Chapter Index

    “Now, follow me. And don’t forget to act natural.”

    “Even if you say ‘act natural’…”

    “It’s not hard. Just look around casually and pretend you wandered in by chance. You already know the location, after all.”

    After stuffing all the clothes we’d bought into subspace, Cecilia and I headed toward the plaza where the other two were waiting.

    The plan was to meet the two people Cecilia had arranged—already dressed in academy uniforms—and blend in as students out for a casual stroll. But…

    “Even so, isn’t this way too conspicuous?”

    The other three of us might go unnoticed, but Cecilia was already a celebrity whose face was known across the entire empire.

    No matter where she went, rumors were bound to spread.

    “Don’t worry. I’ve already accounted for that.”

    With those words, Cecilia pulled out four roughly crafted rings from inside her coat.

    “These rings are enchanted with disguise and stealth magic. We’ll need them to enter the dungeon.”

    “But are you really sure about this, Lady Cecilia? Tackling a dungeon with just the four of us…”

    “Since it’s a dungeon owned by the church, safety is guaranteed. Besides, this will be our assignment.”

    “Assignment?”

    “You’ll understand once we’re inside. Why this dungeon is being maintained.”

    ——

    “Welcome. The four of you, I presume? Any introductions?”

    “We were referred by Priest List.”

    “Ah, I see.”

    The man in priestly robes grinned greedily as he scraped together a money pouch.

    “Enough with the pleasantries. Let’s hurry inside. Which way do we go?”

    “Here for entertainment, or for hunting?”

    “Hunting.”

    “I thought as much. The entrance is that way. What happens inside is not our responsibility. As you know, the dungeon boss is off-limits.”

    “Disgusting.”

    “Is that… a human?”

    “Heretics who don’t believe in the gods. Best not to pay them any mind.”

    Says the one who doesn’t believe in gods either. Smooth talker.

    Thud!

    “Gurgle…”

    “Gyahk!”

    “Too easy.”

    The dungeon was swarming with imps, but they were low-tier even among lower-class monsters—hardly a match for our party.

    Their numbers were overwhelming, but Cecilia’s buffs elevated us to a level comparable to adventurers several ranks above academy students.

    “I’m getting used to dungeon crawling now. But Grave’s elites…”

    “Useless.”

    Sheryl’s jab stung.

    “That’s harsh.”

    I could do it too if I wanted.

    I just didn’t want to show off in a place like this.

    Crackle—zzzt—

    Mana rapidly gathered in my palm, forming a sphere that trembled as if eager to be unleashed.

    Magic Bullet.

    Simple, but its power and speed were unmatched.

    Elia had her fun with this.

    At this level, even you could pull your weight.

    “Everyone, get rea—”

    “No!”

    Just as I was about to fire, Cecilia forcibly unraveled the spell.

    “What the hell?!”

    “Are you insane? If you’d fired that, you’d be dead.”

    “What are you—ugh?! Aaaagh!”

    A searing pain, as if my entire body were burning, tore through me.

    “Aaaagh! Ugh… ughhh…”

    “See? Stay still.”

    The moment Cecilia touched me, the pain vanished instantly.

    “Haah… haah… What the hell was that…?”

    “I should be asking you. Eric, what were you thinking trying to fire a Magic Bullet?”

    “What do you mean? It’s the most effective long-range attack spell…”

    “That’s something only knights or royal mages can do!”

    Oh. So that’s not the norm? Everyone in my knight order could use it.

    “Do you even realize the state of your body right now? With your current mana, even basic attack spells are a stretch. Stay behind me and don’t move a muscle.”

    “……”

    “And do you even know any basic attack spells? No, right?”

    I wanted to argue—that’s ridiculous—but I couldn’t.

    Because it was true.

    The “basic attack spells” Scarlet mentioned were taught starting in the second year.

    First-year curriculum was mostly about discipline, swordsmanship, and ethics—ensuring students could handle magic and other skills responsibly.

    So there was no way I’d know standard spells.

    The only magic I remembered were techniques I’d picked up over years of fighting alongside the Hero’s party.

    Every single one of them was devastatingly powerful, but each was customized for their original users. Even if I adjusted them, the strain was immense.

    The Magic Bullet I’d just tried to fire? Elia could’ve spammed it like a basic attack.

    Right now, my limit was reading the monsters’ movements and keeping myself alive.

