"A mark only you can recognize? What is it?"Kazhan asked with curious eyes."Actually, it's like this."Simon's story flowed back to the past.During his fight with the Priest in the Forbidden Forest, he picked up a stone from the ground, applied 'Jet Black Imbuement' to it, and threw it.-Hit! Reveal your face!He remembered throwing it with a truly desperate heart at that moment.Perhaps the Priest hadn't expected Simon to counterattack, as he tilted his head slightly late. The attack tore a small part of his right hood."Blood."At that time, Simon confirmed that red bloodstains were on the edge of the Priest's hood."The Priest will have a scratch scar on their cheek."Of course, the wound would have been treated with a potion, but Simon thought that if the injury was deep, a faint scar might remain.Kazhan crossed his arms, lost in thought. He seemed to be recalling the faces of people among the suspects who had scars on their cheeks.And the result was."It's ambiguous."Kazhan shook his head."The scar might not have remained, and there are many ways to hide it. More importantly, you can't determine the culprit with just one scar.""......Yes, that's true."Simon had already checked several people, but there was no one suspicious.Then, Kazhan opened his Magical Inventory and took out a small pair of glasses."Just in case, I'll give you this.""What is this?""It's something I've been carrying around ever since I fell into the Priest's trap."Simon immediately took the glasses and put them on. They didn't seem to have a prescription, but his vision became blurry."If you wear that, you can see the true face beyond the biological mask. If they used a biological mask to hide a scar, it would show.""Oh, that's good."The possibility of finding the Priest with this was low, but it seemed better than nothing.Simon carefully put the glasses away in his pocket.***Again, Kizen's busy daily life began.Preparations for performance evaluations, duel evaluations, and even final exams a few months away."Ah! Truly excellent!"Professor Bahil of Curse Studies clapped his hands.He called Simon to the front of the lecture hall and had him write a curse equation on the blackboard. Then, he went on and on, explaining to the students how perfect, creative, and original the curse equation Simon had written was."Student Simon. Why did you exclude the vibration formula from Sickness?""Ah...... that."Simon scratched the side of his head.Should he make an excuse, or tell the truth? After agonizing, Simon decided to speak honestly."I wasn't very familiar with the vibration formula, so I tried changing it to add an imbalance formula instead."Faint laughter could be heard in various places."Special Admission Student No. 1 doesn't even know the vibration formula.""He's only good at Summoning Studies; he lacks basic skills."Hector's faction members immediately spoke up as if they had been waiting. Just then."Original! Excellent!"Bahil became heated."Because he hasn't had prior learning! Because he has a mind like a blank canvas, untainted by formulas and equations! That's how such original ideas can emerge!"Bang! Bang!Bahil pounded on the blackboard, excitedly pouring out his explanation."It's a fixed idea that a motion sickness curse must use a vibration formula! Thinking that way means your brain is pickled in preconceptions! Motion sickness isn't only caused by vibrations. Humans can also experience motion sickness from a discrepancy between the body's perceived movement and visual information! The motion sickness you feel when riding a fast carriage on a paved road, and the motion sickness you feel when staring at a mana screen for too long, are precisely these types!"Bahil then went on to explain in detail the visual motion sickness effect caused by the imbalance formula in the Sickness curse."Absolutely excellent. This is how a curse equation should be developed! Now, applause!"Applause sounded from various places. Simon bowed his head, overwhelmed by the extreme praise.Bahil placed a hand on his shoulder."Student Simon's idea is truly excellent. However, speed of casting is vital for curses, so for now, let's have you slowly start with the vibration formula.""Ah, yes!"'So it's still going to be vibration after all!'The aspiring curse majors protested inwardly but couldn't voice it.Bahil affectionately patted Simon's back as he returned to his seat.'Honey is practically dripping from your eyes, Professor.'Chehekl, the head teaching assistant standing below the lecture hall, sighed.A Kizen professor's unrequited love for a student. It was a rare sight.'Still, watching the great Bahil squirm