Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 361: Episode

Simon had learned that the Magnus Legion was preparing a nefarious plan only after he arrived in Pentamonium.

It had been yesterday, on the rooftop of their lodging under a full moon, when Kajan had called him out.

"What about wine?"

"I’m on a mission, so no thanks. I’ll get straight to the point," Kajan had said. "I have something to report."

The story he told was shocking. A few months ago, Magnus had staged the Roc Island Invasion Incident. Even though it had been a clone and not the real Magnus, the fact that he had set foot on Roc Island at all had been a major security breach. Such an infiltration would have been impossible without an inside collaborator.

In response, Nephthys had formed a special investigation team. After investigating the Crow, Evangeline, who had been on duty at the time, they found evidence that he was colluding with Magnus.

However, Nephthys didn’t arrest him immediately. Instead, she placed a curse on Evangeline without his knowledge and decided to wait for definitive proof. The curse was designed to send a signal to headquarters whenever Evangeline uttered the name ‘Magnus.’

As time passed, they confirmed that Evangeline had said the name ‘Magnus’ several times while dispatched to Pentamonium. Immediately, two of Nephthys’s closest Crows were sent to apprehend him. While they were trying to extract information with a mind-affecting curse, his brain burned out. Evangeline had been no pushover; he had placed a curse on himself that would cause his death if a specific keyword was triggered.

"Because Evangeline died too soon, the Crows only found out two things." Kajan held up two fingers. "First, an Ancient Undead from the Magnus Legion is here in Pentamonium. And second..." His second finger pointed at Simon. "Tomorrow, they will execute a plan to get their hands on you."

Evangeline had set everything to happen on a timer before he died. Since they didn’t know the details of the plan, they couldn’t stop it beforehand. The Crows informed the Pentamonium authorities of what little they knew. Pentamonium, declaring they would not be swayed by such a childish kidnapping plot, tripled their security and announced their intention to proceed with the academic conference.

"Their target is you, Simon. The Crows have recommended that you return to Roc Island. Pack your things right now—"

"No." Simon shook his head and met Kajan’s eyes. "This is a crisis, but it’s also an opportunity. I’ll be the bait."

Whether Simon was there or not, their plan in Pentamonium would be carried out. And the Ancient Undead tasked with the kidnapping still didn’t know about the death of their collaborator, Evangeline. Based on these two facts, Simon made his decision.

"The idea of using yourself as bait to draw out the Ancient Undead isn’t bad, but it’s still too dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Simon clutched the hem of his school uniform. "Let me put it another way: was there ever a time I was safe? On Roc Island, in Pentamonium—Magnus has put me in danger at every turn! If I can’t escape his threat no matter where I go, then I’d rather..." Simon’s eyes shone with grim determination. "...strike back myself."

In the end, Kajan relayed Simon’s proposal to the Crows, and they accepted it.

"Kajan, let me confirm one more time," Simon had said. "Are you sure the Ancient Undead doesn’t know about Evangeline’s death?"

"Yeah, I’m sure. The autopsy showed no traces of any other curses."

"Good. Then from now on, leave it to me and my legion."

Simon had summoned Erzebet from his subspace and ordered her to transform into Evangeline. They decided to have ‘Evangeline’ act as if he were alive and wait for the attackers to make the first move.

The very next day, the plan of the Ancient Undead, the ‘Zombie Butler,’ began.

And it far exceeded everyone’s expectations.

This was no simple kidnapping. The Zombie Butler had torn a hole in Pentamonium’s defensive barrier and unleashed a horde of zombies into the city. Though Pentamonium, tipped off by the Crows, had responded swiftly enough to minimize the damage, the butler’s scheme was meticulously planned. He had prepared multiple contingencies based on Simon’s potential actions, with the main plan revolving around a girl named Sasha.

