After finishing their meal, Knox and his group members, together with Group Seven, arrived at the final class of the day: Toxicology.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't a normal classroom, but Toxicology Practice Room 2. Beneath each note-taking desk sat a large cauldron designed for magical experiments.
Simon and Rick settled into seats near the middle, unpacking their things.
"Hey! Merchant!"
Meilyn stormed into the room, eyebrows raised. Camibarez followed behind her, wearing her usual gentle smile.
"Your intel was wrong! You said there was a hamburger steak special at Cafeteria 3! It wasn't even on the menu!"
Rick snickered, while Knox, seated nearby, let out an amused laugh.
"Meilyn, it sold out in five minutes. They just took it off the board."
"…Ugh, how annoying."
Cindy leaned back in her chair with a grin. "Hehe~ Meilyn, you should've sprinted straight to the cafeteria the moment class ended. Just like us — Knox, Claudia, and me!"
"You guys were too fast! Couldn't you at least have dragged me along?" Meilyn complained.
Claudia chuckled softly. "Instead of blaming us, maybe blame your own teammates? Simon and Rick left you behind too, you know~"
Rick shrugged. "You should've just followed the shortcut with me and Simon."
Meilyn sighed and began unpacking her things beside Simon.
"But until the Cyclops evaluation is over, fine. Still…" She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Let me make one thing clear. If your lack of cooperation drags down my grade, I won't let it slide."
Rick leaned forward with a mischievous grin. "Ooh, scary. And what exactly will you do if we don't cooperate?"
Meilyn fell silent.
Rick leaned even closer, cupping a hand to his ear theatrically. "I'm listening~ Go on. Tell me sloooowly."
She growled. "I'll — I'll curse you! I'll throw a hundred curse dolls into your rooms!"
Rick burst out laughing.
"More likely you'd get caught by my intel network, arrested for trespassing into the boys' dorm, or end up as a corpse if Kajann Edvalt got annoyed."
Meilyn blinked. "…Who?"
"I said, Kajann Edvalt."
"I heard you. Who is he?!"
Rick only smirked, arms resting behind his head.
Before Meilyn could press further, Knox casually spoke up.
"Well… he's my friend. Or more like… a childhood friend."
Silence.
Claudia, Cindy, Merida, Meilyn, and Camibarez all turned toward Knox.
Claudia raised an eyebrow. "Childhood friend? Another one?"
Knox scratched his cheek lightly.
"Yeah. Long story short — before I became active as a bounty hunter in the Neutral Zone, I met him. You could say Kajann and I helped each other survive back then."
The air around both groups shifted instantly.
Curiosity lit their eyes. Knox's reputation as an author had already spread across the continent.
But Knox's past…
Especially before becoming a bounty hunter…
That was a story no one had ever heard.
A short while later, more students trickled in, gradually filling the room. Not long after, the Toxicology professor entered.
"Ehem—who's handling greetings today?"
"The class rep!" someone answered.
"There is no class rep!"
"Then you'll do."
"Yessir!"
Jamie Victoria sprang to her feet.
"Everyone, attention! Salute to the professor!"
"Hello, Professor!"
"Yes, yes. Sit down."
Lang Strauss was the only professor at Kizen who insisted on formal greetings. Leaning heavily on his staff, the elderly necromancer slowly climbed onto the podium. His hunched back, gaunt frame, and deeply lined face gave him the appearance of someone perpetually exhausted.
"Ehem… what class was this again…?"
"Class A!"
"Oh, right. Your first Toxicology session, then."
"Yes, Professor!"
Lang opened his textbook. "Ehem—turn to page one."
And just like that, the class began with a slow, monotonous reading of the text.
The effect was devastating.
Within ten minutes, eyelids drooped across the room.
Lang's lethargic, droning voice was so dull it almost felt like a sleep curse in auditory form.
"Ehem… Toxicology is not merely the study of poisons. It concerns compounds, reactions, combinations…"
Nod. Nod.
Rick's head dipped sharply forward.
Simon stifled a laugh and nudged him with an elbow. Rick jolted awake—only to start nodding off again five minutes later. Simon gave up.
Meanwhile, Knox, who was still listening, let out a faint sigh.
"I'm starting to believe this is a Sleep Curse lecture rather than Toxicology."
Claudia, fighting her own drowsiness, murmured back,
"Urgh… agreed."
In Team Eight, only Claudia remained conscious enough to respond. Cindy and Merida had already been defeated, slumped across their desks like fallen soldiers.
Knox glanced at them, then shifted his gaze toward Professor Lang.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Pity. Concern. And something darker.
…His condition really is worsening, Knox thought. The poison's already spread too far.
The theoretical explanation dragged on for forty agonizing minutes. By then, half the class had their faces buried in their desks.
Lang finally looked up.
"Ehem—let's proceed to the practical portion. We'll be brewing Low-Grade Poisoning Potions."
At last. Students began lifting their heads one by one, revived by the promise of hands-on work.
Teaching assistants moved quickly, placing ingredients onto each desk.
"Ehem… remember, precision is everything in Toxicology. Exact measurements. Correct sequence."
Scales were brought out. Ingredients weighed. Cauldrons filled with water.
Following Lang's instructions, students chopped black pill toadstools and frog tongues before dropping them into the simmering liquid.
"And next is—cough! cough!"
Lang suddenly doubled over. Then came a violent coughing fit.
"Keh-hehhek! Gehuk! Gkk!"
The entire room froze.
Knox's expression darkened. "…Those symptoms are severe."
Teaching assistants rushed to the podium.
In Lang's trembling handkerchief—
Purplish blood.
"Professor, you've pushed yourself too hard. Please, you must rest."
Lang shook his head weakly. "No… without me, the class…"
"It's only the lab session. We can supervise. Your health comes first."
After repeated insistence, Lang Strauss was finally escorted out of the practice room by several assistants.
And just like that—
Class A's Toxicology lecture descended into uneasy silence.
The students blinked, still processing the sudden turn of events.
Then, stepping into Professor Lang's place, a red-haired teaching assistant walked up to the podium. She let out a soft sigh, her sharp eyes sweeping across the room — before stopping at a male student who was still nodding off.
Without hesitation, she grabbed a thick textbook.
And threw it.
Thud!
The book crashed onto the desk, jolting the student awake.
"Everyone, rise."
"…?"
"I said rise."
Chairs screeched.
Startled into obedience, the students hurriedly stood. The red-haired assistant crossed her arms, her stern gaze pressing down on them like a physical weight.
"How dare you show such disrespect to the professor, Class A."
Silence.
"You fall asleep? Bury your heads in your desks?" Her voice cut through the air like a blade. "What kind of rotten bottom-feeders are you to call yourselves students of Kizen?!"
The atmosphere froze.
Spines straightened. Breathing stilled.
For a brief moment, she raised a hand to her forehead, as if restraining her irritation.
"…Let us maintain at least the bare minimum of respect. Understood?"
"Yes, understood!"
"Take your seats."
This time, no one hesitated.
As the students quickly sat down, she exhaled and tied her red hair neatly with a cord.
"I am Francesca Velmond, teaching assistant to Professor Lang Strauss. I will be conducting this session in his place."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Today's task: brewing a Low-Grade Poisoning Potion."
She closed Lang's abandoned textbook with a snap. "Close your books."
Knox remained seated, his expression perfectly calm.
But beneath that composure —
Something dark stirred. A faint chill flickered through his eyes.
Heh… so you've finally shown yourself.
His fingers tightened slightly.
Francesca Velmond…
No.
A thin, invisible killing intent seeped into his thoughts.
Saintess Flema...