Mother of the Summoning Department
That evening, the department party began.
Huge logs had been stacked up in the front yard of the dormitory and set alight, giving the whole place the feel of a giant campfire. The students of the department sat freely around the blaze, drinking wine and making merry with a cacophony of laughter and chatter.
Simon, too, held a wine glass as he perched on a rock and gazed up at the dormitory. The letters written in dark magic glowed brightly even in the dead of night.
★ 2ND PLACE IN 70 YEARS FOR THE SUMMONING DEPARTMENT! CONGRATULATE! CONGRATULATE! ★
It was a festival in every sense of the word.
"Alright, everyone, dru-umroll please!"
A third-year girl shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Our beloved department representative has a few words to say!"
Waaaaah!
A rousing cheer erupted. Leonard, the department representative, scratched the back of his head sheepishly and rose from his seat.
"……$@^……."
"We can't hear you, senior!"
"Idiot, your amplification crystal orb is turned off."
"Oh."
"Already drunk?"
Classmates and juniors alike heckled him mercilessly. Leonard chuckled and switched on the amplification orb.
"Everyone, thank you for all your hard work during the Dark Festival!"
He smiled brightly.
"Because all of us fought as one, we achieved a wonderful result. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I laughed like this."
"Our dear rep, everyone!"
"Don't cry!"
Hahahahahaha!
For today and today only, teasing the godlike third-year seniors was a crime-free activity. Leonard, playing along, grandly wiped away fake tears.
"I'm bad with words, so, um. I can't quite put this feeling into expression…… but I'm so proud of you all. Days like today make me truly happy, and I'm so glad I came to Kizen."
He gripped the amplification orb tightly.
"There's still a long way to go until graduation, but I'm leaving with one truly wonderful memory. When I'm out in the world and things get hard, when I'm worn down and exhausted, I think I'll often remember that great pile of firewood. You are all my pride. And—"
"Senior! Sorry, but you're repeating yourself!"
"His tongue's tying up! Leonard!"
Ahahahaha!
Where else would you find a department representative so willing to be the town punching bag? Even Simon couldn't hold back his laughter and let it out in a great guffaw. Leonard spread his arms wide.
"Right, this memory cannot be allowed to become my embarrassing past, so I'd better wrap this up. Thank you all, and I love you! Hang in there to the end, and let's all survive this school together! Summoning Department, fighting!"
"FIGHTING!"
Amid thunderous applause, Leonard took his seat, and naturally enough, cries of "Vanilla! Vanilla!" began to ring out next.
The chant grew louder and louder, and the moment Benya Vanilla, who had been waving her hands in embarrassment, finally stood up, the roar exploded into eruption.
"Hello, everyone. Um."
As she shyly accepted the amplification orb from Leonard and searched for her words, Eshu, sitting just beside Simon, thrust her arm into the air and shouted.
"The Mom of the Summoning Department! Senior Benya!"
Hahahahaha!
The mood was so joyous now that no matter what anyone said, the response was tremendous. Cries of "Thank you for always looking after us, Mom!" and "I'm hungry, Mom!" could be heard as well.
Benya smiled softly.
"Thank you all for thinking so well of me. Um, my heart's suddenly pounding. I honestly don't know what I should say."
Twisting her cream-colored hair around her fingers, she soon closed her eyes and let out a long breath.
"I grew up in comfort and luxury as a child of the Vanilla family. The so-called golden spoon? Golden fork? Um, that's what I'd call it. I've never once worried about the cost of undead materials in my life, and I grew up free to pursue whatever research I wanted. But I never thought of myself as special. And then."
Benya opened her eyes and swept her gaze across her juniors and classmates.
"When I entered the Summoning Department, I got a great many shocks. As you all know, our department burns through money. Kids my age who couldn't afford materials fell behind in class, took on part-time work, ran grueling Mission Assessments—and even then went hungry with nothing to eat."
Her voice trembled.
"Honestly, every time a friend despaired over money or dropped out, I felt a deep, gnawing guilt. I came to realize that the life I'd enjoyed was born from the blood and sweat of every necromancer—not just here at Kizen, but everywhere. When my closest roommate left for the Dark Dynamics Department, I honestly wanted to cry. I wanted to help her, but my allowance from Grandfather was limited too, so all I could do was watch. I spent a while like that, dazed and helpless—until I made a decision."
She clenched her fist, her eyes flashing bright.
"I will conquer the world!"
No—wait, you were making a perfectly good speech, why did it suddenly veer over there?
Simon let out a bewildered laugh.
"Right now I'm just a student with no influence, but once I graduate and take the helm of Vanilla, I will break away from the luxury-brand policy! Quality, superior undead at prices every necromancer can afford! And beyond that, I will spread this low-cost, high-efficiency workforce across the civilian world and make it richer and more prosperous!"
The moment world conquest entered the picture, her whole energy and intonation transformed. Raising her arm like a true explorer, she declared:
"Remember this, my legions! I am Benya Vanilla, conqueror of the world! That is all!"
Uwaaaaaaaah!
Standing ovations burst out all across the gathering.
Simon had no idea how she'd arrived at the conclusion of world conquest, but he clapped along and cheered her on all the same.
"Oh, and I know there are plenty of you disappointed that we only took second place this time, but I truly think it was a magnificent victory."
Benya looked up at the glowing letters affixed to the dormitory building.
"Second place in seventy years! I still can't believe it. Our professors, who suffered so much heartache all this time, will surely be overjoyed as well……"
"So it seems."
At the voice that cut in abruptly, every student's head turned.
A heartbeat later, everyone present shot to their feet in a panic. Benya stood with her hand over her mouth, eyes wide, while Leonard was already rushing forward.
