BANG! The Destroyer suddenly thought,
“Isn’t Oknodie pushing herself a bit too hard?”
From his perspective, that’s a reasonable assumption.
A child who knows no failure.
Yet, there’s a strange creaking noise in the things she does.
The once ghost-like kid who avoided professors now found herself caught by Professor Sadako’s Skull Instructor.
“Is she shaken because of me?”
It’s not fair to say Oknodie came all this way to save herself as part of a ‘plan’.
Her desperate appearance, running with a will, really looked genuine.
Above all, she was already on the brink of death.
No one would include a dying person in their plans.
Is Oknodie… not that kind of person?
Well, if she dies, that’s the end; how grand of a plan could she hatch?
“Northern Grand Duke Yuda. Presumed to be Oknodie’s mentor. Inviting him to the Theme Park to bolster the Northern Army… it’s not unreasonable to conclude that it was a hasty power augmentation due to an imminent internal conflict with the upper echelons of the Foundation.”
He took notice that Professor Raregrills, teaching the “Surviving as a Commander on the Battlefield” lecture, was mingling among the commanders while masquerading as an ordinary officer.
Raregrills was a retired commander of the Northern Army and was the one who invited Grand Duke Yuda to the Academy as an examiner in line with the students’ testing schedule.
“All the pieces fell into place. The rebellion and the Demon King’s Army were effectively thwarted by Oknodie’s will, directly opposing the Foundation’s intent to bring chaos to the world.”
This child had indeed strayed from the path of evil.
A naughty child, a scary child.
A child who had turned away from such wickedness.
He remembers the timing when Oknodie beckoned her master, Grand Duke Yuda, to the Gift Academy through Professor Raregrills.
I will kill you. And after I kill you… the Empire, the Magic Association, the Academy… I will definitely bring them all down with my own hands someday.
[Retired Hero and the World's Evils].
The lecture the Destroyer had taught himself.
Tales of the hero’s journey and memories of evils.
An unforgettable loss.
The irreversible Havi.
The vow of revenge made at the end.
Oknodie, driven by that vow, supported the professor’s dream.
Back then, Oknodie had said to Grand Duke Yuda,
“Please help when sending heroes to the North later!”
“…Heroes? Not you?”
“I promised to support the hero. Then I can get along with Irene well in the future!”
According to the sneaky information gathered by the Thief Guild, Oknodie earnestly wished to dispatch heroes to the North.
What could that mean?
Having already overcome the chaos in the North, the only achievement a hero could gain in the Northern Region would be one.
Demon Realm Expedition.
She had resolved to wipe the Demon King’s forces off the map or significantly push back its territory while being a hidden accomplice to the Wahyhiemhai Foundation and having a symbiotic relationship utilizing Dark Mana.
As evidence to back this up, she preemptively intercepted and stopped a raid on the Great Prison suspected to be orchestrated by the Foundation, even slaying Demon King’s Four Kings El Niño.
For some reason, there were later reports that El Niño had bizarrely appeared as if he were enjoying a vacation in a bikini…
“In the Organization that Plays with Oknodie, there’s a terror group called Bikini Armor Unit with bikini warriors known as Ppyoi.”
It must have involved a wacky terrorist organization member forcibly dressing the Demon King’s Four Kings in bikini armor and disarming them.
“Sadako. A great trend surrounding Oknodie has begun to move. Naturally, as Oknodie started moving first, the battlefield for confrontation will soon open.”
“The Foundation’s Executive Meeting, right?”
“Was the Skull Instructor’s rampage also a scheme by the Foundation to entrap Oknodie before the Executive Meeting?”
Professor Sadako firmly denied it.
“Not at all. The dark magic of the dimension I handle is emotion magic which uses unclean emotions as a medium. It was an accident waiting to happen for the Skull Instructor No. 17 who deals with the grudge of wanting to turn the living into skeletons.”
“You’ve been managing such a dangerous one as a subordinate quite well.”
“There’s no need to worry. I’m certain their intention was to gather strength by purchasing collectibles and make a move before I arrived to apologize. The emotion magic of Wolf Skeleton No. 18 isn’t that kind of ominous grudge.”
“What emotion is it?”
“A grudge of wanting to rip the necks of all vampires in this world. Werewolves and vampires have been long-standing enemies. The Wolf Skeleton’s grudge will be directed solely at me.”
“…”
The Destroyer’s expression twisted uneasily.
“By any chance, do you know that not long ago, Oknodie was called ‘Vampy’?”
“…Vampy? How would you, the Destroyer, know that term for a little vampire? Did you spot a daywalker wandering about during your heroics?”
“Not exactly, but according to reports from the Thief Guild keeping an eye on Oknodie, she mentioned ‘Vampy’ during a phone call with Masugaki Princess in the Communication Room. She also wanted to convey that she received the ‘Vampy Lunchbox’ well.”
