After the Haematology class ended, Silage remained alone in the lecture room, replaying the footage from the mana projector.
The scene first showed Simon's shot.
His blood bullet vanished midway through its trajectory, only to reappear an instant before impact and tear through multiple targets in a spreading burst.
Silage watched the scene in silence, his fingers lightly pressed together in front of him.
...Just as I thought. It's confirmed.
The characteristic of Simon's blood was amplification.
When blood and Darkness met, rather than producing a special outward reaction, the Darkness simply devoured the blood. And in doing so, the Darkness itself expanded in both volume and power.
What had looked, at first glance, like Simon's blood bullet disappearing mid-flight was actually the result of the Darkness swallowing the blood and rendering the projectile invisible. Yet once that strengthened Darkness struck the target, the impact manifested exactly as expected.
Fascinating.
It was, in many ways, the complete opposite of Camibarez Ursula and the other vampires.
The blood of vampires, powerful by nature, caused Darkness to swell and erupt outward. In Simon's case, however, the Darkness consumed the blood instead.
Truly an intriguing case. This is more than worth researching.
Silage leaned back deeper into his chair and slowly closed his eyes.
...Now I understand why Bahil invested so much in him.
Then he opened his eyes again and switched the recorded footage.
This time, the mana projector displayed Knox's shot.
The blood bullet fired from Knox's fingertip had moved with terrifying speed, nearly too fast for the naked eye to properly follow. Upon impact, the first target had not merely been pierced. Instead, the force of the collision had spread violently from the contact point, rupturing the target and tearing through the ones behind it in quick succession.
And then came the second phenomenon.
The shattered remains had turned red.
Not immediately, but a beat later.
That crimson spread deeper and deeper across the fractured surfaces, forming an eerie pattern that resembled the shape of a lycoris in bloom.
Silage stared at the image for a long moment.
"Hmmm..."
He replayed the footage once.
Then again.
"As for Knox Aznable..." he murmured.
His sunken eyes narrowed as he studied the impact frame by frame.
"For the first characteristic phenomenon... Diffusion, and... corruption?"
The words came slowly, more like tentative classification than certainty.
The first property, at least, was possible to interpret.
Once the blood and Darkness fused and struck the target, the reaction did not remain confined to a single point. It spread through the struck structure almost instantly, causing widespread destruction from the inside out. That much could be described as diffusion.
And yet it was not mere diffusion alone.
There was something more invasive in the reaction, something that did not simply burst outward but seemed to taint and overrun the target structure as it spread.
That was why the word corruption had come to mind.
But the second characteristic...
Silage's expression darkened with thought.
That was the truly incomprehensible part.
The lycoris-like crimson manifestation that emerged only after destruction had already taken place did not resemble any normal aftereffect of Haematology that he knew of. It was not simply residual blood. Nor was it a common reaction of Darkness. The pattern itself was too deliberate, too structured, as though the target had been marked by something.
"...I have no idea at all."
His voice dropped into a thin mutter.
The more he watched it, the less it resembled a random side effect.
If anything, it looked closer to a sign of taking over.
Not in the crude sense of simple contamination, but in a deeper, more insidious way—like the target, even in destruction, had briefly fallen under the influence of something that sought to impose itself upon it.
A mark.
A stain.
A declaration of control.
But even that was only a guess.
Silage tapped one finger lightly against the armrest of his chair, eyes still fixed on the red lycoris-like pattern frozen on the screen.
There was not enough information.
Not nearly enough.
To classify it properly, he would need more samples, more observation, and far more detailed research.
For now, all he could conclude was that Knox Aznable's blood possessed a second characteristic far stranger than simple destructive spread—
and that this phenomenon would require much closer study.
Silage leaned back deep into his chair, closed his eyes, and recalled something.
Just a few days ago—
Silage and Bahil had met in the professors' lounge.
"Professor Silage. 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 he was.
Silage 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.
Silage 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..."
Silage's gaze sharpened. "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, only his posture lowered. His eyes did not show the slightest hint of submission.
"If it came off as arrogant, I apologize. I merely wished to assist you as a longtime pupil, Professor."
"Ha. And yet you were the one who abandoned Haematology the moment the second semester began, as though you had been waiting for the chance."
"Professor Silage. I only want one thing."
Bahil's eyes gleamed. "Give up on recruiting Simon Polentia from Class A. That is all I ask."
At first, it had been unexpected. It did not sound like a fair deal at all.
The Bahil that Silage knew was not the kind of man who acted without profit. Silage had assumed it would be the usual exchange. He would accept Andrea into Haematology, and in return, Bahil would guide one of his own students toward Katarology.
But that was not what Bahil wanted.
His condition was simply for Silage to withdraw from recruiting a student who was already aiming for Summonology.
Just by stepping back, Silage would gain a talent worthy of becoming a direct disciple.
At the time, he had not understood it. And because he did not understand it, he had chosen not to answer.
But then—
Bahil had spoken again. "And... there's one more person."
Silage's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Knox Aznable."
For the first time in that conversation, Bahil had paused for a fraction longer than usual.
Not long enough for most to notice. But Silage had.
Bahil folded his hands neatly and continued in a calm voice. "To be precise, I am interested in him as well."
Silage said nothing.
"He is absurdly talented. Far too talented, in fact. His sense, adaptability, combat ability, magical growth, and overall balance as a necromancer are all beyond what should be reasonable for a first-year."
Bahil's tone remained composed, but his words carried unmistakable weight.
"However... unlike Simon Polentia, Knox Aznable is not someone I can approach with confidence."
That part had caught Silage's attention.
