Chapter: 306
Lunch hour at the Soul Academy.
Arthur, who finished the exam first, frowned as he settled into a corner of the cafeteria.
What filled his mind was the second room of the Dungeon Studies exam. A dark and complicated cave where he couldn’t even tell where it ended. And behind him, a giant wolf was chasing him with a loud noise.
“I seriously doubt it was made to be passable.”
There was one problem: the wolf assigned as the pursuer was way too strong. Even Frey Kent’s all-out sword swings couldn’t get past its thick fur. Joy Partlan’s meticulously prepared magic also failed to damage it. Even when the saintess used purification magic out of desperation, the wolf was just fine.
It wasn’t some invincible monster conjured up by a child’s imagination. What on earth was it?
Shouldn’t there be limits?
Arthur was annoyed internally, but he understood Lucy’s intent. She must have intended for them not to defeat it in the first place. After all, wasn’t the initial method to deal with the soldiers he faced also like that? Not to defeat the enemy but to figure out the conditions for victory and surpass the trial.
At that time, he didn’t have the luxury to calmly assess the opponent and ended up knocking them down quite clumsily. But looking back now, the reason that room was set up like that was clear.
“Find the conditions. Observe your surroundings and think to overcome the trial.”
“In other words, that wolf is a source of crisis, not something to be defeated.”
With his arms crossed, Arthur recalled everything he had learned at the academy so far.
So, the first thing he needed to do was search around the cave for clues.
“…No, wait. First, I need to find a way to shake off that wolf, or I’ll be in trouble.”
Imagine a heavyweight moving at an unexpectedly swift speed. Even with the saintess’s support, it was impossible to keep up with its power.
Those fangs could even chew through steel.
If he couldn’t figure out a way to slip away from it, exploring the cave would be impossible. Until he found a way to slip away, he’d have no choice but to face death several times while wandering around.
“Pitiful Prince. You look pale. I thought you were about to turn into a ghost!”
At the sound of her giggle, Arthur raised his head and met Lucy Allen’s condescending gaze, tightening his neck briefly before letting out a long sigh.
“Do you know who’s to blame for this?”
“Who? Isn’t it the pitiful prince himself who made himself pitiful?”
“Isn’t it your dungeon that’s causing this!?”
Arthur frowned at Lucy, who tilted her head as if she were clueless.
As the Third Prince of a kingdom raging in anger, any normal person would have taken notice, but instead of that, Lucy simply continued to laugh louder.
“Haha! Was it that hard? I expected a bit from you, pitiful prince, but you’ve completely disappointed me. You usually act all high and mighty, but it turns out you’re just a sloppy whiner?”
…Why can’t I just control my anger?
Didn’t he know that no matter what he said, he’d just be ignored?
“Pitiful prince. Have you forgotten how to speak? Have you turned into a baby?”
“Shut up. Just tell me why you’re here.”
“Hehe. Are you angry? Did a cute girl provoke you and make you all flustered?”
“Lucy Allen.”
“Got it! I’ll stop now, since you look like you’re about to cry!”
Seeing Arthur’s face turn red, Lucy nodded in satisfaction but stepped back instead of taking a seat at the table.
“…So you just came to mess with me?”
“Not at all. Unlike the pitiful prince, I’m busy.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I already got my answer to the question.”
“You got the answer?”
As Arthur asked in confusion, Lucy turned her head and pretended to cover her mocking smile with her small, white hand.
“Yes. Watching the pitiful prince fuss around, I realized my dungeon is perfect.”
“Perfect? That hideous dungeon?”
“Hahaha! So you want to deny it? Well, how would a sloppy prince who knows nothing about dungeons understand? I get it; being dumb is tough.”
“Ah! Seriously! Come over here and sit down! I’ll tell you about the definition of perfection!…”
“Kyaa~ You’re angry! So scary, I’m running away!”
Arthur glared at Lucy’s retreating figure, his forehead twitching.
Alright. Once I see the end of my dungeon, I’ll explain just how sloppy it was.
When that time comes, she might say something, but it won’t mean a thing. At that point, she’d be the loser, and he would be the winner.
Feeling tempted to bite his lip hard enough to draw blood, Arthur felt his appetite vanish and stood up.
“Third Prince? Where are you going?”
“Perfect timing. Frey Kent. Come with me. I’m planning to barge into the dungeon until I find the answer.”
“Huh? But I need to eat.”
“I’ll feed you until you burst later, so just follow me. It’s the prince’s command.”
“…You have to buy me something delicious.”
“Sure. Let’s find Joy and the saintess first.”
