Chapter: 315
Around lunchtime on the sixth day of the final exam.
Used to receiving sharp glances here and there, I sat in the corner of the dining hall, waiting for my food as usual.
Honestly, I was a bit tense when I first received those blatant stares.
While drawing the ire of others is an everyday occurrence, I had rarely been scrutinized so openly before.
Usually, people avoided me, afraid I might pick a fight.
But now that I thought about it, staring wouldn’t change anything.
Ultimately, those guys would only glare at me without starting any trouble or hurling insults, not to mention engaging in the nasty pranks that commoners had recently pulled on me.
They were just watching me like an animal in a zoo, and I wondered why I should care about that.
So, I decided to let them stare if they wanted to.
Who knows? Maybe. Considering my appearance, they might start to feel some affection for me after staring long enough?
Like the saying that was popular in a mobile game, “So what if? I’m pretty, aren’t I?”—I might find myself in a situation where I could say that.
I imagined myself saying such a thing, which made me feel a bit nauseous, but thinking about how I had said similar things to provoke others made me feel even worse.
…Let’s think of something else. Think of something else.
There are plenty of good things.
For example, today marks the end of my academy’s final exams.
The academy’s exams usually take place over a week, with each student having different subjects to take, so the end of the exam period varies for each student.
For me, it all ended with today’s morning history exam.
While Grandpa grumbled that this didn’t match the history I knew and provided various unsolicited advice, I ignored all of it and only trusted what was recorded in the log.
I had a rough time during the Partlan Festival last time; how could I trust Grandpa’s words?
What they ask in exams isn’t the real history but the history written in textbooks! Testimonies from people who lived back then are unnecessary!
[No! Doesn’t that make no sense?! How could that coward have a nickname like the Cold-hearted King?! The only thing that guy did was pass off his duties to his subordinates and run away!]
Listening to Grandpa’s complaints about history like a broken record, I noticed a server walking in from a distance.
Ah. Finally, here it comes.
The special cream pasta I ordered from the academy.
Even from afar, it looked delicious.
Hehehe. I can already imagine the taste.
When I twirl the noodles on my fork and take a bite, the rich cream fills my mouth, and the savory flavor hits me.
“Excuse me for a moment, Lady Allen?”
While savoring the imagined taste of the pasta, someone blocked my view.
Who the heck is this? Which cocky brat is interrupting my delightful thoughts?
Frowning, I looked up to see a completely unfamiliar face.
Who are you?
Judging by the school uniform, they seemed to be a second-year student from the academy, but since I’d never seen them before, they must be one of the extras that weren’t even mentioned in the game.
As I tilted my head, I noticed a few other students gathered around this guy.
If they’re approaching me without knowing who I am, there’s only one reason.
These guys are 100% here to pick a fight with me.
‘No, it’s not okay.’
“Why don’t you think before you speak? A sloppy trash like you shouldn’t take up the time of a noble person like me!”
With a dismissive wave, I told them to scram, and the guy in front turned beet red.
I hadn’t even provoked them properly yet, and they were already trembling. Whoever they are, it doesn’t seem like they’re that impressive if they can’t handle their emotions.
“Don’t be like that, just spare a moment. It’s important.”
Had there not been so many people watching, I might have taken them down and ignored the issue altogether, but right now, too many eyes were on us.
Most of the people in the academy dining hall were staring at us.
My reputation had already hit rock bottom due to the Dungeon Studies exam; if I acted violently here, who knows what kind of horrible rumors might spread?
So, I needed to create a clear justification. I’d make that guy throw the first punch.
Crossing my arms and leaning back, the extra seemed to have taken my demeanor as a signal to force a smile.
“Thank you. I am…”
“Hey♡ I can’t tell if you’re a person or a monster, what kind of ridiculous request is this?♡ You seem to have an elevated perception for someone so lowly born. Isn’t it problematic if you act lowly in addition to looking the part?♡”
“I’m sorry.”
“Well, you should be sorry♡ If I weren’t such a kind and cute person, you would have gotten into big trouble?♡”
The guy who bit his lip in a mocking tone tried to sit down, saying he was being rude.
Did he interpret my words as an invitation to join me?
“Who said you could sit?♡”
“…What?”
“You look more like an animal than a person, right?♡ Then you should be sitting where animals sit♡ Don’t you agree?♡”
Pointing at the floor, I watched as the extra clenched his fists in anger.
Feeling insulted, the pathetic crew that had come with him began to make noise as well, indicating that with a little more provocation, someone would eventually snap.
“Not interested?♡ I’m surprised that trash afraid of getting beaten would have some pride~♡”
“You don’t understand.”
“Sure♡ Go ahead and talk, I’m curious to hear what kind of sounds this little beast makes♡”
“…We came to see the Young Lady regarding the upcoming Dungeon Studies exam.”
Huh. Was he really here to spout nonsense?
They’ve come over about Dungeon-related matters?
What is it? Are they whining because it’s too hard?
Then they could just check the hints. The vocabulary might sound weird, but the content itself is perfectly fine.
“That dungeon. Is it really a conquerable place?”
…What?
