chapter_0234

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
234

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
234

Is it now?

The Second Prince, Cecil, who
had been focusing on supporting others while moving between the
vanguard and the middle, now gripped his greatsword with both hands.

As he inhaled and exhaled,
black energy flowed out, soon engulfing his greatsword in a dark
aura.

Aura. A technique exclusive to
those who have surpassed a certain level and a qualification similar
to that of a knight.

By the second year at the
Academy, talented individuals might awaken to their aura, but most
can only imitate it at best.

The deep and dense aura that
Cecil wielded was on a different level from those.

His aura was so complete that
even seasoned knights would struggle to bear it.

“Your Highness!”

Having finished preparing for
a single strike, Cecil raised his sword high at his subordinate’s
cry.

“Graaawr!”

The weakened Yeti, which had
been blocking their path as the boss of the dungeon after previously
hindering their ascent, sensed the threat of Cecil’s sword but could
do nothing.

Cecil’s party members flanked
the Yeti, giving it no chance to escape.

“I’m going.”

Cecil’s sword was not so
poorly handled that he would miss even an opponent that couldn’t
move.

Naturally, the stroke he
delivered landed right at the centre of the Yeti’s head, splitting it
in half.

“As expected of the
Second Prince!”

“A single strike.”

It was only natural for others
to marvel at the Second Prince, as he had striked down an opponent
whose thick hide had made it difficult to inflict anything more than
superficial wounds in a single blow for them.

The one who had achieved this
feat, Cecil, clicked his tongue, unsatisfied with the impact.

The slower they moved, the
more Lucy Allen’s progress here would be significantly delayed.

“Barson. How long did it
take to clear the 10th floor?”

“35 minutes, sir.”

35 minutes. Though that was an
exceedingly fast pace on average, Cecil found the situation less than
satisfactory.

Their opponent this time was
none other than Lucy Allen. When it came to dungeons, she possessed
knowledge surpassing even his older brother’s.

“Everyone. There’s no need
to rest yet, is there?”

“Of course not, Your
Highness.”

“Compared to dungeons
outside, this was like a walk in the park.”

“How many dungeons have we
conquered by now? We won’t get tired from just this.”

It was practically a
declaration of a forced march, but the Second Prince’s party members
welcomed the challenge.

The people present had
attacked countless dungeons with Cecil.

For those who had surpassed
the dungeon conquest requirements expected of second-year students at
the Academy and continuously tested their limits, moving for less
than an hour wasn’t even considered warming up.

“Good. Today, we’ll clear at
least half of the Academy Dungeon.”

‘Lucy Allen. I don’t know
how much you and those around you have grown so far.

But now that I’ve acquired
what the rumours called your blessing—the ability to understand all
the dungeon’s structures—everything else will surely be in my
favour.

This competition will end in
your utter defeat.’

Arthur was unable to hide his
anxiety over Lucy Allen’s reckless behaviour.

Even if one chose the three
most capable individuals nearby to accompany her, it would still be a
daunting task to tackle that dungeon alone!

Moreover, it wasn’t just a
simple duel; she was competing against the Second Prince in such an
eccentric manner! How could this even be considered rational?

He is someone who should never
be underestimated!

He is only seen as weak
because the First Prince exists beside him.

The current Knight Commander
has acknowledged him as a genius, and he has conquered countless
dungeons since joining the Academy as a second-year student.

He is undoubtedly an
intimidating opponent.

‘No matter how skilled you
are, Lucy Allen, this is not someone you can underestimate or deal
with using just any means and methods!’

“…Sigh.”

Of course, Arthur understood
why Lucy Allen had made such a choice.

Despite her rough and often
frowned-upon remarks and seemingly thoughtless actions, Lucy Allen
was someone who cared deeply about those around her.

She was good at fulfilling
requests, willingly joined others when necessary, pondered the best
way to help when asked, and above all, she appeared to save her
friends from danger without a second thought, putting her life on the
line.

If she thought she would cause
trouble for others, she wouldn’t ask for help and would bear the
burden alone.

Look at what happened when the
First Prince was insulted.

