Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

The forces of the Khan Kingdom poured toward the castle.

The attacking soldiers were also short, beast-humans. But perhaps because they were the enemy, they seemed larger and more overpowering than the allies.

"Squeak! Squeak! Everyone, draw your bows!"

The beast-human adjutants gave the order. In unison, the archers on the battlements knocked their arrows and aimed at the incoming waves of enemy soldiers.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

The waves swelling under the battlements didn't stop, even though they were within range of the bows.

"Release! Squeeaak!"

Countless black arrows rained down, causing the waves below to surge. The soldiers lodged with the arrow were falling to the ground. Behind them, other soldiers roared and charged, stepping over the corpses.

"Faster! Release!"

Once again, arrows rained down like deadly hailstones.

It was quite a display of firepower. The black arrows pierced armor and still had enough momentum to throw around enemy soldiers like they were toys. It wasn't rare for a single arrow to kill two enemies at once.

"Hehehe! Did you see that? Did you see that?"

Repeated Rick like an enthusiastic child.

"Don't you think my enchantments are really for sieges? If I enchant the arrows or weapons of the soldiers, they'll take care of the rest!!"

"Focus before I pierce your damn mouth."

Rick shut up quickly at Meilyn's threat.

Simon let out a small laugh and turned his head back to the front.

The fighting spirits of the Khan Kingdom's soldiers were quite something, too. They were charging to the gate with a roar, unafraid of the arrows.

Soon, when they slammed down on the gates with a myriad of weapons ready to hack and slash, the gate shook violently, wood breaking off of it.

"They have a battering ram!"

On top of a nearby hill, a wooden cart had been set up. Soldiers were pushing the cart, loaded with a metal-reinforced log, toward the gate.

"Simon! I did enchant the gate, but it won't last long if they hit it with the ram!"

"Leave it to me."

16 skeletons were on standby around Simon. Eight were skeleton mages, and the other eight were normal skeletons.

"Throw them!"

The normal skeletons threw oil fruits. The fruits tumbled down the hill in front of the gate.

Then, using 'cross operation', he put the regular skeletons on stand-by as he connected to the thoughts of eight skeleton mages. Above the staffs held up high by the mages, magic circles formed.

"Dark Blaze."

Although it wasn't as powerful as Meilyn's 'Dark Flare', it was the next lowest tier of jet-black fire elemental magic.

Fireballs swelled above the magic circles like blooming flowers. They were tinged with dark blue, likely as a result of Simon's jet-black.

"Fire!"

Fwooooooosh!

Eight dark-blue fireballs flew across the cloudy sky.

Soaring in a gentle arc, the fireballs aimed down in front of the gate.

The eyes of Khan soldiers shook. Searing flames approached like living fire demons ready to devour their souls.

"D-Dodge!"

Ka-toooosshh…!!

The fireballs exploded all at once, incinerating soldiers. On top of that, the oil fruits that had fallen on the ground exploded as soon as they touched the fire, spraying burning oil all over the ground.

The flames spread, and a great sea of fire formed around the walls and hills.

"Wow!"

Exclaimed Rick.

As the flames consumed not only the soldiers coming up the hill but also the siege weapon, the battering ram. Soldiers, set ablaze, rolled down the hills in agony.

"Squeak! Squeak! As expected from the guardians!"

"The guardians are with us! Squeak!"

"Your fire element is pretty good, huh?"

"I still have a long way to go."

Despite the modesty, Simon was also feeling a bit proud of himself.

The summoner's greatest strength was numbers.

He might not be able to use high-level dark magic like Meilyn right now, but casting eight Dark Blazes at once was a definite advantage.

"E-Extinguish the fire!"

The frontal attack on the gate had been delayed while the Khan's soldiers extinguished the fire, cleaned up the oil, and sent out another battle ram.

However, that didn't mean that the Aeon soldiers got a break.

"It's a ladder!"

Tall siege ladders clanged down on the castle walls, and soldiers quickly climbed them. Some of the soldiers even had hooks to climb faster.

"Squeak! They're coming up the castle walls!"

"Stop them!"

Just then, arrows rained down on the battlements, knocking down allies.

The archers of the Khan kingdom on the ground began firing arrows over the battlements.

"Aim for the archers!"

This time, the archers from the Aeon Kingdom fired back. The battle between the archers was fierce, filling the sky with a constant rain of arrows back and forth.

Simon, who had been watching the battle from the battlements, looked back.

"Adjutant."

"Yes, Supreme Commander!"

A beast-human adjutant waiting behind Simon bowed.

"I can handle the gates by myself, so focus your forces on the castle walls."

"A-Are you sure you'll be alright? I fear that we may be putting too much burden on you…"

"It's fine."

Simon was shooting fireballs with his skeleton mages even as he spoke to the adjutant.

The adjutant nodded and sent the troops at the gate to defend the castle walls.

'I thought the outer castle would be easily breached since the walls are low, but it's being handled pretty well.'

All the gates remained intact, including the south gate that Simon and his troops were defending.

However…

There were powerful variables in this war.

* * *

* * *

"Defend! Stop them! Squeak!"

The battle on the battlements was also fierce.

While dodging the arrows raining down, they had to take down enemy soldiers climbing the ladders.

"Squeak! Clear out the ladders first!"

"Raise your shields! Don't back down! Squeak!"

