Chapter: 296
In the personal room of the Soul Academy…
In the center was Arthur Soladin, the third prince of the Soladin Kingdom and the undisputed second-in-command of the Soul Academy.
“As you all know, the reason we gathered here is one: to conquer the dungeon created by Lucy Alrn.”
Joy Partan, the daughter of the Duke Partran family and destined to become a great mage, was present.
Frey Kent, the eldest daughter of the esteemed Kent family known for its swordsmanship, also joined. She had been recognized as the top talent in her generation until Lucy appeared.
And finally, Phoebe, the saint of the God Church, known for her overwhelming divine magic skills, which earned the respect of priests and bishops alike.
These four, excluding Lucy, were the best among the first-year students at the Soul Academy. They possessed the skills to breeze through a typical dungeon, yet none of them showed even the slightest sign of complacency.
Before them loomed the dungeon that Lucy Alrn had created.
“Considering how she has challenged us, Lucy Alrn must have put significant effort into crafting that dungeon. So, if we approach this with half-hearted intentions, we will surely not reach the end of the dungeon. By preparing thoroughly, we will definitely see it through to the end.”
“Yes, of course, Your Highness.”
“Right, we’ll give it our all.”
“We must do everything we can.”
Just as the four exchanged serious glances, the heir of the Partan family, Jeff Partan, blinked in confusion and quietly spoke.
“Um, excuse me, but I haven’t heard any explanations yet. Can someone tell me why the atmosphere is so intense?”
Jeff, who had been dragged here by Joy while juggling a pile of assignments from professors who assumed that students only focused on their own subjects, was in a state of bewilderment.
He had left his assignments behind at the request of his precious younger sister, only to find himself surrounded by significant figures like the third prince, a saint, and the daughter of the Kent family.
Attempting to maintain composure despite his confusion, he quickly learned that he had arrived at a serious discussion without knowing any context.
“Joy, did you bring me here without any explanation at all?”
“…I was focused on bringing you here as quickly as possible.”
“Haah. Silly girl. Living like this, not only will you not shake off the title of ‘silly girl,’ but the whole world will call you that, not just Lucy Alrn.”
“Don’t say I’m always like this just because I made one mistake. Silly Prince.”
“Who’s calling you silly?!”
“With that flushed face and fleeing demeanor, how could you not be silly?”
“Meanwhile, aren’t you the silly one who didn’t even notice your hair was all frizzy?!”
“…You knew and didn’t tell me?!”
As the prince and princess forgot their statuses and raised their voices in a playful argument, Jeff could only smirk at their antics.
“Joy. You dragged me here without any explanation,” he remarked.
“…I was focused on getting here quickly.”
“Haah. Oh, you silly girl. You’ll end up making everyone think you’re a fool if you keep this up, not just Lucy Alrn.”
“Bro, you’re being so kind. How could I make a mistake? Don’t talk as if I do this all the time, you silly prince.”
“Who’s the silly one here?!”
“Seriously, your blushing face and flustered demeanor just screams ‘rookie.’”
“Meanwhile, you didn’t even notice your hair sticking out in all directions!”
“…Wait, you knew and didn’t say anything?!”
While Jeff smiled wryly at the scene of the two arguing, Phoebe, who had been sitting next to them, spoke up gently.
“I’m sorry for the disruption, Lord Jeff.”
“No, it’s alright. It’s entertaining to watch.”
“Well, that’s a relief. Let me briefly explain the situation until the commotion dies down.”
Phoebe explained about Lucy’s proposal to Professor Jesel and how Lucy had ended up creating the dungeon after accepting his suggestion.
“Isn’t it a good thing? Even if she’s the Alrn young lady, she wouldn’t be able to create a great dungeon from the get-go.”
Jeff’s words drew a smirk from Phoebe, and both Arthur and Joy shook their heads knowingly, halting their banter.
“Jeff. The dungeon created by that Jesel professor, after accepting Lucy Alrn’s proposal, was so noteworthy that he canceled his own classes just to discuss it for almost half a day. Do you really think that dungeon could be easy?”
“…I guess not.”
The professor notorious for putting countless students in despair had spent so much time excitedly discussing a dungeon? That dungeon was surely going to be a hellish experience for those who had to conquer it.
“Still, wouldn’t a harder dungeon be better for the prince’s group? The more difficult it is, the greater the difference in skills.”
“Normally, yes. But what we aim for now is to conquer the dungeon entirely. Scores are secondary.”
“Why is that?”
“Because there’s a reason we must.”
The rewards for conquering the dungeon. A promise from Lucy Alrn to grant anything she desired.
Upon hearing Lucy’s affirmation, the first thought that popped into Arthur’s mind was his desire to understand the true meaning behind Lucy’s words from the past.
Yet, he did not make this his goal. How could he ask for answers to the questions he wanted to pose after defeating Lucy Alrn in this manner?
Instead, Arthur’s wish was for Lucy Alrn to kneel before him.
To hear her — someone who would always look down on everyone with disdain — admit that the dungeon she painstakingly created was trash would be, hmm… truly refreshing, wouldn’t it?
Imagining her vivid and enchanting eyes welling up with tears was quite delightful.
“Your Highness?”
Jeff’s question startled Arthur back to reality, and he closed his mouth and cleared his throat.
