The sudden struggle for Sion in the Black Magic Club.
Ignoring Sion’s will entirely.
Professor Grangshar and Professor Kaela presented their arguments against each other.
After a heated discussion lasting a full five minutes, the two reached a consensus.
“Alright. Then let’s take turns teaching.”
“If I go first, there’s no disagreement!”
“Then Grangshar, you teach first.”
“Uh-huh-huh! That’s how it should be! Sion, I will teach you about necromancy!”
“…Thank you.”
Grangshar, delighting like a child, approached Sion.
‘What about my opinion…?’
While Sion expressed a slight doubt, Grangshar’s one-on-one lesson began.
“Today, the necromancy I will teach you is… 1st Circle Magic, ‘Summon Undead’!”
“Oooh….”
“You don’t need to think of it grandly. It simply calls forth the nearby spirits.”
She continued her explanation, smiling as if satisfied with Sion’s reaction.
“You will be able to learn it quickly, so we’ll start with the incantation right away.”
“I will listen carefully.”
“Ahem… Shattered soul, awaken from death and respond to my call! Summon Undead!”
Woowm!!
A sticky and dark magical power, characteristic of necromancy.
It gathered on the ground and formed a round shape.
From above, something shadowy emerged.
Clatter!
‘…Skeleton?’
With a clattering of bones and a chilling appearance, it was a bizarre creature made entirely of human bones.
Indeed, it was a… skeleton.
“Isn’t it a monster?”
“Don’t worry. It is a monster, but it has responded to my call… it’s a kind of servitude spell.”
“…I see.”
“Uh-huh-huh. The undead summoned by Summon Undead is determined by the amount and purity of the infused power, as well as the density of surrounding corpses! Dismissal is simple too.”
Grangshar declared, patting the skeleton’s shoulder.
“Now, it’s done. Return!”
– Clatter.
As soon as she finished her words, the skeleton immediately sank back into the ground.
A remarkably simple operational mechanism.
But if I could summon several of those skeletons at once?
‘This might be more useful than the revival I learned last time.’
Revival had the downside of needing to carry bones around.
No matter how I looked at it, searching for bones and carrying them was… not appealing.
With this, since no medium was needed, it was perfect for Sion.
“Give it a try!”
“Then… I will.”
Let’s give it a light try first.
Like with ‘Revival’, let’s skip the embarrassing incantation.
After all, I’ve shown skipping the incantation several times already, so it shouldn’t matter.
“…Summon Undead.”
“What?! A shortened incantation?!”
Woowm!
The magic activated solely from the name of the spell.
It quickly formed a round shape on the ground.
And what emerged was…
– Squeak!
“A rat undead, huh.”
“…Indeed.”
What reappeared was a rat.
It had patches of flesh missing like a zombie, but it was still a rat.
It didn’t look particularly useful in battle.
“Wasn’t a skeleton supposed to come out…?”
“I-I told you, it’s different due to various complex factors….”
“……Return.”
– Squeak!
Whoosh.
At Sion’s command, the rat immediately disappeared into the ground.
This would make it difficult to use in battle.
‘They said it’s determined by the amount of mana, right?’
I infused the ‘minimum necessary’ amount of mana
However, if I could infuse a larger amount, wouldn’t the result come out better?
“I’ll try one more time.”
“Oh, I commend your spirit. However, for a first-year level, even a rat undead is quite advanced. Normally, you would summon something like a worm undead or a sparrow undead.”
“…Still, I will try.”
“I won’t stop you.”
She stepped back, her expression filled with interest, as if encouraging Sion to give it a go.
Sion took a deep breath, raising the power of his heart.
Though it was only at the 2nd Circle, he formed the circle as thinly as possible.
Perhaps because of that, he felt more confident about his mana amount than others.
The purity of his mana was also at an extremely high level, with a Spirit Affinity rated S-class.
‘Here I go.’
Woowm—!!
A powerful magical force that shook the surrounding air.
It burst forth from Sion’s heart.
A strength so potent that his arm tingled.
He gathered it all to mold into magic.
“Summon… Undead!”
Kuwaaa—!!
Thick, black mana spewed forth from his palm.
It formed a massive circle on the ground.
Emerging from that circle was a black shape.
“Sion! Behind me!”
“Yes? O-Okay.”
With a serious expression, Grangshar abruptly blocked Sion’s path.
As if a battle would break out at any moment, she was already holding a wand in her hand.
What appeared before them was… a skeleton.
But the magic power emanating from it was on another level than an ordinary skeleton.
[Did you awaken me, Ah-jae?]
“Who are you?! Reveal your identity!”
[I am not here to reveal myself to you.]
Crack!
A skeleton draped in a black cloak.
From within it, he drew out a longsword.
He wore black armor underneath the cloak.
“What… what is that?!”
“…It’s a B-grade monster, a Death Knight.”
“Huh?”
Kaela, who stood in front of Sion, answered, just like Grangshar.
A Death Knight.
As the name suggests, it meant ‘Knight of Death’, and it was an actual B-grade monster.
Until now, the monsters Sion had defeated were E-grade, and even the bosses were at D-grade levels.
But the monster before him was two tiers higher than that.
“What business do you have here?”
[I only answered the call of pure mana. Nothing more, nothing less.]
“Don’t talk nonsense! There’s no way a B-grade monster would come to the call of a first-year student’s 1st Circle magic!”
[…A first-year, you say? How delightful.]
The Death Knight was astonished as it rubbed its clattering jawbone.
