Necromancer Academy's Summoning Genius - Chapter 46 The Madam, held by Simon, slowly narrowed her eyes. [Damn it, be careful!] Pier's tense voice echoed in his mind. Simon focused all his attention on the Madam's leg, visible through her dress. A dagger was strapped to the band on her thigh. But her hand never reached for the dagger. The Madam closed her eyes tightly and spoke. "I apologize, but would you please release my arm?" Simon belatedly realized he had gripped her wrist too tightly. As Simon let go, the Madam sat back down and swept her disheveled hair back. "Alright." She nodded. "If you desire the truth so much, then I have no choice. However, you must bear all risks associated with sharing this information. Is that acceptable?" "Yes, of course." "Then please wait here for a moment." The Madam rose from her seat and walked into another room. The tense atmosphere dissipated, and Simon let out a light sigh. 'Pier. I just took a shot in the dark, but it seems there really is something here. If I'm lucky, I might even find Erzsébet's location…' [Heheheheheh!] Pier, sitting next to him, chuckled, his shoulders shaking. [Hahahahahahahahahah!] Simon frowned and covered his ears. Of course, that didn't make the voice echoing in his head any quieter. 'W-what's suddenly wrong with you?' [I was uncertain, but now it's clear. Stay sharp, boy!] Pier's eyes gleamed within his helmet. [That woman is Erzsébet!] "……Whaaaat?!" The moment Simon involuntarily blurted out a surprised cry, changes began to occur within the Thieves Guild. The bodies of the people sitting, drinking, or playing poker began to swell with cracking sounds. [Kwahahahahah! You've got some nerve, boy! Threatening an Ancient Undead right in front of you! If I hadn't sent out my killing intent beside you, your neck would've been gone by now!] Rip! Riiiiiip! The skin on people's faces tore open, and dozens of multi-eyed spiders burst out from within. Simon recoiled in horror. -Kiiiriririri! -Kilik! Kiiiriririri! 'Corpse Spiders,' a type of undead. They were Erzsébet's subordinates. Simon and Pier were instantly surrounded by the spiders. "What magnificent vigor, Kizen boy." The Madam, who had entered the room, walked out with a click-clack of her heels. She then elegantly climbed onto the table and crossed her legs. She touched her forehead with her fingertip and stretched it, causing her flesh to flow down like clothing, revealing her alien, crimson eyes. [Kill them all.] Her voice turned sinister. At her signal, Corpse Spiders began to rush in from all directions. [Boy!] Pier shouted. Simon quickly activated his subspace ring and summoned Pier's greatsword. Pier, effortlessly gripping the heavy weapon with both hands, stepped forward with his right foot and swung it in a wide horizontal arc. Whoosh! A massive line cleaved through the air, and the Corpse Spiders caught within its path were split in two like straw dolls. Green blood splattered into the air, drenching the floor and ceiling. [Erzsébet!] Boom! Boom! Pier's shout echoed as if to collapse the underground. [Oh my, it was you after all, Pier.] Erzsébet recrossed her legs and smiled. [What wicked scheme are you plotting in this backwater! The Legion has been resurrected! Stop your foolishness and return at once!] She smiled with her eyes and extended her arm. [I refuse.] Thud! With a loud crash, the ceiling shattered, and Corpse Spiders hanging from webs rained down on them. Simon quickly ducked, and Pier swung his greatsword, slicing them apart. Chunks of flesh and internal organs splattered onto the floor. [Pier, you're foolish. Richard used us as he pleased and then discarded us like old shoes. After experiencing such a sickening betrayal, do you still cling to the Legion?] [You imbecile!] Pier shouted, impaling a rushing spider's body with his greatsword. [Have your thoughts rotted from living with humans?! The Legion is 'power' and 'will'! To say you were discarded or that it was sickening—does the leader of the Legion get swayed by such trivial emotions?!] [How could I not be swayed?] Huge hatred filled her crimson eyes. [I hate Richard to death, for being infatuated with a mere woman and pushing comrades who shared decades of hardship into a death trap.] Undead spiders poured in endlessly. In truth, this underground area was a paradise for Corpse Spiders. [And,] Her gaze turned to Simon. [Pier, you are truly pathetic. Just like the Kizen first-year boy when you and Richard first met. Trying to trick an obedient little brat to replace him…] Whoosh! Suddenly, a pure white greatsword, tearing through the air, appeared right before Erzsébet's nose. She hastily caught the greatsword with both palms. Thwoooom! The shockwave alone sent nearby objects flying and shattered glass cups. [I've been listening, and your insolence is reaching the heavens.] Pier spread his hand. The greatsword's hilt shimmered with jet black, then returned to Pier's hand at incredible speed. Simon's eyes lit up at the sight. 