Ch.355355 – A Diligent Daily Life

<355 – Diligent Daily Life>

Clank, clank.

Fellow classmates snickered at the sight of Morb walking with the heavy sound of armor again today.

“Wow, look at that weirdo. Why is he going to lectures during a week when we can rest?”

“Just look at him. Does someone who trains in full body armor all day look like he could relax like us? He’s the type who’ll be buried in his armor.”

“Isn’t he attending supplementary lectures now? Isn’t that because he’s an underachiever who doesn’t know when to rest?”

“Haha. That’s harsh. He might start crying.”

‘I really want to cry, you jerks.’

Morb felt depressed.

While others were running around campus with exorcism equipment they bought with points from the faculty to enjoy the exorcism event, he was attending lectures.

Honestly, he had studied hard normally, so he desperately wanted to receive the principal’s consideration at times like this to rest and play.

━━━

☆Required Reading for All Members☆

All of us in the <Oknodie’s Playgroup> should focus on studying instead of playing during this week’s event because we usually play a lot!

If anyone gets caught playing, they might have to play a special game with me on the weekend!!

Even if you’re doing exorcism activities, don’t get caught by me!!!

━━━

Despite the cute handwriting that showed evidence of diligent note-taking with small hands, there was an underlying sense of terror in Oknodie’s warning.

If anyone had the courage to go around playing exorcism games after seeing this, they would deserve respect.

Of course, Morb wasn’t particularly interested in earning others’ respect, and he had added another page to his image as a training maniac.

‘Am I bitter because I can’t play like others?’

That’s how he felt at first.

But it was different.

Morb noticed the emotion he was feeling.

A different thought gradually rising.

“Morb. You’re attending lectures even on a day like today?”

“This is unexpected. I thought a student like Morb might not show up.”

Even the professors had expressions suggesting they hadn’t expected him to come.

Their faces seemed to ask why a student they thought would have dropped out long ago had crawled into the lecture hall.

In fact, this wasn’t the first time he’d seen such faces.

“First-year Morb. Why are you attending lectures in full body armor…?”

“…I have various circumstances.”

“Magical armor requires substantial equipment points for use on campus without permission.”

“This isn’t magical armor.”

“Let me see, according to the registered equipment application, that armor is… hmm, training equipment?”

He’s showing off.

He’s being dramatic.

Let’s see how long he lasts.

Gazes no different from his classmates poured down on him.

Even the professors who taught him were the same.

Not to mention himself.

There’s a limit to persevering out of stubbornness.

He was tired now.

He wanted to take it off.

There were days when he was so exhausted he wanted to cry and beg.

But Oknodie says:

“As expected, Morb is ‘someone who can do it’! It’s rewarding to teach the weight course. I wonder if Jona felt this way about me?”

You are someone who can do it.

You can endure.

When no one else in the world believed in him, the top student of the year, Oknodie, believed in him.

The most outstanding first-year student in this school believed in him.

His heart swelled.

He was even angry at himself for what he had been thinking.

It wasn’t the professors.

The one who truly taught him.

The one who believed in him, reached out, and pulled him up to see higher scenery.

It was the shortest girl in the academy, Oknodie.

‘I won’t break. No, I can’t break!’

Not for himself, but for Oknodie who believed in him, he would endure.

That single stubbornness supported his wavering, folding, weakening heart, helping him to stretch his crouched legs from the very bottom of his heart, to stand up and step forward.

“Morb. You attended again today.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. I thought you would.”

The professor’s gaze, which had looked at him with disbelief that his efforts wouldn’t last long, that it was just showing off a bit longer than others, had changed.

Among students who desperately needed rest more than anyone.

The professor finally acknowledged his diligence in refusing that rest and coming to the lecture hall.

‘I’m glad I’m wearing a helmet.’

Morb thought.

Honestly, tears had welled up a little.

He didn’t want to show such an embarrassing sight to others.

Days that were painful, hard, and difficult.

The harsh academy schedule where just enduring drained his spirit.

But today, he was happy.

He realized he had regained his initial determination after a long time.

At the same time, he could discover his newfound strength.

“Morb, 65 points. An average score.”

“Yes…”

“But it’s quite improved. Compared to the 22 points you received when you first took this lecture.”

He remembered.

The moment when he was disappointed in himself for being as physically slow as he was mentally.

His pathetically dull talent that still couldn’t escape the lower class even with the growth he achieved after all that suffering during the break.

But he didn’t despair and endured, and the result finally came.

The moment his efforts were recognized.

‘I want to tell her.’

Like a child looking for their parents after receiving good evaluation at school, the first person Morb thought of was Oknodie.

