NOVEL NEXT Chapter 115
<115 - It's Cold Today>
‘What on earth is happening…?’
“Oknodie! Are you alright? Can you breathe?”
In the distance, the sound of a balista firing and the battering ram crashing through the window can be heard.
It’s a little too late to explain it away as just a bit of theatrics!
‘Alright. I’ve made up my mind.’
I gathered my resolve.
Then I relaxed my body and pretended to faint.
I was out cold.
Anyway, it’s all a mystery!
“How dare you lay a hand on a candidate for the Warrior Party I have my eye on! I can’t forgive this!!”
Even a passing hero joined the fray in fury.
The second-year seniors got wrecked, and the seniors hoarding fish were dragged along tied up with ropes.
“Oh no. Is Oknodie okay?”
“She’s lost her senses after falling in the water.”
“Don’t worry. I’m a Saintess.”
The Saintess accompanying the hero kneeled down and placed her hand on my forehead.
“Grant healing and rest to this lamb.”
As she chanted sacred incantations, I felt it best not to keep my eyes closed, so I faked a slight tremble and slowly opened my eyes.
“Ahh! It’s so bright.”
“Oknodie. Are you awake?”
[Acting Experience Points +5]
[Trick Experience Points +5]
[Bad Kid Experience Points +2]
… I can’t deny I was a bad kid today!
*
“So, you got collectively beaten up by first-years, lost your food, and ended up getting released?”
“Those guys are not your ordinary first-years. How could we win with the hero joining them?”
“If you hadn’t laid a hand on that poor child, none of this would have happened. I told you to keep it civil with the rations, not to assault a kid!”
The Paper Company protested angrily, but it was too late; the damage had been done.
Everyone believed they had committed the assault.
It was far too late to turn back.
Even the other members of the Red Fanged Mushroom Management Association were casting dubious glances at him. Nobody was going to come to his defense.
He bowed his head deeply, taking full responsibility for the utter failure of the first-year crushing plan.
“Advisor. What do we do now?”
“Do we just give up on revenge?”
Velocasio muttered insults about useless idiots while reluctantly offering his wisdom.
“Giving up is premature. While the first-years may be clever, they still lack the fundamental experience we have.”
Velocasio hadn’t given up on revenge.
They still had some means of retaliation they could employ.
“Use the [Turbulence] spell. Create waves to overturn all their boats and block the Thursday sea route completely.”
“Whoa. Even so, that’s a bit much.”
“The delicate control of the Turbulence spell is far too complex for second-years like us. It’s impossible to bind just a few who harbor grudges while letting the rest go.”
“If you do that, the innocent first-years will get caught up in it too.”
“Do you think the first-years would thank you for it?”
Velocasio laughed at the naive members.
“They’ve already smashed the second-years’ boats, stolen the fish, and beat up the seniors. You’ll be looked down upon by the other second-years for losing face.”
It was far too late to turn back.
“What do you think will happen if you start being referred to as ‘those who got beaten by first-years’ among your peers until the day you graduate?”
Once you’re looked down upon, life until graduation is a nightmare.
The second-years finally realized the seriousness of the situation as venom flickered in their eyes.
“While the Paper Company threw the first punch, they’ve gone too far! Shooting a balista!”
“What about the battering ram? Those who lost stuff blamed us and told the third-year teaching assistant, leading to a damage claim! It’s driving me crazy!”
“Being wronged is one thing, but we can’t be made laughingstocks for the rest of our lives until graduation!”
Enraged, the second-years vowed revenge.
The Paper Company, falsely accused of child assault, felt the most intense fury.
‘Now that I’m labeled garbage to all students because of that brat, if I ever see that damn kid again, I’ll really give them a whupping!’
*
After the commotion during dinner time.
The fifth-period [Night-time Activities for Adventurers] course was upon us.
Hearing the sound of bones clattering, we were ready to bolt if it wasn’t for the presence of Professor Sadako in the lecture hall.
She was floating on the surface, her long hair swirling like a messy seaweed, her pale skin reminiscent of a stiff corpse—if only she could stop waiting like that.
Thanks to this, even without the Skeleton Instructor, Jiang and Titosso’s eyes were wildly trembling.
“I really want to go back now.”
“I’m so scared.”
It was already too late.
