When Arcadia went to rescue Ppyoi at the request of Sandkooker, all the students locked in the underground prison had already been liberated.

“Another one is coming.”

“Aim for the head and knock them out!”

As soon as the entrance to the underground prison opened, a swarm of students charged towards Arcadia!

Swish.

With a single step back, Arcadia secured distance while keeping the incoming blows in sight, deflecting two flying clubs with the muzzle of her gun.

“Ow!”

“They shot!”

Students screamed, clutching their twisted wrists as Arcadia lowered her aim slightly from their heads.

“Oh my. Everyone seems to be safe.”

“Lady Arcadia…?”

“Gasp… When did you aim for our heads?”

To the students trembling in fear at her terrifying shooting skills, Arcadia explained the situation.

“I see. We gathered our strength for a day and moved all supplies from the cafeteria and food storage to the underground prison… With that, we can seize all the crew members without directly attacking the helmsman room or captain’s quarters. The meticulousness concerning logistics is definitely Irene’s doing, right?”

“Exactly.”

From among the students emerged Northern Grand Duchess Irene.

An enchanting girl with frosty white hair and an aura that seemed radiantly cold, she wore a smile that made even talking to her feel daunting.

Though not as commanding as a warrior, she carried an aura of authority that made the students hastily step aside, as if they would be punished if they didn’t!

‘Is she sad?’

Despite her expression being completely blank, Arcadia couldn’t shake off the feeling that Irene seemed a bit melancholic. After seeing the thoughtful demeanor of Oknodie, who always wore a smile, Arcadia believed it could be due to the effects of her heightened [Emotional Insight] ability.

“How is the shipboard rebellion going?”

“Still ongoing.”

The raid on the tier 3 food storage and the siege were successfully concluded.

The problem lay ahead.

“The crew members are blocking our escape routes one by one.”

“If the encirclement closes in on the food storage, the foundation executives will come crashing in.”

“We have to finish this before they do. We can’t let another executive arrive on the uninhabited island.”

The executives from the foundation were professors from the academy.

Arcadia couldn’t even dare to imagine facing two professors at once.

The issue was that there was no sharp method of breaking the deadlock!

There was no way to break the stalemate.

Irene and a few students headed outside the storage, trying to prevent the encirclement from tightening, and they were assisting Sing, who had captured the control room, but the difference in numbers was just too great.

If the control room was retaken without the executives stepping forward, next would be the food storage, and the shipboard rebellion would come to an end.

“I’m glad I came.”

“Do you have a method?”

“I do. It’s much simpler than you’d think.”

Gizel, being removed from the group for their safety, might have wanted Irene’s shortcomings to be compensated by her.

Arcadia realized she was of a completely different type compared to Irene.

“Now, everyone gather here!”

Unlike the Northern people, who maintained strict discipline amidst unfavorable conditions, Arcadia from the Western maritime power, the Kingdom of Florence, was adept at raising the crew’s morale.

“Everyone from the uninhabited island will stop the auctions every day to come save you!”

“Wow!”

“You’d give up the chance to get tremendous treasure and come back? Thank you so much!”

“We’re even planning to erase the debts you owe from the ship by taking the ship points from the crew to pay everything off!”

“Upper class is the best!”

“I’m bored of washing plates!”

“I’m so happy I don’t have to fight as a dog in the underground fighting arena!”

“I’m thrilled I won’t suffer through the hard labor of massaging female crew members!”

The boy students glared at their perplexed classmate, who was making absurd remarks.

If such good point redemption opportunities existed, they should’ve told us too!

“Now, time is on our side. Let’s go stop the enemy’s advance and buy some time!”

None of this was the whole truth.

Arcadia’s remarks cleverly mixed fact and fiction.

That alone was enough to greatly boost morale.

Even amid the agony of approaching death day by day, the students led by Irene had maintained their positions and done their tasks soberly.

Arcadia rapidly refreshed that atmosphere and rallied the allied forces, pulling them outside the storage.

‘Is this the true prowess of Arcadia Sebiche, the treasure of Florence, who at such a young age commanded soldiers on a ship?’

I recognize it.

