Ch.281281 – Stating the Obvious

<281 – Stating the Obvious>

Sure, Oknodie as an individual might be good at hiding in various places, so she might be able to find good spots to hide points.

Perhaps she’s only pretending to be fair on the surface while secretly receiving information from the butler who’s always by her side.

Whatever the case, only Oknodie is doing well.

The other kids must be different.

Ishtar, who remembered through the midterm exams how much damage her solo advancement had done to her reputation, actually thought this was a good thing.

The more luxurious time Oknodie spent, the more her friends who had fallen to the status of laborers would resent her!

“I’ll take the scholarship.”

“Me too.”

“I’ll take it too.”

There are even students being released after accepting scholarships.

Those who have been trapped and become scholarship students this way are unlikely to loyally serve the Foundation.

It just means there are more enemies within.

‘Their expressions seem rather light…?’

Many students show no signs of fearing becoming Foundation scholarship students, or they give off an air of “why would that matter now?”

‘Aren’t they afraid of people who would break fingers, pull teeth, and try to design others’ lives as they please if things go wrong?’

The dangers of the Foundation come much more explicitly and quickly than those of the Academy.

The sight of students taking this lightly seemed like madness to the Hero, but then she remembered that they were lower-class students.

They must be in the lower classes precisely because they’re such thoughtless, rash people.

“Ishtar. Take the royal guard and start tackling facility challenges. Oknodie might extend her reach there once she finishes collecting points.”

As Yufi said, she has much to do.

Students other than Oknodie can certainly aim for facility challenges too.

If they secure them first, other students’ situations will become even more difficult, accelerating the structure where they’re forced to become Foundation scholarship students and resent the Foundation.

“Everyone hurry. We need to collect points so quickly that they won’t even notice we’ve taken them.”

On the afternoon of the second day of the cruise trip.

The Hero’s royal guard began to accelerate their activities in earnest.

* * *

Unlike the students rushing about, the maids Leaf and April knew from the moment they boarded that unnecessary luxury wouldn’t be allowed, so they exchanged information with the crew members.

And they discovered that they were classified as “friends” who accompanied their lady, not as ship crew.

“This is the Chairman’s test. What do you think?”

“I don’t believe it’s my place as a mere subordinate to speculate.”

“Then let me tell you. This is what the Chairman calls a <small experiment> to test important figures.”

“…Has this happened before?”

“I was once drafted as a crew member.”

“What happened then?”

Leaf’s expression darkened.

“Twenty followers of Anlage, the God of Corruption, boarded the ship. They had heard rumors that their cult’s secret treasure was hidden somewhere on the ship and gathered boarding points to obtain it.”

“They were smarter than the students.”

“That became their poison. Boarding points can be stolen by killing others. This clause became the catalyst for two different factions to kill each other.”

“!!”

“These are Academy students. They won’t cross the line, at least. If you can’t kill everyone, you shouldn’t kill anyone.”

“They fought with the intention of killing everyone. How many survived?”

“Only one remained. There can only be one owner of the sacred artifact. The Apostle of Anlage still works as a member of the Foundation to repay the debt from that time.”

April realized anew.

She and Leaf were maids of different calibers.

Their access to information was on completely different levels.

“Is there a prize this time too, like the ‘cult’s secret treasure,’ to tempt the students?”

“I’ve already checked. This time’s bait is <a Foundation executive>. The prize is the ability to call upon any executive, including the Apostle of Anlage, as an assistant for Academy life.”

“!!”

It’s an astonishing prize.

In some ways, it could be considered even more valuable than the cult’s secret treasure.

Even the owner who obtained the secret treasure after fierce competition is now listed as just one of the prizes.

“Isn’t it dangerous? Revealing the list of Foundation executives to outsiders.”

“Of course, the list of executives isn’t provided. You either have to specify the name of the executive you want, or accept whichever executive we assign.”

April suddenly became curious.

“How strong are the Foundation executives?”

“After joining the Foundation, the Apostle of Anlage killed three Apostles of the Sea God. They were all individuals who interfered with the Foundation’s procession.”

“…How terrifying. To hunt down three apostles comparable to knight commanders or archmage.”

“With such a brilliant track record, his name is known to those who should know. The Hero might not know, but the Princess would certainly mention his name.”

“Do you think they can collect more points than Lady Oknodie?”

“Who knows.”

Somehow, she had this feeling.

“There are so many talented students among this year’s freshmen.”

The person April was watching wasn’t the Hero or the Princess, but an unexpected individual.

* * *

Giselle looked at the gleaming gold card and gave a wry smile.

