Chapter 70: A Death Knight’s Devotion: Between Tears and Temptation

Black Magic Club: A Tug-of-War Between Professors and Power

A Sion snatching contest unfolded unexpectedly at the Black Magic Club.

Without regard for Sion’s opinion.

Professor Granshar and Professor Kaela argued their cases.

After a heated discussion lasting a full 5 minutes, the two reached an agreement.

“Okay. Then we’ll teach him alternately.”

“If I go first, there are no objections!”

“Then Granshar, you teach him first.”

“Ohohoho! That’s how it should be! Sion, I’ll teach you more Necromancy!”

“……Thank you.”

Granshar was delighted like a child and approached Sion.

‘What about my opinion…?’

While Sion expressed a light question, Granshar’s 1-on-1 lesson began.

“The Necromancy I’ll teach you today is… the 1st circle magic, ‘Summon Undead’!”

“Ooh….”

“You don’t have to think too grandly. It’s just summoning the spirits of the surrounding area.”

She seemed satisfied with Sion’s reaction and continued her explanation with a smile.

“You should be able to learn it quickly, so let’s start with the incantation right away.”

“I’ll listen carefully.”

“Ahem…. O shattered souls, awaken from death and answer my call! Summon Undead!”

Uwooooong!!

A sticky, dark magic power, typical of Necromancy.

It gathered on the floor, forming a round circle.

Then, something took shape above it.

Clatter!

‘…A skeleton?’

The clattering of bones and a chilling visual.

A strange magical creature made of human bones.

It was clearly… a skeleton.

“Isn’t it a magical beast?”

“Don’t worry. This is a magical beast, but it answered my call… It’s a kind of familiar.”

“…I see.”

“Hehehe. The undead summoned by Summon Undead is determined by the amount of magic power infused, its purity, the concentration of the dead around it, and so on! Dissolving it is also simple.”

Granshar patted the skeleton’s shoulder and declared.

“That’s enough. Go back!”

-Clatter.

As soon as she finished speaking, the skeleton sank back into the floor.

A very simple operating method.

But if he could summon several of those skeletons at the same time?

‘It’s more useful than the Revival I learned last time.’

Revival had the disadvantage of having to carry bones around.

No matter what, finding bones and carrying them around in his arms… wasn’t very appealing to him.

This didn’t require a medium, so it was perfect for Sion.

“Try it once!”

“Then… I will.”

First, should he try it lightly?

Like ‘Revival,’ let’s omit the embarrassing incantation.

He had already shown her several times that he could omit the incantation, so it should be okay.

“…Summon Undead.”

“Whatcha?! Y-You shortened the incantation?!”

Uwoooong!

The magic was activated with only the magic name incantation.

It soon formed a round circle on the floor.

And what popped out was….

-Squeak!

“It’s a rat undead.”

“……It is.”

What appeared above the circle was a rat.

There were patches of flesh missing here and there, like a zombie, but it was a rat.

It didn’t seem very useful in battle.

“Wasn’t a skeleton supposed to come out…?”

“I-I told you. It’s different because of various complicated factors….”

“……Go back.”

-Squeak!

Whoosh.

At Sion’s words, the rat disappeared into the floor.

It would be difficult to use this in battle.

‘It said it was determined by the amount of magic power?’

He had only infused the ‘minimum necessary’ mana into the previous magic.

But if he could infuse as much mana as possible?

The result would be better.

“I’ll try one more time.”

“Hoo, I appreciate your spirit. But even a rat undead is considered quite good at the 1st grade level. Usually, you summon earthworm undead or sparrow undead.”

“…I’ll still try.”

“I won’t stop you.”

She stepped away from Sion with an intriguing expression.

A face that seemed to say, ‘Go ahead and try it.’

Sion took a deep breath and raised the magic power of his heart.

Although it was only a 2nd circle, he created the thinnest circle possible.

Perhaps because of that, he had more magic power than others.

His magic power purity was also very high with an S-grade affinity for spirits.

‘Here I go.’

Uwooooong—!!

A strong magic power that made the surrounding air vibrate.

It gushed out of Sion’s heart.

A magic power so powerful that his arms tingled.

He gathered it and shaped it into magic.

“Summon… Undead!”

Kwaaaa—!!

A sticky black magic power spewed out of his palm.

It formed a huge circle on the floor.

A black figure rose through the circle.

That was….

“Sion! Get behind me!”

“Yes? A-Alright.”

Whack!

Granshar blocked Sion with a serious face.

As if a battle was about to break out, she was already holding a wand in her hand.

What appeared in front of her was… a skeleton.

But the magic power felt was different from a normal skeleton.

[Did you awaken me, child?]

“Who are you…! Reveal your identity!”

[I did not ask you, woman.]

Chuck!

A skeleton draped in a black cloak.

What he took out of his chest was a longsword.

He was also wearing black armor inside the cloak.

“W-What is that?”

“…It’s a B-grade magical beast, a Death Knight.”

“Yes?”

Professor Kaela, who was blocking Sion like Granshar, answered.

Death Knight.

The guy with the name ‘Knight of Death’ was a B-grade magical beast.

The magical beasts that Sion had defeated so far were E-grade, and even the boss-level ones were only D-grade.

The magical beast in front of him was two steps above that.

“What brings you here?”

[I have only come in response to the call of pure magic power. Nothing more, nothing less.]

“Nonsense! There’s no way a B-grade magical beast would be drawn to a 1st grade student’s 1st circle magic!”

[…A 1st grader? Hoo, how could this be.]