“It’s a code.”
“That would seem so.”
“Don’t need to care about that part. As long as Oknodie has a few more cards in hand, that’s good for us trying to help her. Although I still dislike the fact that it involves vampires…”
Sadako’s vague reaction puzzled the Destroyer; he expected her to be pleased with the information.
“Isn’t it a good thing?”
“Not really. Vampires carry the curse of their bloodline. Every blessing is founded upon a curse.”
“So blessings and curses are flipsides of the same coin?”
“For instance, werewolves have gained incredible regenerative abilities. In return, if they cannot adequately release the ever-growing cells and powers, they will be overtaken by Rampaging Madness and go wild until they die.”
“…!”
“Vampires can freely execute various blood magic using blood as a medium. However, they need a lot of blood. If they don’t receive a sufficient blood supply…”
Like the werewolves’ rampaging madness, they will lose their will and cause a ruckus, treated as monsters.
Suddenly, the memories of a long-forgotten surveillance report popped up in the Destroyer’s mind.
He couldn’t trust that child yet, questioning the true intentions of the Foundation’s heir in attending his lectures.
– The day Oknodie was attacked by Ishtar’s Holy Sword, traces of an incursion were found in Upper Class Boarding Storage Room.
– What was missing were resources for the boarding crafts. It was suspected that stones, flower petals, grains, and even blood were stolen.
– The purpose remains unknown. Further investigation needed later.
At the time, it had just been a matter of investigation. Now, that story resurfaced again.
The reason was obvious.
For every blessing, a curse exists among the superior races.
Vampires obsessed with blood.
Frequently infiltrating the Boarding Storage Room.
Oknodie stole blood from the Boarding Storage Room.
Now he knew.
That child was a vampire; in fact, she was a Vampy.
In a time when she hadn’t yet gained her current strength, she must have had a shameful past of stealing and guzzling blood without mastering her instincts!
The recently delivered Vampy Lunchbox was likely something akin to a vision therapy drug to suppress vampires’ instincts.
In Garlic Fried Chicken’s vision dish, Garlic Chicken, it’s recorded formally by the scribe that garlic is a weakness of vampires, and it works on Oknodie as a vampire.
The fact that Oknodie is a Vampy was already a given.
At this point, the Destroyer couldn’t pretend to be oblivious any longer.
“Sadako. I know it’s a delicate topic, but I think it’s time to ask.”
“Speak.”
“Did you know from the beginning that Oknodie was a Vampy? Is that why you stopped expelling students whom you didn’t want to teach every year and finally accepted her as your apprentice?”
Professor Sadako was taken aback.
Even if she wanted to teach diligently, all the students ran away because they were scared, yet it seemed like it looked as if she was the one chasing them away.
So it made her seem like a monster who didn’t want to work but tormented little students instead.
“That’s not it.”
“Was there a situation that made you say that?”
“Nope.”
“Got it. If there’s a reason, I’ll understand. But whenever you are ready to talk, you can. I can listen without prejudice.”
“You’re annoying.”
“Hehe! It’s only natural to feel resistance when you’re forced to dig out your hidden thoughts. Someday, when you naturally lose that little hesitation, you can spill it out. Fortunately for me, I have plenty of time these days.”
This kid, I want to smack him hard.
Just like her mentor, Oknodie shared a habit of needlework as well, matching Destroyer perfectly.
*
At the same time, in the Underworld.
The true Vampinodie, Darknodi, stretched her body with a refreshing expression.
“The species modification work is finally complete.”
“Good job. Truly a skill befitting my new adoptive daughter. Oknodie’s doppelgänger.”
Darknodi glared at Seonhwang with a haughty look.
“I’m not Oknodie’s doppelgänger. I’m Darknodi. You were told to be cautious with titles, Papa.”
“Haha! My bad. Oknodie’s presence is just too strong; that’s why her name slipped my mind!”
“…”
Darknodi trembled her fists.
Having modified so many beings of the Underworld.
Proven her competence and execution power.
But still, would it even be possible to steal Jonnas from Seonhwang’s eyes?
Even if I fret, it’s too late now.
The grand operation has already begun.
“Well then, let’s get going. On the plan to emerge on the surface in time for the Foundation’s Executive Meeting.”
Among the various legions halting beings of the Underworld, the Chimera Legion of Oknodie.
The beings of the Underworld modified without any distinction from the Chimera Legion.
Yes.
Darknodi created another Chimera Legion.
A legion that could act formally as a Chimera Legion while easily blending into the surface without raising any suspicion.
Seonhwang, Darknodi, and the forces of the Underworld.
They gracefully slipped past the Underworld’s punitive forces and rose to the surface.
