Dungeon Assault
“…Now, the first person to retrieve the Potion Base-Grass from the deepest part of this Dawn Dungeon will be declared the victor,” Ivan announced after school, standing at the entrance of the dungeon and taking charge.
I let out a sigh. “…Hey, do we really have to do this?”
“You can choose not to participate, you know. If you don’t mind being labeled a coward,” Ivan sneered.
Hmm, that’s a problem. I honestly wouldn’t care what they called me, but I couldn’t tolerate Letitia being slandered as a “coward’s wife.”
Well, whatever. I’ll just finish this quickly anyway.
—So.
The members of Class F were gathered at the entrance of the subterranean labyrinth called the Dawn Dungeon. Why were we here? Because Ivan had abruptly proposed it.
‘I believe a class King requires three elements: martial might, intellect, and courage.’
‘Why don’t we test who possesses the most courage by diving into a dungeon?’
…That was his proposal. Essentially, “Show the most courage by clearing the dungeon the fastest.”
I was absolutely not enthusiastic about this completely troublesome idea… but Matthias and Rowen were fully on board. On top of that, Leonil gave me a fierce push, saying, “It’s alright! I know you’re the most courageous of us all!”
In the end, I was dragged into descending into a dungeon.
“Ohohohoh! This gives me, Ester Appleberry, a good opportunity!” Ester declared.
“Sounds fun, so I’m gonna join in, too! ☆” Laki added.
It seemed Ester and Laki were joining this time.
But I know what you’re up to, Laki. I know you’re just waiting for a chance to pounce on me in the shadows. She was already staring at me constantly.
My classmates were fully fired up. Ignoring them, Ivan looked at Letitia and Shanoa.
“So… are you two really fine with not participating?”
“Yes, I don’t mind. I know Alban will be the first to clear it,” Letitia replied.
“I-I’m not cut out to be King, so…” Shanoa mumbled.
Letitia and Shanoa both dropped out of the dungeon challenge. Well, neither of them was suited for this rough stuff, and neither intended to become King anyway. It was a wise decision. I certainly didn’t want Letitia’s perfect skin to get even a scratch. As long as they left all the combat stuff to me, we’d be fine.
“…………Just as planned,” Ivan muttered under his breath.
“…” I thought I heard Ivan whisper something at the end, but I didn’t quite catch it.
“Alban,” Letitia called my name.
“Hm?”
“Do your best.”
“—Yeah, of course.”
Encouraged by my beloved wife, my motivation levels went way up.
Ivan turned back to the dungeon entrance and—
“Then, the Class F: Potion Base-Grass Scramble begins!”
—The Class F members charged into the dungeon.
The Dawn Dungeon was an underground labyrinth near the Royal Capital, with a difficulty level and monster strength considered middle-to-high. I wasn’t familiar with the dungeons around the Royal Capital, but Letitia explained that it was nothing I couldn’t handle. Since she said so, it probably wasn’t a big deal.
“Gahahaha! This time, I’ll earn some great military honors!” Rowen roared, charging ahead with Matthias.
“Hey, Rowen! If you rush too much, you might fall into a trap!” Matthias warned.
—And we immediately encountered monsters. Two small Goblins. They were clearly cannon fodder.
‘Gii! Gii-gii!’
“Hmph, Goblins dare to block our advance—!”
“You’re in the way, my dears.”
Ester, with her elegant blonde ringlets, gracefully shot past Rowen, who was in the lead. She kicked off the ground, leaped over the Goblins’ heads, and—stomped one of them with her high-heeled boot.
With a sickening CRUNCH, the ground cratered, and one of the Goblins was utterly obliterated.
‘Gii?! Gii-gii-gii?!’
“Ohohohoh! Splatter their little brains out!”
Without missing a beat, Ester punched the remaining Goblin’s face with her right hand. The Goblin’s head burst instantly from the cannonball-like impact.
“Good game, I say.” Ester elegantly flicked her ringlets after defeating the Goblins.
Rowen and Matthias stared at her in shock.
“You…!”
“You’re that strong…?”
“Oh? It is quite the default for an elegant Ojōsama to possess this much O-Power!” she boasted.
“Right. Well, later.” I overtook the self-satisfied Ester and took the lead. That monstrous strength was certainly impressive, but bragging about taking out a few Goblins? Seriously?
“Ah?! W-Wait right there!”
Like I would wait just because she told me to. I increased my speed, pushing deeper into the dungeon.
The Dawn Dungeon had a simple, mostly one-way structure; if you followed the path, you’d eventually reach the end. That was helpful, as I wouldn’t get lost, but it also meant encountering monsters was unavoidable. It was annoying, but I had no choice but to cut down the small fry I met and press on.
