Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Exploration (4)
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Roel opened her eyes.
What she saw was the demon's corpse, and the gazes of two people.
Terror.
Awe.
These were undoubtedly the same kinds of emotions that the dead demon over there had felt.
Gazes that no one could mistake for those directed at a friend.
In response, Roel...
"Staring like that makes me kinda shy."
She just acted like her usual self.
Of course, it wasn't as if no thoughts crossed her mind at all.
Roel might have a simple way of thinking, but even that had its limits—she could brush off only minor things with a laugh.
This wasn't one of those times.
"......"
She had faced a powerful enemy, but her mental fortitude had failed, leaving her frozen in place.
Because of that, Sera had nearly died.
In the end, she'd only been a burden and had dumped the responsibility on the Demon. Roel had no intention of glossing over it.
Sera stared intently at such a Roel.
The gaze lingered for a few seconds before she quickly looked away, her demeanor carrying a hint of exasperation.
"Right, you're Roel."
"What do you mean by that?"
Sera was arrogant, but she wasn't oblivious.
So she must have realized it from this incident: that there was a dangerous Roel and a safe Roel, and the usual one was the safe version.
And she understood Roel's guilt over it, too.
That's why she'd played along with the obviously feigned behavior.
'......She's still scary, though.'
Sera was still avoiding eye contact.
It would probably take more time to fully adjust.
Which meant she'd have to keep up this awkward act in the meantime.
"It's weird. It's like she switches back and forth."
Laila felt relieved at Roel's demeanor, but a new curiosity bubbled up as well.
She poked Roel's cheek and side to test if she'd switch again.
"Ah, anyway! Let's head back."
Roel hurriedly wrapped things up.
"Yeah, we should. Wonder how we're gonna write the report."
The trio turned toward the dungeon exit.
A lot had happened, but they all made it out safe in the end.
If not for the Demon, we'd all be dead here.
──Hey, you girls forget something?
"Huh?"
Come to think of it, something important felt missing.
What was it? They'd taken care of everything here.
"Ah!"
"What's up?"
"The treasure! We didn't open the treasure chest."
"Oh, right."
They turned back around.
Truth be told, they weren't expecting much reward. Being a low-grade dungeon, nothing valuable would likely appear.
Besides, all three were from noble houses. They weren't cadets short on cash.
So why turn their weary steps back?
"I wonder what's inside."
"Feels like there has to be something important."
The dead vampire had clearly come to this dungeon searching for something.
Recalling his mutterings made it certain nothing had been retrieved yet.
The item a high demon sought was inside that treasure chest.
"Kinda tense."
"Me too......"
Neither Sera nor Roel could bring themselves to open the chest rashly.
It was only natural to feel uneasy not knowing what might pop out.
And then, Laila—who had been watching them—moved.
She created a shield and set it up, then flung open the chest.
"......What is this?"
Inside the chest was something completely unexpected.
"Isn't this paper?"
"Looks like it...... Something's written on it."
"A magic scroll maybe?"
"Doesn't seem like it—no runes."
The only way to imbue paper-like material with magical power was through runes.
Thus, a "scroll without runes" was a contradiction from the start.
"Guess we take it back?"
"Sounds good."
"Yeah, the professor can figure it out."
Magic and spells weren't the trio's domain.
Back at the academy, mages were a dime a dozen—they'd sort it out somehow.
Roel carefully folded the paper and stored it away.
"Alright, now let's really head back!"
The somewhat—no, very—perilous dungeon exploration came to a close just like that.
The group fell asleep immediately in the carriage heading back to the academy.
So much had happened in such a short time; exhaustion was inevitable.
"......Sleep well."
Surprisingly, Laila—who always slept like a log—was awake.
She stared blankly out the window at the scenery, lost in thought.
A little time passed.
The brief rest ended all too soon.
They had finally arrived at the academy.
It hadn't even been that long, yet the academy felt like home upon return.
"You encountered a demon?"
They desperately wanted to rest, but duty called.
