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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Negotiating with Professor Neville Briggs was surprisingly easy.
“If that’s what you want to use your reward for, go ahead. You have a week off. I’ll let the other professors know.”
That was it.
He didn’t even ask why I wanted to leave.
Talk about laid-back.
Or maybe it was just apathy.
I had prepared an elaborate excuse, but it turned out to be unnecessary.
I couldn’t exactly tell him I was going dungeon raiding.
“Quite a different atmosphere from the Support department. I bet you could skip class without any consequences.”
Akasha muttered in disbelief
She was probably right.
He wouldn’t bat an eye even if we skipped two days and showed up for one.
He wouldn’t even ask why. He’d just quietly mark our grades down.
…Wait.
Isn’t that more terrifying?
“What about the other departments?”
I asked.
Chase frowned.
“I’ve never seen anyone skip class outright. But when a few students were late early on, they got a flick to the forehead.”
“Oh, that’s a rather…gentle punishment.”
“One of them got a skull fracture, and Professor Emilio Lafer had to rush over to heal them.”
“Ah, so that’s why the Professor was called away in the middle of class earlier this semester.”
“…”
In the game, on the PC screen, classes ended with simple messages like:
[You diligently attended the class. Your strength, agility, and stamina have slightly increased!]
Reality was much harsher.
I was glad I wasn’t in the Combat department.
“What about Support?”
“Professor Emilio Lafer? He’s kind, thorough, knowledgeable…a good professor, I guess?”
Akasha sounded uncertain.
Regret, sensing something amiss, asked,
“Is there something wrong?”
“Well, how do I put this…”
Akasha paused, searching for the right words.
“He’s…warping the minds of some of the girls.”
“…”
“They try to hide it, being nobles and all, but they practically melt whenever he smiles. One of them almost fainted when he tilted his head. And then there’s—”
“Okay, I get the picture.”
I was willing to bet those were all calculated moves.
That sly old fox.
As expected, there wasn’t a single sane professor in this insane academy.
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On the way to our destination in a special carriage arranged by the Midas family, Regret asked,
“What about the princess? Is she okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“We haven’t seen her since the exam. Are you sure it’s okay to just…ignore her?”
“No, that’s not it. Being too aggressive now would be a bad move.”
Rushing things, like trying to eat rice before it’s properly steamed, would only result in a bland meal and a burnt tongue.
Besides, approaching her right after our victory would be seen as a provocation.
I had already made my initial move.
Now, I had to wait for her to approach me.
‘She’s probably investigating me and Regret right now.’
Regret’s superhuman physical abilities, despite her small stature, and my unusually high mana capacity, despite not having a prestigious lineage, were suspicious.
She might even suspect we had some means of artificially enhancing our stats.
She might even know about my two-year journey collecting ingredients across the continent and connect it to my increased mana, but that was it.
The Heir of Red and Blue Blood held a complex position within the imperial family.
She had little to no personal power at this stage.
Even with her exceptional abilities, without a network of supporters, her access to information was limited.
Unless she decided to ignore her defeat, her curiosity would eventually lead her to me.
That would be my chance.
“You have that scheming look on your face again.”
“Let’s just say I’m a strategist contemplating a grand plan.”
“Strategist? You’re more like a con artist licking his lips at the thought of cleaning out his opponent at the gambling table.”
“Oh ye of little faith.”
Even as we exchanged this trivial banter, the carriage kept moving, and it took about two days before we finally arrived at our intended destination.
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“…This does look like a place where a dungeon might be hidden.”
Akasha said, unconvinced.
Chase responded dryly,
“Let’s hope there’s actually a dungeon here.”
Sand, rocks, more rocks, and then more sand and rocks.
Not a single blade of grass, not a hint of the fragrant forest.
Just a barren, gray mountain.
Even a desert cactus would find this place inhospitable.
Akasha and Chase were starting to have doubts.
Dungeons were often imagined as hidden in secluded, untouched locations, but that was rarely the case.
They were structures built by an ancient civilization, and structures were meant to be used.
Why would anyone build something in a remote, inaccessible location when they could choose a more convenient and pleasant environment?
While there were exceptions, like dungeons built by eccentrics who preferred solitude or locations that had changed over time due to environmental shifts, this place was undeniably suspicious.
“Just trust me and follow me.”
Chrom said confidently.
He climbed the unstable mountain with ease, navigating the barely discernible path without hesitation.
Watching him carefully survey the surroundings, Chase realized something.
‘…He’s reciting a treasure map from memory.’
Maps weren’t always simple drawings.
Some used textual descriptions: “Walk thirty paces east from the yellow rock,” or “Turn right at the fork with the tall tree.”
Some even used cryptic phrases or riddles: “Follow the path of life,” or “Trace the flight of the burning bird.”
As if to confirm Chase’s suspicion, Chrom stopped.
“Here? It just looks like a regular cave.”
Chrom grinned, channeled blue mana into his hand, and traced his hand along the cave wall.
A click.
The ground began to move.
Rumble.
A large entrance revealed itself.
“Let’s go.”
The three nodded.
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The staircase leading underground was surprisingly spacious.
Long, continuous lines, as if drawn with a large ink brush, adorned the smooth walls.
A faint light emanated from the lines, along with a subtle mana signature.
They seemed to serve as a form of illumination.
Chase’s eyes narrowed.
Even inanimate objects weren’t immune to the passage of time.
Untended weapons rusted.
Neglected houses crumbled.
Ancient ruins, untouched for centuries, should have been in a state of disrepair.
Many dungeons were little more than crumbling ruins, barely holding their shape.
But this place seemed relatively well-preserved, and the inscribed spells were still functional.
It spoke volumes about the level of skill and power used in its construction.
It was both dangerous and incredibly enticing.
The rewards would be immense.
“Oh, finally…huh?”
Akasha sounded perplexed.
They had reached what appeared to be an entrance, but the descending staircase continued beyond it.
A large door stood at the entrance, with seven indentations.
A single gem was embedded in one of them.
“A fork in the road. Which way?”
Chase asked.
Chrom pointed downwards.
“Let’s keep going down.”
They reached another fork, another door with seven indentations and a single gem.
The gem’s position was different.
The first gem had been at the far end of the row of indentations.
This one was next to it.
“The markings on the doors seem to indicate the level.”
Chase observed.
“Are we going all the way down?”
“Yeah. It’s cleaner to start from the bottom.”
Chrom replied.
‘Technically, the other paths are all trapped, so we have to go this way.’
Chrom thought, keeping his true knowledge to himself.
Pretending to be ignorant was harder than it looked.
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noooooo i caught up!!