NOVEL NEXT Chapter 322
322 – The Scale of Life
Sing felt a chill.
He was caught.
Caught, and thoroughly caught.
The unreasonable knowledge possessed by Oknodie.
He used that knowledge to create a reason not to return to the Academy.
The Director’s proposal.
His wicked wisdom.
Even Oknodie seemed to approve of it.
Sing saw it.
The future that would unfold.
This compromise would stretch from a week to two weeks, from two weeks to a month, from a month to a semester, from a semester to a year, and then endlessly to two years.
At the end of it, the very idea of returning to the Academy might become impossible, leading to expulsion.
If the Foundation resolved all of Oknodie’s worries,
If that child found no reason to attend the Academy,
If the bonds with friends were replaced by the convenience of the Foundation…
The Dark Princess Oknodie would be tainted by a darkness like never before.
A truly evil child, awakened to the true meaning of darkness, would be born into the world.
“Oh my. Are you worried about Oknodie’s future? Do you think a student who neglects friendships and slacks off in their studies can grow into a fine adult with a promising future?”
“What’s your point in asking something you already know? While I owe a favor to you and the Foundation, I cannot simply give Oknodie away. Don’t try to manipulate that child.”
“Manipulate? Isn’t that something you should say to yourself? The heir of the gatekeepers who fled from the Eastern Empire, Sing. For your revenge, don’t you need my child’s help?”
“!!”
“Why the surprise? This is the Foundation’s facility. I am the founder and director of the Foundation. There is no place in this world that isn’t under the Foundation’s eye, and it’s quite rare for me to be unaware of matters. If I set my mind to it, digging up this level of secret is no trouble at all.”
His past identity had been exposed.
Information might leak to the gatekeepers back home, to the despicable elders of his clan, to the enemies he wished to tear apart.
Before he could fulfill his purpose, a stronger opponent might be dispatched to cut off his head.
A fear far greater than that rose within him.
The source of that fear was the guilt of “I am no different from the Director.”
He would be putting Oknodie in danger by using her.
The Foundation definitely had that aspect.
They would try to separate Oknodie from her friends as well.
But could he truly justify dragging Oknodie into his revenge after graduation?
Wasn’t making her sway according to his circumstances the same for both of them?
While Oknodie would become embroiled in the slaughter towards the Eastern Empire, it was certainly a fact he would also be separating her from the other friends.
If one were to be strict, Sing and the Director were no different.
The Director had painfully unearthed that contradiction.
“I understand. Everyone becomes sincere when it comes to avenging their enemies. They will stop at nothing. Some revenge is a promise that risks one’s own existence. If not kept, one loses the reason to live, their strength as a human, and even their lifespan, suffering until death.”
Instead of blaming that, the Director made an even sweeter proposal.
“Then let’s work together.”
“Together…?”
“You too shall stay with the Foundation alongside my child. If you feel something unfair is being done, you can intervene. Being nearby would offer you some comfort as well.”
“Working with Oknodie on the Foundation’s matters…”
“In the end, what you want is revenge. The Academy is just a place to gain strength for that revenge. If there are people and an organization to help you fulfill your mission, there’s no need to be tied to a place like the Academy, right?”
“That does make sense.”
There was logic to it.
Excluding the aversion to the Foundation, the Director’s proposal was perfectly reasonable.
He liked the idea of having a choice.
If he watched and felt something was off, he could just take Oknodie and leave.
Even though there was no need, the Director was making this proposal to him.
“Why are you making such a favorable proposal to me?”
“Is it strange to care about my child’s friendships? It’s not a bad thing to show kindness to a remarkable young man who is properly contemplating his future and vowing for revenge.”
“Is this how it works? Gaining scholars from the Foundation and securing influence across the world.”
The Director simply smiled.
Bestowing kindness.
To his daughter’s friend.
Even if he recognized the flattering words,
Even if he saw the blatant temptation,
This temptation was too sweet.
Like dessert that is harmful to one’s veins, making it impossible to escape once one steps in.
“…Anytime. If I feel that a line has been crossed, I will persuade Oknodie to return to the Academy.”
“That’s relieving. It’ll be great having a friend alongside.”
“Umm~”
Oknodie didn’t seem particularly pleased.
In fact, her lips even curled down.