A demon appearing in a low-grade dungeon was major news. Similar incidents could happen in other cadets' dungeons, so they had to report to the professor immediately.
"......My oversight. I unwittingly put you all in danger."
Professor Cigarette was astonished by the trio's safe return but bowed her head in apology.
"We'll discuss compensation with the academy and ensure it's properly handled. Once more, I apologize—and thank you for coming back safely."
Professor Cigarette immediately suspended all assignments and said she'd lead the faculty to search nearby dungeons.
If a high demon had moved, traces would remain—they might find the source.
"Oh, and this."
"What's that?"
"Seems like what the demon was after."
"......Not ordinary paper. We'll check this too."
Once they handed over the paper, the reality finally sank in: everything was done.
The group headed to the dorms together.
All grubby and disheveled, they shared an odd sense of camaraderie that lifted spirits.
With the schedule complete...
The three finally parted ways to rest.
Subjectively, scarcely a moment had passed.
The moment she lay in bed, a day had gone by, and Roel had to head to class again.
"Oh, right—class is canceled."
Assignments were halted, but Professor Cigarette's workload had increased accordingly, so the break remained in effect.
Still, no time to slack.
She needed to grow stronger—stronger than before, to the point where her past self felt unrecognizable.
To the training grounds.
With renewed resolve, Roel swung her feet off the bed.
"Ugh?!"
Thud!
The problem was...
"I... I can't walk......"
That the Demon had roughed up her body too much.
"She's diligent."
Watching Roel on the screen, I smiled contentedly.
The moment she could move, she bolted to the training grounds.
I'd worried the dungeon might leave her listless, but she'd turned it into motivation instead. As expected of the protagonist.
After that, Roel practically lived at the training grounds.
She'd rush here after lectures ended, bring lunch here during breaks.
Sleeping at the dorms was the only exception. She took most of her rest here too.
Weeks passed like that.
And Roel earned herself a strange nickname.
"Ah, the Effort Monster's here again today."
She'd somehow reached 1st Grade, but all anyone saw was training, so she'd become known as someone who'd "climbed through effort."
From 5th to 1st Grade! The rumor replaced the fading one about beating Sera, becoming a fine example for 3rd Grade and below.
"Can't help pushing too hard, huh."
In the dungeon, the enemy was just tough—Roel's current strength matched a real 2nd Grader. Considering she'd barely scraped by as 5th Grade weeks ago, it was tremendous growth.
But as Roel herself felt, rapid growth aside, her raw power was still lacking.
She'd face countless foes on par with that high demon ahead, so faster growth was essential.
"What she really needs is experience......"
The best experience was brushing death.
This incident qualified, but it was too much of a "disaster" with no room for growth, so gains were limited.
In the end: life-or-death combat, but crises short of actual death...
Where to find such opponents?
I pondered briefly, then let out a sigh of realization.
"Oh, right—I've got me."
Sparring with Laila.
Talking with Cigarette.
The full possession that slew the high demon in real combat.
And points scraped together here and there.
A month's efforts had steadily accumulated, enough to finally buy the Avatar.
Now I could go there myself.
Walk the fantasy world on my own legs, not Roel's.
"Perfect use for it."
I'd intensely wanted the Avatar, but hadn't pinned down a clear purpose.
Being 10,000 points, I wanted to use it wisely...
But perfect timing had arrived.
"Plus, seems I can use it multiple times."
It was a few days ago.
No matter how I thought about it, a 10k one-time item didn't add up, so I scoured the shop and found good news.
The shop's "one-time use" meant "irreparable if broken."
In other words, it could be reused—as long as it didn't shatter.
Yeah, even I reused disposable plates after a quick wash.
A plan was taking shape.
Maybe thanks to Cigarette handling the training, freeing up some leeway.
Either way, good developments.
The source of unease resolved, academy schedule smooth.
"Oh, right."
The academy ran much like Earth's universities.
Schedules were set in advance, so cadets knew preparations ahead.
A bit over a month since enrollment.
Thinking of Earth's colleges, now would be...
"Midterms are coming up soon......"
Exam season.