Chapter 142
"A mark only you can recognize? What do you mean by that?"
Kajan asked, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"Well, actually..."
Simon's story drifted into the past.
During the battle against the priest in the Forbidden Forest, he had picked up a random stone on the ground, imbued it with Darkness, and thrown it.
—Hit! Show your face!
He remembered how desperately he had thrown it at that moment.
Perhaps the priest hadn't expected Simon to counterattack, as he turned his head a little too late. That strike had slightly torn the right side of his hood.
"Blood."
He had seen red bloodstains smear the torn edge of the priest's hood.
"The priest should have a scar on his cheek."
Of course, the wound may have been healed with a potion, but if it was deep, Simon figured there might be a faint scar left behind.
Kajan crossed his arms and fell into thought. It seemed like he was recalling the faces of those under suspicion who had scars on their cheeks.
And the result was—
"That's vague."
Kajan shook his head.
"The scar might not have remained at all, and there are plenty of ways to hide it. More than anything, you can't definitively identify someone as the culprit just by a scar."
"...Yeah, you're right."
Simon had already checked several people, but none had raised suspicion.
Then Kajan opened his subspace and pulled out a small pair of glasses.
"Just in case, take this."
"What is it?"
"I've been carrying this ever since I got caught in the priest’s trap."
Simon took the glasses and tried them on right away. They didn’t seem to have any prescription, but his vision turned foggy.
"When you wear that, you can see through biotechnical masks to the real face underneath. If someone used a biotechnical mask to cover up a scar, it'll show."
"Oh, that's great."
The chances of spotting the priest with this were low, but it was still better than nothing.
Simon carefully tucked the glasses into his chest pocket.
* * *
Once again, Keyzen’s hectic days began.
Preparations for the performance evaluations, dueling assessments, and even the final exams scheduled months ahead.
"Ah! Truly magnificent!"
Professor Bahil of Katarology clapped his hands.
He called Simon to the front of the lecture hall and had him write a curse equation on the board. Then he explained to the class in detail just how perfect, creative, and original Simon’s equation was.
"Simon, why did you omit the vibration formula from the Sickness Curse?"
"Ah... well."
Simon scratched the side of his head.
Should he make something up, or be honest? After some hesitation, Simon decided to be honest.
"I didn’t really understand the vibration formula, so I changed it into a form that adds an imbalance equation."
Soft laughter broke out from various corners of the classroom.
"Special Admission No. 1 doesn’t even know the vibration formula?"
"He’s only good at Summonology, his fundamentals are lacking."
As if waiting for the chance, members of Hector’s faction threw in their comments. Just then—
"Original! Excellent!"
Bahil burst out enthusiastically.
"Precisely because he hasn’t done any advanced prep! Because he still has the mindset of a blank canvas, unstained by formulas and equations! That’s how such originality can be born!"
Tap tap!
Bahil pounded the chalkboard, his face flushed with excitement.
"It's a fixed idea that the Motion Sickness Curse must use a vibration formula! Just thinking that way shows your brain is pickled in dogma! Motion sickness isn't only caused by vibration. Humans also get sick from mismatches between bodily movement and visual information! The nausea you feel when riding in a carriage speeding over a paved road, and the sickness from staring at a mana screen too long, are examples of this!"
Bahil went on to explain how Simon’s imbalance-based version of the Sickness Curse could produce a visual-induced motion sickness effect.
"Marvelous. This is how you develop a curse formula! Applause, everyone!"
Scattered clapping followed. Embarrassed by the overwhelming praise, Simon lowered his head.
Bahil placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Simon’s idea is truly excellent. But since casting speed is critical in curses, you should slowly start working with the vibration formula too."
"Ah, yes!"
'So in the end, it's still back to vibrations!'
Curse-track students protested internally but dared not say it out loud.
As Simon returned to his seat, Bahil affectionately patted his back.
'Man, honey’s practically dripping from your eyes, Professor.'
Standing beneath the podium, Chief Assistant Chehekle let out a sigh.
This one-sided crush Keyzen’s professor had on his own student… it was a rare sight indeed.
