<216 - ...Call the Foundation Officer>
External activities at the Academy turned out to be surprisingly rewarding.
The Pierrot Masked Group is considered a mid-level organization even among evil organizations.
There are many strong individuals, and the organization quests they undertake inherently come with difficulty.
“Show me the hardest ones here!”
To take it a step further, the difficulty is raised to cater to the taste of veteran players.
Originally, NPCs wouldn’t show high-level quests no matter how skilled you were unless you achieved a certain level of organizational contribution and built trust.
“Our organization will not… uh-uh-uh!”
“Oh dear. It seems you’ve suddenly taken ill! Someone else should help you. Can you show me the hardest quest here?”
The new executive presented the quest parchment with a stiff face at the sight of a predecessor addicted to Dark Mana puffing out puff-puff black smoke.
While Dark Mana has dangerous properties that can cause spells to mutate when used recklessly, it’s rather convenient for a criminal organization.
With just a little infusion of mana, it can incapacitate anyone with Dark Mana addiction, causing everyone to tremble in fear!
[Due to your repeated threats using Dark Mana, the organization [Pierrot Masked Group] is gripped by fear.]
[Fear Induction Experience +5]
[Threatening Experience +5]
[Mana Technique Experience +5]
[Naughty Child Experience +1]
[You have successfully completed the circus-level demonic beast capture (high grade) mission.]
[Pierrot Masked Group organizational contribution increased by 10 million.]
[Taming Experience +50]
[Dark Thorn Vine Root Creation Experience +20]
[Hanging Experience +10]
[Crying Experience +10]
[Operation Planning Experience +5]
[Tracking Experience +5]
[Detection Experience +5]
[Threatening Experience +5]
[Naughty Child Experience +3]
[You have successfully completed the organization’s fugitive elimination mission.]
[Pierrot Masked Group organizational contribution increased by 8.5 million.]
[Threatening Experience +50]
[Mana Technique Experience +20]
[Analytical Thinking Experience +20]
[Psychological Prediction Experience +10]
[Operation Planning Experience +10]
[Naughty Child Experience +5]
Finding the fugitive’s location he already knew, threatening them by taking hostages, then swiftly capturing a demonic beast to show off in the organization’s infiltration into the higher regions.
The rapidly inflated contribution is a badge of trust.
From now on, that can be used to hire organization members for personal activities or to deploy the organization for his own operations or commissions.
[You have continuously consumed different dishes for ten days.]
[The [Collection Identification] skill to discern undiscovered recipes in the cookbook is activated.]
Truly, customer satisfaction is at 200%.
I am so happy.
If only I could lounge here for just a little longer and feast on all the dishes!
If I just fill my contribution a bit more, I can become an upperclassman or command the entire [Pierrot Masked Group] after graduation.
Though it seems like I’d have no use for these trashy methods of just kidnapping kids, a shift in perspective is needed in moments like this.
On the contrary, if I assign them different missions to prevent those wicked deeds from taking place, there will be fewer kids suffering through kidnapping and forced education during that time.
“There were definitely a list of derivative events caused by those kids around this time.”
An event where orphans vanish en masse from the territory, prompting an investigation request from an orphanage.
An event where the orphanage director, having received information that children were sold to a man in a Pierrot mask, tries to tail him.
An undercover or infiltration event to directly inspect the situation of the abducted children in the Pierrot Masked Group’s den.
An event where mercenaries work together with the local lord to raid and rescue the children requesting help.
An event taking place after surviving retaliation from the Pierrot Masked Group and engaging in full-scale battle.
If the lord asking for help happens to be an ally of theirs, there’s even the possibility of reporting crimes occurring in the territory to another territory and receiving assistance from the Guild.
Absolutely countless events are lined up and waiting, and if any runaways are mixed among the abducted kids, the number of events could increase severalfold depending on their backgrounds.
However, the rewards from following this series of routes are less significant compared to the greater benefit derived from preemptively preventing the situation.
“The rewards compared to the time invested are pathetic. The final rewards aren’t even that great.”
The Savior title for rescuing orphans.
A certificate of gratitude from the Guild.
Recognition from the Lord.
All these pale in comparison to the connections with the Arcadia Princess.
This is why the game is called [Graduating the Academy by Luck].
The essence of the game is graduating from the Academy.
As connections with the Academy and the students diminish, the significance of the events and the value of the rewards become harder to expect.
The Pierrot Masked Group’s related quest is an auxiliary event that triggers only when there are no NPCs with whom to deepen relationships by vacation time or when immediate specifications need to be built up.
