Summoning Genius of the Necromancer Academy - Chapter 34 Lunchtime. Simon, who had finished his meal faster than usual, briefly stopped by the Class L classroom before the next class began. 'She's not here.' Among the Class L students in the classroom, the person Simon was looking for was nowhere to be seen. The building for his next class was quite a distance away, so if he delayed too long, he might miss it. 'Hmm, should I come back tomorrow?' As he lingered anxiously in front of the classroom, someone approached him. It was a pretty female student with a pink ribbon in her hair, clutching textbooks to her chest. "Excuse me. Sorry, but just a moment." "Huh?" The female student blinked and stopped walking. "Is there a girl named Lorraine in your Class L?" "Uh-huh, that's right. Lorraine is in our class. Why?" Simon carefully took a letter out of his pocket. "I was hoping you could give this to Lorraine." "......?!" As if a pause button had been pressed, the female student stopped, her mouth agape. Then. "Kyaaaah!" She suddenly screamed. 'Why are *you* screaming?!' Simon flinched and looked around. Fortunately, there weren't many people nearby, so it didn't attract much attention. "Right, I remember now!" Excited, she stood on her tiptoes and meticulously examined Simon's face. "You're Special Case #1, aren't you? The one who took the oath as the freshman representative?" "......." "Right? Right? Kyaaaah! Oh my gosh! As expected, elites hang out with elites!" She snatched the letter from Simon's hand. "Uh-huh! Got it! I'll deliver this to Lorraine with my life!" "......You don't need to risk your life." She gave a sly smile. "This might be an obvious question, but you don't want Lorraine to know who you are, right?" "It doesn't matter." "Oh, really? I can tell her?" Her eyes sparkled 부담스럽게 (burden-somely/overwhelmingly). Simon suddenly felt a shiver of crisis. "Ah, no. No, never mind. Just give her the letter without saying anything else!" "Hohoho! Got it! I thought you were bold, but you're actually shy, aren't you?" She playfully slapped Simon's arm and laughed like a refined lady. Her reaction showed she was absolutely thrilled by the topic. "......You." Simon narrowed his eyes. "You're not getting the wrong idea, are you?" "Nope! Nope! Of course not!" She said that, but why did she wink? Suddenly, this letter-delivery person seemed incredibly unreliable, but Simon was also running out of time for his next class. He barely had enough time to sprint to the building on the other side. "......Then, please take good care of that letter." "Leave it to me!" As soon as Simon turned his back with an uneasy feeling, the female student dashed into the classroom at an incredible speed. "Kyaaaah! Guys! Guys! Guess what I got outside?!" Simon sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead. * * * After all classes for the day ended, Simon went to the campus cafe alone. 'This is my first time here too.' As he grabbed the doorknob and pushed open the cafe door, a bell jingled. Inside, his eyes widened at the sheer number of people. Students filled the large and small tables, chatting boisterously. Students seated along the walls were deep in study, flipping textbook pages briskly with one hand, taking notes with the other, and sipping coffee through a straw held in their mouths. It was amazing how they could concentrate so well with so many people moving around. '......Incredible. It must be even more crowded during exam periods, right?' Just as Simon found an empty seat and looked around, it happened. Mutter, mutter, mutter. The surroundings suddenly grew noisy. From the cafe door where Simon had just entered, a female student with jet-black hair flowing down entered. "Wow......!" "Right? Right?" Her aura alone was different from other students. A haughty gait, blood-red eyes that seemed to transcend the world, and a cold, expressionless face. She had an aura that made one wonder if she was truly a student like them, making it difficult to approach her casually. Lorraine Arcbold. The only daughter of Neptis, the Witch of Death who ruled half the world, born after 300 years. As the celebrity appeared, the surroundings became crowded with people trying to catch a glimpse of her. Lorraine sighed softly and lifted her eyelids. "Is there something to see?" At that one remark. The students within dozens of meters cleanly vanished. Students sitting further away bowed their heads, unable to meet her gaze. Creating a miracle that instantly chilled the atmosphere, she walked with crisp steps. "......." And where her steps stopped was in front of Simon. Simon gulped. A wave of intense nervousness suddenly washed over him. 'Why, why does she feel so unfamiliar?' He had clearly gone shopping with her, eaten with her, and thought they had become close. But seeing her in her Kizen uniform after a long time, she was incredibly difficult to approach. "O-Long time no see. Haha......." "......." He mustered the courage to speak, but Lorraine remained as cold and expressionless as ever. Just as a flustered Simon wondered if he had made a mistake, her eyes slowly curved into crescent moons, and a gentle arc formed on her lips. "Hello, Simon." It was the smile Simon knew so well. * * * The two went up to the third floor of the cafe with their ordered coffees. The cafe owner, looking visibly nervous, took their order personally, and when Lorraine said she wanted a quiet place, he immediately opened the closed third floor for them. Thanks to this, the two were able to sit at a spacious outdoor window seat. A cool breeze blew, making it pleasant. "It's the first time since Langerstein." Lorraine, sitting opposite him, brushed back her night-sky-like hair. Simon, still tense, gave a stiff smile and nodded. "Y-Your uniform actually suits you well." "Huh?" She looked down at her uniform once, then gazed at Simon with a pouty expression. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I look old?" Simon's face turned red, and he quickly waved his hands. Why did the conversation turn that way? "No, no! That's not it......! When we met in Langerstein, I just couldn't imagine you in your uniform......!" "Why couldn't you imagine it? Is it because I look old?" 