After all, she was the one who put him where he is now, who made it possible for him to enjoy this joy.

“Oh, Black Knight Morb. Still playing with armor, I see.”

“Excuse me, where is Oknodie?”

“Lecture hall.”

“And after the lecture ends?”

“The next lecture hall.”

“And after that?”

“Eat and then another lecture hall.”

Ah, that’s right.

Oknodie was taking 38 credits.

Compared to that, what I’m doing is nothing.

He felt somewhat deflated.

He felt somewhat ashamed for trying to boast about something insignificant to a child who was working so hard.

Expressing gratitude was too much.

Still, he made a resolution.

To not lose this elation and continue to devote himself to studying day by day.

Then someday, he would naturally meet Oknodie and have the opportunity to convey his gratitude.

“Emergency situation! Everyone in the hideout, come out!”

“What’s going on? Whoa, you’re covered in blood!”

But that opportunity came sooner than expected.

The student who had been telling him about Oknodie’s schedule spoke in alarm to someone who had just entered.

“The exorcism-crazed guys have started causing trouble.”

“What does blood streaming from a normal person’s forehead have to do with exorcism?”

“The seniors have taken all the ghosts for exorcism, so the first-years participating in the festival don’t have enough prey to hunt!”

“Then isn’t that even less related?”

“It’s a problem because they’re beating up innocent people and claiming they’re driving out possession spirits to earn faculty points!”

“…Those crazy bastards!”

That’s a serious problem!

Morb shouldered his training steel spear.

“Lead the way.”

“Oh, Black Knight Morb is coming too? That’s reassuring.”

“Idiot. You should go to the medical wing first without talking.”

The exorcism scammers had taken control of the connecting passage between buildings and were threatening fellow students with exorcism equipment.

“You guys are going to lectures, right? Hand over some points on your way. Or get exorcised?”

“You bad guys! What did we do wrong? We’re just students who desperately need supplementary classes!”

“Shut up! Do you think we’ll forgive conscience-less people who go study alone on a day when everyone implicitly agreed to enjoy the break? If you’re not in your right mind, you’re possessed by a study bug, and if you are in your right mind, you deserve more beating!”

“Ack! Aaack!”

Even to Morb, it wasn’t a pleasant sight.

Students who, like him, suppressed their desire to play and diligently came to attend lectures were getting beaten up.

Even the Zigoku Pirates wouldn’t do something this cruel—it was truly an infuriating scene.

“Attack the ones beating students first!”

“Who are you guys? You’re Oknodie’s Playgroup, aren’t you? Are you interfering!?”

“Some of our members were among the students you beat!”

In the chaos, Morb joined in, swinging a blunt wooden sword.

As his body, enhanced through diligent training, synergized with the skills he had worked hard to develop, the same movements now had multiplied power, distorting his opponent’s expression.

“This guy’s pretty good!”

“You’re quite skilled yourself, more vicious than pirates.”

“Ha. Of course! Those of us who don’t take supplementary classes are stronger than those who do.”

“I acknowledge your skill. But you guys lack resolve.”

“What resolve?”

“The resolve to train yourself diligently and grow, instead of easily and comfortably exploiting others.”

Morb took his opponent’s threatening move with his body.

Then he stepped forward and grabbed the opponent’s wrist with force.

“Ugh!?”

The wooden sword the opponent was swinging fell to the floor following the twisted wrist.

The martial arts he had incidentally learned while studying Oknodie’s acrobatics unfolded naturally as he twisted the arm behind the back, swept the leg to force them down, and stomped on their back.

“Your evil deeds end here. Unjust actions like oppressing classmates because seniors took the ghosts for exorcism cannot be forgiven.”

“W-what are you going to do with us!”

“I’ll tie you all up and take you to the professors.”

“Ugh. Are you planning to throw us in the great prison!”

“No. I’ll ask them to tie you to chairs and force you to attend lectures.”

“Argh! Just send us to prison instead. I don’t want to attend lectures until the festival day!”

Students wailed miserably as they were restrained and dragged to the lecture hall.

Having restored justice on campus, Morb helped transport the prisoners to the lecture hall with a refreshed expression.

“Damn it. If we had done this with the Zigoku Pirates, we wouldn’t have been caught…”

“Huh? We what?”

Students wearing shabby pirate bandanas looked up from taking notes inside the lecture hall.

“Wait, why are you guys here? Were you caught before us!?”

“No, we were just attending lectures?”

“Crazy. So we were really doing worse things than pirates.”

The Zigoku Pirates, having returned from their boat trip, didn’t particularly need the rewards from the exorcism festival either. Well-fed carnivores don’t go hunting!