The next day Hatsumi approached me: "Koyuki, I have a request."

"Sure, what is it?" I replied. It was rare for Hatsumi to ask for things, so I was curious.

She straightened. "I would like to become a spellblade. I think it would be a great topic for the necromancy conference as well."

I blinked. I had known that Hatsumi was interested in spellblades. What I had not expected was for her to publicly pursue it.

"I am more than happy to help you become a spellblade. I am just not sure if empowering vampires is that popular with the kingdom. Is it wise to pick that as a topic for the conference?" I wondered.

"This is not something we can just do by ourselves. I will need help from Mary for the inscriptions. She has regular meetings with Skadi and is still monitoring her runes. I think she would be interested. Also, it's not something we could keep a secret anyway. I am unsure if we can get permission from the academy but I think the magic behind it is going to tempt them. Also, if we are successful the method could be transferred to other creatures. Tamers would be interested, I am sure." Hatsumi pointed out.

"I suppose. Although you have blood magic. We are essentially using the information gained from Skadi's transformation. I doubt it would work on other creatures. Assuming we can make it work in the first place." I replied.

Hatsumi smiled. "Perhaps. However, it will definitely encourage research. And it is not our task to make it work for others, but the possibility will make my transformation more acceptable. If we can point to a use besides necromancy it will have more support. Also, some monsters do have blood magic."

"Ok, let's ask the teachers. We could start with Gronir." I suggested.

"Mary is going to meet with Skadi now, we could start there. She is also the most crucial to convince." Hatsumi replied.

I nodded. "Good point, let's go."

It would be rude to disturb the lesson, or was it more of a check-up? Anyway, we waited patiently in front of the room until Skadi was done. Thankfully I did not have any more classes today, so I was in no hurry. And I had a textbook to read while we waited.

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"Koyuki, what are you doing here?" Skadi asked. She had just opened the door and saw me sitting in the hallway.

"Hi Skadi! We want to talk to Mary about Hatsumi becoming a spellblade." I replied.

"Oh." Was the response.

"What is going on?" We heard a voice from inside the room. Mary had noticed the commotion.

Skadi stepped aside and I entered with Hatsumi.

"Ma'am, we are here with a request." I said.

"Oh? Do you want to become a death knight after all?" She asked.

Meanwhile, Skadi closed the door and stayed inside the room. The topic had clearly caught her interest.

"Um, no. It's about Hatsumi." I replied.

The vampire's tail flicked around nervously. "Ma'am, I would like to become a spellblade." Hatsumi said.

Mary stared at the vampire. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." Hatsumi confirmed.

"You want to become a vampire spellblade? The first known vampire spellblade?" She asked again.

"Yes. I think we can do it. With your help." Hatsumi replied.

"What makes you think you can do it?" Mary asked.

"There are enough similarities to Skadi. I have trained with her. We have practised spells together. We have compared how magic flows in my body and how it flows inside a spellblade. I think with the help of Cassie we can design an ink that works for me. And with your help we can adjust the runes." Hatsumi replied confidently.

"Cassie is just a student." Mary countered.

"A very talented student and I have no doubt that Horas would help her. He has also assisted with my creation. Further, I do have a reasonable core and can perform spells. I see no reason why we could not find a way." Hatsumi replied.

Mary looked at me. "What do you say to all of this?"

"She wants it and I want to help her. If she thinks it will work I trust her." I replied.

Mary pondered that. "I am certainly intrigued. I would not mind having my name attached to the first successful vampire spellblade. However, we would need the headmaster's approval. And I will not fund you but I am not going to charge you either. We can have a meeting with everyone involved and you can tell me all that you have figured out so far. If it sounds like a proper foundation I am in."

"Thank you!" Hatsumi replied.

The gleam in Mary's eyes suggested that she was a lot more intrigued than she let on. With her help we did have a good chance of pulling it off.

After our first success we went to the headmaster's office. On the way Skadi asked: "Won't this give away too much about our own… methods?"

"I don't think so." I replied. "We are simply comparing you, a spellblade and bloodmage, to a vampire. If you, as a spellblade, are especially efficient with your runes it just says something about your talent. Spellblades have been modelled after magical creatures. The two are naturally connected. We are probably not even the first people to try this."

"You are correct. There have been attempts in the past." Hatsumi said. "However, there are not that many necromancers with a tier three vampire under their control. And if the vampire is unwilling it will certainly hinder your chances. Further, most attempts were not officially sanctioned and had limited resources. There is also the concern that free vampires might learn of the technique. While there has not been an organized vampire threat in a long time, people can be rather paranoid. Vampires are among the few undead who can blend into society. I am hoping the headmaster is going to be reasonable about this."

"He seemed pretty reasonable so far." I replied.

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