REAPER SCANS
Necromancer Academy's Genius Summoner
[Translator - Ramen]
[Proofreader - Artethrax]
Chapter 503
The battle against the immortal army was over.
Following the Ganes Guild, even Tarados' soldiers had joined Simon's side. They cut down the creatures before they could finish regenerating, ensuring that they couldn't rise again.
And Simon, the only one capable of killing them for good, moved through the battlefield, finishing them off with the Greatsword of Destruction. No more undead soldiers rose again.
"We'll make camp here!"
"Move quickly before night falls!"
The night was coming. The nights in Tarados were notoriously cold, so the two forces set up camp together under Simon's mediation.
Even in this situation, Serene seemed eager to have her bandits clash with the soldiers led by Lorain, but Simon stopped her.
Tang, tang, tang!
As the girls sat and rested, Kajann moved around with nails in his mouth, hammering skillfully. A large military tent was quickly taking shape.
'This is harder than it looks.'
Simon was helping Kajann as well.
They had to secure the tent ropes by wrapping them around iron stakes, but there was more to it than it seemed. The tent had to be pulled taut evenly, and they had to avoid sandy areas and find solid ground.
"Have you been doing well, Simon?"
Just then, a black-haired girl approached Simon.
"Ah, Lorain!"
"Need some help?"
"No, no, I can do it myself."
Nodding, she crouched beside Simon and watched.
For some reason, having someone watching made him nervous. His hammering became more serious, too.
Tang! Tang!
"I was really surprised."
Said Simon as he hammered.
"That you showed up leading the lord's soldiers and that Serene brought the Ganes Guild."
Lorain smiled.
"A lot happened."
When Lorain discovered that Serene was heading to Tarados, the same place Simon was headed, she requested the school to prepare an additional teleportation magic circle to Tarados. She needed to stop the mad lady's schemes.
However, the day before the Mission Evaluation, contact with the servant dispatched to Tarados was suddenly lost.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Lorain crossed over to Tarados before Simon.
Waiting for her were soldiers sent by The Association. They even attempted to capture Lorain despite recognizing her school uniform.
"So that's why there was no teleportation magic circle to Tarados."
"That's right."
"How clingy~ seriously."
Serene walked toward the two with her arms crossed.
"You actually thought of following me all the way here?"
To avoid Lorain's pursuit, Serene accepted a request from another region and used a teleportation circle from the Ivory Tower to travel to Tarados.
Lorain sharply raised her eyes.
"Of course, I have to follow you. Things won't go the way you and the Ivory Tower want."
Facing Lorain's gleaming red eyes head-on, Serene scoffed.
"You were acting like a tamed beast with its arms tied at school, but you're now finally showing your true colors, huh?"
She pointed at the necklace with a lock hanging around Lorain's neck.
The lock was open.
"So—"
Voice dripping with murderous intent, Lorain interrupted,
"Think carefully about every move you make. I'll be the first to strike if you do anything even slightly suspicious."
"Oh my~ How scary."
"Stop fighting already."
Just then, Kajann appeared from behind the tent, holding a hammer.
"We can't just stand around here. I'd like to discuss our plan for what to do next."
* * *
Kajann immediately called the key figures to the tent.
The coachman, who had properly fulfilled his role as a guide.
Lisa, their requester's younger sister.
General Amin, who led the Tarados soldiers.
And Karakk, the bandit leader who led the Ganes Guild and considered himself Serene's right-hand man
General Amin took the lead in the briefing.
"This place where we have set camp is the entrance to the secret base of The Association. All the captives across Tarados are sent here."
Simon straightened his back as he focussed.
"…What happens to them after they are sent to the secret base?"
"I've only seen the 'gate' open from a distance. I don't know what happens to those taken inside."
"Excuse me, can we skip to the important stuff~?"
Serene brushed her hair behind her ear.
"Just tell us how we can get into that secret base or whatever the thing is."
Serene gave off an untouchable aura, so even General Amin treated her with utmost respect.
"Of course. It's estimated that the secret base can only be accessed at midnight. All captives are transported at night and arrive at these ruins at precisely midnight. The schedule has never changed, and at times, if there are too many captives at once, some are sent back and brought in the next day at midnight instead."
