Orknodi's Change
Up until last week, the person closest to being called the academy's true protagonist was Orknodi.
Her petite stature.
Her vibrant, expressive eyes.
Her relentless proactiveness, diving headfirst into whatever caught her attention.
The innocent charm of a child who would happily trail after a total stranger for a single piece of candy.
And an unmatched caliber of talent, standing out in written exams and practical trials alike.
There were countless reasons for everyone to adore her.
Yet, in the span of a single week, the student body's reception had shifted dramatically.
She's kind of creepy.
A spine-chilling kid who appears without making a sound.
That proactiveness is terrifying—you never know what crazy stunt she'll pull next.
It gives me goosebumps the way she pops out of nowhere.
It's unsettling how disgustingly competent she is for someone her age.
The students close to Orknodi vehemently argued that these were baseless rumors, but prejudice is, by design, the brain's instinctual shortcut for swift judgment. In an academy overflowing with grueling assignments and life-threatening ventures, few had the luxury of sparing time for the sake of one little girl.
To accept that the creepy child was not actually creepy.
To realize that the eerie girl was truly sweet at heart.
Correcting misinformation and dismantling established biases required gathering an immense amount of proof. And the labor of digesting that truth was far too exhausting. Rather than expending precious effort in a high-stakes environment where time was already scarce just to admit their initial impressions were wrong, most students simply chose to embrace the prejudice.
"Those ungrateful jerks. When Orknodi helped them, they were more than happy to praise her to the heavens and egg her on."
"Let it go, Dorothy. It's not like arguing will improve her reputation. The people who believe in her already do, and pressing the issue will only breed more hostility among those who don't."
"Lady Isabelle speaks the truth. Such is the nature of gossip and rumors among highborn houses. The chatter circulating among the commoner students is hardly any different."
Arcadia, the ducal daughter hailing from the maritime powerhouse of Florence, offered a knowing sigh. In a kingdom infamous as a melting pot of rootless, blended culture, rumors were birthed and disseminated at speeds rivaling the high-society salons of the Imperial capital.
"I feel terrible for Orknodi, of course, but part of me actually thinks this worked out for the best."
"Why? You adore Orknodi yourself. Enough to invite her to those high-society tea parties you spend a small fortune hosting just to network."
"Because the fewer people come looking for her, the more time she gets to spend with me. My fondest wish is for her to become my very own personal little Orknodi. Ho-ho!"
Snapping her folding fan open with a mischievous, teasing smirk, Arcadia exuded an impish charm that was impossible to genuinely hate.
"At times like this, Arcadia, you really act like a proper noble lady."
"My, what a rude thing to say. I happen to be a duke's daughter, you know?"
"When you're looking after loners like Jenya, Nise, or Zhuang, you're so maternal that people behind your back call you 'Mamadie.'"
"What did you say?! Calling an unmarried maiden with no lover a mother—are you trying to canonize me as a Holy Virgin?!"
"It's a joke, a joke. If you put your mind to it, you could pick and choose any man you wanted."
"Well, naturally!"
Even in Isabelle's eyes, Arcadia was an exceptional woman who lacked nothing—charm, academics, character, and charisma. If anything, her brilliance was so overwhelming that men felt thoroughly intimidated, scarcely daring to stand at her side.
Would someone like Andersen, the Grand Duke's heir and leader of the Western Aristocrat Alliance, be of appropriate standing to match her?
A man who voluntarily embraced ascetic trials, the model student renowned for deliberately enrolling in the most grueling, torturous lectures. Isabelle couldn't help thinking that he and Arcadia might make a rather fitting pair.
"Though Orknodi's the one I'm actually worried about."
"Has someone dared to slander Di again?"
"Not that. I'm worried some shady guys might try to take advantage of her."
Isabelle continued with genuine concern furrowing her brow.
"You know the type. When a girl is going through a vulnerable time, some guys see it as their golden opportunity. They swoop in, offer comfort, strike up conversations, build an emotional bond, and casually nominate themselves as her boyfriend."
"How utterly despicable!! A boyfriend for Orknodi, when she has barely turned ten?! Age gap aside, such impure intentions are intolerable!!"
