In the dark trading company headquarters of the Gift Academy, Jezel’s eyes narrowed as she unfolded the weekly newspaper filled with news from across the continent.
There’s only one reason why her normally half-closed eyes would open wide.
When she’s pissed off.
That’s right.
Jezel was pissed off right now.
“Dark Princesses, who’ve gathered a legion of monsters, have been waiting in front of the Imperial Palace for a month…?”
The revolutionary was dead.
News of the Revolutionary Army’s collapse spread like wildfire.
Yet, what was happening at the Imperial Palace was no different from what the revolutionary had been scheming.
– Currently presumed to be the heir of the Foundation, Dark Princess Oknodie has entered the palace for negotiations with the Emperor.
– Count Mansol of the Minor Clan has passed away. What on earth happened in the palace? The bureaucrats remain silent. Is the culprit, once again, the Dark Princess?
– Official announcement from the Empire: The birth of the Empire’s Fourth Princess. Is she the Dark Princess Oknodie, who has rallied the legion of monsters?
What began as light gossip turned into a weighty feature in the Empire’s daily newspaper.
━━━
[Mysterious Incidents in the Empire and the Shocking Appearance of the Dark Princess]
The world is in chaos due to the shocking appearance of Dark Princess Oknodie. While presumed heir of the Foundation, Dark Princess Oknodie has entered the palace for negotiations with the Emperor, the mysterious death of Count Mansol deepens the enigma.
While the media and citizens yearn to know the purpose of Dark Princess Oknodie’s entrance and the circumstances surrounding Count Mansol’s death, the court and bureaucrats maintain their silence, making the investigation more difficult. In this scenario, the suspect remains a mystery, and the suspicion of a connection with Dark Princess Oknodie heightens.
Meanwhile, the Empire has officially announced the birth of a new figure presumed to be the Empire’s Fourth Princess. The unexpected announcement, revealing her identity as Dark Princess Oknodie, adds to the confusion. There are growing concerns about how Dark Princess Oknodie’s intentions and actions will affect the Empire’s stability and peace.
The silence of the court and bureaucrats surrounding matters related to Dark Princess Oknodie still requires clarification. The Empire Daily is striving to track down the truth of this matter and provide accurate and reliable information to the citizens.
━━━
Jezel, who had felt relieved sending the leave students to the Oknodie recovery squad, found that news of those leave students suddenly came to a halt, while Oknodie was crowned as an imperial princess.
This meant the academy’s response had completely failed and that her safety had fallen into the hands of the Emperor.
“Professor Mahabharata, what will you do about this situation? The leave students have failed in their rescue efforts!”
“This is… quite troublesome. I never expected a freshman from Oknodie to take the crazy step of entering the palace on her own.”
“The Crown Prince of the Empire was sending assassins to keep the Second Princess Masugaki in check. Were you seriously not considering the possibility that Oknodie, moving along with Masugaki, would negotiate her way up to the Imperial Palace?”
Professor Mahabharata sincerely apologized, wearing an expression of regret.
“I’m sorry. As the guardian for Dragon Principal, I’m often involved in situations equivalent to world destruction, so I figured a minor issue like this would just resolve itself if I tossed it at the leave students.”
“…”
“I should’ve taken charge from the start. With the Emperor not allowing the freshman Oknodie to just slip away, it looks like returning to the Academy on her own will be quite the challenge.”
Similar events had occurred during summer vacation.
Oknodie not returning to the Academy.
The Wahyhiemhai Foundation restraining her identity.
While the situations were similar, the differences were significant.
Not the Foundation, but the Imperial Palace.
Not the Director, but the Emperor.
The power of the enemy holding her captive was immense.
If the Director was the shadowy figure pulling strings behind the scenes, the Emperor stood as the sunlight illuminating the world.
With the Emperor’s authority combined with the Director’s obsession, it was truly possible that Oknodie would remain trapped in the palace for eternity, dying with nothing more than the pretty title of the Fourth Princess.
“I’ll put in a request to the Principal.”
Jezel, accompanying Professor Mahabharata as a representative for the first year, approached the Principal’s office door, feeling as if her breath was choking her.
The density of mana was different.
The disparity of existence, the fear that crushed the shape of her soul.
Having trained in Mana Flow Technique while attending the Academy, Jezel could slightly sense that overwhelming power stir within her.
Just that slight sensation made her feel like she was an ant realizing the massive pillar connecting the earth and sky was just a human leg, capable of crushing her.
But in the depths of the world, there are many monsters, if not as powerful as the Principal.
The revolutionary had once been such a monster, and having traded with such a revolutionary before, Jezel reminded herself of that calmness to shake off her fear.
On the contrary, she felt reassured thinking that such a powerful being could assist Oknodie.
