“I didn’t expect His Highness the Second Prince to come find me.”
Jeff Partlan, the heir of the Partlan Duke family, shrugged his shoulders in feigned surprise as he looked at the Second Prince before him.
“That goes for me as well. Who would have thought I’d end up seeking out a wizard first?”
Cecile, who had trained alongside various knights in the royal palace his entire life, had a tendency to dismiss the existence of wizards.
Thus, Cecile didn’t feel the need to approach Jeff, and Jeff thought there was nothing to gain from getting close to the Second Prince, who had almost no chance of inheriting the throne, so he also refrained from approaching him.
Because of this, despite frequently crossing paths over the past two years, the two were practically strangers.
“May I ask the purpose of your visit?”
“Can’t you guess? It’s about something related to dungeons.”
“Are you suggesting we form a party?”
“Correct.”
Despite not liking wizards, Cecile recognized Jeff's skills.
If he could team up with him, they would surely be able to conquer the dungeon much more efficiently.
Having reached that conclusion, Cecile lowered his pride and came to meet Jeff directly.
“This is unexpected. I didn’t think His Highness the Second Prince would be interested in accessories.”
Jeff’s tone carried a hint of sarcasm, laced with criticism towards Cecile, who usually looked down on wizards.
Cecile, sensitive to the criticism directed at him, quickly grasped his intent but chose to smile instead of getting angry.
“You’re right. What I’m after is merely the fame of being the first conqueror of the dungeon.”
“I see.”
Jeff pondered while observing Cecile’s expression and demeanor.
Normally, the Second Prince would have thrown a fit by now.
Could it be that he was in such a dire and desperate situation?
Indeed, the Second Prince had become so focused on martial skills that he was clumsy in politics and negotiation.
If he revealed his weaknesses like this, wouldn’t it be far too easy to pick at them?
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“I apologize, Your Highness.”
It seemed certain that entering the Second Prince’s party was a given.
Regardless of his chances of becoming king, he was still a man with the blood of a duke and a king.
There’s no harm in owing him a favor.
“It’s an honor to receive your proposal, but...”
However, I shouldn’t nod my head right away.
That way, the Second Prince wouldn’t feel as though he owed me something.
It would be right to bounce back a couple of times to make him anxious before finally nodding.
“There are already others I’ve agreed to team up with.”
It wouldn’t be bad to gather some rights to the accessories while at it.
Accessories made by the Apostle of the Arts Academy were renowned for their beauty.
If I gave one to my younger sister, she would surely be delighted. She might even run up to me, saying, “I love it, big brother!”
Imagining Joy acting all cute like when she was younger made Jeff chuckle inwardly while outwardly letting out a dramatic sigh of disappointment.
“Please understand.”
Even though Joy was not involved, he was a meticulous person like this.
The 100th floor of the academy’s second-semester dungeon.
The moment Arthur confirmed that the boss guarding the place had crumbled, an exit appeared. He lowered his raised sword.
“Did I finally succeed in conquering the academy dungeon?”
It had truly been a long and arduous journey.
Specifically, it had been grueling due to one person.
Frey, who met Arthur’s gaze as he seemed so cold, tilted her head as if to ask why he was making that expression.
That clueless look of hers was incredibly frustrating.
How many times had they faced crises because of her sudden actions?
Thanks to their bet with Lucy Alrn, Frey was obliged to follow orders, or they would still be wandering around the 80th floor.
“Third Prince. You really do like the small ones.”
“That glare is meant as a reprimand! Frey Kent!”
Hearing Frey’s absurd comment, Arthur exploded with anger.
“Reprimand? I did well today, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did well today. However, didn’t you act on your own previously, causing all sorts of incidents?”
“Obsessing over past events is a bad habit.”
“...Sigh. I feel like the dungeon boss communicated better than you did.”
As Arthur sighed, feeling he had no confidence in winning, Joy chuckled from beside them.
“Still, it feels like we’re finally in sync now. If we continue like this, conquering the dungeon should go smoothly.”
