NOVEL NEXT Chapter 675
<675 – Irresponsible Pleasure (23)>
“Please let me meet Papa in person.”
Darknodi boldly requested a private audience. The Butler of Foundation was filled with suspicion.
“I heard your relationship with the Director isn’t that strong. Why are you so eager to meet him?”
“Early access for Parents’ Day. I’m going to give him a thank-you gift a little early.”
“If you hand over the items, I can relay your message instead.”
“I don’t want to go through someone else’s hands.”
“Filial piety is admirable, but the Director’s status is special. I can relay your words, but if he doesn’t want to meet, no one in this world can see him.”
The Butler’s answer was resolute. Even after witnessing a spectacle of sweeping Mayor Asmodeus of the City of Pleasure beyond the Dimensional Gate, his stance did not waver. His fidelity to the Director was that strong, and on the other hand, he harbored doubts about Darknodi’s intentions.
“Hmm… Are you sure that’s okay? Papa will really be angry if he finds out later.”
As the territory of pleasure vanished, the multicolored sky regained its clear blue hue. Darknodi, squinting against the pouring sunlight, pulled an umbrella from their cloak. The Butler, with sharp eyes, countered.
“Are you really Oknodie? If my eyes are not deceiving me, it seems there are two Oknodies present here.”
“…A clone is just like the original.”
“The fact that you send a clone means there’s something suspicious about you. Anyone who wishes to meet the Director with impure intentions cannot be permitted, even if they are his heir and biological daughter. There are no exceptions to this principle.”
“Tsk.”
“Moreover, you look unmistakably like a vampire. Your aversion to sunlight, the mana density in your blood, your sharp fangs… your outright vampire attire as well.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“The Director is not a vampire. Therefore, as a Vampinodie, you cannot be his biological daughter. Bring the original before me, and prove you are not a vampire.”
In the distance, Oknodie shook his head. The meaning was clear: if she wanted to switch to the Academy, she should settle it herself.
After much deliberation, Darknodi threw down the gauntlet.
“Then I’ll bring your pathetic executive first.”
“Pathetic executive?”
“That one.”
As Darknodi pointed, the mark of darkness appeared. Garlic Fried Chicken, who had been scrambling to shake off the darkness covering him, suddenly popped out from behind the corpse he was using for disguise.
As the darkness the retainer Garlic faced the gazes pouring in from all directions and tried to escape, the Butler reached out a hand.
[The Mysterious – The Returning Forest]
Even though he was clearly trying to run away, each step seemed to bring Garlic Fried Chicken closer to the Butler and Darknodi, trembling in fear.
“I don’t recognize that face. Are you a new executive from the Jibsa Division 2?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right.”
“The smell emanating from you… it’s from the Fried Chicken Family.”
“Ugh! How do you know the smell of the noble family’s vision dishes…?!”
“High-ranking spirit contractors often come from noble families. The quickest way to track down a fleeing high-ranking spirit contractor with a identified identity is to remember the mana flow techniques by house and the smell of the food with the best absorption efficiency.”
Darknodi revealed her incredulous feelings.
“I didn’t expect that a playable character from a noble family would be so easily tracked… I didn’t know such a ridiculous background setting was hidden.”
Was this how the original felt whenever they discovered something?
“… I realized it. You are indeed from the Fried Chicken Family. And you, the clone of his daughter, are just a dumbhead who hasn’t even been taught the basics of Foundation high-ranking positions. You clearly lack the qualifications to negotiate with me.”
“You might be jumping to conclusions?”
“It’s easy to say, but hard to prove. Your pathetic butler is here. So, what will you show with this fellow?”
Darknodi bravely questioned, undaunted by the Butler, towering over him at over 2m tall.
“The reason you refuse to negotiate by summarily concluding that the original is a vampire is that you have judged me to be a vampire and presumed that the original is of the same race, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“This pathetic executive knows about vampires’ weaknesses.”
“Is that true?”
“Y-Yes. Vampires cannot eat my vision dish [Garlic Chicken].”
Darknodi confidently puffed out her chest.
“I can eat garlic chicken.”
“That’s impossible!!”
Garlic Fried Chicken vehemently protested at Darknodi’s assertion, which directly denied his pride. From his perspective, it was natural. The reason he received support from the Foundation and became an executive was entirely because Oknodie was a Vampi and Garlic Chicken was his weakness.
Human nature. A perfect counter.
If he lost his role as a restraining device specifically for Oknodie, he would naturally be unable to remain as a Foundation executive with no strength, talent, or power.
“My nephew, Honor Fried Chicken, who is enrolled in Gift Academy, reported that Oknodie is such a gluttonous predator that he even steals food from beasts, yet he refuses to eat Garlic Chicken! This must mean that garlic is indeed the vampire’s weakness, and Garlic Chicken is a dish that Vampis cannot eat!”
“So even if he can eat it?”