“I found you. Oknodie, have you been doing well?”
“Ah, Professor Destroyer!”
Meeting an acquaintance in an unexpected place feels far more delightful than usual.
The appearance of Professor Destroyer feels magical, like meeting a fellow countryman in a foreign country or running into a friend while traveling.
“Please send my regards to Isabel. I still have things to gather outside. I’ll be back soon!”
That’s that, but this is this.
I’ve come out to maximize efficiency, and I can’t just ditch the collection work and organizational quests until the end, can I?
But the professor isn’t an average person when it comes to persistence.
“…Call the Foundation Officer.”
The Director showed up with a cheerful expression again.
“Let’s talk. I have a lot to say about Oknodie.”
“Whenever you wish, I’m all ears.”
The Director looked positively relieved, like someone who just had a sore tooth pulled.
Oknodie’s existence was burdensome as it was.
Due to obtaining a demonic beast too powerful for the Pierrot Masked Group to handle, tremendous interest began to converge nearby.
Luring orphans? Kidnapping?
I wouldn’t dare to even dream of it.
Should criminal acts be carried out brazenly while all eyes are on us, mercenaries and territorial soldiers would rush in until they find us.
“The deadline for returning Oknodie to the Foundation was three days ago. We had considered the Foundation’s stance, yet you’re acting this way.”
“I do feel sorry about that. But can we really help what the child wants?”
The Director thought to himself.
Keeping her at the branch wasn’t his wish but rather Oknodie’s own intention.
He wanted Oknodie to be persuaded and taken along.
Isn’t it feasible for an academy professor to manage that?
He wanted to wash his hands clean of all troublesome matters and push the responsibility onto the teacher-student relationship.
Feel free to insult it as a cowardly tactic of an adult trying to avoid responsibility.
If it means freeing himself from Oknodie, he would welcome it with open arms.
“…Oknodie. Is that true?”
“Yes! Can’t I stay a little longer? Please?”
Oknodie pleaded and clung to him, just like a child reluctant to return home from a picnic.
To an outsider, it might seem quaint and adorable, but for Professor Destroyer, the timing to firmly admonish her was a shock.
“It’s only been ten days. What on earth have they done to Oknodie in that time?”
He knew best how strong-willed that child was since he had trained her directly.
He had witnessed personally the strength of the Foundation’s ‘mentor’ throughout his nightmares.
Thus, he held a certain conviction about how important Oknodie’s ‘graduation’ was to them.
Yet, the policy had changed.
The Foundation intended to postpone Oknodie’s graduation.
“There’s a division of intent. Another faction exists.”
A faction that hopes for Oknodie’s growth.
And conversely, a faction that wishes to understand her true identity.
The man before him belonged to the faction that sought her identity.
Bucking responsibility under the guise of Oknodie’s will.
But even if the child’s heart is strong, does she know what she’s doing?
The Pierrot Masked Group.
What joy or pleasure could there possibly be for the child working for those filthy criminals?
They are a notorious human trafficking organization.
They have built a fearful reputation for their brutal child abuse education.
An assassination early training institution.
The Thief Guild conducted a thorough investigation into their nature.
And they affirmed it.
The training methods Oknodie displayed at the Academy.
The teaching methods used for the students.
The acrobatic training originated from here.
Indeed, the Pierrot Masked Group is an educational institute that taught Oknodie the basics of assassination.
She has been forced to halt her studies according to the Foundation’s will while being subjected to abuse and torment under a human trafficking organization, tending to their affairs.
And yet, the elegantly dressed man before the professor purported to speak on behalf of Oknodie’s own desires.
It was nothing more than a mockery.
– We have already dominated Oknodie’s body and mind. Do you think a mere Academy professor can take this child away from our Foundation’s influence?
Though he wore a smile that suggested all worries were alleviated, behind it lay the mocking assurance that you can’t do anything.
The way he loosened his tie and casually tapped his fingers on the table only pushed the notion that they should hurry and end this time-wasting conversation.
You can’t do anything.
Give up.
Just go back.
Oknodie will continue to stay with us.
“Arrogant little punk.”
Even though he was now retired, he used to be a part of a legendary Warrior Party that traveled the world.
He had witnessed firsthand what happens when villages or people are unable to receive help in the face of injustice, and the result of closing his eyes to the spectacle of justice being trampled.
He couldn’t afford to make that mistake again.
“If talking won’t work, there’s always the option to take her by force. Would you still be able to smile then?”
The expressions of the Foundation Director and Oknodie both vanished simultaneously.
