Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 351: Episode

"Right on time. Come in."

The door clicked open and swung wide, revealing the third participant. It was someone I knew very well—in fact, someone I saw every day. A male student with gray hair and a scar over one eye.

"Kajan!"

I was utterly bewildered. An academic conference for a Summoning paper presentation, and my partners were Serne and Kajan?

"My apologies for being late," Kajan said, showing no particular reaction. He gave Aaron a slight nod, then his gaze flickered to me. Beside us, Serne smiled, her eyes curving into crescents as she waved elegantly, but he ignored her completely. She pouted, but he ignored her a second time.

"It seems you all know each other, so introductions are unnecessary. Sit," Aaron instructed.

As the three of us sat side by side on the sofa, Aaron continued, "I will now begin the paper review."

If he deemed our papers unsatisfactory, we wouldn’t be able to go. A wave of nervousness washed over me. Aaron started with Serne’s paper.

The pages turned at a rapid pace. One would think she’d be nervous having her paper scrutinized by a Kizen professor, but Serne just smiled serenely. It was true; I had never seen her fear or be intimidated by anyone—not Kizen professors, not even a Saint. She simply looked down on them, as if all of creation existed beneath her feet.

Finally, Aaron finished reading and placed the paper on his desk.

"I have no idea what you’ve written here."

My mouth fell open. A paper that even a Summoning professor couldn’t understand?

"However," Aaron’s voice dropped low, "it’s the kind of content that would appeal to the mad eccentrics at the conference. Good work."

"This is just the basics!" Serne declared boastfully, flicking a stray lock of hair with her fingertips.

Next up was Kajan. Aaron took his paper, and I shot Kajan an anxious look.

’What is going on, Kajan?’

He was the biggest mystery here. He was a classic martial arts purist, failing nearly every other subject. He’d even admitted to scoring a twenty on the Summoning midterm. How could someone like that write a Summoning paper?

Aaron, reading Kajan’s paper, seemed to get stuck on the very first page. His expression grew grave as he paused for a long time on a particular section.

"...Kajan Edvalt." Aaron looked up, his eyes cold. "What in the world are you?"

"Just a student who had to repeat a year," Kajan replied bluntly.

The atmosphere was thick with a strange, taut tension. Caught in the middle, I could only shift my eyes back and forth uneasily. Serne, already bored, rested her chin on her hand and began grooming her fingernails.

Aaron looked at the first page of the paper once more. The content was dreadful, but in the corner, scrawled in messy handwriting, were these words:

’Just pass this kid! -Nephthys-’

Above it were childish doodles of flowers, trees, and clouds, presumably drawn by Nephthys herself. Aaron sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead before putting the paper down, having read only the first page.

"You pass."

’This passes?’ I stared at Aaron, my mouth agape.

Without any explanation, he picked up the final paper: mine.

’I’m going to get an earful at the conference,’ he seemed to think. ’I can only hope this kid can heal my weary eyes.’

He opened the first page.

For the first time, a look of genuine surprise crossed Aaron’s face. Before he knew it, he had devoured the first five pages. He would look up at me, then back down at the paper, then up at me again, repeating the motion.

’Wh-Why is he doing that?’ I was on edge, my hands, placed politely on my knees, slick with sweat. The few parts of the paper that had bothered me now felt like needles pricking my chest. ’Ugh, I wish I could fix a few things. I should have just played it safe since it’s my first paper.’

Time seemed to stand still. Finally, Aaron finished. He quietly set the paper down and closed his eyes, as if savoring a fine wine.

’The prose is exquisite.’ The opening grabbed his attention with an unconventional argument, and the latter half meticulously supported it with rigorous detail. It was the kind of work that fully satisfied a necromancer’s insatiable curiosity. Moreover, it was written from the pure perspective of a student whose mind had not yet hardened. He had pinpointed aspects that necromancers, stagnant in their ways, had long overlooked and had offered creative, elegant solutions.

Aaron opened his eyes and stared at me.

"Simon Polentia."

"Y-Yes, Professor!"

"Separate from the conference," he said, tapping my paper with his fingertip, "you may submit this for the final Summoning evaluation."

My mind raced. The final Summoning evaluation, ’Magical Undead Creation and Thesis,’ was worth a whopping 40 percent of our grade. He was saying I could pass that crucial assignment just by submitting this paper.

’It’s that good,’ Aaron thought. Even if Simon did just that, he would have no choice but to give him an A+. The paper was simply that excellent.

However.

"I refuse," I said without a moment’s hesitation. The nervous boy from a moment ago was gone, replaced by someone with unwavering resolve in his eyes. "I have no intention of changing my mind. I will submit a lich for my final evaluation."

