## Chapter 350 – Dungeons and Adventurers (17)
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Anne and her group, who had been resting on the ground, left the outpost once more.
While walking, they discussed various aspects of the dungeon, and Anne suddenly found herself at a loss when the conversation touched on something she didn’t know.
“Environmental changes, huh? I knew about that.”
“You… did…?”
“Dungeons are created by magical influences. As such, their environment is constantly changing due to magical entropy, including temporary conditions and the ecological environment of the monsters. That’s what they taught us in [Basic Magic Studies].”
Watching Lucia answer without hesitation about knowledge she lacked, Anne couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
However, seeing Anne’s reaction, Lucia gave a bashful smile and tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Oh, it’s basic knowledge you learn in your fourth year. Even though I’m in the Swordsmanship Department, it’s something we all learn eventually. It’s just not your turn yet.”
As with many general education courses, learning the very basics of other departments was part of the academy’s curriculum.
But hearing Lucia bring up something she had never heard of before, Anne’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly.
Was this the reputation of a senior?
Just being ahead in the path made such a difference.
Even considering Lucia’s exceptional abilities in many areas, she remembered so well something she had only briefly learned in a general education class, something unrelated to a Swordsmanship student.
Anne, fidgeting with her hands, asked Lucia a question, focusing intently on her answer.
“You really know a lot, don’t you?”
“You’ll learn it soon enough. Besides, I’ve always had a personal interest in it. I’ve always dreamed of coming to dungeons like this and having adventures. A story where you face crises and overcome adversity with trustworthy companions at your side. Haven’t you ever yearned for that kind of heroic tale?”
A life goal dreamed of and yearned for since childhood.
Anne, who had simply chosen a career path that would help her family, couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of inferiority as she whispered to herself.
“I’m sorry it hasn’t been a satisfying experience…”
“What are you sorry about?”
“Well… there are probably better places… and we’re just holding you back…”
If Lucia wanted, she could probably use her family’s influence to go to a better dungeon managed by the state.
And she could probably receive the best treatment as a duke’s daughter, hunting comfortably without getting a speck of dirt on her hands, except when fighting.
But she had followed her, sitting on the dirt road for meals, and staying in a very dangerous environment for a noble, surrounded by commoners and people from the rough back alleys.
It was fortunate that, like most noble children, her name and face were not well known to the outside world.
If someone recognized her and had bad intentions, no one knew how serious things could become.
Of course, Lucia could cut down most people, but there was no way that dangerous bees with poisonous stingers wouldn’t be drawn to the flower that was the ‘beautiful duke’s daughter,’ drawn by her sweet scent.
‘Someone like Lucia…
Doesn’t she even worry about that…?’
Wasn’t that why Anne never talked about her family outside?
Outside, Anne had to appear as worthless as possible.
Hiding Vivian’s folding greatsword as if it were just a decoration, using only a normal sword for hunting.
Or appealing to her harmlessness and worthlessness as much as possible, as if she were just a common prostitute.
‘This is the back alley, after all…’
No matter how bright and warm the place seemed on the surface, the moment you let your guard down and stepped into the deep abyss, you had to watch out for the cold daggers stabbing you in the back.
Lucia, who was hiding herself just like her, but for completely different reasons, was openly revealing herself as a teaching assistant, a public figure.
And even giving all the results of this hunt to her juniors who had to work hard to support their families, demonstrating her nobility.
Even if it was to show the difference between them, or to show that she could handle anything that happened to her, Anne couldn’t help but think that Lucia wasn’t honestly satisfied with this situation.
“This place isn’t suitable for someone like you, Senior…”
But hearing Anne’s words, Lucia simply lowered her eyelids slightly, looking at Anne with narrowed eyes.
Then, finally chuckling, Lucia poked Anne in the side with her finger, as if she couldn’t help it.
