Summoning Genius of Kizen - Chapter 30 Simon swallowed hard. Lena, who had once again examined Kamibarez's injuries, spoke calmly. "You fought with other students, didn't you? If there's a problem, it's best to deal with it while the student protection period is still active. Just suffering in silence won't solve anything…" "It wasn't a fight with students." They had been attacked by a Priest who betrayed Kizen, but he couldn't tell the truth. It was a secret that could shake Kizen itself, and Lena would be in danger if he did. "Then what was it?" "There are some complicated circumstances, so I can't tell you everything. I'm sorry." "……" Lena pressed her hand to her forehead, her face stern. Beyond the curtain, Simon's silhouette could be seen bowing his head. In truth, from long experience, she knew. That no matter how much a subordinate interfered in student affairs, nothing would change. 'First, the treatment.' She took out a first-aid kit and various medicines from a drawer. She wiped away the blood with gauze and skillfully disinfected the wound. Kamibarez, still asleep, furrowed her brows and let out a soft groan. After disinfecting, Lena gently spread a regenerating slime ointment to prevent scars and applied a bandage. Fortunately, there were no major injuries. Her worst injury, on her thigh, was thoroughly bandaged. Kamibarez's sleeping expression became much more peaceful. "Simon." Lena pulled back the curtain and stepped out. "Take off your clothes." "……Yes, what?" Simon's pupils wavered. She crossed her arms, her face expressionless. "I need to see your injuries too, don't I? Take off your top." "Ah. Yes!" Simon thought he had been surprised many times today as he took off his uniform. He removed his jacket and shirt, then rolled up his uniform pants above his knees. "I'll disinfect first." Lena, with disinfectant on a cotton ball, crouched in front of Simon. 'Ahem.' Seeing Simon's bare body, blood inevitably rushed to her face. No, why was this student's body so good for no reason? What was with these abs at that age? '……Ah, how embarrassing. Don't get ahead of yourself, heart.' She had her adult pride; she couldn't harbor impure thoughts for a minor who was still wet behind the ears. Composing herself, she professionally disinfected the wounds. Simon occasionally let out a scream and writhed. "Ugh, it hurts so much!" "Just bear with it a little longer." Lena slapped Simon's leg. He was quite the crybaby, just like a kid. Next, she finished disinfecting the wounds, spread the medicine well, and wrapped bandages around them. "It's best not to overexert yourself for a while, as the wounds might get worse." "Thank you!" Simon politely bowed at the waist. A student saluting a subordinate, Lena was a little flustered and stepped back, then cleared her throat awkwardly. "I don't know what happened today, but… nothing is more important than your health in this world. You need to be healthy to survive in Kizen, or whatever. You know what I mean, right?" "Yes!" "The female student behind the curtain is also safe. I'll call some trustworthy colleagues from the female dorms to quietly take her away." "Thank you so much! I won't forget this kindness." Simon bowed respectfully once more. After Simon left the duty room, Lena sighed, 'Hoo,' and sat down in her chair. '……I wonder if I'll see that student for a long time.' She felt he was a boy with a human charm rarely seen in Kizen. A strange lingering feeling tickled her. * * * "Si-Simon! You're safe!" As Simon entered his dorm room, Dick, who had been pacing anxiously, rushed over. "What happened?! And Kami?" Simon calmly explained the situation. The story of being chased by Watchmen and getting lost deep in the forest. Of course, he omitted the part about the Priest. He thought he should discuss that separately with Kamibarez later. Dick had also arrived a little late after evading the Watchmen, and he said Mei-rin, left alone in the practical lab, was trembling with anger and sorrow. Of course, when he explained the situation with the Watchmen, she seemed to understand. As a result, Dick had safely obtained the ingredients from Rochester, so it seemed they could make the potion tomorrow. Thud! "Gah, you scared me!" The door burst open roughly, and Kazhan Edvalt entered. He must have stopped by the bathhouse, as a towel was draped over his wet hair. "You're back? Kazhan." Simon greeted him with a smile. He threw off his uniform without a word, climbed onto the top bunk, pulled the blanket over his head, and lay down. And in exactly one minute, the sound of snoring could be heard. "……I really don't know what kind of person he is." Dick shrugged and went to his own bed. Simon also stared at Kazhan's sleeping form for a moment before grabbing his blanket and heading to his bed. Today had been exhausting. * * * Next morning. Simon told Dick to go to the lecture hall first and waited by the building entrance, leaning against the wall. As familiar Class A students passed by, Hector and his faction were seen arriving. They looked at Simon with slightly surprised expressions and whispered among themselves. 