How to Save a Prince (1)
When I told them I had to stop running the dungeon, Frey looked visibly disappointed, and Vishy said she was sorry to hear it — though she couldn't quite wipe the smile off her lips.
Well, from her perspective, running dungeons with me was basically a motion-sickness endurance challenge, so fair enough.
"Next time you come to a dungeon, pick someone more stable to party with."
Outside the dungeon, chaos reigned.
Professors controlling the entrance. Students murmuring and milling about beyond them.
Since the onlookers only showed curiosity, it seemed news of Arthur's disappearance hadn't spread yet.
Then again, no matter how far Arthur stood from the line of succession, he was still a prince. If word got out that something had happened to him, it would descend into utter pandemonium.
Soul Academy had already taken plenty of flak over the incident during the entrance exam. If something actually happened to Arthur here, the entire Academy would be left reeling.
The professors knew that too — that's why they looked so frantic.
I strode through the middle of the chaos, Carl at my side, and stopped in front of the dungeon entrance.
Carl...
"Loser. You remember how to read coordinates, right?"
"Of course, my lady."
The professors were in disarray, the crowd of students swelling by the minute as rumors of what had happened spread through them like wildfire. Because of that, they failed to notice the people who had just escaped the dungeon slipping right back into it.
Thanks to their distraction, we set foot inside without a single obstacle in our way.
Carl...
"Loser. We're going full sprint. Don't fall behind like a scrub."
"You need not worry on that account."
Last time, I'd moderated our pace out of consideration for Frey and Vishy. But there was no need for that anymore.
Carl was still a monster far more powerful than I was. We tore down the passage at full speed.
Before long, goblins appeared to block our path, but I didn't slow down. Carl's blade severed their necks faster than they could even register our presence.
When traps sprang up, we didn't stop either. We were hardly so frail that a trap of that caliber could hurt us.
The shortest distance. The fastest possible speed. We ran, and ran, and kept running — and at last—
"Carl? And Lady Alrn?"
"Why is a student here?"
"Carl! Even if she is your lady, bringing a student down here is—"
The time it took us to reach the sixth floor — the spot where Arthur had vanished — was a mere ten minutes.
The professors deep in discussion there froze at the sight of us, voices rising in shock.
As I steadied my ragged breathing and moved toward the place where the magic tool had been used, one of the professors stepped in front of me.
"Lady Alrn."
Anton, professor of combat studies. Despite his flinty appearance, he was one of the more reasonable ones to talk to.
"What brings you here?"
Professor. I have a solution.
"Useless professor. I came to give a gift to a moron like you, who can't even figure out why the problem happened in the first place."
"Are you saying you have a solution, Lady Alrn?"
Even hearing the mesugaki's venom, the professor didn't lose his temper — he simply asked.
Of course I do.
"Obviously. What, did you think I was a useless idiot like you?"
If I hadn't been confident I could solve this, I would never have come down here in the first place. I'm not the kind of fool who can't even grasp the situation.
At my brazen declaration, Anton eyed me with unmistakable suspicion.
This was a problem the professors were straining every nerve to solve. Of course it would be hard to believe that a mere student held the answer.
So, to prove my point, I pulled a scroll from my pouch and held it up for Anton to see.
"What's that?"
A magic...
"A Magic Reproduction Scroll."
A magic tool that reactivated a spell previously cast in a given location. I'd originally bought it at a hideous price to take down the boss on the 80th floor of the Academy Dungeon.
The function of the compass Arthur had used was, in the end, a spatial teleportation spell that moved a person to specific coordinates. If the scroll reproduced that spell, we could reach the very same place.
When I explained this, Anton extended his hand.
"Thank you. If you would hand it over—"
I'm coming with you.
"What nonsense is that? I'm coming too."
From here on, this dungeon would be entirely uncharted territory even for the professors. However skilled they were, they couldn't help but get lost — which would inevitably slow the search for Arthur and his party.
But I was different. I knew every dungeon that existed in the world of Soul Academy inside and out. Getting lost simply wasn't in my vocabulary.
"Lady Alrn. Beyond this point lies a place where any manner of danger may be waiting. From a professor's standpoint, bringing a student like you along is—"
I have...
"Useless professor. I have a blessing that lets me read a dungeon's geography."
I cut Anton off, and his eyes went wide with astonishment.
Coming from anyone else, that claim would have sounded like pure nonsense. But I was the person who'd scored a perfect mark on the entrance exam. The survivor of the incident that occurred in that very dungeon. And just moments ago, the person who'd cleared the Academy Dungeon at record-breaking speed.
In truth I had no dungeon-related skills whatsoever — but from everyone else's perspective, the story told itself.
I'll be useful.
"I'll be a hell of a lot more useful than a moron like you."
As I puffed out my shoulders and postured shamelessly, Anton's gaze shifted to Carl. Carl caught the meaning of that look in an instant and gave a firm nod.
"My lady does possess a blessing. On a knight's honor, this is the truth."
Anton weighed Carl's words for a long moment, then finally exhaled a sigh and spoke.
