Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 334: Episode

Everything was pitch black.

The ground beneath his feet gave way, and as he plunged into the void, Simon felt a dizzying vertigo and a throbbing headache. It felt like ten minutes had passed since he entered the card. How long would this darkness last?

[1 member of the attacking team has entered.]

[Defending Team (15/15) all members have entered.]

[Attacking Team (15/15) all members have entered.]

A new message finally appeared. It seemed the attacking team was all present.

[You are on the defending team.]

[Welcome, ’Guardian’ of the Aon Kingdom.]

Becoming a Guardian was all well and good, but what mattered most to Simon was when this nauseating freefall would end.

"What took you so long?"

Just then, a hand shot out from the inky blackness. The slender, white hand grabbed Simon’s and pulled him forward.

"This way, dummy."

He could just make out the flutter of sky-blue hair in the darkness. As if mesmerized, Simon held on tight and crossed over to the other side.

A great ’whoosh’ of air rushed past him. Blinding sunlight struck his retinas, and a cool breeze rustled his hair. The first thing Simon saw after emerging from the darkness was a beautiful girl with hair the same color as the sky.

"Let’s go, Simon!" Meirin said with a wink.

Next to her, Dick was floating inside a water bubble, laughing heartily with his arms behind his head.

"You were the fifteenth person! It was a close call, but in the end, the signal flare plan was a huge success!"

Looking around, Simon saw the other students, each encased in a transparent bubble. Including himself, there were fifteen of them. They were all on the defending team.

"Let’s go!" Dick yelled.

The water bubbles burst, and the fifteen students began to freefall. Simon’s eyes widened. Below him was a massive castle, soaring like a tower. The very castle Dick had drawn on the chalkboard was spread out in its complete, breathtaking form.

An exclamation of awe escaped Simon’s lips, followed by a cheerful laugh.

"Still a kid," Meirin murmured with a small smile.

Soon, their descent slowed, and all fifteen members of the defending team landed safely on the castle’s peak. The air smelled of old bricks and gunpowder. He could sense people nearby, but the surroundings were unusually quiet. It was hard to believe a war was about to break out here.

’So the inhabitants of this world aren’t human.’

They were all beastmen—’rat-men’ with the ears and tails of rats, though they were nothing like the monstrous Ratmen he knew.

’Endolas Bordeville sure does love animals.’

Even a fully grown adult of this race only came up to Simon’s waist. Their weapons were short, their houses small. With tense faces, they scurried about inside the castle.

He saw a soldier being scolded for dropping a quiver, a boy soldier writing a final letter home, and an old man with a face smudged with grease. Every little scene was meticulously detailed, so incredibly realistic that it felt as if they had been dropped right into the middle of a real battlefield.

"Oh, Carrot!"

"Miri! It’s been a while!"

Meanwhile, the students were happily greeting acquaintances. Simon looked around, wondering if he knew anyone.

"Ah!"

He spotted one familiar face, a man with glasses.

"Fitzgerald!"

It was Fitzgerald, a fellow member of the ’Mutants’ club. Even in a situation like this, he was holding a book, a true bibliophile.

"Simon." He snapped shut the book in his hand—titled ’The Small Ball Launched by a Bluff’—and approached. The two shook hands lightly.

"Good to see you! Glad we’re on the same team."

"Yeah."

Meirin, who didn’t know anyone, hovered near Simon with her hands behind her back.

"You know him?"

"Yeah." Simon took a step back to introduce them. "This is Meirin Villenne, from the Ivory Tower. And this is Fitzgerald. His last name is..."

"Ingels," Fitzgerald supplied bluntly.

At his reply, Meirin’s eyes widened.

"Ingels? ’The’ Ingels family?"

From her reaction, they were clearly a prominent family. The two clasped hands gracefully.

"It’s been a while since I’ve met someone from a family of such means," Meirin commented.

"As if the Villennes of the Ivory Tower aren’t," Fitzgerald retorted.

While the two scions of high nobility were shaking hands, Dick swooped in from the side.