I’m gonna end this competition quickly. Then I’ll go back and have tea with Letitia at Shanoa’s tearoom.
“—You certainly live up to your reputation, Baron Odrant.” A voice came from behind me as I was sprinting through the dungeon.
Ivan had caught up.
Oh? A bit surprising. I thought I was going pretty fast.
“Heh, you’re surprisingly quick.”
“I used a spell to increase my movement speed. I won’t lose to you in terms of pure movement.”
“Hmph.”
“—I finally caught up, Baron Odrant! Your Knight, Leonil Hyland, has arrived!” Leonil caught up shortly after.
Oh, as expected of the protagonist. He was a skilled fighter who’d been able to clash blades with me; he’d matched my pace. But seriously, can he do something about that formal title announcement? It’s embarrassing to listen to.
“I’m here, too! ☆” Laki caught up next, carrying a small crossbow.
Ugh, seriously? She, too? Whether it was her innate leg strength or magic, she was still a woman not to be underestimated…
Maybe I should speed up and leave them behind…
I kicked the ground harder, accelerating.
I thought I could go solo in the lead, but only Ivan stuck to me.
“…Baron Odrant, there is something I must ask you. Do you have any intention of declining the King seat?” Ivan asked unexpectedly.
“Huh?”
“Consider this a warning. …It seems there are those in the Academy who are not amused by the power you and your wife wield.” Ivan spoke in a patronizing tone.
A warning, huh. I already knew there was an “Alban Odrant criticism faction.” And frankly, I wasn’t interested in the King seat from the start. I’d personally be relieved and grateful if someone else took it.
But my wife, Letitia, told me: ‘I simply stated the facts. There is no one in that class more suited to the position than you are.’
When she says something like that, I can’t let her down, can I? If she backs me, then I will go forward. That’s all there is to it.
“I don’t care about those guys. If they try to get in the way of me and Letitia… I’ll just steamroll everything.”
“…I see.”
While talking with Ivan, we reached an open area. This clearing seemed to be the deepest point.
“Umm… where is the Potion Base-Grass growing…?” I looked around, but there didn’t seem to be any plants like that growing anywhere.
As I wondered about it,
“—Impaling Baron, Scuyer, are you watching?! I brought Baron Odrant here just as you instructed!” Ivan shouted abruptly.
“W-What…?”
“Where are you hiding the thugs?! Show yourselves!”
Thugs, he says? What the hell is he talking about…?
I was confused, but no voice answered Ivan’s shout. The clearing remained completely silent.
“Impaling Baron, Scuyer…? Why aren’t you coming out?! Answer me—!”
Just as Ivan began to panic, a massive magic circle suddenly appeared in the center of the clearing.
“—?! This is, a Transfer Spell…!?” Ivan gasped in astonishment.
I’ve heard of that. A Transfer Spell, if I remember correctly, uses a magic circle to move an object great distances. Sebas had told me it was a highly advanced spell that very few could use.
Why would that magic circle be here—
The thought barely registered before a colossal object was transferred onto the magic circle. More accurately—a creature.
It was a beast so huge that Ivan and I had to crane our necks to see it. It had grotesque pale blue skin, a misshapen club in one hand, and… one distinctive eye.
‘Woooooooboooooohhhh…!’
The monster that appeared before us—was a gigantic beast called a Cyclops.
“Wha—What is this?! This isn’t what we agreed on!” Ivan screamed. The Cyclops’s single eye immediately glared at him.
It raised its club.
‘Wobobooohhh!!!’
And swatted Ivan away like a piece of trash.
▲ ▲ ▲
Letitia Barrow/Odrant Side
“…Do you think everyone has reached the deep part of the dungeon by now…?” Shanoa asked me nervously, fidgeting. She looked quite anxious.
Shanoa and I, who hadn’t participated in the Class F: Potion Base-Grass Scramble, were still waiting outside the dungeon for everyone to return. A fair amount of time had passed, so her concern was understandable.
“Yes, knowing Alban’s speed, they should have arrived already,” I assured her.
“I-I see…”
“…Are you worried about everyone?” I asked.
“N-No, um, it’s just that I’ve never been inside a dungeon before…” she replied.
Ah, I see. She probably thinks of a dungeon as a dangerously treacherous place. Which, to be fair, isn’t entirely wrong. I’ve heard that monsters wander inside, and many people lose their lives during exploration.
I, too, have never set foot inside a proper dungeon, so I share the impression that it’s a scary and dangerous place. At the very least, it’s certainly not somewhere you’d enter without a good reason.
“Don’t worry. If anything, I’m only slightly concerned that Alban might annihilate all the monsters in the dungeon.”
