NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 1046
<1046 – Minor Weak and Fragile Mode(4)>
While Senior Instructor was unnecessarily thought-twirling and bustling about for risky scouting and securing food and water in the mountains.
Oknodie, Jiang, and Sadi had found a teddy bear hiding in a nearby cave, thumped it soundly, and then settled down for some much-needed rest.
“Rest well. Save up the mana needed for the Mana Flow Technique so you can recover faster.”
“That’s not true… Not using the Mana Flow Technique will only make it worse…”
“Absolutely don’t fall asleep. If you do, I’ll poke you with a needle. Don’t even doze off, just focus on the Mana Flow Technique.”
“That’s so unfair!”
Determined not to let Oknodie sleep because of the awkwardness of providing wrong folk remedies, Jiang was tightly wound up!
No matter what the others were babbling about, Sadi just plopped down on the Empire-made bed that Oknodie had pulled out of his bag.
As her body bounced on the fluffy mattress, the pleasant scent of the sheets wafted up, and wrapping herself in the slightly cool, thick, and warm magical blanket made her feel sleepy right away.
Sadi, sensing something suspicious about the perfect bed, just peeked her head out from under the blanket.
“Oknodie. Where did you get this bed?”
“From Papa’s house?”
“Which Papa?”
“Seonhwang Papa!”
“…From which room?”
“Papa’s room?”
“Oh my. I had an inkling it was something great, but I can’t believe it was the King’s bed. That’s just ridiculous.”
Oknodie was proud.
“Anyway, since Seonhwang Papa doesn’t sleep, it was an unnecessary item for him. I’m glad I brought it for recovery!”
“Very commendable. Come here. I’ll pat your head.”
“I’ll allow it just this once, if you don’t uncover the secret contract mark I’ve hidden in my palm!”
“Hehe, got caught, huh?”
Unable to stand the moment, Sadi was plotting a sneak attack while Oknodie lightly caught on to Sadi’s shallow scheme.
Seeing this, Jiang had no particular thoughts.
He already knew it was the usual WWE.
“Jiang. I’ll braid your hair. Come here!”
“…Can you even do that?”
“Arcadia does it for me every time!”
Sadi stroked Oknodie’s head while Oknodie, snuggling into Sadi’s lap, braided Jiang’s hair.
It was a cozy time for the three students in the cave, like a campfire.
*
Nod.
Jiang looked seriously at the sleeping Oknodie, who had dozed off without a single sound.
“Shouldn’t we wake them up?”
“Hehe. I wouldn’t do that if I were you?”
Sadi kept patting Oknodie’s head as she slept, gently lifting the hair from the side of her face.
Oknodie’s side profile, prettier than an elf, was the purest form of gentle beauty.
“Even if her body and mana are awake, she can be healed, but the soul is different. No matter how much strength and the Avatar of the Outsider she possesses, Oknodie is still below demigod level. She’s rejected being a sage. The soul can only be weary and sick.”
“That’s surprising. The idea of Oknodie being tired doesn’t fit at all.”
“It’s true. When you think of Oknodie’s boundless energy and vitality…”
Sadi recalled the most common image of Oknodie.
It was…
“A kid who would forever rotate in the sky, leaping in midair and rapidly flying off somewhere.”
It was closer to thinking of a pet flying squirrel than a person.
“Jiang. Since we’re alone together, shouldn’t we have some girl talk?”
“Sure. Then I’ll go first with a question.”
“Just say anything. Curious about the weaknesses of Class 980 students? That secret catnip that can make Deadcat go all gooey, or the church girl who slapped ‘White Knight Roe’ at the church gate during the confession back in the day?”
“What’s that supposed to be?
That sounds ridiculously interesting.”
Jiang shook his head in response to the tempting bait.
“What I’m curious about is nothing like that.”
“Then how about the professors’ hidden secrets? The dragon tree planted in Professor Weird’s secret garden, or stories about Professor Heldranot Armageddon, who will have his seal lifted after 200 years?”
“…”
Where on earth does she collect such bizarre stories?
Jiang deeply questioned whether there were bonuses to collecting stories, because they were all juicy teasers!
“Then I’ll just ask one thing. Which professor is supposed to be unsealed? Did we have any professors like that in our academy?”
“Hehe. That’s information I got by peeking into the minds of the instructors and professors. The Great Prison of the Gift Academy usually holds students, but I’ve never seen a professor locked up.”
“Never heard of that before.”
“Professors usually get sealed for that reason. If a slave they can use for a long time dies due to their own recklessness, the principal will seal them to prevent waste.”
“Just to ask, what’s the reason for the seal on Professor Heldranot Armageddon?”
“He caused a catastrophic mana collapse that obliterated 88% of the Eastern Empire’s territory and was caught trying to overthrow the principal with that slaughter bonus to escape to another world. Isn’t it so impressive?”
“…”
What would happen if that crazy professor gets unsealed again!
Jiang suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to return to the academy.
Of course there was no way to refuse returning.
