Chapter: 93
“Foolish Young Lady. Are you too scared to move your feet? Coward~”
Seeing Joy freeze in the corridor leading to the dungeon, Lucy smirks mischievously.
It was a scene Joy had seen before.
Lucy, clad in armor and confidently striding ahead with a shield in one hand.
Back then, Joy had followed her only to sit down on the floor upon seeing the dungeon door.
The difference this time: it wasn’t just a coincidence that Joy and Lucy had met.
This morning, after finishing her preparations, Joy found Lucy waiting for her right outside her room.
‘I thought the cowardly young lady wouldn’t come out. So she’s not just a scaredy-cat hiding in her room, huh?’
Though she said that, it was clear why Lucy waited for Joy.
She was worried about Joy’s fear of entering the dungeon and had come to find her.
That’s the kind of person Lucy was. Always teasing but overflowing with consideration.
Someone who would risk her life for others.
And when everything was over, instead of boasting about her achievements, she would say with a smug smile, “I just did what the sloppy one couldn’t do, right?”
Joy, who had wondered whether she could enter the dungeon up until she woke up that morning, set those doubts aside the moment she saw Lucy waiting at her door.
It wasn’t about whether she could or couldn’t.
To help Lucy, she had to go.
Even now, in front of the dungeon entrance, Joy thought about her.
Taking a deep breath, calming her mind, and convincing herself that it would be okay, she repeatedly resolved to enter the dungeon to repay her favor.
“Foolish Young Lady.”
At that moment, Lucy patted Joy on the back with her gloved hand.
“Hyak?!”
Caught off guard while trying to hold herself together, Joy screamed in surprise.
It was something Joy would never normally do.
Her face flushed with embarrassment from the sound she made, Joy looked around nervously, feeling an ominous aura, and turned her gaze toward Lucy.
There she was, covering her mouth with a hand and laughing.
“Puhaha. Foolish Young Lady. Wow~ you look so scared! Hyak! Puhuh. Pfft.”
“It’s your fault, Lady Allen.”
“Me? How is it my fault that the foolish Young Lady is foolish? It’s your fault for being such a cowardly sloppy one.”
“Ugh…”
Joy wanted to rebut but couldn’t.
She owed Lucy too much.
While Joy trembled with red cheeks, Lucy finally stopped laughing and approached her, thumping her chest confidently.
“Foolish Young Lady. Don’t trust the sloppy you. Trust me, okay?”
Trust me.
Now that she thought about it, Lucy had never once gone back on her word.
Not during the entrance exam.
Not when they encountered trouble.
Not when facing life-threatening situations.
Lucy had confidently told Joy to trust her and had indeed saved her.
The moment Joy realized this, she felt all her scattered thoughts fly away.
Lucy looked at Joy’s gaze, smiled, and moved forward first.
Then, she opened the door leading to the academy’s dungeon.
The entrance to the dungeon revealed itself.
Seeing the entrance still holding a part of her nightmares, Joy lowered her head.
Her hands trembled.
Her teeth chattered.
The nightmare from that day still weighed heavily on her shoulders, leaving her helpless.
But the moment she saw the small back guarding her, Joy found the courage to lift her head again.
Facing the dungeon entrance directly, Joy came to a realization.
It was just a door.
Not something threatening her.
And even if something happened inside, that small but dependable back in front of her would protect her.
Releasing a slow breath, Joy gingerly took her first step forward,
Then took a second step,
And managed to reach Lucy, who was standing far ahead.
“Are you okay, Foolish Young Lady? If you’re about to cry from fear, it’s fine to turn back.”
“I’m okay. Lady Allen.”
As long as you’re beside me. I feel like I’ll be fine.
Feeling too shy to voice her thoughts, Joy smiled instead, and Lucy returned the smile just as brightly.
“Oh, by the way, Foolish Young Lady. You’ve never entered a dungeon, have you?”
“No. Never.”
“Looks like we have to start from the 1st floor again. Just a second.”
While Lucy manipulated something by the dungeon entrance, Frey Kent, who had already arrived and was waiting, walked over to Joy.
“Hey.”
Having trained together, Joy greeted her with a smile.
“Yes, Lady Kent.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your stamina as the Foolish Young Lady might struggle.”
However, upon hearing the term Foolish Young Lady, Joy’s eyebrows twitched a bit.
That’s right. Lady Kent was also quite the individual who marched to her own beat.
She rarely appeared outside of duels, and Joy had momentarily forgotten that.
She wasn’t one to change her ways just because she was warned, so I should understand.
“Is it tough?”
“Yep. I was struggling too. Almost died.”
“You, Lady Kent?”
No way.
The Lady Kent who ran two hours daily, nearly rivaling Lady Allen, almost died?
Her serious expression made it hard to dismiss as a joke.
If that was true…
… I might get trauma in the dungeon again.
*
There was not a single lie in Frey Kent’s words.
What started as Lucy Allen’s plan to conquer from the 1st floor initiated a forced march that lasted four hours around lunchtime.
