<724 - A Peaceful Day (4)>
As the midterms approached, Darknodi felt the weight of her sins deepening.
“I was scared of Professor Sadako’s wrath, so I gave the exam some leniency, but now they think the test is easy and mock the professor… Oknodie, you little rascal! Just wait until the final exam…”
Following Professor Diemon’s class on [Demonology], Professor Jerry of [Life Escape Just Before Dying] said, “The best escape is to kill your pursuer…? You little brat… let’s see if you can actually kill someone in the final exam…”
Professor Miho of [Predators Disguised as Humans] chimed in, “If you stab them and don’t die in one blow, does that make you a predator…? Hmm, fascinating. I can’t wait to try the same trick on
Even Professor Oversoul from [Boss Mob Raids] was furious, and all the professors were in a fit.
The final exam felt like a prepared gallows.
She didn’t even have the confidence to tackle an ultra-high-difficulty exam that didn’t even appear in the original work.
While Oknodie might be thrilled for the hefty rewards compared to the original game, Darknodi could barely cope with the existing tests.
Having barely managed to scrape by with improvisation, if the obstacles were raised even higher, it would be impossible to keep up.
‘Even if I run away, how… how should I disappear right in front of everyone?’
As she thought about saying goodbye, each day became more painful.
“Oknodie! Let’s go mess with the new students!”
“Tito. Our seniors didn’t do that, you know.”
“Yeah, but the exam is too hard! I’m going to go insane if I don’t relieve some stress somewhere!”
“You’ve gotta endure that to become a fine second year.”
“Is that really how it works? What do you think, Oknodie?”
Time spent in front of Titosso and Jiang.
“I heard the elven migrants have created new forests all over the continent, and the Dragon Principal is planting monsters that fit the forest! Want to go take a look during vacation?”
“Stop it… Let’s check where the elves’ news has gone stagnant and made it a prohibited area first.”
“True, it would be a bit dull in a non-prohibited forest.”
“Have a sense of crisis!”
“Chii. Oknodie doesn’t need that kind of thing, right? Isn’t that right, Oknodie?”
Time spent in front of Dorothy and Rockbell.
“Oknodie. Watching your surroundings is a sign of aging. You’ve become quite mature.”
“No way. Oknodie will forever be a child. Don’t turn my Oknodie into an escaped teenage girl who doesn’t want to eat her lunch.”
“Oh my. Isn’t that already a sign of adolescence?”
Time spent in front of Jezel, Isabel, and Son Ohchun.
The burden of pain, which followed every joy like a bill, was growing heavier.
Each day felt like compound interest, increasing the weight of relationships lost, growing larger like Shinjung Mountain.
‘I want to keep going. But I also want to escape. What do I really want?’
While enjoying the convenience of Oknodie’s relationships, Darknodi wanted to throw away the burdens of daily life that Oknodie had been carrying—a childish wish that was entirely unrealistic.
A chaotic meeting that would further complicate Darknodi’s tangled emotions came unexpectedly on a day following the midterms, in a disorderly atmosphere.
—
The Gift Academy had a brutal entrance process, including a double exam with ticket tests and entrance exams, making it dramatically difficult for transfers.
With secret weapons from various organizations led by Astarot making appearances as transfer students, the coming of a surprising late transfer student was more than enough to draw attention.
“Did you hear? This time, a small one, like Oknodie, has transferred to the academy.”
“To which year?”
“I heard on the guarantee of Professor Weird that she entered straight into the third year?”
“What? Even Astarot was in second year, and she went straight to third?”
“How strong must she be for that to happen?”
Lightning-fast rumors began to spread right with the transfer.
“I heard she’s a druid who sold her soul to Professor Weird. She might have sacrificed thousands of villagers from the hinterland using earth elementals as fertilizer!”
“She might have killed a teaching assistant in front of the professor and claimed she was going to be the sky of the lab.”
“Isn’t she the illegitimate child of Professor Weird?”
“I’ve heard she got into the Magic Department, but the girl seems a bit off. She’s going around claiming she’s a magical girl for some reason.”
“Is she cute?”
“… She looks about the same age as Oknodie, so isn’t saying that tantamount to heading straight for the Great Prison? Well, she is cute.”
“Well, that settles it. If she’s cute, it’s fine.”
“… Can you really say that in front of Oknodie?”
“Isn’t it possible nowadays? It’s kind of scary, but she feels less threatening… in a way.”
Even the students joking around with trivial gossip didn’t regard Darknodi with disdain.
“Is the new student really as small as me?”
“Yep. But…”
“Next question. Is that girl’s name perhaps Cruel?”
“Not quite, but more than that…”
“Next question.”
“Come on, you don’t need to give me points to tell you? Don’t treat me like a vending machine for information just because I’m feeding you points!”
