A Calculated Alliance
The upcoming Dungeon Practice was a simulated trial created by the Archmage of Estrada Academy. It was a class where students majoring in swordsmanship, magic, holy arts, and archery gathered to navigate a labyrinthine dungeon, gaining real combat experience. Non-combatants, like the alchemy majors, participated by providing the necessary potions. Since the rankings determined here directly affected our grades, it was essentially a major performance evaluation. But my goal wasn't something as trivial as grades... It was to beat Winston Arcadia to a pulp.
Just thinking about that lunatic gets my blood boiling again. The Dungeon Practice wasn't just a simple raid. Everyone outside of your own party was a competitor. In other words, it was an environment where PvP was actively expected. I planned to use this to my advantage to ambush Winston. It could get a bit tricky, but who was I? A transmigrator. With my absolute knowledge of the original protagonist's route, finding Winston would be a walk in the park. However... the problem was that Winston wouldn't be alone.
The protagonist's party consisted of three members, including Winston Arcadia and Lutera Edelian. With swordsmanship, magic, and holy arts, their party balance was impeccable. Naturally, they took first place in the original novel. But there's no way in hell I'm just going to sit back and watch that happen. If the future already had a predetermined winner, wouldn't the smartest move be to lie in wait at the very end rather than picking a fight early on? I felt a little bad for the original protagonist, but a slight adjustment to the plan was in order. First, I needed to talk to Mikaris about preparing for the Dungeon Practice.
I approached Mikaris, who was engrossed in a book, and asked, "My Lady, shouldn't we start preparing for the Dungeon Practice soon?"
"We should."
"Have you finalized our party members?"
"No... It seems no one is particularly eager to join us."
"..."
Was it because of me? 'How could a noble party with that filthy commoner!' It was highly likely they were thinking something along those lines. I carefully offered a suggestion.
"What about Lady Lonia Cardelia...?"
"That redhead?"
"Yes. Lady Cardelia majors in magic. Since a party requires three members, bringing her in would solve our problem perfectly."
"Does it have to be her?" Mikaris looked up, her gaze sharp and piercing.
"No, it doesn't have to be, but she is one of the few who holds no prejudice against commoners..."
Mikaris let out a soft sigh. "If that is what you want, go ahead. But if I catch you flirting with her in front of me, you're dead."
"Oh, come on. It's really nothing like that."
"..."
Mikaris returned to her book without another word. Well, I supposed I could take that as a yes.
"Then, My Lady, I shall go and extend the invitation to Lady Cardelia. You have absolutely nothing to worry about..."
"Larry? Accompany Hound."
"Yes, My Lady."
Now she's sending a watchdog... In the end, I set off to find Ronia Cardelia with Mikaris's maid, Larry, in tow. And let me tell you... it was incredibly uncomfortable. The only sound in the hallway was the rhythmic click-clack of our footsteps, wrapped in a chilling, heavy atmosphere. It was glaringly obvious that Larry did not like me. As we walked in this awkward silence, Larry suddenly issued a warning.
"If you have any intentions of making a fool out of my lady, you had best stop now."
"How could I ever make a fool out of her?"
"..."
I had no idea why she was being so hostile. Well, technically it was my fault... Brushing aside the murderous glare prickling the back of my neck, I finally arrived at Ronia Cardelia's private quarters. *Knock, knock.*
"Lady Cardelia? It is Hound Egil. May I come in?"
"Please, enter."
Opening the door, I found Ronia sitting with her maid, carefully embroidering a handkerchief. "Are you embroidering?"
"Yes. You lent me your handkerchief last time, remember? I wanted to return the favor."
As expected, she was a sweet, kind-hearted lady. But that wasn't the reason I was here... I carefully broached the subject.
"Lady Cardelia, if you don't mind me asking, have you found a party for the Dungeon Practice yet?"
*Clack.* Ronia set her embroidery hoop down on the desk.
"Are you here to recruit me?"
"Yes. We've been having trouble finding anyone willing to join our party."
"What a shame. And here I thought you came just to see me..."
Ah, please don't do this! I have Mikaris's watchdog right behind me...
"Haha, Lady Cardelia, you certainly have a wonderful sense of humor."
I laughed awkwardly, trying to diffuse the strange tension. But a cold sweat broke out down my spine; I could practically feel Larry's icy glare boring into my back. Ronia seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking.
"It wasn't exactly a joke... but very well. I will join your party."
"That is a relief. I was truly hoping to form a party with you, My Lady."
There was a very specific reason I wanted Ronia Cardelia in our party. Winston's specialty—and his strongest magic—was ice magic. The perfect counter to freeze magic was fire, which happened to be Ronia's specialty. On top of that, she was an exceptionally talented mage, making her an invaluable asset. This was strictly business. Truly...
"Would you care for a cup of tea? I would love to have a quiet chat."
"I would be delighted!"
Just as I was about to take a seat, Larry stepped in and blocked me.
"My apologies, but Sir Hound must return immediately. We shall take our leave now, Lady Ronia Cardelia."
"Oh... What a pity. I suppose I will see you next time?"
Before I could even reply to Ronia's farewell, I was practically dragged out of her room.
"Geez, I couldn't even have a single cup of tea?"
"My lady ordered me to immediately intervene if you showed any suspicious behavior. Let us return."
"..."
Was this obsession, or just surveillance?
*Knock, knock.*
"My Lady, I have brought Sir Hound."
"Come in."