The one in command of this battlement was a veteran beast-human.

He was on the front lines himself, swinging his sword as he squeaked commands at the top of his lungs, encouraging his men.

Just when he was pushing the enemies back, more soldiers climbed up the ladder. Then…

Tap… Ta-ta-dash!

A strange sound was heard below the castle wall. He stuck his head out and looked down the castle wall.

"Hm?"

Something had charged into the castle wall and had begun climbing.

It was a wolf.

No, to be more accurate, a werewolf.

"What is tha—!"

His words were cut short. When their eyes met, the werewolf climbed up the castle wall and dug its claws into his neck.

"Squeak! When did you get up here!"

The soldiers of Aeon guarding the castle wall rushed in.

A triangular, pointy nail growing like a sword was on the werewolf's wrist. It was darkened by jet-black.

Slaaaaaaash!

Slash!

Every time the werewolf swung its claws, soldiers fell in sprays of blood.

Its movements were on a whole different level compared to the soldiers. They didn't even have time to thrust their spears. The werewolf was the hunter, and the mice was its prey.

"Squeak!"

"It's so strong! Squeak!"

The soldiers took a defensive formation and charged, but there was simply too great a difference in skill.

With an acrobatic leap, the werewolf's claws tore through soldiers' throats as it came up behind them.

"Shoot that wolf first!"

The archers at the end of the battlements loaded their arrows and aimed at the werewolf.

Seeing them, the werewolf raised its palm to its mouth. A magic circle was drawn on its palm, and it finally opened its mouth.

[Awooooooooooooooo!]

{Wolf's Howl}

It was an area-of-effect curse that affected all who heard it.

The faces of the archers holding the bow filled with extreme fear, and their legs trembled. Some dropped their arrows or soaked their pants. The werewolf took advantage of this opportunity, slaughtering the neutralized archers.

The battlements were being ravaged by a single enemy's intrusion.

[Bwahaha!]

From the werewolf's mouth, which had only been making growling sounds, a young boy's voice was heard.

[This is so freaking fun!]

The werewolf looked back and shouted down the castle wall,

[Millena! Send them all up!]

Whish! Whish! Whish!

Three siege ladders defied gravity and floated up into the sky. Dozens of Khan soldiers were on top of the ladders.

"Pssshhht! Exterminate the bastards of the Aeon Kingdom!"

"The guardians are with us! Psht! Psht!!"

Khan soldiers jumped on the battlements. And below the castle wall, someone in a Kizen uniform was wiping sweat off her forehead as she moved back down.

"I can't believe I'm still having to transfer ladders all the way here… Gosh."

With a wave of her hand, the three ladders floating in the air descended back to the ground.

"Now."

She looked back at the Kahn soldiers on standby.

"Next, please hop aboard."

"Yes, guardian!"

* * *

[Haha! Hahahaha!]

The battle turned as the werewolf roamed the battlements and the siege ladders moved soldiers up the walls like an elevator.

Before realizing it, some sections of the battlements had more soldiers from the Khan than Aeon. At this point, the entire battlement was about to fall.

[This is fun! So fun! I see why they told me to play Endolas' games when I enrolled in Kizen!]

The 30 Kizen students who joined as the guardians.

Now, in the later half of their first year, the young necromancers were quite capable. The shorter, weaker, and less powerful beast-humans were no match for this werewolf.

[Found it!]

The werewolf spotted another 'adjutant' that looked to be a captain and leaped up with its four legs.

Swoosh!

It was a jump that surpassed all human limits.

The old adjutant couldn't even react to the speed. The moment the werewolf's teeth were about to bite into the nape of the adjutant…

Claaaash!

A sword suddenly intervened. The werewolf was pushed back, falling to one knee.

'Someone parried my attack?'

"Hiyaah!"

It was a blonde Kizen student with a sly smile on his face who suddenly stepped in front of the adjutant. Belatedly grasping the situation, the werewolf smirked.

A necromancer had to be stopped by a necromancer, after all.

[You're late.]

The young boy's voice sounded awkward, coming from the mouth of the fierce, large werewolf.

Rick stroked his chin.

"Hmmm… Let's see."

Rick opened his eyes narrowly and began to examine every inch of the werewolf's body.

"Necromancers specializing in the shape-shifting dark magic, 'Metamorphosis', aren't that common in Kizen. If I remember correctly, I believe there were about ten of them? Ah, right, exactly ten, since one was expelled last BDMAT."

[…]

Rick's tongue moved quickly.

"In addition, a werewolf of this quality. I'm guessing this wasn't taught in Kizen, but instead it's unique family magic, am I right? And a sound-based curse? There I have my answer."

Rick smiled and bowed gracefully like a gentleman.

"Miss Carnis McGrory"

[…]

"My, my, I didn't know the daughter of a high-noble like yourself had such a good impression of male voices."

The werewolf's inhuman eyes stared coldly at the person yapping off.

[…Who are you?]

A girl's voice was heard this time. Rick shrugged.

"I'm Rick Hayward, from Class A!"

[How'd you figure out so soon? Glekk should be more famous than I am in terms of Werewolf metamorphosis.]

"Ah, Glekk Crow! He's oughta be famous since he's a S.A.9. But to use that kind of bluff to hide your true abilities…"

Clang! Clang!

Rick smirked as he pulled a huge metal case out of his subspace.

"That'd only work on an idiot."

——