<215 - Choose the Bad Person> Sebiche Ducal House. It's the hometown family of Arcadia, which has caused a lot of trouble in the Kingdom of Florence. In fact, it's a family that deserves to go bankrupt. They lobbied for their own interests and mobilized the navy to protect their shipping vessels. Thanks to that, the villagers who couldn’t handle the threat of sea monsters became pirates who robbed people instead of catching fish. It was easier to plunder safe merchant ships than fighting monsters to catch fish. The economic revival of the Kingdom of Florence was achieved thanks to the Sebiche Ducal House, but it also brought extreme wealth disparity, social unrest, anxiety among the populace, and deteriorating law and order. A power holder bearing both the light and darkness of a nation. The karma built up will eventually come back around. Arcadia Princess vs. Pirate Jigoku. A regional event that takes the side of one character to annihilate the other. Depending on the outcome, the balance of the Kingdom of Florence will change completely. But whichever side wins, there is a common result. “The Sebiche family has built up a lot of karma anyway. It’s only natural for such a family to collapse, right?” In the Arcadia victory route, in order to correct the family’s ugly image, she sweeps away the head and retainers. In the Jigoku victory route, Jigoku, having become the representative of the pirates, thoroughly plunders the territory, leading to a plethora of evidence linking him to crime, causing him to fall into ruin. “Then does that mean you have no intention of rescuing the Sebiche Ducal House for your friend, Princess Arcadia, or helping the Foundation to show strength?” “Why would a student do that? I’m friends with both sides, so there’s no need to get involved.” A confrontation event that involves sacrificing the favorability of one character to raise the favorability of the other. Naturally, as someone who is close to both, I have no need to participate in such events. “So you’ve come all the way here, and you’re not going to say something like ‘now that you’re done here, you can go back’, right?” The once confident director began to show signs of fear in his eyes. “I came here with considerable expectations, you know? Yet the butler waiting for me isn’t Jonnas but some incompetent one, which has only irritated me further. I even put up with it to meet the person who called for me. But if you disappoint me… zap zap”
A deep blue lightning crackled lightly at his fingertips.
“That’ll turn the optimal event route into garbage.”
*
The director was utterly deflated.
Now he had to pull out all the stops to placate this child.
The fate of the Sebiche Ducal House?
The return of the Darkness Aptitude Evaluation Hat?
Such things were not even to be uttered aloud.
His poisonous touch could rival that of the underworld’s heavyweights.
If he offends this child even once more, danger would befall him.
Even if he fought seriously, he might not have a good chance.
Even if he wins, he would be harming the chief scholarship student, who is cherished by the boss.
He would end up getting thrown into the middle of the ocean along with magical waste; that was unavoidable.
Win or lose, it all leads to ruin.
Whether it’s confidence in his skills or understanding of his circumstances, the child was prepared to fight if necessary.
For the director, the most undesirable future was looming at hand, and he had to do his best to cater to Oknodie.
“If you have any conditions you want, I’ll grant them all. You have to make the trip worthwhile, don’t you?”
“Then starting now until the day I return to the Academy, let’s have a meal with more than 10 gold coins worth of dishes every time!”
“…Every day?”
“You said you were going to be out for a week, right? I postponed my plans for a week as well. It’s reasonable to expect corresponding benefits. Don’t you hate that?”
“Not at all! I was just worried that leaving too early might be disappointing. Honestly, I could leave in a month.”
“Really?”
“…But considering my studies, I’d appreciate it if you thought about returning in a week.”
“I’ll think about it!”
What a demon-like fellow.
“All that’s left to do here is either deal with the Sebiche Ducal House or the Pierrot Masked Group. It’ll only be a nuisance, so you can just lounge around in your room and rest.”
Of course, it couldn’t be that there was only such work in the hideout of the director.
Sorting out intelligence from the Gift Academy and confirming directives from the Foundation.
Choosing suitable personnel from the scholarship students hiding in the Academy to carry out those directives.
If the Academy’s security rules change, seeking out new ways to bypass them.
Requests for manpower and supplies, sometimes even procuring impossible items through the Pierrot Masked Group; there was really a mountain of work to do.
“I can’t assign that to Oknodie, who’s also a scholarship student.”
The mention of the Pierrot Masked Group, a dirty crew dealing in child abduction and acrobatic training, was intended to dampen Oknodie’s motivation.