Many outstanding individuals surrounded Oknodie.

Titosso and Arcadia were among them.

But not in strength.

I shall demonstrate the might of a battle mage specialized in repelling great armies.

And I will engrave in everyone’s minds once again,

that the one who accomplishes the most in this shipboard rebellion is none other than me, Irene.

I will perform so well that even Oknodie will be shocked and unable to look away.

Arcadia’s speech elevated even Irene’s morale, albeit in a different way.

On the ship returning to the uninhabited island,

Gizel and Son Ohchun turned back stiffly to glance at the uninhabited island.

“Do you think the little mouse will be okay?”

“I don’t know. I can’t be sure.”

The shipboard rebellion.

She had heard that Oknodie was planning such a thing.

But the truly worrying ones were not the crew aboard the cruise but the Oknodie on the uninhabited island.

“What if the warrior and princess betray us without keeping their promise till the end?”

They had made such a promise.

That they couldn’t accept the foundation’s auction items, which would make everyone bleed.

Let’s show the foundation a pinch of pain together.

The intention was good.

But there was a colossal flaw in their plan to sabotage the auctions & shipboard rebellion.

If even one person betrays, those left on the uninhabited island would suffer tremendous damage.

They held each other’s weaknesses.

Would either that warrior or that princess simply give up such an opportunity?

“I still don’t trust them. That warrior is surely itching to squash that little mouse at the first opportunity.”

“That’s not it.”

“Huh?”

“What I’m worried about is the opposite case.”

“Not the warrior or princess… but that little mouse? You think they might do something?”

Gizel coldly reiterated the facts.

“Oknodie invited all of us at the request of ‘Papa’. The foundation’s butler and executive Jonnas told us that Papa refers to the head of the foundation, the director.”

“Being the daughter of such a high official should be a good thing, so what’s there to worry about?”

“That director has given us ‘boarding points’ as a gift. Those who waste that point will find themselves becoming foundation scholarship students or experiencing torture to escape from being the foundation’s slaves. That goes for us students of the academy.”

A look of late realization crossed Son Ohchun’s face.

“Are you saying Oknodie might have some evil side we haven’t seen?”

“We know. Oknodie has a good-natured appearance that doesn’t align with how others perceive them. At the same time, they also have that bizarre perspective and results-oriented personality created by the foundation, the bad-child tendencies…”

And now.

Having experienced the director’s ‘gift’, Gizel began to think.

“We only know Oknodie as they have been over the few months. If there’s another side we haven’t discovered during that time, that side is…”

A terrifying child, capable of committing unimaginable fears without batting an eye.

Just like the owner of that cruise ship, the director.

Since the warrior’s betrayal was expected, it could be dealt with.

But what about Oknodie’s betrayal?

Pfft~ That foolish warrior will surely face repercussions. Unlike this majestic Second Princess Masugaki, who is set to be the empire’s future!♡

“Your confidence is quite overwhelming.”

“Of course~? I’ve absorbed a lot of Dark Mana♡ It’s of high purity♡ If I make Oknodie submit like you, I can make the warrior bow beneath my feet too~?”

The princess was certainly prepared with a mitigation plan.

Using the power of Dark Mana to subjugate Oknodie.

This way, she could prevent Oknodie’s betrayal.

Simultaneously, she could thwart the mighty opponent, Warrior Ishtar, using Oknodie’s power.

The warrior’s strength, even if stronger than Oknodie, could be handled in conjunction with her own!

“What about the Saintess?”

“If Oknodie is subjugated, Jiang, who becomes alone, will have no choice but to cooperate to protect Oknodie~? If Jiang doesn’t stop the Saintess, Oknodie will be harmed♡”

“A prime example of a trashy demeanor, indeed.”

Even Jaku, the foundation’s scholarship student, acknowledged the wicked ambition of the empire’s Second Princess Masugaki!

She boldly arrived before the auction started, triggering Dark Mana towards Oknodie, and shouted,

“Submit to me♡!”

“What will you do for me if I submit?”

Oknodie blinked, staring blankly.

Certainly, in a state utterly unaffected by control or subjugation.