Klein looked at his brother with a happy expression on his face.
“So, you want to join my team?”
“Yeah. Would that be okay?”
This was because someone had offered to be a teammate to his older brother, who was commonly treated as the ultimate outsider at the academy or a “loner among loners” in the words of kids these days.
Meanwhile, Shane was quite taken aback.
The person before him was none other than Dilaila herself.
“…Why?”
It was now the second day since Shane had saved Dilaila.
Although he had saved Dilaila out of necessity, he thought it was too soon to be making contact with her right now.
Given Dilaila’s suspicious nature, it was necessary to build their relationship slowly.
Yet Dilaila approaching Shane first was an unexpected turn of events.
“Well, you know, I went through some … pretty fu*ked up things just recently.”
It was a pity that a girl in her prime would use such vulgar language, but it was Klein, not Shane, who responded to her words.
“Ah… yes, Count Salier. I never imagined he would be the type to engage in such actions. Because of him, even a member of the Knights of Judgment was sacrificed, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, yes. That’s right. Mhmm.”
The truth was entirely different, but that was what was known publicly.
The morning after the night Dilaila was rescued.
A sensational article broke out in the public eye.
It revealed that Count Salier had been a key figure in the underworld of the rumored underground city.
And during a solo mission, one of the Knights of Judgment sensed something amiss and a battle broke out between them.
Count Salier and one of his knights were killed in that scene, and the knight was poisoned during the encounter and died as a result.
The article also meticulously disclosed that a half-human student from the academy had been kidnapped.
How did the news spread so quickly?
Naturally, Dilaila was overwhelmed by the sudden flurry of attention she received from all sides, but she had no choice but to nod her head calmly and confirm that the article was correct.
She knew little else except that she had been kidnapped and confined by Count Salier and had been unconscious due to the ordeal.
A member of the Knights of Judgment was sacrificed.
Of course, an investigator directly from the imperial court appeared, and Dilaila with her spirit subdued found herself having to cooperate with their investigation.
At one point, there was a suggestion that they might need to use magic to read Dilaila’s memories, but this was prevented by the headmaster of the academy.
The use of magic that tampered with someone’s mind was likely to cause side effects.
Of course, the mastermind behind all this was Shane.
He had managed to release somewhat fabricated details to a prominent newspaper of the coalition.
By making such information public, Shane hoped that the imperial court would not dare harm Dilaila.
Furthermore, the academy was treating the incident as a major scandal.
How dare someone kidnap a student under the protection of the coalition’s Academy!
It was in the same context that the Academy protected Dilaila from the imperial investigator.
“Ah, anyway, that incident made it… hard for me to rely on just anyone.”
“I understand. It must have been difficult for you. But not all humans are such degenerates, Miss Dilaila.”
As he said this, Klein gently patted Dilaila’s shoulder with a sympathetic look in his eyes.
This elicited angry glances from all around!
“Huh.”
At that moment, the danger level for Dilaila among the academy’s female students had escalated.
“But what does that have to do with you seeking me out?”
“Well, from what I hear, you seem quite indifferent to others… whether they’re of a different race or humans. And I’ve heard you’re quite skilled too.”
Indeed, Shane’s reputation has recently improved considerably.
Of course, because he had once harbored jealousy towards his younger brother, the looks he received were not entirely kind.
At the best academy of the coalition where only the elite gathered, Shane securing the top spot in the Command Department had compelled many to recognize his abilities alone.
“You speak so openly in front of others.”
“Heh, but it’s not like I’m lying, right?”
Though Shane said this, for him, it was rather a welcome development.
After all, Dilaila was someone who, in the future, would play a crucial role for Shane; it was better to have her close.
“Okay, so we’re going dungeon hunting together from now on?”
After pretending to think about it for a moment, he finally accepted Dilaila and her face lit up noticeably.
For Dilaila, having Shane’s support was indeed reassuring.
In the coalition, the Clayton family to which Shane and Klein belonged was a major noble house that every merchant had dealt with at one time or another.
Dilaila had already been deceived once by Count Salier, and after seeing the shocking true identity of Daira who was a member of the Knights of Judgement, she could no longer fully trust them.
If I keep viewing everyone through such skeptical glasses, will I ever be able to trust anyone?
While her distrust of humans had not completely disappeared, she at least did not show it outwardly.
“By the way, speaking of a member of the Judgment Knights being sacrificed. That must be why we haven’t seen her around these past few days, right big brother?”
“Hmm. Probably.”
Shane nodded lightly in response to Klein’s question.
“Not showing up? Who are you talking about?”
Now that it was confirmed that Dilaila would join Shane’s team, she naturally joined in their conversation.
“We were talking about Miss Anais. Lindberg J. Anais.”
“Ah.”
Anais.
The daughter of the commander of the Knights of Judgment.
She had been at the funeral home for the past few days after hearing that one of the Judgment Knights had died.
Even as Shane talked about this, he did not change his expression.
“She’ll manage on her own. It’s not really something we need to worry about.”
“Mhmm, but you’re rather cold about it, aren’t you? Haha.”
At those words, Klein gave a bitter laugh and Dilaila wore a complicated expression.
Anais was not a stranger to Dilaila.
They had exchanged conversations to some extent.
Until that point, Dilaila had considered Anais to be quite a decent person.
