Ch.300300 – Suspicious Movements

A treasure chest appeared in a sandcastle that had nothing in it.

Actually, it’s hard to even call it a sandcastle.

The materials used were ashes left after burning or ice blocks remaining from where the professor’s grand magic had seeped into the ground.

Oknodie was delighted that even in the broadest sense this could be called a sandcastle, and somehow a treasure chest emerged from this sandless sandcastle.

When the chest was opened, it contained seven 50ml potion ampoules filled with unidentified rainbow-colored liquids in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

“Wow! A rainbow set! Tier 1 reward is so awesome!”

“…The fact that you classify the value of rewards suggests you’ve obtained such treasure chests before?”

“Of course! It’s common knowledge that treasure chests appear in well-made sandcastles, right? Let’s make lots more together. It turned out much better with Leaf helping!”

Even by her own assessment, Leaf has good manual dexterity.

A body trained to slice flesh in 1mm increments for torture purposes.

While some maids in the world are clumsy destroyers who break and spill everything, there are also precise assassination maids like her with delicate handiwork.

But no maid in the world could have had the same experience as her.

Even children who built sandcastles in their youth wouldn’t have experienced adults suddenly rushing over to secretly fill their castles with treasure chests—Santa Claus doesn’t do that.

If such things happened, we’d celebrate Sandcastle Day instead of Christmas.

“It seems the young lady is blessed by the gods.”

“Me?”

“Surely Jona wouldn’t put rewards in sandcastles every time… though it’s possible…”

In the safe zone, Jona frowned as if this was nonsense.

So it seems he wasn’t using his metal manipulation ability to tunnel underground and send metal boxes up into the sandcastle.

He’s not the type of man who would go to such lengths to join in play, even if he helps with training.

“If it’s not Jona, then only a god could do such a thing.”

“Ah, so daily quest rewards come from gods!”

Does she have no self-awareness?

Leaf thought this was quite peculiar.

Giving something usually means expecting something in return.

Joy.

Or fear.

Bestowing power is done expecting gratitude, while punishment is given expecting fear.

Either way, they want a reaction from humans.

The stronger the intensity, the more the recipient can feel who is exerting influence over them.

Just as Academy students are conscious of the Principal’s points.

Just as those tied to the Foundation are conscious of the Chairman’s points.

Those tied to divinity become conscious of the gods’ points.

Yet Oknodie doesn’t know this?

It means the god doesn’t want it.

To be thanked.

‘I wonder why.’

Before the auction began, Leaf asked Jona about her question.

Jona answered while watching Oknodie hide in a box for hide-and-seek.

“It’s simple. When a god conceals their intentions, it’s because they cherish the subject.”

“If they cherish someone, shouldn’t they value them more and make them follow them?”

“The goodwill of someone in a high position can destroy a person’s life. Just as when a powerful figure shows favor to an illegitimate child, only for them to be poisoned due to the legitimate wife’s schemes.”

“…!”

“In religious orders, the jealousy of believers becomes the problem. Moreover, Oknodie has the weakness of dark mana and being a Foundation member.”

“That’s an even more disadvantageous position than an illegitimate noble child.”

Hearing this, Leaf understood.

While the Foundation exerts enormous influence on the world, the flip side is that Foundation members are despised by the world.

People fear the Foundation’s scholarship students who haven’t revealed themselves, but Oknodie, whose identity is known, easily becomes a target of vigilance and hostility.

“That’s why even the god who played with Oknodie didn’t reveal their identity. That’s what I think.”

“If that’s the case, what kind of god do you think it is? As you know, besides the one true god, there are 24 major deity ranks.”

“It’s impossible to know at present. What has enchanted the god to watch over the young lady.”

Still, if there’s something that could be a reason, it’s probably that.

Oknodie, with only her hands and feet sticking out of the box that accidentally closed in the wind as she tried to escape by hitting it.

Not knowing which way was front or back, she ran blindly forward until the box hit a tree and she fell backward—a sight that evoked feelings half of ridiculousness and half of cuteness.

“The god also wants to comfort our lonely young lady who plays by herself. That’s why they give ‘rewards’ for activities that take a long time, like building sandcastles.”

“It might be a benevolent god.”

