Chapter 132: Cheer Up, Dorothy! (4)

The five stages of accepting ruin are said to be denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Dorothy, upon realizing all her necklaces were gone, went through this process diligently.

At first, she thought she must have dropped them somewhere nearby and frantically searched the area.

It had only been five minutes since she parted ways with Sion, and until that moment, she had definitely had the necklaces.

Convinced that she could recover them if she just searched carefully, she retraced her steps, desperately feeling around the ground.

But the truth was, her necklaces hadn’t simply fallen.

They’d been snatched away by some thug, making it impossible to find them no matter how hard she looked.

Next came anger.

She was furious with herself for making such a stupid mistake and failing to notice it.

Occasionally, she would indulge in the delusion that “maybe the hero stole them” (which, surprisingly, wasn’t far from the truth), redirecting her anger toward Sion.

However, each time, Philia would quash her suspicions with a blunt “I’ve been watching, and the hero didn’t do anything.”

After anger subsided, the bargaining stage began.

Accepting that she couldn’t recover the necklaces despite countless attempts, Dorothy resolved to hunt down the remaining monsters and collect points from scratch.

She didn’t need to restore all 2,000 points; Sion had revealed her score as 1,200 points, so she just needed to surpass that.

Even though there were less than 30 minutes left, Dorothy was fired up, believing she could do it.

But she overlooked one critical fact.

In this joint class, it was rare for any individual to collect even 1,000 points, let alone 2,000.

The total points scattered in the forest amounted to only 5,000, while the total number of students was 100.

The only reason over half the necklaces had been concentrated between two individuals this time was due to the exceptional capabilities of the two competing for first place.

The other 98 students hadn’t been sitting idly.

In short, the remaining 2,000 points Dorothy aimed to collect had long been divided among the other students.

As a result, when Dorothy embarked on her second hunt, the forest was completely devoid of monsters.

Even with her dragon sense, she couldn’t locate a single target.

And so, the result was:

“To think I couldn’t earn even a single point in the remaining time…”

When the students gathered after the class, Dorothy was deeply mired in the depression stage.

If it had been impossible from the start, like during the midterms, it might not have been so painful.

But this time, she had been close to the summit, making the situation all the more frustrating.

She couldn’t understand how she hadn’t realized she had lost the necklaces.

She had collected over 100 necklaces, yet she hadn’t noticed when she dropped them all.

Even retracing her steps to check yielded not a single necklace.

At this point, it was almost more plausible to believe Sion had used some bizarre trick to steal them.

-“That’s not the case, Master. As I’ve told you several times, based on my observations, the hero—”

-“I know, damn it! Just shut up already!” Dorothy snapped, cutting off the telepathic connection.

That damn creature always looked for opportunities to tease her.

One day, she swore, she’d cut it off for good.

“Haah…”

Dorothy sighed deeply, sprawled under a tree.

Failing to take first place was one thing, but at this rate, she’d be considered as having failed to participate properly in the class and would be forced to attend supplementary lessons.

It was truly unfair.

No one else, human or dragon, had participated in the hunt as passionately as she had.

Why do I have to suffer like this when I’ve done nothing wrong?

“Aaaah…”

Dorothy groaned in frustration, unable to vent to anyone.

Her endless sighs only made the surrounding air feel heavier.

-“Hmm…”

Meanwhile, there was one person watching Dorothy from a distance with concern.

It was the holy sword, Exia.

-“Hey, Sion.”

“What?”

-“Don’t you think you went a bit too far? She’s so dejected right now…” Exia glanced toward Dorothy.

Indeed, she looked like someone who had lost everything.

Negative emotions were pouring out of her as a dark aura surrounding her body.

But Sion shrugged nonchalantly, showing no sympathy.

“So what? This class doesn’t even affect grades.

It’s not like she’s suffered any real harm.

She might be down now, but she’ll probably forget all about it after a good night’s sleep.”

-“You’re awfully eloquent for someone who caused that despair to begin with under the guise of maintaining your image…”

Exia clicked her tongue.

-“And I don’t think she’s entirely unscathed.

Since you stripped her of her necklaces, she hasn’t earned a single one.

Didn’t they say anyone with zero points would have to attend supplementary lessons?

That means she’s suffering unnecessary losses because of you.”

“…True, that’s a fair point.”

After a moment of thought, Sion acknowledged Exia’s argument.

At the very least, she should ensure Dorothy avoided supplementary lessons.

After all, it was she who had stolen Dorothy’s 2,000 points and sunk them in the central lake of the forest.

Even Sion, for all her moral flaws, had that much conscience.

“Ahem, Dorothy?”

Clearing her throat, Sion approached Dorothy.

After checking that no one was watching, she crouched down and whispered softly.

“I heard you lost all the necklaces you’d collected?”

“So what?”

Dorothy replied curtly.

It was understandable.

From her perspective, it probably seemed like the hero had come to mock her and rub salt in her wounds.

No one would welcome having their misery pointed out.

However, contrary to her expectations, Sion spoke with a sincere expression of sympathy.

“It’s such a shame. I heard the score Dorothy recorded was unprecedented in all of Anatolia’s history, and now she’s lost the chance to officially announce it.