In the beginning, Joy found it fascinating, thinking, “So this is the academy’s dungeon.”
She gasped in awe at Lucy’s commands.
But halfway through, all she could do was think about how difficult it was.
Catching up to Lucy’s pace became her only limit.
By the time they reached the 30th floor, Joy did her best to keep up with Lucy.
However, sadly, that was all she could give.
Completely exhausted, she ended up being carried on Lucy’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“Haha. The Foolish Young Lady has evolved into a Burden Young Lady. With that sloppy stamina and skills, what are you good at?”
It was humiliating for her as a member of the Partlan family, but she couldn’t help it.
In a situation where even walking was a challenge, what could she do to protect her pride?
After finishing the conquest up to the 50th floor and on her way back,
Joy struggled to move her trembling legs toward the dormitory.
Now, they were going to repeat this kind of training every weekend.
Could she endure it?
Lady Allen didn’t get strong for no reason.
She had probably trained without blinking an eye to reach this level.
If she gritted her teeth and held on, maybe she could become strong like that too.
Let’s keep it up!
“Foolish Young Lady. You seem really worn out.”
While spinning those thoughts in her head, Joy looked up at the voice that called from the front.
There stood Arthur.
Had he been training? He was covered in sweat.
“You too, Prince.”
“Haha. I’ve been motivated a lot lately. Aren’t you too?”
“Right.”
Maybe they both received encouragement from the same person.
They nodded and shared a laugh.
“How was it? The dungeon with Lady Allen?”
“It was hell. Lady Allen judges everything by her standards. It’s nearly impossible to catch up.”
“I agree. She doesn’t understand her own uniqueness. Is it because she has such extraordinary talent?”
“She probably thinks that because she grew this much in just a year, everyone else can do it too.”
“Annoying.”
“Jealousy.”
Though both were voicing their complaints about Lucy, their expressions did not reflect it.
One had transformed from a source of reluctance into a benefactor.
The other had turned from an object of hatred into a rival to be surpassed.
“Keep it up. I will do my best until I can defeat Lucy Allen.”
“I don’t think you will. While you grow, Lady Allen grows faster.”
“Just wait and see.”
“Yes, I will look forward to it.”
Smiling, the two made their way to their respective dormitories.
*
A few days after Joy joined the party, she received a message from Alsatine.
He said he had obtained the shield she requested.
Eagerly waiting for this day, Joy headed to the back alley of the academy’s street right after class.
A shield.
A new shield.
She had only been using basic shields until now.
Whenever she formed an attachment, they’d break, forcing her to find a new one.
But finally, she was getting a shield she could bond with and use steadily!
If it was a shield crafted by a dwarf, she could easily use it until she found a top-tier shield!
Excitedly humming, she entered the tavern in the back alley and was captivated by the sight of the shield.
The smooth curves of the shield.
The clean face without any bumps.
The leather for gripping was firmly attached in a comfortable position.
Perfect.
Dwarven weaponry truly was the best!
The quality is simply worlds apart from mass-produced shields!
Ah. What should I do?
Would I be able to pick up a basic shield after using this one?
Absolutely impossible.
I’d rather use a shield made of divine material.
I should save it.
From the moment I got this top-tier shield, I won’t have to worry about it breaking, so I just need to make it last until then.
There’s no way this dwarven shield would break in my first year, but still, I should be careful.
After admiring the new shield for a while, trying it on, swinging it around, and lifting it with both hands, I smiled and strapped the shield to my back.
Ah~ I’m so happy.
Having only carried a sad shield until now, this one felt too endearing.
[Young lady. I didn’t know you were this kind of person.]
‘Huh?’
[It’s only natural. You’ve never shown me this side of you.]
‘Grandpa. Do you have a conscience?’
It’s just that Grandpa has done too much to make me happy over him!
I almost died because of him!
Thinking about that makes me so mad.
I showed Grandpa the difference between the Allen family’s leftovers and the academy’s leftovers, but didn’t show him the differences between the academy and the Allen family.
Should I show him just how different they are?
“Hey. Lady Allen.”
While I planned to punish Grandpa in my thoughts, I raised my head at Alsatine’s voice.
‘What is it?’
“What else? Information peddler.”
“Besides this, there’s another reason I called you, Lady Allen.”
‘Tell me.’
“What is it?”
“About the Burrows Family Necklace. We encountered some obstacles in acquiring it.”
Huh?
Why?
This wasn’t something that happened in the game.
The Burrows Family Necklace was something Alsatine would obtain without me even mentioning it.
‘What kind of problem occurred?’
“Information peddler. Can’t you get that one thing? Sloppy~ Useless~ The name ‘information peddler’ is wasted on you~”
“…it’s because the Newman Family got involved.”
The Newman Family? That’s one of the noble families in Soladin Kingdom, isn’t it?
Why are they concerned with the Burrows Family Necklace?
There can’t be many places that have precisely assessed the value of that item.
“Based on what I’ve gathered, it seems they preemptively moved because they learned that Lady Allen was interested in it.”
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.