Chapter 491: Episode 491

“A—A graveyard?”

“Why would they bring us here…?”

The students were completely bewildered. One moment they were in a lecture hall, scribbling with their quills; the next, they were unceremoniously dropped into a cemetery.

An overcast sky loomed over a thick fog, casting a pall over the dark, blackish leaves of the plants and the crooked rows of graves. A gloomy, oppressive atmosphere hung heavy in the air.

Simon pushed himself to his feet and walked to the nearest tombstone.

“In Solace of the Souls of the Mahilani Landslide Victims”

That was all it said. There were no names. Judging by the date, the disaster had occurred in the distant past, and its victims had been buried here en masse.

The place was a wreck, clearly abandoned for years. It was choked with dried vines and weeds, and the ground was scarred with holes dug by monsters or wild dogs.

“Welcome to the cemetery!” chirped Lin.

“Welcome!” echoed Lune.

The twin professors approached the students with light, almost dancing steps.

“We’ve obtained all the necessary permits. Kizen is allowed to use this cemetery for educational purposes, so you can relax,” said Lin.

“There’s no better place than a cemetery to learn the Dirge!” added Lune.

The twins gestured, and a dome-shaped barrier materialized around them and the students.

“It’s just a simple sound-dampening barrier!” explained Lin.

“Shall we begin the lesson, then?” asked Lune.

The twins exchanged a glance and a nod, then clasped their hands and took a deep breath.

[Ra―――――!!]

Simon felt the hair on his arms stand on end. A chilling energy slithered down his spine, making the nape of his neck go rigid. The other students were just as stunned, letting out soft gasps of awe.

“Wow, that gave me goosebumps.”

“They sound like opera singers!”

It wasn’t a bright, beautiful melody, but a tune tinged with an eerie gloom, reminiscent of a ghostly wail sung by the dead.

The twins cut the note off sharply.

’Clap, clap, clap, clap!’

A few students began applauding instinctively. The twins just snorted and turned back to the class.

“We told you, didn’t we, little ones?” asked Lin.

“Why did we come here, little ones?” asked Lune.

The students answered in unison. “You said we would experience the origin of the Dirge!”

The professors nodded.

“That’s right! We’ll start with the very basics of the Dirge!” said Lin.

“We’re going to learn the ‘Dirge’ that summons the undead!” said Lune.

“We’ll start with something at a nursery rhyme level. If you can’t even follow this, you’re disqualified as a summoner, right, Lin?” said Lune.

“That’s right, Lune! You’re just disqualified as a necromancer, period!” said Lin.

The two girls clasped their hands.

“We’ll sing one phrase at a time!” said Lin.

“So follow along carefully!” said Lune.

“Yes!”

The Summoning class had abruptly transformed into a music lesson. The professors would sing a phrase, and the students would repeat it.

[Ra-v-ri-ma-đưa ra. anh!]

Their overwhelming voices saturated the air. Tense from the chilling tone, the students opened their mouths to sing along, only to be corrected.

“Make only the connecting ‘Ma’ part louder!”

So far, there was nothing magical about it. It was a perfectly ordinary music class, the only difference being that the lyrics weren’t in the common continental tongue, and the melody was alien and difficult to sing, befitting a song meant to summon the dead.

Still, it was a short song, only a single verse, so memorizing it wasn’t too difficult. During a short break, the students wandered around, humming the tune.

Even during the break, the twin professors’ lecture continued.

“This Dirge is of unknown title and unknown author. Among necromancers, it’s known as ‘Corpse Robbing’!” said Lin.

“A long time ago, grave robbers would sing this song at night while wandering through graveyards!” said Lune.

“That way, the graves would stir, letting them know there was still a corpse inside!” said Lin.

“Of course, nowadays you can acquire undead in the cities, so this is a tale from a bygone era!” said Lune, their voices echoing off one another.

“Alright, break’s over! Everyone up!” announced Lin.

“Now we’ll teach you how to create black magic with music!” announced Lune.

There were countless ways to produce magical effects with music, but the first method the twins taught was the most fundamental: create a magic circle in front of your mouth, then use the song to activate its formulas and runes. It was intuitive and simple.

