Chapter: 232
I had already expected Prince 2 to pull some petty stunts.
In fact, his complete lack of action until now had felt a bit off to me. The guy I know would do anything to win, no questions asked.
But I didn’t expect him to come at me this way.
Even if you want to beat me, is this really the way to go about it?
Sure, being determined to win through any means is one thing.
But come on! You’ve totally forgotten the most important part, you idiot!
Your whole goal here was to recruit me! If you act like this, why on earth would I want to join you?! You dumb prince!
[…I’m starting to wonder if he’s even dumber than I thought, or if he’s just completely incompetent at managing his underlings.]
‘Both, I think.’
[But still, he’s been educated as a prince, so that can’t be right.]
The ridiculous scene before me made Grandpa deny reality, but that didn’t change the fact that the setting in front of my eyes was exactly that.
The men sprawled out in the alley were clearly here to get in my way.
“Hah.”
[Hah.]
Overwhelmed by disbelief, I sighed along with Grandpa while Karia giggled a bit.
“When I was back in the kingdom, he was such a cute little prince. Guess Lady Bedfur’s training didn’t turn out so well.”
Her comment hit the nail right on the head. The person who had the biggest influence on shaping Prince 2’s personality was that Duchess.
But that’s irrelevant now.
Having labeled her own son a failure, she surely would have no small hopes for him now, wouldn’t she?
Recruiting me would be the same affair.
“Be careful, my employer. If he’s coming at you like this, you never know what tricks he’s hiding. I don’t usually think it’ll be anything serious, but still, there might be a chance, right?”
Karia’s warning was spot on. After all, all sorts of sabotage had been thrown my way since then.
From the small annoyances, like equipment disappearing while I trained, to attempts to break into the dorm when I wasn’t around.
It was clear that Prince 2 had completely ditched the idea of recruiting me.
Otherwise, why would he even think of doing something so insane?
At first, I had thought that I might just laugh it off since I was the one who openly provoked him, but these foolish antics were starting to get on my nerves.
Time passed, and on the day the Academy dungeon entrance opened, the only thought on my mind upon waking up was simple.
[Teach that second prince a lesson!]
Teaching that brat of a second prince a good lesson was on my agenda. How humiliating would it be to get schooled by a damn newbie like him?
It would be the perfect punishment for that perverted creep who tried every dirty trick just to beat me.
[The prince of the Soladin Kingdom has challenged you! Show him your place!]
[Defeat the second prince!]
Even that pathetic god must be watching him closely, so as an apostle, how could I not fulfill that wish?
At first, I thought the god wanted to assassinate me, but it seems he was just anticipating my future thoughts.
Ah, Armen! I believe in you!
Finishing a light morning prayer, I stretched in bed.
There was still time before the dungeon doors would officially open, so I might as well warm up my body in advance.
I had to start fast if I wanted to conquer the Academy dungeon before it closed.
Dressed and prepared, I headed to the training grounds, only to find Frey waiting for me.
Leaning against her sword and nodding off, she looked up when she sensed my presence and greeted me with her typical straight face.
“You’re heading to the dungeon today, right?”
‘Of course.’
“Of course. I’m so curious how shoddy this dungeon created by the Academy is.”
“And the members?”
Members? What members? I was planning to tackle the dungeon alone today!
As I thought about it, I realized I had never mentioned this to anyone.
‘Today, I’m going in solo.’
“I can handle that trash dungeon by myself.”
“Lady Alrn?! What do you mean by that?!”
Turning around, I saw Joy’s eyes wide with shock. I realized this conversation was not going to wrap up quickly.
*
Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail.
The reports Cecil received mostly concluded with the word “failure.”
They had attempted various sabotages against Lucy Alrn, but none of it had affected her at all.
This was the conclusion reached in many reports.
The leader of this operation, Cecil’s subordinates, had mentally exhausted themselves, suggesting that it might negatively impact their dungeon conquest, but that reasoning wasn’t very convincing.
However, Cecil shrugged it off.
“Let’s worry about responsibilities for failure later.”
What mattered more was that he had recently secured a map of the Academy dungeon.
By leveraging his various connections, he managed to recruit a professor at the Academy, and the dungeon map contained everything about the Academy dungeon.
Details on the layout, the types of monsters that appeared on each floor, and the strategies for dealing with bosses blocking the way every ten floors.
When Cecil got his hands on this map, he felt ecstatic.
With this map, he could swiftly conquer the Academy dungeon.
He could defeat Lucy Alrn.
He could achieve what even his older brother had failed to do.
He could best his brother.
Prince 1—his long-time rival—was about to be eclipsed by him.
“Everyone.”
Standing at the entrance to the Academy dungeon, Cecil examined the faces of those who would accompany him today.
Each of them boasted the highest combat capabilities among the current second-year students at the Academy.
They were those who had run around outside the Academy with Cecil, conquering numerous dungeons.
Knights in the making who were sure to gain remarkable achievements on the battlefield.
