I Became The Academy Necromancer
Chapter 324: The Necromancer of The Academy

Death passed through Graypond.

That day could only be described in that manner. The day had already grown dark, the ghosts’ screams could no longer be heard, and the cool night breeze swept away the lingering ominous feeling hovering over Graypond like waves on a sandy shore.

“…”

The boy named Owen Valtany gazed down at the landscape of the city that had survived the calamity from the highest point.

His hands were still trembling.

It wasn’t because the man he had believed in and followed wholeheartedly had betrayed the royal family and left.

Neither was it because he felt fear upon seeing the ghosts he led.

The boy was utterly overwhelmed.

Lord Soul Whisperer.

Owen felt as though he finally understood just how broad the back of the man he had been following was, and how heavy the burden he was carrying must have been.

He could also feel all the resolve he had held until now seemed ridiculous.

He had tried to follow Deus Verdi’s back, but now, being forced to face the difference, he was convinced that he would never be able to do it.

What should I do…?

When Deus had been imprisoned, Owen had visited him several times to seek his guidance, and each time, Deus had listened to his worries.

The conclusion was always the same.

Work hard.

Do your best.

Play the piano, and put the restless ghosts and born yokai to rest.

He thought that if he played in a way that conveyed joy, emotion, and relief, he would be able to make them feel those emotions.

He believed that if he worked hard enough, he would be able to fill the void left by Deus Verdi someday.

He thought he would become a man worthy of the title ‘Soul Whisperer’.

This is…

However, it no longer seemed possible.

The boy was terrified to his core.

Upon seeing the gap between him and his master, the man who had become the embodiment of death itself, Owen honestly wanted to turn tail and run away.

The extreme difference made his heart waver.

He felt the urge to distance himself from the piano behind him, but at the same time…

“Hey, kiddo.”

A light voice came from behind him. It was a girl he knew well.

“Ah, Ms. Aria.”

Aria Rias and Eleanor Luden Griffin stood proudly, their shoulders squared, as they looked down at Owen.

“W-what’s going on?”

Owen looked puzzled as he watched the two girls unexpectedly approach him.

They had only spoken a few times, and the last time, they had also asked for help, which led to him starting his performance earlier than usual.

And truthfully speaking, Owen found both of them somewhat uncomfortable.

“I’m going to Professor and you’re coming with us.”

At Aria’s words, Owen jumped up, stammering as he replied.

“Y-you mean to Lord Soul Whisperer? Do you even know where he went?”

“She seems to know.”

Eleanor crossed her arms and pointed at Aria as she spoke.

Owen wondered how Aria knew the destination of the man who had taken death with him.

Aria gave a sly smile as she answered.

“If it’s where Professor is headed, it’s obvious. After all, Professor is moving with fate on his side.”

Deus Verdi was trying to use fate to his own advantage.

If that were the case, it was only natural that he would choose the best place that fate desired.

His actions resembled those of a shaman channeling a deity.

And in a place that could be called the most favorable, he was hoping that fate would settle within him.

“A-and you know of such a place?”

“More importantly, are you coming or not?”

Aria asked again, clearly intending not to tell Owen if he said he wouldn’t come along. His expression darkened once more.

Hesitating, the boy asked with a tearful voice.

“What would change if I go…?”

He truly didn’t know.

How could someone like him, who just played the piano and brought joy to spiritual beings, make a difference? He was just a powerless performer who could only strike the keys.

What could he, a human, do to help his teacher, who had become so close to ‘death’?

“What are you saying?”

“You’re going to help Deus? Even we might not be able to do it.”

The words of the two girls struck Owen mercilessly.

“Did you think you could help Professor? Do you really believe that’s possible? Maybe you can just place your hands beside him.”

“Or do you think there will be changes in Deus’ plan just because of you or us? That’s just ridiculous.”

“…”

So then…

Then why were the two girls following him?

The question rose to his throat, but before he could voice it out, the girls answered first.

“We are going there to learn.”

“Why do you think we suggested it to you in the first place? It is because we’ve all grown up learning by looking at the same back.”

“Ah…”

Only now did Owen understand the girls’ intention. It would have been great if they could be of any help to Deus Verdi, but if that was impossible, they would observe his every action, take it in, bury it in their hearts, and learn.

And if they could grow and gain enlightenment just from watching him, they could give another meaning to the action of the man who was the Soul Whisperer.

“So then, are you coming?”

Aria tilted her head and asked.

Owen had long since wiped away the tears that had gathered at the corners of his eyes.

“Yes.”

The boy nodded vigorously.

Aria and Eleanor smiled and accepted him.

“Then get ready.”

They turned around.

To the place where fate had settled.

At the very center of the story.

It was where everything began, and also where everything would end.

“To the Academy.”

***

By the time I arrived at Loberne Academy, the scenery was exactly the same as the one shown when you started the game, [Retry].

A deep sense of emotion filled me as I gazed at it.

I had seen it countless times, but for some reason, it felt more nostalgic than ever today.

[The academy is quiet.]

[The city also is as still as if it’s dead.]

Just as the Dark Spiritualist and Stella had mentioned, the surroundings were eerily quiet, as though there was absolutely no one, yet I could feel the breath of many.

And as I approached this place, I continued to assert my presence.

The spirits whirled around me, sweeping across the kingdom’s territory. Except for a few who challenged me, most simply held their breath, suppressed their presence, and waited for me to pass.

