Chapter: 465
“Professor Luca, you seem to be visiting quite often these days.”
“Haha! Well, it’s about time the second-year students were ready to venture into external dungeons. I can’t help but worry if anyone’s planning to head somewhere dangerous.”
As Luca spoke, he stepped further into the administrative office.
The professor who used to be in charge had been expelled due to a scandal involving Lucy.
He had dared to touch someone who shouldn’t have been disturbed, and well, he paid the price for it.
If you’re planning to play on the edge, you better be aware of where you draw the line.
But he obviously couldn’t see it, so what else was there to do other than die?
Betrayal. Anger. Fear. Shock.
Recalling the mixture of emotions in that guy’s gaze, Luca quickly brushed him aside and smiled at the new administrative professor.
This new guy was a scion of a noble family aligned with the First Queen’s faction.
Being from a weak family, he was obsessed with building achievements and rushed in upon hearing there was a vacancy.
Seeing him, Luca thought it would be easy to manipulate him, so he placed him in a position where he could be useful.
He seemed to consider it a favor, rolling with whatever Luca was doing, just like how he turned a blind eye to Luca browsing everyone else’s paperwork.
“Seems like fewer people are signing up than I expected. Could it be due to the high difficulty of this round’s academy dungeon?”
“To begin with, there aren’t many who have surpassed the 50th floor. Those who have cleared that level are opting to focus on conquering the academy dungeon instead.”
This academy dungeon was definitely at a high level.
Among those involved with the dungeon academy, there were even whispers that this year’s winner had already been decided.
So naturally, those who usually would sneak out had become focused on the academy dungeon conquest.
Lucy Alrn and her friends’ successful conquering must have had an impact as well.
Even if it appeared impossible to conquer, they had certainly proven that an escape route existed.
As Luca continued to check the few conquest application forms, he spotted Lucy’s name.
So she’s heading out again after last week, huh?
She’s really active, isn’t she?
I wonder if the God has given her another revelation.
When he checked the name of the area Lucy had written down, Luca tilted his head in confusion.
If I’m right, there shouldn’t be an evil god’s power in that area at all.
Is that it? There’s not even anything to call a power.
The only ones likely to be there would be three groups.
Those seeking death. Wandering outlaws hiding from society. Mercenary groups managing the area on behalf of a noble’s request.
Aside from them, no one would bother searching that barren land; there’s just nothing to gain.
Why would Young Lady Alrn sign up to visit such a place?
I know she isn’t one to waste time on pointless tasks.
She’s all about efficiency. Especially if it concerns her friends.
“Hmmm.”
I should investigate this.
“Oh! You’re looking over the documents related to Young Lady Alrn. I’ve been a bit concerned about that. Considering the danger level, it would be wise to reject it, but…”
“It’s fine. Let’s approve it. If any other professors have something to say, I’ll persuade them myself.”
“If Professor Luca says so, then I’m more than willing!”
As the administrative professor flashed a bright smile, Luca reciprocated.
I hope we can still be smiling like this later on.
“Oh, Professor Luca, did you always wear those gloves?”
“No, I found a nice pair recently and started wearing them.”
“Indeed. They look like a good find.”
*
Once again, on the weekend morning, I met up with my friends and handed each of them a spatial pouch.
“What’s this?”
“What do you think, oh poor prince? Want to take a guess with your not-so-great imagination?”
“No need to guess. You’re not the type to gift us anything. It’s probably something we’ll need for our upcoming trip.”
At Arthur’s casual response, I just pouted without replying, acting shocked as if I was hurt by his words.
“Trying that way won’t fool me. Do you know how many times I’ve been tricked by you?”
I kept quiet, hung my head, and sealed my lips. That’s all I needed to do; the rest was up to my friends.
“Third Prince.”
“Prince! This is a bit much.”
“It’s your fault, Prince!”
“No! Why am I in the wrong here? If we look at what Lucy Alrn has done, this is way more likely to be a prank!”
Trying to suppress my smirk, I waited for the mounting pressure from the others to continue.
Under the 3-to-1 pressure, Arthur, who was at a loss for what to do, finally mumbled an apology with an unhappy tone.
“Er… sorry. I doubted you.”
“Puhaha!”
Hearing his awkward half-hearted voice, I finally burst out laughing, receiving incredulous looks as if I was completely out of my mind.
“Oh! Poor Prince, you’re just fun to tease. I just want to poke at you every time I see you.”
“…Damn it.”