“H-Huh?! T-That couldn’t possibly happen, could it…?”
“You never know. It is him, after all.”
“…Lady Letitia truly has faith in Lord Alban, doesn’t she…” Shanoa murmured.
“Yes, of course. Alban Odrant is the most beloved person in my life and the person most worthy of my trust.”
“T-That’s so enviable… I-I hope I can meet someone I feel that way about someday, too…”
“I’m sure you will. Because you are such a devoted—”
—person. That’s what I was about to say.
But my eyes saw it.
I saw it.
Behind Shanoa—a man swinging a long piece of lumber high above his head.
“Shanoa! Look out!”
“Eh—?”
—I screamed, but it was too late.
THWACK! A sickening, dull sound echoed.
Shanoa collapsed to the ground, unconscious from the blow.
“Shanoa! Ugh—!”
In the next moment, a shock and a dull ache shot through the back of my own head.
Just as I realized I’d been struck as well, my consciousness plunged into darkness.
▲ ▲ ▲
“Gah—ah—!”
Ivan was hurled violently against the wall of the clearing by the massive club, accompanied by a sickening CRUNCH! echoing through the space.
“I—Ivan!”
‘Wooooooh…!’
The Cyclops that had struck Ivan shifted its single eye, glaring at me. It had already picked me as its next target.
—Just then, Leonil and Laki arrived at the clearing, slightly delayed.
“—! What is this huge thing!?” Leonil yelled.
“A Cyclops…? Why is such a dangerous monster here, I wonder…?!☆” Laki said, still smiling, with a forced star added to her speech.
Even they couldn’t hide their surprise. And why would they?
Cyclopses are rare monsters. And they typically only inhabit high-difficulty dungeons, far from civilization. Naturally, their danger level is extremely high, commensurate with their rarity. They are certainly not the kind of monster that just pops up near the Royal Capital’s dungeon. They don’t even live in the dungeons near the rural Odrant Territory.
Why on earth would such a troublesome monster be transported here by a Transfer Spell…?
“…If Ivan’s still alive, I’ll have to ask him a few things later.”
I gripped my sword again.
“Laki, you tend to Ivan. Leo, you’re with me; we’re taking this thing down.”
“Taking it down… with just the two of us?!” Leonil asked incredulously.
“What, are you scared?” I goaded him.
“…No, quite the opposite. It’s an honor.” Leonil returned my provocation with a fearless grin.
Ah, that’s what I like to see in a protagonist.
“H-Hold on a second! I’m being left out?! I want to help too!” Laki protested.
“You are helping, by getting Ivan out of here. You’d just be in the way if you stayed.”
“…Are you, by any chance, trying to protect me?” Laki purred.
“If you say anything else so disgusting, I’ll slice you in half, you home-wrecker.”
“Hmph. No fun at all.” Laki grumbled, reluctantly carrying the knocked-out Ivan out of the clearing.
Good. Now I can rampage as much as I want.
‘Wobooooooh…!’
“If we leave this thing alone, there’s no telling what kind of damage it’ll cause. Let’s finish it for good,” I said.
“As you command, my King,” Leonil said, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with me, sword raised.
Good grief… To think I’d end up fighting alongside the protagonist in a scenario like this. Calling it a trick of fate feels like an understatement; it’s a trick with absolutely terrible taste.
‘Wobobobobooooohhh!!!’
—The Cyclops roared and charged at us. It swung its huge, misshapen club to crush us, but we both dodged nimbly.
“Pincer attack! Watch out for its eye!” I yelled.
Leonil and I split left and right, moving to flank the Cyclops. But the Cyclops’s eye swiveled and locked onto Leonil.
“Watch out, Leo! The beam is coming!”
—This was the reason the Cyclops was considered such a terrifying monster.
In the next moment, a magical light began to converge in front of its single eye. The instant the convergence reached its peak, the Cyclops unleashed a massive Magical Beam.
“Kuh…!” Leonil barely managed to dodge the beam.
The power was immense, however, shattering the walls and floor of the clearing. The Cyclops’s Magical Beam is said to be comparable in power to the Dragon’s Breath of an upper-tier Dragon. A direct hit from that would mean certain death.
“There should be a time lag until its next blast! Let’s finish it quickly!” I yelled.
“Understood!”
We moved in sync, striking at the Cyclops. Leonil slashed at its Achilles tendon, and the moment it fell to one knee, I struck at the club-holding right arm. The skin and bone were too hard to completely sever, but I succeeded in forcing the Cyclops to drop its club.
‘Wooooo…!’
“It was tough…! What a real pain in the ass!”
As expected of a famously difficult monster. This won’t be easy.
In that case,
“—Aerial Blade,” I murmured, activating my Wind-attribute magic.