'That's not it!' Why did his words always get tangled when talking to Lorraine? From Simon's perspective, Lorraine's aura when she cornered the gang members upon their first meeting was truly more than that of a professional Necromancer. It just felt a little strange to see such a girl now sitting in the same uniform as him. 'But why is it so hard to explain this in words?' Simon sighed deeply to himself. "Just kidding." She winked, sipping her coffee through a straw. Simon realized he had been lightly played and gave a wry smile. "Alright then." Lorraine, lowering her eyelids, slowly recrossed her legs and spoke. "The reason you wanted to meet?" The atmosphere changed. This was it. This unapproachable, older-sister-like aura. Simon instinctively knew it was time to get to the point. Checking once more if anyone was around, he opened his mouth in a serious voice. "......There's a traitor inside Kizen." Simon calmly began to tell his story. About being chased by the Watchmen, getting lost in the Forbidden Forest, and witnessing a Priest praying with a cross at that location. Of course, he omitted the part about escaping with Pier's help, instead fabricating that he was in danger but the Watchmen appeared at the right time, saving his life. "......." Lorraine listened to the story, her expression serious as she fell into thought. "Lorraine. It might be hard to believe, but I......." "I believe you." She raised her head. "More importantly, can you describe the cross you saw in detail?" "......Uh, well. As I recall, there was a woman carved on the largest cross in the center. A naked woman entwined in vines?" "That confirms it." Lorraine's red eyes gleamed. "That's the Goddess Dave. The sole deity believed in by the Priests of Efnel." The Holy College 'Efnel', directly under the Pope. The antithesis to Kizen, which trains Necromancers, Efnel trains Priests. Within the Divine Federation, it holds recognition and power comparable to Kizen. The 'Holy Maidens', considered the highest power, are exclusively chosen from Efnel's female students, monopolizing all authority. Kizen and Efnel. Efnel and Kizen. Which is stronger? Which students are superior? These questions had been a long-standing topic of conversation for all continental citizens. "......How dare." Crack! The glass Lorraine was holding shattered under her grip, coffee spilling out. "How dare a chewable Priest like that enter Kizen?" Her expression was genuinely furious. Simon couldn't help but feel tense, even though he knew the killing intent overflowing from her body wasn't directed at him. "......Simon." "Yes." "Besides you, who else knows this fact?" "Kamibarez, who went with me to the Forbidden Forest. Just the two of us." She nodded. "Thank you for the report. I'll inform Mom immediately." Simon had a reason for keeping this information secret. Kizen's professors were also potential suspects in this incident. Only Neptis knowing would allow for investigations from various angles. "Let's go, Simon!" Lorraine abruptly stood up. "Uh, where to?" "The Forbidden Forest. There might be some clues left at the site where you saw the Priest." Simon's eyes widened. "......Right now?" * * * Thump-thump-thump-thump! Late in the evening, Simon rode a 'Skeleton Horse' for the first time in his life. They said one Skeleton Horse was worth a house, and indeed, there was a reason for its high price. The Skeleton Horse was faster than a normal horse, never got tired, and the ride was comfortable. "You ride surprisingly well. Have you ever learned to ride?" Lorraine, riding a Skeleton Horse alongside him, asked. "Just a little back home." In truth, regardless of horsemanship skills, Simon and the Skeleton Horse had excellent chemistry. Most importantly, the Skeleton Horse obeyed Simon well. Whenever Simon extended his hand, the Skeleton Horse would nuzzle him affectionately. "This way, Lorraine." "Okay." Having experienced the path once, it was easy to find. They easily leaped over the valley he had crossed with Kamibarez on the Skeleton Horse, entering deep into the forest. "It's around here." "Thanks for guiding us. Let's go on foot from here." The two dismounted from their Skeleton Horses. Lorraine opened a subspace in the air, and the Skeleton Horses leaped into it and disappeared. Simon clicked his tongue. 'I wanted to ride it more.' He now had two new items on his bucket list to buy once he earned money. The first was a Demon's Bone Skeleton, and the second was a Skeleton Horse. Now, the two walked through the Forbidden Forest, suppressing their presence. Simon thought the forest path was much clearer than when he first came with Kamibarez. They didn't wander long before arriving at the spot where he had met the Priest. "Is this it?" "Yes, definitely." The two began their search with serious expressions. '......The traces are gone.' This was definitely the place where he had seen the Priest. But the altar, the decorations, the cross, and even the battle scars where Pier and the Priest had fought and overturned the ground were all cleanly gone. As if nothing had ever happened. Simon felt like he was possessed by a ghost. "How is it, Lorraine?" "......." She knelt on the ground, sweeping her palms over the grass. Soon, she shook her head. "There are no traces at all, which is strange." "......Ugh." "Still, it's clear that the traces were erased." She stood up and crossed her arms. "Simon, judging by your story, that guy is quite skilled. Both in combat ability and in cleanly hiding traces over a wide area. Most shocking of all is that, despite serving a god, they implanted a Core in their body and entered Kizen. They believe a Core is a power that denies their god." "But if they open a Core, they can't use a Priest's 'divine power', right?" Lorraine nodded. "I don't know the exact principle, but according to their logic, Jet Black is cursed demonic power, and divine power comes from faith in their god. Whatever it is, it's true that the two powers clash." She turned her back. "The situation is serious. Let's go back to Kizen. I need to see Mom right away."
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