Chapter 113 : Chapter 113
Chapter 113. Come Out, Armandy
One day before the dungeon conquest.
Armandy was in Radel’s room.
“You want me to go in here?”
Is this Prince out of his mind?
Armandy doubted Radel’s mental state.
It was because what Radel was demanding of Armandy was nonsense.
“Isn’t this an unauthorized production magical tool? Where did you get something like this again?”
“Does that matter?”
Radel shrugged his shoulders.
Whether it was unauthorized or not wasn’t important to him.
It was important whether a real person could fit inside this bag.
The bag Radel took out was a magical tool bag exchanged for a wyvern molt at the Academy night market held a while ago.
According to the Lizardman senior who gave the bag to Radel, he definitely said, ‘A person fits too.’
‘It didn’t seem like that senior said it as a joke.’
He had already tried putting items in several times.
The space expansion backpack Edward gave him was like that too, but the bag also held much more than it appeared on the outside.
Enough to make one think a real person might fit.
“Just try going in for now.”
Radel held out the bag and urged him.
He couldn’t entrust something like this to just anyone.
It would be a disaster if someone went in and something happened.
Unless they had the ability to escape by themselves.
“Why should I go in there?”
“They said a person can fit. Among the people I know, you are the only reliable expert.”
‘He’s thinking of putting a person into an unauthorized space expansion bag for just that reason?’
He came because Radel said he had something to say separately, but to think such a humiliation was waiting.
Armandy was dumbfounded.
What was even more dumbfounding was the fact that he actually went into the bag…….
When Armandy came out of the bag, Radel asked with an expectant expression.
“How is it?”
“……It felt like I went inside a wardrobe.”
“Is breathing not uncomfortable?”
“Yes, it is fine.”
Armandy couldn’t help but honestly admit it.
He didn’t know who made this suspicious magical tool, but a person really could fit, and coming out wasn’t difficult either.
Except for the point that someone had to open the bag from the outside when coming out, it was a quite decent infiltration tool.
It was a covetable item as a secret agent of the Ability Management Bureau.
‘If I had just one thing like this, missions would be easier.’
Armandy examined the bag, never dreaming that Radel was thinking something similar to him.
When the conclusion was reached that staying inside the bag for about an hour was manageable, Radel grinned.
“That worked out well. There is a place I absolutely must use it.”
He should have run away even then…….
Armandy opened his closed eyes.
The harsh reality welcomed Armandy without fail.
“Isn’t it the rule that a dungeon conquest is originally done by three people?”
Inette pointed at Armandy and asked.
“There is no rule saying it can’t become four people in the middle.”
Radel’s attitude, asking what the problem was, was confident beyond measure.
Armandy pressed his throbbing temples.
Inwardly, he was relieved not to join the Dungeon conquest team, but he didn’t know he would be dragged here like this.
To think he would end up participating in fraud like this.
To be swept up by the 8th Prince again!
Armandy’s scream rang out deep in his heart.
* * *
Once Armandy, a seasoned mage, joined, the Dungeon conquest gained speed.
“Left!”
“Water!”
Armandy’s water element magic flew accurately and pierced the Flame Golem’s shoulder.
The Flame Golem, the Boss Monster of the Dungeon, opened its blazing mouth.
- Kwaaak!
As a roar burst out from the golem’s mouth, the ground rumbled and the walls shook.
Rattle.
Radel, seeing debris falling from the ceiling, shouted to everyone.
“Everyone dodge next to Gusto! An earthquake will start soon!”
At Radel’s words, the scattered party members gathered next to Gusto.
Boom!
Soon, the ground cracked with a tremendous roar.
Crimson lava surged from the cracked floor.
“Earth, harden!”
Armandy urgently swung his staff and solidified the place where the party was standing.
At the same time, Gusto also unfolded divine magic.
“Supreme Deity, protect us!”
Supreme Deity’s Shield.
It was a powerful defensive magic used by holy knights.
Bang!
A massive boulder flew over everyone’s heads and crashed into the invisible wall Gusto had unfolded.
“Is it really true that first years can conquer this together?!”
Inette, appalled upon seeing the fragments flying, shouted while melting the pieces with her Ability.
No matter how one looked at it, it wasn’t a Dungeon for three first years to conquer.
It would have been better if the Boss Monster was an Ice Golem instead!
Inette ground her teeth watching the Flame Golem against which her attacks didn’t work well.
However, even in this situation, Radel’s expression remained calm.
Because they had a comrade who was good at magic.
“Armandy, inevitably, you have to do it.”
“Yes?”
“That thing only stops if you destroy the core. You can freeze just the core with Freezing Magic, right?”
“Yees?”
You want me to go into that pit of fire and freeze the golem’s core?
Armandy opened his mouth, dumbfounded.
Asking a mage, not a swordsman, to charge at the enemy’s heart.
He wondered if Radel was in his right mind.
“Gusto and I will cover you. Inette, keep drawing its attention while pulling back that way. Got it? Now, let’s go!”
No, I haven’t even said I would do it yet……?
Swept up by their orderly movements, Armandy was jumping into the center of the flames preparing magic before he knew it.
Like that, they defeated the Flame Golem, setting the shortest record in the history of Academy first years.
* * *
“Looking at it earlier, you are really good.”
Inette approached Armandy and offered praise.
