Ch.400400 – No, Please Don’t.

<400 – Don’t Do It, Please Stop>

Sing and Morb headed to the cafeteria where they found Dobby brazenly sitting and eating.

“Dobby.”

“This is my seat. If you’re looking for a place, I suggest you go elsewhere.”

“That won’t do. You were the one who coveted what’s mine first.”

Sing poured cold water over Dobby’s tray.

Even among the aggressive students of the Academy, mealtime was uniquely respected as sacred ground.

Sing’s direct violation of this caused murmurs to spread throughout the area.

“Choose. Either be humiliated in front of everyone or quietly follow me somewhere private.”

Just until recently, Dobby had been nothing more than a failing student on the verge of expulsion when he joined the library expedition.

Yet now, facing Sing’s blatant provocation, Dobby showed no fear. Instead, he stood up with a light smile.

“I know a suitable place. Follow me.”

First-year advanced class student Sing challenged first-year lower class student Dobby to a fight, and he accepted!

Excited by the news, first-years put down their meals and followed them out.

While fight-watching was always thrilling, curiosity was especially piqued by Dobby suddenly going mad enough to accept what amounted to suicide.

“Sing, that guy, despite his nasty temper, doesn’t usually pick fights first, right?”

“Yeah. What’s Dobby thinking, accepting Sing’s challenge when he should be worried about failing? Is he trying to convince himself he didn’t fail but was heroically killed by a classmate?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. What’s the point of dying when you came to the Academy to advance your career?”

“But Dobby’s been acting strange lately. There’s something oddly charismatic about him.”

“He must have gone crazy after visiting the professor’s lab.”

“Maybe he was forcibly injected with a third-year’s soul.”

“What? Dobby ate a senior’s soul?”

“They say he’s the second soul-eater in the first year after Oknodie!”

As always at the Academy, false rumors spread like floodwaters!

Eventually, a distorted rumor circulated that pedophile Sing had challenged Dobby to prevent the soul-eater from consuming Oknodie’s soul to become stronger, as they shared the same class.

“Black Knight Morb. Is this rumor true?”

“I heard Sing and Dobby are fighting up ahead. You know something, don’t you?”

“You commute daily to an organization that plays with Oknodie. Is Sing really a pedo-swordsman?”

“Does Oknodie eat souls?”

“What do you think about the theory that Sing is trying to prove Dobby’s weakness to prevent him from being eaten by Oknodie?”

Morb drew the line at the flood of bizarre rumors.

“Don’t ask. I have nothing I can answer.”

“I knew it…! Sing really is a pedo-swordsman.”

“Both Dobby and Oknodie are soul-eaters!”

“True to his oath as a Black Knight who never lies, he’s evading the truth!”

“Did Morb ever make such an oath?”

“All knights in fairy tales do!”

Of course, Morb knew the truth.

These were just baseless rumors.

Still, he didn’t bother to deny them directly.

Sing was a powerful rival he would eventually have to overcome.

There was no reason to dislike his opponent’s reputation deteriorating on its own.

“However, I cannot let anyone pass through here.”

“Who are you to stop us!”

“…If you want to pass, defeat me first.”

When Morb revealed his killing intent, recalling Sing’s earlier move, the students flinched visibly.

“Tch. Let’s go back.”

“What a bore.”

“I’m not running away because I know I can’t win. I just don’t feel like fighting, so don’t get the wrong idea!”

When Morb glared fiercely from under his helmet, the student who had spoken last squealed and fled.

‘What a waste of time.’

The Dobby that Morb remembered was the weak Dobby who had joined the library expedition.

While the Doomsday Cult gathering and the incident with the second-years seemed strange, it never occurred to him that Dobby could defeat Sing.

That’s why, after sensing an unusual flow of mana from inside, Morb expected Sing to walk out.

‘His opponent is that Eastern swordsman Sing. In one-on-one combat, he’s an absolute powerhouse with few rivals among first-years except the hero and Oknodie.’

As he was thinking about how hard it would be to hide his murderous intent when facing that brazen face, footsteps approached.

Not regular steps, nor perfectly balanced ones ready to strike down an enemy at any moment, but the gait of a madman with irregular stride and balance.

