chapter_0071

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
71

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
71

“Excuse me, Lady Allen.”

NPC #1 cautiously approached
while I was taking a break from my usual sparring session with Frey.

‘Yes?’

“What, NPC #1?”

“Aren’t we supposed to
coordinate before we enter?”

It was surprising to hear this
person, who seemed the most reluctant about this whole ordeal,
talking about coordination.

Why is she being so proactive?

Perhaps she noticed my
bewildered expression, as NPC #1 sighed.

“The esteemed Lady Allen and
Lady Kent might not realise this, but this duel has caused quite a
stir throughout the Academy.”

Apparently, the duel between
Arthur and me had become an even bigger sensation than I imagined.

A duel between the Third
Prince, who has been hailed as a genius since childhood, and a member
of the Allen Family who surpassed him to take first place in the
entrance exam.

“It’s become such a big
deal that people are even betting on it.”

Betting, huh?

There’s only one person who
would orchestrate something like this.

Seth, a merchant’s son who
will in the future lead a large merchant group.

His gambling activities are
reliable because he always emphasises the importance of trust.

‘The odds…’

“What are the odds?”

“That’s not what’s
important right now.”

‘It is important.’

“NPC #1, I am the one who
decides what’s important, not a sloppy person like you. Answer me.”

“…1.1 to 10.”

There was no need to ask who
had the 1.1 odds.

It must be Arthur, of course.
From what I’ve heard, Arthur’s team consists of only the best
first-year students.

For the front line, there’s
Jack.

Arthur himself, who is
versatile enough to handle both front and back positions.

And even Matthew, who despite
being overshadowed by Phoebe, is a prodigious talent as a clergyman.

It’s so well-known that these
three are preparing together for Saturday that even an outcast like
me has heard about it.

In contrast, what about me?

I’m not even sure if I have a
competent party.

Practice runs for the dungeon?

I haven’t done that even once.

So where do you think the
trust would go?

But aren’t the odds too high?

It’s not like I haven’t shown
my capabilities.

I ranked first in the entrance
exam, proving my talent.

I’ve also demonstrated my
combat prowess by sparring with Frey.

If my party consists of just
Frey and me, we shouldn’t be that far behind, so why is it as high as
10?

Of course, if they’re handing
out free money, I’ll take it.

I’ll have to ask Karl to place
a bet with Seth later.

The limit was 10 gold coins
per person, right?

Even at that, it amounts to
100 gold coins already.

Sigh.

It’s so sweet, I feel like my
teeth are going to rot.

“Anyway, this competition
is the talk of the entire Academy. If we lose miserably here, what do
you think they’ll say?”

Seriously, worrying over
nothing.

‘Why are you already
thinking about losing?’

“Sloppy cowardly Lady.
Why are you thinking about losing? Are you a pessimist to the core,
like a third-rate NPC?”

“How could we possibly
win? Even if Lady Kent and Lady Allen are strong in combat, the
dungeon isn’t decided by strength alone!”

NPC #1 isn’t entirely wrong.

Conquering a dungeon is never
solely about strength.

While having combat prowess
makes things easier, what’s more important is knowledge about the
dungeon.

But NPC #1 doesn’t know one
thing.

Strength isn’t all I have.

‘NPC…’

“NPC #1, if I were just a
dumb brute, how did I come in first place in the Academy entrance
exam?”

“That was… compensation
for the last incident…”

Ah, so that’s how ordinary
people think?

They believe there’s no way
someone like me could achieve first place in the Academy entrance
exam through legitimate means?

I suppose it’s more believable
to think that someone who lived as a delinquent all their life
resorted to underhanded methods to get first place rather than
changing in just a year.

No wonder the odds are so
high.

People’s trust in me is at
rock bottom, so even pulling in Frey hasn’t raised us much.

Seeing NPC #1 glance at me
worriedly after their slip of the tongue, I can’t help but sigh.
Originally, I planned to say a few words right before we entered the
dungeon, but maybe I should explain a bit in advance.

‘Excuse me.’

“NPC #1, are you free
today?”

“What? Yes!”

‘Just a moment…’

“Wait here for a bit.”

After telling NPC #1 that I
approached Frey.

When I mentioned that I had
something to discuss about tomorrow’s dungeon strategy, Frey
questioned why we even needed a strategy.

“Can’t we just cut down
everything in our path?”

I was stunned beyond belief; I
had to question if her brain even existed.

If an ordinary person said
this, I would think they were just confident about their skills. But
with Frey, it was different.

This girl genuinely believed
this and acted accordingly.

If left to her own devices,
she’d most likely charge at the enemies and ruin the dungeon
strategy, just like in the game.

But it’s alright.

I do have a way to somewhat
keep Frey in check.

‘Frey…’

“Sloppy Swordswoman, I am
the leader of the dungeon strategy, not a fool like you.”

“Yes, I know.”

‘You have to follow my
orders.’

“Not your beastly brain,
but my decisions.”

“Why?”

Frey tilted her head, puzzled
by what I said.

I expected this.

When I first tried to raise
Frey’s affection level in the game, this ‘why’ question caused
me a lot of headaches.

Responding with logic doesn’t
work here.

Frey had already decided her
answer in her heart.

To convince her, I must choose
one of two options. There are two ways to handle her: respond in line
with her own world or be as stubborn as she is.

