章 55: Dungeon Practice (5)
Finally, the day of the dungeon practice arrived.
For that reason, everyone was gathered in the central square rather than in the classroom.
At a glance, you could see not just students looking like knights but also those wearing priest robes adorned with the academy's logo.
This was because it wasn't just the students from the Magic Department that I'd become familiar with; students from the Knight and Divinity Departments were also present.
Each department of Class A had only around ten students, but with the three departments combined, nearly 40 people were gathered.
With so many people, the buzzing noises were noticeably louder than usual.
"Hmph! Even if it's for practice, it's just a low-level dungeon."
"Don't underestimate it too much. According to my brother, the professors themselves have set up traps."
"Even so, it's not just one person; there are three of us. Plus, we don't even get to touch the boss. We're only dealing with random mobs."
Yep.
As expected, the atmosphere was more about overconfidence than concern.
Now I get what Iona was talking about earlier. Every year, there was someone who thought they could go alone.
If the Knight Department were at that level, then there would definitely be someone who would insist on going alone from the overly proud Magic Department.
…But not this year.
Seeing the familiar faces that had unwittingly matured, they seemed to look down on the foolish students of the Knight Department.
Yes.
There was no way the academy would plan a meaningless exercise.
Now, those folks would be quite stumped by the unexpected real-world experience.
Well… Not that there was something they had to be nervous about.
I'd prepared all the items I'd specially ordered from Faye for today, and I'd learned quite a lot so far.
I felt empty that Carla, who had always been by my side, couldn't come along…
It couldn't be helped.
Instead, I waved lightly to Carla, who was mixed in with the other slaves and watching us.
At that, Carla made a face full of both pride and worry, as if seeing a young child go on an errand for the first time.
We went through the dungeon in Gef City, which was far more challenging than this practice dungeon, so why would she worry about it…?
Smiling at Carla's concern, I reassuringly patted my chest.
Only then did Carla's expression seem to relax.
But it looked like my show-off behavior bothered someone. Because someone started poking my shoulder.
What's going on?
I turned around with a bit of irritation, which soon changed to pure curiosity.
That's because the person behind me was none other than Elisha.
It couldn't be a "stop acting out of your social class!" sort of thing. She must have something to say.
"Glenchiel?"
"Good morning, Yandel. What was that all about just now?"
"It's nothing. Carla seemed worried about me, so I was just trying to reassure her."
"Oh? I always find your master-servant relationship quite interesting. I looked into it after the entrance ceremony… Usually, masters and slaves aren't as close as you two."
"Well, that's true."
I was aware that Carla and I didn't have a typical master-servant relationship. I wasn't sure what to call it, though.
Anyway, now that it has been brought up, I should subtly probe her.
I shrugged and continued speaking.
"Carla also teaches me magic outside of classes. Since she does different work than a typical slave, I can't treat her like one."
"Indeed. Your unusual growth rate didn't just happen without reason. Hmm."
Elisha nodded her head and smiled softly.
No, talk about the mana core. It's bothering me so much!
But it seemed my inner cry didn't reach her.
Elisha simply shook her head with her gigantic roll-bun hairstyle once and patted my shoulder.
"Then, as always, show your best in this practice session."
With that, Elisha left, taking her followers with her.
In the end, Carla's mana core wasn't even mentioned today.
'Could this be her strategy to drive me crazy with worry? Probably not, but it's frustrating enough to consider.'
Sighing deeply, I scratched the back of my head for a moment.
Soon, a familiar voice echoed, making me lift my head.
"Everyone, quiet! Quiet! We're about to discuss something important, so close your mouths and open your ears!"
"…Iona, do you really have to treat the students like children?"
"Well, you're no different from a child to me, Professor Jason!"
"Ah."
As usual, Iona was grinning foolishly, and Jason, who intended to reprimand her, ended up being rebuffed himself.
Then, an elderly woman in nun's clothing interrupted the awkward pair.
"Both of you, that's enough. The students are watching."