'She's late.' Simon's face was tinged with anxiety as he looked at the wall clock. Class time was approaching, but Kamibarez was nowhere to be seen. What happened? Was she too sore? Or was she too shocked by yesterday's events to come to class? In truth, Simon himself felt his hair stand on end with fear when he recalled the Priest praying in the Forbidden Forest last night. He even had a few nightmares last night. At least Simon was somewhat used to the sight of someone praying because his mother was a Priest, but for Kamibarez, the mental shock must have been several times greater. 'I should go to the female dorms after class… Huh?' Just then, a female student with a bag slung over her shoulder passed by Simon. Her face was very familiar, and when her eyes met Simon's, she smiled brightly. "Ah, Simon! Good morning!" Kamibarez trotted over. Contrary to Simon's worries, she looked lively. "……Come here for a moment, Kami." The two moved to a quiet open space behind the building. "You were very surprised yesterday, weren't you? Are you really okay?" She nodded slightly. "Yes, I'm fine. It just… feels like I had a dream." "A dream?" A pleasant night walk after a long time. Picking mushrooms happily with Simon. Running away after being chased by Watchmen. Simon carrying her and leaping over a cliff. Finally, that terrifying moment when they faced the Priest. "It feels like the dream turned into a nightmare, my memory cut off, and I woke up… What should I call it? It feels a little unreal." She said, rubbing her scraped elbow. 'Did she accept it as a dream, so the shock was less?' Whatever it was, it was a relief that she seemed fine. Simon immediately got to the point. "That Priest ran away when they saw the Watchmen. There's a high chance they didn't see your face." "Ah…" "Don't tell anyone else, just act normal. I'll find out who that Priest is." "Me too…!" Suddenly, she stepped closer and stood on her tiptoes. "It's too much to tell me to stay out of this just because my face wasn't seen! This is our business!" Simon was a little surprised by her assertiveness and leaned his head back. "R-Right. Okay. I'll ask for your help when the time comes." "Yes!" Just then, the bell signaling the start of class rang. The two rushed to the lecture hall. * * * The first class was Professor Bahil's Curse Studies. Once the class began, the events of last night in the Forbidden Forest were completely forgotten, as it was so hectic. Bahil finished the theoretical explanation and immediately moved on to practical training. "In the last Exhaust class, I saw many students relying on correction tools. So, this time, we'll practice with an easier curse." The 'Curse of Transference' uses a fundamental formula for all curses, which is to imbue a target living creature with Jet Black. The goal of this class was to successfully float this magic circle in the air without a correction tool. 'Swoosh.' Simon concentrated, holding his palms facing each other. As if holding a large fruit in his hands. Now, he had to let Jet Black flow from both palms and draw a magic circle in the air. Simon's dark blue Jet Black flowed out, drawing the basic stage of a magic circle: a 'circle'. '……It's tough from the start.' He painstakingly laid down the base circle, then drew a rune in its center. Of course, it didn't go as well as he intended. When he tried to add the rune, the base reacted with repulsion and trembled, and his hands shook as if he had tremors. Still, Simon clumsily wrote down the rune and formula. Originally, it should have looked like a clean copy from a printer, but Simon's magic circle had letters wriggling on their own. 'Ugh.' He decided to cast the spell as it was. On the desk was a tall, pole-like plant. It was a plant that grew by consuming Jet Black, and if the Curse of Transference succeeded, flower buds would bloom from its body. Simon desperately activated the magic circle. Pop! However, instead of activating, the magic circle exploded and scattered. Simon sighed in regret. 'As expected, it's not easy.' He had to catch the Cyclops next week, and he didn't have time for this. Simon gritted his teeth and spread his palms again. "How is it? Manageable?" Just then, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Bahil smiling, having arrived unnoticed. Simon tensed and replied, "Ah, yes! I'm working hard…" "Core operation." Simon's words stopped abruptly. "Your Core operation is immature, so the hardness of your Jet Black decreases, and the subsequent magic circle construction isn't properly formed." "Ah…" His heart pounded. It was a part he had constantly felt limited by, but hearing it directly from a Kizen professor felt completely different from just thinking it himself. "There's probably no proper place to learn Core operation. It's too basic for Kizen to teach, and everyone has a different way of operating it." Bahil raised his index finger from the hand resting on Simon's shoulder. "Excuse me for a moment." Then he pressed his index finger firmly into Simon's shoulder. Thump. Instantly, his mind went blank, and he heard the sound of a water droplet falling. The noise of the surrounding students miraculously disappeared, and Simon's body drifted in a void, detached from the classroom. "There's a prejudice that curses are