Avery looked at the various documents inside the brown envelope and chuckled.
Yes, Lucy Allen. There’s no way someone like you could be completely clean.
The brown envelope Avery held contained information about Lucy Allen, obtained from a contact she had accidentally come across.
The documents revealed several things.
First, the current Combat Studies professor, Karl, was originally a knight of the Allen family. No wonder those two were always together—they had a master-servant relationship from the start.
This was something that could definitely be contested since it was against the academy's regulations.
But that wasn’t all.
The documents also indicated that Lucy Allen had dealings with people from the underworld. How disgraceful for the noble lady of a knightly family, who should embody nobility, to directly engage in filthy transactions just to get what she wanted!
This was clearly dishonorable.
To think she didn’t even bother to go through a subordinate!
The lack of decorum was shocking.
But then again, how would a savage, who probably never even considered learning proper etiquette, understand this?
Although the exact nature of her dealings with the underworld wasn’t specified in the documents, it didn’t matter. The implication was obvious.
It had to be some form of cheating during the Soul Academy entrance exam or some underhanded method to win the bet against Prince Arthur.
Or maybe it was something even worse.
The documents were filled with various rumors and suspicions about Lucy Allen.
Well, well.
At first, I was skeptical, but it seems that the person who gave me this information, despite their gloomy appearance, is actually quite capable.
At the very end of the documents, there was a note presumably written by the informant: “Do not officially antagonize the Allen family.” However, Avery dismissed this warning without a second thought.
What is this person worried about?
There’s no way Lucy Allen, who keeps lowering herself every day, could pose a threat to me, right?
Of course, if that bitch were to throw a punch, that would be different, but I wouldn’t even dignify her with a response.
What, is that crazy girl going to actually try to kill me?
Avery hummed a tune as she placed the documents back in the brown envelope and left the room.
Her destination was Joy’s room.
Lately, Lady Partran had been getting close to Lucy Allen.
Lady Allen, the one who saved her life.
She kept insisting that, despite her past, Lucy wasn’t as bad as everyone thought.
Joy spoke highly of Lucy, but the other noble ladies didn’t believe her.
They had all been humiliated by Lucy Allen in the past during social gatherings.
That foul-tempered Lucy Allen had turned over a new leaf? Impossible!
It was more plausible that she had learned how to pretend to be demure.
They didn’t say it out loud since it was Joy Partran, but most of the noble ladies thought this way.
Avery thought the same.
Lady Partran just didn’t know the filthy truth hidden behind Lucy Allen’s facade.
Once she realized how dirty Lucy was, she’d surely change her mind.
That’s why, after being humiliated by Lucy Allen last time, Avery sought out an informant.
She was convinced that that bitch must be up to something dirty, so she requested an investigation.
And she was right.
Lucy Allen was far from being a person of integrity.
Once Lady Partran sees this, she’ll surely change her mind too.
If she finds out that Lucy is a piece of trash who commits illegal acts without a second thought, she’ll understand.
After knocking on the door of the dormitory, it didn’t take long for the door to open.
Lady Partran, as always, appeared as noble as ever.
Her posture and demeanor were the epitome of what a noble lady should be.
Lady Partran slightly furrowed her brow when she saw Avery and spoke.
"Good evening, Lady Partran."
"Good evening, Lady Rumley. What brings you here at this hour?"
"Well..."
Avery laid out everything she had prepared in front of Lady Partran.
The numerous rumors surrounding Lucy Allen.
The various incidents that occurred after she entered the academy.
And finally, the information she had uncovered.
Lucy Allen isn’t as clean as you think.
Even if you feel indebted to her, it’s not wise to stay close.
Please, return to the Lady Partran you once were.
That was the gist of what Avery said.
Joy listened with her arms crossed, and after Avery finished speaking, she let out a small sigh, closed her eyes for a moment, and then, in a tone lower than usual, asked:
"Are you done?"
"Pardon?"
"It sounds like you’ve said everything you wanted to. So let me give you my response: Stop it, Lady Rumley."
What? What did you just say?
"I’m aware that you’ve been spreading rumors about Lady Allen. I’ve let it slide because I knew she had wronged others in the past, and she didn’t say much about it."
Lady Partran, what are you saying?
"But I never imagined you’d go so far as to investigate her and try to disgrace her."
Avery couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
The blue eyes she expected to see change after hearing her words were still looking down on her as if she were nothing.
"Lady Rumley, if you do something like this again, even if Lady Allen doesn’t, I won’t stand by and do nothing."
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"Why?"
"What?"