Of course, they had to master this stage before they could hope to sing more powerful Dirges.

’Oh.’

Trying it himself, Simon found it fascinating. When he formed the magic circle and sang, specific parts of the sigil would light up and fade in time with the song’s progression, as if the magic itself could understand the music.

“You have to pronounce the ‘Ra-v-ri’ part with precise, sharp cuts!”

“If you slur them together, it becomes a completely different command, and the magic circle won’t be able to react!”

The professors and their TAs moved through the crowd, correcting the students’ singing. Simon, who had been practicing more diligently than anyone, felt his throat growing hoarse and paused to take a drink of water.

“How’s it going?”

Lorraine walked over to him. Simon scratched his head awkwardly.

“Um. It’s harder than I thought.”

“Would you like some help? I sang Dirges often when I was young, so I know them quite well.”

That was Lorraine for you—the power of an early education.

“I’d appreciate that.”

Simon didn’t refuse. Lorraine nodded, formed a magic circle before her lips, and took a small, steadying breath.

Finally, she began to sing.

“Finde-die Die-be…”

The very first note sent a shiver down his spine. Her tone was clean and beautiful, stretching out elegantly. It was the same song the professors had sung, but it felt entirely different. Goosebumps pricked his skin; her voice was perfectly imbued with the Dirge’s chilling effect.

’Rattle! Rattle!’

As her voice echoed, a nearby grave began to tremble. And that was with the magic circle’s output set to a minimum. If she had unleashed its full power, he had no doubt the hands of the dead would have burst from the earth.

“Here, you want to lift the end of the note slightly. Like this.”

She sang a line, then pointed out the nuances to Simon, repeating the process.

“And at the end, it should sound pitiful and echoing. ’ein-dickes Schädel übrig!”

She stopped singing and looked at him.

“Well? Want to give it a try?”

Snapping out of his momentary trance, Simon nodded quickly.

“I’ll try!”

He stepped forward. ’I can do this. I can do this.’

’Haaah.’ He took a deep breath, tightening his stomach.

“Fin-ded-ie D-ie-be!”

As Simon’s unique tone filled the air, Lorraine’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Ich tre-ffe sie, die im Grab…”

The students nearby who heard Simon’s singing began to murmur among themselves. Toto and Fitzgerald wandered over to get a better listen.

“Schädel übrig—!”

Having belted out the final syllable, Simon stylishly wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. “How was that?”

“Uh… um, Simon.” Lorraine’s face flushed slightly as she turned her head to gaze at a distant hill. “You’re… not very good at singing, are you.”

“?!”

’Hahahahahaha!’ The students watching burst into laughter. Toto looked genuinely shocked.

“So there ’is’ something Simon can’t do.”

Fitzgerald adjusted his glasses in agreement. “Well, a man who’s too good at everything lacks a certain human charm.”

Simon’s face burned. “Wh-What’s wrong with my singing? I hit all the notes!”

“It’s not about the notes, Simon,” Serne purred, sauntering over with a flick of her ivory hair. She playfully wagged a long, white finger in front of his face. “Your rhythm is all over the place, Mr. Tone-Deaf.”

“…Ugh!”

With that, Serne took a breath of her own.

“die im Grab gefangen ist—!”

The explosive volume and elegant resonance she produced with a mere frown made the students’ jaws drop. The mad genius didn’t even need a magic circle; she created the Dirge’s effect with her voice alone, and the surrounding graves began to stir.

“Is this how it’s done?” she asked, giving Simon a light wink before turning away.

Lorraine was clenching her fists, her expression one of pure frustration.

Simon let out a hollow laugh. Was being an incredible singer a genetic trait of the Ivory Tower family? Then again, he remembered hearing Serne was adopted.

’Anyway.’

Simon collected himself and cleared his throat. He sang the same line again, but was met with only awkward smiles.

Serne made a cooing sound. “Aww, don’t worry. I don’t mind a man who can’t sing. It just means he’s better at other things I like.”

’For some reason, that feels strangely insulting.’

Lorraine added her two cents. “It’s okay, Simon. Singing skill has nothing to do with a Dirge. You just need to wake the undead. Being rhythm-deaf is a curable condition.”

