Chapter 50

‘……What kind of situation is this.’

Eris staggered for a moment.

It felt as if she had been struck on the head with a hammer.

He had kindly drawn arrows to guide her, leading her to the exit.

He had even taken down the monsters alone to ensure safety.

That grateful person……

Was really Villed?

‘……I can’t believe it.’

Her mind went blank.

The shock was considerable.

‘Why.’

The other person was none other than Villed.

The very symbol of arrogance and incompetence.

Wasn’t he the worst troublemaker in the academy?

‘Wasn’t he placed in our team because he was weak? His rank is 600th, the very last.’

Without the backing of his family, he would have been completely eliminated as a worthless thug.

That must have been the case……

‘But then, how did that weakling manage to defeat all the monsters?’

On her way here, Eris hadn’t encountered even a single monster.

That meant Villed had handled all the monsters in the dungeon by himself.

‘That’s…… possible?’

No matter if this was just a low-level dungeon.

For a bottom-ranked cadet to conquer it alone required not just persistence but an unshakable goal that surpassed the impossible.

‘You’d really have to be willing to risk your life.’

But in the end, wasn’t this just a practical evaluation?

Was there really any need to go this far?

‘I just don’t get it. Why risk his life just to help us……?’

On top of that, he was a thug with serious personality issues.

The fact that he considered others at all was suspicious in itself.

Especially considering that just two months ago, he had bullied these very same cadets.

‘……A simple change of heart? Or is he crazy, pulling some life-risking prank?’

Crunch!

She accidentally stepped on a stone.

It made a loud noise.

“Who’s there.”

Villed quietly spoke in her direction.

……Eris did not run away.

She stepped forward into the cave, one step at a time.

There, she came face-to-face with Villed.

Crackle, crackle!

The sound of burning firewood filled the space.

Two large shadows stretched across the cave walls.

“……”

“……”

Villed gazed at Eris without saying a word.

He didn’t seem particularly surprised.

His eyes were sharp as usual.

‘……But his gaze looks clear.’

It had been a long time since she had looked directly at Villed’s face.

It was different from the hazy eyes he had when he humiliated her in front of the whole school two months ago.

Sweat drenched his body as if to prove he had defeated the boss, and parts of his uniform were torn.

A noble…… was there really any need for him to take such risks?

Everything was nothing but questions.

Almost entranced, Eris opened her mouth.

“……You did all of this?”

When Eris asked, Villed remained silent.

“……”

For a while, he said nothing.

At last, as if his thoughts had settled.

His lips slowly began to move.

She wondered what he would say.

And then, with a serious face, Villed spoke.

“……Truly.”

Not a joke, but a quiet, powerful emotion.

With a voice choked and breaking with rising feelings.

“……I’m sorry.”

He asked Eris for forgiveness.

“……”

Hearing that voice, Eris froze like a statue.

What had he just said?

‘Did he just say he’s sorry to me?’

Eris doubted her ears.

She didn’t know how to respond.

When a noble wronged a commoner, they brushed it off without so much as a blink.

‘Nobles never bow their heads to commoners.’

It was common knowledge.

And society accepted it as the most natural thing.

Shameless bastards.

That was the very reason Eris hated nobles, including Villed.

But now.

‘That arrogant noble……. A member of one of the Four Great Houses, apologizing to a commoner?’

It was something Eris could never have imagined.

By all reason, it was a scene that could never take place, and yet here it was unfolding before her eyes.

‘I wondered why he would tackle the dungeon alone…….’

……Now, at last, the secret was revealed.

‘He’s been repenting.’

Villed was truly regretting his past mistakes.

Words alone couldn’t convince anyone, so he had risked his life to prove it through action.

Yes.

Thinking about it, it made sense.

Since the Princess incident, he had been working in the livestock shed, living as though in self-reflection.

‘It was strange enough that he quietly endured such harsh and filthy work.’

In fact, not a single incident had happened for nearly two months.

‘He has changed…… changed too much.’

It was unlike the petty man known as Villed.

She had thought he would resent them for abandoning him, all while he suffered punishment in the livestock shed.

We had abandoned him and fled for revenge.

‘……And yet.’

Eris’s lips trembled.

‘He put down all his pride, and asked for forgiveness.’

The man she had hated most in the world had sincerely apologized to her.

Eris felt tears welling up.

……But of all people, she refused to let him see her cry.

“You…….”

Clenching her eyes shut, Eris shouted.

“You think we’ll forgive you just because of this?”

She couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Eris fled the cave and dashed toward the exit.

Her eyes still burned hot.

Her heart pounded.

‘What should I do?’

If Villed showed such an attitude……

Then she would have no choice but to forgive him.

“Ha…… I’m screwed…….”

I let out a sigh as I watched her figure fade into the distance.

‘Just when things seemed to be going well.’

In the end, I got caught.

It was right after I had defeated the dungeon’s boss, the Rex Wolf, and was catching my breath.

One of my teammates suddenly appeared and stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.

