There’s a saying: “The essence of victory lies in a tear.”
A woman’s tears are a weapon, especially when the opponent is a younger girl.
Besides…
“I don’t like you! Huhuhuh… I’m saying I don’t like you! Huhuh… But why did you do that to me?!”
Lily’s words were open to misunderstandings.
“Wait… Lev, you…?”
Yeriel looked at me with a serious expression.
“……”
Even Aria, who usually has no interest in personal feelings, shot me a cold glance.
From a certain perspective, it could imply that I had mishandled a girl…
I brushed it off in one word.
“Sorry, but that’s not it.”
.
.
.
Clearing up the misunderstanding wasn’t that difficult.
First, we took a break to regroup.
Even in games, there’s a romantic vibe in lighting a bonfire and resting.
Sniff sniff.
Yeriel squatted down, wiping Lily’s tear-streaked face with a handkerchief.
“Lily, this time it was your fault.”
“…Okay.”
“Parties exist to cooperate, and each member has their own tasks.”
“…Lily knows…”
Yeriel smiled and whispered something into Lily’s ear.
“……”
From the way her gaze wavered, I could guess the general idea.
It was probably something like, “How about going to apologize to Lev first?”
Lily curled up her feet, contemplating.
But judging by her expression, she seemed aware of her own mistake.
‘I never expected anything to begin with.’
She’s just a kid; there’s no need to waste energy in a rivalry here.
If anything, the real source of the problem would be Caeran, who sent a child like this as my guardian.
I stood up, rummaging through the remnants of the destroyed golem and stepped in front of Lily.
“Hand.”
“Huh…?”
“Show me your hand.”
Lily timidly stretched out her small hand.
Thud.
I handed her two beads.
The heart of the golem—its core.
“Just use this as a medium for summoning it back.”
“Uh? My golems can come back…?”
For a moment, she was speechless.
“Wait, were you really not aware…?”
“Lily is a genius, so if I just make them from scratch…”
She truly embodies the self-proclaimed genius summoner.
Making a golem’s core requires alchemical skill and consumes a lot of magic power.
She really didn’t enroll here at a young age for no reason.
Then I briefly recounted some settings from the game that I remembered.
“There’s no need to get attached to every summoned creature. Especially spirit-based summons don’t die but return to the spirit realm when they’re defeated.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah. More importantly, the moment they enter a contract with you, they’re aware of everything and will help you.”
“……”
Lily turned her gaze shyly and eventually murmured.
“…Th-thank you.”
…
“And I’m sorry to everyone. I was stubborn… I’m sorry…”
Lily getting serious about training dragons was entirely due to Caeran.
This fact is revealed in the later parts of Hwanseangaka, but Caeran only used Lily because of a hidden place reachable only by riding a dragon.
In the end, he plans to kill the dragon and make off with its scales, tendons, and essence.
In other words, to him, Lily is nothing but…
‘A tool.’
Lily hugged the golem core I gave her tightly, looking delighted.
“Ehehe. I’m so glad… so glad…”
She really is like a little kid.
‘Anyway, since it’s come to this, I’ll raise her as a summoner.’
I won’t let her be pawed at by Caeran’s intentions.
*
The determined Lily pulled on Lev’s sleeve and asked,
“Where do we go…?”
“Left.”
“Okay!”
And the party leader, Yeriel, questioned her own abilities as she watched this heartwarming? scene.
‘Am I doing well as a party leader?’
Actions that undermine the morale or teamwork of the party are undoubtedly detractors in the ratings.
Yet, Lev used Lily’s seemingly accidental behavior to strengthen party unity instead.
As proof, not long ago, Lily, who had been stubborn and ignoring Lev, was now obediently following his words like a good girl.
‘Did he know this would happen…?’
Lily’s first golem had lost its strength and collapsed a while ago.
And Lev had already picked up the golem’s heart then.
His actions were as if he anticipated this outcome.
With a sigh as she pondered how to evaluate the teamwork, Yeriel now found no need to nitpick.
But then, Yeriel felt a confusing emotion.
‘It’s the first time…’
She had seen Lev Denec interact with other students.
She thought he would maintain a distance like he did with her but that wasn’t the case at all.
“Hey, hey. Be careful up ahead.”
“Uh… whoa! I almost fell… Thanks.”
He casually offered guidance to Edwin, who received it comfortably.
“Aria, how’s your status?”
“I’m fine. Let’s go.”
“Let me know immediately if there’s an issue.”
“Yes.”
And for their only healer, Aria, he continuously checked her status and adjusted their pace.
To be honest, they didn’t seem particularly friendly or harmonious.