"Why are you defending Lady Allen so much?"
Lady Partran hadn’t even known Lucy Allen for a full year.
Meanwhile, Avery had known her for so much longer that it couldn’t even be compared.
So why was she siding with Lucy Allen?
Even if it was true that Lucy saved her life, considering their long-standing friendship, shouldn’t she at least listen to Avery?
At Avery’s question, Joy sighed, grabbed the door handle, and spoke.
"Lady Rumley, let me ask you one thing. If you’re really my friend, why won’t you listen to me?"
"Pardon? I mean, that’s because of Lady Allen."
"Is it always about Lady Allen?"
...
Avery couldn’t respond to that.
Seeing her tightly closed mouth, Joy didn’t hesitate to close the door, leaving Avery alone in the hallway.
Why?
Why?
Why is it only me?
The player’s grades were determined by how much they had built up their stats, and rewards were given accordingly. Most players viewed exam periods as a time to raise their stats or prepare for upcoming events.
In reality, it was difficult to place much emphasis on the exams as content.
After all, Soul Academy was a game primarily about conquering dungeons and completing various quests.
Excelling in exams could only ever be a secondary goal.
This hasn’t changed much for me now.
What’s important to me isn’t my grades at the academy, but what I can gain from them.
That’s why, even with midterms approaching, while everyone else was holed up in the library, I didn’t even set foot in there.
Even when Joy invited me to study together, I declined.
Not needing to prepare for midterms was one reason, but that wasn’t the only one—if it were, I would have gone to study with Joy.
Spending time with my favorite character? Sign me up!
Even if studying is dreadfully boring, I could endure it if it meant enjoying time with Joy!
But I refused her invitation with a heavy heart because there was something I had to do first.
"Is there really a dungeon in a place like this?"
‘Yes!’
"Are you doubting me, you useless informant?"
"But there’s nothing here, is there?"
In a certain spot in the forest outside the academy grounds, everything appeared normal on the surface.
But that was just how it looked from the outside.
‘Grandpa, what was that purification prayer again?’
"Didn’t you say you didn’t need me anymore?"
‘Are you sulking? Gosh, you’re such an old man, complaining all the time and being so petty.’
"...Child, aren’t you gradually succumbing to the curse?"
‘Really?’
I don’t really feel it.
Grandpa grumbled a bit, but he eventually relented and recited the purification prayer for me.
When I repeated the prayer after him, divine magic activated, revealing the hidden entrance to the dungeon.
‘See? It’s here, right?’
"Informant, can you see it now, with your useless eyes? Hmm?"
"...Yes, I can."
"That’s why you shouldn’t doubt the young lady. She’s always right."
"Of course a knight like you would say that."
Ignoring Karl and Alsatian’s bickering, I focused on the dungeon entrance.
In the original storyline of Soul Academy, a significant event takes place during midterms.
An apostle of the evil god, who had previously attacked the academy, seduces one of the students and causes a terrorist attack within the academy.
The dungeon near the academy plays a key role in this.
Nakrard, with his cringey and gloomy demeanor, causes this dungeon to go berserk and uses the student he’s seduced as a bridge between the dungeon and the academy.
The monsters in this dungeon are far too powerful for first-year academy students to handle.
Though the academy’s professors quickly respond and suppress the chaos, some students are harmed in the process.
On top of that, the monsters under the evil god’s control infiltrate the academy and cause various incidents.
Surprisingly, this is an event that the player can prevent.
If you destroy the dungeon Nakrard plans to use before the midterms, the event is skipped.
Of course, the apostle of the evil god isn’t stupid, so he hides the location of the dungeon he intends to use, but that’s nothing in the face of a seasoned player.
Ah, I can’t wait to see Nakrard’s face when he finds out all the dungeons he planned to use are gone.
I want to see him tremble with frustration when his plan falls apart.
When Nakrard eventually shows up, I’ll be sure to tell him. He’ll be so thrilled, won’t he?
Just imagining it makes me happy.
Seeing that guy, who’s been a thorn in my side, turn red with rage and tremble—it’ll be glorious.
I can’t wait to witness it.
‘Hey, you two? Let’s hurry up and clear this dungeon, shall we?’
"Let’s go, weaklings. I don’t care who’s weaker, but let’s get moving."
"There’s no need to know, young lady. I’m the weaker one."
"Yes, you do seem to be the weaker one."
Watching Karl, who seemed pleased to be called weak, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
And this guy is supposed to be my bodyguard.
While I appreciate that he takes my Mesugaki insults so well, can’t he at least have a normal thought process?