Noble Lady (3)
Our party's Academy Dungeon progress sat at clearing the fifth-floor boss. We stopped there because we'd been warned not to head to the sixth floor. Without that restriction, we could have pushed much deeper. By contrast, our Goddess Dungeon progress remained stuck at the early section of the fifth floor. Even though it was technically the same floor, we were far behind where we stood in the Academy Dungeon. The monsters in the Goddess Dungeon were simply that much stronger. Tougher, more powerful, with far greater endurance. The one bright spot was that the technical side of combat showed no real difference.
In this situation, the problem that stood out most was numbers. If the monsters were weak and fights ended quickly, numbers wouldn't matter much. But the longer battles dragged on, the more that numerical gap became a serious obstacle. Our party consisted of one tank, one melee damage dealer, and one ranged damage dealer. Just three people total. Even if Claire and I held the front line and kept as many enemies occupied as possible, we could only manage four or five at most. Any more than that and some would inevitably slip past us toward Theo in the back.
When this was still a game, a solid frontline was enough. As long as the vanguard held, the backline couldn't be touched unless the enemy used special skills. But now that this world had become reality, the situation was completely different from the game. I'd once claimed our frontline was already sufficient so recruiting Faye wasn't necessary. Let's be honest. That had been my mistake. We didn't have enough frontliners; we were short. After actually fighting alongside Faye, I understood that fact perfectly. Just how massive an impact adding a single extra person to the front line could make.
“Ah…!”
An orc gripping a club as thick as my thigh slipped right past my side. I saw it coming but couldn't stop it. I was already at my limit handling two orcs at once. I had no leeway to pull away and block the one passing by, and even if I managed it, taking on three orcs simultaneously would have been brutal.
I needed to warn Theo in the back that one had gotten through. If he noticed too late and took a hit, we'd be in serious trouble. But before I could shout a warning, Faye was already moving.
“Leave it to me!”
Faye charged in at full speed, seized the orc, and swung her sword. Her signature strikes—honest, fast, and precise. Pale metallic light streaked along the shortest possible path.
- Kuaaaar!
It was a sharp blow that would have inflicted at least a serious wound on any normal orc, but the Goddess Dungeon orc somehow reacted in time. Faye's sword carved a deep chunk out of the side of the raised club. Even so, the orc remained unharmed.
It immediately swung its club, intending to punish the female who had dared interfere. Having lost some of its weight, the club packed less power, but it moved faster as a result. Facing an attack that looked like it could shatter more than one bone if it connected, Faye showed no fear.
“Hyat!”
With an adorable battle cry, she kicked off the ground and slipped out of the orc's attack range. But she didn't retreat. Instead she pressed even closer, fearlessly leaping into a spot too near for the club to reach.
- Gruu!?
The orc faltered for a moment at Faye's sudden close-range rush, but it didn't hesitate. It swung the fist not holding the club.
“Hehe! It's slower than Luna's kick!”
Faye, who'd grown used to ultra-close combat through all our sparring sessions, dodged the punch with ease and brought her sword around… Wait. Faye. Why the hell is my name coming up all of a sudden?
Anyway, even in a situation where a single solid hit could prove fatal, an irrepressible smile bloomed across Faye's face. At that level, I didn't need to worry about her. I stopped sneaking glances at her fight and focused on my own.
…….
Most of the time spent clearing a dungeon is time spent finding the path. The Academy Dungeon is managed by the school, so we have decent maps and can head straight for the boss room. The Goddess Dungeon has no such luxury. During those long stretches of walking, simply staying silent gets boring, so we naturally fall into casual conversation.
“How about it, Faye? Holding up okay?”
“Yeah. It's super fun.”
Faye kept her voice much lower than usual. If she shouted brightly like normal, she'd attract every monster in the area.
“It's way more fun than regular dungeon practice. Fighting actually feels rewarding.”
“Was the Academy Dungeon too easy for you?”
