I'm Just an Ordinary School Nurse? (2)
I opened my eyes. Glanced at the calendar. Today was Monday. In other words, a workday.
"Haaah..."
Weekends are supposed to last two whole days, but they always fly by in the blink of an eye. I quickly washed up, changed, and headed to work.
"Good morning, everyone."
A few students were visible as I arrived at the academy, so I waved hello. Over the past week, plenty had stopped by the infirmary, and I'd gotten familiar with some faces. I gave a light nod to the burly security guard grandpa, then unpacked my things once I reached the infirmary and got started on nurse duties.
"I'm beat today, so I'll take it easy..."
Even if Holy Power restores physical fatigue, the mental kind lingers. So on Mondays like this, I planned to kick back in my chair with some coffee, using clairvoyance to sightsee around the academy.
"Miss Erdel? You here?"
But that plan went up in smoke the moment Priya poked her head into the infirmary.
"Priya?"
"Yeah, just came to let you know it's about time to head out."
"Head out? Oh...!"
Right—today was the dungeon exploration practicum. Teachers were tagging along as supervisors for safety, but injuries big and small were inevitable in a dungeon.
"I'll hold down the fort here at the infirmary while you're gone, Erdel, so don't worry."
Which was why even I, the school nurse, had to join so I could treat the injured on the spot. Swallowing my tears, I tagged along with the other teachers to assist with the dungeon practicum.
Flash!
"...So this is the newly discovered dungeon."
We used a transfer magic circle to reach the training dungeon in seconds. It was pretty far from Arcanum Academy, but magic sure was convenient no matter how many times I saw it. A base camp set up by Arcanum surrounded the circle. My job was to wait in the medical tent here.
It was spacious inside, stocked with all sorts of supplies and several portable beds for patients. As expected of Arcanum.
"Alright, we've arrived at the training dungeon—everyone line up by your pre-assigned teams!"
The students, who had arrived before we knew it, fell into formation at the supervising teacher's command. Since this practicum involved combat, it was just the swordsmanship and magic departments here. The students were grouped in teams of two from each department—probably two frontliners and two backline supports. The sight took me back.
I'd been dispatched on plenty of dungeon closures with holy knights back in the day. Of course, I had zero combat ability even if you washed your eyes looking for it, so I just hung back safely tossing heals and buffs.
"Oh, there's Lucille."
As I scanned the students with clairvoyance, I spotted a few familiar faces. Lucille was in the magic department, but she had a rapier at her hip. Probably trained in swordsmanship separately by her family? I'd wanted to learn some basic self-defense swordplay myself, but the temple never would have allowed their saintess to touch a blade.
"Serpia and... Trius are here too."
And those two were on the same team, no less. Serpia ignored Trius in silence, while he stood stoically by her side without a word. After last week's bloodthirsty vibe, was this actually decent progress between them?
"That's weird..."
But I'd heard Serpia couldn't use magic, yet here she was in the magic department. It wasn't strictly required to cast spells to join, but... it didn't quite fit. Instead, she was decked out head to toe in magic tools—more than even I'd seen in my fieldwork days. Nobles' wealth at play? But they felt off compared to the ones I knew from master craftsmen.
How to put it... they had that homemade student-project vibe?
"Trius is just holding his sword."
Though that sword didn't look like your average longsword either. The gem embedded in the hilt was enchanted to function as a staff for casting when needed—similar runes to Serpia's tools.
"They'll manage..."
And finally, Prince Claude.
"...Um, Your Highness."
"What?"
"It's a practicum. Shouldn't you at least show up?"
He was lying on one of the portable beds I'd prepped for injured students, like it was the most natural thing in the world—right next to me.
"Nah, I like it here."
"But it'll go on your academy record..."
Practicums tied directly to grades. Even if Arcanum bent over backward for Claude, they couldn't fudge something like scores.
"What's the point of good grades?"
"Good grades let you graduate from Arcanum, and a solid graduation gets you a sweet job, right?"
"Are you seriously fretting over the prince's job prospects?"
Claude gave me a deadpan "you for real?" look.
"Huh, now that you mention it... yeah. Just stay put then."
I'd been worrying about someone even cushier off than a chaebol heir. No need to bother. What a pointless concern.
"Quick to pivot, aren't you."
