episode_0095

“Huuok.. Huk.. Heuok..!”

I felt the magic of the teleportation spell flow through my body for a moment, and then lost consciousness with dizziness so severe it made me reel.

Opening my eyes, what I saw above me wasn’t the sky I’d seen in the examination hall, but a stained wooden ceiling.

“Oh my..! Me□ru..! Are you alright…?”

There was an old man reaching out to me with a worried hand.

An old man with snow-white hair and beard, a warm impression, wearing a monocle.

It was his face, familiar yet welcome.

“Eh.. Duke Excel Saan…!”

“Yes, it is I, Mei□… I rushed here upon hearing the news from the Academy. Ah, this is one of the high-class patient infirmaries where there is no one but us, so you can rest assured.”

He, who was like a parent and benefactor to me, accepting me when I had nowhere to go, patted me and calmed me down.

“As you know, your name is indeed recorded in the Academy’s records, but you enrolled under the identity of the Princess. Just in case your transformation into the Princess is exposed in front of everyone, I altered the coordinates of the teleportation magic to bring you here. The existence named □iru will likely be forgotten, but the moment a completely different being transforms into the Princess’s appearance cannot be concealed even with recognition obstruction magic. Ah, for some reason, along with symptoms of magic sickness,”

“Th.. thank you, Duke.”

“There is no need to thank me, as it is something I must naturally do. But shouldn’t you quickly return to the appearance of the Princess? In fact, the reason I came to the Academy was also to check on the Princess’s condition, and I have already reported to the Academy that I would be with the Princess. And no matter who I am, I cannot perceive your current appearance for long.”

“That is not difficult. It was merely losing consciousness in the dungeon that caused me to take this form, so I can instantly… Yes, I have returned to the appearance of the Princess. Ho.. However, there is one important fact. Actually, in the dungeon…”

I tried to tell Duke Excel Saan about what had happened in the dungeon. The fact that the dungeon suddenly went berserk and mutated, and that I was able to defeat the boss monster and destroy the core with a student named Ropel Teufel and return.

However, without a moment to do so, an uninvited guest suddenly burst through the door.

“Pri.. Princess! Is the Princess here!”

The people who rushed into the infirmary, sweating profusely, were the faculty and staff, including the professors in charge of managing the dungeon raid examination. Indeed, from their perspective, with the Princess whom the Emperor cherished dearly caught up in the incident, it must have been a situation where they were literally sweating, or rather clutching blood, in anxiety.

“Ah..! Princess..! Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness. All of us were genuinely worried about the safety of the Princess and the students..!”

As they said, they knelt and bowed their heads with sincere expressions and postures. Although, that worry likely also included their own safety.

“Hohoho, please raise your heads, everyone. Of course, it is true that something serious happened regarding the Princess’s safety, but she has returned perfectly fine, hasn’t she?”

“Yes, I am fine. However, I would be grateful if you could inform me about the condition of the other students.. and also the situation.” Especially regarding Ropel.

“I was just about to tell you. The reason Her Highness the Princess was able to return safely is all thanks to! the effort of one student!”

Certainly, all students, including myself, were able to return partly because I destroyed the core, but decisively because Ropel succeeded in defeating the boss monster. But that information has spread already, could it be that he told them himself? If that is true, it is truly a relief. It was because I was very worried, having collapsed without being able to finish his treatment. I don’t know the exact process, but it must mean he received proper treatment, enough to be in a state where he could speak about what happened in the dungeon himself.

“Hoho, the effort of one student, you say. Could that mean… someone among the first-year students in the dungeon raided the dungeon… is that what you’re saying?”

Duke Excel Saan pushed up his monocle and narrowed his eyes. It is the reaction he shows whenever there is interesting news.

“Yes! The name of that student is none other than!

…Ah, please excuse me for a moment. The Headmaster said he wanted to speak about this part himself..”

“My apologies, it may be an old man’s unseemly behavior, but I am truly proud..”

Behind the professor, Headmaster Lium Kitocal appeared with a triumphant look. Indeed, with a student from the Academy he runs, and a first-year student at that, having raided an advanced difficulty, that is, a C-rank dungeon, he couldn’t help but be proud. Well, honestly, regarding that part, I felt the same way. The man named Ropel, whom I had been observing all this time, was someone who, for some reason, truly couldn’t promote himself. He was always passive and negative towards himself, so even though he possessed skill far exceeding the average, there were not many people at the Academy who knew him. Furthermore, although I didn’t know it either, he was actually at a level sufficient to get by even in that C-rank dungeon. It would be his first moment revealing himself to the world, after having been unseen until now.

