NOVEL NEXT Chapter 331
331 – The Deadly Lecture Schedule 2
Late at night, a dazzling light filled the Secret Meeting Room of the Dark Trading Company.
“Titosso, could you please dim the lights?”
“Ah!”
The blinding light faintly dimmed, like children sneaking awake with their flashlights under the covers, resisting the pull of sleep.
“I feel so excited to be awake at this late hour after such a long time! I should be doing my Kokonen… What if I become a bad kid at this rate!”
“If you’re this much of a bad kid already, then Oknodie must be a real troublemaker by now!”
The naughty Jiang chimed in.
Those drawn by the light were not just Titosso and Jiang.
Competent people who had made significant contributions aboard the Cruise Ship began to gather one by one.
“It’s great to see so many familiar faces.”
“I trust you’ve been well, dear Arcadia.”
“Rogini, is that how you usually speak?”
With sleepy eyes rubbing at one another, Arcadia looked at Rogini in disbelief.
The magicians from the Magic Tower hardly cared for noble etiquette, living freely and outright ignoring it.
The Sandkooker chuckled beside them, revealing the reason behind Rogini’s strange behavior.
“It’s because I lost a bet in the lecture [Experience of Entering the Imperial Social Church]. I’ve been cursed to speak like this for a week!”
“Well, it serves you right for looking down on the noble lady. Don’t underestimate the etiquette level of a noble lady who devotes herself to grooming instead of even having time to work hard.”
“You lost to an Empire Noble, you know.”
“Losing to an idiot who just plays around in the social church and mouths off during Doll Play? Rogini, you’re a disgrace to magicians!”
Whatever the case, it was the same for getting called out…
Anyway, those from the border region really do hate the Empire.
The Sandkooker realized the deep-rooted conflict between the border and the empire once more.
“To cool my head, it seems all these lectures I pick are just for the professors to have fun at the students’ expense, right? Everyone should stop slacking and attend Professor Sadako’s lectures.”
“You’re right. I can’t help but remember an unfortunate Grand Duke who picks nothing but weird lectures.”
Titosso and Jiang echoed from a corner, perched on a windowsill.
As more and more people gathered, the last one to arrive picked up on Jiang’s words.
“There’s no paradise in running away. If you’re a magician, you should fill up your schedule with magic-related lectures.”
The Northern Grand Duchess Irene’s sharp remarks made Rogini bite her lip in frustration.
Irene had taken an impressive nine lectures, perhaps triggered by the crisis on the Cruise Ship.
One couldn’t refute a well-deserved critique coming from someone competent.
“Anyway, we’re so swamped with assignments we can’t even make it to tonight’s late assembly. Now that everyone’s here, let’s get to the point.”
She hurried Gisel, feeling even a moment spent on polite conversation was a waste.
Students who didn’t want to experience again being in the hands of others like on the Cruise Ship empathized with her determination.
Though the Warrior and Saintess from the Cruise Ship were absent, they were potential enemies for Oknodie.
Everyone easily understood why Gisel hadn’t called them.
“Now, in response to everyone’s support, let’s get to the main topic. Please look at this schedule.”
A deadly schedule appeared on Gisel’s work Mana Board.
“Ughaha! Did this guy even attend the Academy in the first semester? With a schedule like that, there wouldn’t be time left for sleep.”
“Gyaahha! Just like the monkey said. Isn’t this schedule made by someone who wants to die?”
With Son Ohchun’s and Jigoku’s unapologetic laughter, others around them tried to intervene.
“Son Ohchun, enough. You know whose schedule this is.”
“Huh? I don’t know that many people.”
Son Ohchun was still on the monkey ‘beastman’ level.
Even if the world claims equality, deep-seated racism hadn’t ended.
Son Ohchun’s relationships remained fairly narrow, even if he didn’t want them to.
Among those few relationships, he quickly reached the answer while scrutinizing who would sign up for such a ridiculous schedule.
“Could it be that this schedule belongs to the Midge?”