[So, that child summoned me? A Death Knight?]
“Did you really come here due to Summon Undead?”
[I have no reason to lie. If you’re truly curious… I desire a contract with the dead.]
“Contract with the dead!”
At the Death Knight’s words, Grangshar’s face turned pale.
“P-Professor… what is a contract with the dead?”
“Have you heard of a spirit contract?”
“Um… yes. I’ve even made a contract with a spirit.”
“Think of it the same way.”
“Aha. So that means….”
Clatter.
After sheathed the sword, the Death Knight knelt on one knee.
[I wish to sign a contract with you. There’s no time. Your power was insufficient to summon me, and I will soon respond to the call of the dead.]
“…Why do you want to contract with me?”
[Your mana resembles that of the lord I served before. That’s all.]
“…!”
Sion looked at his palm.
‘My mana… resembles it?’
He recalled the conversation he had with Lunia’s spirit, Silphia.
– When I looked, this male’s spirit affinity… surpassed any human male or female I’ve seen so far. It’s as if… he had just been born, without any strange parts in his aura.
Sion’s mana held the purity of a child.
The reason, of course, was that he had been ‘possessed’ from that world to here less than a month ago.
If he resembles someone with such mana,
It was highly likely that they came from a different world, just like Sion.
“What kind of person was that previous master…?”
[It’s been so long that my memories are hazy. It might have been several decades.]
“…I see.”
[The similarity in the aura of the mana is pure coincidence, but this too is fate. This time, I wish to devote myself to you… will you sign the contract?]
As soon as the Death Knight finished speaking, Grangshar intervened.
“Sion, don’t be fooled. A Death Knight is intelligent and a powerful B-grade monster. We don’t know what intentions it may have.”
“…Is that so?”
“When I checked with mind magic, it seems it isn’t lying.”
“Kaela! That’s not the issue! Contracts are not something one can easily enter into!”
“Unlike Grangshar, I would recommend signing. Opportunities to contract with B-grade monsters are rare.”
“……”
“I oppose. Power that does not suit the vessel often brings calamity.”
“Oh my, can Sion not even handle a single B-grade monster?”
“That’s… true, but. Ugh! I don’t even know! I will leave the judgment to you!”
Sion closed his eyes and collected his thoughts.
When he contracted with the Death Knight, and when he didn’t.
The pros and cons of each floated in his mind.
“…Mr. Death Knight.”
[I’m listening.]
“If I were to contract, what would I have to give you?”
[I will receive your mana upon summoning. Of course, it won’t require as much consumption as the magic you just used.]
“Then what can you give me in return?”
At Sion’s question, the Death Knight rattled its jawbone.
[I will become your sword and fight. Even if it means that my bones will shatter.]
“…Can you swear that?”
[I swear.]
“Then it’s settled.”
[…!]
Clang.
Sion grasped the skeletal hand of the Death Knight.
The remarkably dry bony hand was cold yet firm.
Immediately after, a powerful mana began to emanate from both the Death Knight and Sion’s hands.
Whoooosh!
“S-Sion!”
[The contract has been successful.]
The mana escaping from the two intertwined in the air.
Like performing some kind of religious ceremony, the two powers twisted into a mysterious shape.
What seemed impossibly distinct finally merged into one.
It settled near the Death Knight’s heart, forming a symbol.
[Thinking of my master’s mana, I will now take my leave. Call upon me when needed.]
Slither.
Leaving those words, the Death Knight vanished, as if it were seeping into the ground.
Like nothing had happened, the classroom returned to normal.
However, the bone-like symbol left on Sion’s palm reminded him that what had just transpired was indeed real.
“Y-Y-You’re insane!?”
“Wah! W-Why all of a sudden?!”
“How could you rashly contract with a Death Knight! My heart was pounding like crazy!”
Cling!
Someone suddenly covered Sion’s back as he was looking at his palm.
It was Professor Grangshar, trembling like a leaf.
She clung to Sion.
“What on earth did you do?! A first-year student attempting magic for the first time rashly skips the incantation and contracts with a B-grade undead… This is the first time something so absurd has happened!”
“I had no idea it would turn out like this.”
“Uuuu…”
“……”
Grangshar, not realizing she was falling,
Upon closer inspection, tears were welling in her eyes.
“…Professor, are you crying?”
“N-No! I’m not crying! It’s just… it just came out!”
As Sion pointed this out, Grangshar buried her face in Sion’s school uniform.
…Was it just a feeling, or was the back of his uniform getting damp?
Still, Professor Grangshar’s feelings came through to Sion.
“Sorry for causing you concern.”
“I wasn’t worried! I was just a little scared that I might lose my only club member!”
“That’s not being worried….”
“Be quiet! Just stay quiet!”
“Yes….”
Professor Grangshar kept her face buried in Sion’s back.
“Congratulations on your first experience with an undead.”
“Thank you… but is it really common to call it a, first experience…?”
Clap clap clap—
Kaela laughed playfully, congratulating Sion on his contract.
With each clap, Sion’s heart fluttered.
Even if he didn’t want attention, it was an inescapable part of being male.
“So shall we continue with Mind Magic next?”
“Shut up! After a little more like this, you should go away somewhere!”
“Oh my, how cruel. You monopolized Sion to yourself.”
“Monopolized is not the case! I told you not to do Mind Magic!”
“I got caught~.”
“……”
The two professors began to bicker again.
Sion, sandwiched between them, sighed inwardly.
…He had a bad feeling that every Thursday would be extremely exhausting.
