Chapter 317
The Haematology class continued.
Walter, his brown hair fluttering like falling leaves, walked among the students.
"As you all know well, the biggest drawback of Blood Flow Magic is that it consumes the caster's own blood directly."
His gentle voice carried a certain charm that pulled at the students' ears.
"The power is undeniable, but the risk is great. In fact, Blood Flow Magic has developed methods to artificially expand the amount of blood, or to produce stronger effects with less blood. But,"
He lifted the syringe in his hand as though it were a precious, expensive object.
"that trend is now changing."
The Haematopoiesis Injection.
A technology that artificially transplants blood-forming cells, which produce the main components of blood, into another's body.
Walter explained that although this had already been used in various surgeries, this particular Haematopoiesis Injection used the blood-forming cells harvested from the 'Blood Slime', a monster capable of producing an infinite amount of blood, and injected them into a human body.
"Where is blood made? Blood is not made in the heart, but from the bone marrow inside the bones. The bone marrow contains hematopoietic stem cells that compose the main components of blood."
And then, Walter's voice rose for emphasis.
"The Blood Slime is a monster with no bones, yet it possesses special hematopoietic stem cells that create the main components of blood. This is the core. If you take this injection, you'll be capable of producing blood at two to three times the rate of an ordinary person."
The room stirred.
If it were true, it was an extremely effective injection.
Not only would one be able to use Blood Flow Magic two or three times more often than usual, but the risks caused by heavy blood loss would be reduced. It would even be possible to use far stronger Blood Magic.
However.
'…It sounds a little too good to be true.'
Simon, wary of Walter, rested his chin on his hand and thought.
If he had just overheard this somewhere, he would have dismissed it as a sales pitch, but the person speaking was none other than Professor Keyzen, the highest authority in this field of study.
Then—flash—a hand shot up.
"Jaime Victoria here! Wouldn't there be any side effects from the injection?"
There were, of course, other students who shared Simon's doubts. Walter smiled kindly and replied.
"You may experience symptoms like dizziness or numbness in your limbs, but there will be no significant side effects. Its composition is similar to the Blood Potion you drink."
Next to Jaime, another hand went up.
"Scott Snyder here! A human's blood maintains a certain ratio. If the blood suddenly doubled or tripled, wouldn't that cause abnormalities in the body?"
"You've misunderstood. It's not that the blood remains increased. It literally boosts the haematopoietic function so that when your blood is low, your body can replenish it rapidly."
It was, in a way, like producing Blood Potions internally. Anyone in a Haematology class would be tempted.
While the students' sparkling gazes focused on the Haematopoiesis Injection, Walter slowly set the syringe down.
"But this is still new technology. Mass production is difficult, and even after grinding up a hundred Blood Slimes, you might only get one dose, so the quantity is extremely limited. That's why I'm thinking of offering the chance to try it to just one student, the one with the highest achievement in today's class."
Excited exclamations burst out from all over.
The moment they heard it would be only one person, the students' interest shot up to the extreme.
"Then, shall we have a simple practice session?"
* * *
The practice was simple.
Cast the Blood Curse 'Palpitation' on yourself, then feel your heartbeat and practice controlling it.
"A human's heartbeat is never constant. It's affected by body temperature, emotions, stress… But a first-rate Blood Flow sorcerer can control even the beat of their heart as they wish."
And the one who came in first in this class was Kamibarez, who possessed the best bloodline in Haematology. She could slow her heartbeat, quicken it, all as freely as she pleased.
"Congratulations!"
"Lucky you."
Maelyn and the other students gathered around to congratulate her. Simon also approached Kamibarez.
"Congrats, Kami."
"Ah, Simon! Thank you!"
Kamibarez smiled brightly. Simon hesitated a little, then spoke.
"Kami."
"Yes?"
"That… injection…"
Simon stopped mid-sentence and looked at her face. Surrounded by people offering congratulations, she looked genuinely happy.
Simon knew as well, he had no real grounds to tell her not to take it.
It was just that Walter seemed suspicious. He had a bad feeling. But saying that alone felt like too weak a reason, especially when this opportunity was so important to someone majoring in Haematology.
"…Could you reconsider?"
Even so, he barely managed to say it.
Kamibarez widened her eyes.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because it's still unverified technology, it could be dangerous—"
"That's right, Kamibarez."
Before Simon could finish, Walter appeared behind him without a sound.
Simon turned, startled. Did this man actually enjoy suddenly appearing behind people like this?
"Human clinical trials have been completed and verified, but I'm cautious when it comes to Ursula's vampires. I'd like to wait and observe a bit longer before offering it, would that be all right?"
"Yes, that's fine!"
A few female students in the back gave dreamy expressions.
"As expected of Professor Walter."
