<327 - Private Operation 2>
The second semester has begun.
And Oknodie and Sing have yet to return.
“What could have happened at the Foundation?”
“What’s it matter? The kid’s talent is far beyond what they expected, so they probably tied him up to keep him from escaping.”
“Poor thing.”
“The kids that went with him didn’t just leave him behind?”
“It’s the Foundation. They must have been scared of getting hurt.”
It was scary, indeed.
However, Oknodie himself had hope.
So, he was able to leave confidently.
But now that things had turned out this way, Arcadia felt a pang of regret.
Shouldn’t they have brought him back, even if it was going to be a stretch?
Her hands clenched tightly around her gloves.
“Arcadia, don’t pay attention to the nonsense from those fools.”
“Of course. The Oknodie I saw on the cruise ship would never let himself be a pawn of the Foundation.”
That kid still had the aura of a
Surely there were circumstances at play.
If she just waited a bit longer, he would return.
And so, a day passed and two days rolled by since the start of the second semester.
In early September, as the falling leaves danced away, a week flew by with the wind.
Arcadia’s patience also came to an end with the passing week.
“Please let me see the head of the Mahabharata class.”
“The class head isn’t someone you can just see whenever you please…”
“Let me in. Right now is the perfect time.”
The instructor standing guard in front of Mahabharata’s office reluctantly placed his hand on the door.
Then, filling the void of the spell of [Opening] with his own mana from the massive mana patterns that surged forth, he opened the door.
A real office where even opening the door would be impossible without a significant level of mana skills!
Creek.
Thud.
As soon as the door creaked open, it slammed shut behind Arcadia.
While she had entered boldly, she was now backing down and rolling her eyes nervously.
The Mahabharata professor’s office was alien enough to make it hard for her to maintain her composure.
“What’s all this?”
“Magical fish that swim only in high-density mana. They’ll be the target for this week’s weekly event, commanded by the principal. They’ll soon appear throughout the campus. If you can endure the pressure of mana and catch one, you might receive a small blessing from the spirits.”
…Another strange gimmick had been added to the Academy.
But once she finished her business, she would pass the message on to her close friends.
“Oknodie hasn’t returned since getting trapped in the Foundation’s facility. Is the Academy aware of this?”
“Of course. I was the one who sent Professor Ferguson to infiltrate the cruise ship at the principal’s command.”
“Wait? Ferguson, the mysterious reinforcement who enhanced Titosso’s light stand!? That shady person is a professor!?”
The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it became.
Even with a professor, the struggles they went through were far from ordinary.
“Then did you know that Empire’s Professor Raeb followed the cruise ship to kill Oknodie?”
“I received a report from Professor Ferguson. Initially, I gathered information in an effort to secure the students’ safety while responding to the Foundation, but I didn’t imagine they would be so foolish.”
“…Since it’s in the past, I can overlook that. However, in the tragic incident that led to the deaths of Anrage’s Apostles, the professor didn’t offer any help.”
It wasn’t just disappointing; it was far beyond that.
The students’ souls could have been swapped.
From the perspective of those who could have faced a horrific fate worse than death, it was still chilling.
“If you’re not going to help at the most critical moments, then what on earth are you here for?”
Professor Mahabharata answered the daring question from the student.
“Million points.”
“…”
“It’s the price I have to pay for violating the first-grade information non-disclosure treaty.”
“Ugh. That ridiculous point obsession. Even professors can’t escape the shackles of points, huh?”
“If you’ve experienced the Foundation’s points, you’ll know that the Academy’s points are much more forgiving.”
“If you aren’t going to tell me anything, then forget it. I didn’t come here to waste time.”
Instead, Arcadia found a more efficient answer.
“If Oknodie doesn’t come back and the Academy doesn’t act accordingly, I will set out to find him. When that time comes, I think Professor Mahabharata will realize how many students share my thoughts.”
*
Arcadia’s bold declaration towards the professor sounded rather rude.
The instructor guarding the entrance glared at Arcadia as she left the office while urging the professor for instructions.
“If you want to discipline that arrogant first-year, I’ll handle it myself.”
“Leave it be. Don’t touch her. She’s been through a lot, so it’s natural she’s a bit out of sorts.”
Professor Mahabharata was not someone who would misunderstand Arcadia’s feelings.
While students often think professors are unfeeling demons in disguise, professors aren’t always the merciless monsters they seem.
Sometimes, they might lack the societal common sense or normal thought process required to cultivate their skills to the highest level.
At least, Professor Mahabharata wasn’t one of those types.
He was actually the guardian who handled the mess of those professors who acted out, restoring peace and order to the Academy.
“Isn’t it exhausting to only play the role of the one who’s hated? You’re too kind, Professor.”
“What can I say? She’s a first-year. If you’re truly worried, go tell Arcadia that if she wants access to confidential information, she should aim to join the Student Council.”
Mandela Castera, the unshakeable top student of Class 980, was also a messy and inexperienced first-year once upon a time.
She had only become her current self after accumulating time and experience.
Professor Mahabharata believed Arcadia too could change like Mandela.
“Besides, the Principal has already made a response to the Foundation’s ‘fishing’ tactics. As the daughter of the collector, there’s no way she’ll miss the chance to fish for magical fish.”
Attempting to forcibly take Oknodie away from the Foundation was a low blow.
Instead, the best strategy was to present a tempting bait that would lure Oknodie back to the Academy on his own.
Mahabharata firmly believed the Dragon Principal’s clever tactics would work.
Someone who lived to find interest in the world.
Because he, too, lived by the same principle, the bait set by the Principal would be even more effective on Oknodie.
━━━
Professor Destroyer’s Student Evaluation (Oknodie)
Professor Bronze’s Student Evaluation (Oknodie)
━━━
At the very least, both Professor Destroyer and Professor Bronze thought that way and provided information.
The trust of the Dragon Principal and the judgment of the former hero, along with the insight of the rogue, had an extremely low chance of being incorrect.
The Foundation would eventually have no choice but to return Oknodie.
‘As long as there’s quality education that can’t be compensated by material wealth, Oknodie’s fate will be determined by that quality teaching.’
The small fight with the Foundation seemed to tilt in favor of the Academy.
Just as Professor Mahabharata felt certain of victory, hurried footsteps approached from outside his office.
Though not as sharp as the Dragon Principal’s, Professor Mahabharata had a significant enough mana field to be keenly aware of any interruptions.
Ding!
100-point deduction.
He was in the process of thinking of the fastest way to request no running in the hallway when he looked at the face of the approaching instructor and changed his mind.
This guy had been rotting in the Academy for 8 years as a senior instructor.
He wasn’t a fool who would carelessly defy taboos without considering the cost in points.
“A major incident has occurred. A first-year student has died on campus due to an accident.”
“…What? No way, we’ve put so much effort into preventing sudden deaths among first-years. What the heck happened? Could it be that an upperclassman—”
“It wasn’t an upperclassman attack. It was a first-year attacking another first-year.”
“Send me the information about the victim and the perpetrator.”
Professor Mahabharata, now trembling with rage, unfolded the Mana Board, unable to suppress his shaking hands as he flipped through the pages.
“…?”
And then, he was stunned.
━━━
Victim: Mordor (suspected Foundation scholarship student of beast type)
Perpetrator: Primer (suspected Foundation scholarship student of excellence type)
━━━
Both the one with blood on their hands and the one who died were scholarship students of the Foundation.
“What the hell is this? An internal dispute?”
Even in order to not lose Oknodie, they had to be more cautious now.
A sense of foreboding mixed with confusion swept over him as the unexpected discord unfolded.