Surprisingly, the person who emerged from the alley was not Sing but Dobby.

“You, how…”

“Are you trying to interfere with me too?”

Dobby’s pupils flickered ominously.

Morb realized.

Whatever he had done, this guy had defeated Sing.

He himself would be no match.

“Answer me one thing. What did you do to Oknodie in a swimsuit with those tentacles? Depending on your answer, I’ll report you to the student council and Professor Mahabharata.”

Dobby, who had shown no reluctance to fight and hadn’t even averted his gaze, rubbed his face with his hand as if he’d been hit hard.

“I didn’t do anything. Oknodie wore the swimsuit of her own will and communicated with the monster of her own will. She used the curtain as a medium to communicate in a secret alien language, then put the monster in a mobile tank and left. That’s all.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“If you don’t believe me, go ask Oknodie directly at her lecture tomorrow. She took in the monster for her own purposes.”

Morb was shocked.

“Tomorrow is… Saturday?”

Isn’t Saturday a day off?

Why would there be a lecture?

* * *

Oknodie, whom Morb had expected to be depressed after suffering terrible things, greeted him perfectly normally.

“Oknodie. Are you okay?”

“I’m completely fine?”

“Didn’t Dobby do terrible things to you?”

Oknodie tilted her head and answered innocently.

“I’m fine, but the seniors might not be!”

“That guy… he even laid hands on the seniors!”

“Taking your summon was too much, wasn’t it?”

“Even the beast!!!”

“Ah, it’s not a beast. It wasn’t an animal-type summon but a mineral-type summon!”

“That man even does it with non-living things!! To think such a delicate and servile face was hiding the perverted instincts of inhuman sorcery!!”

In the end, the conversation with Oknodie only increased Morb’s worries rather than reassuring him.

“Are you really okay? Wearing a swimsuit and doing such things with tentacles and curtains…”

Seeing Morb unable to continue speaking, Oknodie’s confusion grew.

“Does Morb want to see it too?”

“Stop saying such shameless things!!”

“Huh?? I don’t understand why Morb is angry…”

“I’m sorry… for raising my voice. But it’s wrong for Oknodie to say such things casually.”

“Really?”

“You need to value yourself more.”

“I guess so. Showing precious things to just anyone isn’t right, is it?”

“Of course not.”

“But Morb is my apprentice. You’re not just anyone.”

Time momentarily stopped for Morb as Oknodie put a finger to her mouth in contemplation.

This scene might be etched in his memory for the rest of his life.

“Okay. From now on, I won’t casually show my things to newbies!”

“Y-yeah…”

“Are you okay? Your face suddenly turned red. Dobby was like that earlier too. Is there a flu event going around? Tsk. You should have diligently raised your disease resistance.”

As Morb was about to be left dazed, caught up in Oknodie’s pace as usual, he snapped back to attention when he noticed the wheeled box behind her.

“Tentacles!!”

“Yes?”

“Why are you still carrying those tentacles around? You should submit them to the student council right away and use them to report that Dobby guy.”

Oknodie slapped Morb’s hand as he reached for the box.

“Don’t do it!!”

“Argh!!”

<Sturdiness>

<Toughness>

<Impact Resistance>

<Heavy Armor Defense>

Despite his defensive abilities honed through rigorous training, Morb’s arm bent back 720 degrees and he was sent flying in his armor.

Fortunately, he managed to break his fall; if he had hit the ground head-first with that rotating backward collision, he might have been knocked out for a full day from just one of Oknodie’s slaps.

“This is a baby kraken! I didn’t bring it to give to someone else, I brought it for my own use, so how could I submit it to the student council!”

“O-Oknodie… that’s not right… a child like you already using tentacles…”

“Hmph, Morb says such bad things, just pass out already!”

Oknodie crouched down in front of the fallen Morb, bringing her legs together.

As Morb’s gaze was distracted by the soft spot where her calves met her thighs, a powerful flick landed on his helmet with a “twang!” sound.

Unable to withstand the tremendous impact resonating inside his helmet, Morb promptly fainted with a squeak.