What’s more, being categorized as a zero-scorer and having to take remedial classes feels so unfair, even to me. So… about that…”

Sion fumbled around in her coat and pulled out a necklace worth 30 points, holding it out toward Dorothy.

“Here. It’s nothing special, but it’s a small gift from me. If you submit this, you can at least avoid failing, Dorothy.”

Dorothy’s eyes widened in disbelief.

She never imagined Sion would do something like this.

Someone who had openly shown competitiveness and hostility toward her was now helping her?

“B-But this is something you collected…”

“Yes, I did. Not just this one, but all the other necklaces as well.

But you worked hard too, Dorothy. You just had some bad luck and lost everything you’d collected.

Normally, I wouldn’t show this kind of kindness. I believe everyone should only take what they’ve earned.

However, I saw with my own eyes how you were leading the pack and how you carried that bag filled with necklaces.

For someone like you, who achieved so much, to end up with zero points and be forced to take remedial classes due to a single mistake?

That’s too much, don’t you think?

If I didn’t know, maybe I wouldn’t care. But since I do, ignoring it doesn’t feel right either. Besides, I have plenty of necklaces to spare.”

Sion smiled brightly, her expression radiating an elegance akin to that of a saint.

“So, take it. You don’t want to fail, do you, Dorothy? Or should I give you all the necklaces I have? I don’t mind either way.

After all, first place was originally yours.”

“Sion…!”

Dorothy looked at Sion with a face filled with emotion, her heart swelling with gratitude and joy.

At that moment, any hostility she felt toward Sion melted away like snow.

She had been so fixated on beating her, yet here Sion was, comforting and supporting her when she had fallen to the bottom due to a mistake.

What a narrow-minded and petty child she had been to view such a girl as an enemy.

“Sob, thank you so much. I won’t forget this kindness, and someday I’ll repay it…!”

Dorothy, who had been speaking with a tearful face, suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Her gaze became fixated on Sion’s palm.

“……..”

“?”

Sion tilted her head in confusion at Dorothy’s sudden change in demeanor.

“What’s wrong? Hurry up and take it. If you keep stalling, one of the teachers might see us.”

“……..”

Despite Sion’s urging, Dorothy remained silent, her eyes locked on the necklace in Sion’s hand.

The necklace. That’s right—the necklace.

The most direct proof of defeating a monster.

The collar they wore around their necks or arms until moments before they fell.

The design of the necklace didn’t need to be anything special. It was disposable, after all.

As a result, the necklace Sion held out to Dorothy had a shape that was undeniably familiar from a third-party perspective: a basic leather base, a metal buckle, and a paper tag with the score written on it.

To put it bluntly, it resembled a dog collar.

“……”

And in that instant, Dorothy became keenly aware of the situation she was in.

Sion, smiling as she held out a dog collar. And Dorothy, who had nearly grabbed it in tears out of gratitude.

From an objective standpoint, this scene looked as though…

‘It looks like I’m some kind of pet, thrilled to become her lapdog!!!’

Dorothy screamed internally.

Though it was unintentional on Sion’s part, even the way she held her hand seemed to say, “Come here, puppy!” or “Paw!”

Dorothy, who had never owned a pet herself, still recognized this pose from her travels in human form.

It was the posture people used when asking dogs to perform tricks.

And if she were to take that necklace, she’d be no different from those dogs.

“No…!”

Dorothy’s parched lips barely managed to move as she muttered.

“I don’t need it! Take it away!!!!

I’d rather take the remedial classes than become your pet!!!!”

With that, Dorothy smacked Sion’s hand away and bolted at full speed.

The speed was as astonishing as when she had rushed off after the grades were announced, kicking up a cloud of dust with her sheer strength.

Even when her arm hit a tree in the process, she didn’t falter.

Instead, she smashed the tree trunk to pieces and kept running.

Meanwhile, Sion stood in stunned silence, watching Dorothy’s retreating figure.

“What’s wrong with her? Why is she acting like that all of a sudden?”

-“Who knows…?”

Even Exia, who stood nearby, seemed baffled by Dorothy’s behavior.

They had tried to help by offering the necklace, only to have her get angry and storm off.

-“Maybe she felt insulted at being pitied? Like, ‘Don’t extend a hand to a loser!’ or something?”

“But then why did she initially thank me and almost take it?”

No matter how much they thought about it, they couldn’t understand the cause of Dorothy’s drastic and sudden reaction.

It was a gap that couldn’t be bridged from the perspectives of either the person offering the necklace or the observer.

“Well, whatever.”

Sion shrugged after pondering briefly.

“If she doesn’t want it, she doesn’t want it. If she’s willing to bear the loss herself, there’s no reason for me to stop her.

I’m not one to force my kindness onto someone who outright rejects it.”

With that, Sion lost all interest in Dorothy.

She wasn’t particularly curious about her anyway.

Sion had dealt with plenty of people who had tried to compete with her, including Lancia, so this wasn’t new.

In her eyes, Dorothy was just another person succumbing to jealousy.

Ultimately, Dorothy bore all the consequences of her actions during the class.

“Waaaaaah!!!”

The forest echoed with the tearful cries of a dragon, blended with anguish and frustration.

The cries continued endlessly until Philia finally came to retrieve her master much later.