Bahil was not a man who admitted uncertainty lightly.
Silage leaned back slightly in his chair. "Oh?"
Bahil lowered his gaze for a moment.
"Knox is too capable. A student like that is difficult to influence with mere promises of guidance or opportunity. More importantly, he is already surrounded by figures whose names carry far more weight than mine."
His expression did not change, but the meaning behind his words was clear enough.
"Principal Nefthis."
Then, after the briefest pause—
"And Vice-Principal Jane."
Silage understood immediately.
Those two names alone were enough.
A student personally connected to Nefthis and Jane was not someone who could be casually persuaded away like an ordinary promising first-year. Even if Bahil tried, Knox would be far harder to move. He had too much talent, too many options, and too many powerful figures already around him.
In contrast, Simon Polentia was a different matter.
Talented, certainly.
Exceptional, perhaps even more than expected.
But still more reachable.
Still someone Bahil believed he had a real chance of drawing in.
"I can see the value in Knox Aznable," Bahil had said. "But if I must choose where my efforts are more likely to bear fruit, then Simon Polentia is the far more realistic target."
That had been the truth of it. Bahil was interested in both. But where Knox was concerned, even Bahil himself had hesitated.
Silage had not responded immediately back then.
At the time, he had only found the whole proposal strangely imbalanced.
Now, however—
Silage opened his eyes. Bahil, you bastard...
A faint smirk formed on his lips. So that was it.
Simon Polentia had not merely been talented. He had been talented enough for Bahil to judge him worth pursuing immediately.
And Knox Aznable—
Silage's eyes shifted toward the replay still paused on the mana projector, frozen on the aftermath of Knox's shot, the target stained with that eerie crimson trace.
Even Bahil himself hesitated with that one.
Not because Knox lacked value. But because he had too much of it.
And because trying to claim a genius already standing beneath the shadows of Nefthis and Jane was a far more dangerous and uncertain gamble.
At that moment, the classroom door opened, and one of the assistants stepped inside. Silage snapped out of his thoughts and looked over.
"Professor, I brought your coffee."
"Thank you. Now head straight to my lab and begin preparing the documents for research paper registration."
"...Excuse me?" The assistant blinked in confusion.
Starting a research paper now, in the middle of an already chaotic semester?
"Th-Then... what should the topic be?"
"New-type blood traces."
Silage took a sip of his coffee as he answered. The assistant's eyes widened slightly as he caught on.
"You're planning to research Simon Polentia's blood, aren't you?"
"Correct," Silage replied. "We must move quickly before the other blood-type Necromancers in Kizen begin circling him."
He paused briefly.
"As for the designation of the new blood... let us call it SM-1 for now."
"Understood."
"And there is one more."
The assistant stopped.
Silage's gaze drifted once more toward the paused image of Knox's target.
"That one as well."
The assistant followed his gaze and immediately understood.
"Knox Aznable...?"
Silage gave a slight nod.
"For the time being, designate his as KX-1."
The assistant straightened at once.
"Understood."
"And pass this along to the other assistants."
Silage's eyes gleamed.
"Starting now, we are joining the battle for Simon Polentia."
His gaze lingered on the crimson-marked target on the screen for just a moment longer.
"And we will also be keeping a very close eye on Knox Aznable."
***
The next class was Katarology.
With the duel evaluation drawing closer, Bahil did not waste time on ordinary theory and instead focused the entire lesson on combat curses that could be used effectively in real one-on-one battles.
That day, he introduced two techniques.
The first was Leg Down, a relatively light but practical curse designed to hinder an opponent's movement with speed and efficiency.
The second was Remade Paralyze, a modified curse personally created by Bahil himself. While it was less absolute than the original Paralyze, it was faster to cast, more practical in real combat, and specially adjusted so even first-year students could use it through basic runes and formula combinations.
After explaining both techniques, Bahil divided the students into two choices.
Those who wanted to learn Leg Down were told to move to the left.
Those who wanted to learn Remade Paralyze were told to move to the right.
Naturally, the room stirred at once as students began choosing sides.
Some moved quickly, others hesitated in the middle, weighing speed against control, practicality against power.
Bahil, however, had his eyes on one particular student.
Simon Polentia.
From the way Bahil had explained Remade Paralyze, it was obvious enough that he wanted the special admission student to choose the curse he had created himself.
And yet—
after a brief moment of thought, Simon calmly walked to the left.
To Leg Down.
For a split second, Bahil's smile twitched.
It was still there.
Technically.
But the air around it carried the unmistakable feeling of someone suffering internal damage.
Then came the second incident.
While the rest of the class had already started sorting themselves left and right, one person remained standing exactly in the middle.
Knox Aznable.
Bahil looked at him.
The assistants looked at him.
The class looked at him.
Knox, meanwhile, stood there with a thoughtful expression, as if he genuinely could not decide.
Then, without warning, he raised both hands.
In his left hand, he cast Leg Down.
In his right hand, he cast Remade Paralyze.
For one brief, unbelievable moment, both curses manifested at the same time.
The classroom froze.
Completely.
Even Bahil went silent.
Even the assistant professors, who had seen plenty of absurd things at Kizen, stared at Knox as though their souls had briefly left their bodies.
Knox blinked and looked between both hands.
"Hm," he said casually. "I guess both seem usable?"
No one answered right away.
For a moment, nobody really knew how they were supposed to respond to that.
Then, as they looked at Knox's completely innocent face, some of the male students felt their hands start to heat up… and tremble slightly.
His handsome face suddenly looked very punchable.
Of course, it wasn't because they were jealous.
Absolutely not.