---

“Huh!”

Arthur, who got up with a voice that lacked any princely dignity, looked around blankly and realized he had woken up from a dream, then ran his hands through his hair.

Joy. That guy! How much did you have stacked up against me usually to use such a terrible magic!

Even if there are safety measures in the Academy Dungeon and the Saintess is by my side, isn’t that too much!

No matter how many times I think about it, that guy intended to kill me!

Arthur, wiping the cold sweat dripping down his forehead, found Joy muttering in her sleep with her eyes closed next to him and lightly tapped her forehead.

“Hiiak?!”

Joy, who finally woke up, jolted up and, holding her forehead with both hands, looked around and found Arthur, then fumbled to take out a fan from her embrace to cover her face.

“Joy. Don’t you have anything to say?”

“Prince, I believe you know it was unavoidable for the sake of raiding the dungeon.”

“Yes. I know. How could I not know you suppressed your torn heart as you attacked us.”

“Hoohoo. As expected of a Prince. Then.”

“So I will also try to suppress my torn heart once.”

“…Huh?”

As Arthur, who got up, moved his feet, Joy, who got up following him, quickly backed away.

“Do you know? Maybe this place is also a dream.”

“It’s not like that! You’re just trying to get revenge for what just happened!”

“Oh. It’s wrong to insult my unfortunate feelings like that.”

“Eek? Hiiak! Hiiiang!”

Arthur, who finished his retaliation by grabbing her cheeks randomly, left Joy grumbling with a tearful face and approached Frey and Phavi, who had woken up.

“Will you two also get revenge on that guy? I allow it with my prince’s authority.”

“No. It’s okay. It couldn’t be helped.”

“Right. We’re not petty like the 3rd Prince.”

As the two shook their heads, Arthur, who was suddenly made out to be a bad guy, coughed dryly while trying to ignore Joy’s gaze from behind.

“Then let’s end this here and go back to talking about the dungeon. Looking at the surrounding scenery, Joy’s guess seems to have been right.”

The place where Arthur’s party was standing at this moment had a similar structure to the room they had just been in.

A few differences.

After a long time, the walls have holes here and there.

The carpet is so worn that it’s hard to see its former form.

Various decorations have faded with time, creating a desolate atmosphere.

Except for those points, it would be no exaggeration to say it perfectly matched the room Arthur’s party stayed in their dream.

“I hope this place doesn’t also go on endlessly.”

Arthur moved forward, hoping Lucy wasn’t that harsh.

Due to being forced to rest while staying in the fourth room, the party’s movements were incredibly light.

How could their bodies not be light when they, who normally fought hard from morning till night, only walked around the corridor for half a day?

Instead of stopping Frey, who kept trying to rush ahead, the party moved as if running to match her pace and soon reached the end of the corridor.

“Are you telling me to go in here?”

In the place where the cradle was in the first corridor, a door was installed in its stead.

As soon as Frey saw it, she drew her sword and tried to break through the door to enter, but Arthur grabbed her by the nape of her neck, preventing her charge.

“Wait. First, after sensing what’s beyond…”

“Oh ho. Finally, a guest has arrived. I thought I would die waiting.”

They were not given time to examine what was beyond the door.

Before Arthur could say anything to Joy and Phavi, the door opened, and something revealed itself from within.

The person was a man in ragged clothes, looking disheveled.

A terrible stench that would emanate from a corpse.

Hair that was limp like oily seaweed due to lack of grooming.

A madness in his eyes, visible from under his hair, characteristic of a shut-in.

The man calmly observed the four people, then smiled and started to speak.

“Hello…”

As soon as he opened his mouth, a divine sphere appeared and exploded before his eyes, cutting off his words.

If the opponent had been ordinary, the flash would have blinded him and made him stagger, but the man avoided the flash by closing his eyes as soon as he saw the divine sphere.

“Oops. I was going to give a welcome greeting, but instead, I received a greeting.”

