Chapter: 318
The final floor of the midterm exam dungeon.
Using the records from the Academy Dungeon, Arthur and his party reached the boss room’s entrance, preparing for battle yet again, as if they had done this an endless number of times before.
At first, they tried various strategies each time, seeking the optimal way forward. But by now, such discussions were unnecessary.
They already knew the best way to prepare.
In the midst of this preparation, Arthur recalled what Joy had said before they entered the dungeon.
“If we can’t take down the final spell, we can just prevent the use of magic!”
When he heard her excited words, Arthur questioned whether it was truly possible.
Interfering with a magic circle created by someone else was already incredibly challenging, yet she proposed to disrupt the magic circle of someone far above them.
Having attended magic classes, Arthur was well aware of how absurd that idea was.
“Don’t worry, Prince. I’ve etched that magic circle in my mind countless times. I’ve memorized its structure, so interfering with it is definitely possible.”
Yet Joy remained confident in the face of Arthur’s doubt. Her unwavering belief that she would not fail only made him feel more anxious.
Usually, when Joy got too confident, it often led to something weird and disastrous happening.
Arthur, who had based his predictions on past experiences, tried to dissuade her urgently.
“Still, even if failure is on the horizon, that shouldn’t be a reason not to try, right?”
After hearing her additional words, he fell silent.
She was right.
Given the endless opportunities available to them, a predetermined failure wasn’t reason enough to refrain from trying.
In fact, avoiding the attempt was the bizarre part. Didn’t Lucy Alrn teach them through this dungeon that clues are found at the end of a challenge?
“Yeah. Let’s give it a shot.”
“I… have one request for the challenge. Could you push the boss of the fifth floor all the way to the end without me?”
Recalling those words, Arthur couldn’t help but smirk.
“Is that really possible?”
He had agreed to try, but he wasn’t sure if it was truly feasible. The boss of the fifth floor was no easy foe.
Thinking about this, as he rubbed his neck, Frey approached, tugging at his sleeve, prompting him to turn.
“Prince.”
“What is it?”
“This time, I’m going to act on my own.”
“…When have you ever listened to me?”
It baffled him why Frey would randomly declare her independence when she was someone who often acted recklessly and caused trouble.
“I didn’t act on my own!”
“No, you claim that was you being restrained?”
“Yep.”
Arthur froze slightly at Frey’s innocent tilt of her head, as if asking why he was questioning the obvious.
That was her version of restraint? And now she wanted to act even more independently?
“You know we have to operate without Joy, right?”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m saying it.”
Seeing the confidence in Frey’s eyes, Arthur pondered for a moment before nodding with a sigh.
He didn’t particularly like Frey acting on her own, but he acknowledged her talent.
If Frey, who would still be an unparalleled genius without Lucy Alrn, said it, there must be some method to her madness.
If she merely blurted out empty words, well, he could always have a word with her after they had been kicked out later.
“Just to be sure, I have to ask—does the Saintess have anything to say?”
At this point, he felt compelled to question, and as he turned his head, Phoebe nodded at him with her usual gentle smile.
“Prince.”
“Yes?”
“Stay calm.”
“…Yes?”
“When Joy was here, you could take a step back while she orchestrated things. But now, she’s gone.”
Now, it was Arthur’s turn to handle what Joy used to. Therefore, he should focus on each of their roles instead of trying to coordinate everything.
“Lady Kent and I, we can each handle our tasks in any situation. You don’t need to shoulder everything alone.”
“…That’s true.”
Hearing this made Arthur realize what he had been overlooking.
He had been trying to lead everything according to his own ideas thus far, similar to Lucy Alrn, whom he had observed closely.
Lucy’s methods appeared incredibly efficient.
Naturally, Arthur had started to imitate her way of doing things.
But now, he really didn’t need to.
Everyone already understood what they needed to do; there was no reason for Arthur to coordinate things anymore.
“Trust us.”
Phoebe looked into Arthur’s eyes and spoke.
“I will.”
Responding to her, he nodded, signaling their readiness.
With that, all preparations were finished.
Now, there was only one thing for Arthur and his party to do.
They had to defeat the fifth floor boss.
“Let’s start.”
As Arthur pushed open the door to the fifth floor, an eerie atmosphere filled the air, accompanied by a nasty voice coming from the darkness.
“How did you find my mansion? How did you find my memories? Was it fun? Was it entertaining?”
The figure of a decrepit being spread its arms wide, its voice infused with magical power, filling the air with an oppressive force that suffocated them, yet Arthur and his party remained composed.
While they might have been stunned the first time they heard that voice, after hearing it over a hundred times, now it just felt like more chaos.
“Now, it’s the final act. I hope you find the ending delightful!”
“Um…”
Arthur instinctively tried to direct the team, but before he could speak, Frey had already dashed past him.
