## Chapter 349 – Dungeons and Adventurers (16)
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Originally affiliated with the Swallow Faction and active as a member of the Monster Hunting Squad, Anne was among those who received certain benefits from the recent reorganization of the public dungeon system.
She was exempted from the entrance fees, which were collected like taxes, because they figured they could at least give a chance to the young ones who came to earn money for their families.
Originally, this was part of risk management to address potential resentment after the Swallow Faction’s Monster Hunting Squad was disbanded and jobs were lost. However, it wasn’t as if there were no good intentions involved.
Humans are always enthusiastic about dramas.
– Look at these kids, aren’t they amazing!?
Coming all the way here to work for their families!!
We’ll exempt you guys for a while, so go ahead and enter.
And once you earn some money, come and pay the fees yourself, okay?
Anyway, fortunately, given the situation, it wasn’t a problem who Anne brought with her.
However, the problem was that the existence of this place itself and the woman before Anne were fundamentally incompatible.
Of course, Lucia wasn’t so petty, and considering the help she had received, Anne couldn’t refuse this request, even if they were rivals.
After Vivian disappeared, Anne had difficulty making friends, but thanks to Lucia’s help, she attended social gatherings at Count Proden’s estate and became acquainted with various people.
Even if that weren’t the case, Lucia often acknowledged Anne’s abilities during practice and worked to improve them. As a result, people gradually started to gather around Anne, who was favored by the Borgia Duchess.
The commoner students from the swordsmanship department she brought this time were also people she had met through that process.
“Umm… Hic!! S-Senior!! Water… here…!!”
“You don’t need to be uncomfortable in front of me.
I brought my own water.
Managing personal items is also part of your ability.”
Anne’s unique ability allowed her to view them with unbiased eyes, but it remained a fact that Lucia had laid the groundwork for that path.
“In that sense, I’m still disqualified.
Does anyone have a string to tie up my hair?
I’ll need some help this time.”
Looking at her long orange hair, soaked with blood splattered from the monster’s body, Lucia gave a self-deprecating, embarrassed smile.
Then, several female students rushed out from various places, waving their hair ties in the air.
“S-Senior!! Here!!”
“Mine is much higher quality…!!
Ah…!! I’ve been keeping it safe all this time…
Was it for today……!! Please accept it!!”
Quite a few people rushed out, but among them, Lucia walked towards Anne, who was taking out a string from her pocket. Lucia took the string from her and tied up her hair in a braided bun.
“Thank you. I’m getting help again today.”
“……”
Frankly, Anne felt uncomfortable seeing Lucia like that.
Although no one knew, they were clearly rivals.
Even though they had declared war on each other in front of Edward, whom they both loved, Lucia’s attitude was largely unchanged.
Rather, seeing Lucia’s face, which was more full of smiles than her usual dignified expression, as if she was enjoying the experience of actual combat, Anne was suddenly aware of her own narrow-mindedness.
‘She’s a wonderful person…… I can’t deny that……’
Lucia was a person who thought about many things.
She was faithful to her duties, and she cared for her subordinates, her juniors, and her students.
Perhaps after coming to this dungeon and learning that other students from the academy were working here.
Rather than scolding the commoner students for doing illegal work as nobles, Lucia was more focused on dealing with the risk factors that could arise in the process.
As a result, even though they came out to hunt to earn money, the atmosphere was strangely similar to a drill instructor’s training in the training grounds.
Considering that, you could probably understand how much consideration Lucia was giving to the other students’ circumstances.
“Your cutting posture is unstable.
Put a little more weight on your front foot.”
“When twisting your waist, you must plant your feet firmly first.
If your center of gravity shifts, you won’t be able to apply the right amount of force.
Make it flow fluidly with the movement of your arm.”
She spared no advice for improving the students’ skills in every battle.
Of course, there was a risk in practicing unfamiliar movements in actual combat, but what problem was that if there was an instructor who could perfectly cover it?
Someone who could gain their own practical experience from the side and help whenever there was danger.