'Skeleton's Attraction!' Pier twisted his waist in a connecting motion and swung the greatsword. A tsunami-like slash shot out, once again engulfing Erzsébet's body. Crumble-rumble-rumble-rumble! She frowned and received the slash with both arms. [Have you already forgotten the time you crawled like a dog beneath my feet?! How dare you defy the Legion's Administrator!] At that moment, blood-red jet black gathered on Erzsébet's claws. The slash that had pushed Erzsébet to the wall cracked with snapping sounds, then shattered like glass shards. [You've grown much weaker, Pier. It seems not much time has passed since your seal was broken.] She stepped on the crumbling debris and ascended to the surface. [Are you fleeing?!] Pier, holding his greatsword upright, tried to follow, but Corpse Spiders blocked his path. Pier's expression twisted. [These mere trifles!] [See you next time, Pier. And,] Erzsébet, waving from above, fixed her gaze on Simon. [Kizen boy.] She left those words and disappeared with the spiders waiting above. '…So that's how it was.' The only Thieves Guild remaining in this territory was, in fact, Erzsébet and her subordinates. Controlling and manipulating information must have been child's play. There was a reason the Lord couldn't solve the case, no matter how much time and money he invested. -Kiiiriririririk! Anyway, even after Erzsébet left, there were still an unpleasantly large number of spiders. Pier was fighting hard, but if they dragged on, they might lose Erzsébet. "Haa, what a shame." "……!!" Simon felt a sudden chill. A third party's voice was heard at a completely unexpected moment. He quickly turned his head and saw someone subtly rising right behind him. "I was hoping the two monsters would destroy each other." It was a woman in a robe, who had been drinking alone in the Thieves Guild. The spiders spotted her and rushed forward. "Ah, well, can't be helped. I guess I'll have to eliminate everyone here and then chase them." Flash! A pure white flash erupted from the tip of the staff she raised above her head. Simon was horrified, recognizing the power. -Kiiiiii! -Kik! Kik! The spiders writhed in agony, twisting their bodies like vampires exposed to sunlight. The white light from the staff's tip grew brighter and brighter, expanding to engulf the entire Thieves Guild. 'Pier! Escape while you have the chance!' [What?] 'Quickly!' She brought down the staff she had raised high. "Farewell, everyone!" Whoooooosh! A Divine Explosion erupted, turning all the undead spiders within its range into dust. The entire Thieves Guild was enveloped in pure white light. "Phew." She used the Holy magic, then casually rested the staff on her shoulder, looking around. "Looks like I missed the big skeleton and the boy. Can't be helped." She turned her head and leaped onto the crumbling debris in the direction Erzsébet had fled. * * * [Kuhuhu! For a Priest to interfere here! What a mess this situation is!] Pier was running, carrying Simon on his shoulder. '…A Priest.' Simon was deep in thought. He had chosen a blue mission request and come to a country on the Dark Alliance side, never imagining he would encounter a Priest here. "She seemed skilled, didn't she? Wiping out that many at once." [I saw white clothing beneath her robe. It's definitely Efnel's uniform.] "…Ah!" Not just any Priest, but a student from Efnel, Kizen's counterpart! From Kizen's perspective, she was essentially undertaking a black mission request. [If she's come all the way to the Dark Alliance, she's most likely a second-year. Be careful, boy! She's still too much for you to handle!] "Yes, I'll be careful." She seemed to be chasing Erzsébet, just like Simon. That meant the Lord of Arneish had commissioned this mission to both Kizen and Efnel. 'Double commission. I'll have to confront him about it later. Anyway,' The scale of this blue mission was growing too large. An Ancient Undead hostile to the Legion, and now an Efnel student. What was the best way to untangle this complicated mess? "Pier." [What is it?] "Tell me more about Erzsébet." [I told you everything on the way here.] "No. Not about her abilities or physical specs, but more personal stories." Simon swallowed dryly. "What happened between my father and Erzsébet?" Pier let out a hollow laugh. [Kuhuhuhu, what happened, you ask? Damn it!] "Yes?" […Alright, I'll tell you. Erzsébet loved Richard.] Simon's mouth fell open. [An undead loving a human. And a Legion member harboring personal feelings for the Legion Commander.] Pier's expression was one of great displeasure as he said this. [She was peculiar from the moment she joined the Legion. Emotional, unlike an undead, and excessively swayed by those emotions.] Pier recounted stories about Erzsébet, one after another. Erzsébet's love. Her obsession with Richard. And her jealousy of Anna. Simon closed his eyes and pondered deeply. [We're here, boy!] The place Pier set him down was somewhere in the forest near Arneish Territory. Simon looked around at the dense coniferous forest. "There's nothing here?" [Stand back!] Pier swung his greatsword, cleaving the air. The space tore open, splitting left and right, revealing an old, ruined castle enveloped in spiderwebs. [Kuhuhu! This is their stronghold.] "Let's go." Simon and Pier opened the gate and entered the ruined castle. 'Ah…!' And as soon as they entered, a rather explicit scene unfolded before their eyes.
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