“Ready?”
Seeing the confident smiles on his party’s faces, he nodded in satisfaction and looked ahead again.
Cecil had thoroughly prepared for this moment.
Defeating Lucy Alrn and breaking the record set by Prince 1 was going to be his claim to fame.
To prove his competence.
To erase the stigma of incompetence.
“Let’s move out.”
*
“You don’t have to worry about us, Lady Alrn. We’re strong enough not to be at a disadvantage just from stepping into this challenge.”
“Exactly. Lucy Alrn, I owe you a lot in my development, so I can easily handle a tiny tantrum from a little brother.”
“Not entirely sure why, but I agree.”
After hearing that I was planning to conquer the Academy solo, it seemed Joy and Arthur thought I was trying to spare them from trouble.
They wrongly believed I was shouldering all the burden to avoid any potential fallout from the situation with Prince 2.
I had never even considered that.
I simply chose to go alone because it was easier, but who knew it would lead to misunderstandings?
Convincing those who had already made up their minds was challenging. No matter how I explained it, it would only turn into awkward excuses.
“When have you ever cared about others?!”
“Right. Just act like you always do, Lady.”
‘No, I really mean it!’
“Why don’t you understand? You think a bunch of losers like you would help me? Talk about a misconception.”
“Ha. You really are stubborn.”
“We appreciate your consideration, but…”
“Yeah. Totally. I want to go into the dungeon too!”
Still, I didn’t dislike the process of convincing them.
Knowing that Joy and Arthur’s misunderstanding stemmed from their feelings towards me made it all the more endearing.
If they hadn’t thought nicely of me, they wouldn’t have offered help while bracing for Prince 2’s enmity.
Frey? She’s indifferent to whether Prince 2 dislikes her. She just wants to go into the dungeon with me.
Ever since she got bumped up from “useless” to “idiot swordsman,” she’s been overly attached to me. I guess she just wants to enjoy the dungeon conquest together.
Happily convincing my friends, I succeeded in entering the Academy dungeon solo.
The moment my feet touched the ground within the Academy dungeon, the first sensation was one of cold.
The chill that seeped in between the gaps of my armor pierced through my skin, making my bones feel cold. Feeling this, I summoned my sacred aura.
Wreathed in warmth, the divine energy naturally pushed away the cold.
Even in the heart of winter, I could feel comfort.
As I looked around, the snowy scenery came into view.
There was no clear end in sight, where all I could see was the endless expanse of snow.
Alright. I’ve confirmed the position of the frozen trees, so now I know where I am.
How about I sprint a bit?
Lost in thought, I began to loosen my body when Grandpa called out to me.
[Young lady.]
‘Yes?’
[Are you truly not considering others? Who’s side are you on? Seriously?]
Why are you piling on too, Grandpa? I’ve been saying for ages that I feel more comfortable going in alone!
Do you really think I’ll care about whether Prince 2 dislikes me or not?!
No way!
[No. But still. A dungeon is easier to conquer when you have more people, isn’t it? ]
‘Well, that’s true.’
[So if you insist on going in alone, people might think it’s out of consideration for them.]
‘…Hmm. That does make sense.’
Having more teammates does act as a weapon in itself.
When I played the Soul Academy game, aside from those moments when I was held back, I always filled my parties to the brim.
Even during speed runs, having more people was usually better.
Still, the reason for going solo was that I wouldn’t have to explain all the ridiculous antics I was planning on pulling.
‘It’s hard to explain in words. You’ll just see.’
While chatting, I finished buffing myself and intentionally made some noise as I dashed forward.
Not long after, a rumbling noise approached from a distance, shaking the ground.
It was coming this way, alerted by my presence.
And the moment it appeared, there it was—the yeti.
The ruler of the snowy mountains.
Its overwhelming strength was said to rival even that of an ogre.
This was no typical enemy you’d encounter on the first floor of a dungeon.
So why was that thing here?
Was the Academy messing up again?
No, it was just the concept of the second semester dungeon.
The Academy’s second-semester dungeon was designed to immerse students in various gimmicks within a dungeon.
Meaning it was a place that taught how to transcend regular methods of conquering.
This yeti was just another example.
It wasn’t an enemy meant to be eliminated. This monster was placed here to teach students to navigate the dungeon without engaging it.
So normally, the right strategy would be to avoid the yeti and find the exit.
But I wasn’t doing that.
– Kuoohh!
Instead, I charged towards the yeti with my shield raised, meeting the powerful punch it swung my way.
[Young lady?!]
Just as the yeti’s fist was about to connect, I activated one of the prepared scrolls.
The magic contained within was a weight-reduction spell.
What I was lightening was my own weight. My body became as light as if I’d stepped on the moon thanks to the magic, and I was thrust into the air by the sheer mass of the yeti’s punch.
‘Now, the strategies I’m planning to use from here on out will mostly follow this kind of approach!’
This was my fastest route.
A rotten method of conquest.
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