No matter how mature, it’s not normal for an 11-year-old child to want to get involved with rampant crime organizations under the Foundation.
“Organization quest? That sounds fun. I like it!”
“…”
Could this be a devil crawling out of the Netherworld?
Expectations based on common sense were shattered once again.
*
The head of the Mahabharata year department realized that the time had come as he looked over the official document.
“An additional official document has come from the Foundation. It’s an effective notice that Oknodie’s return date will be postponed.”
The promised week was crudely pushed back to two weeks.
When the next week passes, what will happen then?
It might get pushed back another week, turning into a month.
A month later could turn into two months.
Two months later might become half a year.
Half a year later may even extend to a year.
The return period may become indefinite, and Oknodie might never leave the Foundation’s embrace.
“Professor Destroyer. May I ask for a favor?”
“Is this about Oknodie, the first-year student?”
“That’s right.”
“Is it impossible to request a repatriation?”
“If we refuse, the information about Oknodie might be cut off. As a conditional permit, I request that you be dispatched to examine the effectiveness of Oknodie’s external activities on the pretext of checking the current status, as well as if there is any detention against her will.”
Professor Destroyer gladly accepted the request.
He was the one who knew Oknodie’s whereabouts within the Academy better than anyone else.
There was no place in the continent where the information network he built through the thief guild he created would not reach.
“It was a wise choice to come to me. Compared to other professors, I’m rather reliable, right?”
‘If I tell them that only Oknodie is attending my lectures, so it looks like I can freely leave whenever I want, he’ll get angry, right?’
The head of the Mahabharata year department concealed his true feelings with a smile.
“Professor! We also want to help!”
“We tried to gather information about Oknodie ourselves. Please accept it, even if it doesn’t help much.”
“I can’t underestimate the friendship of friends who genuinely care for each other, regardless of age. I’ll accept the documents you brought.”
Gizel and Isabel, who came to find Destroyer at dawn, were armed with information gathered from the dark merchant connection and eyewitness accounts from the Esornia Expedition Team.
After examining the accuracy of the materials, Professor Destroyer was unexpectedly impressed by the thoroughness of the information.
‘Gizel, the first-year student, has quite a knack for intelligence.’
The Pierrot Masked Group.
They had discovered information about the criminal organization known for kidnapping and found that Oknodie was associated with them.
‘Isabel, the first-year student, seems to have a lot of personal connections left from her days in the expedition team before admission.’
The Esornia Expedition Team.
They also gathered significant information.
There were eyewitness accounts that linked Oknodie, dirty from rolling in the mud, to offering live beasts to the masked group.
Both sides were major burdens.
They had succeeded in gathering information with high difficulty.
“We found out that Oknodie is being held by the Pierrot Masked Group, a subordinate organization of the Foundation, and is being forced into labor. At this rate, she might end up assisting in the organization’s human trafficking.”
“Indeed. This isn’t a suitable environment for her to continue her external studies. I will make effective use of this information.”
Professor Destroyer accepted the goodwill of the two.
Meanwhile, he thought.
‘Is Oknodie still just a child?’
Given her level of skill, it shouldn’t be normal for her to be swayed by requests or coercion from someone.
It seemed like her young age was keeping her unaware of the world, causing her to be swept away by the Foundation’s will.
That child genuinely needed proper protection from the Academy.
‘Here it is.’
Based on the information provided by Gizel and Isabel, tracking Oknodie’s movements, narrowing down her current location wasn’t that difficult.
“I found you. Oknodie, have you been doing well?”
“Ah, Professor Destroyer!”
One week and three days after Oknodie left the Academy, Professor Destroyer had finally found her.
“I’ve come to rescue you. You no longer have to suffer from the Foundation’s tyranny. Let’s return to the Academy.”
Finding her was one thing; taking her back would be another.
The professor’s mind was racing with thoughts of how to take revenge on the Foundation.
Was it because of this?
He was left speechless at Oknodie’s response.
It was as if his brain had short-circuited.
“Rescue? I’m just happily doing what I want to do! I only eat delicious food!”
Oknodie rejected the return to the Academy.
As if she had completed brainwashing.
“Please say hi to Isabel for me. I still have some things to gather out here. I’ll be back soon!”
With a bright smile, she even bid farewell.
There was no choice but to be stunned.