“Tch. I don’t want to share experience points. Still, I’ll allow it since Sing has high favorability and deals high even in the late game content!”
Sing found himself unable to deny that he had just received a great favor.
Their relationship had changed.
As soon as he realized that fact, Sing’s heart became heavy.
As soon as he decided to stay at the Foundation, the Director presented a catalog.
“Since you’ve decided to stay at the Foundation instead of the Academy, I’ve compiled tasks that could be helpful for my daughter and her friends. You can choose from opportunities to collect rare items or earn special titles that aid in growth, so take a look.”
The Director’s curriculum was more about clear results and the goals to achieve them, rather than lengthy, systematic theoretical lectures.
The Foundation would gain from this as well, but that was no issue for Sing, who was receiving help.
‘Scary how easily I’m coming to terms with this.’
The list wasn’t just about mutual benefit; it was sweet enough to be dangerous.
━━━
Title Work List
01. Heavenly Slash
Estimated Effect – Increases attack power against humans, instills fear in humanoids.
Conditions for Achievement – Cut down one thousand humans.
The Foundation’s Proposal – Ambush the army of the Deutsche Kingdom, which is attempting to acquire beastmen beyond the western continental boundary and engage in indirect slave trading.
02. Beginning of an Evil Connection
Estimated Effect – When there is someone who designates you as an ‘enemy,’ increases life force by +0.1% for each.
Conditions for Achievement – Someone must designate you as an enemy.
The Foundation’s Proposal – Save one soldier from each of the different units within the Deutsche army.
03. Stealthy Benefactor
…
━━━
Collection Item List
01. Celestial Dragon Armor (Rare Level 3)
Estimated Effect – Completely defends against ranged attacks (over 200) and reflects melee attacks (over 200).
Current Owner – General Schweizer Pretzel of the Deutsche Kingdom’s Fourth Army (brother of the current Duke Pretzel).
The Foundation’s Proposal – Acquire alongside the achievement of Heavenly Slash and Beginning of an Evil Connection.
02. Gravekeeper’s Lamp (Rare Level 5)
Estimated Effect – Expands vision (over 100) and grants resistance against dark energy (over 100).
Current Owner – Gravekeeper of the National Hero’s Tomb of the Deutsche Kingdom.
The Foundation’s Proposal – Kill Schweizer Pretzel, then blend into the procession transporting the corpse to infiltrate the National Hero’s Tomb and slay the gravekeeper.
03. Paw of the Red Beast (Rare Level 4)
…
━━━
There was a clear flow to the Foundation’s proposal.
‘Are they wanting war?’
The Western Three Kingdoms.
Deutsche Kingdom, Kingdom of Florence, Kingdom of Talande.
Deutsche, known for its plains; Florence, for its seas; Talande, for its mountains.
Beyond the Deutsche Kingdom, located in the far west, lies the great forest of beastmen.
The boundary of humanity.
A land where beastmen live beyond the limits of territory controlled by humans.
War was being discussed with the army stationed near the boundary and the gains to be had from that.
“Oknodie, what do you think of this catalog?”
“The rewards are juicy?”
“…I’ll change the question. To achieve these goals, you would need to join in the plot to annihilate the Deutsche army. Do you have enough resentment to contribute to such a large-scale war?”
“Dunno.”
“It’s your situation. Answer seriously. I’m asking earnestly.”
Perhaps a bit of sincerity had come through.
His previously casual tone began to show some weight.
“Hmm. The beastmen’s territory connects to the Xenia event, and remember the meowing cat classmate, right?”
“I remember.”
“If there’s a conflict in the beastmen’s territory, Xenia will take a leave of absence from the Academy! If we go help, we can return to the Academy, but if we ignore it or fail to assist, we’ll get expelled instead.”
That information wasn’t exactly kind either.
He spoke of the future as if discussing the already passed past.
Easily predicting the repercussions on one person’s life.
Insight.
Deductive ability.
It was almost to the level where one might suspect he had foresight.
“But if we stop this, Duke Andersen will have the opposite event of returning to the Deutsche Kingdom!”
“…So?”
“Of course, if we consider who would be more helpful between Xenia and Andersen, it’s obviously Andersen, right? Seems to be on good terms with our Maid April as well.”
When the clarity pointed in one direction, Sing felt fear.
“Then Xenia has to die!”
Oknodie was more broken than he had thought.