"You're a Necromancer, aren't you?"Her voice was sharp, full of hostility.Sensing something amiss, Simon quickly added,"Wait, I'm...!"Before he could finish, she was already moving. Her right leg, having just delivered a kick, hadn't even landed before her body floated into the air, and her left foot flew towards him.Thwack!Simon immediately raised both arms to guard. The immense force pushed him back.Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!As soon as distance was created, divine magic circles unfolded around her like a painting. From within them, white flashes fired like machine gun bullets."Gah!"Simon quickly stepped on Jet Black and leaped. Large divine explosions erupted on the ground, one after another.'There's no room for dialogue here!'While unleashing an offensive with white magic circles, she brought her hands together in front of her chest and began to pray.Her body was enveloped in blue, green, and yellow light. Simon's expression hardened.'A Priest's Blessing!'The air around them changed.If Necromancers had curses, Priests had blessings. An indescribable, immense energy could be felt shaking the atmosphere.She sent her arm back and unfurled a divine magic circle.Whoooosh!The type of magic circle was the same as before, but when cast after receiving the blessing, its size was five times larger.<Exorcism>Bundles of light shot from within it, engulfing Simon's body entirely and causing a massive explosion.Rumble—A bombardment-type white magic, especially lethal against Necromancers and Undead. Anticipating victory, she calmly stared into the explosion.<Sickness>At that moment, a black tendril shot out from the explosion and pierced her body.Her eyes widened in surprise. The surrounding scenery split into three, and a wave of nausea washed over her.'A curse!'She quickly cast a powerful divine shield on herself. Then, she placed a hand on her chest and began to purify the curse.She was a little surprised. To be caught in white magic, which was extremely fatal to Necromancers, and still have the strength left to complete a curse.'I let my guard down. I'll just dispel the curse and immediately resume the fight.'As a white light flickered on her chest, her shaking vision returned to normal. Then, a low voice came from within the explosion cloud."Anna Pollentia."At those words, her eyes snapped open. Simon, standing perfectly fine within the smoke without any defensive dark magic, gave a wry smile."You're here to see my mom, aren't you?""......."Her movements stopped.Truth be told, after such a preemptive attack, responding would have been justified, but Simon attempted to talk one last time.No matter what, she was the benefactor carrying Anna's antidote. He didn't want to fight."You're......."Her voice trembled.More surprise than anger.Her robe fell back, and hair as white as winter snow cascaded down like waves."You're Teacher Anna's son?"***Lete, 18 years old. Currently a first-year student at Efnel.That was all she introduced herself as. The two had stopped fighting and were now climbing the mountain range together."I'll pick up the pace a bit."Simon pushed off the ground and leaped. He worried if she could keep up, but not to be outdone, Lete stepped on divine power and soared."Don't mind me, just go at maximum speed, shortest route, please."She said curtly."And keep a personal distance of 3 meters from me. You damn Necromancer."'...Haha.'Even after revealing he was Anna Pollentia's son, her hostility hadn't diminished one bit. It felt like he was gritting his teeth and enduring it because the situation was urgent.He briefly wondered if it was really okay to bring this person home, but there was no other choice.After several hours passed in silence, the two arrived at their destination."Huff, phew, we're here."Even with Simon, who possessed superhuman stamina, panting, she showed no signs of fatigue and was calmly observing the wooden house."Anna-sensei is here......."She swallowed hard, her expression tense, then approached the door."Excuse me."And before Simon could open the door for her, she opened it herself and walked in."Ah, you've arrived?"Richard, who had been sitting on the living room sofa, stood up. He then extended a hand with a benevolent smile."Thank you for coming all this way. I'm Richard Pollentia, Anna's husband."Groooowl.Simon was startled. Lete had lowered her stance like a wary wild animal, burning with hostility.Then, as if pulling herself together, she ignored Richard's outstretched hand and bowed at the waist.".......It's a pleasure to meet you....... I'm Lete Shardena......."Bowing to a Necromancer seemed humiliating in itself, as her face was flushed red and her voice trembled.Seeing this, Richard awkwardly withdrew his hand."Ah, my apologies. Anna is this way."Richard stepped aside and gestured. Lete strode into the master bedroom, and Simon followed. "Ah."Her bag, slung over her shoulder, dropped to the floor with a thud. Seeing Anna lying on the bed in a haggard state, Lete's pupils trembled precariously."Anna-sensei!"She cried out, running forward and repeatedly calling Anna's name. It was a completely different demeanor than when she faced Simon and Richard.".......Lete?"At that moment, Anna opened her eyes. Lete, with tearful eyes, clasped her hand."Yes, Teacher! It's me, Lete!"".......I'm sorry. For making you come all this way.""Ah, ahhh."Her eyes welled up as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment."I-I'll start the treatment right away!"Lete fumbled through her backpack and pulled out a potion bottle, protected by several layers of defensive magic. Then she glared at the two, who had stepped back a little."You two will interfere with the treatment, so I'd appreciate it if you'd wait outside."She announced in a chilling voice, then slammed the door shut with a bang! Simon and Richard obediently went out to the living room."Will she really be okay?"Simon asked with a worried voice, and Richard smiled wryly."Don't worry. She's a child who holds absolute respect for Anna. And her skill is certainly reliable.""Well, if she's attending Efnel.......""She's not just an ordinary Efnel student."Richard leaned back on the sofa and continued."Lete Shardena, Efnel's top-ranked first-year admission. She is truly Efnel's best first-year, and..."Richard's gaze shifted towards Simon."