Ch.311311 – The Chairman’s Banquet

<311 – The Chairman’s Banquet>

There are things that remain invisible until someone points them out.

The Chairman’s mansion, which had appeared to everyone like an enjoyable training theme park, was in reality no different from a military training facility.

The joyful mood vanished like a lie.

Neither expectations nor excitement remained.

In the students’ minds, wings of imagination spread.

Children dragged to an isolated island at a young age.

Forced to survive for set periods on increasingly dangerous floors as time passes.

Those lacking skill and talent die.

The survivors barely escape with their lives, but only temporarily.

As survival days increase, the next deployment time grows longer.

Only after the number of children surviving the harsh training falls to single digits does the training end, and the remaining ones are selected as foundation scholarship students, or as maids and butler trainees.

This place might actually be where such cruel things happen.

“Oknodie, you said this is your first time here?”

“Yep!”

Then there must be even harsher facilities somewhere else in the world.

Everyone could guess what Isabelle couldn’t bring herself to say.

Poor kid.

“Oknodie… want me to turn on some mood-lifting lights?”

“Hey, wanna try shooting a gun?”

“Merchants tend to feel better when handling money pouches. If you’d like, I can lend you a pouch of gold coins.”

Of course, the recipient of this inexplicable kindness was simply overjoyed and happily accepted everything offered.

* *

━━━

Chairman’s Mansion

20F – Special Floor: Dining Room

━━━

Those who had only seen bleak training facilities were finally freed from them.

Yet the students’ expressions grew dark and serious.

What mattered wasn’t where they were.

What mattered was what awaited them there.

Those who had been contemplating the facility’s horrors now turned their thoughts to the person responsible for creating all this.

Oknodie’s Papa.

The Foundation Chairman.

What kind of being was he?

How dangerous could he be?

Was meeting such a person truly a wise decision?

No matter how they thought about it, it only felt dangerous.

“Feels like walking to the execution grounds by my own feet.”

At Zhang’s complaint, Son Ocheon hesitated at the dining room door with an expression that suggested he might choke any moment.

Even the butler guide, who one might have expected to mock such behavior, was visibly tense, checking for wrinkles in his clothes and potential mistakes before knocking.

“I’ve brought Scholarship Student Oknodie and friends to the dining room.”

“Have them enter.”

The voice that responded was surprisingly that of a refreshing and straightforward young man.

A long banquet table.

Tableware placed in front of each seat.

Giselle’s narrow eyes quickly began extracting information about the Chairman.

Though it appeared to be high-end formal wear, the clothing wrapped around his body was some kind of magical armor with so many layers of mana reactions that it was difficult to detect them all, possessing overwhelming magical power that made one’s eyes dazzle.

Such monstrous specifications couldn’t possibly be ready-made unless it was the work of imperial exclusive tailors and blacksmiths.

His light brown hair and neatly trimmed eyebrows indicated the presence of staff who assisted with grooming.

If food to fill the banquet table could be procured on this remote island, there must also be an exclusive chef.

He employed all three professions that ranked within the top 3 most favorable targets for assassins: fashion designers, beauticians, and chefs.

The probability that this was the real person rather than a proxy increased further.

Above all, the smile that never left his face since his appearance testified to his composure.

‘That’s not a smile of kindness.’

Animals smile when they see prey.

This man’s smile was no different.

Even if he wasn’t viewing them as physical prey, he was smiling in anticipation of satisfying his sadism or some psychological desire.

“Pleased to meet you all. My name is Zeal Wiheomhae. Though not comparable to the families or supporting powers of you who do great things in society, I modestly manage a small foundation as the founder and chairman of the Wiheomhae Foundation.”

Because he possessed immense power, he didn’t boast but humbled himself.

Rather than being careless, he was the type to make others let their guard down.

The kind who handles power with extreme cunning.

“I imagine you have much to say or ask, but first, you must be tired from your long journey. Let’s fill our stomachs first.”

Chefs brought out freshly prepared dishes, which maids carried in succession.

Butlers brought wine sloshing in elegant bottles, chilled in ice water.

Hot dishes and cold wine.

The contrast between the Chairman’s consistent smile and the servants’ extreme tension, carefully watching their every move, made the gathering all the more unsettling and eerie.