My sword was wreathed in a blade of wind, extending its reach.
‘Woboooooohhh!!!’
The Cyclops, its magic evidently recharged, focused its gaze on me now. Its single eye began to gather magical light—
“Not a chance.”
Leonil leaped directly in front of the Cyclops’s eye. Before the Magical Beam could be fired, he struck it directly in the eye.
‘WoboboboAAAAAHHHH…!?’
The Cyclops thrashed in pain, its crucial eye injured.
Well done, Leo.
“This is—the end.”
I circled behind the Cyclops and leaped up to its neck.
Then—I swung the blade of wind at the beast’s neck.
‘Wo… boh…!’
The giant, one-eyed head was severed from its body. The head fell to the ground, and the Cyclops was completely dead.
Total victory for us.
“Whew… That was a lot of trouble.”
“We did it, Baron Odrant! As expected of my King!” Leonil rushed over, grinning with joy.
“Same to you. You were a perfect match for my movements.”
“Of course! I’m your Knight, after all!” Leonil puffed out his chest like a loyal dog.
Yeah… I appreciate the loyalty, but… I really wish he’d stop calling himself my ‘Knight.’ It’s genuinely embarrassing.
Just as I was thinking that, Ester and the others finally arrived in the clearing.
“Good heavens, what in the world happened here?! Ivan is over there—and this, isn’t this a Cyclops?!” Ester exclaimed.
“Ah, you finally caught up.”
“Why is there a Cyclops in the Dawn Dungeon…? No, more importantly—”
“Did you two seriously take down a Cyclops all by yourselves…!?” Rowen, Ester, and Matthias’s eyes were wide with astonishment.
Well, I guess I can’t blame them for being surprised. I was surprised when it first appeared, too.
“Explanations later. More importantly, Ivan’s over there, right?”
Without sheathing my sword, I walked toward the direction Ester and the others had come from. A safe zone slightly away from the clearing. Ivan was lying there, severely injured, with Laki tending to him.
“Al-kun…” Laki greeted me.
“How is Ivan?”
“It’s a bad injury, but I think he’ll live if he gets treatment right away.”
“Hmph. Can he talk?”
“Eh? W-Well, he seems barely conscious, but—”
“I see.”
—I swung my sword, placing the blade against Ivan’s throat.
“H-Hold on, Al-kun!?” Laki cried out.
“Answer me, Ivan. What was that all about?”
“…”
“Answer me, or I’ll cut off your head.”
“Heh… You truly have no mercy, do you?” Ivan finally spoke.
Frankly, I was pissed enough to kill him right then, but I figured I’d allow a moment for extenuating circumstances. He seemed off earlier.
“I… I seem to have been fooled by the Impaling Baron, Scuyer… No, exploited would be more accurate…”
“Impaling Baron, Scuyer? Who the hell is that?”
“Someone who despises you and your wife… A man who approached me, offering a plan to prevent you two from seizing power in the class…”
Ah… So that’s it. There’s a contingent of people in the Royal Academy who want to exclude Letitia and me after the Mauro incident. The so-called “Alban Odrant criticism faction.” Ivan probably made a deal with them—I’ll help you take down Alban, and the payoff was probably the seat of King in Class F.
What a pathetic affair. And utterly disgusting.
“So you were going to sic a Cyclops on me to kill me. Too bad, you failed,” I said.
“…That’s wrong. I didn’t know anything about the Cyclops…”
“…What?”
“The plan was… for the hired thugs to attack you and Lady Letitia…”
“Me and—Letitia?”
—What? A shiver ran down my spine. A bad feeling—
“Caw! Caw!”
Just then, a crow’s cry echoed through the dungeon.
“W-What is that? A crow…?”
I looked up and saw a single crow circling above us.
…Do crows normally hang out inside a dungeon…? I have no idea.
“Caw!”
While I was wondering, the crow glided down.
And it landed on the shoulder of one of my classmates, who was standing right behind me.
The mean-looking girl with a mask covering her mouth—Carla Rexon.
“…Welcome back, Dark Assassin-maru,” Carla murmured.
“Caw! ♪”
“Whoa!? W-When did you get here…!?”
I hadn’t felt her presence at all! To think I, of all people, was snuck up on…! And seriously, this girl has zero presence to begin with! That’s the first time I’ve even heard her voice! It’s honestly terrifying!
“Caw! Caaaaw!”
“…! Is that true…?” Carla showed a sign of communication, as if she understood the crow’s calls.
After listening to the crow’s “voice,” she turned to me.
“…Alban-kun… Something terrible has happened, it seems…”
“S-Something terrible…?”
“Yeah… Letitia-san and Shanoa-san… seem to have been kidnapped…”
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