Cloaked in aura around her sword, she aimed to decapitate the being before it could even draw its weapon.
However, the being, unfazed by the ferocious attack like sharp beastly fangs, merely smiled grimly.
It calmly deflected Frey’s strike with its aura-clad hand, “Impatient, aren’t we? As an actor in this drama, don’t you think you should allow a moment for dialogue?”
“Not particularly?”
Answering the creature’s question with an emotionless tone, Frey unleashed a furious flurry of swordplay against it, a fierce dance of blades.
“How sad. How lamentable.”
Suddenly, Frey quickly retreated.
The words of sorrow echoed.
With azure-tinged eyes.
Leaving an obvious opening that seemed to invite attack.
Realizing it was a gimmick they shouldn’t strike, she took a step back.
What gives? Was she able to handle it alone?
Arthur couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.
Up until now, he had instinctively called for Frey when he saw that occurrence.
He panicked, elevating his voice to stop her from getting carried away with her attack.
But all of that wasn’t necessary.
Frey knew how to tackle the gimmick herself.
If that’s the case, she could have just said so from the beginning.
Arthur smirked internally and began drawing several magic circles around him.
Since she had shown she could do her part, it was time for him to show that he could handle his.
While he may not have been as skilled in magic as Joy, Arthur was still far beyond the average standard.
His skills had already surpassed first-year level by a long shot—ample enough to engage with the boss’s gimmick.
“Let’s change the color of the stage!”
As the creature raised its voice, red aura swirled around its body.
One of the boss’s gimmicks from the fifth floor.
A pattern that required all designated parts to be attacked within a set time.
Failure to hit all the red areas would unleash a lethal magic that would threaten the attackers’ lives.
But this time, that threat was rendered pointless.
Arthur activated the magic he had prepared as soon as he laid eyes on the creature.
The downpour of magic orbs shot from the center of his magic circle, striking all the red spots and incapacitating the creature.
“Well done, Prince.”
“Cut the meaningless chatter and focus on your job, Frey.”
“…You really are something else.”
The two of them bickered briefly before, as the creature staggered, it drew its sword, prompt silences as they moved towards their respective tasks.
After that, Arthur and his party executed their assignments without further words.
When the creature scattered its curse, Phoebe instantly purified it.
As the being charged with sword drawn, Frey intercepted with a defensive maneuver.
Meanwhile, Arthur, who had formed magic circles, pushed the creature back with firepower.
In that exchange, Phoebe healed the wounded Frey while Arthur positioned himself for the next opening.
Even without anyone directing them, their actions flowed together organically.
Of course, the absence of Joy did leave gaps.
Without someone at the center coordinating them, there was bound to be disturbances.
Nevertheless, Arthur and his gang didn’t fall apart.
While it felt like they were barely holding on, they pushed forward towards success with sheer determination.
“Ha-ha-ha! Yes! Good! Let’s go all the way to the end!”
After some time passed like that, at one point, the creature scattered red magic around itself with laughter.
The final pattern of the fifth floor boss.
The trick that had thwarted Arthur and his party countless times before.
A calamity that had seemed impossible to tackle.
Seeing its formation, Arthur exhaled roughly and turned his head back.
“Joy!”
It’s your time now.
You’ve brought us this far as you wished; make our struggles not in vain!
Receiving Arthur’s gaze, Joy laughed as she grasped the red jewel hung around her neck.
That jewel was a gift from Lucy, given to her not long ago.
Having steadily absorbed magical power over the course of time, it had now become her secret weapon.
Taking a light breath, she pushed her magic into the jewel and simultaneously closed her eyes.
In this moment, she didn’t need physical sight in her eyes.
What she needed was the vision of a magician who saw only magic.
As the Young Lady of the Partran family, she had cultivated her senses from a very young age.
I see it. My magic.
I see it. The red magic the creature wields.
I see it. The picture that it draws.
The magic circle we had encountered countless times up till now.
The magic that had consistently replayed in her mind until this very moment.
It was exactly as she remembered!
With a grin tugging at her lips, Joy unleashed the magic contained in the jewel and opened her eyes.
The fire element surged through her azure irises, and the power she held spread outward, pushing back the creature’s red magic.
Joy’s power and the creature’s magic revealed their sharpened teeth at each other, both striving to maintain their territories.
“It’s futile! You think a half-wit like you can stop me?”
“Being a lazy noble who can’t even manage your own affairs? Those are words I don’t want to hear!”
In a moment where everything could fall apart with even a slight misalignment, Joy’s smile only became more forceful.
I’m sorry, but I will not back down!
Others have worked miracles to bring me this far; I can’t afford to fail now!
If I did, it’d be obvious they’d unleash a storm of reprimands, from the Prince to Phoebe to Lady Kent!
So, become a sacrifice for my success, you lazy noble who doesn’t even deserve the title!
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