Darknodi, born from the memories and functions of Oknodie, already knew. The reason Oknodie had not eaten Garlic Chicken was merely because he wanted to raise his poison tolerance, intending to maximize the permanent functional enhancement effect gained from dish consumption by delaying it.
That meant, if he gave up the maximum enhancement effect, he could eat it any time.
“How astonishing. You, clearly looking like a vampi, are offering to consume a highly toxic dish that could cost you your life while denying your own vampiric nature.”
“Of course. We are really not vampires.”
“You’re a funny one. Did you think that by boasting like this, I’d easily fall for your ploy? You chose the wrong opponent. I won’t even grant you an opportunity to retreat.”
The Butler took out a handkerchief that emitted a strange magical reaction from his front pocket.
“Summon. Universal Kitchen.”
The handkerchief expanded and fluttered, revealing a large kitchen underneath.
“Enter, Garlic Fried Chicken. It’s time to prove your abilities as an executive.”
“Y-You want me to cook here?”
“Among the mana of this realm, there is much that can infiltrate human bodies. Dark Mana proactively penetrates the flesh, providing protective effects. It is a basic quality of a Jibsa Division 1 Butler to always possess a kitchen for cooking dark dishes from the Demon Realm to gain this effect.”
Garlic Fried Chicken, with a face full of self-doubt, cautiously said.
“But I didn’t bring any ingredients.”
“Open the refrigerator. All ingredients from this world will be in there. I won’t accept excuses of lacking ingredients.”
“Well, the marinating process takes about three days, and unfortunately, I have no mature marinade with me right now…”
“There’s a time acceleration storage room. Make it, put it in, and set the timer.”
“If I cook on the battlefield, there’ll be hygiene issues…”
“The kitchen is a specialized facility designed to be used right in the center of another realm. It can prevent any type of contamination and interference, and powerful protective magic is also placed, so stop your useless chatter.”
Seeing Darknodi’s confident demeanor, Garlic could sense that he might actually fail if he continued to cook this way. However, he could not possibly withdraw against the Butler’s excessively thorough insistence.
Chiiiiiik!
Ultimately, with the oil heating up, Garlic Fried Chicken started cooking, feeling like he was eating mustard while crying. Everyone swallowed their saliva, watching the aromatic scents begin to rise from the Universal Kitchen.
“It can’t be! Darknodi, are you really planning to die like this? I’ve even asked the vampires to take good care of our Vampinodie, so how could I face the Underworld if I go back empty-handed?”
“Shut up. You’re not dying, so it’s fine.”
At Darknodi’s indifferent declaration, the Evil Sage Guakjo and the modified legion could hardly hide their sorrow, feeling she was already prepared for death.
Amidst the concerns of many, with the help of the excellent kitchen, Garlic Fried Chicken promptly completed the Garlic Chicken.
“It’s Garlic Chicken made with Demon Realm Coacatrix chicken. It’s a dish I proudly claim has captured the flavor and acidity by adding a vision sauce.”
Having made it, Garlic Fried Chicken felt a sense of pride, yet his boastful declaration drew cold glares from all directions, who were merely viewing a psycho creating a deadly concoction for the poor Vampi.
Garlic Fried Chicken was secretly hoping that Darknodi would eat this and die so that he could retain his executive position, so it wasn’t entirely unwarranted.
“Now, let’s start tasting the Garlic Chicken.”
As Darknodi opened his mouth to munch on Garlic Chicken, he hastily spat it out while covering his mouth with a pained expression.
“Hahaha! You’ve been had, Vampinodie! Your evil vampire blood couldn’t endure the efficacy of the garlic in Garlic Chicken, and surely you screamed in agony!”
“No, it’s just hot.”
“…”
It’s hot; what can you do about that? Acknowledgments of understanding continued all around.
“Then cool it down and eat it. This may be your last grace period. If you regret it, you better reveal now that you are indeed Vampis.”
Despite the Butler’s proclamation, Darknodi stood firm. Staring at the steaming hot Garlic Chicken, she pulled out a small cup for Vampis from her cloak and cast a spell.
[Dark Tonic Creation Magic]
Black liquid bubbling up with frothy bubbles. Those watching were baffled, thinking she was planning to drink poison to kill herself.
Oknodie peeked out and was mesmerized.
“Wow! Cola! You can’t resist soda with chicken!”
A cold drink to eat with hot chicken.
“What’s cola?”
“I don’t know. Is she trying to make excuses for dying saying she drank soda instead of chicken?”
“Then is Oknodie forcing his clone to drink poison and make an excuse for dying to hide her vampire identity?”
“Oh my God.”
“That’s horrifying.”
“How could anyone do such a terrible thing, even to their own clone…?”
“Truly the heiress of the Foundation. Her actions are just like her father’s…”
The hushed murmurs of the modified legion piqued the Butler’s interest as well.
‘This familiar cruelty… It must be the daughter of that person.’