Ch.324324 – The Big Shot’s Fishing

<324 – The Big Shot’s Fishing>

The chairman was generous with his praise.

“You saw through the trap well. Well done.”

“Hehe!”

“Just because someone shows goodwill and makes a beneficial offer doesn’t necessarily mean good results will follow. Sometimes that goodwill itself can be a trap designed to make you break your promise, as you’ve seen.”

“It was too obvious~ When we clearly made a bet, being led to leave the tower so easily naturally makes one suspicious, right?”

“Hoho. Your caution in accepting favors deserves endless praise. I hope Sing will also learn much by staying at Oknodie’s side.”

As expected, Sing, who couldn’t do anything properly except wielding a knife, forgot Papa’s words in an instant like a goldfish and fell for the trap.

But well, it should be fine since I’m here.

It’s not that I can’t go beyond the 50th floor, I just choose not to.

To be honest, this is an opportunity.

An opportunity to steal a glimpse of the power of the <Foundation>, which boasts particularly strong organizational power in this run.

‘If I return directly to the Academy, I’ll only experience the progress of events indirectly, but by watching from outside like this, I can observe the entire flow of events!’

The second chapter boss appearing in the first year, second semester.

I’ll watch how the Foundation unfolds the <Attack of the Evil Organization> event.

Returning to the Academy afterward won’t be too late.

There might be some deduction of points for not keeping up with the curriculum, but I have enough points to pay for that!

“But was this just a test?”

The chairman’s hand, which was about to pat her head, stopped in mid-air.

Oknodie didn’t look at the approaching hand with the face of a child seeking praise.

She spoke as if claiming a natural right, like someone who believes dessert must follow lunch.

“Were you planning to just show the regional event as bait for a trap without actually executing it?”

The human forces of the Deutsch Kingdom.

The beastkin forces beyond the human boundary line.

She expresses disappointment that a racial war between two different species won’t take place.

This is an incident on a completely different scale from the Academy’s schemes that discussed the deaths of one or two people.

No, it would be no exaggeration to call it a tragedy.

Even the mighty chairman was startled by Oknodie’s madness in casually mentioning such a terrible future.

“Isn’t it generally out of bounds to use humans for schemes that could be avoided?”

“Come on. People fight all the time even when there’s just one neighboring country. If they’re just extras we’re not close with, we can hold events and such!”

“Whose blood do you want to see?”

“Hmm~ If I had to choose, the beastkin side?”

“Though it’s been a hundred years since the Empire officially outlawed the enslavement of beastkin, there are still human supremacists in the world who only treat pure humans as human.”

The chairman has beastkin organizations that suffer discrimination and oppression under such social perceptions and trends as subsidiaries of the Foundation.

The Foundation even recruits a certain number of <Non-Human Special Admission Scholars>.

It’s foolish to discriminate between humans and non-humans when it comes to utilizing useful beings.

Where did beastkin discrimination originate from in the first place?

It was to resolve the shortage of resources, territory, and manpower by exploiting beastkin.

From the position of having transformed such beastkin into “political support forces” through a revolution aimed at making them Foundation-friendly forces on the surface, groundless hatred toward beastkin is troublesome.

At least, it’s not the kind of mindset that a child who will succeed him in the future should have.

The chairman’s eyes narrowed.

“Could it be… that you’re also such a human supremacist?”

It doesn’t suit her.

Human supremacy is a concept born to kill the Foundation’s political support base.

It’s an extension of nationalism that emerged from the interests of world rulers and the combination of lower-class citizens who lost their jobs to beastkin.

It’s a defeatist ideology that doesn’t suit someone like Oknodie who is meant to reign above all.

It’s even more unnecessary for the child who will inherit the Foundation.

‘Perhaps… some correction is needed?’

If so, it needs to be fixed from the roots.

This education might take a bit longer.

It might not be a bad idea to prevent Oknodie from returning to the Academy altogether.

“What? I don’t dislike beastkin.”

“Name three ways in which humans are inferior to beastkin.”

“Their racial bonuses are mediocre, they have the highest limit break requirements, and their maximum height potential is too small!”

“Limit break…?”

“You know how most characters have growth limits once their stats reach a certain point, so you need special items or achievements to raise those limits? Elves get a free pass up to 90 dexterity, orcs up to 90 strength, but humans get stuck at 70 for everything!”

“Destroyer has taught you quite a lot. So he wants you to walk the path of a hero too. Hoho. He remains consistent in his eye for talent.”

But if there’s someone who recognizes Oknodie’s excellence to this extent, there’s a possibility she won’t return completely corrupted.

“I understand, Oknodie. What you desire is to achieve the requirements for limit breaking. That’s why you’ve been so eager for killing achievements. The desire for improvement is a strong urge that doesn’t fear bloodying one’s hands.”

