Chapter 242 – Academy Arc (16) – Ruins Dungeon 1
243. Academy Arc (16) – Ruins Dungeon 1
Even after class ended, the atmosphere inside the faculty was still unsettled.
“You…!! No, Mr. Raul!”
As I walked out of the building with Lewin, Charlotte, who was not far away, suddenly approached me. She unconsciously touched my body slightly, then, as if realizing her mistake, she let out an ‘Ah…’ sound and pulled away.
Perhaps the psychological barrier had been greatly lowered since our private tutoring session last time, as she seemed quite unreserved.
“……………….”
Thanks to that, Lewin, who was next to me, glared at me with a fierce look for a moment. But then, realizing that the woman in front of him was a celebrity, he lowered his gaze slightly.
“Have you already heard about the dungeon?”
“Yes. Everyone in the faculty is talking about it.”
“I see. Actually, you see…”
Charlotte honestly talked about her concerns regarding the front line, and then asked if I would join her party if possible.
‘Things are going well.’
It was an unexpected proposal.
It’s not like we’ve met that many times. Of course, we are developing a strange relationship, but is she separating work from personal matters? Why me, when there are plenty of upperclassmen…? No, there’s no need to underestimate myself. In reality, I’m now starting to have sparring matches at a level comparable to the upperclassmen, and my reputation for going on a rampage against goblins is still in effect.
If I gain a little more practical experience, I’m a decent asset, objectively speaking.
“Since you’ve helped me in many ways, I’d be happy to repay the favor. I’ve always wanted to explore a dungeon too.”
“Hehehe, good. Then I’ll put you on the list, no, wait a minute. Repay the favor… you say. Hmm…”
Charlotte seemed to be pondering over my words, which were just a casual remark. She seemed to be weighing things for a moment, then spoke in a clear voice.
“There’s no need for that. After the raid is over, I’ll make sure you get a sufficient reward! And of course, I won’t touch any of the items you acquire.”
“Huh? Does that mean…”
“So, the favor I’ve done for you is still on hold. Do you understand?”
At her meaningful words, I nodded in agreement. Lewin, who couldn’t join the conversation, was standing a little distance away. It must be unsettling to suddenly find out that your roommate is friends with a famous countess.
Come to think of it, Lewin has been quite…
“If the members aren’t confirmed yet, how about taking the boy next to him?”
“That boy?”
“Yes, his skills have improved a lot recently, and he’ll definitely be helpful. I also need a partner to work with.”
Lewin was visibly flustered as Charlotte stared at him intently.
“W-wait a minute. Raul. It’s not that I don’t want to, but how could I dare…”
“Have confidence. There are hardly any of your classmates who can beat you now.”
“…………That’s true, but…”
It wasn’t a lie. Lewin was already among the top students in the first year. His skills were improving rapidly, but it wasn’t like his training intensity had changed much.
‘It must be because of me. It’s disgusting, but…’
The only thing that had changed was that Lewin was eating my semen three times a day, and sucking my dick was almost a daily routine. He was so regular that his dick would get itchy at a certain time, and Lewin would swallow his saliva like Pavlov’s dog.
Considering that the nuns’ divine power increased rapidly due to their promiscuous lifestyle in the convent, Lewin’s growth was not strange. Moreover, Lewin was originally diligent, so it might have been a good synergy.
“Umm… if you say so…”
Charlotte seemed hesitant, but after seeing me speak with conviction, she eventually gave her permission. As a result, two first-year students would be responsible for the front line of the party, which could be quite a risk for her.
As I was expressing my gratitude, Charlotte said she would give me the details later and left.
After she left, I explained the situation to Lewin, who had question marks all over his head. I told him that he had always been interested in magic, and it turned out he had some talent, and somehow he had a connection with Charlotte, who was helping him. But even so, is it normal for a noble to spend so much time on a commoner student?
“I seeee…”
Lewin, who had sensed a strange vibe, glared at me again and pouted alone. He had a look that said he had something to say, but he didn’t say it out loud. After all, Lewin knew very well that his position was not that of a girlfriend, but a pet.
What a dejected look.
I should go back to the dorm after lunch and give him some affection.
…………
…………
To meet the dungeon raid deadline, we had been steadily traveling by carriage for several days.
-Kyaaak♥ He’s so cute.
-Hey, hey, do you have a girlfriend?
“D-don’t poke me. Ugh…”
On the opposite side of where I was sitting, female students from the magic department were surrounding Lewin, a petite pretty boy, and teasing him as if he were cute. Some of them seemed to like him as a man and were subtly making physical contact.
Good for you, Lewin. You’ve become popular with women.
Lewin looked at me with pitiful puppy eyes, as if asking for help. I was already putting up a wall against them, and I didn’t want to be mistaken for a homo, so I just stayed still. Instead, I spent time talking to a third-year male student from the swordsmanship department next to me.
The party consisted of me, Lewin, the male student next to me, and five mages, including Charlotte.
A strange combination of three swordsmen and five mages.