As Darknodi diligently ordered insights like a vending machine for information, she bumped her head against a giant bridge.
Typically, if Darknodi collided with someone of her nonchalant caliber, that person would probably stumble back and go “Ow!” But today, Darknodi shockingly yelped and fell over.
“Oknodie is looking away, huh? The legendary Professor Weird has picked up a child. That determination not to be dethroned from the number one spot in the year is quite commendable!”
“…Professor Plato. Your body seems to be cracking. What happened?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just got a good ol’ group beating from Sadako’s underlings. You have to get broken and healed like this for your body to become tougher, you see. Hahaha!”
It felt like a mistake to bring up a sensitive topic to someone whose appearance was so dire, but the laughing Professor Plato suddenly grabbed Darknodi.
“What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?!”
“Aren’t you curious? The transfer student, shrouded in rumors. If you’re curious, you should see it for yourself!”
With her head caught in Professor Plato’s hand, Darknodi felt half curiosity and half fear about the upcoming event.
Reluctantly dragged along, as if caught in a trap, she hung there in the grip of the professor, and suddenly, a dazzling light flashed before her.
It was bright enough to rival Titosso holding a light stand, but soon she realized it was actually the glow emitted by the transfer student.
“Oooh. It’s just like a golden trophy! This child radiates a golden light from head to toe. The purity of the mana is extraordinary.”
True to form, Professor Plato, embodied by the supreme metallic statue, showed immense interest in the sparkling new transfer student.
“Hey, transfer student! Become my apprentice!”
Upon getting closer, Darknodi realized that the transfer student’s outfit had a rather absurd ratio of exposed skin to covered skin, almost as if it were 1:1.
The academy often had students dressed in such outrageous attire, one of whom was Ppyoi, donning the Bikini Armor of the Bikini Warrior Squad.
Feeling like she was in the presence of a pervert, Darknodi also noticed the glowing transfer student looking up at her.
“…Did a monster attack you?”
“Regrettably, it’s the professor. In some meanings, that would make him a monster, I suppose.”
The gaze of the transfer student, looking curiously down at her while Professor Plato held her by the neck, made Darknodi feel unexpectedly shy.
“Professor, please put me down.”
“Huh? I’m a monster, so I don’t understand human speech.”
“… I can’t take it anymore when you’re just being a big jerk.”
At that moment, feeling a bit cornered by the judging looks of the child, a middle-aged man like Professor Plato managed to withstand the awkwardness.
Having literally become a rare metal statue, his face could be called thick-skinned.
“Dear one, you have a voice strangely familiar to my long-slumbering ears.”
“If you’re hunting, you’ve picked the wrong target. I’m only interested in butler outfits that look good or someone who doesn’t have a strength stat of over 100.”
“Worry not. I have been reborn in female form.”
The conversation between the two children didn’t seem to bother Professor Plato, who, acting like a narrow-minded adult, interrupted.
“Transfer student! If that’s the case, would you like to attend my lecture? If you were brought in by Professor Weird, your talent must also be extraordinary. I wish to hone that talent!”
“Regrettably, I’m on the path to becoming a golden magical girl. Muscle training isn’t my interest, you see.”
“Impossible!”
Professor Plato, unable to muster any more strength, released the hold he had on Darknodi’s face, placing his hands on his own head as he lamented.
His species, being an ego statue, made even his dynamic posture look like a piece of art. However, students did not want to be chased or kicked around by a living art piece, so they quickly avoided the scene.
While Darknodi felt an awkward heat spread through her face from being treated like a landmine alongside the professor, she suddenly felt a gaze upon her.
“You… that face…”
“?”
“I see now. You’re…
The transfer student’s awareness of Darknodi, resembling Oknodie, made her feel uneasy.
As if that unfamiliar face with a mysterious event had somewhere out there forged a brand-new connection in a reality unknown to her, it sounded as if it told her this:
Unlike her, who clung to others’ relationships, the original fearlessly carved relationships wherever and whenever.
In the end, the clone that merely leeches off the original’s connections and tarnishes it can never truly become the original Oknodie.
“I’m not a creation! I’m a real person!”
“Oh dear. If I’ve upset you, I apologize. I shall make amends.”
“…I don’t like this.”
As Darknodi turned away sulkily, she heard a whisper telepathically sent through her Mind Link magic.
-If you ever need my help, do come to Professor Weird’s lab. Even if you may find me unsettling, I hold great interest in you. Oh, clone of Oknodie.
-… Who are you?
-Avalon. The golden magical girl and conqueror of the world. And you could say I received a true body and mind from your original.
Darknodi’s eyes widened.
What… what does that even mean?
Received a true body and mind?
Did she date Oknodie or something?
Even with Sing and Jonnas, who were so interested, how could she have gotten tangled up with this strange Tito’s lighting-like character?