“The leading groups have been trying to conquer it all day and still can’t get past the 5th floor. You never planned to allow it to be conquered, did you? You don’t want to pay the rewards…”
“Puhuhuh Puhaha Puhahahaha”
Is this guy really saying what I think he is?
That you’re saying I created a dungeon that couldn’t be conquered just because you’re stingy about the rewards?
Were you planning to just torture the academy students with false hope?
Ugh. Cursing. This is ridiculous.
Initially, I thought I’d just scare them off, but you guys are something else.
How dare you touch the pride of this rotten water?
“Lady? Right now, I’m talking.”
“Shut up♡ Hearing your disgusting voice is making me nauseous!♡”
Slowly standing up, I moved and stood in front of that trash.
Being shorter makes it inconvenient like this. I’ll always have to look up at whoever stands before me.
If I want to match their line of sight, I’d have to make them kneel—right?
“…Lady Allen?”
At the sound calling my name, I smiled back, then kicked that idiot’s ankle, sending his gaze back to where it belonged.
Hmm. Trash really suits the floor well.
“What are you doing now!”
“We’re just…!”
“Shut~ up♡ Didn’t you hear what I just said?♡ I don’t want to listen to pigs grunting!♡”
I clearly spoke in a way that could be understood; why can’t he get it?
Should I ask the Sloppy Fox to teach him beast sounds?
I tilted my head in genuine confusion as the trash got up with a limp leg from where he fell.
“If the Young Lady comes out like this, we will!”
“Go ahead♡”
“…What?”
“Go ahead and try♡”
Bring it on. I want to see how you guys treat my expertly made dungeon like a troll dungeon.
As I stared down at the guy in front of me, waiting for them to strike, the trash just exchanged glances, too afraid to make the first move.
Is it possible for second-year students to be scared of a first-year student? Especially one who barely reaches their waist?
What’s even more infuriating is that these idiots doubted my dungeon!
If it were someone deserving of that question—those who were at least leading would have been able to ask in good faith if they could conquer that dungeon, and I would have smiled and replied.
Because they have that right.
But for losers who don’t even rank or have tried to at all to push the blame of their incompetence onto my dungeon!
“A bunch of cowardly peewees scared of a little girl♡ All you can do is tremble in fear from getting wrecked!♡ Cowardly trash running to an easy target like me because they’re scared of the scary professor!♡”
“…”
“Puhaha Are you mad?♡ So what?♡ Can you hit me?♡ You can’t, can you?♡ You can’t do anything but get beat down by me, can you?♡ Huh?♡”
“…Enough.”
“Ah♡ I see♡ You came here to intentionally provoke me so you could hear my punches!♡ Ugh~♡ Creepy pervert freaks♡ Please just leave!♡ I feel like if I talk to you, something weird will rub off on me!♡…”
As the guy being provoked gritted his teeth and raised his fist, I could tell from the veins on his fist that it was packed with the power of this trash.
But what good is sincerity if it’s that slow?
Palm gripping his wrist, I halted the punch and twisted his arm.
The trash struggled to fight back, but the difference in strength was too great for that resistance to have any meaning.
“Kugh!”
That wasn’t even a strong twist but such a dramatic reaction.
This is too pathetic to even call trash.
I became annoyed by the noisy tchak-tchak and slapped his mouth shut, before swiftly delivering a blow to the groin of the one preparing to attack beside him, sending him rolling over to the side.
There was a big guy running at me to tackle me.
Were they trying to crush me with their weight?
I wouldn’t deny that my judgment might be off.
If you run at me so noticeably, who would fall for it?
I took him down with a kick to the jaw and watched as the guy rolled face-first onto the ground.
These spineless fools.
What the hell gave them the confidence to pick a fight with me?
Haven’t they heard of my reputation? That can’t be right?
While thinking about how incomprehensible this all is, I moved towards the trash representative, who was leaking blood from his nose.
I stomped his mouth to silence him as he tried to spout some half-hearted apology, then continued speaking.
“I’ll answer the question you asked at the start♡ Of course, that place is conquerable♡ Even you lousy fools who shouldn’t have made it to the second year can conquer it!♡”
What a lucky break.
I had been feeling frustrated watching these guys try to conquer, after all.
“I’ll show you how stupid you were♡ Just how low your level is!♡ I’ll make you shake in shame to the point you want to die!♡ Ah~♡ I’m such a kind person, aren’t I?♡ Right?”
After asking that while looking at the one with his mouth under my foot, he nodded desperately.
It seems even these beast-like brats understood my words, so perhaps I should wrap this up.
I kicked the trash representative in the chin, knocking him out cold. Then, I seized a plate from a nearby flustered server.
Ew. The noodles are all mushy now. I was really looking forward to it.
…Ah. Seeing this just makes me angrier. Perhaps I should beat up a few more and blow off some steam.
Hah.
What’s going on?
Is there anyone who wants to come pick a fight with me again?
Wishing they would at least be a decent punching bag, I turned around and froze at the sight of the Dungeon Studies professor holding his forehead with a sigh.
“Lady Allen?”
“…Hehe?!♡”
“Shall we have a little chat?”
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