As the man was blabbering, Frey, released by Arthur, charged forward with aura in her sword.

A single blow to cut the opponent in half.

The man dodged the sharp, wind-like attack by slightly twisting his body and continued to speak.

“Calm down. I’m just one of those noble snobs, so there’s no way I’d harm guests who have come after a long time.”

While speaking, the man, who easily dodged Frey’s attack, then grabbed Frey by the nape of her neck, threw her down, and brushed off his hands.

Frey, who managed to land next to Arthur with astonishing balance, slightly frowned.

“My sword doesn’t reach.”

“Is it similar to a wolf?”

“No. If anything, it’s closer to facing Professor Kal.”

Is it that he was suppressed by overwhelming skill?

Arthur stood still with his hands behind his back, looking at the man, and bit his lip slightly.

It doesn’t seem like this guy can be defeated by normal means.

…Wait. Looking at the scenery in the corridor and this guy’s decaying appearance, isn’t there a possibility this man is an undead?

If this guy is someone who refused death, then by the Saintess’s purification.

“It’s impossible. 3rd Prince.”

Phavi shook her head, perhaps reading the meaning in Arthur’s gaze.

“This person is alive. Moreover, someone who can contain divine energy.”

No shortcuts are allowed?

Tsk. Lucy Alrun, you’re thorough to a damn degree.

“Well, I can’t keep the guests standing around indefinitely. Please come inside for now.”

The man, who opened the door himself and invited them to enter, looked extremely suspicious.

So suspicious that Arthur even suspected that he might not have any ulterior motives.

Frankly, I don’t want to accept that invitation.

I don’t like handing over the initiative to someone whose identity is unknown.

However, the problem is that we have no choice.

What would we do if we couldn’t enter the room?

Like a while ago, we would have to search endlessly through the meaningless corridor.

If so, it’s better to go in knowing it’s a trap and find some clue.

The worst-case scenario is being expelled outside right after entering the room, met by something unknown.

But the room visible beyond the door looks like a normal office, even if it’s messy, so it should be fine.

It doesn’t seem to have any magical devices, and since the Saintess isn’t saying anything, it’s unlikely that anything ominous is lurking.

Even in the worst-case scenario, there should be time to find some clue.

The moment Arthur finished his thoughts.

The gazes of Joy, Phavi, and Frey were directed towards Arthur.

Arthur felt burdened by the gazes filled with trust that his judgment would be correct, but outwardly he maintained a firm and serious expression.

“Let’s go. Let’s see what Lucy Alrun has prepared.”

As Arthur took a step forward, the others followed him into the room.

As the four people who entered the room looked around, smelling the musty odor characteristic of old and dirty houses.

The man standing outside the door spoke with a gloomy smile.

“Welcome to the mansion. Everyone. Please enjoy your stay.”

What is that guy talking about all of a sudden?

Arthur felt strangeness at the words that sounded like guiding to a tourist spot, and at that moment, the man suddenly closed the door.

Following the shock, cracks began to appear on the floor, and before Arthur’s party could react, the floor collapsed.

A sudden fall with nothing to hold onto began.

“Damn it! Joy! I leave the Saintess to you!”

“Don’t worry!”

Arthur, confirming that Joy created several wind-element magic circles in an instant and hugged Phavi to slow their fall, cast magic and searched for Frey.

Damn it. Where is that guy?

If we fall like this, even Frey wouldn’t be unharmed?!

Arthur, looking around in bewilderment, found Frey not below, but above.

“I worried for nothing.”

Frey was maintaining her aerial posture by stepping on falling debris.

I don’t know how she’s doing that.

But it seems she won’t get hurt by falling.

Arthur, bored by the impossible feat he couldn’t even see in a circus, averted his gaze from Frey and completed magic just for himself.

Soon after landing on the ground, Arthur brushed off the stone fragments on his head and looked around.