When we entered Mikaris's room, she was still buried in her book. Judging by the magic tome she was holding, she was putting in her own effort to prepare for the Dungeon Practice.
"Larry, did he do anything suspicious?"
"He attempted to join Lady Cardelia for tea."
"Hmm..."
Mikaris's gaze turned ice-cold as she looked at me.
"And the result?"
"She accepted the offer."
"So one swordsman and two mages... I can't say the party balance is ideal."
She was right. There was only one vanguard swordsman to protect two backline mages. If we had a holy arts major, they could provide overall protection and balance the party, but... well, it didn't matter. As long as I had the Eye that Sees Crisis, keeping them safe would be a breeze. I reassured Mikaris with a confident tone.
"Do not worry, My Lady. I am far stronger than I was before."
Currently, my Aura was at 4-star rank. My swordsmanship proficiency had also reached a level incomparable to the past. If I were to fight the current Lutera again, he wouldn't stand a chance. Watching me grin confidently, Mikaris let out a soft chuckle, her voice trailing off.
"You are always so full of confidence. I really like that about you..."
"Pardon? What did you just say?"
Mikaris's face flushed red, and she scowled.
"Aren't you going to train? Even I, the master of my exclusive knight, am studying right now."
"Ah, yes! I'll get right to it!"
"Wait, take Larry with you."
"Yes, My Lady..."
Now she was openly monitoring me. Her obsession and dependence on me probably stemmed from her deep-seated anxiety. Every time I saw this side of her, I couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. In the end, I headed to the training grounds, accompanied by Larry's sharp, watchful gaze.
"Ugh."
The moment I stepped into the training grounds, I couldn't help but grimace. Lutera Edelian was swinging his sword intensely, completely shirtless.
My eyes are burning...
Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to slip past him quietly, but that was when Lutera spotted me.
"Well, look who it is! If it isn't Hound!"
Why is he so happy to see me...?
"Are you here to train as well? How about a quick spar?"
Is this guy a battle maniac or what?
"It looks like you've been training for quite a while. Aren't you overexerting yourself?"
Lutera laughed heartily and clapped me on the shoulder.
"Haha! This is nothing! So, how about that spar?"
"I would love to, but I need to focus on preparing for the Dungeon Practice. Let's save it for next time."
Lutera scratched the back of his head with a bitter, disappointed smile.
"Is that so... What a shame. Well, train hard then."
Lutera trudged out of the training grounds. Why does it feel like Lutera actually likes me now? It was strange, but I decided to shrug it off. The original plot had already derailed significantly anyway, so this was well within expectations. As I began my training, I locked eyes with Larry, who was watching me while sipping tea. Her gaze was as icy as ever.
Stop looking at me like that...
Forcing myself to ignore her chilling stare, I began to swing my sword.
Swordsmanship proficiency has increased by 1.
Wait, can I not see the overall stats? I reached out toward the floating message window. At that moment—
Ding!
Whoa, so this was possible? It wasn't like I lost anything by finding it late, but I still felt strangely cheated. But I only have 500 coins left. I really needed to hoard my coins now. To become a Magic Swordsman, I absolutely couldn't afford to waste them. If I were to spend coins, the package would have to be valuable enough to justify giving up on the Magic Swordsman path. I briefly considered spending some coins to prepare for the Dungeon Practice, but... for now, I decided to trust in my girls and my own blade.
"Whew."
Training was finally over. Returning to the dormitory, washing off the sweat, and drinking a glass of cold water made me feel alive again. Lately, my training progress had been somewhat stagnant. I felt stuck at 4-star rank. Well, breaking through to 5-star rank was never going to be easy. But with Hound's innate talent, it should only be a matter of time. Putting my worries aside, I threw myself onto the bed to wash away the accumulated fatigue. *Flop.*
"..."
Now, I had to focus on the upcoming Dungeon Practice—specifically, the plot of the original novel. I closed my eyes, searching through my memories. The first-semester dungeon for the first-years was... The Tunnel of the Digging Kobolds. Kobolds were humanoid magical beasts that looked like a cross between a fox and a human. These beasts were highly proficient in ranged attacks and exceptionally tactical. The problem was Ronia's magic. Since her spells were fire-based, they would be difficult to use in the narrow, cramped tunnels of the mine. Well, I would be handling most of the Kobolds anyway, so as long as she could keep Winston in check, it wouldn't be an issue.
In any case, the key to clearing the dungeon was defeating the boss. Since I already knew the location of the boss room, securing first place would be a walk in the park... but the real challenge was how to corner the protagonist's party. My true objective was to beat Winston to a pulp for the sin of hurting the sweet, kind-hearted Ronia. By doing so, I could help Ronia move past her painful history. And as a bonus, I could plant another romantic flag with her. I was a bit worried about Mikaris... but I could always coax her out of her mood later.
Yet... a strange, inexplicable anxiety kept me awake. Now that I knew the original plot had drifted significantly, there was no guarantee that everything would unfold as I remembered. Was it because of all the worrying? I even started to feel a bit dizzy. I rubbed my face with both hands.
"Ugh..."
But what was the point of agonizing over it in bed? There was a saying: the bigger the worry, the more trivial the actual event turns out to be. It was just like those silly high school anxieties, like 'What if I can't fit into my new class?' Besides, with my current strength, I was probably one of the strongest students at Estrada Academy, so there was really nothing to fear. Tomorrow, we should all gather and work on our teamwork.