with impatience is... quite special.'But precisely at times like these, she couldn't let her guard down. Bahil was someone who could suddenly accelerate at any moment.In fact, at this point, it wouldn't be strange if he cast a curse on Simon to turn him into a puppet disciple, but he didn't, out of concern that Simon's genius might be damaged."Chehekl."Her head snapped around in surprise at Bahil's voice."Ah, yes, Professor.""You can proceed with the practical session for the remaining time, Teaching Assistant."Why the sudden change? He always personally oversaw the practical guidance for Class A.Chehekl bowed her head, despite her疑问."Understood."Bahil strode away, and Chehekl ascended the lecture hall."We'll take a 15-minute break, then begin the practical session. Teaching assistants, gather in front of me."***After guiding the students through the practical session and successfully ending the class, Chehekl arrived at Bahil's research lab. She lightly knocked with the back of her hand."Professor, it's Chehekl.""......."There was no invitation to enter, but Chehekl, accustomed to this, opened the door and entered the lab.And she was surprised. On the large blackboard that occupied the entire back wall of the lab, Bahil was frantically moving chalk, writing down equations one after another.'This man, he's on a roll after a long time.'Chehekl waited silently with her hands clasped.Another hour passed, and Bahil, who had filled the blackboard with equations, wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to her."When did you arrive, Chehekl?""An hour ago.""The class?""It ended well. More importantly, what are those equations?"Bahil grinned and tapped the blackboard once."I heard the Dresden Kingdom is having trouble with recent attacks from wild Harpies. This is a Sickness curse applicable to flying monsters."Her eyes widened."It's a new version of 'Remake Sickness'.""Exactly! Surprisingly, Sickness, including vibration formulas, tends not to work well on aerial monsters. That's because it's a curse made to deal with humans, without considering a Harpy's sense of balance. So I've created a new curse using cross-sensory motion sickness!"Bahil's fingers danced as he explained."Discrepancy between visual information and balance information! Using this formula, Harpies will feel like they're plummeting downwards when they're actually flying straight ahead. The opposite is also true! Ultimately, the more Harpies fly, the more they'll be engulfed in a terrible sense of dissociation, and eventually, they'll crash to the ground from severe motion sickness.""......."He was truly an eccentric and perverse person, but his ability was genuine. Chehekl, as a curse scholar, was purely impressed."Wait, then your praise for Student Simon earlier wasn't just empty words?""Haha! You've worked with me for years, and you still don't know me, Chehekl?"Bahil perched on the armrest of the sofa, holding up both hands."My praise for him is 100% sincere!"".......""His way of thinking about equations is completely different from ordinary students! His thought process is slightly twisted in some way! Listening to his answers gives even me a lot of inspiration!"Bahil snorted and continued."On the first day of Beginner Dark Magic, during Professor Jane's test, the incident where he derived 1,200,146 without using ancient runes from Jet Black Mechanics, instance skeleton formulas from Summoning Studies, or the Exhaust Therone formula from Curse Studies, was an issue even among the professors, wasn't it? It's exactly like that!"Thump! Thump!Bahil rhythmically tapped the armrest with his fingertips."His creativity in handling equations reminds me of a spring that can bounce anywhere! If his parents' reason for not giving him prior learning was to imbue him with originality at the moment his genius exploded... Ahh! I would feel not just respect, but even fear for their thinking and conviction!""Yes, yes, Professor, I understand what you mean."He looked as if he was about to bow to Simon's parents. Chehekl held up her clipboard and said."So, what's the name for this new Remake Sickness?""Hmm."Bahil pondered for a moment, then said."Simon-sickness.......""That's lame."Bahil chuckled, then rose from his seat. He then said with a serious expression, devoid of humor."Professor Syllage is making a move."".......""I heard there have been tangible results recently in the SM-1 blood research."Simon hadn't found any enjoyment in Hemomancy classes so far.Simon's SM-1 blood type was a new type that had never existed in the world. It was completely different from existing hemomancy