<235 - Good night, Goo!>
The Director flicked the support request sent by April with a smile on his face.
“A warrior’s restraint… it seems a wicked villain is threatening the peaceful life of our good child.”
Is that really you saying that?
The Secretary Office Head cursed the Director inwardly.
Of course, with his head bowed.
If their eyes met even for a moment, the Director would instantly read every hidden feeling down to the very bottom of his heart without leaving a trace behind.
“Oknodie’s Butler must have been Jonnas. A kid with a firm will as unbending as ironwood.”
He remembers.
The sight of Jonnas, driven mad by the loss of the ‘Agassi.’
Crawling through the pouring rain, not caring about getting his clothes muddy in the mud, recovering the corpse.
Strong and capable, yet a dog that doesn’t listen needs a sturdy leash.
So he gives them even more fragile dolls to hold onto.
One loss brings rage.
Two losses bring despair.
Three losses bring pleading.
It was only after the fourth that he chose obedience and finally stopped baring his teeth toward his master.
But he knows.
Even without pouncing, barking, baring teeth, bowing down, he recognizes that cold malice and thirst for revenge lie hidden in the bowed face of Jonnas.
“Jonnas Wahyhiemhai. Can you trust him? If he enters the Academy, he may try to hide alongside Oknodie within its embrace.”
The Secretary Office Head offered advice.
Even though the Director is a fearsome and terrifying presence, he doesn’t hold back on offering the necessary counsel.
Otherwise, he might find himself ousted from his position without realizing it, never able to confront the Director again.
Just like Jonnas Wahyhiemhai, who was once considered for the next Butler of Foundation.
“Hoho. I must say, Secretary Office Head, your loyalty is quite commendable. As a thank you, let me share something good with you.”
The Director grabbed the teacup sitting on the table.
Chamomile tea.
A healthy tea that calms the mind and reduces inflammation and stress.
It was carefully selected by the Secretary Office Head.
It was a hope that it might bring that madly insane mind back to a state of normalcy, even a little.
The perfect chamomile tea he chose was set next to the potted plant by the window in the Director’s hand.
“The Academy is the only den where those children can run from me. But if that den tries to harm them, it shall turn into the opposite.”
“Are you saying you will make them run away from the Academy and return to the Foundation?”
“When stressed, it is human nature to wish to escape from the environment.”
Shlurp.
The clear chamomile tea was poured into the potted plant.
Crunch crunch.
The plant inside the pot trembled as a small bug chewed on its leaves.
“A clear mind is a symbol of health, but what is it actually? Does a child who survives alone in a plague-ridden village feel joy after forgetting madness and regaining sanity?”
“…I think it would be even more painful.”
“It would make this poor thing suffer greatly. Becoming aware of one’s plight and facing reality is a painful act, especially for someone in a dilemma.”
Click clack. Click clack.
The Director trimmed a few leaves with pruning scissors and applied disinfectant to the bleeding branches, painting them with wax.
After finishing his meticulous brushwork, he contentedly set down the bonsai tools and turned the empty teacup on the table.
“It tastes good. Could I have another cup, please?”
…You haven’t even finished the first one.
Suppressing his fear, the Secretary Office Head cautiously tilted the teapot to fill the teacup.
“The world can’t accept a child of the Foundation. The position of Chief Scholarship Student is even worse. Oknodie. The more exceptional he becomes, the more stress will increase.”
Because he fears the Foundation.
And Oknodie, who is to become part of the Foundation, fears even more.
The Director poured the contents of the second cup into the fish tank this time.
Gulp gulp.
The fish, munching on seaweed, jerked violently as if having a seizure, then slammed against the tank wall with a thud.
The destructive self-harming behavior was momentary.
The fish soon forgot what it had been doing, swimming lazily in the water, then resumed munching on the seaweed.
“Don’t you wonder what will become of Jonnas and Oknodie when that time comes? Whether they will bleed and suffer as they are painted with wax or forget their pain and become foolish fish. By the way, I personally prefer bonsai over fish.”
The dull fish doesn’t know where its home is, but the bonsai understands it can’t escape.
With a smile that sounded gentle and calm, the Director made the Secretary Office Head think.
Chamomile tea was a total failure.
This man’s madness has completely toyed with his shallow schemes.
He even started to feel afraid.
What would it be like when this madman truly “finds sanity”?
Whether that was even madness to begin with.
