Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 161: Episode

Her voice was a razor’s edge.

Sensing the imminent danger, Simon tried again. "Wait, I’m—!"

But she was already moving. Before her kicking leg had even touched the ground, she launched herself into the air, her other foot whipping around in a vicious arc.

Simon crossed his arms to guard, the immense force sending him sliding back across the dirt.

The moment a gap opened between them, intricate divine magic circles materialized around her like paintings in the air. A barrage of white light erupted from them, firing like a machine gun.

"Ugh!" Simon leaped into the air, pushing off a platform of Jet-Black as a series of holy explosions tore up the ground where he’d just been.

’So much for a conversation!’

While continuing her assault, she brought her hands together in prayer. A tri-colored radiance of blue, green, and yellow light enveloped her. Simon’s expression hardened.

’Priest blessings!’

The very air seemed to shift. Necromancers had curses; Priests had blessings. An immense, indescribable energy vibrated through the atmosphere. She swept her arms back, summoning another divine magic circle. It was the same type as before, but empowered by her blessings, it swelled to five times its original size.

’Exorcism’

A blinding torrent of light shot from its center, engulfing Simon completely and detonating in a massive explosion.

’KABOOOM—!’

It was a bombardment-type white magic, especially lethal to necromancers and the undead. Confident in her victory, she stared into the heart of the blast.

’Sickness’

Suddenly, a black streak shot out from the smoke and pierced through her body. Her eyes widened in shock. Her vision fractured, splitting into three overlapping images as a wave of nausea washed over her.

’A curse!’

She quickly threw up a powerful divine shield around herself and placed a hand on her chest, beginning the purification process. She was surprised. He’d been caught in a white magic attack that should have been fatal, yet he still had the strength to cast a curse.

’I was careless. I’ll break the curse, then end this.’

As a white light pulsed from her chest, her vision cleared. Just then, a low voice echoed from within the smoke.

"Anna Polentia."

Her eyes snapped wide open. Simon emerged from the dissipating smoke, completely unharmed and without a single defensive spell active. A bitter laugh escaped his lips.

"You came here to see my mother, didn’t you?"

She froze. By all rights, he was justified in fighting back, but Simon decided to try talking one last time. No matter what, this woman was the benefactor who held his mother’s cure. He didn’t want to fight her.

"You’re..." Her voice trembled, laced more with anger than surprise. She threw back her hood, and a cascade of hair as white as winter snow tumbled down. "You’re the teacher’s son?"

---

Lethe, eighteen years old. A freshman at Efnel. That was the extent of her introduction.

They had ceased hostilities and were now climbing the mountain range together.

"I’m picking up the pace," Simon announced, kicking off the ground and launching himself forward. He worried she might not keep up, but Lethe, not to be outdone, soared into the air on a platform of pure Divinity.

"Do not concern yourself with me," she snapped. "Proceed at maximum speed via the shortest route." She paused, then added, "And maintain a distance of three meters. You damn necromancer."

’...Right.’

Even after learning he was Anna Polentia’s son, her hostility hadn’t diminished in the slightest. She was clearly gritting her teeth and enduring his presence only because the situation was urgent. He briefly wondered if bringing her home was a good idea, but he had no other choice.

After a few hours of silent, rapid travel, they arrived. "Hah... huuh... this is it," Simon panted. Despite his own transcendent stamina, he was winded.

Lethe, however, showed no signs of fatigue as she calmly surveyed the wooden house.

"Ms. Anna is in there..." she whispered. Her expression was tense as she swallowed hard and approached the door. "Pardon the intrusion."

Before Simon could open it for her, she pushed it open herself and strode inside.

"Oh, you’ve arrived." Richard rose from the living room sofa, extending a hand with a benevolent smile. "Thank you for making such a long journey. I am Richard Polentia, Anna’s husband."

Lethe dropped into a low, wary stance, hostility radiating from her like heat. Then, as if forcing herself, she ignored Richard’s outstretched hand and gave a stiff bow.

"A pleasure... to meet you. I am... Lethe Shardena."

The simple act of bowing to a necromancer seemed to be a deep humiliation; her face was beet red, and her voice trembled. Richard awkwardly retracted his hand.

"Oh, my apologies. Anna is this way."

He stepped aside, and Lethe marched into the master bedroom with Simon trailing behind.

"Oh."

The bag on her shoulder dropped to the floor with a soft thud. Seeing Anna’s gaunt form in the bed, Lethe’s eyes began to tremble.

"Ms. Annaaaa!" she cried, rushing to the bedside and calling her name over and over. It was a complete transformation from the person who had just been glaring at Simon and Richard.

"...Lethe?" Anna’s eyes fluttered open.

Lethe’s face filled with emotion as she clasped Anna’s hand. "Yes, Miss! It’s me, Lethe!"

"...I’m sorry," Anna whispered. "For making you come all this way."

"Oh, no..." Lethe’s eyes welled with tears. "I-I’ll begin the treatment immediately!"

She frantically rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a potion bottle protected by several layers of defensive magic. Then, she shot a glare back at the two men.

"Your presence will interfere with the treatment," she announced. "I would appreciate it if you would wait outside."

With that icy dismissal, she slammed the door shut.

Simon and Richard obediently retreated to the living room.