At the words of the 7th Princess, who rarely praised others, Armandy felt a bittersweet mood.
“Yes, thank you.”
“I did see you use magic a few times before too but……. I don’t know how you got blackmailed by Radel, but cheer up!”
Somehow, it seemed the 7th Princess was misunderstanding him.
Did she think he was being dragged around by the 8th Prince because his weakness was caught?
Looking at those pitying eyes, she must be thinking that without a doubt.
And actually, it wasn’t exactly a wrong thought either…….
This time, Gusto, the apprentice holy knight of the Supreme Deity Order, approached.
“Before, looking at your behavior toward the Prince, I thought you were rude, but I didn’t know you were a person who knew how to sacrifice yourself like this.”
“Yes……?”
Sacrifice?
Armandy got goosebumps facing a strange word he heard for the first time in his life.
“The appearance of you coming out of the bag was impressive. You didn’t spare your body. I felt there was something to learn as one who serves the Supreme Deity.”
The appearance of coming out of the bag…….
Right, if it’s that, it might look like that.
More than that, has this apprentice holy knight ever spoken this long to him until now?
Looking at Gusto who gave a short greeting and left, Armandy rubbed his arms vigorously.
What is this?
This feeling of being accepted as a comrade more and more?
Radel appeared last in front of Armandy, who was calming his disturbed mind.
It was a face very satisfied with Armandy’s performance.
“It would have been hard without you today. Really, thank you.”
“Yees…… well.”
Radel said to Armandy, who answered vaguely.
“Looking at you makes me realize what a real mage is. You are an expert who can’t even be compared to me, who uses ordinary magic.”
Ha.
Armandy couldn’t hide his mouth twitching without realizing it.
It seemed the 8th Prince also knew about his outstanding skills.
Well, if he had eyes, he couldn’t not know.
At this point, it was necessary to point out the fact that it was hard to find an expert of this caliber.
Only then would that arrogant 8th Prince feel more gratitude.
Just as Armandy was raising his head, a familiar object appeared from Radel’s bosom.
It was exactly the space expansion bag.
“Then, let’s go back in now.”
Radel looked at Armandy while opening the mouth of the bag.
It was a look asking what he was doing not going in quickly.
Armandy clenched his teeth tight.
Truly, curses couldn’t help but come out.
* * *
Boom!
As the Ice Golem collapsed, the blizzard that had been raging madly stopped.
As the Boss Monster collapsed, silence hovered in the Boss Room.
The Helsington first-year Dungeon conquest team took a watch out of a pocket and checked.
About two hours had passed since they first entered the Dungeon.
“Done! It’s within the expected time!”
“We did it!”
Next to the cheering conquest team, the potions they used to catch the Ice Golem and the used magic scrolls rolled around.
It was a Dungeon at a level burdensome for first years to challenge.
If it weren’t for the secret weapons they secretly packed, it would have been difficult to conquer.
Finishing this quickly was thanks to the thorough preparation solidified by yesterday’s miserable defeat.
“The Academy guys, they wouldn’t have known we would finish this quickly.”
“With this, we paid back the debt from the debate.”
“Let’s go back. We have to show our results quickly.”
The Helsington Dungeon conquest team exited the Dungeon triumphantly.
Although they lost absurdly to the Academy in the debate, the Dungeon conquest was different.
‘If you just come out within two hours, you will win unconditionally.’
They recalled the words of their supervising professor, Obsidian.
‘Since it is a place with difficulty for first years to enter, it is certain that even the Academy team will struggle. These are scrolls prepared separately. You must use them immediately when you go to the Boss Room.’
As per Obsidian’s words, the Helsington Dungeon conquest team continuously used scrolls as soon as the Boss Monster appeared.
Thanks to that, they were able to conquer it within two hours.
‘Will our friends cheer for us when we go out?’
It was the moment the Helsington Dungeon conquest team came outside holding inflated expectations.
“……You came out just now.”
“I thought my neck would break from waiting.”
However, what awaited them were accusatory gazes asking why they only came out now.
“What do you do coming out now?”
“The Academy came out a while ago.”
At the words of other first years, the Dungeon conquest team couldn’t help but be flustered.
Surely the Academy team conquered it earlier than us?
Such a thing could not happen.
Didn’t they deliberately induce them to pick the Flame Golem, which was hard to conquer?
It was natural for the Helsington Dungeon conquest team to go to their supervising professor and protest.
“This makes no sense, Professor. You clearly said we would win if we just came out within two hours.”
“Those guys, it is certain they used some cowardly method!”
They used scrolls appropriately and came out earlier than the expected time.
Yet the Academy finished faster.
Even when Obsidian thought about it, it was not a common-sense occurrence.
He decided to go and argue personally.
As he, the supervising professor of Helsington, formally protested, Professor Marianne called Radel, the leader of the Dungeon conquest team, and asked.
“I don’t think you would have done so, but you didn’t use some cowardly method, right?”
“No way, Professor. Since the usable potions were also limited, we deliberately took Gusto.”
Since the number of potions was definitely set, taking an apprentice holy knight who could use Heal proficiently as a team member was an appropriate choice.
“He says so; what do you think, Professor Obsidian?”
However, Obsidian had completely forgotten about the protest.
It was because he discovered a familiar black key held in the hand of Radel, who was answering politely.