Charlotte was not free from political decisions to fill her party with her own people, but in fact, it wasn’t such a bad combination. Depending on how the party was managed, there could be advantages.
Since there were many mages, the firepower was amazing. One of them played the role of a buffer, and another was the primary healer. (Of course, the effectiveness was much different from that of priests.) If things got really dangerous, I could use the healing I learned under the saintess. Although I was given plenty of healing potions, I didn’t know if I would get the chance.
At first, I thought there should be a main tank in the party, but with this combination, that wasn’t necessarily the case. Rather, it was important to protect these high-level mages with quick mobility and to quickly deal with the monsters that clung to them. If we put up a shield and went into a chaotic battle, it could hinder the casting of spells.
In fact, the outfit I was wearing was a light one, with slim gauntlets and greaves over my school uniform.
It looked pretty cool.
Although it wasn’t visible, I was wearing chainmail inside my chest, which was more for preventing monsters from biting me at close range than for blocking arrows.
In any case, the focus was on playing with mobility while protecting only the important parts.
…………
We passed through a remote rural village and arrived at our destination. When we entered the nearby forest, there was an empty space not far away, where most of the adventurers had already gathered. Men and women were mixed together, and their armor, which they had added according to their own circumstances, was quite unique, and their weapons were also diverse, indicating that there were specialized jobs. There seemed to be at least 100 of them. They were probably elite adventurers of B to A grade.
“That woman has arrived too…”
When I looked in the direction Charlotte was looking, I saw Ferris with a number of swordsmen. She was also wearing light clothing like us, and it seemed that she had brought in many archers and mages from outside to form a strong party.
She was giving a speech with a charismatic presence.
She’s really breathtakingly beautiful.
We each prepared until the appointed time, and then set off for the dungeon exploration. It was quite magnificent to see such a large force moving at once, even though it wasn’t a regular army. Of course, it was a bit strange that they were so orderly, unlike the adventurers I had imagined.
It was supposed to be for the sake of equal opportunity… but when I went to the outskirts of the ruins, which was the entrance to the dungeon, I realized why they were all rushing in at once.
On top of a steep and high cliff.
Looking down diagonally, you could see the outskirts of the ruins.
There were broken stone pillars here and there, and moss was growing in the cracks. The arched walls were truly reminiscent of ruins.
-Krrr…!!
-Kireuk. Kireureuk.
And there were various monsters there.
Most of the monsters were wearing armor, but there were also goblins, werewolf-like creatures, and half-human, half-horse creatures. The fact that the species were mixed up was unnatural, and it felt like an artificial dungeon guard.
There were at least 60 or 70 of them, and no one wanted to be the first to go in. Those who were not affiliated with a guild seemed to be waiting for someone to break through while twiddling their thumbs. Besides, there were plenty of experts and mages in the academy, who were high-level personnel among the adventurers.
-There are also a lot of mid-level monsters. It won’t be easy from the start…
-Damn it. There are wolfrings too. I hate those guys!
The adventurers looked down at the swarming monsters from the cliff and groaned. Even though they were veterans, they seemed to be tired of the sheer number of them.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had to show off my skills.”
When I turned my head, I saw Charlotte walking towards us with a haughty gait. Everyone moved out of her way at her confident voice. I, who was at the end, also moved slightly to the side.
She was wearing her school uniform and only had a small wand in her hand.
She looked completely serious, unlike her usual light and boastful self.
Charlotte muttered something and chanted a spell, creating three mana spheres in the air. Then, she began to manipulate the three mana spheres with great concentration.
-A-as expected of Lady Charlotte. She’s already at that level.
-Ah…! I’m so moved. To be able to see the ancient secret magic of the Allturn family in a place like this…!!
‘Secret magic?’
-Woo-oong!
There was no time to think. Soon, the mana spheres began to shrink, making a heavy sound. They continued to shrink in size until they were almost the size of baseballs. At the moment when everyone was holding their breath, Charlotte, with a serious look, whispered in a low voice towards the front.
[Libestrol]
With those words, the spheres flew in three precisely curved paths. Like a howitzer. And then…
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!!!! Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!!!!!!!
Then, with a tremendous roar, the ruins were engulfed in an explosion. The screams of the monsters were drowned out by the huge explosion. Charlotte then used wind magic to clear away the black smoke, and we could see the situation below.
Most of the monsters that had been there were annihilated. There were a few monsters that had survived by luck, but there were few enough that others could easily handle them.
-Gulp…. Th-that’s the academy’s top elite mage…
-Have you ever seen anything like that before?
-……No. Never. I can’t believe it no matter how I look at it.
Many adventurers and students looked at Charlotte with awe.
I was the same.
I had just thought of her as a girl who would be fun to raid with, but seeing her in action like this, she honestly looked cool.
“Hehe…”
Charlotte seemed to realize that I was staring blankly next to her, and she slightly raised the corners of her mouth. She lightly touched the curled side of her hair with her finger, and then returned to her place with a haughty gait.
Thanks to Charlotte’s performance, one by one, the raiding parties began to approach the inner part of the outer area.
