<836 - Simmah (3)>
The news of the battle between the Oknodie Support Professors and the Oknodie Abuse Professors quickly spread throughout the campus.
“Did you hear? The professors are having a huge fight over the Dark Princess’s successor issue?”
“For now, let’s keep our heads down and just watch. If we jump to conclusions and disturb Oknodie, the professors might merge with the support faction and do to us what they did to Oknodie.”
Many students were unhappy that the Homunculi were getting plenty of support from the Student Council while settling in comfortably.
Unbeknownst to anyone, they had been making things difficult for the Dark Trading Company, the Organization that Plays with Oknodie, and the Student Council.
“Did you hear? The food cart from the Dark Trading Company that was supposed to come to the Academy got completely cleaned out by some ridiculously strong bandits!”
“Huh? The Third Years just came back with a ton of food… could that be…?”
“Wait, this isn’t the time for such details. The students selling gathering materials to our Trading Company reported that all the gathering sites are dried up!”
The Dark Trading Company began facing problems with supply and resource gathering.
“Our gathering site’s materials have dried up. It seems everything got cleaned out last night!”
“The field boss, Queen Silkworm, is crying because all her threads got taken too. And now… Titosso is crying because he heard her! Do something quickly, or my brain might melt!”
The Organization that Plays with Oknodie roamed around the open fields recklessly, and someone cleaned out all the materials they could gather from the areas they had taken over.
Thanks to this, Jezel had to rush to open the materials storage to soothe Titosso’s tears from not getting lecture materials.
“Are only Homunculi human? We are people too!”
“Student Council, awaken! Awaken!”
“Class 982 students want proper treatment!”
“Student Council, awaken! Awaken!”
Moreover, the pressure from outside the Academy was different from the internal issues.
“Jezel, the Maritime Kingdom, which promised to provide escort, is unable to due to the appearance of Demonic Beasts, and has gone to hunt them.”
“Did those Demonic Beasts actually appear?”
“The emergence of Demonic Beasts has indeed been confirmed, but it’s at a level that can be handled with existing forces of the Silver Rank.”
“I see.”
“It seems they’re trying to withdraw their fleet and mobilize soldiers disguised as pirates to launch an attack along the trade routes.”
Some countries began to move differently from the Student Council or Dark Trading Company.
As Jezel’s workload skyrocketed, leaving no room for her to focus on her studies and substituting everything with Points, a fight broke out between the Oknodie Support Professors and the Abuse Professors.
Thanks to that, it seemed there was a conclusion that the Academy might support the Student Council depending on the outcome of the fight, leading to a significant reduction in external pressure on the Academy.
The intensity of attacks was reduced as they decided to observe how things would unfold and formulate a response strategy.
“I can’t believe it. The first time I saw that precariously dangerous little lady, and now she’s become a key figure influencing international affairs and deeply involved with the Gift Academy.”
“Why talk like it’s someone else’s business? The one who was just selling admission tickets is now the Student Council President of the Gift Academy and is swallowing the powers of the ‘Director,’ becoming the head of the top organization in the underworld.”
Son Ohchun scolded, and Isabel chuckled.
“Do you think I don’t know that Imperialistic Big Banana stocks surged as the Revolutionary Army General theme stocks? I can just drop out of the Academy right now and with what I’ve made, set up my own organization for a century!”
“I’ve also heard that Isabel has been receiving new cooking methods from the ‘Gourmet Chef’ who visited the Academy recently. The Esornia Expedition Team has also taken in several new members. Everyone has grown in one way or another.”
The entrance party that had entered the Gift Academy alongside Oknodie had now completely turned into a group of big shots.
It didn’t take long before whispers of Oknodie being caught in some trouble and the professors having major disputes over it reached everyone’s ears. Oknodie was now wandering the campus slowly, sighing and shedding tears without attending lectures or meals.
“I’ve never seen Oknodie look so sad before.”
“That little rat, shouldn’t we run and help right away?”
Isabel and Son Ohchun wanted to dash off and comfort Oknodie, but Jezel shook her head after a moment of thought.
“Now isn’t the time.”
“Why not?”
“The professors are watching. If we intervene, it might force Oknodie to pay a greater price in retaliation.”
