REAPER SCANS
Necromancer Academy's Genius Summoner
[Translator - Ramen]
[Proofreader - Artethrax]
Chapter 476
Constructing the skeleton knight was more challenging than expected.
There were many details to pay attention to. Unlike a regular skeleton where you just connect the bones like puzzles, you also had to mind the armor.
Some parts required assembling the skeleton first and then putting on the armor, while others came with the bone and armor fused as a single piece. Mixing up the order of any step could lead to disaster.
'Mm, this really isn't easy.'
He had to understand both the armor's structure and sequence of the connections while putting the bones together.
When Simon looked around, he saw many students raising their hands for help. The assistant teachers were rushing around breathlessly as usual.
"There's no need to overthink it."
Aaron broke the relative silence as he addressed the class.
"In the end, the armor is just another part. Don't get stuck on it."
Simon quickly assembled the two legs first. When he stepped back to look at his work, he couldn't help but smile.
'Pretty good. So this is the charm of a knight!'
To necromancers, there was a stereotype that skeletons were fragile undead that crumbled at a touch and required constant maintenance. But covering those weak joints with metal made them look surprisingly robust.
As Simon started getting the hang of it, he moved on to assembling the body and attaching the chest piece of the armor. Once he got a feel for it, he could steadily piece it together without pausing.
'Fit this part into the gap here, and connect this with jet-black thread.'
As Simon's skeleton knight rapidly took shape, Toto let out a voice of envy.
"So amazing! You've already made that much?"
"It's pretty doable once you get the hang of it."
At first, he struggled due to his lack of knowledge about armor and metal refining, but everything flowed smoothly once he overcame the roadblocks.
Now, on Simon's practice table, there was a skeleton knight divided into its lower and upper halves. This was necessary due to the armor's structure.
'The final step!'
Simon rolled up his sleeves.
'If I connect the upper body to the lower body and cover it with armor…!'
Mmmf!
It was quite heavy due to the weight of the armor. As Simon struggled to lift it, a white hand came from the other side.
"Let me help you."
"Thanks, Lorain!"
The two carefully held the upper body from both sides, then slowly attached it to the lower body on the count of three.
Clack.
The sound of a proper connection was heard. The jet-black in the two spines met, fusing them together into a single skeletal frame.
"Alright, it's done!"
Simon let out an exclamation of joy.
However…
Crack!
A terribly ominous sound was heard.
The skeleton knight started to wobble unsteadily, and then—snap!—its back bent sharply and slanted toward Simon.
"Eh??"
Simon and Lorain looked at each other in bewilderment.
* * *
Simon immediately sought help from Aaron.
After carefully examining the bent skeleton knight, Aaron finally spoke.
"It seems there were no issues with the assembly."
"Th-Then, what is it?"
"It's defective."
Thud!
Simon's heart sank.
"Well, there are defective products even in manufactured goods. It's not uncommon for undead products like this. The upper and lower halves were joined correctly, but it seems the upper bones were damaged from the start. I assume it couldn't handle the weight of the armor and bent under the pressure."
"Ah…"
'Agh, I should've gone with the Vanilla brand after all!'
Back in Langerstine, before guiding the first-years, he had stopped by a necromancer's shop only to find the Vanilla-brand skeleton knights were out of stock.
The clerk had recommended the lower-tier 'Pastelle' brand. Simon had debated whether to buy at a higher price in Rochest later or settle for this one, but he ultimately chose the Pastelle brand.
"Don't be too disheartened. This is a common experience for summoners."
Said Aaron as he walked toward another student.
"Contact the place where you bought it and start the refund process."
"…Yes, sir."
Simon stared dejectedly at the bent skeleton knight.
"Pre~sident! Thanks for the adhesive!"
As he stared, the orange-haired girl who had borrowed his bone adhesive approached with a cheerful smile.
"Hm?"
She then looked at Simon, whose head hung low in frustration, and the bent skeleton knight.
"Kyahahahaha!"
She couldn't help but burst out laughing. Her loud laughter drew irritated looks from nearby students.
"What's this?! Pfft! Hahahaha! It's like a grandpa!"
"It's defective, apparently."
With a burning face, Simon took back the adhesive.
"Kyaha! Pfft! Ah, sorry! Hahaha!"
After howling with laughter, she staggered as she struggled to catch her breath, leaning against Toto for support. Toto froze up and began to blush.
"It's just that your pose was exactly like the skeleton's. Hahaha! Like master, like summon! Pfft!"
"Stop laughing!"
Meanwhile, from a little further away…
Rank five, Aseraz, turned her head toward the sound of laughter with shining eyes.
'A defective product? He was one of the trickiest ones. Lucky me for the first class.'
Hector was also watching the scene with a blank face at the very back.
'Well, I guess days like these happen.'
Left alone again, Simon struggled to straighten the bent skeleton knight. But its back simply bent over to the other side.
'I can't give up like this. There's still plenty of class time left.'
Considering the defect, Aaron had promised perfect points for the assembly, but the reduced quality of the result would still bring down his overall score.
In Kizen, there was no room for flexibility when it came to judging. Only the results mattered.
'I'll try anything and everything I can!'
If results were what mattered in the end, then whatever makeshift method it took, he just had to stiffen its back and ensure it moved properly, even if just for this class.
Simon took out tape designed to connect bones from his bag and ripped off a piece.
Then, he quickly wrapped it around its waist again and again.
'I'll reroute the flow of jet-black to the side.'
Simon drew a small magic circle over the defective bones and another one over the magic circle. Constructing a temporary circuit, he allowed jet-black to flow between the magic circles without passing through the bone.
'Alright, maybe something like this?'
