REAPER SCANS
Necromancer Academy's Genius Summoner
[Translator - Ramen]
[Proofreader - Artethrax]
Chapter 281
Team Seiwirr's spirits were high.
They thought it was going to be a grueling experience doing a profession's job, but they were tasked with a major mission: to bring a candidate for the Saintess. It was a high-level mission that might even involve a skirmish with Efnel.
"This is worth two months of bragging when we return to Kizen!"
Blurted out Rick, pulling his arm around Simon's neck.
"We're gonna be stopping a Saintess from appearing! We get to do a great mission like this because we're working with such a great person!"
Meilyn glared at Rick, trying to get him to realize he should quiet down.
"We all know it's an important mission even if you don't exaggerate, so shut up about it."
"You got it, ma'am~ You got it~"
Rick stuck close to Seiwirr, who was walking ahead, and eagerly asked him questions.
He wasn't just buttering him up, but it was also out of complete respect.
"Hey, Simon."
"…"
"Hey!!"
Simon looked to the side in surprise.
Meilyn was standing there with her hands on her hips, feigning anger.
"What's gotten you thinking so seriously?"
"No, it's just…"
Simon tilted his head in confusion and said,
"I was wondering if we're even allowed to take on a mission as important as this."
"What are you talking about? It's not our mission but Agent Seiwirr's mission."
Corrected Meilyn.
"We're just extras. He's an ace in Vengeance's intelligence department, so I guess he easily gets to take on missions like this."
"Hmm."
Simon still couldn't get rid of the uneasy feeling in his gut.
Looking past Simon, Meilyn softly asked Camibarez,
"Are you still adjusting, Cami? You look a little ill."
Cami shook her head.
"N-No. With you guys by my side, I'm fine already!"
"Then why do you look so down?"
"…"
"It's okay, Cami. You can tell us anything."
Cami hesitated, fidgeting with her small fingers, but soon mumbled,
"Are we on our way to… kidnap that girl who's the Saintess candidate?"
Prick.
Meilyn flinched a little and tried her best to give a bright smile.
"Wh-What do you mean by kidnap!!? Haha! We're going to protect her from Efnel first!"
"…"
Cami's frown didn't go away.
Meilyn hit Simon in the arm with her elbow and mouthed, 'Do something!'
In the end, Simon spoke up.
"One thing for sure, if Efnel gets in contact with the girl first, they'll take her to the Holy Federation. Regardless of her will."
In the Holy Federation, babies were required to undergo a divinity test when they're born. And, if they pass with high compatibility with divinity, they're obligated to become priests, being told that they've been chosen by the Goddess Deva.
For religious reasons, this whole process was considered extremely sacred.
"On the other hand, if we made contact with the girl first…"
"I suppose we would ask her opinion, at least."
Seiwirr joined all of a sudden.
"If she agrees, she will be protected. If she refuses, she will be kidnapped."
Camibarez gulped.
"…Wh-What are we going to do with her after we take her?"
Seiwirr brushed back his bangs and winked.
"We'll wait for the decision of the higher-ups. Our mission is only to bring her."
Seiwirr explained that it would be a problem if the entire population of the neutral area turned against the Dark Territory. For that reason, her life wouldn't be taken, but she would probably be sent to the Dark Territory.
If she wanted to live in the neutral area, a condition might be added that she has to awaken her core. Awakening a core would prevent her from becoming a priest.
"This is just my opinion, but…"
Meilyn crossed her arms and spoke her own mind.
"However she lives, it's probably better than being Efnel's puppet. At least we have our freedom here."
"…Yes."
Gathering herself, Camibarez nodded.
Seeing that everyone was ready, Seiwirr announced,
"Well, then. Let's get going then."
Immediately, Rick clenched his fists in excitement as if he'd been waiting for exactly this.
"We're gonna jump over with a teleportation magic circle, right? Since we have absolutely no time to lose!!"