She never reached out for help
despite being in trouble. She tried to handle everything on her own.

It would surely be the same
this time.

Though Lucy claimed it was
simply faster and more convenient for her to tackle the challenge
alone, Arthur didn’t believe her.

It wasn’t a word that made
sense. It was obviously an excuse.

An excuse to avoid causing
unnecessary trouble for Arthur and those around her.

Taking responsibility for her
own actions is commendable. However, it would be nice if she
understood that people still worried about her.

Or better yet, perhaps she
should just avoid creating problems in the first place.

Then, there would be no need
to worry the people around her, cause any trouble, or bear such
burdens alone.

‘Why do you keep causing
trouble?

As someone of your stature,
you must know what wise judgments are. You should be aware of the
right direction to take for things to go smoothly.

So why do you act as if you
are desperate not to cause incidents and accidents?’

“Phoebe, aren’t you
worried?”

Arthur, who had been sighing
and pressing his temples, looked up at Joy’s voice.

“You mean Lady Allen?”

“Yes. I thought Phoebe
would be very worried since she cares about Lady Allen, but you seem
quite calm.”

Just as Joy said, recently,
Phoebe had been noticeably close to Lucy Allen.

She was always next to her
during meals, greeted her with a bright smile whenever they passed
by, and often started conversations. So much so that rumours were
spreading about Lucy Allen being favoured by the Saint.

Given this, it was only
natural for Phoebe to be worried about Lucy, but her expression
seemed unusually serene.

“Believe it or not, I’m
extremely worried on the inside.”

“Really? But…”

“It’s only because I
trust Lady Allen that much. I believe she wouldn’t make such a
decision without a good reason.”

As soon as Arthur heard
Phoebe’s words, a thought flashed through his mind.

‘What if, just what if, she
had unavoidable reasons that forced her to cause trouble?

What if there was a reason
that made everyone resent her?

Yes, this would make much more
sense. It was more reasonable to think that she kept causing trouble
for a good reason, considering her sufficient wisdom.’

“The rankings are coming
up.”

Arthur’s train of thought,
which had been rapidly accelerating, came to a stop at Frey’s voice.

The rankings of those
attempting to conquer the Academy Dungeon.

The names of those currently
in the lead.

It took quite a while for the
group to find the name they were searching for as they examined the
rankings from the bottom up.

Lucy Allen and Cecil Soladin.

Of the two names, Cecil’s
appeared on the board first.

His name at the top revealed
the state of the competition.

“As expected, the Second
Prince.”

“Would this be the result
if he decided to seriously tackle the Academy Dungeon?”

“She was so confident
going in alone, but I don’t even see Lucy Allen’s name.”

“My… My money! My
longshot bet!”

They had reached the 28th
floor.

It had been less than two
hours since they entered the dungeon, yet they seemed to have already
cleared a quarter of it.

Arthur understood the reason
for the commotion around him.

The record was overwhelmingly
impressive. It was a pace that might be inscribed in the Academy’s
history.

No matter how exceptional Lucy
Allen was, it seemed impossible for her to catch up to such a record
alone.

“…Huh?”

The commotion near the
entrance of the dungeon soon turned into a hush.

The name Cecil Soladin had
moved down one spot, and above it, a new name was inscribed.

Lucy Allen. Current floor.

57th floor.

“Isn’t there something wrong
here?”

“An error… perhaps?”

“Should we ask the professor
in charge?”

The number was so
overwhelmingly high that it made them doubt whether the record was
real or fake.

“Pfft, haha!”

In the midst of everyone
blinking their eyes at him, Arthur couldn’t help but burst into
laughter.

People’s attention converged
on the noise breaking the silence, but Arthur didn’t care.

‘Was it a misunderstanding?

A misconception?

Did you go in alone simply
because you move faster when alone, dropping the burden that is us to
achieve your true speed?!

I can’t even imagine how
frustrated you must have been when we didn’t believe your words!

…Still, I will ask.

With your wisdom, I will
inquire why you caused the trouble. Whether it was out of sentiment
or if there were unavoidable circumstances.’