I handed Jackal over to Karia and led my friends toward the dungeon I had set my sights on.
This dungeon was located in the barony of the Soladin Kingdom.
The barony, with its relatively short history and lack of significant power, could not refuse our request to raid a medium-sized dungeon.
With princes, dukes’ daughters, countesses, and high-ranking church officials all present, any minor noble family could be erased without hesitation the moment they offended us.
“If you have any requests, please do let us know! We will cooperate to the best of our abilities!”
Baron Rhys, who had visited us for courtesy, was drenched in cold sweat as he looked at us. We hadn’t even made any explicit threats.
The difference in status really does make a person feel small. Seeing Baron Rhys’s life force seem to drain away in real time, I couldn’t help but pity him, but the old man chuckled and spoke up.
<Look at you and your friends. Who wouldn’t be scared?>
...Well, that’s true.
There’s no need to mention it, but—
Even Joy looks like a troublesome villainess to strangers.
Frey, when he’s quiet, comes off as a cold-blooded type.
Arthur can’t show anything other than a stern expression.
It makes sense why Baron Rhys kept glancing nervously at Feibi.
So that’s what he was hoping—he was begging us to spare him.
I felt like I was about to faint if I continued speaking with Baron Rhys, so I decided to make my departure. At that moment, the baron spoke in a humble tone.
“Our son will accompany you, and if you need anything, please do let him know.”
What? Dude, your son’s being sent here when your position’s already shaky? Are you even a father?
<That’s actually a choice to help his son. It’s good to build relationships with the higher-ups in any way possible.>
‘So it wasn’t just passing off work to him?’
I almost thought he was a bad dad trying to offload the job he didn’t want to do.
<Well... I’m not sure.>
‘Wait, didn’t you just defend him?’
<I can’t read his intentions. I’m not Karia.>
With the old man’s interpretation in mind, I shrugged off my earlier doubts and turned my attention to Rhys’s eldest son, who had come to guide us.
Huh? I’ve seen him somewhere before.
Wasn’t he the one I was with during the academy entrance exam?
His name... I can’t remember.
All I recall is the nickname “little rascal” from my Mesugaki skill.
It’s been burned into my memory!
“Rhys Youngsik. We meet again.”
As I hesitated, Joy stepped forward and greeted him.
“Thank you for remembering me, Partlan Young Lady. It’s truly an honor.”
“Too humble! Jacob Rhys, who managed to successfully advance to the second year with a solid performance, is someone worth remembering.”
Ah! That’s right! Jacob! It was Jacob! As soon as I heard Arthur’s voice, I remembered, and with a bright smile, I stepped forward.
“Hey~ little rascal~”
“Allen Young Lady.”
Having just heard those praises, maybe that’s why Jacob’s eyes were filled with expectation. I couldn’t help but playfully tease him, seeing that look, thinking he was hoping for my praise too.
“Why are your eyes so creepy? What do you want to hear from me?”
“Uh... Well...”
“If you’re honest, I might be honest too.”
Grinning, I looked up at Jacob, who turned bright red and lowered his head quickly.
His reaction was fun. Most of the people around me were so used to my way of speaking that they didn’t react anymore, but Jacob seemed so unaccustomed to it that just a little teasing got an immediate response.
Before I could continue playing with him, Joy’s hand swiftly covered my mouth.
“Young Lady! Control your expression!”
Why’s she making a fuss now when she never cared back at the mansion? Can’t I play with a fun toy when I find one?
I expressed my dissatisfaction with a look, but Joy didn’t let go of her hand over my mouth.
“...Haha. Ah. That’s... Well, I’ll take you to the dungeon now!”
After regaining his composure, Jacob quickly turned and hid his flushed face before leading us forward.
Watching his back, I frowned in disappointment and then let out a deep sigh into Joy’s hand.
“Eugh?!”
With a scream that didn’t match her appearance, Joy quickly pulled out a fan and covered her face, trying to hide from the many eyes now on her.
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.
And over her fan, she glared at me, and seeing her look, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“...Young Lady!”
“Heh.”
Well, it’s your fault for blocking my mouth and making a fuss.
This one’s on you, dummy.