“Even malevolent gods can appreciate cuteness.”

“Then I must report this.”

Whatever it is, this is quite important information.

Reporting to superiors is unavoidable.

“It’s necessary for the young lady’s safety as well. The attention of a massive being inevitably transforms smaller things, and the greater the attention, the greater the change.”

Those favored by the God of Warriors become berserkers who lose their reason, engulfed in semi-permanent madness and rage.

Those favored by the God of Magic cannot handle the overflowing intelligence and enlightenment, becoming madmen who leave the secular world to become hermits.

Oknodie too might suffer a terrible fate if she indiscriminately accepts a god’s favor.

“Jona, what happens if one receives favor from a harmless benevolent god like the God of Love?”

“There are no harmless gods in this world.”

Jona declared firmly.

“Someone might love another so much that they freeze them in a refrigerator to monopolize that love forever, or they themselves might be frozen and imprisoned.”

“Is this something you’ve heard?”

“It’s something I witnessed while carrying out the Foundation’s orders. It’s also why the Academy is dangerous.”

As students advance through grades, they tend to rely on divine blessings to compensate for their lacking abilities.

All he wished was that the young lady’s innocence would not be tainted by the gods’ schemes.

* *

“I will now reveal the item for the ninth day of the desert island auction. Today’s item is <Secret Manual of Mana Cultivation for Maids>.”

Auctions reveal participants’ weaknesses.

Some weaknesses target social standing, some economic vulnerabilities, and others psychological weaknesses.

The weakness targeting Leaf was her combat aspect.

“The starting bid is 1 million points. Bids will increase by 100,000 points.”

“One million.”

Leaf began bidding without hesitation.

Mana cultivation methods were the first realm of supernatural abilities humans reached for to overcome physical limitations.

How to utilize external methods to strengthen different parts of the body.

Accumulating data and sacrificing lives to pioneer effects that were established as cultivation methods.

This auction item revealed those secret techniques in their entirety.

It was bound to be a weakness.

Leaf couldn’t understand what the Foundation was thinking.

The maid mana cultivation method was a Foundation asset.

Why would they release such a thing at an auction?

“You gave up at 4 million yesterday, right?”

And why was Oknodie showing interest in this?

“Then I’ll bid 4 million!”

“Oknodie. 4 million points.”

Where were all these points coming from?

Everything was questionable.

‘Still, there must be a reason. The young lady does have potential maid candidates she likes.’

The girl named Titosoga seemed born to be a maid.

The same could be said for the daughter of the castle lord’s family and the merchant friend who created and popularized frills.

Perhaps Oknodie wanted to create her own loyal maid before the Foundation could intervene.

‘If she had told me in advance, I wouldn’t have let her waste so many points.’

Though it was pitiful, what’s done was done.

He would purchase tomorrow’s item himself and end the auction.

That was his thought during the ninth day auction, where less than half of the intact ground remained as pieces fell away from the edges.

Leaf’s compassionate thoughts ended when the tenth day auction began just one day later.

“Four million points!”

Just when he thought the young lady must have spent all her points and should return to the ship, she boldly offered another four million points.

Even though Leaf was generally lenient with the young lady, these seemingly inexhaustible points were strange.

“I raise an objection.”

“Speak.”

“Please verify that the young lady actually possesses that many points.”

Are you cheating on the bid?

Jona accepted Leaf’s blunt challenge.

“Participant Oknodie. Could you please present your boarding ticket to help verify your points?”

“Here it is!”

Oknodie handed over her ticket without hesitation.

And Jona, who rarely showed surprise, was speechless upon receiving the ticket.

[Oknodie, No.99999999]

99,999,999 points.

The maximum possible boarding points.

Considering the points already spent, this meant she had replenished at least as many points overnight as she had already used.

Or perhaps she had easily surpassed 100 million, making it impossible to gauge the maximum even as points decreased.

Either way, it wasn’t normal.

At least as far as Jona knew, the total of all boarding points on the cruise ship couldn’t possibly add up to 99,999,999.

“Have you committed fraud?”

“Do you have evidence?”

Oknodie asked defiantly with a mischievous smile.

Jona was certain.

Our young lady has boldly committed point fraud.