Chapter 241 – Academy Arc (15) – The Girls Who Don’T Get Along
242. Academy Arc (15) – The Girls Who Don’t Get Along
One day.
When I entered the Swordsmanship Department building, there was a buzz among the students. From the moment I entered the gate, I heard the upperclassmen talking about treasures and monsters, and the students inside were discussing the same topics.
As I walked down the hallway, I saw a familiar face, a male student named Edmund.
“Hey, Raul, did you hear about it?”
“What, the thing the students are talking about? No. Why is it so chaotic?”
“Well…”
Edmund told me that the exploration of a newly discovered dungeon was about to begin. The dungeon was found in a rural area a few days away by carriage, and it appeared to be a ruin with a somewhat high exploration level.
Dungeon exploration isn’t just for adventurers.
If it’s deemed a huge threat, the kingdom can send an expeditionary force. And since there would be treasures inside the dungeon, there was no reason for powerful people not to get involved. It’s not practical to pull regular forces from their duties for every dungeon exploration.
That’s where the academy students, who are in a gray area, come in, working alongside the adventurers.
The Adventurers’ Guild even issued temporary badges to the academy students so they could receive the guild’s benefits. Of course, there was a reason for this convenience.
Not all combat department students can become knights or royal mages. If their grades or achievements are ambiguous and they’re pushed out of the competition, it’s better to become a high-ranking A or B-class adventurer and play a leading role. The risks are high, but the rewards are also great, and they can live comfortably. It’s not impossible to establish a family as a bourgeois in their thirties or forties.
With such a supply of quality personnel, it was good for the Adventurers’ Guild to maintain a good relationship.
As an aside, even nobles can’t easily bully regular adventurers. Adventurers aren’t just a bunch of nobodies; they’re full of veterans, and some are used as mercenaries in territorial wars or when war breaks out. It’s just troublesome to mess with the guild, a coalition of force.
After asking around with Edmund, I learned a few more things.
The first team will consist of about 100 elite adventurers (many of whom are unknown adventurers not registered with the guild) and 30 students from the academy. In the case of Phillips Academy, there are two influential count families, and it seemed they were weighing their options on this matter.
What this means is that the two factions would split a significant number of the selected students. Even if they restrain their political performances within the academy, there’s no need to do so for activities connected to the outside. When the two count families submit their lists, the guild tacitly prioritizes and approves them.
In short, it’s the Ferris team and the Charlotte team.
So that’s why it’s so chaotic.
“Haa…! Guys like me can only watch. Come to think of it, you don’t really belong to any faction either, right? Then the chances of you being picked are low. Ah, but you’re skilled, so you never know… Anyway, just wait with a relaxed mind.”
“Everyone’s acting like ladies waiting to be chosen at a ball.”
“Hehe. I know, right?”
Whether they’re upperclassmen or underclassmen, everyone seems eager to enter the dungeon.
It’s a lie to say they’re going for achievements or honor; they’re probably going because they can strike it rich if they’re lucky. The more high-level monsters there are in a dungeon, the more treasures are hidden. If they could get their hands on legendary artifacts, weapons, or dazzling jewels…
‘It wouldn’t be bad.’
I felt my curiosity piqued.
…………
…………
“…There will be many lesser high-level mana resources.”
“Indeed. I understand, Mr. Ellingun.”
“Um, Lady Charlotte. I’m Fioren, and I specialize in lightning magic, so if you take me, I’ll definitely be of help!”
“I have various binding techniques…”
“Okay, everyone, please wait a moment…!”
““Ah, yes…!””
Charlotte, who was resting at the central fountain of the academy, was being fervently courted by her followers to take them to the dungeon. Most of them were students from the same magic department.
Charlotte had only recently heard about the dungeon, and it was giving her a headache. Of course, she couldn’t pass up the chance to obtain various magic stones and valuable resources. The problem was whom to take with her. She was being courted from all sides, making her indecisive. Also, since it was a real battle, she had to think about the composition of the team.
Charlotte wasn’t an amateur who was facing monsters for the first time.
‘Heeing. This is the hardest part.’
“Please take care of it, Mr. Ellingun.”
“Yes, I will.”
She sent a member of her family to the guild to influence the number of students to be selected. As she was pondering various things, the students next to her began to whisper.
“Ah. Lady Charlotte. Over there…”
“That’s… …My mood has been ruined since this morning.”
When she turned her head in the direction the students were looking, someone was approaching them.
Beautiful silver hair and a sculpted face.
Her elegant demeanor, which felt much more mature than others of her age, sometimes captivated even other women.
Of course, Charlotte found her extremely unpleasant.
Charlotte stared down at the woman in front of her, Ferris, with her discomfort clearly showing. A petite woman at least 10 cm shorter than her. (Of course, Charlotte was 174 cm tall, which was tall for a woman, so that also contributed to the feeling.) There was no need to be polite to that annoying woman. It wasn’t like she had started it first.
“Oh my, Miss Ferris. Did you come out for a walk by yourself?”
“Yes. I thought I’d get some fresh air.”
“I wonder if your health has deteriorated from always being stuck to your chair. Well, I guess you have to make up for your lack of talent with studying. Hohohot!”
