Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 57: Episode

With his hands clasped behind his back, Silage turned his head. "Now, for the practical application. Firing lane one, prepare."

"Yes, sir! Karel Oxara in firing lane one, ready!" Karel answered just as the TA had instructed.

Silage spoke again. "Commence firing."

The moment he activated the magic circle, a bullet of blood and Jet-Black shot from his fingertip. It accurately pierced the center of the first target with a sharp ’bang!’

"Blood type is AP-5," the TA reported immediately. "Penetration mark diameter, forty-five millimeters. Three targets penetrated!"

Silage nodded and activated a mana projector, displaying an image of Karel’s pierced targets for the students sitting behind the firing line to see.

"The AP-5 blood type possesses a ’contracting’ property when it comes into contact with Jet-Black," Silage explained. She spread her palm, forming a balloon of dark energy, and let a single drop of AP-5 blood fall onto its surface. The Jet-Black instantly contracted, clumping tightly around the crimson bead. "It possesses excellent piercing power due to its ability to highly compress Jet-Black, but it’s actually better suited for construction than projection. ’Ahem.’ It can also aid in forming magic circles, making it a type specialized for supporting Jet-Black."

Silage turned to look at Karel again. "You may return to your seat. Get an AP-5 name tag from the teaching assistant."

"Yes, Professor! Thank you!" Karel exclaimed.

"The rest of you will be required to wear these name tags on your right breast during all Hemomancy classes," Silage announced. "Next, lane two."

"Y-Yes, sir!" a girl’s nervous voice called out. "Lane two, Kamibarez Ursula! Ready!"

A faint smile touched Silage’s otherwise expressionless face. ’The Ursula family. A vampire, then.’

Kamibarez aimed at the target, her arms trembling. It was the first class for her prospective major, and her nerves were clearly getting the better of her. To make matters worse, as a member of the vampire race—revered as masters of Hemomancy—all eyes were on her.

’You can do it, Kami,’ Simon, sitting in lane six, cheered her on silently.

Just then, Kamibarez’s eyes flickered toward him.

’Had his thoughts somehow reached her?’ She offered him a bright, fleeting smile before turning her gaze back to the target.

"Begin firing," Silage commanded.

Kamibarez activated the magic circle. Blood and Jet-Black swirled together at her fingertip before shooting out like a bullet with a dull ’thump’.

An incredible scene unfolded with a deafening ’BOOM!’

The moment her blood bullet touched the target, it didn’t pierce it—it detonated. The resulting explosion engulfed four surrounding targets, shattering them instantly.

"Whoa!" The students waiting in their lanes cried out in admiration, while those at their desks craned their necks for a better look.

"Blood type: KP-1," Silage announced, his voice cutting through the murmurs. "Piercing diameter is meaningless. Four targets destroyed by the explosion."

On the mana projector’s screen, the four targets were shown completely blown to pieces. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"KP-1 type blood possesses an ’explosive’ property when combined with Jet-Black," Silage continued. "In terms of raw destructive power, it is the strongest of all known blood types. It is a trait possessed only by vampires."

He glanced toward Kamibarez’s lane. "I’ll be seeing you often from now on, Kamibarez."

She had caught his eye. Overjoyed, Kamibarez bowed deeply, thanking him in a loud voice as a few students muttered enviously.

"As expected of a vampire."

"Her bloodline is insane."

"Well, she’s an Ursula. What do you expect?"

The students in lanes three and four quickly fired their own blood bullets. Each had a different blood type, and Silage took a moment to explain which forms of black magic were most compatible with each. A moment later, an assistant approached Simon.

"Alright, next. Prepare yourself, Simon."

"Okay," Simon replied.

While lane five was firing, the assistant came to Simon in lane six. "Excuse me. This might sting a little."

She activated the IV device connected to his arm, and he felt the blood in his body rush toward his fingertip. A moment later, she drew a magic circle on his skin, and his Jet-Black and blood flowed out, staining the intricate pattern crimson.

"All right, you’ve got this," the assistant whispered encouragingly.

"Lane six," Silage’s voice called out.

Simon quickly composed himself. "Lane six, Simon Polentia. Ready, sir!"

It was finally his turn. Closing his left eye, he extended his index finger and took careful aim.

"Begin firing."

The moment Silage gave the command, Simon’s mind cleared. As his concentration peaked, he activated the magic circle. He felt the recoil as the blood bullet shot from his fingertip with a sharp sound.

But then, the bullet vanished mid-flight.

Simon and the other students, who had been watching with bated breath, blinked in confusion. Hector’s cronies burst out laughing.

"Haha! What was that?"

"Is that some kind of disappearing bullet trick?"

It was then that the blood bullet, which had seemingly disappeared, reappeared just before the target, blazing with an eerie, cerulean light. As the light struck the target, its force erupted outward in a fan-like spray. Two of Simon’s targets were torn to shreds, and one target each from the adjacent lanes—five and seven—was obliterated as well.

Even Silage had never seen a blood bullet that fanned out upon impact. The assistant, completely flustered, could only shake her head. "Blood type not found. It’s a new type."

