Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner

Chapter 238

Simon arrived in Rochest.

He wore the pants he borrowed from Rick and a plain white shirt he found.

Yawning from having gotten up so early in the morning, Simon put his hand in his pockets and looked around.

'That's amazing.'

As expected from Rochest on the weekend, there were couples everywhere.

The sight of so many male and female students clinging to each other even made some of the local residents feel uncomfortable.

Also, he couldn't find Serene anywhere.

'She didn't even tell me where we're meeting, did she?'

Simon pulled out the letter and checked it again, but it didn't say where to meet except to be down in Rochest by noon.

Just as Simon was letting out a huge sigh.

Flutter!

A pure white feather flew up and landed at his feet.

A moment later, he saw another feather landing a few steps ahead of the first.

'These are Serene's feathers. Does she want me to follow them?'

Simon obediently walked as the feathers directed, new ones falling to show him where to go with every couple of steps.

He followed them through a narrow alley and out onto the main street with a wider road to fit carriages.

'The path ended.'

There was no next feather. He stopped on the side of the road to double check there was nothing on the ground, but suddenly, a strange schoolgirl running in the opposite direction lost her balance and began to fall nearby.

It was too dangerous to pretend he didn't see her.

Simon grabbed her plummeting shoulders to keep her from hitting the ground.

"Are you alright?"

Her eyes were closed, as if unconscious. As Simon was about to say something to stir her awake, she suddenly lifted her head.

Then…

"♬Do you know what love is??♬"

She started singing at the top of her lungs.

"♬I can't stop thinking of you. My heart; it pounds all day long♬"

What a weird person.

Simon stepped back from her in confusion.

The girl danced like a ballerina, then held hands with a boy who walked up behind her.

"♬Love sometimes~♬"

"♬Love sometimes~♬"

The two were now continuing the song as a duet.

Soon, people nearby also started singing along with them.

"♬Love sometimes gives you trials♬"

"♬Love will follow you like a shadow!♬"

A choir suddenly burst forth in the middle of Rochest.

One by one, all kinds of people just minding their own business joined in.

The singing grew louder and louder.

On the second story of a cheap apartment block, windows slammed open. Singing came from each room, including an arguing couple who dropped everything and burst into joyous song.

In the streets, the children, beggars, and newsies alike all danced to the beat. A large crowd had begun to form, all crowded around him.

Simon just stood there, dumbfounded, until someone shoved him from behind.

"Whoa!"

Simon lost his balance and staggered onto the road. Just in time, a carriage came in and stopped right in front of him, its door sliding open.

"♬Love is what guides us♬"

A woman Simon had never seen before pulled him by the arm and made him sit in the carriage as she sang.

The coachman immediately started driving the carriage.

"♬Love is to be polished♬"

However, it didn't travel for long. After only a few blocks, the coachman stopped the carriage and opened the door again to an alley.

Simon tentatively stepped out before quickly being confronted by people dressed in identical clothes, all playing musical instruments and dancing.

Now grasping the situation, Simon followed them. A grimace formed over his face seeing all the unnaturally wide smiles.

He was directed to a restaurant, and as soon as he entered, the waiters continued,

"♬I don't mind even if love is~♬"

A piano accompanied the tune. Simon followed the sound to the second floor.

"♬My own… sweet illusion!♬"

The employees joined hands in male and female pairs, dancing between busy tables of customers as they all continued to sing.

Simon finally reached the end of the second floor, and he saw the pianist.

The familiar face was playing eloquently with fingers honed by what must have been years of practice.

"♬Love is~♬"

As she sang and played the piano, even the patrons danced along.

"♬Mysterious and beautiful♬"

Then, the music stopped, and everyone clapped with an excessive level of enthusiasm.

Amidst the applause, the pianist slowly stood up from her seat before bobbing a curtsy for her performance.

Then, she lightly clapped once in the air.

Flinch.

Light returned to the employees' dazed eyes.