Is this the entrance to the mansion?

The damn guy said to enjoy the mansion, so I must be wandering around this mansion looking for some clue.

Sigh. This is going to be a bothersome task again. I’ll look around casually today and start a proper raid tomorrow.

“…Huh?”

Arthur, who was looking around, froze as he saw something installed in the center of the mansion.

It was something familiar to Arthur.

To Arthur’s party.

To everyone who had raided the Academy Dungeon.

“Why is the Recording Device here?”

Recording Device.

A unique installation in the Academy Dungeon, replacing the safe zones of ordinary dungeons.

A device that allows them not to ascend the 100-floor Academy Dungeon from the first floor every time.

Why is that here?

Why is this device, which didn’t exist in the previous rooms, only here?

The moment Arthur felt doubt looking at the Recording Device.

The entrance to the mansion opened, revealing stairs leading down.

Seeing the dark stairs, whose end was unknown, Arthur desperately checked the Recording Device with a sense of dread.

‘Floor 0.’

The meaning of the numbers written there was clear.

All the rooms they had broken through so far were just a dream.

A tutorial made for examinees to get used to the gimmicks.

So, from now on.

From the entrance of this mansion.

It’s the real, proper dungeon.

“…I’m going crazy.”

Arthur, having grasped everything, glared at the number ‘0’ and then let out a hollow laugh.

*

“What kind of gimmick is that! To have to die if you make one mistake!”

Arthur, who was kicked out of the dungeon after raiding the boss on the first floor, raved, shaking his head.

A place where you have to die if you mistake the moment you can attack and the moment you can’t!

What kind of dungeon in the world is like this!

“Puhahah. Poor Prince. Are you trying to gain sympathy with your appearance now? There are many better ways if you want to become a beggar.”

The moment a slightly high-pitched, clear, ticklish, and annoying brat’s voice was heard, Arthur knew who the owner of that voice was before he even turned his head.

“Lucy Alrun. Why are you here?”

Lucy Alrun.

The girl Arthur had been cursing at just moments ago was looking down at him.

“I waited to see the face of a loser.”

“…What?”

“Pfft. Khuhuk. It was worth waiting to see the Poor Prince squirm. How is it? Wasn’t it a wonderful place that the Poor Prince, an utter trash, could never conquer even after countless days? Right?”

…This damn brat.

Is she not only making me suffer in that hideous dungeon but also teasing me now?

“Why no answer? Is the dungeon I made *so* great that it’s impossible to express with the Poor Prince’s trashy vocabulary?”

“Do you want an answer?”

“Can you answer?”

“Of course. But there’s a condition.”

“What is it?”

“Let me tap you once.”

Seeing you being so annoying right now, I can’t possibly hold back my irritation.

So, let me tap your head. I don’t know if my fist can harm you, but I’ll answer after I vent my frustration by hitting you.

“Pfft. What? Are you angry? Do you want to hit this small and cute girl? You’re really trash.”

“If you don’t like it, forget it.”

Anyway, I wasn’t serious either. I just wanted to show that I was annoyed. So, if you’re not going to give me the chance.

“I never said I didn’t like it?”

“…What?”

Arthur froze in response to the completely unexpected answer, while Lucy Alrun hurried up to him and offered her head.

…Uh. So.

Are you really telling me to hit you?

Am I supposed to punch this tiny head?

Of course, I know you are very sturdy.

Still.

“Pah-hah. You’re really pathetic. Even when given a chance, you just hesitate. That’s why I can only keep calling you the pathetic Poor Prince forever?”

Lucy stepped back with a laugh, giggling into the moonlight behind her, teasing Arthur.

But that was short-lived. As soon as Joy appeared, she went next to her.

As if everything that had just happened was just a small prank.

Left alone, Arthur covered his blushing face with both hands and vowed once more.

If I succeed in raiding the dungeon, I will definitely tap you, if nothing else.

 

---