The banquet began with only the Chairman and Oknodie smiling pleasantly.

[Guinea Pig Roast]

[Origin – Southern City-State Alliance (Produced in Armory Duchy)]

[Estimated Cooking Skill 300+]

[Auxiliary Cooking Skills – Ingredient Discrimination, Ingredient Aging, Seasoning, Roasting]

[Special Effects – Odor Removal, Seasoning Maturation, Juice Preservation, Charcoal Aroma, Energy Replenishment]

Even a small roast pig featured days of aging, seasoning with rare ingredients, and was filled with flavor and aroma, providing pleasure that lingered in the mouth.

Though varied in type, no dish was carelessly made, and all delighted those who ate them.

“Damn. Is this the last supper or something? It’s disgustingly delicious.”

“Idiot. Don’t say it out loud.”

“Ugh.”

At Son Ocheon’s tactless remark, Isabelle stepped on his foot from beside him.

The Chairman laughed heartily and spoke with apparent generosity.

“Don’t worry. When sending off death row inmates, I prefer letting them taste the bitter lessons of life rather than sweet dishes.”

“So you’re saying if you intended to kill us, you’d have served us a full course of torture instead.”

“Hahaha.”

Even at Zhang’s sarcastic comment that could be taken that way, the Chairman laughed good-naturedly.

The fact that he never corrected Zhang’s statement made several people feel chills, and they quietly put down the food they were about to eat.

“Is everyone not hungry?”

Oknodie wasn’t affected by such atmosphere.

With a face that looked deliriously happy, his hand holding the plate never stopped.

He skillfully bit into large pieces of meat, leaving only bones while sucking the flesh into his mouth in one go.

Even with fish dishes full of bones, he used dark mana to lift only the bones and devoured just the flesh with noisy slurping.

A talent for eating that went beyond abundance to approach the realm of rare skill!

‘Indeed, the strong are different in their own way. To empty a bowl steadily in this suffocating atmosphere.’

Giselle felt somewhat competitive and picked up the tableware she had put down.

Having observed Oknodie’s eating habits of never leaving food behind certainly played a part in his decision.

Perhaps showing such courage was fortunate.

“It seems you all find it burdensome to receive hospitality without compensation. Well, the Academy cafeteria charges points, and the outside world uses currency, so perhaps eating free meals solely on the basis of being my daughter’s friends violates social norms. Let’s do this then.”

The Chairman took out a mana board.

“The boarding points modeled after Academy points have no value to me. But they certainly serve a purpose. Through my invited guests’ preferences and methods of collecting points, I gather information about their survival methods.”

Familiar faces appeared above the mana board.

Oknodie. Ishtar. Irene.

All were faces of students who had boarded the cruise ship.

“Miss Irene’s meal frequency is twice daily. The northern people’s survival-oriented diet is notable—small portions, accepting unpalatable food as long as high calories are guaranteed.”

“!”

“Main point income source: hostage exchange. Like a military mage accustomed to battlefields, she favors military methods. An admirable life philosophy showing maturity beyond her years.”

Her life was read from the time spent on the ship.

As an undisguisable uneasiness rose on Irene’s face, another name was called.

“Miss Hestia’s meal frequency is five times daily. She eats large quantities regardless of type whenever opportunity allows, showing a wild eating philosophy different from the Northern Grand Duchess.”

“…”

“Main point income source: achieving records in training facilities and victories in matches against confident crew members. A mercenary’s admirable life philosophy that makes winning competitions against others her life’s work.”

Though unsaid, it was clear that others present at this gathering, and perhaps even students who weren’t present, had all been similarly analyzed and organized.

Gift Academy teachers extract and evaluate student information to assign grades and determine promotion, advancement, and graduation.

Then for what purpose does the Wiheomhae Foundation Chairman extract and evaluate information about his daughter’s friends?

“As you can see, I’m very interested in my daughter’s friendships. So until the day you leave this mansion, anyone who wishes to dine should share their stories with me. They can be trivial or rare. I’ll offer food as compensation accordingly. Of course, stories related to my child would be even better.”

On the surface, it appeared to be the meddling of a handsome young parent extremely interested in their child.

However, trying to understand the true meaning behind his words gave only a chillingly eerie feeling.