If an external attack triggered the alarms, Pentamonium’s protocol was to automatically deploy barriers around all its glass towers. The butler predicted that by sending zombies to wreak havoc on the first floor of Sasha’s tower, Simon would be forced to tear through the barrier to save her. After all, Simon had shattered a Saintess’s barrier in the Neutral Zone. The Zombie Butler had calculated with chilling precision that Simon was the only one present who could breach Pentamonium’s defenses.

And so, in a space sealed off from all outside contact, Simon and the Zombie Butler finally met. When Evangelos arrived with the captive Sasha, the butler believed his script was playing out perfectly.

[From the very beginning, I was—]

At the most critical moment, Evangelos’s face split in two.

[Never on your side, was I?]

The ally he had trusted implicitly was none other than Erzebet in disguise. She had not kidnapped Sasha; she had been protecting her. It was a stunning victory, born from Nephthys’s strategic intelligence and Simon’s brilliant execution in turning the tables on his foe.

Simon then tore open one of the captured butler’s permanent magic circles, establishing a direct line to his master, Magnus.

"Let’s make a prisoner exchange," Simon declared, his voice cold. "If you want this one back, bring me Akemus."

It was a gambit to drag the 5th Legion Commander himself to the negotiating table. Simon was determined to use this opportunity to reclaim one of his father’s undead.

[Grrrk!]

The Zombie Butler, tangled in spiderwebs, twisted with a look of pure fury.

[Pay him no mind, Lord Commander! If they mean to use me as a bargaining chip, they won’t dare destroy me!]

He then whipped his head around.

[Ignore me and kill them all!]

Nearly twenty white zombies began to charge. Serne, Kajan, Prince, and Erzebet closed ranks around Simon, bracing for combat.

[H-Hmph! There are quite a few of them!]

Prince darted to the front.

[Of course, being a hero, I’m not scared in the slightest!]

"There’s no need to worry," Kajan said, his tone surprisingly relaxed. "I’ve already called for the best backup."

A deafening whoosh filled the air as he finished speaking. A torrent of seawater erupted from the ceiling, crashing down like a colossal waterfall. The black water surged with enough force to flood the entire building, instantly engulfing the horde of white zombies. Like a black hole devouring light, their bodies vanished without a trace.

"A boy’s untainted dream is more precious than anything!"

From within that churning black sea, a man with the build of a giant stood with his right arm raised high.

"And I will never forgive anyone who dares to interfere with that dream! Hmph!"

Simon’s face split into a wide grin.

"President Phantastus!"

Kizen’s Student Council President snapped his fingers. The seawater, which had gathered in the center, erupted with a deafening bang, sending the white zombies hurtling in every direction. The destructive power was staggering. All twenty zombies were hurled against the glass walls with bone-shattering force before sliding to the floor in broken heaps, their limbs and necks twisted at impossible angles.

Phantastus let out a hearty laugh.

"Hahahaha!"

[Is that guy even human?] 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Prince muttered, looking utterly dumbfounded.

Just then, the captured Zombie Butler offered a faint, chilling smile.

[It’s useless.]

Despite suffering an impact that should have shattered every bone and turned their flesh to pulp, the twenty fallen zombies began to stir, slowly rising to their feet.

[Do not underestimate them. They will move until their bodies are ground to dust!]

Erzebet tightened her webs around the butler, but he only smiled.

[Forget about me and kill that big oaf first!]

’Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!’

The white zombies lurched toward Phantastus.

"President Phantastus, look out!" Simon yelled.

"Hmph, it’s fine!"

Phantastus remained perfectly still, his arms crossed with an air of absolute confidence. The lead zombie swung its arm at the defenseless president, but it collapsed face-first onto the floor before its attack could land. The others followed suit. The undead, who had been shambling forward, gradually slowed to a halt before crumpling one by one.

[N-No!]

A moment later, all twenty white zombies lay motionless on the floor, forming a perfect circle around Phantastus.

[How is this...?! What have you done to my White Ghouls!]

"Nothing much."

Phantastus grinned, raising a single finger.

"I just put them to sleep!"