At least, she hadn’t looked at her through eyes full of prejudice.
Had it not been for the recent incident, Dilaila might have even tried to join her team.
However, after the incident, Dilaila was uncertain how to view her.
Ah. We were never that close to begin with, really.
Yes, there’s no need to think too deeply about it.
Dilaila decided this as she looked out at the rain falling against the windowpane.
***
Despite the relentless rain chilling her body, Anais looked down at the grave beneath her feet.
This marked her second farewell.
But Anais showed no signs of ever getting used to this feeling.
“The cause of death was poisoning…”
The white lion’s aura would have been able to block most of the poison, but Daira’s body which had been hit by an unknown poison was in a skinny mummified state, as if all the moisture had been drained from his body.
Anais recalled her memories with Daira.
From her childhood, Anais had been deeply connected with the members of the Knights of Judgment.
When she trained with the sword by her father’s side, the knights often joined in and became her sparring partners.
At other times, they became her friends.
Though not all were related by blood, some were like uncles or brothers to her and they were family.
Among them, Daira was like an old uncle to her.
With a hearty laugh, his sword always displayed the ease characteristic of his demeanor.
He had died fighting for justice.
“He died a righteous death.”
During the funeral, Anais kept hearing those words.
The faces around her showed deep sorrow but also belief in Daira’s righteous sacrifice, yet Anais harbored a persistent doubt.
“Was it really for justice?”
That question which she could not dare ask the others now had to be asked to Daira who was buried beneath the ground.
***
“What is magical power? Can anyone answer that?”
During a lecture in the Command Department, Professor Zahard posed this question and one of the students raised a hand in response.
“Magical power is a fundamental element that constitutes this world.”
“And?”
“Magical power can become anything. In its simplest form, it becomes water, fire, wind, or earth.”
“More?”
“Uh… Such environments created by magical power contribute to forming the mysterious conditions of dungeons.”
“Good.”
As if relieved by Professor Zahard’s response, the student sat down with a sigh of relief.
“Just like the student mentioned right now, magical power is a fundamental element that constitutes this world. Therefore, all of us commanders must be well-versed in its use.”
Commanders with a goal of war and those who explore dungeons are different in nature.
While both face enemies, dungeons add environmental elements to the mix.
“Now, referring to what the student just mentioned… which area would you say possesses such an incomprehensible environment?”
“The Great Mezaiya Forest!”
When one of the students responded, most of the others turned their gazes toward someone.
“Yes, the Great Mezaiya Forest. It’s one of the cradles that humanity has yet to conquer.”
Then, Zahard used a magical tool to play several videos on the blackboard.
“As you can see, the Great Mezaiya Forest faces considerable difficulties due to its intense rainy season. However, the problem is not just that.”
Humans currently train their bodies with magical power and possess abilities that surpass human limits.
Therefore, the environmental factor of “rain” alone isn’t enough to stop humans from conquering it.
The reason why it was difficult to conquer such a dungeon was because the rain wasn’t just ordinary rain.
“In the Great Mezaiya Forest, strong acid rain falls, rain that makes the body heavy just by being hit, and rain below subzero temperatures.”
This is all beyond the understanding that humans currently possess.
If it reaches subzero temperatures, shouldn’t it be hail that falls? Why does it turn into rain?
Yet these inexplicable phenomena start to make sense with just one word: magic.
“Therefore, commanders need to know how to quickly adapt to such sudden environmental changes.”
At that moment, one of the students raised a hand and asked,
“Why not just bring along someone knowledgeable about such environments?”
“That’s a good question. Indeed, while humans can accomplish much, they cannot do everything alone. However, the situation on a battlefield can change in an instant based on a commander’s decision. That’s why we must be able to perceive, understand, and conclude situations ourselves.”
This is exactly why the role of a dungeon commander is not just about giving orders.
“Therefore, from now on, you all need a basic understanding of magic and the structure of dungeons.”
Of course, most of the students here already have a certain understanding of magic.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t even have been able to set foot in this command department.
Zahard had quietly settled in one corner and turned his gaze toward a student sitting by himself.
“For example, in the recent test, having extensive dungeon knowledge like students Osten and Shane can not only help you attract higher-level team members when forming a team, but more importantly…. this can lead to scouting or collaboration offers from other adventurer parties.”
Then Zahard’s gaze shifted toward Shane.
…Eventually, the class came to an end.
Professor Zahard who taught “Magic and Dungeon Studies” called Shane aside.
“Did you want to see me, Professor?”
“Ah, student Shane, welcome. First, let me start by congratulating you.”
“Congratulations for what?”
“Well, start by reading this.”
After arriving at Zahard’s personal office, Shane read the document he handed over.
“Hmm.”
It was somewhat expected.
A collaboration proposal.
Just like he mentioned during the class, occasionally students who exhibited exceptional talent at the academy received offers of collaboration from external parties.
Shane’s recent test included a short paper on the climatic patterns of the Great Mezaiya Forest, and it seemed that one of the adventurer parties had taken an interest in his work.
“It came quicker than I thought.”
“They must be quite eager then. What do you say, shall we meet them?”
Shane nodded his head in response to Zahard’s question.
The Great Mezaiya Forest.
It was one of the five great cradles, and Shane had a reason to visit it soon.
Leave a Reply