This time, I chose the latter.

‘If not, I won’t spar with
you anymore.’

“If you don’t follow my
orders, I won’t spar with a sloppy swordswoman like you.”

It seemed that Frey was
obsessed with sparring with me.

Normally, she wouldn’t show
interest in anyone until her affection level rose to a certain point,
but the fact that she sought me out was telling.

Though she never sought me out
aside from our sparring sessions, it didn’t seem like her affection
level had increased that much.

I wasn’t sure why, but since
there was a method I could use, I had to take advantage of it.

Upon hearing my firm
declaration that I wouldn’t spar with her, Frey’s eyes widened.

“Why? You said we would keep
sparring.”

‘That was…’

“That was if I defeated the
Pitiful Prince.”

Frey rolled her eyes, as if
thinking it over, then nodded.

“Alright.”

She seemed to agree, so she
should hold back a bit now.

Given her nature, she might
still act out a bit, but it should be within predictable limits.

And at that level, Frey was a
controllable variable for me.

Having gotten Frey’s
agreement, I led her and NPC #1 to my dormitory.

There, I showed them various
items I had prepared and shared my plan.

“…I should tell my friend
to bet on the underdog.”

After hearing everything, NPC
#1 said this.

On the day of the competition,
Arthur started his workout session early in the training yard.

From the moment they entered
the dungeon, there would be no chance to rest.

He needed to warm up
thoroughly before the gruelling challenge began.

“Already out here, Third
Prince?”

Arthur, who was in the middle
of his workout, turned his head at the voice calling him.

Standing there, with a spear
resting on his shoulder, was Jack Burrow.

“For a warm-up, it seems
a bit intense, don’t you think?”

“I know my body best.”

“Of course, but I
wondered if you were perhaps influenced by them.”

Jack gestured with his eyes
toward Lucy Allen and Frey Kent.

The two of them, who sparred
fiercely every morning and evening, were at it again on the day of
the competition.

They looked as if one of them
might get seriously injured, giving Arthur an easy win.

“Do humans get influenced
by beasts’ fights?”

“Haha, you’re right.”

‘Me, getting tense because
of that brat? Impossible.’

Arthur shook his head
decisively, putting an end to Jack’s doubts.

There was no reason to be
affected.

Because today’s victory was
already as good as decided.

Even just outwardly, it was
clear.

Though Lucy Allen was
competent enough, Frey Kent was merely a strong beast who listened to
no one.

And their other party member
was a regular student coerced into joining by Lucy Allen.

In contrast, Arthur’s side
had the students who ranked third and fourth in the entrance exams,
one of them an aspiring clergyman, Matthew, almost certain to become
a future Cardinal.

The difference in power was
evident.

So much so that victory could
be declared based on this alone.

However, Arthur was not one to
grow complacent. He first gathered information about the Academy
Dungeon from the students who were climbing it.

Details on its internal
structure.

What the internal map looked
like.

What needed to be prepared.

Even strategies for navigating
it.

Everything.

Although students were
currently stuck at the 30th floor, meaning there was no information
beyond that point, it didn’t matter.

Lucy Allen was arrogant.

She hadn’t made any
preparations for tackling the dungeon.

No minimal effort to
understand its structure.

No preparations of various
supplies for the challenge.

She hadn’t even thought to
gather her party members to practise coordination.

It was as if she believed she
could easily defeat someone like Arthur without such preparations.

‘Did she think that her
overwhelming talent, which allowed her to surpass everyone within
just a year, meant she didn’t need to bother with any of that?

How arrogant and presumptuous,
Lucy Allen.

Do you think you can defeat me
with that kind of attitude?

I won’t deny that you’re a
genius.

Maybe you’ll even shatter my
expectations and surpass the 30th floor.

But that doesn’t matter. Since
today, I haven’t prepared for defeat.

If the day comes when you
shatter my expectations, then…’

Maybe it’s because I said I
wouldn’t spar with her if I lost.

But today, Frey was
relentless.

And we haven’t even entered
the dungeon yet, but I already feel drained.

After taking a light shower
and preparing to enter the dungeon, I stepped outside to find someone
waiting for me.

“Miss.”

“Lady Allen.”

In front of the dormitory
stood Karl and Joy together.

It made sense for Karl to be
here since he was joining me in the dungeon today, but what was Joy
doing here?

The moment Joy saw my face,
she let out a sigh.

“Do you have any sense or
not?”

Eh? Why the sudden nagging?

It’s been a while since we
last talked, isn’t it?

“How can you challenge the
Third Prince so confidently without any preparations?”

Seeing Joy pinch her eyebrows
in frustration made me realise she was concerned about me.

She really is a kind person.

“Here, this is the
information gathered so far on the Academy Dungeon, and this…”

‘Joy…’

“Airhead Lady, do you think
I need this?”

Because I’ve already prepared
everything I need.

“Lady Allen, you haven’t
prepared anything. If it’s because of your pride, then drop it.”

‘I have.’

“Do you think I’m as
airheaded as you? I’ve already prepared everything to win.”

I don’t know what kind of
preparations Arthur has made, but it doesn’t matter.

I’m not incompetent enough to
lose to an NPC.

‘I’ll be back victorious.’

“I’ll return with a win,
so just sit back and watch, Airhead Lady.”

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