'Still, watching the almighty Bahil twist and squirm in excitement is… strangely entertaining.'
But this was exactly the kind of situation where one must not let their guard down. Bahil was unpredictable and could snap at any moment.
Honestly, at this point, it wouldn’t have been surprising if Bahil cast a curse on Simon just to make him a puppet student, but he refrained, worried that it might ruin Simon’s natural genius.
"Chehekle."
Startled by Bahil’s voice, she turned her head.
"Ah, yes, Professor."
"You’ll run the rest of the practical session."
That was unexpected. He always personally oversaw the practicals in Class A.
Though curious, Chehekle simply bowed her head.
"Understood."
Bahil strode off briskly, while Chehekle climbed onto the podium.
"15-minute break, then we’ll begin the practicals. All assistants, gather in front."
* * *
After guiding the students through the practice and wrapping up the class, Chehekle headed to Bahil’s lab. She gave a light knock with the back of her hand.
"Professor, it’s Chehekle."
“……”
No response, but Chehekle, used to this by now, opened the door and entered.
And she was taken aback.
On the massive chalkboard that covered the entire back wall, Bahil was frantically scribbling down equations with his chalk like a madman.
'It’s been a while since he got triggered.'
Chehekle quietly clasped her hands and waited.
An hour passed, and Bahil, having filled the board with formulas, wiped sweat from his forehead and finally turned to face her.
"When did you arrive, Chehekle?"
"An hour ago."
"How was the class?"
"It went well. But, what is that formula?"
With a grin, Bahil struck the chalkboard once.
"I heard the Dresden Kingdom is struggling with attacks from wild harpies recently. This is a Sickness Curse designed for flying monsters."
Her eyes widened.
"A new version of Remade Sickness, huh?"
"Exactly! Flying monsters often don't respond well to the vibration-based Sickness. That’s because it was made for fighting humans, not considering the harpies’ sense of equilibrium. So, I created a curse based on cross-sensory nausea!"
Bahil’s fingers danced as he explained.
"Mismatches between visual and balance cues! Using this formula, harpies flying straight ahead will feel as if they’re nosediving. The reverse works too! The more they fly, the more disoriented they’ll become, eventually overwhelmed by nausea and crash to the ground."
“……”
He really was a perverted lunatic, but that ability of his was undeniably real. As a student of Katarology, Chehekle was genuinely impressed.
"Wait, then… the praise you gave Simon earlier wasn’t just flattery?"
"Haha! After all the years we’ve worked together, you still don’t know me, Chehekle?"
Bahil perched on the armrest of his sofa, raising both hands.
"My praise for him was 100% sincere!"
"......."
"He just thinks about equations differently than regular students! His way of thinking is slightly twisted in a good way! When I hear his answers, even I get inspired!"
Bahil snorted as he continued.
"Remember the first day of Elementary Black Magic, during Professor Jane’s test? The incident where he derived 1,200,146 without using the Teron Theorem for Exhaust in Katarology, the ancient rune from Darkness Dynamics, or the instance skeleton formula from Summonology, it was a huge topic among professors! That’s exactly what I mean!"
Taak! Taak!
Bahil rhythmically tapped the armrest with his fingers.
"His creativity with equations is like a spring, you never know which way it’ll jump! If his parents avoided pre-education just so that his genius would explode with originality when the time came… Ahhh! I’d feel not just respect for their insight and conviction, but actual fear!"
"Y-yes, yes, I hear you, Professor."
She looked ready to bow in the direction of Simon’s parents. Chehekle lifted her clipboard and asked,
"So, what’s the name of this Remade Sickness?"
"Hmm."
After a moment of thought, Bahil said,
"Simonkness…"
"That’s awful."
Bahil let out a sharp laugh and stood up. Then, his expression turned serious.
"Professor Sillage is making moves."
"......."
"Apparently, there have been visible results recently in the SM-1 blood research."
Simon hadn’t been enjoying Haematology at all.
His SM-1 blood type was a new kind never before seen in the world. It was completely different from existing blood-flow techniques, and since there was no prior research, even Sillage didn’t have a way to teach him.