Everyone stared, bewildered. The Zombie Butler, still bound in webs, shrieked as if having a seizure.

[That’s impossible! The concept of sleep doesn’t exist for the undead!]

"That’s certainly true," Phantastus mused, stroking his chin. "In that case, let’s just define ’sleep’ for the undead as ’the act of lying perfectly still with all consciousness and activity ceased’ and then execute it."

[Huh!!! What kind of bullshit is—!]

"That bullshit..."

Phantastus spread his arms wide.

"...is happening right now, isn’t it?"

The Zombie Butler’s face went slack, his expression that of a man who had just been struck by a hammer. A curse-user who could effortlessly rewrite the laws of not just the living, but the dead as well. This was... ’The strongest necromancer in all of Kizen!’ Simon’s eyes shone with pure admiration.

"Hahahahahahaha!!"

As Phantastus’s laughter echoed through the hall, Simon shot a startled glance at Kajan and lowered his voice.

"K-Kajan! Is it okay for President Phantastus to find out?"

"Find out what?"

"...That I’m a Legion Commander."

"Don’t worry," Kajan reassured him. "The president, like me, is one of Lady Nephthys’s closest aides. He can be trusted."

Simon felt a wave of relief. ’So that’s why those two are so close, even though they seem to have no connection.’ Just then...

"How interesting."

The voice of a third party, someone not physically present, echoed in the space. Simon’s head snapped around.

’Crack! Crackle!’

The Zombie Butler’s forehead split open, and a human eye emerged from the gash. The eye swiveled with a sickening, creaking sound, scanning its surroundings before locking onto Simon.

"What do you think you’re doing with my subordinate, Simon Polentia?"

The voice emanated from the permanent magic circle drawn on the butler’s body.

[L-Lord Commander!] the Zombie Butler cried, hanging his head in shame.

A sinister laugh issued from the magic circle.

"What is this pathetic display, Butler? Your problem is that you’re too soft. I told you to charge in with the intent to annihilate Pentamonium."

[...I have no excuse.]

Simon turned to face the eye on the butler’s forehead, his gaze unflinching.

"We can skip the pleasantries. I have only one demand."

His eyes flashed with cold resolve.

"An exchange. Akemus for this man."

"Khahahahahaha!"

A booming laugh erupted. Simon remained silent, patiently waiting for a response.

"Bold. Very bold."

Simon had already guessed Magnus’s objective: to acquire more Ancient Undead. He couldn’t imagine Magnus would so easily discard one of his precious assets. Finally, Magnus spoke.

"Name the time and place, brat."

---

The situation was quickly contained. Though the barrier had been breached and zombies had infiltrated the city, Pentamonium’s swift response had minimized civilian casualties. It helped that, as a gathering of necromancers, there were plenty of skilled combatants on hand. More importantly, the Zombie Butler’s goal had never been a massacre; it was to trigger a state of emergency and force the glass towers’ barriers to activate.

Unlike the thuggish Magnus, the butler was concerned with the legion’s reputation. He would carry out the order to capture Simon, but he wanted to avoid making an enemy of the entire Dark Alliance at an event attended by nobles from across the kingdom. Even his master had pointed it out.

"Your problem is that you’re too soft. I told you to charge in with the intent to annihilate Pentamonium."

In the end, the incident was resolved, and the Zombie Butler was captured. While there were no major casualties, the atmosphere was too unsettled to continue the conference. Pentamonium declared the event over and began sending everyone home. Simon was set to return to Kizen as well, but President Phantastus used his authority to intervene on his behalf.

And now, the prisoner exchange was about to begin.

’WHOOOOOSH—’

The location was a desolate plain not far from Pentamonium. On the vast, sparsely grassed field, Simon stood clad in Pier’s Bone Armor. Beside him was the Zombie Butler, bound head to toe in Erzebet’s spiderwebs and curse talismans.

Simon silently checked his watch. ’Five minutes to go.’ His mouth was parched with tension.