“Come on, you enjoyed it too! Why pretend to be upset? You secretly like it, don’t you? Such a perverted prince!”
“Who’s a pervert?!”
Ignoring Arthur’s shout, I proceeded to explain what was inside the pouch to my friends.
“Look closely, you bums. What’s inside here is water and food.”
“What?! Didn’t I say I was right?!”
The place we visited last week didn’t require us to worry about food at all.
There was a decent city nearby, and with the forest’s help, sourcing food wasn’t a problem back then.
However, the spot we were heading to now is very different. The sand-colored location barely had grass, let alone a decent lake.
“Are we going to the desert in the west?”
“I visited it once out of encouragement. It was a desolate place, indeed. It will be a tough journey.”
“Desert? Sounds boring.”
I nodded at my friends’ comments.
Even from my perspective, the western desert was not a place I wanted to visit.
There were a few hidden gems, but they weren’t useful to me at this stage.
And I couldn’t even imagine how bad that place would be if I went there as a weak character, losing health in real-time.
After going there this time, I already decided not to return.
“Well, it can’t be helped. With your lousy abilities, we have no choice but to head there.”
“Just answer me! Wasn’t I right?!”
“Just follow along quietly, you losers.”
“Damn it! Let me just hit you once! Just once!”
“Yelling that you want to hit a girl, huh? Poor Prince, you’re so barbaric.”
“Why do you only respond to this kind of thing… Ughhh!”
*
Arriving at our destination via the teleportation trunk, we found ourselves at an oasis in the corner of the desert.
This was a place travelers bound for the desert couldn’t avoid stopping at, and several people had gathered there.
“…Who are those folks over there?”
“Why are those people from the academy here?”
“What should we do? Should we greet them?”
The people who spotted us quickly recognized our identities and started buzzing.
The mercenaries, closely tied to nobility, surely remembered the faces of famous individuals.
On the flip side, some were wide-eyed before hurriedly retreating, likely wanting to hide their identities.
Amid the commotion we created, I was searching for someone I had called beforehand.
The mercenaries I had summoned through Karia were likely waiting for me.
“It’s been a while. Young Lady Alrn.”
The man who boldly walked over and knelt before me was a mercenary I had met at the Partran Festival.
He had mentioned being indebted to Benedict, noticing my friends sprawled around due to the teleportation effects, he added, “I heard you took care of my son. Thank you so much. Because of you, he has connected with some nobles.”
“…Huh? What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything for a mere mercenary’s son…”
“Do you remember the name Toby?”
Toby?
Oh! I remember!
He was the commoner boy who was conquering the dungeon I created last semester.
He had such great ideas for dungeon conquering that I had introduced him to Avery.
Honestly, it was a bit of a waste of talent to crawl through dungeons with someone like Avery.
If he had teamed up with a more competent crew, he could have stood out against the upper ranks.
“I’m glad you remember. That’s a happy thing indeed.”
The mercenary captain smiled brightly at my expression. It seemed my casual help had been very meaningful from his perspective.
“I promise to do my best to support you during this trip to repay the Alrn family’s kindness.”
The captain’s words were sincere. Behind him, a well-disciplined mercenary group that wouldn’t seem out of place as an army was waiting.
“If you get in the carriage, we’ll take you to the previously discussed destination.”
The inside of the carriage, pulled by what looked like a much larger, fiercer beast than your typical workhorse, was far more comfortable than one would imagine in the desert.
According to Joy, it was a guest carriage equipped with various magic for comfort.
“This carriage is way too luxurious for use in a desert. I think it will be a comfortable journey.”
As I looked around the carriage and smiled lightly, Joy added more spells.
Those were apparently the Partran family’s secrets for ensuring a cozy trip.
As the wheels of the carriage began to roll, jostling the interior, Arthur, who had been sulking silently due to the morning banter, finally lifted his lips, weighed down by a sigh.
“Now that we’re at this point, I’d like to ask something. Lucy Alrn.”
“What is it, poor prince?”
“That great archmage who’s supposed to give us advice… Who the heck is he? Why is he lounging around in such a treacherous place?”
In case someone needed to keep their identity hidden, I casually replied.
“Oh, he’s a notorious weirdo from back in the day. A bit insane, but definitely skilled.”
“So who exactly is he?”
“He’s also referred to as a hero, despite being an undeserving title.”
“…A hero, you say? Could it be…”
Seeing my friends naturally look my way, I nodded with a smile.
“Yep! You’re thinking of that crazy guy, aren’t you?”
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