"Will she really be okay?" Simon asked, his voice laced with worry.

Richard just grinned. "Don’t worry. That girl holds an absolute reverence for Anna. And her skills are second to none."

"Well, I guess if she’s a student at Efnel..."

"She’s not just any student," Richard said, leaning back on the sofa. "That is Lethe Shardena, Selection No. 1 of Efnel. The undisputed top first-year at the academy." His gaze shifted to Simon. "And from this day forward, she will be your most powerful rival."

---

Within hours, Anna had made a full recovery. The first thing she did after getting out of bed was roll up her sleeves and march into the kitchen.

"It’s not much, but please, eat your fill!"

A short while later, Simon and Lethe stared at the magnificent feast spread across the table with bewildered smiles.

"...This is ‘not much,’ Mom?" Simon asked, looking at the massive amount of food laid out.

Anna swept a stray strand of hair from her face, smiling shyly. "I just wanted to put in a little extra effort to celebrate you coming home and reuniting with Lethe."

"You’re amazing, Ms. Anna!" Lethe exclaimed, her hands clasped in adoration. "I want to learn how to cook from you!"

"Of course, I’ll teach you anytime. But you’re a guest today, Lethe, so just enjoy yourself."

"Okay! Thank you!" Lethe replied sweetly. Then her eyes met Simon’s, and her expression instantly turned frigid. "This wonderful occasion would be even better without a necromancer’s face at the table," she whispered.

Simon offered a bitter smile. The prejudice stung, but she had saved his mother’s life. He was so grateful that he decided he would endure it for as long as she stayed.

Anna placed a large barbecue platter in the center of the table and sat down. She and Lethe said a prayer before the meal, while Simon and Richard waited patiently before picking up their utensils.

’Wow, a real home-cooked meal.’ Kizen’s food was famously delicious, but nothing could compare to his mother’s cooking. He carefully served himself a piece of tomato omelet.

"Simon, is that not enough?" Anna asked with a gentle smile.

"Oh, no! I just took one piece..."

"Wait just a moment!" Anna sprang from her seat and hurried to the kitchen, returning with another entire pan of omelet, which she promptly placed on his plate.

"Honey," Richard said, "the meat pie is fantastic today."

"Oh, is it? I’m so glad! I’ll make another one!"

"No, no! Wait! I didn’t mean—!"

But even the great Richard was powerless to stop Anna’s culinary rampage. A miracle was unfolding: no matter how much they ate, the amount of food on the table never seemed to decrease.

A deep sense of relief washed over Simon. He was finally home. The tension that had been coiled in his chest for months finally unwound. Feeling content, he reached for the cream pasta, but his eyes met Lethe’s. She was scowling at him in disgust.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she snapped, whipping her head away. He noticed she was only eating dishes that neither he nor Richard had touched.

Sighing, Simon took another piece of the omelet. He then watched as Lethe swiftly twirled a large forkful of cream pasta onto her plate.

"Oh, Lethe," Anna said, returning with yet another meat pie for Richard. "Aren’t you having any of the tomato omelet? I worked hard on it since it’s your favorite."

Lethe, who hadn’t touched it since Simon took the first slice, flinched. Her eyes darted around nervously. "I-I was just about to...!"

"Did it not turn out well? Was the egg too thick? Just tell me, and I’ll make a new one."

Simon and Richard both stared at her with knowing amusement. After a moment of intense internal conflict, Lethe finally took a piece of the omelet—the same one Simon’s fork had touched—and forced a smile.

"Wow, it’s so delicious, Miss! The best omelet of my life!"

"Oh, I’m so glad to hear you say that, Lethe!"

Lethe pressed a hand to her forehead in despair. As Anna turned back toward the kitchen, Simon caught her trying to hide a chuckle. He smirked. ’So she was messing with her.’

---

The peaceful meal eventually came to an end. Everyone was stuffed. A brief crisis was averted when Anna announced her intention to make a seven-course dessert, but the rest of them managed to physically restrain her.

"Mom, I’ll do the dishes," Simon said, standing up.

Lethe, who had been mindlessly patting her full stomach, shot her hand into the air. "No! I’ll do it!"

She couldn’t lose to a necromancer, not even at this. Seeing her burning enthusiasm, Anna smiled warmly.

"Oh, it’s alright. You’re a guest, Lethe."

"But I enjoyed the meal so much! Please let me help. Besides, you haven’t fully recovered yet." As she spoke, she shot a pointed glance at Simon.

Anna, catching the look, glanced between the two of them, then clapped her hands together brightly. "Oh, in that case, it would be wonderful if you two did them together!"

"Wh-What?"

Having made her decision, Anna disappeared into the master bedroom with Richard.

’Ah, this isn’t what I wanted,’ Lethe thought with a small sigh. She stood up, her expression cold. "Well? Let’s get started."

"Uh, yeah."

They began to wash the dishes. Simon scrubbed the plates clean, and Lethe rinsed and dried them before putting them away. For a while, they worked side-by-side in silence, the only sound the clattering of dishware.

"By the way," Lethe said, breaking the quiet. "I heard you’re Kizen’s Special Admission No. 1."

"Yeah, that’s right."

Lethe set down a freshly dried plate. "Meet me outside when we’re done," she said quietly. "Let’s have a match."