Ch.121121 – Changed Attitudes Around Me

<121 – Changed Attitudes Around Me>

Today, people’s attitudes toward me suddenly became strange.

“Oknodie, you poor thing! Someone like you should save some whole wheat bread for when your points drop and you’re starving!!”

“Are you crazy? Why are you showing kindness to a corpse carrier? You might end up buried in a cemetery!”

Suddenly, unknown students would approach to share food with me, while others would try to stop them.

I caught Morb passing by in the hallway and asked him.

“Morb. Why are people calling me a corpse carrier?”

Morb spat out the water he was drinking and coughed violently.

“Who’s saying that?”

“People passing by.”

“I’ll look into it after class.”

“You don’t have to go that far.”

“No, I’m concerned about it.”

Since he insisted on doing it, I let him be. Then he came back in the evening looking gaunt, as if he hadn’t eaten dinner at all.

“Oknodie. There are strange rumors spreading about you. This is just what I heard, not what I think, so please don’t misunderstand.”

“Okay!”

“People think you… have high dark attribute affinity because you’ve seen and handled many corpses. There’s also a rumor gaining traction that you’re a member of an assassin family.”

“Ah-ha.”

So that’s what it was!

I thought something was strange.

As I nodded, finally understanding the situation, Morb looked at me seriously, as if nothing had been resolved.

“So… is it true?”

“What?”

“The rumor that your dark attribute affinity increased because you carried corpses and worked as an assassin.”

Well, I’m not sure.

If this were just a game, I could firmly deny such rumors, but now that it’s reality, I’m a bit confused.

The deaths I experienced and the murders I committed as a player weren’t just one or two—I’ve even experienced “world destruction” at worst.

If those were calculated as “my” affinity, my dark attribute affinity would be maxed out and then some.

But could the same result be possible if calculated as “Oknodie’s” affinity?

Actually, what kind of character was Oknodie supposed to be?

I don’t know much about this iteration’s character background.

I haven’t obtained any information about my character’s past since the Random Papa event.

“Hmm… I’m not sure!”

“What do you mean you’re not sure? It’s about you. Can’t you clearly say it’s not true?”

“But I’m confused!”

“About what?”

“Whether it’s because of what I killed before or what I’ve seen now.”

Morb looked around with shocked eyes, as if he’d glimpsed something about the world that he shouldn’t know.

There was no one nearby who seemed to be passing by or listening to our conversation.

“Oknodie. Don’t say things like that anywhere.”

“Why?”

“Just don’t say it when I tell you not to!”

“Hmm… I don’t want to!”

“You’ll be in danger!”

“Me?”

“Kids are afraid of you. If they hear such stories, they’ll be much more afraid. Maybe… they’ll tell their parents and ask for you to be expelled!”

His worry is excessive.

This is a country where even if a king requests the expulsion of a student, it would never be granted.

In fact, the powerless Third Princess Yayoi entered the academy alone with just one body double, and later she gets summoned by the emperor when she’s discovered.

Of course, the princess ignores it and stays put, while the emperor tries to take her away.

If I participate and play a role in that, the rewards are quite good, so should I manage my relationship with her?

“Oknodie. This is about you, so think about it seriously!”

“Hmm… Unless Papa calls for me, I won’t be expelled!”

“Papa…? Oknodie’s father?”

“Yes!”

“This Papa you’re talking about is your real father, not someone who trained you as an assassin, right?”

“Yes, yes!”

In the Random Papa event, only my dad sends letters! So it must be my dad.

“Sigh… I don’t understand what’s going on. Anyway, be careful. Don’t get hurt if kids’ attitudes toward you change.”

“Morb, you’re such a nice kid?”

“W-what are you saying! Being grateful, taking care of children, and being kind to women is just natural!”

“Pong-pong?”

“Pong… what?”

“Nothing!”

I’m a bit worried about Morb’s values—he’s too soft-hearted despite not being particularly handsome.

He should be worried about himself, not me.

Morb was looking at me suspiciously, but when Zhang and Titosoga, who attend the next class with him, approached, he ran off with a final warning not to forget his advice.

“What’s with him?”

“Could he be Oknodie’s boyfriend~?”

“He’s just a nice kid!”

Titosoga snickered as Morb ran hard and then fell flat on his face in the hallway.

“He’s cute!”

“Want me to introduce you?”

“Oh, stop it. No thanks!”

Right, why should I care how others react?

As long as the people close to me stay the same, that’s all that matters!

* *

After carefully observing Oknodie’s usual expressions, actions, and attitude,

Zhang came to a conclusion.

“Well, I worried for nothing.”

It was natural for an exposed assassin to be feared or become an object of hatred and contempt.

Oknodie was already the subject of too much attention.

