Chapter: 232
Well, it was predictable that the Second Prince would pull something petty.
Honestly, the weird part was that he hadn’t done anything until now. The guy I know wouldn’t hesitate to do anything just to win!
But I didn’t expect him to act like this.
No matter how much he wants to beat me, this isn’t the way to go, right?
Sure, he has that mindset of winning by any means necessary.
But hey! He completely forgot the most important thing, the idiot!
Your original goal was to recruit me! Do you think I want to stand by your side after this nonsense?! You pitiful prince!
<…Is he more foolish than I thought? Or is he simply incompetent at managing his subordinates?>
“Probably both!”
[No. Even so, he’s received training as a prince; it can’t be!]
The grandpa denied the absurdity in front of our eyes, but that didn’t change the situation.
The men sprawled out in the alley were clearly here to interfere with me.
Sigh.
<*Sigh.>
In disbelief, I let out a sigh just like grandpa when Karia chuckled.
“When I was in the kingdom, he used to be cute. Seems the Duchess of Bedford didn’t educate him well.”
Her words precisely pointed out the problem.
The one who majorly influenced the personality of the Second Prince was indeed that Duchess.
But that’s irrelevant now.
She must have given up even the slightest expectation of her son, whom she labeled a failure.
The same goes for recruiting me.
“Be careful, Employer. Considering how far they’re taking this, I can’t imagine what tricks they might pull. I don’t think you’ll be in serious danger, but there’s always a chance, right?”
Karia’s warning was spot-on. After that, various measures meant to challenge me came pouring in.
From little things like my training equipment disappearing to attempts at breaking into the dormitory when I’m not around.
It was clear the Second Prince’s thoughts of recruiting me had completely vanished.
Otherwise, there’s no way he would act so crazy.
At first, since I had instigated things, I tried to let it slide, but as these incidents piled up, my temper began to rise.
After a while, on the day the gate to the Academy Dungeon opened, I woke up with one thought in mind.
“Teach that Second Prince a lesson!”
Teaching that punk a lesson!
What a humiliation to be schooled by a shoddy mesugaki!
He who engaged in all sorts of dirty tricks just to beat me deserves a fitting punishment.
“The Second Prince of Soladin Kingdom has challenged you! Show him your position!”
“Defeat the Second Prince!”
Surely the Shoddy Lord Jushin also desires this, so as one of his apostles, how could I not faithfully carry out his will?
At first, I thought the Lord was trying to assassinate me, but now, I see he merely anticipated the thoughts I’d have later.
Ah, Armen! I believe!
Having finished my light morning prayer, I got out of bed and stretched.
There was still some time before the dungeon gate would open, so I’d warm up in the meantime.
I need to pick up speed from the start to complete the dungeon run before the Academy Dungeon’s gate closes.
I got ready as usual and headed to the training grounds, where Frey was waiting for me.
Leaning against her sword and dozing off, she looked up when she sensed my presence and greeted me expressionlessly.
“You’re going to the dungeon today, right?”
“Of course.”
“Of course! I’m curious just how shoddy the dungeon created by the lousy Academy will be.”
“Is the party the same as usual?”
Party? What party? I’m going into the dungeon alone today, you know?
As I was thinking this, I realized I had never mentioned it to anyone else.
“I’m going in alone today.”
“Just me is enough to conquer a dungeon like that!”
“Lady Allen?! What do you mean?!”
Turning around, I saw the shock in Joy’s eyes and realized this conversation wasn’t going to end easily.
*
Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.
The reports Cecil received mostly concluded with the word ‘failure.’
Numerous attempts to sabotage Lucy Allen had barely made any impact on her.
That was the conclusion of many reports.
Cecil’s subordinate mentioned the mental fatigue they had caused, which might affect the dungeon run, but that wasn’t a very convincing argument.
However, Cecil shrugged it off.
If they had to be held accountable for the failures, they could just ask later.
What mattered more was that Cecil had recently gotten his hands on the map of the Academy Dungeon.
He had managed to obtain it by recruiting professors at the Academy using his connections.
The dungeon map contained everything about the Academy Dungeon.
How the dungeon is structured, the types of monsters appearing on each floor, the characteristics of each level set, and how to deal with the bosses blocking the path every ten levels.
When Cecil got his hands on this, you can only imagine how delighted he was.
With this map, just this map…
He could conquer the Academy Dungeon in the shortest time possible.
He could defeat Lucy Allen.
He could achieve what his older brother could not.
Defeating the First Prince.
That meant he could finally beat the one opponent he had never been able to overcome.
“Everyone.”
Standing at the entrance of the Academy Dungeon, Cecil surveyed the faces of those who would accompany him today.
All of them boasted unparalleled strength among the current second years at the Academy.
Those who had roamed outside the Academy with Cecil, conquering numerous dungeons.
