Chapter 2: Dungeons and Monsters

“Phew... It’s fiiinally over. Professor Matteau’s class is super tough. It’s painful for someone who just pulled an all-nighter,” Shuya complained.

“What’re you saying, Shuya? You’re always sleeping in class, regardless of whether you stayed up the night before.”

The short break time between classes was a torturous time for me. If Valjean wasn’t with me, I had nothing to do. I either stayed in my seat, looking at my textbook out of boredom, or I stared blankly at the noisy people.

But it was different lately. Whenever I was bored, I could just look out the window. Not only was there a large crowd of people I couldn’t name moving around campus...

“Now then, Shuya, shall we get going?”

“Yeah!” he replied enthusiastically.

The flow of people following behind the girl was like a royal procession. Though Princess Carina had a similar shade of blonde hair as Valjean, her charisma was on an entirely different level compared to him.

On top of that, fully armed Royal Knights remained by the princess’s side. I suppose I should’ve expected nothing less from the knights who had been assigned to protect the princess while she was in the dungeon; they were dignified, and each one of them had earned some measure of fame. Only a few days had passed since they had arrived, but the knights themselves had gained a following too.

The knights probably knew how the princess felt about all this, but they didn’t move an inch to save the princess from the students that swarmed around her. They probably were under orders from the Cardinal to encourage the princess to interact with the students or something.

Well, the princess seemed to be causing the knights a lot of trouble, so they probably hoped the princess would interact more with everyone else, even if that meant she’d be getting some abrupt exposure therapy. If I had to guess, though, the princess was probably full of objections in her heart.

“Please shake my hand!”

“Your Highness! Please look this way! Please let me predict your future with my divination!” someone shouted.

Divination? Wow, that guy sure had some guts, offering that to a princess. What would he do if the results turned out negative? Wait. That’s Shuya. He’d been in the same classroom as me just moments ago... He really couldn’t even stay still for a minute, could he? Not only that, but that guy was desperate for even a sliver of the princess’s attention, even though he was fated to get together with Alicia in the future.

Hm? Princess Carina had stopped walking. It’s a wild thought, but did she react to Shuya’s voice? Is she really going to let him perform his crazy divination on her? For a moment I thought she might, but in actuality, she was looking up in my direction. It seemed that the princess had noticed my gaze on her as I watched over her from my spot in the school building.

Why was she glaring at me, though?

“Now then, those breas—” Shuya coughed. “I mean, Princess Carina, please take my hand!”

“Hey, you! Just where exactly are you looking at while you’re talking to the princess?!” Sir Dalton snapped.

Ah, I see. That’s how it is. When I’d persuaded the princess to come out, I’d made references to Shuya’s school life in the anime and told her about the fun things he’d experienced.

I certainly had told her that she might be able to experience the epitome of youth if she attended classes, but...if life were made of roses and rainbows like that, I wouldn’t have been suffering so much either.

“Huh?! O-Oh! Sir Dalton! I didn’t mean that! Uh, you have the wrong idea! I really didn’t, um... Eeeep! Please forgive me! It was just a spur of the moment thing!” Shuya cried.

When someone tiptoed along the border of sexual harassment, though, the Royal Knights would definitely not let it go unnoticed.

I silently sent my best wishes to the princess and retreated into the classroom, almost as if I were fleeing from her gaze. Then, I took out the monster encyclopedia I’d brought with me to keep me occupied during break time and flipped through its pages.

“Exploring the dungeon, huh?” I muttered under my breath. “I honestly didn’t think Charlotte would be so eager about going there.”

Since she was a clumsy mage, finding some measure of magical success with that spell had given Charlotte a huge boost to her self-confidence.

Later that evening, we sat side by side on a wooden bench near the path. I was studying in preparation for the trip down into the dungeon; next to me, Charlotte peered over my shoulder with intense concentration.

“Wow! There’s sooo many monsters in this book! Also, you’re turning the pages too quickly, Master Slowe! I only just started on that page!” Charlotte complained.