However…
The place they arrived at was a carriage station. Seiwirr spoke to one coachmen, then looked at the students and said,
"Everyone, please get in."
"W-We're taking a carriage? All the way there?"
Asked Rick, very much puzzled.
Seiwirr stroked his chin and gave a shining smile.
"Of course! Using a teleportation magic circle would be faster, but this is the neutral area. There's a risk of our coordinates being exposed to Efnel. Therefore, riding a shabby, regular-ol' carriage is the best way to avoid attracting attention."
"Whew, as expected! You always have a profound meaning for everything, Agent!"
Rick and Seiwirr hopped in first. The other three followed suit, hopping aboard.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Ramen
Proofreader - Artethrax
Join our discord for updates on releases!
* * *
At the same time.
About 500 meters away from where Simon and his group were climbing into the carriage was a man standing absent-mindedly.
"…I couldn't even get a wink of sleep last night."
Said a middle-aged man through chattering teeth. His broad shoulders were hunched down and all that could be seen of his crestfallen face was thick, bushy hair. Crinkles formed in his otherwise pristine suit from how he was cowered over, and his legs were shaking nonstop.
"I heard that kids are really scary these days."
Next to him, a serious-looking woman who appeared to be his secretary was frowning.
"Even if they're scary, they're just kids."
Blake put his thumb in his mouth and bit at the nail.
"No, they're kids from Kizen. Kizen! Like, you know, their parents are big shots, and they themselves are also some kind of high nobility!"
Contrary to his huge physique, Blake had shrunk down like a frightened rabbit.
"From what I've heard from my seniors, it was normal for them to be criticized and get scolded for not doing their job. Like, the kids calling in the higher-ups to chew out their mentor. Like when some kids complained during the mission with a communication ball that the snacks weren't good enough, and all the people looking after them were rounded up and given harsh punishments."
"Really, do you believe that nonsense?"
Scolded the secretary.
"Besides, you're a veteran who has built a career of surviving even the deadliest situations. Why are you so scared of a bunch of kids?"
"…Do kids these days even respect such prestige nowadays? I heard that kids these days turn the other cheek when you say things like, 'Back in my day…' "
"Ugh, please!"
Blake began to beg in desperation.
"I hope they're kind kids. I'm really confident to be nice with them if they're…"
"They probably are. It's not like all Kizen students are rude."
"D-Do you think so? By the way, I've got a S.A. No.1 student under me as well. I bet he's an arrogant, unruly high noble."
"Phew, honestly…"
Blake looked at his wristwatch again and again.
"But other than that, they're quite late. Hehe."
He had started waiting in front of the Vengeance building an hour before the appointed time.
But no one was to be seen even an hour after they were meant to arrive.
"Hehehe, I know. This is some kind of unspoken test, isn't it? I'll wait here no matter how long it takes, kids! Just show up, please…"
The secretary sighed heavily.
"I'll make this clear. You're the boss in this dispatch, the boss! No matter how exceptionally talented they are, you have the authority to grade them, Agent Blake!"
Blake wasn't listening to her at all, too busy muttering in frustration.
"Agent Seiwirr! Agent Seiwirr!"
Just then, a man came running out of the Vengeance building, looking anxiously for someone. He then spotted Blake and the secretary and ran over.
"Good day, Agent Blake! Secretary! Have you seen Agent Seiwirr?"
The secretary shrugged.
"No, I haven't."
"Dammit! Where the hell did that walking disaster go!?"
"Is there something wrong?"
The man put his hand on his forehead and sighed.
"Agent Seiwirr… he left with the top priority mission, not his usual infiltration mission. The target acquisition mission meant for the combat department!"
"What?"
"Please do tell me if you see him!"
The man hurried toward the market to ask the residents. The secretary, staring after him, turned her head.
"Did you hear that, Agent Blake? Seems like Seiwirr, that troublemaker, made a mess yet again."
Still, Blake wasn't listening to her at all.
