Chapter: 313
Huuuh!
Arthur, who had no trace of princely dignity in his voice, got up and looked around blankly, realizing he had awakened from a dream and running a hand through his hair.
“Joy. That girl! How much pent-up frustration must she have to use that dreadful magic on me!”
Even though the Academy Dungeon had safety measures and the Saintess was nearby, wasn’t that a bit extreme?
No matter how many times he thought about it, that girl must have been planning to kill him!
Wiping the cold sweat trickling down his forehead, Arthur spotted Joy mumbling in her sleep and lightly tapped her forehead.
Hwaak?!
Joy jumped up, clutching her forehead with both hands, glancing around until she spotted Arthur and frantically pulled out a fan to cover her face.
“Joy, don’t you have anything to say?”
“Your Highness, you must understand that I had no choice for the dungeon strategy.”
“Right. I know. How could I not understand the heart-wrenching feelings you suppressed while attacking us?”
“Hehe. As expected of the Prince. Then…”
“Then I should also suppress my heart-wrenching feelings a bit.”
“…Huh?”
As Arthur got to his feet and moved, Joy anxiously stepped back.
“Do you think this might still be a dream?”
“Of course not! You’re just trying to get revenge for what happened a moment ago!”
“Oh ho. How cruel to insult my poor heart like that.”
“Eh? Hwak! Hwaaaang!”
Arthur finished his revenge by roughly pinching her cheeks and left her to sulk, approaching Frey and Phoebe, who were waking up.
“Are you two going to get revenge on her too? I grant you permission with the authority of a prince.”
“No, it’s okay. It was unavoidable.”
“Right. We are not petty like the Third Prince.”
Ignoring the glare from Joy, now suddenly the villain, Arthur cleared his throat.
“In that case, let’s wrap this up here and return to the dungeon discussion. Based on the surroundings, Joy’s guess seems to have been right.”
The place where Arthur’s party was now standing resembled the room they had just occupied.
A few differences, though.
The walls had holes here and there due to the passage of time.
The carpet was worn out to the point that its former shape was nearly unrecognizable.
Various decorations had faded over time, creating a desolate atmosphere.
Aside from those points, it could easily be said that it perfectly matched the room where they had stayed in their dream.
“I hope it doesn’t go on endlessly like this.”
Arthur moved forward, hoping Lucy wasn’t that cruel.
Having been forced to rest in the fourth room, the party’s movements felt incredibly light.
After all, these were folks who fought hard from morning till evening, and they had only wandered the corridors for half a day, so how could they not feel light?
Instead of trying to rein Frey in as she kept bouncing ahead, the party moved in sync with her steps, quickly reaching the end of the corridor.
“Are we supposed to go in there?”
In the spot where the cradle had been in the first corridor, a door was now installed.
As Frey immediately drew her sword to slice through the door and charge in, Arthur grabbed her by the scruff, stopping her advance.
“Wait. Let’s first sense what’s beyond that door…”
“Oh ho. Finally, guests have arrived. I thought I would die waiting.”
They were given no time to inspect what lay beyond the door.
Before Arthur could say anything to Joy and Phoebe, the door swung open, revealing something within.
It was a scruffy-looking man dressed in rags.
A horrific stench wafted from him, as if he were a corpse.
His hair, unkempt and oily, hung down like seaweed.
His crazed eyes, peeking through the hair, bore the madness unique to an antagonist.
The man surveyed the four of them, grinning as he spoke.
“Hello…”
As soon as he opened his mouth, a divine sphere erupted in front of him, cutting off his words.
If the opponent were a regular person, the flash would have dazed him, but the man immediately closed his eyes, dodging the glare.
“Oops. I was going to give you a warm welcome, but it seems I’m the one being greeted.”
While the man rambled on, Frey was freed from Arthur’s grip, charging forward, infusing her sword with an aura.
A single strike aimed to cut the opponent in half.
The man sidestepped the sharply wind-like attack, continuing his speech.
“Calm down. I’m just a lowly noble. I wouldn’t harm guests who’ve come all this way.”
While smoothly dodging Frey’s attacks, the man eventually grabbed her by the neck and tossed her aside, brushing his hands off.
Frey, landing next to Arthur in what could only be described as incredible balance, frowned slightly.
“My sword can’t reach.”
“Is it somewhat similar to a wolf?”
“No. If I had to compare, it’s closer to facing Professor Karl.”
Was he being crushed due to overwhelming skill?
Arthur stood with his arms crossed, watching the man and biting his lip.
It seemed this fellow wasn’t one that could be taken down through normal means.
…Wait a moment. Considering the corridor’s appearance and the man’s rotting appearance, could he be a necromancer?
If this guy were one who rejected death, then with the Saintess’ purification…
“It’s impossible, Your Highness.”
Did Phoebe read the meaning in Arthur’s gaze? She shook her head.
“This person is alive. Moreover, he can contain sacred energy.”
It meant that they couldn’t use underhanded methods.
Tsk. How annoyingly thorough. Lucy Allen.
“Well then, we can’t keep the guest standing, can we? Please, come inside.”
The man, opening the door for them with an inviting gesture, seemed extremely suspicious.
So suspicious that Arthur even wondered if there were no ulterior motives at all.
To be honest, he didn’t want to follow that invitation.
Handing over the initiative to a mysterious person like that didn’t sit well with him.
But the problem was that they had no choice.
If they didn’t go in, what would they do?
They’d probably end up wandering the endless corridor with no answers, like before.
It was better to enter, knowing there might be traps, and find a lead.
The worst-case scenario would be getting thrown out right after entering, blindsided by some mysterious force.