techniques and had not yet been researched, so Syllage had no way to teach him.Therefore, Syllage mobilized his disciples across the continent to conduct research, and now the results were just beginning to emerge."I estimate it will take about half a month for Syllage to complete the SM-1 curriculum for Simon.""It's a crisis."Chehekl said flatly."Yes. It's a crisis! And Professor Hongpeng's counterattack is also formidable!"Bahil clasped his hands together, speaking gravely."I heard she's started teaching 'Internal Jet Black Differentiation' in her Martial Arts class. Why do you think she's progressing so quickly? As expected, Simon Pollentia was the only one who mastered differentiation in that class! Her intention must be to rapidly develop Simon's martial arts!"Chehekl furrowed her brows."Well, according to the rumors I heard, Student Simon refused Professor Hongpeng's offer to become her direct disciple."At that, Bahil burst into loud laughter."Do you believe such an obvious bluff? Even if the rumor is true, Hongpeng isn't the type of woman to give up that easily. Everyone is fooled by her awkward common language accent and innocent expression, but she is an incredibly persistent and ambitious individual.""In addition to existing Summoning Studies, now Martial Arts and Hemomancy......."The competition for one student was insane. Chehekl sighed deeply, then looked up at him."But Professor Bahil? Didn't you say during Simon and Malcolm's last duel evaluation? That there's no need to rush, that he's a talent who will eventually fall into your hands anyway. I thought there was a reason you boasted so confidently.""Of course, Chehekl!"Bahil went to the end of the blackboard and pulled a string. Then, several layers of papers tumbled down from below the blackboard."I am creating a curse solely for 'my Simon'.""......Ugh, that nickname is disgusting.""I intend to show him a new 'Simon Pollentia Original'! Something on a completely different level from those trivial Bone Armors!"To think rationally, Simon was currently excelling in Summoning Studies. He was even able to overwhelm Special Admission Student No. 10 in the duel evaluation.It was, in a way, natural that Simon wasn't greatly interested in the growth of other disciplines.It was a wise decision as a student to focus on his strengths rather than unnecessarily increasing other offensive means."I've decided to understand him! Isn't that right? It's unnecessary trouble to weaken an opponent with a curse when he can just stand there and defeat them all by swinging his Overlord!"So Bahil changed direction.He needed a completely new curse, one that would capture his interest, rather than emphasizing the combat aspect."I guarantee that once this research is complete, Simon will undoubtedly be mine! But time is the problem."Bahil rubbed his chin."Will Syllage establish the SM-1 style first, or will I develop the Simon Original curse first?"Chehekl let out a laugh of disbelief."Student Simon would be thrilled to death if he knew. All the Kizen professors are practically bending over backward to impress him. Why are they all going to such lengths?""Isn't it obvious?"Bahil shrugged."The benefits we gain when he becomes our disciple are several times, no, dozens of times greater than the effort we put in."Bahil's lips curved into a long smile.***After Curse Studies class, Simon's Group 7 all went to the cafeteria together.The four of them sat down, placing their limited menu hamburger steak sets on the table.Kamibarez smiled brightly."Phew~ It was close today! There were only two people left behind us!""Yeah."Dick rested his chin on his hand and poked a french fry with his fork."The kids' information is getting faster and faster. I think a new community has been established that I don't know about; I'll need to investigate.""It's nothing to make a fuss about."Mei-rin snorted and cut her hamburger steak.Yet, she was the one eating the limited menu with the most relish."But."Simon looked around."Don't you think the atmosphere is a bit unsettling?""Y-yes, it does."Not only the students but even the teaching assistants who came for their meal had grim faces and were murmuring.Dick said, 'Just a moment,' and got up from his seat to gather rumors."What happened?""Did Efnel launch something? Like a preemptive strike?""N-no way!"Just then, Dick came running back to his group, sweating profusely."Dick! What happened?""Haaah, it's definitely big news."Dick ran a hand through his hair with a troubled expression and said."Professor Lang of Toxicology has passed away."
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