Chapter: 323
When the news broke that Lucy Alrn was going to demonstrate how to conquer the dungeon, Toby dashed straight to the Dungeon Studies exam hall, abandoning even the expensive meal that Avery had bought him.
The fact that the illustrious Young Lady Alrn herself would teach them how to conquer her own dungeon was just too exciting!
Surely, there would be a lot to learn!
He couldn’t afford to miss such a precious opportunity!
“Isn’t walking around with all that stiffness a bit off-putting? ♡ Trying so hard to look big like some sort of beast! ♡ But deep down, it’s just a sad little mess! ♡”
By the time Toby ran at full speed into the exam hall, there was Lucy Alrn on a floating screen in the middle, walking down a hallway while lashing out insults at someone.
The words coming from the mouth of a high-ranking noble were shockingly lowbrow.
As those present in the exam hall struggled to figure out how to react, Toby felt baffled and turned to a commoner he knew to ask what was happening.
“…The Young Lady is proving this isn’t a recording by insulting someone. Right now.”
Toby was left speechless at the thought that she was demonstrating the live nature of the video by ridiculing the person who had just provoked her.
Even the illustrious Lady Alrn could treat other nobles this way?
Toby blinked in disbelief at a scene that was far from comprehensible.
As he stood there, Avery stepped forward, who had followed him in.
“She seems much more mild compared to the last time she was active in high society.”
“Ru…Rumer Young Lady?!”
Toby’s friend gasped at Avery, who was now tidying her disheveled hair.
The fact that someone known for leading several young ladies could speak to them filled him with dread.
“What brings you here?”
“Ask that dungeon fool beside you. She was going to treat us to a meal that commoners barely get to see, only to bolt when she heard ‘dungeon’.”
“Well, this is way more important to me than food.”
What?! Is Toby out of his mind?! He’s not scared of Rumer Young Lady at all!?
His friend’s eyes rolled in shock at Toby’s nonchalance, while Avery merely shook her head, displaying mild disdain but not actually getting angry.
After having recognized Toby during their dungeon conquests, such a rudeness was hardly worth her concern.
Of course, Toby knew this too.
Growing up in a mercenary group from birth, he had honed an instinct for such cues.
If Avery hadn’t shown at least a bit of relaxed demeanor, Toby wouldn’t have even dared to imagine acting like this.
“What do you mean ‘compared to before’?” Toby asked, genuinely confused.
“Ugh.”
Sighing at Toby’s casual inquiry, Avery shrugged and turned her gaze back to the screen featuring Lucy.
“Literally what I said. Back when she was active in the social scene, she was even worse than this.”
When excluding all the bizarre things Lucy had done, just considering her status, she was a prime candidate to become the heart of social events.
Being the only daughter of the kingdom’s hero, Benedict Alrn, was enough to attract all sorts of people. Add to that her beauty, which made everyone envious.
When Lucy first appeared at a party in the capital, she was capable of dominating the ballroom with her mere presence, attracting even more attention than some members of royalty.
However, it only took a year for her to become a figure of hatred.
The thorns surrounding the flower that was Lucy Alrn were not mere pricks; they were deadly daggers meant to stab anyone who dared approach.
“If you had seen Lady Alrn back then, you’d understand why all those nobles tremble at her name.”
If Lucy’s personality had been like it is now, she would have been a colossal influence, standing in opposition to Joy’s faction.
Her status as the hero’s daughter combined with her doll-like beauty was enough to overshadow any shortcomings she had.
However, back in those days, Lucy’s personality was markedly more ruthless.
“Questioning why a party was being held in a pigsty? That’s because there were pigs! Asking a baron whether he’s incapable of producing children? And smashing the head of a lady who confronted her with a flower vase?”
Having witnessed all the chaos and being a victim of many of Lucy’s escapades, Avery thought it was a miracle that Lucy was still walking around free.
“Lucy’s current level of mockery is just cute. Cute.”
The stories that surpassed his imagination helped Toby understand why so many nobles hesitated to approach Lucy.
Just hearing about it felt dizzying—what would those who had seen it with their own eyes say?
“She’s moved on to the first room.”
Toby caught Avery muttering about how she wished there were more stories to tell, and he turned his head away in disappointment.
On the screen, Lucy stood before the very soldier without any armor or weapon.
When the soldier asked her if she shouldn’t arm herself, Lucy shot back a mocking retort.
The soldier, perhaps angered by Lucy’s laughter, gripped his spear tightly and aimed it right at her.
He was fast. A much stronger opponent than the ones they’d faced before.
Was this dungeon aimed at first-year students or upperclassmen instead?
Toby, a martial arts specialist, easily kept up with the soldier’s thrust.
But even before the spear was unleashed, Lucy had already evaded the soldier’s attack.
“…She didn’t really just dodge that, did she?”
At Avery’s muttering, Toby nodded.
Lucy didn’t dodge the soldier’s attack blindly; she was already in position to evade because she knew what was coming.
“The soldier’s attacks follow a pattern for the first ten. I doubt Lady Alrn, who designed this dungeon, wouldn’t know this.”