They went back to their work as if nothing had happened, sweeping the floor, serving customers, and grilling patties.

"Welcome, Simon."

The pianist raised her finger to her lips and smiled.

The official successor of the Ivory Tower, and the woman famous for her power to control minds using her feathers.

"Madam Serene."

A male waiter who had just been dancing approached and bowed to the two.

"A table for two?"

He was speaking as if Serene had only just arrived.

"That would be correct~"

"This way, please."

They were guided to the best seats, right next to the piano. They were served tea before being given menus to order their meals.

"How was the serenade that I arranged for you? Wasn't it lovely?"

"Sigh…"

Simon put his head in his hand.

"…You're one of the strangest people I know."

"That's not a very flattering thing to say to a lady."

Serene winked.

"Don't worry too much about it. I simply manipulated people on the street for a minute or so. None of them would have been badly inconvenienced and certainly no one would have gotten hurt."

"That's not the problem…"

"So, so! How was the serenade?"

'…I wonder.'

It was like a scene from a play where he was the main character.

But at the same time, it was terrifying.

The fact that Serene could easily orchestrate something like this… It would be easy for her to turn an entire city to bedlam if she set her mind to it.

Simon wondered what she was plotting by staying in Kizen.

"Be honored."

Serene lifted one of her legs and crossed it over the other, looking directly into Simon's eyes as she leaned forward and smiled.

"Not many get the right to speak to me alone like this."

Her elegant voice and carefully managed body language all worked together to give her a powerful charisma that stood out above everyone else.

If anyone was destined to be the queen of mankind, it would be her.

It was no wonder she dominated Class C.

In Kizen, a place where it's more that someone is from a prestigious family than not, it's not easy to take control of a class. Simon figured there had to be more to her than mind control and being the successor of the Ivory Tower.

'Still, she makes me really uncomfortable.'

Simon took a sip of his tea and asked,

"So, why did you call me?"

She didn't answer, but pretended to file her nails.

The waiter came over and laid linen napkins on both their laps. Then, he said, "Excuse me, sir, there is a letter for you." The waiter then gave Simon a sealed envelope.

When the waiter went away, Simon frowned.

"I hope you won't make this a habit. That you won't keep controlling people for nothing."

She giggled.

"I didn't use my feather, I just asked him~ I made a request that he deliver this letter while he lays the napkins."

"...."

'She's really toying with me.'

Simon sighed inwardly and opened the letter.

"Huh?"

Simon jumped in surprise when he saw the royal seal on this random letter, almost knocking over his teacup.

"Wh-What is this?"

Simon panicked and held up the letter.

"Why do you have a letter from the royal family of Dresden?"

* * *

* * *

Serene tilted her head in confusion.

"Because I was asked to give it to you?"

"??"

The Ivory Tower was known for its self-governance, being above any kingdom's interference. Simon never heard of the Ivory Tower and the Dresden Kingdom being close.

"Princess Mollie of Dresden. You know her, right?"

At the mention of a familiar name, Simon calmed down a bit.

"I do."

He could still remember it clearly.

He met her at a Duel Evaluation.

It was the debut of the Overlord. he fought against 'Malcolm Randolph', the S.A.10 who uses that doppelganger spell.

Prince Andre, a second year at the time, had lent Malcolm an artifact unique to the 'Black Knights' after Simon refused Andre's invitation to join his club, 'Noble'.

However, in a duel watched by thousands of people, Simon literally beat the crap out of Malcolm in his Black Knight armor.

Enraged, Andre summoned Simon and attempted to hit him, but Princess Mollie arrived and took Andre away.

After that incident, Andre's corrupt actions using his title of prince were brought to the surface, and he was expelled from Kizen.

"I promise in my name that neither my brother nor Dresden will bother you in the future, Simon. I also sneaked off, so please give me some time to formally apologize later. See you then."

That was what Princess Mollie said when they parted ways.

The letter followed that conversation. It was written by Princess Mollie herself, apologizing for the incident and inviting Simon to a royal ball.