    “Damn it…”

    Frustrating, but I had no choice. I stayed behind Cecilia.

    Still, I’ll at least prepare one shot—just in case.

    I ignored Sheryl’s pitying stare.

    “But Lady Cecilia, the raid’s going smoothly so far. Are we really taking down the boss?”

    The dungeon boss was the ruler of the dungeon—its core, so to speak.

    There were as many types of bosses as there were dungeons, with even more variants. Some were completely different from the dungeons they inhabited.

    So Dave’s concern was valid. Even if defeating the boss was today’s objective, none of us wanted to die for it.

    “This is the lowest-ranked dungeon under the church’s management. We already have intel on the boss, so the four of us are enough. As long as we don’t get careless.”

    As long as we don’t get careless.

    Right now, the most careless one was Cecilia herself.

    One of us was effectively out of combat, and while the other two were strong, they weren’t on her level.

    Cecilia’s strength lay in support, leaving her slightly lacking on the frontlines.

    In the Hero’s party, Luciella and Elia swept through everything with overwhelming firepower, while Chris handled whatever they missed. Cecilia had mostly been stuck healing me.

    So she had almost no experience leading an average party like this.

    This dungeon’s boss was likely an ogre—a classic brute-force monster.

    Cecilia would support from the rear, Dave would tank, and Sheryl would cast spells from the midline. A standard underpowered party setup.

    The worst-case scenario—everyone but Cecilia wiped in an instant—was entirely possible.

    “In this case, I should—”

    “Stay behind me.”

    I had considered stepping up, but the moment I tried, Cecilia shot me a death glare. So I stayed put.

    If she focused solely on me, the whole party would fall apart.

    But if I told her not to focus on me, she’d just deny it and brush me off.

    Despite my racing thoughts, the party reached the boss room quickly.

    Noticing a small hole nearby, Sheryl asked:

    “What’s that?”

    “An exit.”

    “Exit?”

    “Yes. You heard earlier, right? If we kill the boss, this dungeon collapses. Check your pockets.”

    Dave and Sheryl’s pockets, along with my bag, were stuffed with magic stones.

    Low-grade, so their purity and size were poor, but even these were enough to live on for weeks—maybe two months if we stretched it.

    No wonder people fought tooth and nail to claim dungeons as private property.

    It wasn’t just the nobles’ decadent games. For those with nothing left, this was their last gamble—staking their lives without realizing they’d lose themselves in the process.

    “This is…!”

    “Magic stones forged from the blood and tears of ordinary people.”

    Another priest stood before us at the exit—different from the one at the entrance.

    “You’ve done well. Further exploration isn’t permitted. Follow me to leave.”

    Cecilia shot me a glance.

    As if I’d already seen this future.

    Yeah, I figured.

    I whispered to Dave and Sheryl:

    “Run when I say run.”

    “I don’t know who you are, but further exploration isn’t permit—”

    “Run!”

    Thud—

    “W-wait! Stop!”

    “Ignore him!”

    Under Cecilia’s order, we charged past the exit—straight into the boss room.

    Whoosh—

    The magical barrier sealing the boss writhed at Cecilia’s touch, opening a gap just large enough for us to slip through.

    “Gah!”

    “Close…!”

    The moment Dave stumbled in, Sheryl dangling from his grip, the gap sealed shut behind us.

    “So we’re really doing this. What’ll we tell the church…?”

    “Worry about that after we kill the boss.”

    “Agreed.”

    “At least luck’s on our side. Look.”

    Cecilia pointed. The ogre boss sat slumped, seemingly asleep.

    “Shh!”

    “I’ll finish it in one strike.”

    “Understood. Be careful.”

    Cecilia quietly cast a blessing on Dave.

    “Then—”

    Dave crept forward, inching toward the ogre.

    “Grooowl…”

    The ogre remained oblivious, head bowed, snoring in its bone-carved chair.

    Classy.

    “Hoo…”

    Dave crouched low, steadying himself for the killing blow.

    Then—something flashed in my mind.

    Call it foresight, honed through near-death experiences, or just human instinct—I didn’t have time to think before I lunged at Dave.

    “Eric?”

    “Get back!”

    “Wha—?!”

    The ogre’s arm shot out, snatching at Dave.

    0 Comments

    Heads up! Your comment will be invisible to other guests and subscribers (except for replies), including you after a grace period.
    Note
    // Script to navigate with arrow keys