episode_0331

In a moment of impulse, I uttered words that even surprised myself. It was a tone that deviated slightly from the basic etiquette between a master and a maid, forgetting even the most fundamental manners.

Fortunately, as soon as the words left my mouth, I quickly regained my composure and bowed my head, offering an apology to Edan for my earlier behavior.

“I apologize. I made a mistake in addressing you, Master…”

“…It’s okay, Relise. I don’t think it was such a big mistake.”

Bowing deeply at the dining table and apologizing, I received Edan’s forgiveness with his usual smile. The sense of shame I felt was so deep that I wanted to bury myself in the ground. My earlier statement was beyond ridiculous, even in my own opinion.

Not only did I act disrespectfully towards Edan, a nobleman I serve, but I also crossed the line by implying that the reason he didn’t share a bed with me was due to… well, a ridiculous act that would warrant me tying a noose around my own neck if there was a sturdy rope nearby.

“Well, it’s Edan’s reward in the first place, so it’s up to him whether to accept it or not.”

And if we were to analyze it further, the reason for such an act was to please Edan, to improve his skills, and to provide him with a reward.

So, even without any lingering regrets for such a lewd act, if winning against Harold in the duel allowed me to please Edan and improve his skills, then it must be a good thing for Edan too…

“…But, my heart feels a bit heavy.”

Is my body so numb that I don’t feel anything, whether I do it or not?

Or am I already tired of it, but I pretended not to be sorry for saying such things to me?

Just as various negative thoughts were swirling in my mind, Edan’s urgent explanation, or rather excuse, came.

“I hope you don’t misunderstand, Relise. It doesn’t mean I’m giving up the reward for winning against my father.”

“…What?”

“Well, starting tomorrow, we have a week-long geology exploration class, right? I’m not sure how long this exploration will take, but I thought it might be risky to go with too much fatigue tonight, so I wanted to adjust my condition.”

“Oh… Is that the reason…?”

“So, after this geology exploration class is over, we’ll have a week off again, so let’s do it when we have some time to spare. It seems there was a bit of a misunderstanding.”

“…”

Ah, how embarrassing.

I really want to die.

“I’m sorry. Even though I’m Edan’s exclusive maid, I failed to understand Edan’s intentions.”

“It’s okay, Relise. I was actually relieved. I also found out that you’re waiting for a ‘reward’ after the duel just like me.”

“…”

“I’m looking forward to your return from the geology exploration, Relise.”

“…”

In a moment of unnecessary suspicion, I added another useless black mark to Edan.

***

A night passed without any incident after Edan’s victory in the swordsmanship duel against Harold, and the next day.

The misunderstanding that Edan didn’t expect a reward from me was quickly resolved thanks to Edan’s additional words, but the embarrassment and awkwardness between me and Edan that momentarily flowed during that process remained, even now, a day later.

And as a result of that misunderstanding, the atmosphere inside the carriage on the way to the ‘geology exploration’ class was particularly awkward today, with me deliberately avoiding looking at Edan and him sending fleeting glances in my direction.

Now, once again, if we go into the geology exploration class, we’ll have to stick together for at least three days to a maximum of six days. If the atmosphere in the geology exploration class is like this all the time, probably either me or Ethan would have collapsed from suffocation.

“Ahem, E-Ethan, sir.”

“Why, why did you call me, Lillis?”

“I want to briefly explain the information I know about the geology exploration class, are you okay to hear it now?”

“…Sure, go ahead since I’m okay now.”

After deliberately steering the conversation towards the class-related content, I naturally opened up the topic of conversation. Anyway, once we enter the dungeon, whether we like it or not, we’ll have to stick together just like we did during the last natural science exploration class.

And as I mentioned before, Ethan and I don’t have much time left to be together. It would be a waste of time to feel awkward over trivial matters, so each day’s time is too precious.

“First of all, I think the professor evaluates three main things in this geology exploration class. The speed of dungeon conquest, the stability of dungeon conquest, and the appropriate role distribution among party members…”

While discussing various topics, the carriage carrying Ethan and me had already entered the stage of this geology exploration class, the ‘Dungeon City.’

Hopefully, this exploration subject will end smoothly just like the last natural science exploration class.

***

The so-called geology exploration class, also known as dungeon exploration, was an integral part of the preparation process.