"Very well. In exchange, you will not take part in combat. You will simply guide the way."
I hadn't intended to fight from the start, so I agreed readily.
Do I look insane? Fight the Old Temple of Kolhiti with this body of mine?
If this were a game, I could have bull-rushed it with raw mechanics. But this is not a game. What's on the line in these fights is my actual, literal life.
I have zero desire to tightrope-walk along the edge of a cliff, thank you very much.
With my agreement secured, Anton stepped aside, and I unfurled the scroll on the spot where Arthur had vanished. A magic circle spread across the floor, radiating brilliant light.
When the light finally faded, an utterly changed landscape greeted my eyes.
A stone floor half-collapsed, the earth beneath it laid bare. A cracked wall where ornate carvings had once stood, now overrun with creeping vines.
The temple of Kolhiti, one of the forgotten gods.
Long time no see.
Back in the day, this was one of my go-to grinding dungeons. Hmm. So this is roughly the middle of the third floor, huh. It's a little different from the game.
"Lady Alrn. Is your blessing working?"
I started to answer Anton, then hesitated.
I could talk their ears off about the fastest route through this dungeon — but that wasn't our objective here. Our goal was to find Arthur and his party. If we could rescue them, it made no difference whether we cleared the dungeon or not.
Think, Lucy, think.
Arthur's party would have spiraled into panic the moment they landed here. Talented as they were, they were still brand-new first-years at the Academy.
So who would Arthur's party turn to in a situation like that?
Obvious.
A professor. A protector they believed could keep them safe.
Luka. That lunatic troll of a bastard.
Arthur's party had no idea what kind of man Luka was, so they'd almost certainly have asked him what to do. And Luka would have answered something like this:
"There's no telling when help will arrive. We must clear the dungeon. Do not worry — I am confident. We can clear any dungeon with ease."
And sure, if Luka actually put his mind to it, he could clear any dungeon effortlessly. Whatever you say about his character, the man's skill is the genuine article.
But that bastard has absolutely zero intention of clearing the dungeon. His plan, from beginning to end, is to disguise calamity as coincidence and subject Arthur's party to trials.
Knowing Luka's habits, he'd have scouted this dungeon out in advance. He'd have surveyed where would make a suitable venue for a trial, and he'd be steering Arthur's party toward that exact spot.
My job, then, was to deduce where that trial ground would be.
"Lady Alrn?"
One moment, Professor.
"Useless professor. Weren't you ever taught to wait for your master, puppy? Shut up and stay still."
He must have set the coordinates here for a reason. Where around this area could someone stage a trial?
A coordinated assault by three Minotaurs? No — that's an impossible wall. Luka never gives trials that flatly cannot be overcome.
Somewhere balanced. A place that a skilled player could push through with desperate, white-knuckled control. A handful of candidate spots come to mind, but...
Damn it. In the game, Luka never intervenes at this point, so I can't be certain about anything.
When in doubt, the right answer is to sweep every location, starting with the nearest one.
I lifted my head and took stock of our current party composition. Everyone here had ties to dungeon work or combat, so our vanguard was absurdly overloaded.
But it didn't matter. These people's specs were overwhelming enough to tear this dungeon a new one.
Follow me!
"Follow me! Don't tell me you're all losers who can't even keep up with a first-year?"
"Useless professor! Brute-force Bull dead ahead! Smash it!"
Following Lucy's command, Anton brought his axe down straight onto the Minotaur's skull. The Minotaur, possessed of a tenacious vitality, thrashed desperately to survive — but against Anton's overwhelming strength, it was meaningless.
"Weak-ass magic professor! Hurl your fireballs and intercept the mad bulls charging in from the rear!"
Not even sparing him a glance, Lucy raised her voice and pressed on with the command.
At first, the professors had harbored doubts about taking orders from a first-year student. That was no longer the case.
Every order Lucy Alrn gave landed as though she had glimpsed the future itself.
Every Academy professor present was a veteran who had once made a name for themselves on the front lines. None of them knew better than anyone what counted as a correct order and what counted as a fatal mistake.
And in the judgment of men like these, Lucy Alrn's command had not wavered even once. A single occurrence might be called coincidence — but repeated without end, it became inevitability.
The professors cast aside their meager pride and began hanging on the girl's every word, taking it as settled truth that Lucy Alrn's orders were the best possible choice in this very moment.
So that was it. There had been a reason she cleared the Academy Dungeon at a frankly astonishing pace.
Even amid this desperate crisis, Anton could not suppress his admiration for the girl.
A monster. A monster beyond anything I imagined.
Bringing Lucy Alrn along had been the right call. Without her, our advance would surely have stalled.
And that would have meant even more time lost searching for the missing students.
"Useless professor. Are your ears rotting off with age?! Stop standing there like an idiot and move!"
"Understood!"
If not for that vile tongue of hers, there would be nothing to complain about at all.
Is that too luxurious a grievance?
So thinking, Anton gritted his teeth and surged forward.
Luka. Look after the Academy's students until we arrive. We'll be there soon.