"Nice to meet you! I’m Dick Hayward!"

Meirin grimaced.

"You stay out of it, commoner! You’re lowering the tone."

"For someone talking about tone, I saw a certain noble lady drooling all over her food just like everyone else."

"Wh-When did I ever!!"

As the students were easing their tension with jokes, the palace doors opened, and a bald, armored man appeared. Like everyone else here, he was a rat beastman.

"Squeak! Guardians! We’ve been waiting for you!"

Dick raised his hand in a friendly greeting.

"Wow! Mr. Yomong! Hello!"

He sounded as if he were greeting a neighborhood uncle. The man called Yomong’s eyes widened.

"S-Squeak? I haven’t even introduced myself. How do you know my name...."

"Ah! Did I not mention it? I’m actually a psychic! I can read people’s minds. Shall I recite your next line as well?" Dick bowed politely. "Squeak! His Majesty is waiting for the Guardians, so I shall escort you inside the palace."

"!! N-No. How on earth!"

Meirin grabbed Dick’s ear and pulled.

"Stop being so embarrassing!"

"Ow! Oww! My ear’s gonna fall off!"

Watching the two bicker, Fitzgerald blinked.

"Are they fighting?"

Simon gave a wry smile.

"...Our group is usually like this."

Despite the minor commotion, the fifteen students were safely guided into the royal castle by Yomong. As befitting a kingdom’s palace, it was quite large. The central hall alone could easily accommodate several thousand beastmen.

’The civilians are inside the palace too.’

He could see women and children scurrying by as food was distributed in various places.

"Squeak. This way."

There, sitting on the throne of the grand palace, was a beastman with a benevolent expression. Like the other residents, he had rat ears, with a crown resting upon his head.

"Squeak! Welcome! Righteous Guardians!" the king boomed, rising from his throne. The residents receiving food turned and cheered. "Your arrival is as foretold in the prophecy! All the people of the kingdom have been waiting for you!"

The ’Guardians’ were, according to the game’s setting, heroes from another world sent by the Creator God the beastmen served. They were all given the authority to command the soldiers in the king’s name, and the soldiers were sworn to obey them.

While Simon listened to the king, his gaze was fixed on the residents. They were receiving food and heading behind the wall where the throne stood. Meirin, also curious, raised her hand.

"Your Majesty. Why are the residents in the palace?"

"Squeak! I shall show you myself!"

The king led the students behind the throne. A swarm of people filled the space. Behind the throne was an underground cavern of black rock, where the elderly, women, and children were gathered.

"It is the Obsidian Cave. Squeak," the king explained. "It existed even before the kingdom was founded. The reason this Aon Castle is so steep and high is because it was built upon a mountain range and an obsidian mine."

It was so deep and wide that he couldn’t see the bottom. Civilians were huddled on each terraced level. Simon walked over alone and tapped the rock with the back of his hand.

"Is it safe here? It looks like it might collapse if a battle breaks out."

"Squeak. Do not worry. The obsidian mine is extremely resistant to external shocks, making it the safest place in this kingdom. Even if the entire castle were to collapse, the inside of the mine would remain safe."

Simon nodded. He wasn’t sure about the properties of obsidian in this world, but it was renowned as a high-strength mineral. This time, another student raised their hand.

"What if the enemy invades the mine and comes up into the kingdom?"

"Squeak. There is no need to worry! The only entrance to the mine is right here, in the palace at the very top of the castle. That is precisely why I had the civilians gather here."

The king placed a hand on his chest, his voice solemn.

"I intend to die on this throne. I will never use my people as a shield to save my own life."

"...Your Majesty." Meirin looked slightly moved.

Dick gave a thumbs-up.

"You don’t have to worry about them even getting this far!"

"Squeak! Of course. In a few hours, the evil Khan Kingdom will attack. They are plundering our territory as they advance. All that remains is this capital. The entire nation is prepared to fight to the death."

The king looked at the students, his expression firm.

"Please lead the soldiers and stop the enemy. If we can just hold out for half a day, reinforcements will arrive! Squeak!"