Thanks to Alsetin’s prior arrangements, there was already a well-established lodging near the medium-sized dungeon in Rhys’s territory.
Not only that, but attendants, guards, and even cooks were already prepared and waiting.
I felt awkward with such an extravagant reception, but my friends seemed completely unfazed. They appeared quite used to it, and they immediately started making their demands.
<Isn’t this natural? With a position like that, it’s normal to be used to being pampered.>
‘I’m not like that.’
Having lived a life where I was just happy not to be cursed at, this kind of treatment felt odd to me.
<Well... Hmm. You’ll get used to it eventually. Let me show you how to handle it. What you need to do is...>
After finishing the preparations under the care of the Rhys family, one of the knights from their household came out to give us an explanation about the dungeon.
“Before you enter the dungeon, let me tell you a bit about it.”
I tried not to say much and focused on listening to the explanation. I didn’t feel like answering the question of how they knew so much about a dungeon they had never been in.
“This dungeon is made up of eight patterns.”
No, including special variants, it’s actually fourteen.
“When distinguishing traps, they are marked...”
Wrong again. The markings have nothing to do with the traps. You need to look at the floor to identify them.
“The boss’s patterns...”
...Also wrong. This is all nonsense. Are you even the ones managing this dungeon?
Ugh, I can’t take it anymore. I’m going to toss this thing aside and fix it myself.
“Hey, you dumb knight.”
“...Yes?”
“Shut up. Listening to your dumb explanations is making my ears feel like they’re covered in filth.”
Unable to hold back, I stood up, grabbed the knight’s manual, and started correcting the mistakes one by one.
During this process, I hurled all kinds of insults at him, but I didn’t feel even the slightest bit guilty.
He deserved it for believing such a foolish guide.
Finishing up the manual, I thought back to the old teachings of sages.
If you want the correct answer, don’t ask questions. Instead, annoy the person until they can’t help but speak up.
Damn it. I was fooled this time, but next time, I won’t be. I’m going to make someone lose their temper with this method for sure!
Determined, I left the knight behind and led my friends toward the dungeon entrance.
“Lucy Allen, what are you doing?”
Just as we were about to enter the dungeon, Arthur frowned.
“You can’t tell just by looking?”
“Aren’t medium-sized dungeons limited to four people?”
Oh, right. I haven’t told them about that yet.
...But how am I supposed to convince them that the number limit for dungeons has been increased? Where do I even begin?
I thought for a moment, but decided it would be better to show them than explain, so I half-forced Arthur, Joy, and Frey into the dungeon, then joined them with Feibi.
Arthur, who had been nearly thrown in, looked at me in annoyance before freezing upon seeing Feibi beside me.
“Is my eyesight failing me? How are five people in a medium-sized dungeon?”
“Don’t overthink it, poor prince. It’s only possible because I’m such a special person. You can just accept it as fact and move on.”
“That... never mind. Whatever.”
Easily convincing my friends, I led them into the dungeon at a quick pace.
Fighting mobs one by one would just waste time. We had to get to our destination as quickly as possible.
Like the academy dungeon, I followed the familiar route through the stagnant water, and within ten minutes, we reached the traps on the second floor.
“Is this the trap the knight mentioned?”
“They said if we step on it, monsters will appear.”
Maybe because of their experience in the knights’ training, Arthur and Joy, despite my quick pace, seemed relatively relaxed.
Frey, who had always been able to keep up with my pace, didn’t need to be mentioned. Even Feibi, though she was a bit out of breath, had no trouble moving.
After checking on everyone’s status, I immediately stepped onto the trap.
As soon as I did, the exit was blocked, and several magic circles appeared inside the room.
The monster wave trap unique to this dungeon had been triggered.
“Lady?!”
“Lucy Allen!? What are you doing!...”
“If you have the time to complain, how about you prepare for battle?”
Raising my shield lazily, I began to draw upon my divine energy, watching the monsters spawn from the magic circles.
“Damn! I wanted at least a little time to prepare!”
“I’ll ready an area spell! Feibi! Blessing!”
“Preparing! Please wait just a moment!”
“This looks like it’ll be fun.”
I wonder how much my friends can handle now.
It would be great if we could activate all the dungeon traps the moment we enter.
That way, we could grind efficiently.