But from the looks of the room beyond the door, even if it was messy, it seemed like an ordinary office.
It didn’t seem like there was any magical device, and since the Saintess hadn’t said anything, it meant there wasn’t anything malicious lurking.
In the worst-case scenario, at least they might discover some clue.
Just as Arthur finished his thoughts, Joy, Phoebe, and Frey were all staring at him.
Their eyes held a belief that his judgment was correct, and Arthur felt burdened yet kept a serious expression.
“Let’s go. Let’s see what Lucy Allen has prepared for us.”
As Arthur took a step forward, the others followed him into the room.
Upon stepping inside, the four of them were hit by a musty smell typical of old, dirty houses while scanning their surroundings.
The man outside the door called out, a gloomy smile on his face.
“Welcome to the mansion, everyone. Please enjoy yourselves.”
What the heck is that guy talking about out of the blue?
Feeling strange about such tourist information from him, Arthur sensed unease just as the man abruptly shut the door.
At that moment, cracks began to form in the floor due to the shock.
Before Arthur’s party could do anything about it, the ground collapsed.
And a sudden free fall began, with nowhere to grab onto.
“Damn it! Joy! I’m counting on you to look after the Saintess!”
“Don’t worry!”
In an instant, Joy conjured several wind magic circles, slowing their descent while hugging Phoebe.
Arthur unfolded his magic, searching for Frey.
Damn it. Where is she?
If they fell like this, even Frey wouldn’t make it out intact?!
In a panic, Arthur scanned the area and spotted Frey not below him, but above.
“Worrying for nothing.”
Frey was hovering in the air, stepping on falling debris.
How is she even doing that?
At least she wouldn’t get hurt falling.
Stunned by this circus-like behavior, Arthur pulled his focus back and completed his own spell.
It wasn’t long before he landed on the ground, shaking off the debris from his head and surveying his surroundings.
Was this the entrance to the mansion?
Surely that bastard told them to enjoy the mansion, so they had to search for some sort of clue here.
Sigh. This is going to be a hassle again. I’ll take a light look today and start the real exploration tomorrow.
“…Huh?”
As Arthur observed his surroundings, he froze at the sight of an object installed in the middle of the mansion.
It was familiar to Arthur.
To Arthur’s party.
To everyone who had ever strategized in the Academy Dungeon.
“Why is a record device here?”
The record device.
A fixture unique to the Academy Dungeon that replaced the safety zone of a typical dungeon.
A device that allowed them to ascend the Academy Dungeon, which extended to the 100th floor, without climbing from the first floor each time.
Why was that here?
Why was this device here when it wasn’t in the previous room?
Just as Arthur was feeling puzzled, the entrance to the mansion opened, revealing a staircase leading down into darkness.
The moment he saw the endless dark staircase, Arthur hastily glanced back at the record device.
“0th floor.”
The number written there was undeniably clear.
All the rooms they’d navigated thus far were nothing but dreams.
A tutorial designed for the candidates to get familiar with the gimmicks.
So now it truly begins.
This entrance to the mansion.
Is the real, proper dungeon.
“…I’m going to go insane.”
Understanding everything at last, Arthur stared intently at the 0th floor number and let out a hollow laugh.
*
“What kind of gimmick is that? One mistake and you die?!”
Arthur railed against being kicked out of the dungeon while trying to strategize against the 1st floor boss, frantically waving his hands in the air.
It was a place where if you confused when you could attack and when not to, you’d be dead meat!
Where in the world is there a dungeon like this?!
Huhuhuh. My poor Prince, are you trying to garner sympathy with your looks? If you want to look like a beggar, there are much better methods.
The slightly high-pitched, clear, and annoying voice reached Arthur, and before he could even turn his head, he realized who it belonged to.
“Lucy Allen. What are you doing here?”
Lucy Allen.
The girl Arthur had just been cursing was looking down at him.
“I was waiting to see the face of the loser.”
“…What?”
“Pfft. Hehe. Seeing you tremble, it was worth the wait. How do you like it? A magnificent place that a pathetic loser like you could never conquer in a hundred years, right?”
…That little brat.
Not only did she make him roll in that horrendous dungeon, but now she was mocking him too.
“Why are you so quiet? Is my dungeon so wonderful that you can’t find the words to express it with your pathetic vocabulary?”
“Do you expect a response?”
“Sure, you can give me one.”
“Of course I can, but there’s a condition.”
“What is it?”
“Let me give you a hard knock on the head.”
Seeing her smirking like that, he just couldn’t hold in his irritation anymore.
So just put your head down. I don’t know if my punch will even hurt you, but I would like to vent this frustration by hitting you first before I respond.
“Hehe. What? Are you mad? Do you want to hit this cute little girl? What a trashy person you are.”
“If you don’t want it then…”
“I never said I didn’t want it.”
“…Huh?”
While Arthur stood there stunned by the unexpected reply, Lucy cheerfully skipped closer to him, sticking her head out.
…Oh. So she really wants me to hit her?
To throw a punch at that little head?
Even though he knew she was incredibly sturdy.
Still.
“Hah. You’re truly pathetic. Even when given the chance, you hesitate. At this rate, you’ll always be known as the pathetic Prince forever.”
With a laugh, Lucy took a step back, giggling as she turned her back to Arthur.
However, that was only for a moment as she immediately headed over to Joy as soon as she appeared.
As if all of that had just been a little joke.
Left alone, Arthur covered his blushing face with his hands and made a vow once more.
If he succeeded in conquering the dungeon, regardless of anything else, he would definitely give Lucy a good knock on the head.
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