[Then did that child call me? This Death Knight?]

“…You’re really summoned by Summon Undead?”

[I have no reason to lie. If you’re really curious… I want a contract with the dead.]

“A contract with the dead!”

Granshar’s face turned pale at the Death Knight’s words.

“T-Teacher… What is a contract with the dead?”

“You’ve heard of a contract with a spirit, right?”

“Uh… Yes. I’ve also contracted with a spirit.”

“Think of it as the same thing.”

“Ah ha. That means….”

Clatter.

The Death Knight put away his sword and knelt on one knee.

[I want to make a contract with you. There is no time. Your magic power was not enough to call me, so I will soon disappear at the call of the dead.]

“…Why are you trying to make a contract with me?”

[Your magic power resembles my previous lord. That’s all.]

“…!”

Sion looked at his palm.

‘My magic power… is similar?’

He recalled the story he had with Runia’s spirit, Sylphia, in the past.

-In this body’s opinion, this male’s spirit affinity is… better than any human male or female I’ve ever seennyang. It’s like… a newborn baby, there are no strange parts in the wavelengthnyang.

Sion’s magic power had the purity of a young child.

The reason for this was, of course, that he had only been ‘possessed’ in this place from Earth for less than a month.

If there was someone whose magic power resembled his.

There was a high probability that he came from another world like Sion.

“What kind of person was the previous owner…?”

[It was a long time ago, so my memory is faint. Maybe it’s been decades.]

“…I see.”

[It is purely coincidental that the wavelengths of magic power are similar, but this is also fate. This time, I want to dedicate myself to you. …Will you contract?]

As soon as the Death Knight finished speaking, Granshar stopped him.

“Sion, don’t be fooled. Death Knights are intelligent and powerful B-grade magical beasts. We don’t know what they have in mind.”

“…Is that so?”

“After checking with mental magic, it doesn’t seem to be a lie.”

“Kaela! That’s not the problem! Contracts aren’t something you can make so easily!”

Unlike Granshar, Kaela had a soft smile on her face.

“I recommend making a contract. Opportunities to contract with B-grade magical beasts are rare.”

“…….”

“I object. Power that does not fit the vessel is a law that causes anger.”

“Oh my, can’t Sion handle a B-grade magical beast?”

“That’s… true. Ugh! I don’t know! I’ll leave it to your judgment!”

Sion closed his eyes and organized his thoughts.

When he contracted with the Death Knight, and when he didn’t.

The advantages and disadvantages of each floated in his head.

“…Mr. Death Knight.”

[I’m listening.]

“If I make a contract, what do I have to give you?”

[I will receive your magic power when I summon you. Of course, it won’t take as much as the magic I just used.]

“Then what can you give me?”

At Sion’s words, the Death Knight clattered his jawbone and said.

[I will become your sword and fight. Even if my bones are all shattered.]

“…Can you swear?”

[I swear.]

“Then good.”

[…!]

Thud.

Sion grabbed the Death Knight’s hand bone.

The emaciated hand bone was cold but firm.

Immediately after, powerful magic power began to pour out from the Death Knight and Sion’s hands.

Whooooong!

“S-Sion!”

[The contract has been concluded.]

The magic power that came out of the two people’s hands intertwined in the air.

The two magic powers, which seemed like they would never mix, finally became one, twisting into a mysterious shape, as if performing some religious ritual.

It settled near the Death Knight’s heart, creating a pattern.

[Thinking of my lord’s magic power, I will go back now. Call me when you need me.]

Swish.

The Death Knight left what he had to say and disappeared as if seeping into the floor.

The club room returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

However, the skeleton-like pattern remaining on Sion’s back reminded him that what had just happened was real.

“I-I-I, Are you crazy?!”

“Whoa… Wh-Why are you doing that suddenly?”

“To make a contract with the Death Knight like that! My heart was pounding and trembling!”

Whack!

Someone attacked Sion’s back as he was looking at the back of his hand.

Professor Granshar was trembling.

She was clinging to Sion.

“What the hell is that in the first place! A new student doesn’t even try the magic he’s learning for the first time without an incantation! And to make a contract with a B-grade undead with that… This kind of nonsense is the first time!”

“I didn’t know it would turn out like this either.”

“Ugh…”

“……”

Granshar didn’t know when to let go of Sion.

When he looked closely, there were tears in her eyes.

“…Professor, are you crying?”

“U-Unyat! I’m not crying! It’s just… just coming out!”

At Sion’s words, Granshar buried her face in Sion’s uniform.

…Was it his imagination that his back was getting wet?

Still, Professor Granshar’s feelings were properly conveyed to Sion.

“I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“I’m not worried! I was just a little scared that my only member would disappear!”

“Isn’t that what you’re worried about…?”

“Shut up! Just be quiet!”

“Yes….”

Professor Granshar continued to bury her face in Sion’s back.

“Congratulations on your first experience with the undead.”

“Thank you. …But do you usually say that, first experience…?”

Clap, clap, clap—

Kaela smiled lasciviously and congratulated Sion on his contract.

Her chest jiggled every time she clapped.

Even if he didn’t want to look, it was man’s instinct.

“Shall we continue learning mental magic?”

“Shut up! I’ll be like this for a little longer, so you go out or something!”

“Oh my, that’s too much. To monopolize Sion alone.”

“N-Not monopolizinghiyaaang… D-Don’t do mental magic!”

“I got caught~.”

“…….”

The two professors started fighting again.

Sion, caught in the middle, swallowed a sigh.

…He had a bad feeling that he was going to be very tired every Thursday.