’Lorraine! You too…?!’

As Simon, who had hit a wall of talent for the first time in ages, knelt in despair, the twin professors came skipping over, chattering away.

“Shall we begin, Lin?”

“Let’s begin, Lune!”

“Alright, little ones! We’re starting the performance evaluation now! Everyone spread out and practice!” announced Lin.

“If you succeed in waking an undead in front of us or a TA, you pass!” announced Lune.

The twins clasped hands and stretched them out to the side, and the students’ gazes followed their pointing fingers.

“There’s a teleportation circle prepared over there!” said Lin.

“Any little one who passes the test and receives their score can return to the school immediately!” said Lune.

“After that, you’ll have free time for the rest of the day!” added Lin.

At the mention of returning to school, the students’ eyes lit up. The professors raised their clasped hands to the sky.

“Then, from this moment!” cried Lin.

“Staaart!” cried Lune.

The instant the signal was given, the students scattered, scrambling to claim a good grave spot. Simon hurried off as well, eventually finding a relatively secluded place shaded by trees.

He took a deep breath.

’The first performance evaluation of Dirgeology. I will not fail!’

His eyes blazed with determination.

—

Four hours passed.

Ninety-five percent of the Summoning Department students had returned to Kizen. Serne, who had earned an A+, was the first to leave, followed closely by Lorraine. Aseraz and Hector were, unsurprisingly, among the top performers, and even Toto and Fitzgerald had long since departed.

And yet…

“Finde… die… be…”

Simon’s voice was completely shot.

’So, there really are some things that can’t be overcome with effort alone.’

A short while later, the last remaining student besides Simon also vanished through the teleportation circle.

By now, the cemetery was shrouded in an inky darkness.

“You’re the only one left,” said Lin.

“The only one,” echoed Lune.

The twin professors approached with light, airy steps.

“Follow us,” said Lin.

“Underachiever,” added Lune.

“…Yes.”

Simon followed them into a deeper part of the cemetery. They each held a lantern, its single flame cutting through the oppressive darkness.

’Where are they taking me?’

Were they moving to a different spot because this one wasn’t working? Or were they going to punish him? Whatever their plan, Simon, the last-place student, had no choice but to obey.

He trudged along behind the twins.

They finally arrived at a densely packed section of the graveyard, completely overgrown with grass. While the previous area had been poorly maintained, there had at least been some order to the graves. This place was a chaotic mess. It looked as if they had been in such a hurry to bury the bodies that the graves were haphazardly tangled together.

“Professors, this place is…”

“Are you going to give up?” Professor Lin asked suddenly.

Simon flinched, his words dying in his throat.

“That’s right! Giving up is a student’s right!” added Lune.

“Do you want to just take an F and go back to school?” asked Lin.

Simon’s fists clenched. A raspy voice emerged from his raw throat.

“I want to see this through to the end.”

At his words, the professors tilted their heads.

“That’s strange, Lin.”

“You’re right, it’s strange, Lune.”

“You know better than anyone that it’s not working, don’t you?” asked Lin.

“You’re the one who knows best that you can’t improve, that your chances are zero, aren’t you?” asked Lune.

“Then why do you keep trying?” asked Lin.

“Why don’t you give up?” asked Lune.

They pressed him as if cornering him, but Simon answered with a smile.

“I’ve never once considered a reason why I should.”

The twins’ eyes went blank.

“Oh! He threw your own line back at you, Lin! You got owned!” said Lune.

“No! Actually, you were the one who said that!” retorted Lin.

“Don’t lie!” said Lune.

After a moment of bickering, they simultaneously stopped and took a step back.

“What is your name?”

“Simon Polentia.”

“Alright. We’ll teach you, Simon,” said Lin.

“In fact, it might be perfectly natural that you can’t sing the Dirge we taught you,” said Lune.

“…Pardon?”

The twins clasped their hands and lowered their voices to a conspiratorial whisper.

“A shark has no need to learn the songs of sardines, does it?” asked Lin.

“We’ll teach you the real thing, the one that suits you,” said Lune.

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