"So considerate!"
While the students whispered among themselves, Walter added in a voice low enough for only Kamibarez to hear.
"Still, if you really wish to take it now, I can't stop you."
"…"
Kamibarez looked troubled, then turned to glance at Simon. Looking back to Walter, she answered,
"It's fine, I'll take it next time."
"All right, understood."
In the end, Walter gave the injection to the student with the second-best performance, Sophie Santana. In front of everyone, she received the shot in her arm and immediately demonstrated Blood Magic.
"Let's try it right away. To activate the Blood Slime's hematopoietic cells, you need to tune your heartbeat to a special frequency. You create the same beat as the Blood Slime, matching the internal conditions."
Having just learned how to control her heartbeat, she did it with ease.
"Now, use Blood Magic."
"Yes, Professor."
She brought her palms together and closed her eyes.
Fwoooosh!
From the magic circle between her palms, a fountain of blood began to surge endlessly.
She reacted with genuine surprise.
"P-Professor! I've never had this much before!"
The other students gaped at the endless surge of blood magic.
"Guess it really works?"
"Wow…"
Walter nodded with a gentle smile.
"Well done, it's a success."
Sophie dispelled the black magic.
"But don't overuse it. The Blood Slime's hematopoietic cells will need time to adapt to their new body."
"Yes! Thank you so, so much!"
Sophie bowed repeatedly, her face full of joy. The stares of the other students were heavy with envy.
Among them was Kamibarez. She clapped her hands and sincerely congratulated Sophie, but it was clear she also wanted to take the injection herself.
'…Kami.'
Watching her, Simon's mind grew tangled.
* * *
After the Haematology class ended, Simon returned early to the male dormitory.
Room 409 was quiet as usual. Dick had gone down to Rochest, and Kajan was, as always, asleep under his blanket.
'?'
At that moment, a crow was pecking around near the window, as if asking to be let in. Its beak tapped against the glass.
When Simon opened the window, the crow hopped in and landed on his shoulder.
'!'
Tied to the crow's leg was a letter.
Seeing his own name, Simon quickly untied the letter from the crow's leg. The moment one leg was freed, the crow flew out the open window without a backward glance.
'I've never received a letter like this before.'
Normally, letters would arrive at the dormitory office first and then be delivered to the student.
Simon immediately checked the sender. The name "Wim Muller" was written, someone he had never heard of.
'W-Who is this?'
Still, the recipient was clearly "Simon Follentia", so he sat at his desk, broke the seal carefully, and unfolded the letter.
"Ah!"
There was a name he hadn't heard in a long time.
Simon let out a small exclamation, his shoulders trembling with joy.
'Metin!'
Back when Simon and Lete had crossed into the Holy Federation, Metin was the "Inquisitor" who had realized Simon was a necromancer and doggedly pursued him.
Later, they had boarded the Holy Train together and been attacked by the Blood Heaven Cult. When Simon saved not only Metin's life but also the lives of the passengers, Metin's view of him had changed.
—You are a necromancer, yet you risked your life to fight for the people here. In the end, you saved hundreds of lives. The inquisitors, myself included, were pathetic. I admit it. We were not even a match for a single necromancer. I will give up on interrogating you.
Even now, Simon could vividly recall Metin's voice from that time.
Feeling elated, Simon quickly read on.
It seemed that when Simon had sent a letter asking Lete to investigate the evidence obtained from the train, she had directly connected him to Metin.
Simon took out the documents attached behind the letter. They were classified papers acquired after defeating the bishop of the Blood Heaven Cult aboard the Holy Train.
Even though these were only copies, if it became known that Metin had sent them to a necromancer of the Dark Alliance, his life would be in danger. Feeling grateful for the risk Metin had taken, Simon carefully examined the documents.
Orders from the Blood Heaven Cult.
They contained all kinds of schemes to bring chaos to the world. Simon read through them, his expression hardening.
'…'
One part caught his attention, the signature at the bottom of each order. Every document was signed by the same person.
'No way…!'
Simon finally understood the cause of the unease gnawing at him. Standing up abruptly, he grabbed the letter and ran to the library.
"Gore, gore…"
As soon as he arrived, he pulled thick books on ancient languages from the shelves and began flipping through them.
The books contained languages no longer in use. Having learned various noble forms of speech and etiquette from Richard, Simon was familiar with many kinds of archaic language, but this particular script wasn't something he could translate instantly. Still, the sentence structure felt familiar enough for him to get a sense of it.
Using the books as reference, Simon began deciphering the signature.
"Ha."
He let out a long breath.
At last, the nagging discomfort inside him was swept away.
The signature on the orders, in ancient script, read:
「Bishop of the Blood Heaven Cult, Judah.」