Simon stepped back and crossed his arms.
'Try moving, knight!'
Clank, clank.
At Simon's command, the skeleton knight staggered and began to take one step after another. It was crude, but it could walk to some extent.
'Running might be out of the option, but this much is fine.'
Sighing, Simon pulled a sword from his subspace and placed it in the skeleton knight's hand. He then commanded it to direct the sword in a direction no one was in.
"Swing!"
Swish!
It made a surprisingly clean sound. Hope sparked in Simon's eyes. Students also began clamoring as they turned to look at him.
"Now, swing horizontally!"
Bwish!
The skeleton knight swung to the side, twisting its waist for a big swing, and…
Crack!
It was unable to handle the strength. The skeleton knight's waist bent again, and it started wobbling like a spring.
Simon covered his forehead as laughter erupted around him.
"Are you okay, Simon?"
Asked Lorain as she approached. Simon tried his best to nod vigorously.
"Of course. I'm not giving up yet."
"Alright, hang in there."
Did she step in just to give words of encouragement? Simon felt a surge of strength within him.
'Still, I can see it.'
Simon laid out all the equipment he had on the table. He definitely wasn't going to give up.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Ramen
Proofreader - Artethrax
Join our discord for updates on releases!
* * *
Time passed.
One by one, the students finished assembling their skeleton knights and stood in line to have them checked.
The first to complete a knight in the second-year Summoning department was Aseraz Mickel.
Swish! Swish!
Each time her knight swung its sword, exclamations of admiration echoed from across the room.
Powerful, precise strikes. It was incomparable to the clumsy swordsmanship of ordinary skeletons.
"Well done, Aseraz."
Holding an evaluation sheet, Aaron nodded.
"The score is…"
"It's not over yet, Professor."
As Aseraz gave another command with her thoughts, the skeleton knight set down the shield it held in its left hand. Then, it picked up another sword.
'Twin blades?'
Soon, when Aseraz issued another command…
Slash! Slash!
The two swords crossed paths, creating beautiful arcs. The students were so amazed they couldn't help but gape in awe. Even Aaron nodded in satisfaction.
"Impressive. How did you do it?"
"The material for my skeleton knight is a danger level three monster, a galbaren."
She quickly began to explain.
"It's a monster known for its irregular fighting style. I connected more strongly to the thoughts of the skeleton knight and focused on rediscovering its most effective fighting skill. I found out that giving it two swords doubled its effectiveness, so I adjusted the wrist and arm structure to suit the trait."
"…So you've not only mastered creating the summon but have already given it unique traits."
Aaron smiled.
"It's a shame I can't give you a grade higher than an A+. Well done."
Clap clap clap clap!
Receiving applause from the students, Aseraz stepped down from the stage.
"Next!"
Hector assembled a skeleton knight as large as he was, 1.5 times the size of a regular skeleton knight, and got an A+. It was common knowledge in summoning that larger skeletons were significantly harder to create.
Fitzgerald placed enchantment magic circles onto the metal pieces, creating a distinctive skeleton undead that could independently imbue its sword and armor with jet-black during combat, earning the students' praise.
However, Aaron had a different opinion.
"The idea is good, but you didn't consider the knight's jet-black consumption and operational time. Like this, it loses that element of strength from not requiring control. It won't even last five minutes."
Fitzgerald was bewildered, caught off guard by the unexpected critique, but he soon adjusted his glasses and replied,
"My goal was to create a skeleton knight model specialized for short-term decisive battles to offset those weaknesses."
"Not a bad answer for an improvised excuse."
But Aaron had him wrapped around his finger.
"If you had truly aimed to specialize it for short-term battles, however, you wouldn't have enchanted the armor in the first place."
"…"
"I might've bought your reasoning if you had used lighter armor. You get a B+, Fitzgerald."
You couldn't easily fool a professor in Kizen.
Fitzgerald accepted it cleanly, returned to his seat, and quietly said to Toto,
"I still think it was worth a try."
"…Hahaha."
And next…
"Simon Polentia."
Simon came up for the inspection. His stumbling skeleton knight was by his side. Laughter erupted all around the room.
"…You've tried your best."
Said Aaron with a tinge of pity.
The skeleton knight had succeeded in straightening its defective back, but only by pouring in all kinds of materials into it and sacrificing a lot in return. Its armor had also been cut down to reduce its weight and had been made into light armor.
"As I said earlier, your creation had no flaws. However, as a Summoning professor, I must evaluate by judging the result."
"I understand."
"Simon, the score I'll give you is—"
"Wait a moment, Professor."
Aaron turned his head. Simon stood with a meaningful smile, spreading his arms.
"I'm confident I can beat any knight with this knight."
The students around clamored. Some were openly jeering at him.
"Bluffing?"
"Didn't he see what just happened to Fitzgerald?"
"There's no way he could fool Professor Aaron."
Hearing Simon's words, Aaron's lips curled into a wide smile.
"Can you take responsibility for those words?"
"Of course."
Aaron looked around.
The first person he saw was Hector.
To be honest, having watched Simon and Hector grow together in Class A, he wanted to see them battle.
But as a professor, he should always avoid personal bias. The student with the best-made skeleton knight in this class should be chosen for this.
"Aseraz Mickel, step forward."
Rattle!
As if waiting for the call, Aseraz stood up, bringing out her dual-wielding skeleton knight.
Hector, ready to stand, clenched his teeth as he saw Aseraz step forward.
"Simon Polentia."
Aaron turned back to face him.
"If you can defeat Aseraz' skeleton knight, I'll be fooled by your claim."
A smile spread across Simon's face.
"Let me show you."
——
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