"Professor Aaron! You were supposed to be on vacation—how—!"
Professor Aaron, the second-year students' advisor, appeared, dragging his slippers along the ground.
"No need for formalities. Sit back down and relax."
At his signal to the rear, servants and merchants appeared, bearing long rows of tables laden with freshly made food, fruit, and expensive wine.
"Whoa!"
"Real food, at last!"
Everyone erupted into jubilant cheering. Aaron looked out over the students and spoke.
"This party was originally to be covered by the department subsidy granted for our Dark Festival results, but this once, I'll cover it out of my own pocket—so enjoy yourselves freely. The remaining subsidy will go toward supporting the students' material costs."
Waaaaaaaaah!
"That's our Professor Aaron!"
"Thank you, Professor!"
While the students jostled for places at the tables, Aaron had already turned his back and was on his way out. Leonard hurried after him, amplification orb in hand.
"You're leaving already, Professor Aaron?"
"I have a great deal of work piled up."
"I can't send you off like this! Just one word before you go!"
Before anyone realized it, every student had fallen silent, watching only Aaron. Still with his back to them, Aaron gave them exactly one word.
"Thank you."
Aaron walked off across the grass.
The students couldn't see it, but a deep smile had settled on his lips.
Two hours later.
The party had grown even more raucous.
If the first half had been a time for the department's own students to deepen their bonds, the second half—fueled by the lavish food—expanded into a grand-scale party as outsiders began to join in.
Senior Kizen alumni of the Summoning Department, some still active in the field and some retired. Parents of the students. Even the spectators who had cheered on the Summoning Department's victory.
Everyone, as one, was enjoying the party.
"How! How could the Summoning Department possibly lose to the mere Cursing Department! Back in my day as representative, I'll have you know……!"
A hunchbacked old man could be seen waving his cane in fury, and Leonard, standing at parade rest, traded his dry smile for the old man's tirade.
"I never expected to meet a scion of the Vanilla family out here," the old man said.
"I'd like to discuss negotiations over the ghoul market at some point."
High-ranking magnates had attached themselves to Benya, chattering away about this and that bit of business. Beyond them, plenty of other students mingled with the visitors, making merry in the din.
And then—
"This is absolute madness."
Lethe had come to visit as well.
She and Simon sat side by side on a bench a little way from the campfire, eating. Lethe sipped her wine as she took in the tumultuous party scene, while Simon tucked a piece of chicken steak into his mouth.
"Thank you."
"For what, may I ask?"
"For coming all this way for the Dark Alliance. Without your help, even this peaceful moment wouldn't have existed."
Lethe smiled faintly.
"You're one to talk, aren't you? You got the train out of the Holy Federation and saved a whole city from the curse of the Ice Dragon. I'd call that even."
"I suppose it is."
The two clinked their wine glasses together and laughed.
"Oh, Simon."
"Yeah?"
Feeling pleasant from the wine, Lethe gazed at him quietly.
"You know, I actually……"
"Mr. Student Council President!"
A voice calling Simon rang out, and he sprang to his feet on reflex.
"Yes!"
Leonard beckoned to him.
"What do you think you're doing? The elder seniors are dying to meet you!"
"Ah—yes, sir!"
Scrambling into his student council coat, Simon gave Lethe an apologetic look.
"I'll just pay my respects and come right back!"
"Yes, yes. Take your time with your duties."
Straightening his tie, Simon darted off.
Left behind, Lethe smiled a little and looked up at the glittering night sky. How long until the party winds down and quiets enough for us to talk properly, I wonder.
"Hi there!"
Just then, a voice came from behind her.
Lethe turned around to find a girl with tangerine-colored hair and a distinctive bat-shaped hairpin smiling at her.
Someone she'd never met before—not one of the friends Simon had introduced, either.
"And you…… are?"
"Ah, I'm Eshu Arzel! I'm in Simon's group! You're Lena, the president's hometown friend, right?"
Lethe looked at her with startled eyes.
"How do you know who I am?"
"I saw the two of you huddled together earlier and grilled the president about who you were. Mind if I sit?"
Ordinarily, Lethe would have recoiled at the very species of them—necromancers who handled corpses—but since coming to this place, her distaste had dulled somewhat.
She nodded, and Eshu plopped down right beside her.
"……."
Lethe closed her eyes and took a slow sip of wine, while Eshu wiggled her fingertips.
"Drinking nothing but wine like that? Won't that hurt your stomach?"
Lethe's eyes went wide with surprise as she stared ahead. A throng of little dolls, like tiny spirits, were approaching—wobbling, wobbling—each balancing a tray of fruit on its head.
At the arrival of something so adorable, Lethe's eyes sparkled.
"Did you do this, Miss Eshu?"
"Yep. And just Eshu is fine. I'm basically a commoner myself."
Eshu lifted down a tray and set it on the bench. Then she plucked off a single grape, popped it into her mouth, and raised her wine glass with her other hand, flashing a bashful grin.
"Care for a toast?"
"Ah—yes. A toast."
The two clinked glasses and brought them to their lips. Savoring the taste, Lethe looked out across the party.
Simon was in view.
She couldn't quite make out the conversation, but she could see a middle-aged man laughing heartily as he clapped Simon on the shoulder. Then he introduced Simon to the wife beside him, and Simon—perfectly observing etiquette—pressed his lips to the back of her hand as he kept the conversation flowing.
"He's good, isn't he?"
Eshu murmured.
"He is."
Lethe answered.
Eshu arched an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing to a keen gleam. The look of a hawk sighting its prey.
"So-o-o~ what exactly are you to Simon?"