*
At the same time, Arthur’s party wasn’t the only one struggling to conquer the dungeon.
The elite second-years, including Cecil’s group, and the third-year Rahbi’s group, along with countless other challengers, were all stuck in a loop of entering and being driven out of the dungeon.
What blocked them currently was the wolf in the second room.
No matter what means—physical, magical, or divine—they used, they couldn’t defeat the monster that was the wolf, a nightmare that drew screams from the challengers.
Just how terrifying was this wolf that those aiming for an initial conquest started to give up?
Toby, the son of a mercenary group leader, was also among the abandoners, having entered the academy with a focus on martial arts like Frey.
At first, he had aimed for the dungeon’s initial conquest with his friends. Toby didn’t particularly want it; following his friend’s excitement about obtaining an artifact made by an apostle of the Art Guild, he had just gone along.
However, his friend’s greed quickly crumbled against the walls of reality.
The atmosphere in the first room had been fine when they conquered it.
Thanks to Toby using the knowledge he gained growing up in a mercenary group to lead them, they managed to get through without difficulty.
But the moment they faced the nightmarish wolf in the second room, Toby’s friends threw away their chance at the Dungeon Studies exam.
“How are we supposed to conquer that thing?!”
Terrified, the friends abandoned the prospect despite Toby’s persuasion and insisted they’d rather fail than face it, forcing Toby to become an abandoner too.
What a disappointment.
He had some guesses about the wolf’s strategy, but he couldn’t even attempt it now.
The instructor had said it was okay to find new party members but…
“Sorry. I don’t think you’ll reach the level you want.”
“This party doesn’t have room for commoners. Go back.”
“Haha. Sorry. I’ll contact you if a vacancy opens up later.”
Before the first day of the exam was even over, how common was it to find an empty spot in a party?
Toby, who would usually have asked familiar faces if there was space available, found none.
Ha. Is there nothing to do but wait?
He wanted to confirm whether his strategy was right as soon as possible.
Or wait, should he just ask the instructor if he could go in alone?
As he thought about various options, Toby ran into Lucy Allen’s face while moving to take the academy exam.
Are you alone today too?
He had heard her reputation wasn’t great, but seeing her surroundings always empty was strange.
Once someone caught sight of her, it felt impossible not to look away from her beauty.
Anyone would end up lost in the charm of her presence, yet people only stared from a distance, unable to approach. It made him curious about just how fearsome her reputation was.
Normally, Toby would have stopped thinking there and looked away.
He had heard from his father, the mercenary leader, many times about the dangers of nobles.
If he approached out of curiosity and caused a problem, he’d be in for a beating from his father, so why would he go near Lucy?
But today was different.
Knowing that Lucy was the one who designed this Dungeon Studies exam, he thought she might provide the answer to whether his speculations were correct.
Unable to resist his curiosity, Toby moved his feet.
“Excuse me, Lady Allen.”
“Huh? Haha, what? You look like a dumb golem.”
“I’m Toby. We’ve crossed weapons in combat class a few times.”
“Is that so? I don’t remember. Must be that your skills were so sloppy they weren’t worth remembering.”
While it was a clear and direct insult anyone could understand, Toby’s expression didn’t change. He was so used to being looked down upon by nobles from working in a mercenary group…
“So, what is it? Oh. Are you trying to hit on me? Haha! Did I make such an impression on your simple mind that you forgot your place? Sorry~ But kissing a golem like you is a biological impossibility.”
…No. What a mistake to think I was accustomed to this.
It’s hard to keep a straight face.
It was his first time directly talking to a noble, but now he understood why people didn’t want to approach her.
“Ahem. No, that’s not it.”
“Then what is it? Hurry up. The value of my time is nothing compared to a bland golem like you. You get it?”
“I heard that you designed this Dungeon Studies exam. I wanted to ask about it.”
“Ah~ So you came to ask for the answer~ But you’re pretty high and mighty for someone who’s nothing more than a golem, huh?”
I’m losing my mind.
How do the saintess and Lady Partlan manage to hang around Lucy?
Toby was so close to shaking from anger, hiding his trembling hands behind his back.
While he regretted not keeping his curiosity in check, he suppressed his fury and continued.
“I have a question regarding the second room of the dungeon. That wolf. Is it an illusion based on a small wolf?”
“…Hmm.”
The moment Toby blurted it out, Lucy, who had been dismissive, tilted her head with a sly smile.
And at the same time, the surrounding noises disappeared.
As if the sounds around them were blocked.
“Go on, keep talking. I’m curious how messy the ramblings of a dumb golem can be.”
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