to the explanation, Lorraine nodded.
"Then if we substitute that formula, it goes like this."
Even though she had only heard the formula, Lorraine was quickly writing down the solution in her notebook.
"Yeah, that's right! You're really good!" Maylin wasn't just saying it; she was genuinely impressed.
Was this what they meant by knowing one thing and understanding ten? Lorraine's comprehension was dazzling.
"But why did you simplify all the values here?"
"I only know how to do it this way. Is it wrong?"
"Um, no! It's just that this approach is quite impressive. Wait a moment......."
Eventually, it was Maylin, who had started teaching, who became more excited.
Simon watched this unfold and thought, 'Is she a relaxed genius...?'
There was no doubt about Lorraine's abilities.
They said she was weak in note-taking, but it felt like she had the capability; she just lacked motivation or interest.
Of course, this was just Simon's speculation.
After Maylin broke the ice, Dick and Kamibarez also exchanged a few words with her.
Everyone had thought she was a very serious and intimidating character, but Lorraine treated them more warmly than they expected.
Munch.
Perhaps feeling hungry, she tasted the snacks Dick had brought.
Nodding, it seemed to suit her taste.
"What is this?"
"Grain cookies from Rochester," Dick quickly replied.
Lorraine let out a small gasp of admiration.
"I didn't know there was something like this."
"Want me to tell you where to find it?" The atmosphere began to lighten, and Simon felt relieved as he proudly watched them interact.
Lorraine had said she would leave after an hour or so, but perhaps due to how well the studying was going, she stayed longer, and the other group members also relaxed and treated her more casually.
Time passed, and the day grew dark.
The caretaker came in and said it was time to vacate the classroom.
"Goodbye, everyone!"
"Today's study session was great!" They all exchanged farewells.
If it were up to them, they would have liked to hang out more in the evening, but since it was exam season, they decided to focus on individual study.
Simon decided to walk Lorraine to the Kizen exit.
"...... A month has already passed."
Lorraine murmured as she looked at Simon.
"Is school life fun?"
"It's the best," Simon replied with a smile.
"Is this life so precious that you're willing to take risks?"
"Yeah."
Simon answered without hesitation.
She slowly nodded, putting on her robe and then her hood.
As she spread her arms, a void appeared in the air, revealing a magnificent skeletal horse.
"Thanks for walking me. I’ll be going now."
She placed her palm on the tall skeletal horse's body and effortlessly hopped on.
As Simon lightly patted the horse's head, it let out a low rumble, brushing Simon's palm with its skull.
"Simon."
"Yeah."
Her red eyes glowed from within her robe.
"Question everything, and trust no one."
"......?" With those words, she pulled on the reins of the skeletal horse and departed.
The exam period passed like a flash.
One moment, I would open my eyes and find myself lying in bed, completely exhausted after entering school.
With the upcoming midterm exams, the duel evaluations were slightly overshadowed, and all students began extensive exam preparations.
The professors seemed pleased with the students' renewed focus after the brief chaos caused by the duels.
Simon adopted Maylin's study method.
He increased his note-taking, reviewed for 20 minutes right after class, memorized important problems whenever he had a moment, and solved past exam questions during breaks.
'......
At this point, it really is a battle of endurance.' He had learned a lot from preparing for the last duel evaluation.
Although he reduced his sleep, he avoided the madness of staying up all night as much as possible.
He concentrated on every second he was awake.
Now, going to the café, library, or dorm study room after class had become his routine.
"Ahhh! Hurry!" While studying in the campus café, Dick suddenly pretended to choke himself.
"Hurry up and let this week pass! Ugh! Is this any way for a person to live?"
Simon, studying at the next table, chuckled.
"Hey."
At that moment, a girl sitting by the window in the back glared at Dick while flipping through a magazine.
"Do you want to die? Can't you be quiet?"
"Ah, I'm so sorry!" Dick quickly bowed his head.
The girl turned away in annoyance.
"...... What? You didn't have to say it like that, did you?" Simon muttered, and Dick quickly put a finger to his lips, shushing him.
"That person is a second-year student."
One change this week was that finally, second and third-year students had entered Kizen.
The classes and dormitory areas were divided by grade, so it was rare to run into them during class, but they could occasionally meet in the campus café or library after class.
Though not very noticeable, second-year students had a small red mark on their Kizen uniforms, while third-years had a gray mark.
