Chapter 57
"Then, now we begin the practicals."
Sillage said .
"Line 1, prepare."
"Yes! Line 1, Karell Oxara, ready!"
Karell responded just as the assistant instructor had taught. Sillage spoke again.
"Fire."
The moment he activated his magic circle, a bullet formed from blood and Darkness shot out from his fingertips.
With a bang, the bullet pierced directly through the center of the target.
"Blood type is AP-5. Penetration mark diameter: 45mm. Three targets pierced!"
The assistant immediately reported.
Sillage nodded, and as he activated the mana projector, the targets Karell Oxara had hit were displayed for all the students seated outside the shooting lines.
"AP-5 type blood has a property of contracting when combined with Darkness."
Sillage held out his palm and shaped the Darkness like a balloon, then dropped a single drop of AP-5 blood onto it. Instantly, the Darkness rapidly condensed around the blood.
"It has excellent penetrating power due to how extremely it compresses the Darkness, but truthfully, it's more specialized for construction rather than discharge. Cough! Ahem! It also helps with forming magic circles, making it a type specialized in supporting Darkness."
Sillage turned his head to Karell again.
"Return to your seat. Collect your AP-5 name tag from the assistant."
"Yes! Thank you!"
"Everyone else, make sure to wear the name tag on the right side of your chest during Haematology class. Next, Line 2."
"Y-Yes!"
Came the nervous voice of a female student.
"Line 2, Kamibarez Ursula! Ready!"
A faint smile tugged at the corners of the otherwise expressionless Sillage’s mouth.
‘House Ursula, huh. A vampire.’
Kamibarez's arms trembled as she aimed at the target.
Maybe it was because it was her first-choice class, but she was extremely nervous. And being from the vampire race, known as the rulers of Haematology, all eyes were focused on her.
‘You got this, Kami.’
Simon, seated in Line 6, silently cheered for her in his heart—but suddenly, Kamibarez’s gaze turned toward Simon.
‘……’
Did his support really reach her?
She smiled softly, turned her head back, and focused on the target.
"Fire."
At Sillage’s command, she activated her magic circle.
The blood and Darkness that flowed from her fingertips merged, and with a loud boom, they shot forward like a bullet.
BOOOOM!
Then, something astonishing happened.
Her blood bullet exploded the moment it touched the target, instead of penetrating it. Four nearby targets were caught in the blast and shattered all at once.
Ooooh—!
The students waiting in the shooting lanes gasped. Even those seated at their desks craned their necks to see.
"Blood type is KP-1. Estimating penetration diameter is meaningless. Four targets destroyed by explosion."
On the mana projector screen, four targets were shown completely blown apart.
Sillage continued his explanation.
"KP-1 type blood tends to explode when combined with Darkness. In terms of raw offensive power, it's the strongest of all known blood types. Only vampires possess it."
Sillage turned to Kamibarez’s shooting lane and said,
"I’ll be seeing you often, Kamibarez."
Sillage had taken notice of her!
Overcome with emotion, Kamibarez shouted him thanks loudly. A few students murmured enviously.
"……Of course it’s a vampire."
"Crazy bloodline boost."
"Can’t be helped, it’s Ursula."
Afterward, students in Lines 3 and 4 fired their blood bullets in quick succession. Each had different blood types, and Sillage explained which black magic types paired best with each.
A short while later—
"Alright, next, prepare. Student."
"Yes."
While Line 5 was taking their shot, the assistant came up to Simon in Line 6.
"Excuse me. This might sting just a little."
As she activated the IV attached to Simon’s arm, he felt the blood inside his body gather at his fingertips.
Soon, she unfolded a magic circle at the tip of his finger, and Simon’s Darkness and blood flowed out, staining the circle crimson.
"There you go, good luck~"
The assistant whispered a small cheer.
"Line 6."
Then came Sillage’s voice. Simon snapped to attention and replied,
"Yes, Line 6, Simon Follentia. Ready!"
It was finally his turn. Simon closed his left eye and extended his index finger to aim precisely at the target.
"Fire."
At Sillage’s command, Simon’s mind went blank.
In that peak moment of concentration, Simon activated his magic circle.
With a jolt from the recoil, the blood bullet launched.
Pop!
But then, the bullet Simon fired suddenly vanished mid-air.
Simon and the watching students blinked in confusion, and Hector’s faction burst out laughing.
"Ahaha! What was that?"
"Some kind of black magic that makes bullets disappear?"
Then it happened. The blood bullet that had disappeared reappeared in front of the target, glowing blue.
Crackkkk!
The blue light struck the target, then spread outward in a fan shape. Two of Simon’s targets were ripped apart, and one each from the adjacent Line 5 and Line 7 were also destroyed.
‘……!’
A blood bullet that spread in a fan shape upon impact, Sillage had never seen anything like it.
Even the assistant, looking bewildered, shook her head and reported,
"Blood type not previously discovered. New type."
Murmur murmur.
Sillage raised his hand to quiet the students, then spoke.
"Two targets hit directly in front, and two on the sides. As this is a new type I’ve never seen before, I cannot offer an explanation. Next, Line 7, prepare."