That explosive youth and passion. No matter how many times he saw it, Aaron thought I resembled his past self. But as an adult, he could only speak like one.

"Even if you do manage to create and submit a lich, if its quality is poor, you could get a lower score than you would with this paper."

I simply offered a gentle smile. That was answer enough. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"...Very well," Aaron conceded. "The paper is approved. It seems this year’s conference will be quite eventful."

He then gave us some words of caution. Since it was an event where all sorts of people gathered, he urged the three of us to stick together at all times and warned us not to give other necromancers any reason to find fault with us. We all nodded.

"I believe this conference will be a valuable experience for you. Learn as much as you can. That is all."

---

The next morning, Serne, Kajan, and I took a teleportation circle to Pentamonium.

"Wow...!"

If I had to describe my first impression of the city in one word, it would be ’crystalline’. Soaring into the sky were dozens of impossibly tall buildings, crafted from an ore as transparent as glass. People called them the ’Glass Towers’, a counterpart to the Ivory Tower, and each one was dedicated to a single field of black magic. There were seven in total.

’There are so many people, too.’ Necromancers in stylish suits strolled the streets alongside ordinary people who hadn’t opened their cores. During the conference, the ratio of civilians to necromancers was about three to seven, with most areas open to the public. Even for non-necromancers, modern industry revolved around Jet-Black and dark magic, making the conference a prime opportunity to grasp new trends and sniff out business ventures.

"It feels good to be out of stuffy Roc Island for a change." Serne lifted her sunglasses onto her forehead and smiled.

Naturally, the eyes of passersby were drawn to her. Men and women, young and old, all glanced in her direction, whispering about how pretty she was or pointing out her Kizen uniform. Just wearing the uniform attracted an incredible amount of attention. The Kizen brand carried that much weight in the outside world.

Serne snorted nonchalantly and took out a mirror.

Kajan checked the time.

"I’ve been assigned the role of leader, so I will guide you."

"Wait a minute." I looked at him, seizing the opportunity. "Why are you here, Kajan? You didn’t say a word to me about it."

"It’s a mission," he answered indifferently. That magic word he often used. It radiated a ’don’t ask if you know what’s good for you’ vibe, but...

"What kind of mission?" Having grown closer to him, I didn’t think twice about asking.

Kajan sighed.

"A protection mission." He then subtly glanced toward Serne. "And a surveillance mission."

Serne blinked, feigning innocence, but Kajan ignored her.

"Is protection really necessary in a closed-off place with so many people?" I pressed.

Kajan scratched the scar near his eye. "You were attacked by Legion Commander Magnus even within Roc Island, Simon. He’s been laying low since the Crows started pursuing him, but it’s better to be safe than sorry."

"Right. I understand. I’ll be careful..."

"Ah! Speaking of which!" Serne suddenly cut in, slinging her arms around my shoulders and Kajan’s. "This combination! We’re together again! The Saint-Slayer Trio with Hidden Powers!"

I gave a bitter smile. ’That name is terrible.’

"Get off," Kajan growled, scowling.

When Serne finally released her arms with a pout, Kajan gestured.

"Follow me."

He led us to the first floor of the Glass Tower dedicated to Summoning. Apparently, the entire building was a facility for that field.

’Oh!’

A massive sign was plastered with schedules for the building’s events: a New Summon Contest, a no-holds-barred debate, and even speeches by famous personalities.

’This is amazing. So this is the academic conference!’ For someone as interested in Summoning as I was, this place was heaven. My eyes darted left and right. ’I want to see everything! I wish I had ten bodies.’

As I scanned the schedule, I found my own event.

<Necromancer Student Paper Presentation>

-Kizen, Alland, Sierra, Moiran.-

It seemed students from other schools were here as well. Today was the second-years’ turn to present; the first-year presentation was tomorrow.

’I can’t wait!’

While my heart pounded with excitement, Serne and Kajan were arguing.

"I said five minutes is all I need!" Serne insisted.

"We’ll go together," Kajan stated flatly.

"Oh my, just how far are you planning to follow me? You have a perverted side, don’t you?"

"I’ll be the judge of how far we go."

In the end, they walked off together. I decided to take a seat and wait, my mind already buzzing with what to see first.

"Oh! Look who it is." A high-pitched voice broke through my thoughts. "A noble Kizen student has graced us with his presence."

"The elite of the elite, right there."

Two male students and one female student in green plaid uniforms were approaching me. My eyes widened.

’No way.’

It was my first time meeting students from another necromancer school.