“Mark Visus, the name of the first-year student who raided the dungeon is indeed that Mark Visus!”

…Huh? I involuntarily tilted my head in confusion. Mark Visus.. If it’s him, he must be the student who resolved the terrorist incident that occurred on the entrance ceremony day. However, he is also a student whose popularity quickly faded because he didn’t achieve very good grades academically, despite receiving attention at the beginning of the semester. Why is his name mentioned here…?

“He, who returned just now via teleportation magic, said so himself. That he personally dealt with a strange monster that looked like an alligator with its snout and head crushed. Indeed, they say that shortly after he dealt with that monster, the dungeon lost its power, and connections for teleportation and communication magic also became possible. The dungeon core sometimes exists integrated with the boss monster, so there is no issue with the sequence of events.”

“Mark Visus, you say… I certainly remember him as the student who handled the terrorist incident on the dungeon entrance ceremony day.. But that was merely luck at the time, and he is still a first-year student, isn’t he? I don’t believe he would already possess the skill to deal with a C-rank dungeon boss…”

Duke Excel Saan pointed out sharply.

“Hahaha, regarding that part, we at the Academy were naturally suspicious as well. However, while examining him later to check his health condition after his return, we stumbled upon a surprising fact.”

“A surprising fact, you say..?”

“It is that an astonishingly large amount of magic power and potential for physical ability was discovered in his body upon returning from the dungeon..! Even simple physical abilities like immediate muscle strength recorded values high enough to be called the best among all Knight Faculty students across all grades.. Although he didn’t say so himself, our speculation is… that he might have consumed an elixir while exploring the dungeon..”

“An elixir, you say.. Are you referring to that artifact that can be consumed?”

“That’s right! The elixir that can grant monstrous strength with just one drop and turn an apprentice mage into a great mage! Indeed, traces of ancient magic, foreign to his body, were also seen in his body, serving as evidence of elixir consumption, so it is certain.”

“I see.. He raided the dungeon with the power of an elixir.. That makes sense..”

Afterwards, perhaps having become interested, the Duke told me to rest and left the room with the other professors to talk more about this student named Mark Visus. And I could only look at his retreating figure with a complex feeling. That’s not right..? It was all thanks to Ropel that the dungeon was raided..? I wanted to blurt out those words immediately, but it was impossible. The witness who observed that scene from the side was none other than Me□ru, and Ropel himself, the party involved, remembers it that way too. But now, I am Princess Tiara Altarion. If I were to say such a thing out loud right now, while Duke Excel Saan might not think it strange, the other professors would inevitably find it odd. …For now, if a situation arises where I can be alone with the Duke after his conversation with the professors is over, I will have to clear up this misunderstanding.

By the way, one concern was starting to arise. News of Mark Visus is heard, but no news about Ropel Teufel, the actual person who raided the dungeon, is coming in. He was moved in a serious condition without having received treatment. Could something have happened to him, perhaps? With a worried heart, I locked the door of this infirmary, returned to Mei□’s appearance, and decided to go around the ward.

. . .

Fortunately. Finding Ropel Teufel’s whereabouts wasn’t particularly difficult. Of course, this medical facility was immediately filled with students who had just returned from the dungeon and people looking for them, so it took a little time. They said his condition had improved to some extent and that he had not regained consciousness due to treatment aftereffects, showing only mild symptoms of body aches, but his life was not in danger. Moreover, since I even found out which room he was in, all that remained was to go and find him. Body aches, huh.. He is clearly in a situation where he needs immediate nursing care. Since he will have a fever and be sweating a lot, someone will definitely be needed to wipe his body by his side. …So, even if she were to take off his patient gown, admire his body glistening with sweat, and perhaps even touch his bare skin with her bare hands due to a lack of towels, it couldn’t be helped.

Unconsciously, she indulged in such fantasies and opened the door leading to his hospital room.

And what met her eyes was, for some reason, the scene of a gloomy alchemist girl with only a large butt, having climbed onto Ropel’s body which was stripped bare, extending a greedy tongue towards his abs.

“What in the sh…”