only harmful. As someone involved, it's regrettable." Bahil said with a wry smile. Perhaps because the surrounding noise had disappeared, his voice was exceptionally clear and easy to hear. "Professor, this is…" "Don't be surprised. It's just a variation of a sensory curse to maximize Simon's senses. Now, concentrate again." At Bahil's gentle voice, Simon felt strangely at ease. It didn't seem like he was trying to do anything bad. "Take a deep breath, and draw the mana from the atmosphere into your body." Simon did as he was told, drawing mana into his body. This time, Bahil also placed his left hand on Simon's shoulder. "Now, we'll try to pass mana through your Core. First, watch me carefully." Among the mana in his body, Simon felt a stream of mana he couldn't control. It entered the Core below his heart. But it didn't just pass through the Core. The mana rotated along the Core, undergoing a viscous transformation process. "Simon's Jet Black is different from ordinary people's. Simply imagining 'drawing it out' will inevitably lead to inefficiency." "Then…" "Circulation." The mana rotating in the Core naturally transformed into Jet Black and was released externally. It was an image reminiscent of the corona of a black sun. "Abandon the images of conversion, transformation, or modulation. Think of the Core as a living creature, and gently coax it, guide it. Wait for the Jet Black to naturally fall out." "Ah…!" "Now, it's Simon's turn." Simon nodded and focused on the mana within his body. Circulation, not conversion. The image of circulation. Simon visualized the words he had repeated countless times in his mind with mana. As if responding to his will, mana flowed into his Core and began to circulate. "You don't need to control the Core with effort. Relax your mind and observe. Let this child do as it pleases." As Bahil said, the Core truly moved with its own power. The Core rotated the Jet Black, drawing in surrounding mana, and the Jet Black gradually gained strength. Soon, the inside of the Core filled up, and it released Jet Black externally. 'Ah…!' Finally. A black sun was completed within Simon's body. "Well done! Shall we reduce your senses to 50% this time?" His blurry vision returned. From a completely detached feeling, he could now hear the boisterous voices of the students next to him. "Now, try again." "Yes!" Simon repeated it several times. His first attempt failed because the Jet Black didn't move as freely as when his senses and concentration were maximized, but he got the hang of it on the second try and succeeded on the third. "Jet Black has a property of remembering." Bahil tapped his own forehead. "It's like a person's hands and feet. If you repeat the same movement hundreds or thousands of times, eventually, the Jet Black will try to reproduce the learned flow without conscious effort. Isn't it fascinating? Therefore, repetitive practice and forming correct habits are paramount." It felt good. Like insights were being perfectly absorbed into his mind. He had thought Bahil was just a cold and calculating individual, but Simon felt he was seeing a new side of him. "Now, while we're at it, shall we try the curse?" Along with Bahil's voice, Simon's senses were once again maximized. All other distractions disappeared, and he could focus solely on his body, his Jet Black, and the plant in front of him. "Raise your Jet Black." At Bahil's voice, Simon held his hands facing each other. Jet Black extended from his fingertips like paint. "Rest assured, I am assisting you. Feel free to complete the magic circle as you wish." "Ah, yes!" It was a distinctly different sensation from doing it alone. The magic circle floating in the air was perfectly balanced without shaking, allowing Simon to raise as much Jet Black as he wanted. It was an astonishing sensation. The magic circle was completed in an instant, making his struggles just minutes ago seem ridiculous. "Then, activate it!" As all his senses returned, Simon opened his eyes wide and activated the magic circle. A stream of Jet Black, reminiscent of lightning, flashed! It shot out and struck the plant. Whoosh! Then, an amazing spectacle unfolded. Numerous flower buds exploded from the plant's body, blooming profusely. The flowers quickly covered Simon's desk and spread outwards. Simon was instantly buried in the middle of a flower field. "Wow!" "What's going on?" Exclamations erupted from students everywhere. "P-Professor. This is…!" "This is the potential you possess." Bahil said in a voice just loud enough for Simon to hear. "Don't misunderstand. I only assisted you in achieving stable output; this is a level you will be able to achieve on your own in the near future." Those words were true. It was undeniably Simon's power that made the flowers bloom. "Your Jet Black is special. Simon Pollentia." Bahil's fingers on Simon's shoulder twitched. The blue flowers were still growing at this moment, already covering Simon's chest. "Please think carefully." Bahil's expression became serious. "What is the best way to make your talent blossom? And in what direction should you proceed to utilize this special Jet Black to 200%?"
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