Zhang had thought that something like this would happen eventually and that the gaze would be too much for a child to bear, but surprisingly, her attitude remained the same as usual.

The only difference was one thing:

When she encountered those who feared or cursed her in the hallway, she would awkwardly turn to another path or turn her head to avoid meeting them.

“Don’t you feel sorry for Oknodie?”

“Not particularly. If you’re an assassin, you have to accept all of this.”

“Is that so…? I’m not sure.”

“That’s because Titosoga isn’t an assassin.”

Titosoga, who wasn’t an assassin but somehow ended up befriending two of them.

Suddenly, Zhang became curious.

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Of what?”

“Of us.”

“Oknodie and Zhang?”

Zhang blinked.

After a moment’s thought, what appeared in her eyes wasn’t fear or disgust, but trust.

“Not at all!”

“Really?”

“You’re much better friends than those disloyal students from the Aesthetic Cultivation class.”

“You’re a strange child, Titosoga.”

“Pfft. You’re calling me a child when you’re a child too, Zhang. The third smallest child in the academy at that.”

What amazing courage—to trust and befriend assassins despite being a coward who faints screaming at the sight of undead.

“Titosoga. Don’t ever change.”

“Suddenly? Did something happen?”

“Not really.”

If anything happened, it happened long ago and is over now.

It’s a common story for assassins—a child who became friends without knowing they were an assassin, then became a stranger after discovering their identity.

It was the fate that her master, herself, and perhaps the child who would become her disciple could not avoid.

Once trained as an assassin, Oknodie couldn’t escape such a fate either.

‘You’re lucky, Oknodie.’

That she wouldn’t have to suffer the wounds Zhang had experienced at her age.

Or perhaps that was more unfortunate.

After all, if someone is going to betray you anyway, it’s better to become strangers earlier to suffer less pain.

“Titosoga.”

“Yes?”

“If you betray us, I’ll kill you.”

“What did I do?!”

“I’ll kill you anyway.”

“Hmph. If Zhang betrays us, I’ll kill you too!”

I hope you’ll remain Oknodie’s good friend from now on.

Zhang sincerely wished this.

Because killing someone who was once a friend was not something anyone should have to do.

* *

The magic I learned with high hopes to drive away mosquitoes didn’t help much, unfortunately.

Dark magic was too dangerous to use carelessly before building up proficiency.

Even as a player, I had to be extremely careful with dark magic that could have different side effects each time, and it was quite scary to go outside where mosquitoes had taken over.

“Professor Sadaco. Could you use the pest-repelling magic circle on our way back too?”

“Are you interested in black magic?”

“Not really?”

“How about handling undead?”

“Not particularly?”

“Find your own way back.”

Professor Sadaco mercilessly sent the students away.

“So you know what? Titosoga was frantically pressing buttons to change the colors of the spotlight to drive away the mosquitoes swarming around it, but more mosquitoes came instead!”

“Waaah.”

After much trouble, I returned to the dormitory and was telling about today’s events, but the baby mandrake’s response was lackluster.

“If you keep doing that, I’ll bully you, okay?”

“Waaah.”

The mandrake dipped its roots in water, took a drop, and splashed it as if challenging me to do my worst.

“Sheesh! You’re going to get it!”

<Amplify>

Since using amplify on concentrated mandrake extract would be too much, I filled a cup with water and cast amplify on it.

The water in the cup instantly turned black and began to boil with a bubbling sound.

The mandrake, terrified, trembled while clinging to the wall of its bottle.

“Hiccup.”

What am I doing, trying to intimidate something that can’t even understand me?

“I’m sorry. Were you very scared?”

Feeling a sudden wave of self-awareness, I discarded the water and apologized.

After lulling the frightened mandrake to sleep, I lay down on my bed.

‘Am I feeling stressed?’

When I faced the Esonia Exploration Team including Isabelle during the entrance exam.

When I clashed with the still-neutral Western Nobles Union.

When I got into trouble with the Red Tooth Mushroom Illegal Cultivation Management Association composed of second-year seniors.

This was different from those times.

People avoid students with high dark attribute affinity who might be dangerous.

It’s a tacitly accepted social custom.

So those who discriminate against and suspect me aren’t doing anything wrong.

Bluntly put, once you’re labeled as a “potential mass murderer,” it’s useless to complain about the injustice.

You have to feel like a criminal without having done anything.

It’s the fate of those with high dark attribute affinity.

When my character was discriminated against, I just accepted it.

But when I experience it directly, my chest aches.

Of course, it doesn’t feel good.

-Want to talk to me about it?

The Responding Wall seized the opportunity to speak.

Creepy thing.

I glared at the wall once and turned to the opposite side, pulling the blanket over my head.