“!!”
“…Those awful professors. I thought they were decent because their reputation was good, but it turns out they’re all the same.”
There are no good professors in this world.
Isabel realized the harsh reality.
“But it’s not like there aren’t any professors we can trust. Oknodie’s guardian, Butler Jonnas, and Professor Reap. Professor Jonnas and Professor Reap should be different.”
Instead of rushing off to Oknodie, the three decided to look for the two guardians.
“Are you aware of the danger facing Oknodie?”
“We are aware.”
“Wait, you are…?”
Jezel was taken aback.
She assumed that two people who cared for Oknodie wouldn’t know what was happening due to being too busy with lectures and would be passive observers.
But if they knew and were still passive, things changed a bit.
“I heard that the special class lecture was agreed upon by Professor Jonnas. Even though your ‘young lady’ is suffering so much due to these lectures, do you have no intention of revoking that agreement?”
“I know what you aim to do. However, we will not agree with your intentions.”
Isabel felt betrayed.
“Reap. Are you the same?”
“My opinion aligns with Jonnas’s opinion.”
“You shouldn’t be like this!”
Isabel secretly respected Reap.
“Do you know how hard it is to feed her new foods all the time? You even have to meet Oknodie’s picky gourmet preferences with just a single candy. The effort it takes to make safety-conscious poisons with different combinations, raising their tolerance, is something only someone who truly cares for Oknodie could bear.”
“It’s an honor. I’m just grateful someone recognizes my efforts.”
“How can you ignore Oknodie’s troubles like this? If you truly care for Oknodie, this can’t be the way!”
Isabel’s argument was valid.
But Reap was not passively ignoring these terrible deeds for no reason.
“If you are done speaking, may we speak now?”
Isabel nodded to hear what significant reasons they might have.
“We are drafting and promoting a contract proposal that includes mandatory implementation of professor reappointment and enhancement of dismissal criteria, according to the young lady’s wishes.”
Hearing the practical matters, Isabel felt dizzy and lost confidence rapidly.
Having developed a habit of pushing all the tough stuff onto Jezel, Isabel naturally started to back away and hide behind her.
While Isabel and Son Ohchun were silently wrestling by stepping on each other’s feet, Jezel cautiously asked.
“Are you watching for the professors’ dismissal?”
“That’s correct.”
“Is that even possible? Our Academy isn’t an ordinary one, and the employment contracts are largely influenced by the Principal’s wishes, right?”
The Principal has eyes everywhere across the continent, snatching which he likes and which seems interesting to create new professors.
The rest are mainly those assigned through a quota system from various nations.
Whether considering political interests or not, they are not easy professors.
They fight influence battles with external nations, voice their opinions to the Principal, and regardless of which side you’re on, it’s too much for ordinary professors to handle.
“So, with the young lady’s help, we’ve recorded conversations where professors speak ill of each other. We’re also collecting statements from other special class students.”
“Statements…?”
“Those who cooperate with the statements can see more student-friendly professors take office, testing whether special class lectures truly yield meaningful results in skill improvement.”
“!!”
“So far, the collected responses indicate that most say it’s of no help at all.”
But the Principal defined himself as the Principal of the Academy. In the face of students’ condemnation that they can’t learn under a certain professor, he would never truly be free.
Instead of confronting professors’ power directly, they shake the Principal’s heart, who chose the professors.
The moment the Principal decides he wants to replace professors who are nothing but amusing and bothersome, those professors’ power and external circumstances will mean nothing.
“But for that plan to succeed, the newly appointed professors must provoke the Principal’s ‘interest’ just like the current professors, right?”
“We’ve already secured enough candidates who can draw interest.”
Jonnas’s recommendations.
Reap’s recommendations.
Those endorsed by the two professors were all figures revealed to be traitors of the Foundation.
Kicked out of politics, branded as betrayers by organizations, they either wandered without a place to go or quietly disappeared, or bled to wash their blood against nations or organizations to survive.
Verified troublemakers.
Sufficient enough to pique the Principal’s curiosity while being harmless to Oknodie.
Oknodie’s counterattack.
A big one.
Their identity was the replacement of professors and the mass appointment of new professors from the Foundation.
