The moment Yuuki saw the three infants floating inside those tanks, his gaze deepened.
Cloning technology—no matter the world—was always considered one of the most advanced and renowned forms of research. And yet Sally had developed such a thing entirely on her own.
Even though Yuuki already knew this in advance… seeing it with his own eyes still sent a strange shock through him.
Those three infants were clones of Vetto, Fana, and Rhya—Licht's contingency plan, prepared in case of disaster.
"Hehehe, surprising, isn't it?"
"These aren't ordinary babies!"
Sally beamed proudly as she followed Yuuki's stare toward the incubation tanks, her eyes burning with feverish excitement.
"With just a little blood and some tissue samples, I can cultivate infants like these. Give me enough time, and they'll grow into exact copies of the original!"
With a few light hops she was already standing before the tanks, pressing both hands against the glass, her voice trembling with wild enthusiasm.
"Amazing."
Yuuki offered genuine praise.
Sally's smile brightened even further. As a researcher, nothing was more delightful than having one's work acknowledged.
"So, who exactly are these babies?"
Yuuki asked, knowing the answer but playing along.
"Heehee, that's a secret~." She raised a finger to her lips.
Yuuki shrugged in feigned disappointment.
But internally…
He had expected that answer.
Sally, Rades, and Valtos were all powerful—on par with magic knight squad members—and each was a valuable talent.
Unfortunately, their loyalty to Licht was still far too high to recruit them.
If he had to pick the easiest one to sway, though, it would definitely be Sally.
To her, nothing mattered more than research and experimentation.
"Well then… how can you be so sure the babies you created will inherit the original person's magic?"
Yuuki asked casually.
"That's simple—bloodline inheritance!"
Sally replied without hesitation. Then she added:
"The Bird family's spatial magic, the Vermillion family's fire magic—they're classic examples of hereditary attributes! The stronger or more unique the magic, the more likely it is to be inherited."
"This isn't some secret, handsome. You're just inexperienced~."
Hands folded proudly across her chest, she smirked.
"Is that so?"
Yuuki chuckled lightly, neither agreeing nor arguing.
Instead he asked:
"Then why bloodline inheritance and not mana inheritance?"
He had pondered this for a long time.
In the Black Clover world, a person's magic was tied to the nature of their soul—that much he confirmed through his replication ability.
But then there was hereditary magic, passed down through "bloodlines," especially among nobles and royalty.
The examples Sally just listed weren't the only cases.
Noelle's House Silva was an even clearer one.
Noelle's father used Water Magic.
Her mother used Mercury Magic.
The Silver Eagles' captain, Nozel, inherited their mother's mercury spells, while Noelle and her siblings inherited the family's Water Magic.
If it were just this, it could still be explained away.
But there was an even bigger issue:
Later in the story, Noelle awakened the Valkyrie Armor—a spell nearly identical to her mother Acier's signature magic, from her days as the "Steel Princess," famed for dancing across battlefields with lethal grace.
Their magic attributes differed—mercury versus water—but the ability itself was unmistakably similar.
That was the strange part.
If magic was tied to one's soul, then spell development should be shaped by personal experience, training, and emotional growth.
Magic was supposed to be deeply individual.
But Noelle's life experiences were nothing like her mother's—and yet she awakened the same spell.
That was abnormal.
Calling this bloodline inheritance didn't feel accurate at all.
Mana inheritance made far more sense.
And then there was Yuno.
His father, the king of the Spade Kingdom, used Sun Magic.
His mother, the queen, used Moon Magic.
When the Spade Kingdom's envoy found Yuno using Wind Magic, they were stunned—it was impossible by bloodline logic.
Of course, this was due to Yuno hosting an elf soul. Wind Magic belonged to that elf child.
Later, when Yuno returned to the Spade Kingdom, he awakened his true spell—Star Magic.
If bloodline inheritance were absolute, his magic should have been Sun or Moon Magic… not something evolved from those elements.
To Yuuki, the entire "bloodline inheritance" theory had holes everywhere.
He also remembered the elves, wiped out 500 years ago—Licht's people.
According to them, the Clover Kingdom's royal and noble families had stolen their mana.
That was when Yuuki began considering the concept of mana inheritance.
"Mana inheritance…?"
Sally froze. Her red eyes locked onto him.
It was the first time she'd heard the term, but she instantly grasped its implications.
She had never considered this angle.
"Mana inheritance… bloodline inheritance… mana inheritance…"
She muttered to herself over and over, eyes burning brighter with each repetition.
"This is just my speculation," Yuuki said mildly. "But many nobles don't just inherit magic attributes—they even manifest spells identical to ones used in the past."
"If we explain everything using only bloodline inheritance, it doesn't quite fit."
He watched Sally fall deeper and deeper into thought, something fierce and blazing in her eyes.
"Oh, right—one more thing."
"I've always wondered: why are nobles and royals born with such massive mana reserves while commoners have so little?"
"It's like they're entirely different species. Was it always like this from the beginning?"
He added two more questions.
In Sally's crimson pupils, an unusual light flickered.
It was several long moments before she finally snapped back to her senses.
She turned toward where Yuuki had been standing, bursting with excitement, ready to speak—
But the spot was empty.
Yuuki was already gone.
"Damn! He ran off?!"
Sally froze, then scowled in frustration.
(End of Chapter)