So Sillage had mobilized her own disciples across the continent to conduct research, and the results were just now beginning to show.
"I estimate about two weeks for Sillage to finalize the SM-1 curriculum for Simon."
"That's a crisis."
Chehekle said flatly.
"Yes, a crisis indeed! And Professor Hongpeng’s counterattack is terrifying!"
Bahil clasped his hands together heavily.
"I heard she’s begun teaching Internal Darkness Divergence in her Magical Combat class. Why do you think she’s moving so fast with the material? As expected, the only one who mastered the divergence in that class was Simon Follentia! She clearly intends to accelerate his progress in Magical Combat!"
Chehekle furrowed her brow.
"That’s strange. According to rumors I heard, Simon turned down Professor Hongpeng’s offer to be her direct disciple."
At that, Bahil burst out laughing.
"And you believe such an obvious bluff? Even if the rumor is true, Hongpeng’s not the type to give up that easily. Everyone’s fooled by her clumsy continental speech and innocent expression, but she’s extremely tenacious and ambitious."
"On top of Summonology, now Magical Combat and Haematology too…"
The competition over a single student had gone completely insane. Chehekle let out a long sigh and looked up at him.
"But Professor Bahil? Didn’t you say during Simon’s duel evaluation against Malcolm that there’s no need to rush? That he’s bound to come to you anyway? I figured you must have a reason for saying that so confidently."
"Of course, Chehekle!"
Bahil walked to the end of the chalkboard and pulled a string. A thick bundle of papers spilled down below the board.
"I’m developing a curse exclusively for my Simon."
"......Ugh, that title is revolting."
"A brand new ‘Simon Follentia Original’ that’ll put that petty Bone Armor to shame! I intend to show him something on a completely different level!"
To be fair, Simon was currently thriving in Summonology. He had even crushed Special Admission No. 10 in the duel evaluation.
For someone like Simon, who was already excelling, it made perfect sense that he wasn’t very interested in developing other areas of magic.
Focusing on your strengths instead of branching out unnecessarily, it was a wise decision for a student.
"I’ve chosen to understand him! Right? Why waste time weakening enemies with curses when he can just stand still and sweep them away with Overlord?"
So Bahil had shifted direction.
Rather than emphasizing combat utility, he needed an entirely new kind of curse, something that would genuinely capture Simon’s interest.
"Once this research is complete, I’m sure Simon will be mine! But time is the issue."
Bahil rubbed his chin.
"Will Sillage finish developing SM-1's framework first, or will I complete the Simon Original Curse first?"
Chehekle let out an incredulous laugh.
"If Simon knew about this, he’d probably be ecstatic. The world’s top professors chasing after him like this, trying to win him over. Why is everyone so obsessed with him anyway?"
"Isn’t it obvious?"
Bahil shrugged.
"The benefit we gain when he becomes our student is many times greater than any effort we’re putting in."
A long, sly smile crept across Bahil’s lips.
"No, probably dozens of times greater."
* * *
After Katarology class, Simon’s Group 7 headed to the cafeteria together.
Once again, the four of them placed their limited-edition hamburger steak sets on the table and sat down.
Kamibarez smiled brightly.
"Phew~ that was close today! We were the last two they had left!"
"Yeah."
Dick rested his chin on his hand and poked at his fries with a fork.
"The students are getting faster with the info. I think someone made a new community I don’t know about. Might need to investigate."
"You're making a fuss over nothing."
Maelyn scoffed, cutting her hamburger steak.
And as usual, she was the one who enjoyed the limited menu the most.
"But."
Simon glanced around.
"Isn’t the atmosphere kind of tense?"
"Y-yeah, now that you mention it."
Not just the students, even the assistants eating nearby were murmuring with stiff expressions.
Dick stood up with a "Hold on", and went off to gather some rumors.
"Did something happen?"
"Maybe Efnelle’s side launched an attack? A preemptive strike or something."
"N-no way!"
Then Dick came running back to the group, sweating profusely.
"Dick! What happened?"
"Haaaah, it really is big news."
Dick brushed his hair back with a complicated expression and said,
"Professor Lang of Toxicology passed away."
Superb.