This was the same as what Simon heard from Lorain before the briefing. It was why they had set up camp at the ruins and were waiting until midnight.
"Then, how do you open the gate at midnight?"
To answer Kajann's question, Amin pulled a key from his pocket.
"This is a key taken from the lord. At midnight, when the space within the ruins distorts, inserting this key should open the gate to the secret base."
"Oh, that key! Our boss had one too."
Said Karakk as he raised his hands. Then, looking at Serene, he quickly corrected himself.
"Of course, he's nothing but my former boss! I serve only my queen now!"
"Oh my~ What a loyal man."
Serene chuckled. Lorain's gaze shifted to her.
"You… What did you do to Black Wolf Ganes?"
"What did I do? Well~"
Serene shrugged.
"He had the audacity to draw a weapon on me, and mind control barely worked on him, so I lost my temper and messed him up. He was running away, crying his eyes out while covered in blood~ He's probably dead by now."
"As expected of my queen! No one else on this continent could overpower Captain Ganes like that!"
Hearing this, Simon let out a bitter smile. He had wondered how she took over the Ganes Guild, but it turned out she had simply crushed them with brute force.
"And what about you? How did you bring the lord's soldiers?"
Using the opportunity, Serene turned the question on Lorain. She sighed and responded,
"Finding you and Simon was my priority, but the situation was too severe to ignore. Since I was already headed to the lord for answers, I took care of it along the way."
As expected.
Being Nefthis' successor, she clearly felt a deep responsibility for the crisis in Tarados.
"The lord has been arrested and locked in the underground prison."
The truth was, the lord's reputation among the Tarados soldiers was abysmal. He forced them to play the villain while constantly delaying their pay with all sorts of excuses.
General Amin was far more popular than the lord. When news spread that the lord had been imprisoned and Amin had staged a coup, most of the soldiers sided with him. It was only natural.
The soldiers who had been brought here were all loyal to Amin, not to the lord.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Ramen
Proofreader - Artethrax
Join our discord for updates on releases!
* * *
"Let's get back to the main point. This is a rough map of the secret base, taken from the lord's vault."
Amin placed the map on a table. Kajann tilted his head and looked at it.
"This is far too detailed for them to give to an outsider."
"The lord joined The Association as a member. He provided them with a massive workforce, making himself a crucial member."
Simon clapped his hands, drawing everyone's eyes.
"Alright, then let's rest until midnight, and when it's time, we'll use the key to open the gate and enter."
Simon turned his head and saw Lisa looking anxious.
"Don't worry, Lisa. I'll definitely save your brother."
"Yeah!"
She nodded, and at the same time, the necklace around Simon's neck swayed.
[Wait, wait! You haven't forgotten the priority here, right? My main body comes first!]
'I know, Karl.'
Simon looked around at the other students gathered around him.
"You'll all help, right?"
Kajann nodded.
"That was already agreed upon. I'm your bodyguard, and I promised to cooperate in any way necessary."
Lorain added,
"As a Kizen student, I can't turn a blind eye to the tragedy in Tarados. I'll do everything I can to help."
Serene smiled sweetly and said,
"I don't wanna~"
'Huh?'
Then, she held out her palm.
"Unless, well, you offer me proper compensation for that?"
"Really, you…"
Serene wasn't just powerful. She was someone who Simon didn't need to hide his strength as a Commander around. Her assistance was crucial.
Simon let out a long sigh and looked up.
"What do you want?"
"As always, I need a few more coupon stamps."
Serene winked and held up three fingers.
"This time, maybe something like three of them?"
"…"
When Serene first started that coupon system, Simon had tried to ignore her, but she kept bringing it up so persistently that it was hard to ignore.
What exactly was she planning to wish once she collected all ten stamps? The thought sent a slight chill down his spine.
"Three is too much. Just one."
"Three."
"One."
"Three."
"One."
It was hard to come to any form of compromise.
Then, Serene cutely winked and grabbed Simon's arm.
"How about three stamps, and I'll throw in some quality date time with me?"
"Kugh! My queen…!"
Karakk glared at Simon, his eyes burning with jealousy.