“…What will you do about the Foundation’s low-ranking scholarship students, whose identities are suspected to have been exposed?”
“If their tails are revealed, we must plant new ones.”
The Director’s face deepened with calm.
The comfort in the smile adorning his lips grew even more.
“There was an Assassin Maid who cared for her during Oknodie’s training process, right?”
“Yes. Reap Life.”
“Reap Life… Ah, I remember now. The last sprout harvested while burning the fields of the Rosania Elves.”
A child with hair embracing the green freshness.
Yet there was a limit to that talent.
Those who are not pure humans can never rise to prominence in this era.
“I feel uneasy and worried about sending an endangered species to a Dangerous Area, but if we coddle too much, it won’t grow properly either, will it?”
“…I think so.”
“Then let’s send Reap to the Academy first. For now, as a Maid.”
“What about the previous tail?”
Hoho. Secretary Office Head. Do you know? You have a face that needs a cup of chamomile tea right now.
“…….”
“It’s a joke. Don’t get so worked up.”
The Secretary Office Head suppressed a deep sigh that nearly spilled out.
He felt like he might burst.
Maybe he really needed that chamomile.
But what would change if his heart calmed down?
The Director’s resolve was firm.
If he didn’t act, the Director would take matters into his own hands.
That was a much more despairing future for the tail who’ve worked hard playing spy.
“I’ll issue disposal orders.”
Let’s at least show mercy so they can embrace death as humans.
The Secretary Office Head transmitted the directives with murderous intent to the Secretary Office.
Removing an old tail and attaching a new one isn’t a difficult task.
It’s a simple matter, even merciful.
The Secretary Office Head thought.
Chamomile tea isn’t needed for him after all.
How much blood had the mosquitoes sucked that a Bloodstone had accidentally formed?
Compared to the beginning of the semester, the students, now living and sleeping in a Mana-rich area, seemed to have increased their Mana quantity, resulting in a Bloodstone that, while small, glimmered even more.
“Blood Magic is not my taste.”
The trend of Bloodstones has already ended.
What could he use this for?
He placed the Bloodstone on his fingertip, spinning it around, when he felt a prickly gaze.
“Goo.”
“No! Goo doesn’t eat this! Bad don’t do it!”
What kind of adult is just eyeing this?
He just pocketed the Bloodstone.
If he holds onto it, there will surely be a use somewhere!
But why did Howling Mandragora look so indignant and displeased?
“Goo!”
“Seriously! You can’t have it! No way, no how!”
“Goo-oo!”
The pouty Howling Mandragora extended its rootlets out of the bottle to point at the trash can.
That trash can has the bag that contained blood-fried powder gifted by Senior Yumi.
“Did you see…? ”
“Goo.”
You can eat blood, but I can’t!
I want some too!
Howling Mandragora throwing a tantrum.
But that’s not going to work.
“If you eat this, it will be a disaster! Before you grow up, I will NEVER give you any!”
“Goo-oo-oo!”
Struggling desperately, Howling Mandragora thumped its little roots against the bottle’s surface.
Thinking of it, he poured fresh water into a cup and then added the new special nutrient liquid.
“Let’s see how much our Goo has grown this time.”
Glug glug!
The Goo drank the water filled with its powerful energy in one go.
The abundant energy poured down the throat into its stomach.
With this level of energy…
The total Mana quantity must have increased for at least a year!
“Hmm. The increase is less than last month. Should I start chopping the rootlets next time?”
Plop plop.
The excited Howling Mandragora stopped moving suddenly.
Shudder.
It trembled, soaking itself in the nutrient liquid.
Maybe it got cold because the water suddenly changed.
“Should I pour in some hot water?”
Bubble bubble.
Bubbles rose in the bottle.
The mouth that sprouted from the roots of Goo moved slightly.
[ Goo ]
It says it’s just right.
“If you continue to eat well and not be picky, I’ll let you eat Bloodstones later. Just keep listening and don’t be picky, eat lots and grow powerful, okay?”
Excited at the thought of food, it started to shake again.
It was like a phone stuck in vibration mode.
Oops.
If I’m going to gather blood at tomorrow’s sports day, I should sleep early.
“Good night, Goo!”
After turning off the lights, he lay on the bed.
Somehow, he felt like he would dream of Howling Mandragora sobbing and running away, bouncing in his mouth.
I hope Goo grows up quickly.