The attacks from the enemies in the first room always followed the same sequence for the first ten hits.
So if one memorized their movements, anyone could conquer the soldiers.
‘Surely, there can’t be any fools who can’t handle what a small girl can do? ♡’
Lucy clearly wanted to articulate that, but her tone was far too provocative.
Thanks to that, most people took it as a personal affront, chuckling in disbelief.
After that, Lucy continued to generously teach how to tackle the dungeon.
‘Hehe ♡ Look at that soldier. Scared of getting hit on his weak point? Isn’t that just too pathetic? ♡’
By prioritizing the protection of its weaknesses, the soldier’s movements could reveal its vulnerabilities.
‘What a foolish charade to think real illusions are like this! ♡ Who would fall for some lame tricks? ♡’
In the second room, there were oddities in the wolves that would indicate that they were merely an illusion.
‘Yikes ♡ Sure, I’m cute, but charging in as if I want to get stomped on is just… kinda gross, ya know? ♡ I wouldn’t even want to touch that! ♡ That’s just beyond me! ♡’
The third room’s golems would only attack specific targets.
And at the same time, it was possible to overwhelm them just enough so that they didn’t die.
‘…That’s all! ♡ With so many hints, there can’t be anyone who hasn’t picked up on even one, right? ♡ If there is, I suggest they go propose to a puppy! ♡ Aww, would such an idiot even scare the puppy? ♡’
The fourth room had various clues leading to the realization that everything was just a dream.
Though Lucy’s tone was unmistakably irritable while she spoke about herself, the content was undeniably useful.
Even Toby, who had been working to conquer the dungeon, didn’t grasp everything she pointed out.
Thanks to that, the ambiance among those watching Lucy’s dungeon conquest transformed significantly.
Her leisurely stroll through the dungeon, providing solutions, exuded the grace of a dungeon designer.
Slowly, there were more people keen to learn from Lucy’s conquests rather than merely trying to challenge her prowess.
‘This is just the cutesy beginner tutorial I prepared for you! ♡ Surely no one’s failing this, right? ♡ If someone actually does, they ought to spend another year regretting their idiocy at this wretched academy? ♡’
“Wait?! Failing?!”
“I signed up to join the mercenary group right after graduation!”
“No waaaayyyy!”
Screams erupted here and there in the exam hall, but Lucy Alrn seemed unfazed as she continued navigating through the dungeon.
Confronting the boss of the dungeon, the recluse, Lucy landed firmly on the ground without even slowing her descent.
What would normally terrify most people, Lucy acted as if it were nothing, dusting off her uniform even as she calmly spoke.
“Now, listen up, academy failures! ♡ Pay attention! ♡ I’m about to tell you how dumb you really are! ♡”
As she spoke, Lucy shifted her focus away from the door leading down to the basement and headed toward the mansion.
“Check out this dilapidated mansion that even ghosts would flee from! ♡ Even a fool should see something with eyes, right? ♡”
She pointed to the window, which was completely opaque to the view outside.
Then she gestured to the ceiling.
A ceiling that looked surprisingly intact despite just having collapsed.
Lucy’s finger didn’t stop there.
A clock that only pointed at the same time, just stalled.
A faded portrait with a blurry face.
The bizarre year inscribed beneath it.
A door that couldn’t be opened by any means.
Some didn’t even bother to notice,
Others brushed aside as poorly constructed,
And still, others who caught onto these elements failed to reach meaningful conclusions—Lucy pointed each of these out one by one.
Finally, she arrived at Kerta’s Crystal marked with the number “0” once again.
“Last! ♡ The most crucial hint! ♡ Why suddenly is this crystal appearing? ♡ Huh? ♡ Even the most oblivious must be feeling something strange by now? ♡”
…Just how many clues were there?
Toby reached the conclusion of the dungeon Lucy had crafted, but he hadn’t caught onto all of the clues left behind in the mansion.
A few of those clues alone would have sufficed to arrive at the answer.
She was remarkably thoughtful. Much more than he’d imagined.
‘Still haven’t caught a clue, huh? ♡ What could this crystal do? ♡ One function is to save your location, and the other? ♡’
“…To move freely back to the stairs you’ve already conquered.”
At a nearby spot, Toby turned when he heard a male voice mutter.
There stood the third prince, wearing a shocked expression that showed he couldn’t even manage to maintain his usual calm demeanor.
Why did he have such an expression? Hadn’t he already conquered the dungeon, comprehending all its gimmicks?
He must have been familiar with these elements, so why?
While Toby pondered on Arthur’s expression, Lucy’s voice echoed, “Time’s up! ♡ For all the idiots unable to grasp the answers up until now, I suggest you just enjoy my cutesy voice and lament how dumb you’ve been! ♡”
As soon as her words ended, Lucy Alrn placed her hand on the crystal, and the scenery began to change.
The very first hallway.
The end of the place anyone taking their term exam in the dungeon would have passed through at least once.
Where there should have originally been a wall blocking the way, a staircase leading down to the depths was now present.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