As if to remind us what ‘no turning back’ meant, Professor Sadako slowly rose from her waterlogged state.
Like a ghoul rising from the swamps of hell, poor Titosso couldn’t even scream and froze up like a deer caught in headlights.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Hello, Professor!”
“I heard the second-years and first-years fought.”
Professor Sadako, who looked like she had no friends, surprisingly wasn’t bothered by the academy gossip.
“Anyway, it was their fault!”
“Did you bring back any corpses?”
“…Of course not!”
“Oh dear.”
Professor Sadako genuinely sounded disappointed.
“Since it’s a good opportunity, I was going to teach you how to summon zombies and create skeletons. What a shame.”
“…We came to attend the Night-time Activities course, not learn about undead summoning!”
“I know that. However, summoning the undead would eliminate all disadvantages and inconveniences of night activities. You wouldn’t regret learning it… I hope.”
“I hope?!”
As Jiang tried to flee, a skeleton arm shot up from the floor and grabbed his foot.
Just as Titosso was about to rise from her seat, skeletal arms pinned her down, forcing her to stay put, but Professor Sadako said calmly.
“Leaving the room mid-lecture is not permitted… for safety reasons.”
“W-what kind of crazy professor are you? What have you done around us?”
We realized.
No matter what the second-years had done, the scariest thing was still the professors.
*
After class ended, the trio fled in a panic.
Watching the backs of the first-year newbies, Sadako felt a sense of pride.
“I didn’t know you were such a nice person. Are you getting into the fun of raising students now?”
“…Professor Destroyer, you seem to have a keen interest in Oknodie.”
Professor Sadako replied to Destroyer’s voice, which echoed with a mineral tone, effortlessly dismissing him.
“He’s a real catch, you know.”
“Is that why you cast the [Nightmare of Struggle] spell?”
“Oh, you caught on?”
“Necromancers generally have a deep knowledge of mental manipulation.”
Even if their fields of expertise differed, truly outstanding talents always stood out, regardless of the category.
Oknodie was especially distinctive in that regard.
Most professors who taught her gave her top scores or similarly generous evaluations.
“Exclusivity doesn’t work.”
“I never intended to hoard her. She’s not someone I can handle on my own.”
“…The former hero like you?”
It was quite a shocking statement.
Though Destroyer was known amongst professors as an unknown quantity, only Professor Sadako knew him before he was invited to the academy through connections with outsiders.
She also knew how terrifyingly powerful he was as a member of the former hero party.
To hear him downplay himself was unexpected.
“The influence of the Wiheomhae Foundation is beyond imagination.”
“…Of all the places, that one.”
“I’ve lost contact with the informant I sent to investigate. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had my hands tied.”
“…Why are you telling me this?”
“Undead are the perfect assets to send if I want to use worthless limbs, right?”
“I’d rather not get dragged into dirty work…”
“Let’s not be stingy as mentors who care for Oknodie. Don’t you want to know about her first mentor who created her in the foundation?”
Professor Sadako’s lips twisted.
“Tell me what minion you want.”
*
Morning dawned.
I hurriedly got dressed in my school uniform and sprinkled some flower seeds I snagged from the flowerbed yesterday into a floating bottle of Mandragora.
“Pfft.”
The picky Mandragora spat out the seeds and dragged each one back out with its hands.
It seems the attempt to make the elixir smell flowery by feeding it delicious food had failed.
Tch.
Who does she take after to be so picky?
If she took after me, she should eat everything given to her.
“Achoo.”
Maybe it’s because I fell in the water yesterday.
As I stepped into the hallway, I couldn’t shake off the chill.
But then I noticed I wasn’t the only one; everyone else was huddled, trembling with cold.
“Hello, Isabel. It’s really cold today.”
“Of course it’s cold. The ice has opened up.”
“Huh?”
“Look there.”
Isabel pointed out the window.
First-years were trudging along the frozen way to school, using their sheaths and staffs for support.
“I heard Irene got annoyed with the waves crashing and froze everything.”
“Wow. She must have a ton of mana.”
“Thanks to her, we can go to school comfortably. Let’s hurry and head there before the ice melts.”
Some rafts and shoes frozen stiff could be seen along the way to school.
Right after the ice melts, I’ll have to go with Jezel to clean that up.