However, Simon completely ignored him and continued negotiating.
"Shouldn't that actually lower the price?"
"Woah, you're so mean!"
"Alright, two stamps, including the date."
"Fine, deal!"
Serene finally held out her hand in satisfaction, and Simon took it.
* * *
Time passed, and the sun set over the horizon.
Serene, true to her carefree nature, calmly wrapped herself in a blanket and took a nap while Kajann meticulously analyzed the secret base's map.
Meanwhile, Lorain stepped up, saying she'd prepare dinner.
"I'll make something simple. Thought it'd be better to eat before a big fight."
She grabbed a bucket and stood up, and Simon quickly followed after.
"Oh, I'll help, too."
As night settled in, the two walked together to fetch water from a stream in a cave near the ruins.
There weren't any cooking facilities, so everyone had to manage their own meals. Fortunately, Lorain had a portable cooking set in her subspace, so she planned to make a simple vegetable soup.
"…"
Simon grabbed an empty bucket and walked with her, glancing at Lorain's face every few seconds.
Her steps seemed light today. Occasionally, she even skipped slightly as she walked.
She looked strangely unburdened.
It was definitely different from how she was at school.
"Why do you keep staring at me?"
Teased Lorain. Simon flinched, quickly averting his gaze.
"No, it's just…"
"Are you curious about this?"
She shook the lock necklace hanging around her neck. Simon gave a small nod.
The truth was, he wanted to ask about it for a while, but Lorain had always looked so down lately. He didn't want to pry into what could've been a personal family issue with Nefthis.
"During the break, my mother told me this."
Lorain gently touched the lock, her long eyelashes resting lower as she looked down.
"She asked, during my first year at Kizen, how much had I grown compared to you or my other peers."
"…"
"I couldn't really answer."
Lorain was already a complete necromancer on her own.
Her supernatural ability, which could be applied to summons, improved even a skeleton tenfold. When used on skeleton horses, they became faster than any skeleton horse in existence.
But the stronger her supernatural ability, the more she relied on it. That was the problem.
Simon scratched his head awkwardly.
"…She compared you to me? That kinda makes me feel bad."
"There's nothing to feel bad about. Besides, the second example she gave was Senior Fantasus. He became Kizen's strongest by refining just a single curse, without any supernatural abilities. Hearing examples like that made me realize I hadn't really grown at all since my first year."
Simon silently nodded, letting her speak.
"It's also true that I had no motivation to study in my first year."
The night breeze blew, fluttering her black hair.
"Nothing taught at school was stronger than my ability. Instead of learning, I focused on influencing the school's administration, trying to prove my abilities as a future leader to the adults. But in doing so, I neglected what was truly important for me as a student."
Before they knew it, they had reached the place where the underground water was flowing. Lorain placed the bucket in a shallow pit, and it slowly began filling.
The two sat down and waited.
"That's why I was given restrictions."
She pulled her knees up to her chest.
"I'm forbidden from interfering in the school's administration until I graduate. That was my mother's order."
"...So that's why you couldn't step in and stop the third-years' hazing."
"Yeah. I have no authority, after all. And secondly…"
She locked the padlock at the end of her necklace and whirred up jet-black on her hand.
Not a single trace of her red energy could be felt. Like her hair, the jet-black that flickered in her palm was purely black.
"I have to seal my supernatural ability while on campus."
"…"
"From now on, all my classes, exams, and performance assessments must be handled without my supernatural ability, just with my skills as a necromancer. The only times I'm allowed to use it are when I must fight as a representative of the Archbold family or when my duty, which is to stop Serene, requires it."
Once Lorain paused for a moment, Simon said,
"I know I'm not in a position to say anything, but isn't that a bit of an extreme restriction? You've always mixed your supernatural ability alongside your jet-black. If you suddenly cut it off…"
"Yeah, you're right. I might have become below average as a necromancer in Kizen."
She closed her palm, extinguishing the jet-black, and clenched her fist tightly.
"But after spending a few days like that, Simon…"
Meeting Simon's eyes, she smiled.
"I started to feel a sense of respect towards you."
Simon pointed at himself, looking confused.
"Me?"
——
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