chapter_0069

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
69

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
69

Arthur’s conditions for the
challenge were as follows:

We had to delve into the
dungeon.

The competition would start at
11 a.m. on the upcoming Saturday, five days from now, and continue
until 6 p.m. that day. The winner would be the one who advanced the
furthest.

Dungeon team members had to be
composed of first-year students, excluding professors or
upperclassmen.

Attacking each other was
forbidden.

There were several other minor
rules, but those weren’t worth paying much attention to.

Grandpa asked softly as soon
as I parted ways with Arthur.

‘What else? I have to win.’

That’s indeed a problem.

My reputation isn’t the
best, to begin with.

Word must have spread that I
had a confrontation with Arthur, the Third Prince, just moments ago.
In this situation, who would side with me?

Who would risk incurring
Arthur’s wrath to align themselves with the Rowdy Lady?

Probably no one.

And even if there was someone
like that, they’d likely be crazy, and it’d be better not to take
them along.

‘But there is one person.’

Normally, Frey, who is walking
beside me right now, would be such a person. But in this situation,
she seems like an angel.

‘Frey…’

“Sloppy swordsman.”

“You’re asking if I’m
going to join your party, right?”

Oh? Why is she unusually
perceptive today?

Normally, even if I said
something, she would tilt her head in confusion.

“I’ll do it. But I have a
condition.”

A condition Frey might want?

Is there even such a thing?

She’s someone who thinks
swinging her sword and sparring is enough.

“Spar with me!”

“What? Spar?”

“Yeah! Every day!”

“We already spar so much
that it’s boring. Sloppy swordsman, did you hit your head or
something?”

Frey and I spar every evening
after classes end.

Since both Frey and I are
among the top in our grade, sparring with each other is beneficial.

So asking to spar can’t really
be considered a request.

“You might make an excuse
and not do it later!”

Ah, so this is to put a leash
around me in advance, so I can’t run away later?

You’re usually so naive, but
sometimes you’re surprisingly cunning.

‘Got it.’

“Got it, sloppy
swordsman.”

From the beginning, I had no
intention of running away from sparring with Frey.

It’s so hard to find someone
to spar with me in this damn Academy.

Ever since I beat a third-year
senior to gain the [Underdog] skill, everyone in the training hall
avoids making eye contact with me.

The only one who could replace
Frey is Karl, but he’s been busy lately, so it’s hard to call him out
of the blue.

“Deal?”

“Yes.”

Frey, satisfied with my nod,
ran ahead solo.

‘I’ll have to think about
that.’

Given the current situation,
the best balance would be either Phoebe or Joy.

Since I’m enough for the
vanguard, I need someone to support from the rear.

Joy would be ideal as a party
member since I can take on the healing role, but I haven’t spoken to
her since the Pitiful Prince incident.

I’m not sure what she thinks
of me now.

Knowing her good nature, she
wouldn’t hate me, but I doubt she’ll help either.

As for Phoebe…

Well, with her pure, white
heart, if I begged on my knees, maybe she’d help out of pity.

But with the [Mesugaki] Skill,
there’s no way I could debase myself like that.

I’d probably end up saying
something like, “Sloppy Saint, I’m giving you a chance to help
me.”

Still, I should at least ask.
If it doesn’t work out, I’ll have to resort to coercing an extra.

“Third Prince.”

During lunch at the Academy.

Arthur, who was eating with
his friends, shrugged when he saw Joy Partan approaching him
unexpectedly.

Her expression was never good,
but it was worse today.

Additionally, seeing her come
alone without anyone else around meant she was quite angry.

“Joy, what’s the matter?”

“I have something to tell
you. Can we talk alone?”

“Hmm. It’s good timing,
actually. I also have something to say.”

Arthur, maintaining his
princely demeanour, asked his friends for their understanding and
then headed to the garden outside the dining hall with Joy.

As soon as they arrived at a
secluded spot, Joy spoke in an icy tone.

“I think you can guess
why I’ve come to see you.”

“Is it because I proposed
a competition to Lucy Allen?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“I don’t see what the
problem is. It’s just a fair contest.”

“Fair? From what I hear,
all the conditions are unfavourable for Lady Allen.”

Setting the condition to clear
the dungeon itself was already a disadvantage. Unlike Lucy, who
struggled to assemble a four-person party, Arthur could form any team
he desired.

No matter how exceptional Lucy
Allen may be individually, the difference in party members would
inevitably put her at a disadvantage.

And that’s not all. Adding a
clause prohibiting combat between the parties. Not restricting the
use of Artefacts. Every single condition favoured Arthur.

Even the rewards of the
contest were biassed. Arthur stood to lose nothing, while Lucy stood
to lose everything. Calling this fair was an insult to the God of
Contracts.

“Why is that a problem?
It was a mutual agreement.”