“I’m happy enough right now, Anne. Aside from everything else, I’m on an adventure with a ‘brave junior.’ How could I not be happy? It’s exactly like the image I’ve always dreamed of.”
“Senior…”
“You can forget about the whole ‘rival’ thing in here. As you said, this isn’t a place to have such soft thoughts, is it? I really like this place. And it’s thanks to you that I found out about it.”
As if wanting to say, ‘That’s enough for now,’ Lucia gently put her hand on Anne’s shoulder and stroked it, then began to look around.
“If the explanation was correct, we’ll probably reach the Terripica habitat soon. Everyone, check your equipment one more time! It’s the last safety check that might save your life!”
Turning around and ordering her juniors, who were also her students as a teaching assistant, to check their condition again, Lucia began to check her own equipment.
Anne, too, checked her own equipment, forcibly turning her eyes away from the creeping inferiority and biting her lip slightly.
‘As expected… Senior Lucia is…’
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A simple wooden door opened slightly, and a girl walked in with hurried steps.
She asked a woman who seemed to be waiting inside, and the woman, who seemed to be fidgeting, rushed towards the girl as if she had come at the right time, holding her hands tightly.
“I’m back, Professor.”
“Miss Marie…!! You finished your business early!! You came just in time. Did you feel it?”
“Ah… yes… yes… it didn’t take long… But… did something happen…? What do you mean, ‘Did I feel it’…?”
Marie, feeling strangely uneasy about Eloise, sent a bewildered look and asked a question.
“Hmm… you haven’t learned advanced mana manipulation yet, have you…? Then you might not know yet…”
“Professor…?”
Realizing something after hearing Marie’s words, Eloise, who seemed to be organizing something in her head for a moment, quickly continued her explanation anxiously.
“A subtle mana fluctuation was suddenly detected. Of course, the existence of dungeons itself is strange, but… since dungeons are entities that use mana as a medium, if the mana changes, the nature of the dungeon might change.”
“Yes…? What does that mean…?”
“The momentarily fluctuating mana is so subtle that it’s hard to detect if you only consider the amount of mana itself. But if you look at it from the perspective of the entire dungeon, it’s a significant change.”
“Ah… that’s right. The mana entropy theory, right? But… are you saying…?”
“I honestly don’t know much about dungeon studies, so I can’t guarantee it… Of course, there’s a possibility that there won’t be any changes…!! But maybe there will be changes in the dungeon…!!”
“Whoaaaaa!!”
In the middle of Eloise’s complicated explanation, a scream suddenly erupted from outside, and the two surprised women immediately ran out of the room.
As the ground began to shake like an earthquake, Marie faced a phenomenon she had never experienced in her life and froze in place.
Conversely, Eloise, also surprised, hugged Marie tightly and lowered her body.
“Wh-what…?”
“Maybe… Miss Marie… this way…!!”
“The building is collapsing! Get out of the way!”
“Stick to the wooden walls! The wooden walls are safe!”
As the ground began to shake and the terrain changed in real time, violent changes were occurring in parts of the outpost.
Where one building had stood, it had sunk into the ground without leaving even a trace of debris, and in other places, the buildings looked as if they had been pierced from the bottom by rock spikes due to the sharply erected terrain.
“Haa… haa… Professor…?”
“It’s still… dangerous… don’t look up…”
Marie, who was being held tightly in Eloise’s arms, could see her surroundings through the gaps in Eloise’s arms.
Unlike them, who were protected by a blue mana barrier in the shape of a round sphere, the world beyond the translucent barrier felt like watching a disaster scene unfold.
Seeing people running away with injured legs, limping from the collapsed debris, or people supporting unconscious companions and searching for a safe place, Marie’s pupils trembled.
Earthquakes were phenomena caused by seismic waves that occurred when continental plates collided.
But in this world where such continental plates did not exist, earthquakes were extremely rare phenomena that should not have occurred in the first place.
Experiencing a disaster for the first time, they sighed as they faced the tragedy before them.