"Right, right! Listen to Professor Christina! Why are you interrupting me, Professor Jason?!"
"You're blaming this on me? Fine! I'll do the explanation since I'm the youngest. The two of you can rest!"
Grumbling, Professor Jason walked to the statue of Hero Rahim at the center of the square.
If Iona was in charge of Magic Department Class A, then the bald Jason stepping forward was from the Knight Department. Behind him, the kind-looking elderly woman Christina was in charge of the Divinity Department Class A.
"Ah, ah! Can you hear me? Let's get the rules straight before heading to the dungeon!"
His voice boomed across the central square, whether he used an aura or not.
I already knew what he would say. We'd be teleported to the dungeon entrance, where we'd form parties. The dungeon was forest-themed. Regular monsters could be killed at will, but bosses should be avoided. No fighting between parties. Rewards would be given based on scores, and if you were late when the time was up, points would be deducted.
I had already heard it from Iona, not to mention that it was the same old rules of dungeon training from my H&A days. So I just let it go in one ear and out the other.
What was more important was how to naturally lead the party members to where the hidden pieces were…
I also briefly stopped thinking of various plans in my head.
Suddenly, all explanations seemed to have ended, and Iona took Jason's place at the front.
A tremendous amount of mana burst forth from her.
"Gasp…"
"Is she really trying to open a teleportation gate by herself? Isn't that high-level magic?"
"Is this the Lord-level Vampire that survived the war of the Gods?"
Students were shocked, regardless of their departments. And I was no exception.
Since it was simple mana pressure without any malice, I, who had a substantial amount of mana, could bear it a little more, but…
Still, being overwhelmed for a moment was inevitable.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I'd seen Iona exert her full power.
In the game, I didn't think it was a big deal since she would just utter a few words and create a gate, but seeing it in person was different.
It wasn't just talk that she was the strongest in the academy, aside from the Archmage Principal.
For once, Iona wore a somewhat serious expression as she licked her lips without a break and then reached her hand forward.
Whoom.
In response to her gesture, a massive amount of mana gathered all at once.
Then, a small cluster of red light appeared in midair.
The light that spat out sparks ceaselessly like fireworks soon stretched like a rubber band and then solidified into a large oval shape.
…Maybe it was because it was red. It looked like a gate leading to hell or something.
However, the scenery visible within the blood-red oval was not a place where fire flowed like rivers and monsters loitered in packs. It looked more like a small base where people were coming and going.
It was probably because the academy staff stayed there and periodically managed the dungeon.
Despite the students' stunned expressions, Iona maintained her usual smug attitude.
"What's going on? Why is everyone staring blankly? Wasn't I amazing? Huh? Right? Then quickly give me a round of applause! And let's shout 'Professor Iona is amazing!' as we go in!"
"..."
It didn't take long for the students' awe to turn into annoyance.
Everyone passed through the gate while uttering words of praise for Iona.
The party members I met in front of the dungeon were… a pleasant surprise, to say the least.
First up, Vincent Grenadin from the Knight Department.
A typical knight hailing from a martial family, he had good skills but was weak in real combat, unable to showcase his true abilities.
Considering I was strong in actual combat, my guess was correct that at least one person would be weak in that area.
What was important came next.
His tied-up hair shimmered in a golden hue resembling sunlight.
His stunning facial features were adorned with a gentle smile, which was soothing to look at.
Lastly, a woman dressed not in the school uniform but in white priestly robes, with a big chest area featuring the academy's logo.
Helena.
A student from the Divinity Department, just like me…
And also a candidate for the Saintess of the Church of Righteous Radiance.
I was pondering how to make contact with the Church of Righteous Radiance, and here she was.
Feeling fortunate, I was about to open my mouth for a brief introduction when Helena, who had approached a step ahead of me, glittered her golden eyes.
"Brother."
"Uh, yes. What is it, Priestess?"
"Do you, by any chance, want to fight?"
"???"
Why was she picking a fight all of a sudden?
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