“Unfortunately, that’s correct.”
“Madness. If he follows that schedule, he’d be stuck just running around the classroom all day, sleeping, and running around again.”
“It’s probably worse than that.”
Isabel said with a dark expression.
“Oknodie follows around aspiring knights who jog at dawn. His day starts at 6 AM.”
“What about assignments?”
“Probably on the weekend. If that’s not enough, he’ll pull all-nighters until dawn.”
It’s harsh.
A person isn’t a machine; no one can withstand such a schedule.
Even the training-obsessed training ghost would falter and break down under such an excessive lecture schedule.
Anyone could tell just by looking at the timetable.
Oknodie was pushing himself excessively.
“Right after I saw the timetable, I directly asked. Did you create this schedule on your own? The young lady replied, saying if it weren’t for the director, she wouldn’t be taking so many lectures.”
“That man from the cafeteria…”
“The director of the Foundation. That chillingly smiling man…”
“Can’t forgive it. What does he think his daughter is? Oknodie isn’t just a studying machine!”
Outrage at the inhumane timetable easily gathered steam.
Gisel decided to use that momentum.
“The young lady desperately needs help. Just like she saved us from the traps of the Foundation, we must help her this time, or she will have to return to the cruel facilities of the Foundation.”
“But how can we help? This isn’t a situation we can handle with strength.”
Hestia sought wisdom.
“We help by attending the same lectures, helping to protect the young lady from delays during the lectures, interference from other students, professor harassment, or group assignments.”
“All of those lectures?”
“The young lady has only one body, but we have many. While we all share the desire to help, we can distribute the actual lectures we will assist with.”
Hestia, who had felt overwhelmed despite her eagerness, found her eyes brightening at the clear-cut solution.
“While you all buy time at the Academy to support the young lady, I plan to look for a new breakthrough from the outside.”
“Against the Foundation? Weak pressure won’t work. If anything goes wrong, your safety is at risk.”
“Haha. To receive such heartfelt concern from the Northern Grand Duchess, I must be a lucky man.”
Irene glared at Gisel with eyes as cold as if she felt sorry for having worried.
Startled by the sight of frost forming on the floor at her feet, Gisel quickly revealed her plan.
“The breakthrough has already emerged. The task for me is not so labor-intensive, like threading beads on a string; the materials for the beads already exist.”
What appeared on the Mana Board were the burnt forest and the habitat of the elves, along with the world tree, whose branches were broken and heavily wounded.
“The Foundation went to extreme lengths to court the young lady’s favor, collecting unique dish materials. In the process, the elves’ world tree was also seriously hurt. And the Academy has an elf archer of remarkable skill.”
“Is it the genius archer Skola from the Warrior Party?”
“That’s him.”
“Are you planning to recruit him?”
“At least for now, that’s the idea.”
“…What’s the chance of backlash? Skola has always been at odds with Oknodie. How could he view her kindly knowing Oknodie is part of the organization that burned his hometown? Especially if the world tree’s injury was due to Oknodie’s cooking.”
“That’s the critical point. People looking at Oknodie are under a major misconception.”
A very important misconception.
“The young lady is not in league with the Foundation. She is a baby bird fiercely flapping its wings, preparing to leap out from the nest called the foundation.
The Foundation is trying to break her little bird’s legs to keep her seated in the nest. They can’t have the baby bird leave and threaten their profits and development.”
Thus, Oknodie and the Foundation share a common goal but can point knives at each other.
“The young lady and Skola had an uncomfortable relationship during the first semester, but compared to the injury to the elves’ world tree, that’s just a minor grudge. If it’s revenge on the Foundation, helping Oknodie would actually be the best.”
“Do those idiots accept that easily?”
“They’ll have no choice.”
Gisel was confident.
“When there’s a kid trying to earn 38 credits in one semester, isn’t it human nature to feel sympathy?”
Even Irene, who typically didn’t easily offer affection due to her harsh northern upbringing, couldn’t help but nod in agreement with that statement.