"There've been a few guys hovering around her lately. So I was wondering if you could look into..."
Before Isabelle could finish her sentence, Arcadia firmly seized both of her hands.
"Of course! Leave it entirely to me. Every single foul scoundrel loitering around Orknodi will be thoroughly driven off!!"
Isabelle hadn't intended for her to take it quite that far. A creeping dread told her she might have stoked Arcadia's fires too much, potentially brewing up trouble out of nothing.
It didn't take long for Arcadia to spot Suspect Number One hovering around Orknodi.
"Jigoku! That deranged pirate dares approach Orknodi while her defenses are down?! Just what vile scheme is he concocting?!"
"Arcadia's face is terrifying-nya! Jenya wants to go back-nya!"
"Hush! I asked for your cooperation in case things turned violent, didn't I? If you run away now, consider your catnip supply permanently cut off!"
Jenya, a faithful minion whose loyalty had long been bought with luxuries, shuddered at the threat. She had no choice but to meekly comply.
"I need to get closer to eavesdrop."
"Nyaaa. Jenya has good ears, can hear from far away-nya."
"Then listen in and tell me what they're saying."
Jenya closed her eyes and twitched her feline ears, dutifully relaying the conversation.
"Hey, is this pint-sized brat out of her mind? Trying to make a killing off the mosquito swarm? Those damn things don't even die when you shoot them."
"Hmph. But if we raid the Blood Stone storage where the Giant Mosquitoes hoard their blood, it'll fetch a fortune trading with the upperclassmen."
"And what are you planning to buy with all that?"
"A carriage season pass."
With those parting words, the two figures moved away. Stalking quietly behind them, Jenya whispered to Arcadia.
"What's a season pass-nya?"
"A ticket that grants access to a specific facility or transportation service for a designated duration and number of trips. I had no idea the academy operated such carriages."
"Why does she need that-nya?"
"I couldn't say. Is she trying to reach some distant facility on the academy grounds? Or perhaps commute inside a carriage to steer clear of the mosquitoes?"
"Nya! Jenya wants a season pass too-nya! Giant mosquitoes are scary-nya!"
"Understood, so stop meowing! They're going to look right at us!"
With Jenya threatening to blow their cover, Arcadia was forced to abort the tail for the day.
The following day, instead of the red-haired pirate Jigoku, a slick, somewhat unreliable-looking second-year senior was spotted speaking with Orknodi.
"According to Jenya, you offer goods that provide supreme mental pleasure as compensation. Nuns of the Lightning Holy Heavenly Sect are strictly forbidden from partaking in narcotics."
"...Do not misunderstand. I merely gave her catnip in exchange for her assistance, that is all."
"The consumption of animal-targeted narcotics is likewise forbidden."
"If you're only going to spout nonsense, you may leave."
"If you promise to procure the shell of an armored rhinoceros beetle instead, I shall spare no effort in assisting you."
"Whatever it is, if it can be bought with Points, I will help you."
Recruited to replace Jenya—whose ceaseless mewing ruined covert operations—was Jenya's close companion and fellow Upper Class student: Sister Nise of the Lightning Holy Heavenly Sect. Looking at Nise, whose doll-like, demure features were tight with quiet concentration, Arcadia's expression softened.
If she just keeps quiet, she's almost as adorable as Orknodi.
Clad perpetually in heavy chainmail and iron-shod boots, Nise always looked stiflingly hot, burdened, and thoroughly uncomfortable. Arcadia had little desire to understand the divine art mechanics of the Lightning Holy Heavenly Sect, which claimed one could achieve explosive, lightning-fast speed only after enduring such rigorous physical mortification. Even the standard uniform was sweltering and humid enough, yet here was someone donning self-imposed torture gear.
To wear such attire in this wretched humidity... she truly must be a devout believer.
Madeus of Holy Light, the deity of the Lightning Holy Heavenly Sect. Arcadia couldn't help thinking the god had quite the twisted taste in how he tested his followers' devotion. Much like Grand Duke Andersen, who enrolled in the lecture How to Use Divine Arts Without Faith, anyone entangled with religion seemed to turn into a lunatic—for better or worse.
