Chapter: 371
“Make sure to stop by the mansion later!”
After Isabel left, showing a lot of reluctance as she had things to do, Joy stared blankly at her desperate figure and let out a sigh while wiping her face.
“What on earth happened between Lady Alrn and the iron-blooded merchant, Count Artea, for him to act so servile?”
I couldn’t bring myself to answer her question and moved my feet. I simply didn’t have the confidence to convince her that the head of the Artea family was simply a person completely infatuated with the divine.
Noticing that I had no intention of responding, Joy didn’t press further and glanced around.
“There seem to be a lot of guys looking like they’re about to burst.”
“Well, this is an adventurer’s island. The atmosphere is bound to be different from other territories.”
Arthur’s explanation was spot on. This archipelago, filled with reefs and difficult to navigate without knowledge of the waters, had only a nominal ruler. In practice, no one manages it.
Simply put, it’s a place where there’s nothing to gain, so nobody dares to stake a claim.
Farming is tough here, and while there might be some peculiar small-scale dungeons, the resources you can gather from them are available in other dungeons too.
Compared to managing all 14 islands and dungeons, the returns were minimal, leading to nobles refusing to take on responsibility—even though technically, these islands still belonged to the kingdom.
So, who manages the islands where people live? It’s the Adventurer’s Guild.
With 14 dungeons of reasonable difficulty, each unique in their own way, it’s a decent place for adventurers to hone their skills. The guild, feeling attractive to this land that the kingdom considered a burdensome liability, offered to manage it and pay taxes.
Well, the kingdom, having no one willing to take on the place, gladly accepted that offer, and thus, the islands became known as the Adventurers’ Islands.
“Thanks to that, it’s become famous as a must-visit spot for anyone living the adventurer’s lifestyle.”
After Arthur provided some initial information about the island, he continued on with his explanations about Gundo—its ecology and the characteristics of the dungeons on each island. Though some of the information was a little off, I didn’t want to spoil his enthusiasm and kept quiet.
Maybe he had been interested in Gundo beforehand, or perhaps his determination to test my skills motivated him to do some desperate research. Whichever it was, it was commendable. After all, a little ambition makes for a better teacher.
“But, Prince Arthur, why does everyone seem so weak?”
As Arthur talked, Frey suddenly dropped a naive question, devoid of any malice. Maybe his voice was a tad loud? I could see surrounding adventurers flinching.
“Sigh. Frey. You’re something else.”
“Why? It’s true, isn’t it? This place is filled with fools who don’t know real martial arts.”
Frey was right; the adventurers on Gundo were not exactly top-tier.
As mentioned before, it’s a harsh place to live without much to gain. Those here are merely self-proclaimed adventurers puffing out their chests.
Real talents prefer tackling the continent’s grand dungeons or joining mercenary groups to earn recognition.
Still, we’d be here for over a week—no need to start unnecessary conflicts with adventurers. I observed them, who dared only to throw sharp glances due to the knights guarding us, but wouldn’t voice their complaints. I poked Frey in the side to stop him from grumbling.
“Doesn’t sound like a word coming from someone who keeps getting schooled by me, ‘weak swordsman!’♡”
“I’m not weak, you idiot swordsman!”
“Right, right. ‘Weak swordsman!’♡”
“I’m telling you I’m not weak!”
“Admit it, ‘idiot swordsman?’♡”
“I’m not saying that! I’m… weak…? Muah?”
Dragging the self-contradicting Frey along, we headed towards our lodging, ready to dive headfirst into the dungeon.
“I believe there are procedures to follow before entering a dungeon?”
‘I took care of all that beforehand.’
“Of course, I already prepped everything. Don’t think I was clueless like the poor prince cooped up in the castle. It’s kind of offensive.”
All the minor procedures were already sorted out. With mostly commoners and only nobility of a ceremonial nature as adventurers, what kind of chaos would ensue if we joined as a group?
So I had asked Karia beforehand to handle the logistics. That way, we could focus solely on the dungeon clearing.
“…Uh, Lady Alrn, are we heading straight to the dungeon?”
‘Yes, you had enough rest on the boat, right?’
“Are you seriously thinking about resting again? You’ll turn into a sleepyhead pig at this rate.”
“No way that’s happening!”
As we exited the accommodations prepared by Newman, I noticed an additional figure among the knights escorting us.
A stoic-looking man, after chatting with the knights about various matters, spotted us and bowed.
“Greetings, esteemed guests. I am Benber from Lias, and I’ll be your guide on this island. Feel free to call me Benber.”
He appeared to be a typical nobleman, but I knew who was hiding behind that façade.
The man who introduced himself as Benber was actually Karia in disguise.
Not a single detail—voice, appearance, tone—was the same; yet the fading evil god’s aura around her confirmed her identity.
They’d promised I’d get someone but sent her out personally? No wonder Benedict so easily allowed this trip to Gundo; he must have thought that having Karia around meant no big deal.