When Arthur calmly answered,
Joy’s eyes intensified.

“Didn’t you force a
situation where she had no choice but to agree?”

Hearing this, Arthur
acknowledged her words with a smile.

After all, it was true that he
had pressured Lucy Allen using her reputation.

“Even so, a nod of
agreement is still an agreement.”

It was Lucy Allen who accepted
the proposal, fearing the gaze and criticism of others.

As Arthur said this, Joy fell
silent.

Technically, there was nothing
wrong with what Arthur did.

“Besides, wasn’t it Lucy
Allen who started all this? The reason I decided to do this in the
first place is that she called me the Pitiful Prince.”

From a moral standpoint, there
was nothing to criticise him for either.

It was Lucy Allen who had
first provoked Arthur.

Arthur had merely chosen to
retaliate for his insult.

“I don’t understand why
you’re blaming me.”

Joy, too, was aware of these
facts.

No matter how much she had
grown up like a sheltered flower, she was still the Lady of a Duke’s
family.

She had at least a basic sense
of politics.

“Joy, do you still think
you owe Lucy Allen?”

Nevertheless, the reason Joy
came to see Arthur was purely because she considered Lucy Allen her
benefactor.

Arthur pointed this out, and
Joy bit her lip slightly.

“Yes, that’s right. Is
that wrong?”

“No, it’s not wrong. It’s
just a bit disappointing.”

Arthur voiced his reply and
took a step closer to Joy.

Though Joy was considered tall
for a woman, compared to a man like Arthur, she was much smaller.
Arthur, with eyes as blue as ice crystals, looked down at her.

“We’ve known each other
for so long, yet you choose to side with that arrogant lady.”

“My parents taught me to
repay kindness properly.”

“You’ve been
well-educated by excellent parents.”

Despite Arthur’s almost
threatening tone, Joy did not back down, which made Arthur smirk
inwardly.

In the past, she would have
displayed signs of fear.

She certainly has changed a
lot since returning from that dungeon.

“So, what is it you want
to say?”

“From the beginning, you
never intended to forgive Lady Allen. You proposed the competition
just to humiliate her. It’s malicious.”

“That’s right, Joy.
You’re correct. So, what’s wrong with that?”

When Joy finished speaking,
Arthur raised his voice, spreading his arms wide.

“My teachings are
different from yours. I learned to repay both kindness and grudges
properly.

Lucy Allen hurt my pride. She
targeted my most vulnerable spot!

So, I will repay her by making
her feel humiliated! Do you think something is wrong with my
thinking? Do you?”

Arthur shouted, veins standing
out in his neck, but when he saw Joy’s stern face, he cleared his
throat and swept a hand over his face.

“If that’s what you think,
you have no intention of listening to my proposal.”

“Were you asking me to join
your party?”

“Yes.”

“I must respectfully
decline. However, considering my connection to you, I won’t assist
Lady Allen either.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

As Joy was about to leave
after saying her piece, Arthur grabbed her.

“Joy, let me ask you one
thing.”

“What is it?”

“Who do you think will win?”

“Lady Allen will win.”

Despite having just ranted
about how disadvantaged and unfair Lucy’s situation seemed, Joy
responded without a moment of hesitation to Arthur’s question. Arthur
let out a dry laugh at this.

“Why do you think that?”

“Didn’t I tell you? If it
wasn’t for Lady Allen, I would be dead.”

Up until now, no matter how
much Joy spoke highly of Lucy Allen, no one believed her. To
everyone, Lucy Allen was just the Rowdy Lady.

They all thought Lady Partan
was modest, despite it being baseless chatter. Nevertheless, Joy
continued to speak about Lucy Allen because it was the truth.

“Though I have little
experience in dungeon conquests, I don’t think there’s anyone who
can conquer a dungeon better than Lady Allen.”

With that, Joy finished
speaking, bowed, and turned away. Once she was gone, Arthur stood
alone, staring into the void, and let out a long sigh.

Phoebe, unfortunately, turned
down my request. She said she couldn’t support either side because
it was difficult to say who was right. It was a very Saint-like thing
to say.

I had anticipated this from
the beginning, so I wasn’t surprised at all. The fact that the
Saint did not side with Arthur was a consolation.

Given the situation, I had
only one choice remaining.

It was evening, after the
day’s lessons had ended. NPC #1 (Bisi) who made eye contact with me
hurriedly got up from her chair to escape, but she was a weak
Necromancer, and I was a Paladin.

There was no way someone like
her, with inferior physical abilities, could outrun me.

Half-dragging her, I sat her
down at the table. She nervously clasped her legs together and
watched my reactions.

“What do you need?”

‘I need someone to work
with.’

“I need people, so I figured
I’d enlist even a sloppy NPC like you.”

Upon hearing my intention, NPC
#1’s face turned deathly pale.

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