They were definitely those who would earn great merits in battle once they became knights.
“Are you ready?”
Seeing the confident smiles on his party members, he nodded in satisfaction and looked forward.
Cecil had thoroughly prepared for this moment.
By defeating Lucy Allen, he would break the record set by the First Prince in the past.
To prove his competence.
To dispel his incompetence.
“Let’s go!”
*
“You don’t need to worry about us, Lady Allen. We’re not weak enough to suffer any disadvantages just by stepping into this duel.”
“Right. Lucy Allen, I’ve been granted much grace in my growth until now, so I can easily brush off my little brother’s fuss.”
“I’m not exactly sure, but I feel the same.”
Hearing that I was planning to tackle the Academy dungeon alone, Joy and Arthur seemed to think I was trying to spare them from danger.
They thought I would shoulder everything myself to avoid putting them in potential danger by getting involved with the Second Prince.
I never thought of things that way.
I simply chose to go alone because it was more convenient; I didn’t think it would lead to such misunderstandings.
Convincing those who had already made up their minds was going to be quite difficult. No matter how I explained, I would just end up making excuses too awkward to share.
“When did you start caring for others?!”
“Yeah. Act normally, Lady.”
“No! I’m serious!”
“Why can’t you understand? Do you really think you guys, the shoddy ones, could help me? Your egos are sky-high!”
“Ha. Seriously stubborn.”
“We appreciate your consideration, but…”
“Exactly! Exactly! I want to go into the dungeon too!”
Still, I didn’t mind the process of convincing them.
I realized that Joy and Arthur’s misunderstandings stemmed from a fondness for me.
If these two didn’t like me, they wouldn’t even think of helping while risking the wrath of the Second Prince.
Frey? She couldn’t care less if the Second Prince hated her. She just wanted to join me in the dungeon.
Ever since she got promoted from Shoddy Swordsman to Fool Swordsman, she’s been weirdly clingy. She must want to tackle the dungeon together.
After convincing my friends with the idea that I would seek their help only during crisis moments, I finally succeeded in entering the Academy Dungeon alone.
The moment I set foot in the Academy Dungeon, the first thing I felt was a chill.
The cold air seeping through the gaps in my armor pierced my skin and chilled my bones. Feeling this, I wrapped myself in divinity.
The divine warmth, as warm as the sun, naturally chased away the cold.
I felt cozy even amidst winter’s chill.
Looking around, I could see the landscape of a snowy field.
A view of endless snow where you couldn’t tell where it began or ended.
Alright. Checking the position of the frozen tree marked the end of my current location.
Shall I go for a run?
As I thought about this and was warming up, grandpa called out to me.
[Young lady.]
“Yes?”
[You weren’t really considering them, were you?]
Why are you saying such things too, grandpa? Didn’t I mention that going in alone was much more convenient?!
You think I’d care about the Second Prince’s hatred while being so inept at politics?!
No way!
[But it’s true, the more people there are, the easier it is to conquer a dungeon, right?]
“That’s true.”
[But if you’re insisting on going in alone, it’s hard not to think you’re considering them.]
“…Hmm. So, this is…”
Having more players is part of the strategy.
In fact, whenever I played the Soul Academy game, aside from moments of intentionally restricting myself, I always went in with a full party.
Even for speedruns, more people are generally better.
Still, the reason I chose to go alone is that I wouldn’t have to explain the many bizarre actions I would take from now on.
“It’s hard to explain in words. You’ll understand once you see it.”
While we were chatting, I completed various buffs and deliberately made noise as I sped ahead.
Not long after, I heard a sound shaking the ground from afar, drawing near.
Responding to my presence, something was coming my way.
And as it came into view, it was a yeti.
The monster known as the ruler of the snowy plains.
Its overwhelming strength was said to be comparable to that of a typical ogre.
This was not an enemy you’d expect to encounter on the first floor of a dungeon.
So, what’s it doing here?
Is the Academy messing up again?
No, it’s just the concept of the second-semester dungeon.
The Academy’s second-semester dungeon is meant to let you experience various gimmicks.
It’s a dungeon that teaches you how to overcome situations you can’t handle in a normal way.
This yeti is no different.
He’s not meant to be captured; he’s been put in here to force you to dodge it while navigating the dungeon.
So, if I were to follow the normal strategy, I should avoid the yeti and look for the exit.
But I didn’t do that.
– GROOOAR!
Instead, I charged toward the yeti, lifting my shield against its swinging fist.
[Young lady?!]
And just as the yeti’s fist was about to make contact, I used a scroll I had prepared.
The spell contained within was a weight reduction spell.
I made my weight lighter. As the spell activated, my body became as light as if I were on the moon, lifting me up and away from the yeti’s punch.
“I’ll mainly be using moves like this from now on!”
This is my shortest route.
This is my filthy strategy.
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