“…Ahem. Never mind. Don’t ask for details; I can’t answer that.”
“That’s fair enough.”
As Jeff tilted his head and turned slightly, Joy and Phoebe avoided his gaze, while Frey maintained her usual impassive facade.
While the three had a similar goal of aiming for the rewards Lucy had promised, each held different thoughts on how to utilize them.
What Joy dreamed of was wandering the streets with Lucy, decorating each other.
A day filled with laughter and joy while playing dress-up with close friends, a wish she had harbored since childhood but could never realize due to the lack of companionship.
If they successfully conquered the dungeon, Joy planned to take Lucy to the capital during their vacation to finally fulfill that dream.
Frey’s wish was much simpler than Joy’s.
She only hoped for Lucy to compliment her.
A genuine word of praise, a gentle pat on the head, and a smile directed just at her.
Frey wished for Lucy — who barely offered compliments — to say something nice without a hint of sarcasm.
And with her cheeks tinged pink, Phoebe hoped that Lucy would pray for her.
With her small, warm hands resting gently on Phoebe’s head, if Lucy could whisper of the happiness awaiting her future with that beautiful, clear voice, it would be nothing short of bliss.
Although Phoebe understood that personal and selfish requests had no place in prayers offered to deities, she longed for it nonetheless.
Seeing the others share the same sentiment, Jeff sighed, realizing he wouldn’t get an answer. He decided to get down to business.
“So, how can I assist you?”
“Tell me about every kind of gimmick that could appear in a first-year gimmick-type dungeon and all the ways to utilize them.”
Even though Lucy was responsible for the overall design of the dungeon, it ultimately had to conform to the test’s scope.
If they memorized all the gimmicks and their applications likely to be included in the dungeon, they could conquer it far more easily.
“I hear that after your arduous work with Professor Jesel, you investigated this matter. You must have some materials left over, right?”
“Yes, I do. However, I went through quite a bit of trouble to gather that information…”
Jeff, glancing sideways with a grin, trailed off.
The quality of that info, painstakingly acquired through hardship, was quite high. How could he possibly give it to these bigwigs for free?
He considered asking for at least a few verbal agreements…
“Brother.”
Upon hearing Joy’s voice, Jeff turned to her and instantly forgot his train of thought.
“Brother. Would you help me just this once?”
How could he resist the charming voice of his adorable little sister looking up at him with big eyes?
“Could you wait a moment? I’ll gather everything I can.”
Even as he willingly made himself a fool, Jeff beamed with happiness.
For this crazy siscon, his sister’s charm was worth far more than any treasure.
—
Days passed since the day I had made a fool of myself.
During that time, Arthur, Joy, Frey, and Phoebe worked tirelessly, almost as if possessed, preparing for the dungeon conquest.
They engaged in intense individual training and gathered every night to coordinate their strategy for the academy dungeon.
They even collected information on gimmick-type dungeons to prepare for everything!
What did they want me to do that would require this level of dedication?
Despite feeling increasingly uneasy about their fervor, I slowly resigned to the situation.
These four couldn’t possibly be overly silly or ask for something absurd.
It should be fine, probably.
Even if things weren’t fine, what could I do about it?
If I claimed it was all a joke now, I’d probably find myself in some deep trouble.
Anyway, I decided to ignore what they did and shifted my focus to another pressing concern.
That was about the rewards for clearing the dungeon.
To me, the completion of the dungeon ultimately hinged on the reward. If the effort put into conquering the dungeon wasn’t matched with a fitting reward, the taste of victory would surely be bitter.
After realizing this from Phoebe’s question last time, I promptly sought out the Dungeon Studies professor to discuss the rewards.
Although the professor agreed with my perspective, he lamented that the academy’s rewards were somewhat limited.
After all, the dungeon I created was intended for examination, which meant it couldn’t offer the same rewards as the academy dungeon.
Not satisfied with that, I insisted that I would refuse any support from the academy and would bring rewards myself.
After leaving the professor’s office, I racked my brain over what kind of reward would be appropriate, but no matter how I thought about it, nothing satisfactory came to mind.
I couldn’t come up with anything that would make all the students’ eyes redden with emotion.
So, deciding to abandon my futile thoughts, I sought counsel from Karia.
“I get the gist of the conditions, Boss.”
Karia responded without hesitation to my question.
“In that case, gems are the best reward. They’re expensive, eye-catching, and everyone would want them.”
‘I thought so too…’
“Hey, old lady. You do remember that most of the academy’s punks are just overproud stupid nobles, right?”
It wasn’t that I hadn’t considered gems.
But since the academy was primarily composed of nobles, jewels weren’t a viable option.
Why would they go out of their way to enter a challenging dungeon for something they could easily buy with their own money?
“I’m not talking about the common stuff you’re thinking of, Boss.”
‘Something else?’
“What’s that?”
“I’m talking about gems that are handmade by the Art Guild and certified. Not a single high-ranking noble or cash-rich merchant could ever buy them. If you offer this as a reward, it’d definitely cause a stir.”
The Art Guild…
Wait, is she referring to that disgusting place where that perverted Apostle is?
“Perfect, then. We’re meeting tomorrow, right? Ask them then.”
As Karia spoke, she presented me with a newly tailored bunny girl costume.
“Try using some charm on that perv. He’ll definitely give it his all to hand over everything he can!”
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