Thus, it was noisy yet silent as I finally arrived at Loberne Academy.

The place where the story began.

The game [Retry] began when Aria Rias enrolled. Most of the overall storyline took place at the academy.

The final chapter.

The last ending of the second cycle.

And the very place Aria Rias chose to commit suicide was her bedroom in the academy dormitory.

My grandmother used to tell me something.

The gods had their favorite places, and it was much more effective to find a sacred place when performing rituals.

And strangely enough, my grandmother’s words could be applied to the current situation as well.

Loberne Academy was the place chosen by fate and I chose this place to bring it out. There would be no place more favored by it than this.

After all the circling around, it was here.

“…”

[That’s…]

[Ah.]

The woman who knew I would be coming was waiting for me with an indifferent attitude.

“Deus Verdi.”

Even though summer had passed and the vacation was over, the academy was yet to start.

The deep blue coat she was wearing fitted perfectly with the cold atmosphere.

She looked exactly how she did back when they kicked me out of the academy.

Erica Bright was at the entrance to welcome me.

“My fiancé.”

Numerous other professors stood behind her. Though they all feared me, they were relying on Erica.

“Is this a greeting?”

As I walked into the academy through the main gate, magic prepared by Erica surged from all directions.

Golden mana slammed into the air, and countless yellow butterflies fluttered around her.

After the Elemental Spirit King had perished in my fight against Raizel, it looked like she had formed contracts with the elemental spirits who had lost their king.

The woman who had wept for me in prison was nowhere to be found.

It seemed Erica had more talent in acting than me.

Well, that was probably why she was able to remain so firm and composed when she kicked me out.

“As the master of light magic, the youngest of the Bright Household, a full-time professor at Loberne Academy, a vassal of the kingdom, and your fiancée.”

Grip.

Erica pulled on her white gloves, securing them firmly around her hands. A golden light began to spill from her fingertips.

“Carrying the weight of responsibility, I, Erica Bright, will execute Deus Verdi, the traitor who has threatened the continent.”

The Golden butterflies soared upwards. Spirits shot toward me like torrential rain, and soon, the butterflies transformed into a single sword.

[Blocking this is the right thing to do, right?]

As the Dark Spiritualist extended her hand to cast a protective spell, the attack was repelled and bounced off in all directions.

Boom!

In the meantime, light mana rippled in Erica’s hands, taking the form of a spear.

The spirits were just a distraction.

And true to her title as a mage of light magic, she reached me in a flash of lightning and thrust her spear at me in a raw, unrefined motion.

[Huh?]

Crash!

The destructive force behind it was enough to startle even the Dark Spiritualist.

The Dark Spiritualist had created this magic for my defense in order to protect me from the phenomenon of death.

And yet, Erica’s light spear was starting to create cracks on the magic shield created by the Dark Spiritualist.

[…!]

The Dark Spiritualist, who had previously appeared calm, now looked completely serious.

She extended both hands forward and focused again, but Erica’s eyes, visible through her flowing blonde hair, had already read the situation.

So it is.

A faint glimmer of hope rose.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but feel bitter emotions.

Just as the Dark Spiritualist had created this protective magic to protect me, Erica, too, had created this magic to save me.

The protective magic used by the Dark Spiritualist was already known to the kingdom.

Even Coltman, the great dark mage from the Jerman Kingdom, failed to break through it and was repelled.

And now, Erica had proved in the presence of many witnesses that she could break it.

If that’s the case, the kingdom will have no choice but to rely on her.

What Erica was displaying now felt like a performance—an act meant for when the army would eventually arrive.

She was asserting her competence, positioning herself within their ranks.

The clash between the shield meant to protect and the spear meant to defend was imbued with a hint of wistfulness that was almost too painful to watch.

Crash!

Erica’s spear finally pierced through Dark Spiritualist’s shield and pushed forward.

At that moment, I moved my hand.

“Cough!”

Erica was flung backward as a blue flame magic bullet struck her unprotected torso, rolling across the floor. Though she desperately tried to get up again, the ghosts following me began to surround Erica.

“Aaaagh!”

A wave struck the people’s minds.

Knowing well that neither she nor I could afford to hesitate here, we fought without the slightest signs of retreat.

Finally, Erica was staring at me as she passed out.

That act, as if trying to capture even a little more of me in her gaze, pierced me more painfully than anything else since my escape from prison.

I walked past the unconscious Erica and headed toward the academy.

Aware of the seriousness of the situation, the academy was yet to start the new term despite the end of vacation. And as a result, only a few professors remained.

However, they all trembled in fear and began to flee.

But I didn’t bother stopping them.

I merely watched as the dean and the school nurse, Karen, took the unconscious Erica away.

Although she had spoken words that severed our connection, the fact that she didn’t bring the annulment papers was her last bastion and form of resistance.

In a way, it could also be considered as the most blatant confession.

Even in this situation, she was determined not to call off the engagement.

At the entrance of the main building, where I last spoke with Erica before being expelled from the academy a long time ago, I slowly turned around and spoke to those fleeing.

“Come.”

My fiancée had worked hard to create this scene.

Now, it was my turn to put in the effort.

“Here, at the academy.”

Not as the Soul Whisperer.

“But as a necromancer, I shall greet you.”

***

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