The chairman recommended a tragedy that would bloody hands for practical gain, and Oknodie argued for switching sides between allies and enemies in the name of efficiency.

Even though it could be a tragedy that might not have to happen, that might not occur.

All for her own strength.

To break through the limits of possibility given to a human body.

She has feelings of affection but no sense of moderation.

She respects life but can crush it in the face of efficiency.

The chairman realized.

That Oknodie had gone soft, that she had grown up wrong.

All those impressions were just illusions.

This child’s essence is as vicious as his own.

Even if distorted and warped by law and morality, her essential desire for power hasn’t been castrated.

The self dwelling within that cute vessel is made of the epitome of ruthlessness, more so than the Minds who don’t fear even cannibalism.

“Where shall we begin?”

“Support me with collectibles for conquering the 50th floor!”

“You should have enough strength, no?”

“But you promised to support me!”

She surpassed even his educational method of showing how to use promises to create traps made purely of goodwill to make the other party break their promise, then giving lessons if they fall into the trap or praise if they avoid it.

She uses promises as weapons to demand support.

She clearly understands her position, the value of promises, and exacts payment.

“Hahaha. Very well. I’ll fill it with rare-grade items. Weapons, armor, insects, herbs, fish. Collectibles from the fields that corresponded to your specialized bag!”

“Ah, fish is fine! The fishing collection only counts fish you catch yourself!”

“Then let’s do this. I’ll create a fishing spot for you. Try catching everything there.”

“Wow! Papa is the best!”

“Hoho. Not at all. I never thought that even fishing would become an object of ‘collection.’ Thanks to you, I’ve gained a new breakthrough. Hahahahaha.”

Facing the conversation between the world’s most dangerous father and daughter where humanity was being violated, Sing realized that only a brief reprieve remained before Zenya and Son Ocheon’s homeland would be destroyed.

The moment their fishing game ends, the great forest of beastkin beyond the human boundary line will begin to burn.

‘Giselle. I never thought I’d have to use the tool you left me so soon.’

Sing quickly wrote on a note hidden under the magic watch.

* *

━━━

The moment the fishing collection is complete, the great forest will burn.

━━━

Sing’s message appeared on the paper of character transmission that could only contain a single line.

When only Oknodie and Sing remained in the Training Tower, this was the lifesaving means Giselle had left, to be used if any situation requiring help arose.

The information transmitted in exchange for his life opportunity made Giselle doubt her eyes.

“Collection… Great forest arson…?”

The word “collection” was all too familiar to her.

It was Oknodie’s habitual expression.

-“You say pea dishes are good for health so I can eat them many times? No way! Eating ten different types of junk jellies is more cost-effective than eating healthy peas ten times!”

-“Still, please eat bean dishes too. A little lady needs to maintain nutritional balance to grow robustly to 230cm.”

-“Don’t you know that collecting the first item is what’s important in collection? There’s a reason rich people eat a variety of delicacies.”

-“If you keep this up, I’ll tell Isabelle to add peas to every new food you try.”

Days of bickering with a child who complained about not wanting to eat beans rose like smoke.

Good memories make people warm.

Especially if they’re memories that won’t change.

“…I’ll activate the emergency contact network. I need to use the power of the Dark Association’s true body.”

The Dark Association is a private organization Giselle created within the Academy.

However, an organization of the same name had sprouted in the darkness of the Empire long before it was born within the Academy.

Just as flowers bloom from wind-blown seeds even in the dirtiest sewers.

The eyes of the <Dark Association>, which grew feeding on the dirty sewage of the Empire, are spread throughout every place where black markets and smuggling exist.

“Tell the <Revolutionary> this: If he prevents military activities at the human boundary line of the Deutsch Kingdom’s great forest, I promise the full revolutionary support he has long desired.”

The time someone spends fishing for collectibles is the time someone else uses power to prevent a new war that will befall the continent.

One of the three great evils who has been building power with the intention of overthrowing the Emperor of the Empire, the <Revolutionary>.

The price of borrowing his power is never light.

The Dark Association must provide even more comprehensive support to the revolutionary forces than before.

But if this can extend the peace between beastkin and humans and prevent Oknodie from seeing blood, it’s not too high a price.

“…Still, this situation is dangerous. We need to separate Oknodie from the chairman’s side as soon as possible.”

Such atrocities might occur several more times in the future.

It’s especially dangerous now that the Foundation is showing aggression by invading the lands of various minority groups beyond the human boundary line, breaking, uprooting, and burning their religious symbols.

Oknodie might be negatively influenced.

The Dark Association’s power could stop it once, but honestly, a second time would be difficult.

‘Drawing the power of the Dark Association into the light from the beginning is concerning. Perhaps the chairman’s aim all along was to draw out those who would interfere with him…?’

Her hands and feet grew cold as if blood had stopped flowing.