...she will be your most formidable rival in the future."***Within a few hours of Lete's arrival, Anna had recovered her health.The first thing she did after regaining consciousness and getting out of bed was roll up her sleeves and head to the kitchen."It's not much, but eat plenty!"A little later, at dinner, Simon and Lete gave bewildered smiles as they looked at the table laden with food.".......This is 'not much,' Mom?"A luxurious feast was spread before them, enough to make the table legs groan.Anna brushed her hair back and smiled shyly."Since Simon came home and I reunited with Lete, Mom put in a little extra effort.""As expected of Anna-sensei!"Lete, clasping her hands together, exclaimed with eyes full of admiration."I want to learn how to cook from you too, Teacher!""Of course, I'll teach you anything. But Lete, you're a guest, so eat as much as you like today.""Yes~ Thank you!"Lete replied with a voice full of affection. Then, her eyes met Simon's across the table, and her expression instantly turned cold as she whispered,"It would've been even better if a Necromancer's face wasn't at this wonderful table."Simon gave a bitter smile.While the discrimination against Necromancers wasn't pleasant, she was, without a doubt, the life-saving benefactor who saved Anna. He was so grateful that he decided to willingly endure it while she stayed here.Anna placed the barbecue dish in the center of the table and sat down. Before the meal, Lete and Anna prayed together, and Simon and Richard waited for the prayer to finish before picking up their utensils. 'Wow, how long has it been since I had a home-cooked meal?'Kizen's food was famous for being delicious, but he felt that Anna's home cooking was simply incomparable.Simon carefully took a piece of tomato omelet onto his plate."Simon, is the omelet not enough?"Anna asked with a gentle smile."Ah, no! I've only had one piece.......""Just a moment!"Anna sprang from her seat and went to the kitchen. She then brought out another pan of omelets and placed it on his plate."Dear."This time, Richard spoke."Today's meat pie is absolutely amazing.""Oh, really? How wonderful~ I'll make another pan!""No, no! Wait! I didn't mean make more.......!"Even Richard, the great, couldn't stop Anna from going to the kitchen. A miracle of the dining table was unfolding, where the food never seemed to diminish, no matter how much they ate.Simon finally felt a sense of relief, realizing he was truly home. His tense mind relaxed.Feeling good, he reached out with his fork to take some cream pasta, but his eyes met Lete's. Lete was grimacing with a look of disgust."Why?""It's nothing."Lete quickly turned her head away. Now that he looked, she was carefully picking out and eating only the dishes that Simon or Richard hadn't touched.Simon turned his fork and took another piece of the omelet he had been eating earlier. Seeing this, Lete swiftly twirled some cream pasta onto her fork. "Oh, Lete."Anna, who had indeed brought out another pan of meat pie, placed the dish in front of Richard and said,"Aren't you eating the tomato omelet? I made it especially hard because it's your favorite, Lete."Lete hadn't eaten any since Simon took the first piece. She flinched and her eyes darted around."I-I was eating it.......!""Was it not tasty? Was the egg too thick? Tell me the problem, and I'll make a fresh one."Simon and Richard stared at Lete with knowing gazes.After a moment of intense hesitation, she finally tasted a piece of the tomato omelet that Simon's utensil had touched and forced a smile."Wow, it's so delicious, Teacher! It's the omelet of my life!""That's good. I'm so happy to hear you say that, Lete."Lete put a hand to her forehead, a look of despair on her face. At that moment, Anna, heading to the kitchen, could be seen chuckling.Simon also let out a small laugh. So she had planned it all along.Time passed peacefully, and the meal concluded. Everyone had eaten until they were stuffed.There was a crisis when Anna threatened to make seven types of dessert and head to the kitchen again, but everyone grabbing her pants and stopping her was the greatest triumph."Mom, I'll do the dishes."Simon said, getting up.Lete, who had been idly patting her full stomach, heard Simon's words and, not to be outdone, raised her hand high."No! I'll do them!"She couldn't lose to a Necromancer in anything.Anna smiled sweetly, seeing Lete's burning enthusiasm."Oh, it's alright. Lete, you're a guest.""I ate so, so deliciously! Please let me help with the dishes~ You're not fully recovered yet, are you?"Lete said that, glancing at Simon.Anna seemed to catch her gaze, looked between Simon and Lete, then clasped her hands and smiled brightly."Oh, then it would be great if you two did it together~""Huh? What?"Anna made her decision and then went into the master bedroom with Richard.'Ah, this isn't what I wanted.'Lete sighed softly. Then, with a cold expression, she stood up."What are you doing? Let's start.""Oh, right."The two began washing dishes. Simon scrubbed the plates clean of grease and stains, while Lete rinsed them with water and then wiped them dry with a cloth, putting them back in their place.For a while, the two stood side by side, concentrating on the dishes, making clattering sounds."By the way."Lete spoke."You're Kizen's Special Admission Student No. 1, aren't you?""Yes, that's right."Lete quietly said, placing down a plate she had wiped with the cloth."When this is over, come outside. Let's have a match."
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