He immediately moved on with the next shot.
Simon stood there, dumbfounded. Could a professor of Haematology really not recognize a blood type?
As Simon stepped out of the shooting lane, the assistant distributing name tags scratched her head.
"You… don’t have a tag yet. I’ll make a new one and bring it to class tomorrow."
"Ah, okay."
With a dazed expression, Simon returned to his seat where Dick, Maelyn, and Kamibarez were waiting.
As Simon arrived, the three quickly leaned in.
"Hey, Simon! What was that?"
"……I don’t even know. I just did what I was told."
"A new type! That’s amazing, Simon!"
"Mmm."
Meanwhile, Dick crossed his arms with a troubled expression.
"It’s cool because a new type seems special, but this is going to be a problem later. Doesn’t that mean there's no guide at all for him in Haematology?"
"Ah…"
In Haematology, even if it's the same blood-type-based magic, the training methods vary greatly depending on blood type.
That’s why Haematology has more assistants than other subjects, and students wear name tags labeled with their specific blood type.
Sillage presents the overall direction, while the assistants provide detailed tips tailored to each type.
‘So what happens to me now?’
Simon couldn’t help but worry about how his Haematology classes would proceed from now on.
* * *
After the Haematology class ended, Sillage was replaying the footage of Simon’s blood bullet on the mana projector.
‘…Just as I thought. It’s confirmed.’
The trait of Simon’s blood was “amplification”.
When blood and Darkness met, instead of triggering a special reaction, the Darkness simply devoured the blood. And in doing so, the Darkness expanded in both volume and power.
What had looked like Simon’s blood bullet vanishing mid-flight was, in fact, the Darkness absorbing the blood, rendering the projectile invisible. Yet when the Darkness struck the target, the impact still occurred as expected.
‘Fascinating.’
Completely opposite to the abilities of Kamibarez Ursula and the other vampires.
Vampires’ powerful blood swelled up the Darkness, enlarging it, whereas in Simon’s case, the Darkness consumed the blood.
‘Truly a fascinating case. This is absolutely worth researching.’
Sillage leaned back deep into his chair, closed his eyes, and recalled something.
‘…Now I finally understand why Bahil invested so much in him.’
Just a few days ago—
Sillage and Bahil had met in the professors’ lounge.
—Professor Sillage. I have a proposal for you.
Indeed, Bahil had seemed more polite than usual at the time.
—Are you familiar with Andrea Saki from Class B, whom I’m in charge of?
Of course. How could she not be?
Sillage took a sip of his tea without replying.
—A half-vampire aiming to major in Katarology.
"……"
—To be honest, she’s definitely talented in Katarology, but her Haematology scores were even higher in the last test. And of course, she has the vampire advantage.
Clink.
Sillage set his teacup down and glared at Bahil.
"…So?"
—I’ll convince Andrea to major in Haematology. She’ll become a great asset to you, Professor.
"You…"
Sillage’s gaze turned sharp.
"You were arrogant even as a student."
"……"
"Just because you joined the Crows, don’t think you can start overstepping."
Bahil bowed his head politely.
Of course, it was only his posture, his eyes didn’t show the slightest sign of submission.
—If it came off as arrogant, I apologize. I merely want to help you as a longtime pupil, Professor.
"Ha, and yet you were the one who dropped Haematology like you’d been waiting for the second semester to start."
—Professor Sillage. I only want one thing.
Bahil’s eyes gleamed.
—Give up on recruiting Simon Follentia from Class A. That’s all I ask.
At first, it was unexpected. It didn’t seem like a fair deal at all.
The Bahil Sillage knew was a man who moved only when he had something to gain.
Sillage had assumed it was the usual give-and-take, he’d accept Andrea into his class, and in exchange, Bahil would persuade one of his students to switch majors to Katarology.
But it wasn’t.
Bahil’s condition was for Sillage to simply give up recruiting a student who already aimed to major in Summonology.
Just by declaring his withdrawal, Sillage would gain a talent fit to be a personal disciple.
Back then, he couldn’t understand it, and chose not to answer out of unease.
But now—
‘Bahil, you bastard…’
Sillage smirked.
‘You were trying to snatch up a genius like this for free?’
At that moment, the classroom door opened and an assistant approached. Sillage snapped out of his thoughts and looked at him.
"Professor, I brought your coffee."
"Thank you. Now, head straight to my lab and start preparing for research paper registration."
"……Excuse me?"
The assistant blinked. Starting a research paper now, in the middle of an already hectic semester?
"Th-then, what should the topic be…?"
"New-type blood traces."
Sillage took a sip of his coffee as he answered. The assistant quickly caught on.
"You’re planning to research Simon Follentia’s blood, aren’t you?"
"Correct. We have to act fast before the other blood-type Necromancers in Keyzen move. As for the new blood’s designation…"
He paused, then smiled as he spoke.
"Let’s call it SM-1 for now."
"Understood."
"And pass this along to the other assistants."
Sillage’s eyes gleamed.
"Starting now, we’re joining the battle for Simon Follentia."
Superb.