Serene added,

"It is a designated mission from the princess~ As soon as you get back to Kizen, the officials will look for you."

'A designated mission!'

Unlike a normal request where students take what's offered at the bulletin boards, a designated mission is a request where a student is nominated directly by the person who made the request. Simon knew that only powerful people could influence Kizen to give such a mission.

Reading the letter, the mission was to protect the royal family of Dresden. But it was really a request to come and honor them. It even detailed the dress code for guests.

"Of course, I'm invited as well!"

Said Serene, waving about her own letter with a royal seal.

"The best male student and female student in Kizen are invited! You get the picture, don't you?"

Simon nodded.

It was safe to say that, when an invitation came from a royal family—from Princess Mollie herself—there was no refusing. There was no good in making an enemy of a kingdom.

Also, as a guest of honor, he wouldn't have to worry about Magnus, either.

However, Simon still felt a little bit off.

He knew he should be there to pay his respects to Princess Mollie for stopping Third Prince Andre's bullshit, but he wasn't so impressed that Kizen students were being called to show off thei—

"That's not all! They are paying 2000 gold just for accepting the mission."

Some may find it unimpressive, but not Simon.

'Thank you, Princess!'

He was slowly running out of the pocket money that Richard gave him.

Simon also learned a new powerful skill, the 'royal guards'. He wanted to give his skeletons a boost by purchasing stronger ones.

As soon as he received the commission, he wanted to go to Rochest to recruit more skeleton archers and also a mage, though it'd be expensive…

Summoning is a money vacuum, so the bigger the budget, the better. While he was still imagining how he would spend the money he hadn't even gotten yet, Serene spoke up.

"So, you'll be accepting the mission, right?"

Simon nodded lightly and looked at Serene.

"I have a question, unrelated to the mission."

"Tell me."

"Did you call me to Rochest and use your coupon just to tell me this?"

If he had just stayed in Kizen and studied, would've been informed of the designated mission by the servants.

Serene, knowing she had Simon's full attention now, leaned forward until she was propping herself up with her elbows on the table and smiled sweetly.

"Do you have anything to wear to the ball?"

"…"

There's no way he would.

Serene smirked as she caught Simon's hesitation.

"So let's go shopping together~"

Seems like that was her real goal.

Simon looked at her doubtfully.

"…Is this only going to be a shopping trip?"

She curled her hand closed.

"Just escort me around for the day. Help me with my items. Tell me I look pretty in the dresses I try. Don't frown when I get touchy."

Just hearing that made Simon feel sick.

He had a strong hunch that this would be harder than the mission.

"I'll think about it if you redeem two debt coupons."

"Whoa~! You're telling me that pampering a girl for a day is worse than fighting a Saintess for your life? Do you have a conscience?"

He tried, but to no avail.

"Instead! I'll pay for everything, including the shopping, and the formalwear you choose! How about that?"

'I heard that formal clothes are expensive…'

Simon also figured it'd be nice to grab a few things while shopping, so it wouldn't be a losing deal.

"Sure, alright."

"You ready? Let's go right away!"

* * *

The same time.

While students were busy playing around or studying in the early morning, some people were still dead asleep.

One such person was in a room colored in a mix of creamy and pink colors, with frilly curtains adorning the window on one side and a display case of cute stuffed animals on the other.

The person was lying on her bed in the middle of the room. She was sound asleep, but the vibration of her communication crystal ball on her desk woke her up.

She rubbed her eyes as she groaned,

"…What the hell is it in this early morning?"

She staggered over as she removed the sleep from her eyes, and she activated the crystal ball.

"Yes?"

[Lady Lorain, Serene Aindark has begun to move.]

Her red eyes went from sleepy to serious in an instant.

"Where is she?"

[Rochest. She has a companion, an active Kizen student.]

"She must've brainwashed another one. Who is it?"

The voice coming out of the crystal ball hesitantly answered,

[…Simon Polentia.]

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