With the Foundation in turmoil and even the Empire afraid, who would dare to detain Oknodie?
“This looks interesting; can we just leave it alone?”
The unexpected wrinkle was none other than Principal Omoshiroi himself.
The Principal had no intention of rescuing Oknodie at all.
“It’s common for small desires to be devoured by larger desires. A rat with bad habits may be the shortest human in the Academy, but that desire consumed even the revolutionary, one of the three great evils seizing the world. How much could I expect from facing the Emperor?”
Jezel said.
It’s dangerous.
The Emperor and the revolutionary are different.
The very revolutionary had built their career on toppling the Emperor—how could they allow Oknodie to oppose such an Emperor?
She realized that all her words were nothing more than noise, treated as if they had no worth, going in one ear and out the other.
You can’t read the mouth of a cow.
It was clear that there was no way to persuade the Principal, nor were any proposals useful.
“Oh, shadow-born child. The rat with bad habits is not as weak and insignificant as you worry. If it concerns you that much, come visit during the summer break after the second semester ends.”
That’s how it was decided.
But unlike during the Foundation days, the reactions of other students were lukewarm.
“If the Princess Masugaki went too, isn’t she choosing to stay of her own volition?”
“How nice~ I wish I could be born as the youngest daughter of the Imperial Family and get spoiled by a tyrant dad~”
“Then maybe I’ll go on a date with the Crown Prince or something? She’s his half-sister, right?”
“Eek~ Forbidden love! Imperial Family silver spoon! I don’t know~”
“…”
While the female students reacted with indifference, the male students’ responses were a sight for sore eyes.
“My training is insufficient, so I can’t help but lose Oknodie to the Empire…!”
“…Does that mean my power is no longer needed in her path of revenge?”
“Ha… be happy, you little monster.”
“Oooh, a prophet’s quest to borrow the power of the Imperial Family against the end of days! Surely there must be a great reason hidden in their actions!”
“…”
Pitying themselves as if they had lost their woman to someone stronger and more powerful while desperately trying to sound cool and bless Oknodie’s future, they were like beaten troops!
Jezel had no intention of becoming like those pathetic fools.
‘I know. That child’s ambition won’t just settle for the Empire.’
Jezel’s information network held the declaration Oknodie had made, filled with ambition.
-What rude folks. Why the fuss if I helped? It’s their own mess.
-Don’t scold too harshly! You don’t have to bother me; Ishtar is already a pitiful person enough.
-You’re such a good person. To think kindly of such a rude individual.
-It can’t be helped. Ishtar has to work hard in my place in the future, catching the Emperor and the Demon King and erasing those minesweeper events!
-Why is the hero receiving support from the Emperor erasing the Emperor?
-There’s such a thing!
-Ah… you were from the Foundation, huh? I’m getting a bit scared to ask anything. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.
The conversation shared between Oknodie and the third-year seniors of the Plant Club who had crashed into Oknodie’s dorm after paying a legitimate price!
Oknodie is not on the Emperor’s side.
Even if she seeks to escape the grasp of the Foundation, the Empire cannot be her alternative.
Thus, this is merely to assist Masugaki.
It is not an attitude of submission to the Emperor.
She might still be waiting for someone’s help.
“Is there no other news yet?”
“The only additional information we received today is that a specific item has gone out of stock in the Empire.”
Out of stock.
Son Ohchun, sitting by the stove in the office, casually said, “Isn’t that enhancement? If everything else is fine and just that one item is out of stock, then they’re probably gathering that to enhance it.”
His vague hypothesis, said without even realizing it, made Isabel, who had been transforming ominously like Professor Sadako, suddenly raise her head.
“Jezel. Tell me about the out-of-stock item.”
“It’s white bear-patterned panties for girls.”
“Strength increase rate.”
Isabel regained her smile for the first time in ages.
Jezel couldn’t hide her confusion.
“What did you just say?”
“I remember when Oknodie was given Academy supplies, she insisted it had to be white bear-patterned panties when her clothes got torn from a vigorous lecture.”
“…Why white bear-patterned panties?”
“White is related to the increase in stats, and the bear-patterned ones were supposed to relate to strength. I’m not sure, but it seems like her own superstition or something.”
Regardless of the reason, it didn’t matter.
Jezel gleamed with hope.
“This might be a signal. Oknodie is sending a signal that only you, Isabel, could pick up from within the palace!”
“Really?”
“If that weren’t the case, there’s no way that such a special piece of clothing, only you would remember, could go out of stock and become so dry that it couldn’t be found in the market!”
“Oknodie is reaching out to me… out of all the people…”
Life sparkled in Isabel’s eyes.
“Right, when cornered, the first person that comes to mind to rely on was me. Not the leave students, but we, I need to pull through!”