“Let’s move quickly, as we can’t waste time if we plan to conquer two dungeons a day.”
Following Karia’s lead, we arrived at the first dungeon. This one was situated near the coast and considered a good spot since it continuously draws the footsteps of various adventurers.
Unlike the large dungeons, medium dungeons have a limit to how many can enter, so we needed to wait in line at the dungeon door. Thankfully, thanks to Karia reserving our spot before we got there, we had no such need.
“Going straight into the dungeon without a breather, huh?”
“This is so fun! I wish it was like this all the time.”
“It’s just you who finds it amusing, Frey Kent.”
As we quickly entered the dungeon, I could feel my friends shooting glances at me, expecting I’d take the lead as usual.
Of course, I had the talent to meet their expectations. Given my current spec, I could probably clear this dungeon in less than an hour, no sweat!
But instead of offering my leadership, I simply stared at Arthur.
“Poor prince. You memorized the perfect book I wrote, didn’t you?♡ You seemed so confident; I hope you didn’t flake out on it?♡”
“Why are you asking that?”
“You couldn’t do it, could you? You promised you’d conquer it, but you just bluffed, didn’t you?♡ Oh dear, how typical of you, poor prince!♡”
“What are you talking about? Of course, I memorized everything. I’m just curious why you’re bringing this up now that we’re in the dungeon.”
“What do you think?♡ I’m guessing the clever but ultimately useless poor prince knows what I mean?♡”
“…Are you implying that I should direct the conquest of the dungeon?”
Seeing Arthur blink in surprise, I couldn’t help but smile.
“If you don’t clear it within the hour, there will be a ~huge punishment waiting for you, so work hard!♡ Of course, if you want to slack off, go ahead!♡”
To stir some spirit, I pulled out provocations, and Arthur’s face instantly turned as red as a tomato.
“Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll blitz through this dungeon in one hour. But if I succeed, you’ll have to present your forehead to me.”
“Are you seriously wanting to mark my pure forehead?♡ You must have quite the perverted taste!♡ That’s disgusting!♡”
“…Tsk.”
I giggled at his click of the tongue while pulling out my mace and shield, standing at the frontlines.
Hehe! Looks like I’ll be playing NPC while following Arthur’s lead.
*
Joy was well aware of Arthur’s abilities. She had cleared several dungeons under his command by now.
The presence of Lucy, an anomaly in the equation, muddied things up, but Arthur himself was poised and seasoned beyond his years.
“Lucy, don’t engage in direct combat; focus on holding your ground.”
“Sending such a cute and delicate girl to the front lines? How pathetic of you.”
“…Frey, handle those two coming from behind.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Make sure to come back. Don’t just run wild.”
“…Tch.”
But Arthur’s abilities presently showcased weren’t just a notch above his peers.
His tactical skills had grown so much that he could remind one of a seasoned knight—far beyond the level one would expect from someone entering a dungeon for the first time.
Navigating the dungeon, dealing with attacking monsters, evading traps, and even strategizing against the mid-tier boss; his competence had increased remarkably.
I recalled him saying he’d learn dungeon conquering methods from Lady Alrn—yet it was only a month or two ago, and there’s no way he had the time to properly study.
Could the prince be exceptionally gifted? Or was the memory from Lady Alrn’s book that outstanding?
“Joy, stop dawdling and prepare your magic.”
“I’ve got it all ready.”
Joy snapped out of her thoughts and summoned nine already-prepared magic circles. In an instant, ice arrows flew out, penetrating the shells of the monsters.
Before long, crackling noises filled the air as frost engulfed the creatures, shattering them like glass across the floor.
Impressive and efficient use of magic! Arthur wiped sweat from his brow, surprised at the unexpected sight, while Joy looked unbothered by it all.
“Wow, Lady Airhead, your magic has gotten pretty fierce, huh? Were you really that peeved about losing to me?”
“Not really. I just realized that colorful magic isn’t necessary, so I changed things up a bit.”
Arthur stared at Joy, his face in disbelief. Even though she bore the blood of the Partran house, her magical talents were exceeding any standard.
Maybe next in line for the Partran should be Joy instead of Jeff.
“Ahh?!”
Arthur’s admiration evaporated the moment he saw Joy slip on the ice she created.
“Ha ha ha! You really are a klutz!”
“Stop laughing and help me up, would you? Hurry up!”
Forget it. If that girl took the Partran family helm, who knows what disasters would befall us.
As I sighed at the blushing face of Joy, I noticed Frey returning and blinked.
He had sensed a sizable presence behind him a moment ago. Had he really taken care of everything on his own?
“They were all weak and not fun.”
“…Yeah, that’s quite unfortunate.”
…At this rate, there is hope. Maybe I could win this bet I rashly accepted out of anger.
Facing these almost monstrous talents put Arthur in deep thought as he clenched his fists, trying to strategize furiously.
All this to avoid the punishment set by Lucy Alrn.
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