‘Looks like she came from the reverse direction of the arrows. What a pointless thing to do.’

No other teammates were in sight.

It seemed she had come alone.

When she saw me, she just stood there with a blank face, saying nothing.

‘I thought she would be glad if I took care of them instead. Was I only thinking from my own perspective?’

After all, all the dungeon’s monsters that the teammates were supposed to defeat had already been wiped out.

‘Could it be…… they also wanted the materials?’

I understood.

I had monopolized all those materials alone, so it made sense they would be dumbfounded.

‘Maybe they’re the kind who don’t like dumping their own work on others…… responsible types, I guess.’

Weren’t they the lowest-ranked cadets who struggled even with the easiest dungeon?

‘In the game, I remember some of the bottom teams couldn’t even clear the dungeon.’

That’s why I thought they’d be glad if I carried them.

I was gravely mistaken.

‘Anyway, since I got caught, I figured I should apologize first…….’

But instead of accepting the apology, she just turned back and left.

‘She was furious that I hogged everything, but this won’t cause problems later, will it?’

……I had no idea.

Whether she tattled to a professor or not, I had no intention of sharing the materials.

‘I sweated blood alone to get these, it wouldn’t be right.’

If it bothered them, they should have hunted them first.

And then, I realized something belatedly.

“Cough, cough.”

My throat was terribly sore.

It seemed it had dried out from the long hours of labor.

‘Since I kept hunting without rest, my throat has cracked badly.’

I pulled out a water bottle from subspace and drank.

……After that.

Thanks to perfectly conquering the dungeon, I received a high score.

The practical evaluation didn’t heavily impact grades, but the more points the better.

‘Lucky nothing happened.’

I recalled the green-haired cadet who had found me.

I thought she would report me to a professor……

But since nothing had come of it yet, it seemed she had let it slide.

‘……She said she wouldn’t forgive me, yet already changed her mind?’

What a fickle one.

For me, though, it was a good thing.

But another problem arose.

When I placed the accessory crafting set I bought from <✿Animal✿Farm✿> on titanium, a new message appeared.

Special equipment is required to process titanium!

Special equipment, huh……

‘This won’t be easy.’

I looked at the titanium ore and thought deeply.

‘So when they said it was difficult, they weren’t lying.’

Processing titanium not only required effort but also essential assistance from equipment.

The fact that separate equipment was necessary showed how different it was from other materials.

‘So basically, I need to prepare crafting equipment to handle this material.’

It was obvious.

But I had neither the equipment nor the money to buy it.

So should I give up after coming this far?

Of course not. The solution came easily enough.

‘I’ll have to rent a workshop.’

The workshop in Yggdrasil that trained blacksmiths.

It had all the crafting equipment that existed in this world.

Only senior students who had chosen the blacksmith department could enter.

But I heard first-years were exceptionally allowed, for department experience.

‘Though for a bottom-ranked cadet like me, that’s impossible.’

It was said they only granted it to high-ranked students.

The reason wasn’t anything special.

‘If they recruit top-ranked cadets, the department’s budget increases or something like that.’

A very practical reason.

Since I was also from a high noble family, maybe I could qualify?

……I shook my head.

Who would accept a notorious delinquent student infamous after the Princess incident?

‘……Well, it’s not like there’s no way at all.’

If I asked ‘that person,’ I could probably borrow it for a short while.

‘I still need to apply for a booth. Busy, busy.’

I had mountains of things to do.

It seemed I wouldn’t have any free time before the festival.

On a night when the great moon shone.

A black tower piled high like a fortress.

At the very top floor, two shadows moved.

“You’ve done well bringing your beloved master.”

Before them, a black coffin bathed in moonlight was laid.

When the lid of the coffin was pushed aside, a girl in deep slumber was revealed.

Her golden hair shimmered as the radiant moonlight touched it.

Her hands were clasped together, and a faded gray pendant hung around her neck.

……There was no movement, not even the sound of breathing.

“It’s my first time seeing her in person. She’s truly beautiful. Was this the face you pledged loyalty to?”

“Silence, witch.”

One shadow reached for the sword at their waist.

The one called witch gave a short laugh.

“My, the knight has a foul mouth. Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you angry.”

The one called witch grasped a flask and approached the girl lying in the coffin.

“As I said…… this is only a temporary measure.”

She dropped the liquid from the flask into the girl’s mouth.

“If you desire your master’s immortality, bring me ‘that.’”

“Of course.”

The reply came without hesitation.

The one called witch responded.

“I’m surprised you answered without blinking. Bringing that won’t be easy even for you, you know? Can you really do it?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Hearing that, the one called witch let out a sound of admiration.

“To have such a loyal subordinate is enviable. Such unwavering devotion is rare in this era. Mmm, it feels romantic, I like it.”

The witch chuckled and added in succession.

“Now, go and serve your master.”

Hearing that, the shadow with the sword walked toward the door.

Creak, he opened the door and answered.

“I’ll bring it within a month.”

His voice was resolute, already set in determination.

“The corpse of Princess Arlhardt.”

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