“Right. At least until we conquer the dungeon created by Lucy Alrn, this beast will cooperate.”
In response to Arthur’s blunt dismissal of Frey, Faivy cautiously raised her voice.
“Third Prince, no matter what, calling Lady Kent a beast is...”
“Saintess, what else can you call a creature that doesn’t communicate but has sharp fangs?”
“It is true that communication is lacking, but...”
Faivy couldn’t bring herself to refute Arthur’s words.
The incidents that had arisen because of Frey were far from few; it was unavoidable.
“Very well, I understand the Saintess’s words. It’s not right to call a companion a beast.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Arthur waved his hand at Faivy, who bowed her head, and she felt it was alright. He sheathed his sword and stretched.
After resolving to conquer the dungeon, the last few weeks had been a relentless effort on their part.
And soon, they would find out what the fruits of that labor would be.
“Let’s call it a day for now. Starting tomorrow, let’s focus on managing our conditions since finals are just around the corner.”
“Grandpa, we’re in big trouble.”
<Why? Did the Divine One give a revelation again?>
“No, nothing like that.”
<Then what?>
“I haven’t studied at all for the finals.”
The issue lay in the fact that I had been entirely absorbed in creating the dungeon lately.
Normally, I would have at least pretended to study, but I had completely put aside other subjects in my focus on the dungeon creation.
“I don’t even know what the scope of the finals is! What should I do? What should I do?!”
<What’s there to do? Just guess like you usually do. With your luck, you should get decent scores even if you randomly choose numbers. Or you could start studying from now on.>
My brows furrowed at the old man’s words, which showed not a trace of empathy.
Isn’t this the time to reassure me that he would help me out?
His thoughtlessness is why he’s been unpopular all his life. He’s just an inconsiderate old man.
<...It seems you’re thinking something strange.>
“I’ve told you several times not to read my thoughts.”
<Sorry. But it just comes out naturally.>
With a shrug, the old man’s casual apology made me sigh.
The strengthened connection between us wasn’t his fault.
After all, I still dreamed of memories of when Adri was alive. The times when she was happy.
“Fine. Anyway, if you can give it your all in the environment you’re in, it should be possible to be the first conqueror, right?”
<Yes. Even if I look like this, I’m quite strong!>
Seeing Adri puff out her chest confidently made Bish chuckle.
“Show that strength when you become a second-year and conquer an external dungeon.”
<Look forward to it!>
“Yeah, I will.”
“Bish!”
Not long after I answered Adri, I heard someone calling my name from behind.
Turning my head to follow the voice, I saw my long-time friends and the girl who had been forced into joining by Lucy standing in the middle of the line.
“You came out early. You’re pretty close to the front.”
“Belma was waiting in line since dawn.”
“...Really?”
“Yes. I thought if I didn’t do this, I wouldn’t be able to get into the dungeon.”
“Thanks to that, it looks like I’ll be able to see the dungeon before taking the final exam.”
“Wow! Thanks, Belma! I’ll buy you something delicious later!”
“Hehe. It’s nothing special.”
“Is it really nothing if you waited since dawn?”
“Right! Are you saying our Bish is lazy?”
“Eh?! No, no!”
“Belma, don’t be flustered. These two with bad tempers just want to insult me.”
As Bish spoke, she affectionately patted Belma’s head, causing the girl, who was at a loss, to nod with an awkward smile.
“Calling someone with a bad personality!”
“The worst is pretending to be nice after making a late entrance!”
“Wow. Look over there. The dungeon studies assistants are coming. I guess it’s about to start.”
“Hey! Don’t change the subject!”
“You're really dark inside and out!”
“...What do you mean by being dark outside?!”
“Everyone? Calm down! Calm down!”
Regardless of how loud the voices rose between Bish and her friends, the assistants moved as instructed by the professors, and the dungeon for the final exam in dungeon studies was opened to the students.
Then, after about half a day had passed,
those desperately rushing for the first conquest of the dungeon realized why this dungeon would be open throughout the finals.