"I also heard that the kids from Kizen ask where you graduated from, and if you tell any school other than Kizen, they start looking down on you."
"Ah, stop it already!"
"Huhu, Moiran dropouts like me should just patiently wait for punishment…"
* * *
"Me? I graduated from Kizen, of course!"
In the moving carriage heading toward their mission.
When Seiwirr answered with a casual shrug, Rick let out an exclamation.
"Oh! You're our immediate senior!"
Meilyn also looked surprised to hear that he was a Kizen graduate. He was indeed an elite.
Rick continued,
"We're already dying in our first year, and you survived there for three years! I have huge respect for you!"
"Fufu, the second year will be even harder, and the third will be hell."
Then, Meilyn stared at Seiwirr and said,
"At your age, Agent… Do you perhaps know Professor Bahil or Professor Aaron?"
"Oh, those guys? How could I not?"
Rick's and Meilyn's jaws dropped. To think he addressed two active Kizen professors as 'those guys'!
"Let's see… Those guys were my juniors when I was in my third year."
"Woahhh!"
"They've been extraordinary since they were younger, so I taught them a lot. Even now, I sometimes run into them when I happen to drop by Kizen HQ, and they greet me respectfully. Haha! I tell them not to do that since they're professors at Kizen now."
"Respectfully? You mean that Professor Bahil and Professor Aaron?"
As if he had been waiting for it, Seiwirr told his epic story back when he was in Kizen. Rick, Meilyn, and even Camibarez listened with their ears pricked up in interest.
'Hmm.'
On the other hand, Simon had his arms crossed, the bad feeling in his gut getting worse. Something felt… wrong.
"Yeah, right. That's when Bahil wove a net of blood to catch the fleeing opponent."
"Wow! So he used hemomancy as well when he was a student, despite being a professor of curses!"
"What? Ah, yes. He was into hemomancy when he was young, but then he switched to curses, and…"
Simon closed his eyes.
He couldn't really say anything just out of suspicion.
For now, he decided to keep a watchful eye.
* * *
The border between the Holy Federation and the neutral area.
The Gate of Divinity.
It is some sort of 'checkpoint', and anyone who wanted to go to the neutral area had to pass through it.
This time, Efnel students were passing through it. All of them were on Visits to the neutral area.
"I've never been to the neutral area before, Sister Rete!"
Said Rete's roommate, Lilinettte.
Rete had her hands tucked inside her robes with a frown as usual.
"I don't think it's been that long for me."
"What? When have you been here?"
"…Ah, don't ask. I'm getting flashbacks of that cramped box."
"Eh?"
Just then, three girls in Efnel uniforms were approaching, calling Lilinette's name.
Rete looked at them with her characteristic disinterested face.
"Your groupmates, Lilinette?"
"Yes!"
"You really did a good job of picking average people."
"And you really decided to do it by yourself?"
Rete nodded and yawned.
"Others would only get in my way. I'm going to finish this by myself and return to the Holy Federation as quickly as possible."
"As expected from you, Sister Rete! Your every move is so unconventional!"
"What mission did you get? Something tough?"
Lilinette waved her hand like it was nothing.
"You know, the usual. Securing the Saintess candidate."
"Be careful. I heard that kids from Kizen are there as well."
"Oh my! Are you worried about me? This is great!"
Rete accompanied that sarcastic comment with a harsh glare, and Lilinette instinctively flinched and started to prepare a barrier.
"St-Still, don't you have anything to say for your roommate before we part ways?"
Shoving her hands into her robe's pockets, Rete pondered for half a second, and then blurted out,
"The boy with navy blue hair."
"?"
"If you ever encounter a boy from Kizen with navy blue hair during the mission, just pretend you're dead and run away."
"Hoho! Me? Run away? I may be like this, but I'm in the upper rank across all of Efnel in terms of combat ability."
"It doesn't matter if you're in the upper rank or not."
Rete stared at Lilinette with deadly seriousness.
"One mistake and you're dead."
——
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