A wave of murmurs swept through the students.

Silage raised a hand to silence them. "Two targets hit in front, two to the left and right. This is a type I am seeing for the first time; I am unable to offer an explanation. Next, lane seven, prepare."

He proceeded immediately to the next student, leaving Simon utterly bewildered. How could there be a blood type that a Hemomancy professor had never seen before?

As Simon stepped out of the lane, the assistant distributing name tags scratched her head. "Uh... I don’t have a name tag for you. I’ll have a new one made by tomorrow’s class."

"Oh, okay," Simon mumbled.

With a dazed expression, he returned to his seat where Dick, Meirin, and Kamibarez were waiting. As soon as he sat down, all three leaned in.

"Hey, Simon! What in the world was that?!" Dick demanded.

"I don’t know," Simon admitted. "I just did what I was told."

"A new type! That’s amazing, Simon!" Kamibarez gushed.

"Hmm," Simon grunted.

Dick, however, crossed his arms with a thoughtful frown. "A new type seems special, sure, but this is going to be a problem. Doesn’t that mean there are no guidelines for you in Hemomancy?"

"Ah..."

In Hemomancy, training methods varied greatly depending on blood type, even for the same spell. That was why the class had more teaching assistants than other subjects, and why students wore name tags identifying their type. The system was simple: Professor Silage provided the overall direction while the assistants gave students detailed tips tailored to their specific blood types.

’What’s going to happen to me now?’ Simon couldn’t help but worry about how his Hemomancy classes would proceed.

---

After the last Hemomancy class of the day, Silage sat alone, rewatching the footage of Simon’s blood bullet on the mana projector. ’...Just as I thought. I’m certain.’

The unique characteristic of Simon’s blood was ’proliferation.’ The moment his blood and Jet-Black met, it didn’t cause a special reaction; the Jet-Black simply devoured the blood. In doing so, the Jet-Black’s volume and power increased exponentially. The bullet had seemed to vanish mid-flight only because the Jet-Black, having consumed the blood, rendered the projectile invisible until the moment of impact.

’Interesting.’ It was the complete opposite of vampires like Kamibarez. Their powerful blood consumed Jet-Black to amplify its own power. In Simon’s case, the Jet-Black consumed the blood. ’A truly fascinating case. This is definitely worth researching.’

Silage closed his eyes and leaned back deep into his chair, his mind drifting. ’...Now I finally understand why Bahil was so invested.’

Just a few days ago, he and Bahil had met in the professors’ lounge.

"Professor Silage, I’d like to propose a deal."

Bahil had been uncharacteristically polite.

"Do you happen to know Andrea Saki from Class B?"

As if he wouldn’t. Silage had taken a sip of his tea without answering.

"A half-vampire, but a prospect for Cursology. To be honest, while the student is quite talented in Cursology, their Hemomancy scores were higher on the last test. And there’s the vampire premium, of course."

Silage had set down his teacup and glared at Bahil.

"...And?"

"I will persuade Andrea to major in Hemomancy. That student would be a great asset to you."

"You."

Silage’s eyes had turned fierce.

"You were always this arrogant, even as a student. Just because you’ve joined the Crows doesn’t mean you can forget your place."

Bahil had bowed his head respectfully, though it was only an act; there wasn’t the slightest hint of submission in his eyes.

"My apologies if I sounded arrogant. As your former student, I simply wish to help."

"Hah. Says the one who dropped Hemomancy the moment the second semester started."

"Professor Silage. There is only one thing I want."

Bahil’s eyes had flashed.

"Please give up on recruiting Simon Polentia from Class A. That is my only demand."

At the time, he had considered it a strangely lopsided deal. The Bahil he knew was a man who acted only when it was strictly to his benefit. Silage had assumed it would be a trade: he would take Andrea, and in return, he would have to persuade one of his own students to major in Cursology. But that wasn’t the case. Bahil’s only condition was that he give up on recruiting a student who was already a Summoning prospect. With a simple declaration, Silage could acquire a talent worthy of being his direct disciple. He hadn’t understood it then and had avoided giving a direct answer. But now...

’That bastard Bahil...’ The corners of Silage’s lips curled into a smirk. ’He was trying to snatch up a genius like this for nothing?’

Just then, the classroom door opened, and a male assistant approached. Silage snapped out of his reverie.

"Professor, I’ve brought your coffee."

"Thank you. And you, go to my lab right now and prepare the registration for a new research paper."

"...Excuse me?" The assistant blinked. A research paper? Now, in the middle of this busy period? "Th-Then, what should the topic be...?"

"A new type of blood." Silage took a sip of coffee.

The assistant caught on quickly. "You plan to research Simon Polentia’s blood."

"Yes. We must hurry before the other Hemomancy necromancers at Kizen make their move. As for the name of this new blood..."

He paused for a moment, a smile playing on his lips. "SM-1 should suffice."

"Understood."

"And relay this to all the assistants." Silage’s eyes gleamed. "From this moment forward, we too shall join the battle for Simon Polentia."