Their tones weren’t that warm, and there was a feeling of distance.
Yet everyone followed him anyway.
Here, one could slightly sense it.
Unbeknownst to them, he genuinely acted for the team’s sake.
Moreover, the others also seemed to understand this implicitly.
Suddenly, a question arose in Yeriel’s mind.
“Then why… aren’t you more approachable with me?”
Nobody in Claris Academy, including professors, students, or even staff, disliked Yeriel.
“Yeriel looks happy today!”
“Yep!!”
“Thanks again for today!”
“The nice lady with a good impression, come by again next time.”
Yeriel believed that if she treated others sincerely, they would respond in kind, and it had been so until now.
In fact, it was partly because she wanted to be closer to Lev that she suggested getting the party together.
So, with a nonsensical excuse, she asked him.
When he accepted, she figured it was a perfect opportunity to bond.
“Please schedule a break.”
“Let me know beforehand since I’ll need to measure purification soon.”
He didn’t engage her in any conversations other than those related to practical exercises.
‘It’s a little lonely…’
Even with the occasional senior addressing her formally, making her increasingly confused.
‘Did I do something wrong to Lev?’
While Yeriel pondered her past, the party reached the core of the dungeon.
“Wow… it’s spacious.”
Just as Lily exclaimed, it was a vast space considering it was a cave.
It was the phase where the boss of the dungeon resided.
In the center stood a gigantic crystal, marred by dark magic.
The area branched off into three paths.
The purpose of this dungeon exploration exercise wasn’t to defeat the boss but to measure the purity in these three locations.
Yeriel calmly instructed everyone.
“I’ll divide us into teams for vigilance and measuring.”
Of course, they had cleared all the monsters they encountered along the way, but now it was a practice aimed at real combat.
Thus, three people were assigned to measure the purification points while two stayed at the entrance to keep watch, which is the recommended practice from the academy.
At that moment, Lev spoke up first.
“I had a team in mind…”
“I want to be in the watch team!”
“Wait…!”
Just as confusion was about to erupt with Lily’s interjection,
“Can I… defend with Lev?”
Yeriel unknowingly let her true thoughts slip.
In a situation where they were alone, she longed to ask him about his true feelings.
*
An unexpected variable emerged.
Only I and Yeriel remained at the entrance.
An A-grade named monster, [Hwayeomakgui], crashed the dungeon exploration exercise.
According to the usual script, [Hwayeomakgui] would appear while they were measuring the three crystals, and Edwin and Yeriel would defeat it with their combined Awakening.
But here, it was a hellish ++ difficulty overflowing with the author’s dark schemes.
So, I had planned for Aria and me to be on the watch team.
Using her surveillance magic to check the location of [Hwayeomakgui], I could sneak around and attack its weak points, leaving the finishing blow to Edwin wielding the [Sword of Judgement] empowered by Yeriel.
That was the plan.
‘Doesn’t matter…’
It’s too bad I can’t pinpoint the location in advance, but I still think being on watch is fine.
Yeriel, who had no idea such a dangerous event was approaching, told me with a soft expression.
“Thank you, Lev. For listening to my request.”
“Not really. It’s the party leader’s order.”
“……”
Drawing lines like this pains me too.
But there’s no alternative.
As a turning point, Yeriel has to engage more with Edwin and grow.
She continued the conversation, refusing to give up.
“Since Lev came to the Black House, I’ve had a lot of good things happen? I connected with spirits successfully, and now there are inquiries about the Black House dormitory.”
“That’s great.”
“Did you know? When inquiries come in about the dormitory, the students talk a lot about you, Lev.”
“My story?”
“Yep! They ask if the handsome student is really there.”
So that’s why there are more people whispering behind my back these days…
“Lev, can I ask you just one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“Is there anything uncomfortable about me…?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Then… just a little bit…”
Clink!
At that moment, a status window abruptly appeared in my field of vision.
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[Anonymous Feedback: Is Hwayeomakgui’s intelligence for real?]
[Being a B-grade named monster, it now behaves unusually for a creature nicknamed ‘Demon’s Snicker,’ targeting healers first. Consequently, all areas of the dungeon are now interconnected!]
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‘……?’
W-what the hell? What’s this author thinking?
Things took an unexpected turn.
Originally, Edwin was supposed to gather aggro, but now it’s flipped.
Our party’s healer is only Aria.
She must have stayed behind to measure!
‘I need to go immediately.’
No, am I already too late to run there?
Then there’s no choice but to go with that plan.
“Can you spare me a little warmth…?”
I looked directly into Yeriel’s innocent eyes and said,
“Yeriel, close your eyes for a moment.”