"That senior is named Bigstone, currently affiliated with the Alchemy and Chemistry Club. She appears to be purchasing a pest-luring spray that attracts mosquitoes from him."
"I see. A spray that attracts... wait, what? Attracting them? Not repelling them?"
"Undoubtedly. The senior inquired why she wished to purchase such an ominous, forbidden item, to which she replied that she intends to gather mosquitoes and fatten them up with Dark Tonic to breed even larger specimens."
An ostracized child.
A forbidden elixir to enlarge monsters.
Mosquitoes that were already monstrous, grown even more colossal.
A Blood Stone depository where the gargantuan insects pooled their stolen blood.
Sacrificial offerings.
All manner of dark, sinister imagery swirled through Arcadia's imagination.
"You must not, Di!! No matter how furious you are, sacrificing the classmates who spoke ill of you to mosquitoes to drain their blood—that kind of revenge is utterly wrong!!"
Arcadia lunged forward in a reckless frenzy.
Caught in the middle of an illicit transaction, Orknodi frantically waved her small hands.
"That's not it at all!"
"What do you mean, that's not it?! Then tell me the truth—what were you planning to do by making the Giant Mosquitoes even bigger?!"
"Giant Mosquitoes don't grow larger than one meter! Beyond that, gaining weight makes them so fat they can't fly anymore, turning them into ground-walking mosquitoes!"
"Good heavens! Were you planning to engineer such monstrosities just to plunge your classmates into terror as they're ambushed by land-crawling mosquitoes?!"
"I told you, that's not it! The Blood Stone storage is up in the trees! If the mosquitoes are fat, they can't climb the trees to guard it!"
Phew. So Orknodi hadn't been blinded by vengeance, concocting some evil plot after all.
"More importantly, why are you stalking me, Arcadia? Why have you been following me since yesterday?"
"Eep. You already knew?"
"Of course I did. Someone wouldn't stop meowing 'nya, nya' the entire time."
"Ugh... Jenya truly is utterly useless for tailing people... But why didn't you say you noticed earlier?"
"I was curious why you were following me." Orknodi hesitated slightly before adding, "And if you were following me with bad intentions too, I didn't really know how to act around you."
Seeing Orknodi walk on eggshells and keep her distance—so completely uncharacteristic of her usual cheeky self—Arcadia felt a sharp ache in her heart.
"It's the exact opposite! I was merely worried that some wicked rogue might take advantage of you while your spirits were low."
"Really?"
"Truly."
The guarded look on Orknodi's face melted away, replaced by her usual bright, sunny smile.
"Come here, Di. Let me hold you."
"Hehe."
Orknodi dashed forward and leaped straight into her embrace.
As Arcadia gently stroked the back of her head, Orknodi whispered coaxingly.
"Want in on a cut, Arcadia?"
"On what?"
"The Carriage Season Pass acquisition plan."
Arcadia gently pulled Orknodi away by the shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes.
"I've been wondering since yesterday—what do you even need a carriage season pass for?"
"After heavy torrential rains and a mosquito outbreak, there's a very high probability of an Epidemic Event occurring. We need a carriage to reach the forest where the antidote is."
"Oh, my. Were you planning to secure the antidote in advance for your friends?"
Orknodi tilted her head quizzically.
"My friends all have plenty of Points! They don't need to go out of their way to search for antidotes. Mob might be cutting it close, but I can just lend him some, so it's fine!"
Her friends were safe.
They didn't need the antidote.
Then why go through the trouble of fetching it?
"Aha. So you're gathering antidotes early to save your impoverished classmates who can't afford Points, is that it?"
Because Orknodi was a good girl at heart. Surely that had to be the reason.
Yet, for some reason, Orknodi couldn't bring herself to answer.
She eyed Arcadia cautiously.
She averted her gaze.
And then, she started whistling innocently.
In stark contrast to the cuteness of the act, Arcadia felt a cold chill settle deep in her chest.
She had changed.
Just as the students' attitude toward Orknodi had changed, Orknodi's attitude toward the students had shifted as well.
Arcadia could feel it slipping away—the sweet, good-natured Orknodi she once knew was disappearing.