“These points aren’t worth collecting. Ten thousand points gone at once just to upgrade to a gold ticket.”

“Hahaha! But I, Son Ocheon, already swept through the arcade points first. We’re still ahead of the others.”

“And we also earned many points by selling ten recipes to a chef who wanted them.”

Son Ocheon and Isabelle handed half of their collected points to Giselle.

They believed that Giselle, the smartest among them, would use the points most wisely.

Their prediction was spot on.

“What are the benefits of the upgrade?”

“Free use of gold-grade facilities and below. Permission to talk with senior crew members and access to missions. 20% discount on product purchases, among other features.”

“Ah, I checked that out. Expensive facilities have gold or diamond emblems hanging at their entrances.”

The forest keeper Dorothy remembered all the distinctive features among the crowds and vast facilities, providing timely helpful information.

The so-called <Giselle team> accessed high-level information the fastest using their expanded privileges.

“They say an <auction> is starting on the deserted island?”

“More valuable items become available each day you stay on the deserted island… The most valuable items purchasable with points must come from the auction.”

“If it’s a deserted island, we need to prepare sufficient food and survival tools from the ship to endure a long stay. Leave the preparations to me, the explorer.”

The Foundation’s cruise ship had more to enjoy than expected.

Not just amusement facilities, but also the thrill of accessing hidden information.

Giselle felt her hobby of dealing with information as a black market merchant being greatly stimulated.

“I envy them. The wealth, planning ability, and organizational skills to create such a massive playground.”

Indeed, they’re as impressive as the renowned Gift Academy.

Perhaps this is a giant playground that the person Oknodie calls “Papa” provides for her.

“What are you admiring? If Oknodie’s friends get into trouble, her reputation will suffer that much more. She’s already feared as the Dark Princess, so what will happen in the second semester if kids say they became debtors by hanging out with Oknodie?”

“That would be problematic indeed.”

“If you understand, let’s quickly gather points and go rescue those idiots.”

Quite a few students from the Black Market Association joined this trip.

Many commoners, having no place to go, chose to come along to strengthen their connections with Oknodie rather than returning to their hometowns.

“Now that we’ve gathered enough points, let’s find students in trouble.”

The commoner students from the Black Market Association were actually better off.

Students who were dragged away after indulging in luxury rooms without a plan recorded enormous negative points, but the commoners’ debts were smaller.

“What luxury did I indulge in? I ate just one plate at the buffet before leaving!”

“I left half a drink unfinished!”

“I threw away a yogurt cup without licking the inside clean!”

Commoners whose luxury consumption was at such a pathetic level!

“From now on, look for points but be careful not to go into the negative again. You’ve experienced what harsh treatment awaits if you fall for the Foundation’s temptations.”

“Thanks, Giselle…”

“By the way, has anyone seen where Arcadia is?”

“The Countess? She was heading to the grand theater.”

“…The grand theater?”

Giselle was surprised.

Arcadia was with Titosoga.

She had shown caution from early on, recognizing the cruise ship’s traps.

Why would she use such a luxurious facility?

When Giselle went to the grand theater, she found the reason.

[Grand Theater: Open 9 AM – 6 PM]

[Free Viewing Hours: 11 AM – 1 PM]

Can’t resist free stuff.

Just as the free viewing time ended, crew audience members and a few student spectators came out mixed together.

Surprisingly, Oknodie was among the students, with an unusually frustrated expression and pouting lips.

“What’s wrong?”

“Arcadia was one step ahead of me.”

Behind Oknodie, Arcadia waved a gold ticket with a chuckle.

“How did you get it?”

“During the play, there was a detective part where someone from the audience was chosen, and I correctly identified the culprit and the trick, so I received this ticket as a reward. Hehe. It was a really fun play.”

What’s that all about?

Why do you get to have all the fun?

Giselle, who had learned about the gold ticket as a reward for winning a nerve-wracking game at the late-night casino, felt somewhat cheated.

“Oknodie. It’s good to earn points, but you should also think about helping other students. At this rate, your reputation will be in danger.”

Quickly shaking off her ugly jealousy, Giselle took advantage of the rare opportunity to meet Oknodie and offered necessary advice.

But Oknodie’s expression remained nonchalant, as if Giselle was stating the obvious.

“You don’t need to worry about that!”

“…Are you planning to persuade everyone to become Foundation scholarship students and get them out that way?”

“If we start a shipboard rebellion event, everyone can get off the ship without spending points!”

Isn’t starting a shipboard rebellion common sense when you board a cruise ship?

Giselle was left speechless by Oknodie’s confident assertion.