"It's not wrong."
I slurped the coffee from my thermos. The students were heading into the dungeon now. This massive one, found at the bottom of a huge ravine, was big enough for dozens without crowding. The interior was so labyrinthine I couldn't even map it fully with clairvoyance yet. Was it really safe for student training?
"You wouldn't happen to be peeking inside the dungeon with clairvoyance right now, would you?"
"Huh? Yeah. Nothing else to do."
Honestly, the less work for me, the better. The temple only deployed their saintess for dire cases where patients teetered on death's door. Same here—if the academy nurse got swamped, it meant a ton of serious injuries.
"So clairvoyance lets you see the whole inside, huh?"
"Uh? Yeah... pretty much?"
Claude suddenly looked a bit surprised.
"Don't tell anyone else. Normally, observation magic can't penetrate high-mana density spots like dungeons."
"Really? Didn't know. But it's not magic—it's Holy Power, so maybe that's why?"
Holy Power and mana had different properties. What one could do, the other often couldn't, and vice versa.
"Nah. Lake or ocean, both are water in the end. Temperature drops enough, and even the sea freezes—difference in degree."
But Claude insisted clairvoyance couldn't normally see inside dungeons. That it was standard to be blocked. Yet here I was, seeing fine, so that's why he said it.
"Hmm, so keep it from others?"
"Yeah. A standout ability without the backing to protect it? That's not a blessing—it's a curse."
He adjusted his pillow as he spoke. Screw up, and you'd draw envy-fueled noble harassment or kidnappers coveting your power.
"Wait, are you actually worried about me right now?"
"Worried? Ha, as if."
"Thanks."
He saw me as just Erdel, the commoner nurse—enough to worry like that. Kinda refreshing, actually.
"...Thanks, huh? Brew me some cocoa then."
"No cocoa, but I brought chocolate milk as a snack. Want some?"
"Pass. Who you calling a kid."
At his chest height and average Arcanum student age, was Claude not basically a kid? He sure looked it, but I'd respect him anyway.
"Still, even for a practicum, jumping straight into a dungeon like this... feels iffy."
"Why?"
"Dungeons are dangerous, duh? Monsters aside, one wrong step on a trap and you're lucky to even recover the body."
They even advised against entering without healing capabilities for a reason. Poison arrows from wall holes, pitfalls skewering you—nasty stuff. Arcanum students had skills outpacing most mercenaries, but zero real combat experience.
"No need to worry. Training dungeons get a full prelim sweep by professors and imperial knights first."
Claude shook his head—dangers were cleared in advance.
"...But accidents in places like this never stay 'small.'"
"That just makes me worry more."
Supervising teachers did accompany inside—veteran mercenaries, battle-hardened knights, or mages. Should be safe enough usually.
"Only if an accident hits. We've had multiple dungeon practicums last year—no major incidents."
"Minor ones?"
"Eight students got trapped for a week once."
Eight kids isolated in a dungeon for a week was "minor"?
Gods, what counted as major then.
"......"
"What's up, Your Highness?"
Claude's face darkened in an instant.
"Haa..."
He'd been chatting casually a second ago, but now he sighed, sat up, and started picking up pebbles from the ground.
Pebbles? Why?
"When we get back, I'll tell my brother to slap major discipline on every knight who scouted this dungeon."
"Huh?"
BOOM!
And then a massive explosion roared from the dungeon.
Rumble rumble rumble!!!
"Earthquake now?"
The ground shook so violently it was hard to stand. I'd been in plenty of dungeons, but even a newbie would've known—this was a big accident. And just an hour after entry.
Crack!
The fence around the tent shattered next.
"Kieeeek!!!"
"Wha—monsters?"
Suddenly, goblins swarmed in here too, lunging at me. Caught off guard, I nearly popped my eyes open.
Thwuck!
If Claude's thrown pebbles hadn't punched clean through their skulls, that is. The goblins charging me all froze like broken machines and crumpled.
I flicked clairvoyance between the goblins and Claude.
"...Was having a good vibe for once, and you ruin it."
He swept his hair behind his ear, voice laced with annoyance. The goblins just twitched faintly in blood pools on the ground—no death rattles, straight to rigor mortis. Even those spasms faded fast.
What the hell. That's scary.