Especially third-year students were often too busy with missions and practicals to encounter.
"It's better to be cautious around upperclassmen," Dick said in a lowered voice.
"The power and authority of second-year students compared to first-years is like heaven and earth. There's nothing good about getting on their bad side."
Even Simon, who was new to school life, had enough sense to understand that.
The two returned to their exam studies.
The next day, and the day after that.
Whether he was sleeping or slumped over his desk, Simon's mind was filled with the formulas and knowledge learned in class.
Students began to suffer from nosebleeds during class, and some even slammed their heads on their desks due to lack of sleep.
But no one gave up.
As part of the Kizen group, they couldn't escape the tight tension that constricted them.
If they couldn't handle this level of pressure, it would be wise to leave the school.
A few days later, Jane's introductory black magic class began.
"The performance evaluation exam time is 60 minutes."
A group project performance evaluation was conducted the week before the midterms.
Although it was a performance evaluation before the exam period, there were no complaints from the students.
This was because this evaluation was heavily geared towards preparing for the midterms.
The group members sat around a massive exam paper over two meters long.
All questions from eight subjects, excluding introductory black magic, were included on this paper.
'It’s definitely advantageous for all four group members to have different subjects of interest.' Simon glanced around.
Students with overlapping subjects were busy arguing about who would do what.
"Focus!" Maylin, the group leader, pointed her fingers and gave instructions energetically.
"I’ll handle curse studies, Kamibarez will do blood studies, Dick will take dark magic, and Simon will cover summoning studies. If you come across any problems you don't know, mark them with a star and move on quickly. If you find something confusing or need to double-check, mark it with a triangle. I’ll go through them from number one and check. And once you finish your own subject, Kamibarez will cover poison studies, Simon will take martial studies, and Dick will handle holy defense. Got it?"
In written exams, Maylin's strength was more than half, so everyone nodded eagerly.
"There seem to be quite a few summoning questions. Can I trust you with it, Simon?" Maylin asked, and Simon smiled.
"Of course."
Jane looked at her wristwatch and opened her mouth.
"Alright, then we will begin the exam."
Swish! The sound of sixteen groups simultaneously removing the covers from their exam papers filled the air.
Simon quickly searched for the summoning questions.
The first summoning question was number 41.
41. Choose the undead that reproduces through sexual reproduction. (2 points) ➀ Zombie ➁ Skeleton ➂ Specter ➃ Ghoul ➄ Lich
'Number 4, Ghoul.
A unique case of an undead that reproduces sexually.
The offspring grow into adults in a month, and the parent has no maternal instinct.' Simon quickly checked number 4 and moved on to the next question.
42. When trying to change a regular zombie into a rage zombie, which of the following additional formulas is incorrect to add to the magic circle? ➀ Construct ➁ Fury ➂ Wail ➃ Madness ➄ Seizure
'Number 5 is definitely wrong.
The formula 'Seizure' is already included in the regular zombie formula, so there's no reason to use a duplicate formula!' Simon's lips curled up.
He knew all the content, and it was going well! He felt like he wanted to scream out of joy.
'So this is what studying is supposed to be like?' He still vividly remembered the overwhelming sense of powerlessness he felt during Jane's first test.
But now, it was different.
Simon began to speed through the questions like a madman.
Maylin, who was solving the curse study problems, smiled as she watched him. '......
Hmm, it seems like he did study hard after all.' During the group selection time, Simon had declared that if he couldn't surpass Maylin's summoning grades, he would quit Kizen.
Of course, students around them heard, but it was a statement without any binding force, and if Maylin forgave him, it could easily be overlooked.
"Of course, she won't just forgive me."
Now, Maylin didn't want Simon to leave Kizen.
Instead, she owed him from the last Cyclops performance evaluation.
This time, she intended to surpass Simon in summoning studies and settle that debt.
Of course, she didn't tell Simon about this.
She wanted him to study with a sense of urgency.
"Hey, Maylin! I need help with dark magic question 25!" Suddenly, Dick shouted, interrupting.
With a serious expression, Maylin, who had been looking at Simon, turned to Dick with an exasperated look.
"If you don't know, just mark it and move on, you idiot!"
"Ugh, I can't! If I can't resolve this uneasy feeling, it will affect my other problem-solving..."
"Give up!!"