Dick, as their representative, thumped his chest.

"You can count on us!"

---

The difference in military strength was absolute: 2,000 versus 20,000. A tenfold disadvantage. Of course, they had the castle, but a quick glance was enough to see that this old, dilapidated structure was far from a sturdy fortress.

Perhaps because it was built by the small-limbed beastmen, the castle itself was small, the gates were tattered, and the walls were low. While the walls might be a suitable height for the rat-men, necromancers could easily scale them using jet-black.

The setup almost guaranteed the defenders would be overwhelmed, but time was on their side. Dick, who had played this scenario repeatedly, said he had seen both Aon and Khan win, and the outcome was always predetermined. If they held on until Aon’s reinforcements arrived, the defenders would win. If the castle fell and the king was killed before then, Khan would win.

"Alright, let’s split up here!"

After leaving the palace, the students decided to quickly survey the castle, check key points, and then reconvene in two hours.

"The castle’s structure, supplies, and food situation change with every game," Dick explained. "We need to check it constantly."

Sometimes there were large catapults; other times, there were strengthening liquids for the gates, mobile defense towers, or even flying horses. Simon decided to scout the castle alone. Dick agreed and pointed out the checkpoints: check the walls after coming down from the royal castle, and stop by the supply warehouse on the way.

Simon descended the castle stairs alone, taking in his surroundings. Built on a mine and a mountain range, the ground was a dizzying distance below, and the slope was treacherous. It was good for defense, but he wondered how many people had died just from falling during their daily lives.

’Ah, found it! The supply warehouse.’

Simon easily located the warehouse and went inside. Dick had said the supplies here could be used in various ways. Simon rummaged through the crates, looking for anything useful.

"Mister, what’s this?" Simon asked, holding up a black, nut-like orb from a box.

The warehouse keeper looked at it.

"Those are oil berries, Guardian! They’re filled with vegetable oil, so if you break them and light them, they burn really well. You can take whatever is left!"

"Really?" Simon said with a smile, placing them in his subspace. ’I should make this batch of Skeleton Mages fire-based.’

Nearly a week had passed between creating his first Skeleton Mage and today’s BMAT. In that time, his summoning skills had improved by leaps and bounds.

"All of you, come out."

The subspace opened, and eight Skeleton Mages prostrated themselves before him. Simon unfolded a magic circle that hummed with power.

The first magic circle was followed by a second, third, and fourth, each humming to life. Simon moved his fingers, skillfully controlling the magic circles floating in the air, each displaying different values.

<Simon Original - Magic System>

The design was, of course, inspired by the Magister System from his Summoning class. Soon, the Cloud flowing from Simon’s body stretched out like connecting wires, linking the central magic circle to the skulls of the eight Skeleton Mages. Their currently registered skill was ’Cold Bolt’ from the Jet-Black Ice system.

"Changing to ’Dark Blaze’ from the Jet-Black Flame system."

As Simon manipulated the central magic circle, the sigils engraved on the Skeletons’ skulls began to change simultaneously. Normally, altering a Skeleton Mage’s registered magic was an extremely tricky task, but Simon had his Cloud. He could easily overlay the new schematic onto the Skeletons.

With a final hum, the process was complete.

"Application complete."

Simon deactivated the magic circles and the Cloud. He decided to have one of them test it.

"Dark Blaze."

The randomly selected Skeleton Mage raised its staff with a ’thwack’. A magic circle unfolded above it, and flames flickered to life. Simon nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Let’s go."

With a ’clatter’ of bone on stone, Simon led the way, his undead mages following in a silent procession. The beastmen soldiers who saw them stirred uneasily.

"...S-Scary, squeak."

"Squeak! Still, it’s a relief the Guardian is on our side."

To avoid startling them too much, Simon had the Skeleton Mages follow him in a neat line.

’Since it’s come to this...’

His gaze swept over the castle, his resolve hardening into steel.

’I will lead Aon Kingdom to victory and win that grand prize.’