“Ehehe…”
Faye let her answer trail off. Her current party was still stuck in the early part of the Academy Dungeon's fifth floor. Even reaching that point had only been possible thanks to her efforts. Without her, they probably wouldn't have cleared the fourth-floor boss yet. Saying it was “too easy” in that situation would have been the same as calling her own party members incompetent, so she dodged instead.
I had no interest in pressing the topic and making her uncomfortable.
“I saw you going all-out earlier. How's your stamina holding up?”
“I'm fine. It's tiring right after a fight, but I recover fast.”
After clashing with orcs a few times, Faye had begun changing her combat style. She stopped worrying about stamina management and poured every ounce of strength into each individual strike. For a normal person that approach would lead to exhaustion in moments, but for Faye with her Recovery ability, it was the perfect method.
“This place is harder than dungeon practice, so I was a little worried.”
“Mmm… The monsters really are strong. I wish I was as strong as you or Claire, Luna.”
“Don't worry. Keep fighting here and you'll get strong in no time.”
“Ehehe. You think so? I'll work hard!”
“You're already helping plenty, so don't push yourself too hard.”
Faye's refined swordsmanship shone brightly even in the Goddess Dungeon. Her experience was still limited to the Academy Dungeon, so her skills hadn't caught up to ours yet, but that was fine. It didn't matter if she couldn't finish orcs herself. As long as she tied them down, Theo's magic would fly in to end them, or Claire and I could swing over after dealing with our own targets first.
I could feel it in my bones—having one more person on the frontline to handle monsters made combat vastly easier. Even though Theo could manage close combat to some degree, taking down an orc using only staff techniques was too much for him. He would either block attacks while casting spells or use hypnosis to reposition. Either option took time, and during that time our party might as well have been without a mage. Prolonged fights built up fatigue, which led to more mistakes…
That was why our party had been stalled in the early fifth floor where fewer orcs appeared. But once Faye joined, that problem vanished. Nothing held us back anymore. With Faye alongside us we powered through the dungeon and reached the doorstep of the fifth-floor boss. Considering we'd been stuck in the early section for over a week, our momentum was unstoppable.
Right before the boss room, Theo called an end to the day's run.
“Let's stop here for today.”
“Sounds good. Let's head back.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“Mmm… I could keep going, though.”
Claire and I accepted Theo's decision without complaint, but Faye looked slightly disappointed. Even though sweat had plastered her short hair to the back of her neck, her eyes still sparkled with energy. They seemed to shine even brighter than usual. She'd thoroughly enjoyed the fierce battles that couldn't be experienced in the Academy Dungeon.
Still, Theo's judgment was correct this time. He always assessed our party's overall condition carefully before making calls. Today we'd come to the Goddess Dungeon after finishing the academy's regular dungeon practice. No matter how low the Academy Dungeon's difficulty was, invisible fatigue could easily have built up. When lives were on the line, caution came first.
Faye wasn't naive enough to endanger the whole party just because she wanted to continue. She might puff her cheeks a little, but she didn't voice any objections. Maybe she was holding back because she still saw herself as not quite an official member. She could speak up comfortably without worrying about that kind of thing. Of course, whether we'd actually listen to her opinion was another matter entirely.
Anyway, that day's dungeon run ended there.
“Luna. Got a moment?”
“Theo? Yeah, I'm free.”
After returning to the hideout, finishing cleanup, and preparing to disperse. Once Claire and Faye had headed back to the dormitory, Theo stopped me. His mood felt heavier than usual—serious, even a little grim. I wondered what kind of conversation required this kind of atmosphere.
“We need to bring Faye into the party officially.”
“Uh… yeah.”
The topic itself made me think, Huh? That's it? Because honestly…
“You're saying this now? We've been talking about adding Faye since the beginning.”
When was it again? Probably right after our first sparring session with her. The moment Theo showed interest, I'd immediately picked her as our top recruitment target. So why was he bringing it up again now?