Since the academy’s medical facility and healing magic experts were essential for Oknodie’s treatment, a return was mandatory.
“Hehe. Then now it’s my question.”
“…You could just peek through the terminal. What are you curious about?”
“What I can peek at is just the past and surface psychology. I can’t know the intimate thoughts of a high-ranking assassin who can eliminate their mind and eliminate the terminal.”
“Hmph. Don’t let your guard down just because you’re flattering me.”
“You’re adorable in your wariness. I’m really not asking anything too grand. It’s not even a difficult question, but I’m curious personally, so I’ll ask.”
“What’s with all the buildup?”
“Oknodie will turn into a fourth-year next year after finishing the third-year curriculum at the academy. And then, she’ll challenge the Demon King.”
“That’s something anyone could guess. Oknodie would tackle that level of achievement as her graduation project.”
“But do you think that’s Oknodie’s graduation project?”
“…?”
The smile that appeared on Sadi’s face deepened.
It carried the cruel anticipation of a sadistic waiting for catastrophe.
“This child has shouldered the burdens of two papas. Seonhwang Papa and Chairman of the Foundation. Eager to overcome the limits of mortality and despair of humanity, confronting insurmountable foes and achieving impossible wishes of two reckless men.”
“The weight of Seonhwang… That can’t be…!”
There was no choice but to realize it.
For those who witnessed the ultimate battle between two strong figures who transcended humanity.
“Overthrowing the principal.”
“!!”
“Oknodie will ultimately challenge it. The principal, who is stronger than all the professors in this world. Do you think she has a chance?”
“…Yes. Because the gods are with Oknodie.”
The God of Spirits, First Wahyhiemhai.
The God of Undead, Professor Sadako.
The God of Points, Mahabharata.
The God of Love, Atalaxia, who granted great blessings through past transformation.
The Evil God, the infamy-reversed Matheus.
“All the rest of the gods are enemies?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’re going to die. If things go on like this. The day of the graduation project will be the day Oknodie dies.”
A chill ran down Jiang’s spine.
It felt like Oknodie would indeed challenge the principal to that expression.
He couldn’t imagine a future where she wins.
The principal.
Evil Dragon Omoshiroi.
Just hearing about his infamous deeds was enough to instill fear and a sense of existence.
The Seonhwang of the Western World, the Heavenly Sovereign of the Eastern Empire.
Everyone had plotted grand schemes for centuries, conscious of the “Evil Dragon”!
“Perhaps, sleeping like this would be a better choice for Oknodie. Snoozing softly, with the breath of a little chest rising and falling. Wouldn’t you be happy just being by Oknodie’s side?”
“…Are you suggesting you’d put her to sleep forever?”
“I have a secret. If Jiang agrees, I can at least put her to sleep for ten years. It would be really sad to never meet her again once she dies.”
“Professor Sadako can wake her up as an undead.”
“Undead are inconvenient. You can trust me, since I’m a current undead.”
“The Chairman of the Foundation might bring her back as a spirit.”
“Hehe. Are you trying to turn Oknodie into the world’s strongest evil spirit? If you want to witness the birth of the worst Dark Spirit King, that’s not a bad idea.”
If things continued like this, Oknodie would die.
She would challenge the principal and lose.
Sadi’s warning was realistic.
And it was even more tempting.
“If Oknodie dies from losing a fight, the new department head, ESDIE, can resurrect her.”
“Will the principal allow that?”
“…There’s always a way. Even if the form is slightly different, I’m sure we can meet again.”
“Yeah. Oknodie can survive in any form. But what if she gets sealed for a hundred years?”
“!!”
“What about two hundred years? What if we’re all too old and bent over when the seal is lifted, and we’ve missed the chance to benefit from the life-extension effects of the Mana Flow Technique?”
That was a future Jiang had never considered.
He bit his lip.
“That… I don’t want.”
From the start, Jiang shouldn’t have listened to Sadi’s words.
It’s still not too late now.
Just ignore it.
Block it out.
And kick it out of his mind.
“Even if she were to be resurrected like that, Oknodie is everyone’s Oknodie. But if she sleeps here, we’ll have our ‘own Oknodie.’”
Slowly, Jiang’s grip on his heart crumbled.
“Having a thousandth or ten-thousandth part of her attention is not as beneficial as having her completely to ourselves.”
He would monopolize Oknodie’s time.
While the best friend was off on a grand journey with Sister Sia, Oknodie.
While the best friend wandered taking other lectures, Oknodie.
Always keeping her by his side.
Spending 24 hours together.
Jiang’s twisted possessiveness and obsession were triggered by Sadi’s whisper.
The desires that rose in Jiang soon sank down.
“On second thought, I’ll pass.”
“Why?”
Sadi couldn’t understand.
Why would he refuse this excellent opportunity?
“Oknodie will keep crying next to Titosso if I don’t.”
“…What about not seeing Titosso?”
“Oknodie is my best friend, but Titosso is my second closest friend. I wouldn’t do anything to make Titosso sad.”
Sadi’s sinister plan was regrettably foiled.