“Huhu. Your jokes are amusing. By the way, your laughter is still vulgar. Thanks to that, I think I might catch your stupidity and not be able to study properly.”
“Wh-wh-what did you say…! You…!!”
Charlotte’s hands trembled at Ferris’s elegant yet venomous words. How dare she call an elite of the department stupid? Did she think she was someone special? Charlotte’s face flushed red, and she tried to say something, but each time, she was met with more creative and unpleasant insults.
And today, she was being particularly provocative.
Realizing that the more she reacted, the more ridiculous she looked, Charlotte took a breath.
“Hmph… Fine, what do you want?”
“Ah! It seems you’re having a lively discussion about the dungeon, so I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s going to work out.”
“…What do you mean?”
“It seems that the guild has selected some neutral students to ensure fairness.”
“What? Don’t lie!”
“Oh my. Don’t you believe me? Here, take a look.”
Ferris smiled and handed Charlotte a scroll with the guild’s seal. Charlotte took it and realized it was true, and continued to read. By the time she had checked the entire list, she was biting her lip.
“Fourteen people… Wait, these students. They’re all your people!”
“What are you talking about? It’s a breach of etiquette between nobles to jump to conclusions without any evidence.”
The list was full of high-level swordsmanship department students. They were clearly not directly under Ferris’s influence. She must have offered them tempting conditions.
Ferris, who was quick with information, had already finished her work with her political backing. Ferris, who had understood the situation since she entered the academy, had been diligently coaxing and persuading the guild’s people for almost a year and a half.
The number of students to be selected was 30.
Even if each faction got 8 students, these 14 students would side with Ferris, making it 22 to 8 in reality.
It was a problem that they would lose a lot of high-quality resources and items, but more than that, it was a matter of the family’s prestige. If they were seen to be politically pushed back like this, it would negatively affect their power and they could lose young talents who would be active in the future. In fact, this had already happened several times.
It was clear that Allton had a wide network and was wealthier.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being pushed back at the academy, and it was all because of Ferris, the young lady of the Bourbon family. She just wanted to focus on magic, but dealing with this terrible woman sometimes made her head feel like it was going to explode. In the first place, Charlotte didn’t like using such underhanded methods, but… She couldn’t afford to be pushed back by her rival, Bourbon. And her family had also scolded her for being too naive.
However, she was just a step behind the clever Ferris.
It was just a feeling, but it seemed like the eyes of her followers next to her had changed to disappointment.
“Using such underhanded tactics. Neutral my foot, you’re just covering your eyes! I’ll file a formal complaint.”
“Isn’t Lady Charlotte the same? Why, the man you just sent is your contact with the guild, isn’t he? He looks very familiar…”
“Ugh…”
Ferris, seeing Charlotte biting her lip, spoke softly.
“If someone can think of something, others can think of the same thing. Do you not like the virtuous neutral students? Huhu. They’d be angry and rise up if they heard that.”
It was a long and pointless statement.
As she said those strange words, she suddenly pierced Charlotte’s eyes with a sharp gaze like a sword blade.
Ferris was testing Charlotte by summarizing the events of the Rosichester barony. ‘If someone can think of something…’ Those were the words of the mysterious masked man who was presumed to be a paladin, and it was highly likely that he was repeating the words of his master. Because of that man, the baroness and her daughter survived, and the plan failed.
The most likely suspect was her rival, Allton, so she was testing her like this. She could have ignored it, but she spoke to her for this reason.
Sometimes, you can understand things just by exchanging glances.
“You…!! You really…!”
“……………”
However, Charlotte just reacted angrily, showing no signs of hiding her emotions or anything else. Ferris finished the meeting by giving her an elegant bow, as if teasing her, and then turned to leave. As she walked, she tilted her head in thought.
‘Is it not Allton? Or does that woman just not know about her family’s affairs? No connection with the paladins has been found… Who is reading this secret plan? And if they are reading it, why are they just staying still…!’
Since she couldn’t figure out the source, she couldn’t proceed with the detailed plan. She was preparing for damage control just in case, but the person behind it was just staying quiet.
‘Could it be someone higher up…?’
She shook her head.
That was too much of a leap. There was just something she didn’t know yet. Ferris thought that if the dungeon exploration was successful, she would have to increase the budget for her spy activities in various places.
And she put aside the thought of revenge for the time being.
“Lady Charlotte. P-please calm down.”
“Haa…! I don’t like that terrible woman at all! She’s always interfering. I wish she’d get hit by a meteor and fall into hell!”
The magic department students were trying to calm Charlotte down. No matter how she thought about it, she was furious at Ferris for publicly humiliating her. Anyway, she would try to take some action, but if it wasn’t accepted, she would end up forming a party of eight.
Of course, there were plenty of talented people in the magic department. The problem was the vanguard. All the other useful swordsmen were on family missions, so there were few people she could trust at the moment.
‘Come to think of it, that person. I heard he was quite strong…’
A male student in the swordsmanship department who was showing remarkable growth despite being a first-year.
She had met him before while giving him private lessons.
‘Well… since I know his face, I guess it’s okay…’
Besides, she was slightly attracted to him.