“Wh-what should we do…”
“If only I had… looked into it more thoroughly…
We might have been able to prevent this from happening…”
Of course, this mana fluctuation was not entirely their responsibility.
However, as employees of ‘Floraz,’ the company that had treated them well, and as Marie, whose main business was dungeons.
And as Eloise, who was initially resistant and embarrassed by the forced work, but as a magical researcher, began to feel a subtle sense of accomplishment in being able to directly experience and study the mysterious magical phenomena in the dungeons she had only heard about.
Since they were all essentially good women, it was inevitable that the tragedy before them would fill their hearts with sadness.
If they had had a little more knowledge, they might have been able to foresee this happening.
Fortunately, the gradually occurring crustal movement subsided almost entirely after a few minutes, and starting with Eloise’s actions of removing the barrier as soon as the mana stabilized, the two women ran through the outpost to help people.
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“Really? What’s the damage?”
“Three buildings were completely destroyed…!!
Warehouse No. 3, Slaughterhouses No. 1 and 2…!!
The rest also need repairs…
But it doesn’t seem like there was any serious damage?
There are some injured people, but no one died?”
“I understand. Tell Lanie to change the operating policy.
Have all the fixed buildings demolished.
It doesn’t seem to make sense to build buildings anymore.
Leave only a few important facilities and replace the rest with temporary facilities like tents.”
“Umm… I’ll tell her that, Queen…!!”
Hearing the news from Henia, who had suddenly rushed into Floraz, Vivian calmly gave the next order and turned around.
But it would be a lie to say that her head wasn’t complicated.
Although Aurora was handling most of the work on her behalf, the current situation was that nothing could move forward without Vivian’s approval as the final decision-maker.
But suddenly, she received a report that there was an anomaly in the dungeon, which was a major business, so there was no way she could concentrate.
“Wouldn’t it be better for you to go, Vivian?
I’ll take care of the rest.”
Noticing her uncomfortable expression, Aurora, who was holding a stack of documents and showing them in order, subtly offered Vivian a sweet suggestion.
“Let’s do that. Postpone the report until tomorrow.”
“Of course. Don’t worry and go?”
In the end, Aurora bowed her head to Vivian as she turned around, and then she was left alone with the sound of the office door slamming shut.
She listened quietly to the tapping of heels coming from beyond the door, and when she thought the sound was far enough away, she turned around and walked gracefully towards the bookshelf on one side of the office.
“As expected, it’s good to learn things.”
Aurora slowly reached out and pulled out a book.
[Mana Imbalance According to Mana Entropy Theory]
When she flipped it open, a page covered with roughly scribbled notes was reflected in her eyes, and Aurora’s pupils darkened as she checked it again.
[Mana Instability Index: φ=Δ*(Γ/Θ*(ξ-Λη))]
[Mana Fluidity Instability Period: ψ=ω/(ρΒ*Δτ)]
[Royal Calendar Silver Moon 16th, 13:23]
“It’s always useful to learn things, isn’t it?”
The number 16 engraved on today’s calendar, and a red circle with a blood-like red color.
“So… is our Queen going to come back as a corpse soon…?
Or will she stubbornly come back alive?
Hmm… I really can’t guess.”
And a faint, bitter smile that couldn’t hide the primal pleasure, as if she were on drugs, appeared on her lips as she glanced at the clock pointing to about 1 o’clock.
“Either way… will I be able to spend some quality time with Master for a while…? Hehe♡”
As Aurora lightly chuckled, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and her fingers, as she gently closed the book, lightly scratched the leather cover of the book with her fingernails, which had a slight force in them.
With a disturbing cracking sound, Aurora looked down at her broken fingernail and let out a small sigh, then took a deep breath as if trying to consciously calm her excitement.
“Hoo… it’s too early to drink the soup first.
Then I’ll have to work hard…
To get praise from Master…♡”
