Chapter: 338
For the male nobility of the continent, dungeon conquest skills are a matter of pride.
Who has conquered the most dungeons? Who has tackled the toughest dungeons? Who has acquired the most impressive loot from these dungeons?
This competition, stemming from the duties of the nobility, was supposed to showcase their greatness, but it had one major flaw.
It’s hard for them to tackle the same dungeons.
While dungeons generated in the continent share certain common traits, they often differ in intricate details, making it difficult to draw concrete conclusions from competitions among the nobility.
One might say their conquered dungeon was larger, or that it housed more fearsome monsters, or had more tiers, or the boss was utterly absurd.
Such mud-slinging usually ended with those in power taking home the win.
The powerful could easily dismiss any lingering doubts about intentionally throwing the match, leaving the less fortunate feeling unjustly defeated and disgruntled.
Amidst this, a noble had a fun idea.
Why not create artificial dungeons to solve all their problems?
And so, the spell for creating artificial dungeons was developed and has been in use to this day, allowing the nobility to showcase their superiority by conquering each other’s made dungeons.
This method of competition has evolved over time, and recently, it’s all the rage among enthusiastic noblemen to refer to the “Dungeon Studies Academic Journal.”
This magazine, produced by scholars researching dungeons, introduces various dungeons every week for potential conquest, and the quality of these dungeons is so high that many noblemen have chosen to conquer these communal dungeons rather than spend effort creating their own, opting instead to brag about their achievements.
As a result, when the male nobles gather, the topic of whether they’ve tackled this week’s journal dungeons always comes up.
If one meets other nobles frequently, tackling the journal’s dungeons each week becomes an unavoidable obligation.
“Hmm.”
The first prince of the Soladin Kingdom.
Rene Soladin’s focus on the Dungeon Studies journal stems from this.
He has set remarkable records in numerous artificial dungeons and showcased excellent results in real-world adventures, proving his conquest abilities. Yet, he could not afford to be satisfied with merely that.
His status as the first prince and a leading heir to the throne meant he constantly faced a plethora of scrutiny, so Rene had to demonstrate that his capabilities had improved with each conquest of the journal’s dungeons.
However, Rene did not particularly enjoy conquering the journal’s dungeons.
No matter how different they tried to make them, dungeons created by people inevitably ended up sharing similar characteristics.
Wouldn’t anyone get bored after slogging through dozens or hundreds of dungeons that look alike?
“This is amusing.”
But today was different.
As he scanned the dungeon featured in the journal, a deep curiosity glimmered in Rene’s eyes.
The dungeon’s mechanics were cleverly crafted.
Any pretentious thinking could land someone in a tight spot.
But was it just a cruel trick?
Not at all. The creator of this dungeon was unbelievably kind.
When he looked away from the forefront and surveyed the surroundings, numerous clues danced before his eyes.
For those who caught on to the strategy, it was an exceedingly friendly dungeon.
But for those who blindly charged in without knowing anything, it brought forth trials.
This was a dungeon that he truly liked after a long time.
If only such dungeons were submitted to the journal all the time, he could open it with a flutter of anticipation.
After concluding his conquest of the dungeon, Rene checked the designer’s name.
He wanted to remember this dungeon for future reference, should the same designer create another one.
“…Lucy Alrn?”
When he unexpectedly spotted that name, Rene’s eyebrows shot up, followed by a snicker.
“Yeah. It wouldn’t be strange for her to create a dungeon like this.”
Considering the antics she pulled at the Partran Festival not long ago, it made sense.
To perpetrate such outrageous acts during a dungeon conquest, one would need to possess deep knowledge about dungeons. It wasn’t odd at all for her to conjure an entertaining dungeon.
Nodding thoughtfully, Rene turned to examine the answer key in the back.
He was curious about how the eccentric Lucy Alrn would interpret this dungeon.
Much to his surprise, the explanation written in the journal was quite coherent.
There’s no way that cocky girl could compose something this decent, right?
Ah, I see. It must have been reviewed and revised by the Soul Academy’s staff.
Understood. The graduate students there must have worked quite hard.
And…
Hmm.
It reads here that if he visits before the term ends at the Soul Academy, he can personally conquer this dungeon.
After confirming the last line, Rene leisurely sipped his tea, pondering the situation.
He had enough justification for it.
Arthur and Cecil were enrolled at the academy, so it would be a valid excuse to check how the crown jewel of the kingdom is handling itself.
Additionally, it’d give him a chance to meet Lucy Alrn.
“Rene, what are you doing?”
At that moment, a woman’s voice called from behind, causing Rene to spring up in a hurry.
“Your Royal Highness.”
The first princess of the Soladin Kingdom and the reigning authority managing most affairs in place of the ailing king.
She is Rene Soladin’s mother.
Kavati Soladin chuckled, noticing Rene’s overly formal demeanor.
“Rene. I’ve told you countless times, but when no one’s watching, there’s no need to be this stiff.”
“No, Your Royal Highness. I feel more at ease this way.”
“Very well. I suppose you can sit down first.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“I see you’re reading the Dungeon Studies journal. Was this week’s dungeon any good?”
“Yes. I believe it’s the best among those submitted this year.”
“Oh my. If Rene says that, now I’m curious.”
Taking the journal from Rene, Kavati observed the dungeons with sparkling eyes.