Anne, who was also growing with her help, was gritting her teeth and swinging her sword at the monsters with all her might.
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“Anne…!! Were you working hard?”
“Sister? Ah!! Lunch box!!”
“Is it just me, or does it seem like you’re happier to see the lunch box than me?”
“That’s not true…!!
Thank you, Sister… Heehee…!!”
In the corner of a spacious outpost surrounded by wooden walls, students were sitting around.
Anne, who had finished her morning hunt, stood up from her seat with a happy face at the sight of the welcome face that had appeared to them while they were resting.
“Wow…!! Delicious…!!”
“If only my girlfriend could do half of this…”
That’s because Marie had packed enough lunch boxes to feed even the other members of the group, and she had floated them in the air with magic and distributed them to everyone.
“They’re my sister’s friends, so a sister should do this much, right?”
As a result, Marie naturally became very popular among the group.
“Sister!! Will you go out with me!?
I can really do well…!! Mmph mmph!!”
“Quick, bury that guy!!
How dare you hit on Sister Marie!!”
“That’s right!! Daring to make a preemptive strike!!
Sister Marie is public property!!
[Group:Public use], don’t you know?”
At those words, the atmosphere turned cold, and the guy who made the public property joke glanced around.
And of course, after the silence, the cheers of the group, which had begun to heat up again, echoed.
“Uh… uhh……?”
“Bury that bastard first!!
Talking about public use!!
Let’s cut off that Hitomi-like bastard’s lower body!!”
“Aaaagh!! Sister!! Save me!!”
“Ohoho…!! Don’t fight.
There are extra lunch boxes, you know?”
Marie, who was watching the scene of chasing and being chased without knowing why, gave a healing smile that somehow felt maternal, and the sinner who dared to insult the Archangel Marie was barely able to avoid being neutered.
Anyway, that was that, and Marie was turning around after delivering the lunch boxes and chatting happily for a while.
Anne, who was seeing her off, was watching Marie’s back as she smiled happily and started walking side by side, as if she had met an acquaintance on the way back, and she had a small sense of unease.
He looked a little rough on the outside, but he was just some man who seemed like a pleasant person.
Since Marie was the one who arranged this dungeon job in the first place, Anne didn’t know as much as Marie, but perhaps she had a instinctive aversion to strangers approaching her sister.
Just as they were turning the corner of the alley side by side, the man’s arm gradually rose, and just before they disappeared, he put his arm around Marie’s shoulder as if giving her a shoulder hug. At that moment, Anne, who was flustered, was about to call out to Marie.
“S-Sis…!!”
“Now that we’ve finished eating, let’s move on to the next schedule.
Anne, do you know where we’re going in the afternoon?”
“Ugh… afternoon… afternoon is……
We’re going near the habitat of those ‘Tepiricas’…”
Just as Lucia asked the question at that timing, Anne, who was momentarily flustered, had no choice but to put aside her worries about her sister for the time being and treat today’s guest.
‘She said she’s being well-treated as a mage…
Surely there’s no one who would mess with my sister……
That’s right… my sister has always been sincere and done well……
I just… I just need to do well……’
“Is that so? Can you give me a rough explanation?”
“Yes… Tepiricas are…
Monsters that look like big rats…
They’re big, so they live on the ground……”
Even so, Anne, who couldn’t take her eyes off the alley where her sister had disappeared, eventually turned around and was about to return to the group with Lucia with heavy steps.
“Haaah… Ugh… Aaaah……!!”
“That’s right… squeeze me tight like that.
But you can’t make any noise.
People might still be in front of this, okay?”
“Uheuut… Uuut… Hiss… Heeuut……♡”
“Keuheu… Why are you so tight today…?
Are you getting excited because someone might see us? Good. Good!!
Then let me receive you deep inside…!!”
“Heuuuoooooooot……!!♡♡♡”
Perhaps no one could hear the small gasps of excitement and the pitiful moans that seemed to choke from the alley.
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