The stage of the class was the ‘Dungeon City’ located in the southeast of the empire. It was a region where the city was named ‘Dungeon City’ because there were dungeons and a city.

Usually, each region has one, very rarely two underground dungeons, but this city had a whopping four dungeons.

Moreover, all four dungeons had their own difficulty levels and characteristics, so this area also served as a tourist city where many adventurers frequently visited for dungeon exploration.

“Now, I will explain the credit criteria for the geology exploration class to you four.”

The other students listened attentively to the explanation of the muscular professor, who clearly gave off a sports vibe.

Since nearly half of the combat-oriented students participated in the class, I casually glanced around at quite a few students.

The hero party was all present. Among the other familiar faces were Gwin, the vice president of the student council, and Karaham, who was walking alone without Liria for a change.

During the process of looking around, my eyes momentarily met Karaham’s, so I deliberately avoided his gaze. I didn’t want that guy to disturb the opportunity for Ethan and me to strategize the dungeon conquest alone.

“Well… if that muscle-brained guy’s personality is anything to go by, he’ll probably just charge into a solo dungeon and swing his weapon around.”

As I mentioned earlier, there are four dungeons in this Dungeon City. Each dungeon has different recommended numbers of participants and difficulty levels.

The easiest dungeon is a solo dungeon recommended for one person. If you set your mind to it, you could clear it within half a day.

Next is a two-person dungeon recommended for two people. You could clear it within a day if you force a time attack play, but usually, it takes about two days.

The four-person dungeon recommended for four people takes about three days to clear when approached conventionally, and finally, the largest and most difficult dungeon, the large dungeon, requires forming a complete party of eight members and exploring the dungeon almost non-stop for about four days.

I roughly understood that the last dungeon was where Gaitmyojoshegi and his party members would enter. In the first place, since there was no one who could conquer the large dungeon without the physical and abilities of the hero party, this dungeon would be the classroom for Gaitmyo and his party members throughout this class.

And of course, Ethan and I were planning to tackle the two-person dungeon over two days in a traditional manner.

With only four dungeons to explore, some might wonder how it’s possible for all academy students to explore dungeons for a week when it takes days to clear just one.

However, assuming that every student enrolled in the geology exploration class would excel in dungeon exploration was a big mistake.

Entering a dungeon that takes two days to clear and fleeing outside before half a day has passed, or entering a four-person party into a dungeon that takes three days to clear and experiencing a total party wipeout in just one day, were not uncommon sights.

“The moment the necklace I gave you is destroyed, the test is over. Think of this as your life and make sure not to lose it inside the dungeon.”

By the way, the necklace I gave you is an item called the ‘Necklace of Return,’ a specialty product of the dungeon city.

If you lose your life inside a dungeon in the dungeon city, the necklace is destroyed instead, and the user’s body is transferred to the church in the dungeon city as a form of artifact.

In fact, it was so outrageously expensive that it could be considered a major source of income for this dungeon city. Of course, it was also a way for students to make use of their expensive tuition fees.

“The geology exploration class is a subject that uses relative evaluation, not absolute evaluation, unlike natural science or solar science exploration. The team that clears each dungeon the fastest according to the recommended number of participants will receive an A+. The next is an A, followed by a B+. Scores are given in this way. Well, even if the exploration is delayed, as long as you pass, you will receive a C, so do your best until the end.

If you come out of the dungeon due to lack of preparation or if your necklace is broken, every single one of you will be treated as an F. However, there may be cases where some party members complete the dungeon with broken necklaces. In that case, listen to the situation, and if the sacrifice is deemed reasonable, I will exempt you from an F, so do your best until the end, even if some members leave in the middle.”

“Professor, how is the order of dungeon exploration determined?”

“It’s first come, first served. By the way, I won’t accept any complaints about someone coming out late and not being able to take the test within the time frame. The dungeon exploration process itself is the test.”

“Me, me! We’ll go in first!”

“We’re the first for the four-person dungeon! Everyone move aside!”

“Don’t push, you jerk!”

As soon as the geology exploration professor finished speaking, several groups of students crowded towards the dungeon entrance, claiming they would enter first.

Ethan and I, slightly distanced from those students, walked towards the commercial district of the dungeon city, thinking about the remaining six days of the test period.

In this ‘geology exploration’ class, the most important thing to consider in dungeon exploration was not whether you could enter the dungeon or not.