Even though she is the first princess, tackling that dungeon would undoubtedly take her some time, perhaps he should prepare some tea in advance.
As Rene quietly rose to use his magic and set the tea going, Kavati’s focus was glued to the journal.
After what seemed like an eternity, she spoke up as the aroma of the tea began to fill the room.
“Rene.”
“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”
“When is the end-of-year party at the Soul Academy?”
Why does she suddenly want to know that?
Rene felt a tinge of perplexity internally but immediately answered outwardly.
“It’s on December 1st.”
“That’s just around the corner. I’ll have to be busy for a bit.”
“…Are you planning to attend?”
“Yes. Though we’re not blood-related, Cecil and Arthur are my sons.”
Shouldn’t she see how those two are doing?
With a smile, Kavati said this, but Rene didn’t believe her words one bit.
He knew well that the first princess was not the sort to indulge in such sentiments.
“Then I’ll take my leave now. Rene, make sure to keep your schedule clear for that day.”
“Understood, Your Royal Highness.”
After Kavati left his presence, Rene remained, gazing at the now cooling tea, exhaling heavily.
*
“I refuse, Lucy Alrn.”
Arthur looked at me with blatant scorn.
“It’s not like there’s a considerable gap, and you’ve overwhelmingly lost. What would people think if you take the role of the first-year representative?”
‘That’s…’
“Why? You’re already a pathetic fool known to all. Does it matter if they look down on you more?”
“…Are you genuinely asking that? Tsk. How unfortunate. I never thought I’d find myself understanding Jackal’s feelings.”
Hearing Arthur click his tongue filled me with a desire to retort, but since I was in a position of asking him for a favor, I bit down on my lips.
“Think about it, Lucy Alrn. You’ve had numerous scandals surrounding your birth. How much gossip will ensue if you accept such humiliation?”
…Ugh. If you put it like that, I’m left speechless.
“Even if you ignore such rumors, you still have your pride. Do you know how sad it is for a loser to accept ‘consideration’ from a winner?”
Arthur’s words, pointing out he didn’t refuse to give a speech at the entrance ceremony, left me without an argument.
His points were too on the money, and no matter what I said, it would sound like a flimsy excuse.
Urgh.
If I had known it would turn out like this, I should’ve just gotten a few wrong during finals.
I could’ve tanked my score!
Why the heck did I forget about this event?
Being around Joy must have spread her silly attitude to me?!
Have I turned into a damn brat?!
As I lamented my foolishness, Arthur propped up his chin and spoke again.
“By the way. Why do you want to avoid giving a speech? Is it because you look down on others? Isn’t that your specialty?”
“….”
“Speak like you did when demonstrating strategies for the Dungeon Studies exam. What’s the problem? Your reputation has nowhere to fall from here anyway.”
Enduring this merciless barrage of facts, I reached my limit and got to my feet.
“Huh? Wha-what is it, Lucy Alrn?”
“Come along♡ Pathetic prince♡ I’ll show you just what kind of disaster your tongue can bring down upon you♡”
“That’s not what you meant… No. No, I’m sorry. I should’ve been more considerate. Put that mace away! Gaaah!”
Even after being rejected by Arthur, I didn’t give up and continued to move my feet.
“NO! I want to see the Young Lady wear the outfit I picked while standing on the podium!”
“…Um, I’m sorry about that. Me taking center stage over the noble ones…”
“Please! I’m begging you! Forgive me!”
But after numerous attempts, the only thing that came back was a firm rejection.
The mere thought of stepping onto the podium, surpassing Arthur and Joy, was far too daunting.
Aaaaah!
If Jackal were here right now, I could just shove him into it!
Why am I returning to the first year again next year?
[Give it up, girl. It’s a lost cause.]
‘Shut up!’
[Instead of wasting time, why not think of a way to deliver a solid speech? I’ll help you, so let’s think about this.]
‘…Yessss.’
Ultimately realizing I had no way to escape giving the speech, I started to brainstorm with Grandpa for the best way to make it through.
But seriously, no answers came to mind.
Even if I said the same thing, with my bratty skills, it would turn into different words, making it impossible to write a speech.
I even entertained thoughts of just winging it and running away afterward.
“You know, I have a great idea for you.”
So after hours of racking my brain, the Clumsy Fox piped up.
‘What is it?’
“What is it?”
“Dress as a bunny girl and wear accessories to totally captivate everyone! They’ll be too busy staring at your face to even hear your voice!”
Seeing the drool pouring from the Clumsy Fox’s mouth, I couldn’t hide my contempt.
You’re just dying to see me in a bunny costume, aren’t you?
Sigh. I shouldn’t have expected a decent suggestion from this weirdo.
It’s not like the others are recyclable garbage like the Clumsy Fox or the perverted Apostle; they wouldn’t fall for such a trick…
No, wait.
If done right, it could actually work, right?
At the very least, distracting them while I finish the speech shouldn’t be out of the question.
Once that thought hit me, I quickly turned to the Clumsy Fox.
“…Huh? What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Then, before the Clumsy Fox could dart away, I grabbed his waist and pulled him into a hug.
“Eek?! Wh-what’s happening?! Huh?!”
Clumsy Fox!
You can actually be useful sometimes!
Is this the wisdom of the forest’s master?
Alright! Let’s give this idea a trial run against my friends!
This plan seems worthwhile!
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