“Huh? Does it take that much time? It’s mostly just illustrations on this page, though,” I said.

There was an ongoing issue, though, one that was distracting me. We were too close to each other, and it’d been bothering me for a while. Charlotte’s snow-white arm kept bumping into my arm as I held the book.

“Please look here! See? Slimes that have taken in poison have nearly identical shapes, so it’s hard to tell them apart. That’s why we need to take the time to read this properly! If we accidentally stepped on one, it could be a disaster!”

The bulky encyclopedia described many of the monsters one would find inside a dungeon, complete with illustrations. Charlotte was absorbed in the page on slimes, the sentient water monsters. There were a lot of cute slime illustrations on the page.

“As long as you don’t get close to slimes, they’re not a problem. They’re slowpokes.”

“I’m not as knowledgeable as you about monsters, so I need to study properly! Hmm, I see.” Charlotte nodded to herself. “Okay, next page, please.”

“The lizardmen are definitely the coolest!” Another student’s voice rang out nearby. Around us, other people were also absorbed in their own monster encyclopedias, just like we were.

They were probably all going to join the dungeon expedition the army was organizing. Currently, studying about monsters in the dungeon was the latest under-the-table trend at Kirsch.

“No way. I’d vote for the unicorns. Look at the gorgeous mane on this one. Lizardmen can’t replicate this same kind of color and luster. Besides, the unicorns only allow pure maidens on their backs. If I became the headmaster, I’d definitely make unicorn equestrian classes compulsory! And I’d ban all illicit sexual relationships in the school!”

“Ah, look, Master Slowe! There are all kinds of orcs over here!” Charlotte exclaimed, and I refocused my attention on her.

This particular encyclopedia was a custom-order edition manufactured by the Adventurers’ Guild, and it was especially detailed, categorizing the monsters by their characteristics.

“Isn’t this the Baron Orc that snuck onto campus a while back?!” Charlotte exclaimed, looking at a chibi illustration of the Baron Orc. “The real deal was so dignified, and yet, as an illustration, it’s cute...”

“Y-You think so?” I had no idea why Charlotte would describe the Baron Orc as cute or dignified. I mean, the only difference between a Baron Orc and a normal orc was a magnificent beard, that was all. But something about it tingled Charlotte’s cute senses, apparently. Well, considering the fact that Charlotte had that scary Great Spirit of Wind as her pet, I shouldn’t have been surprised.

“Master Slowe, just wondering. Your encyclopedia seems to be more amazing than the ones other people have.”

“I specially ordered one that real adventurers use; that’s why. Anyway, Charlotte. Are you serious about joining Princess Carina and her knights to go exploring the dungeon? You used to hate monsters, you know. I remember clearly. All it took was me mimicking an orc and snorting to make you cry.”

Indirectly, I probed for her reaction. Charlotte’s homeland, Huzak, was now ruled by the monsters migrating from the north that had destroyed it.

Allied troops of Daryth and Cirquista, as well as other countries of the Great Four, had planned many operations to take back Huzak from the monsters. However, the sheer number of monsters there was overwhelming, and those operations had yet to see the light of day.

Even now, people like the current queen’s Guardian Knight, Sir Delfrey, firmly insisted that we should reclaim Huzak. But the fact of the matter was, that land had become a terrifying place, and we couldn’t deal with it.

“That was a very, veeery long time ago, and I’m no longer scared of the likes of monsters! Master Slowe, please flip to the next page!”

Her words were very brave...but...!

“Oh... Master Slowe, you have that look on your face, the one you get whenever you think that I’m just saying empty words!”

“Oink?! Th-That’s not what I’m thinking at all! Honest!” Though I felt bad for thinking that, Charlotte had hit the nail right on the head.

“But that’s fine! Even if I can’t help much while we explore, we might be able to make it quite deep into the dungeon with the Royal Knights around. Plus, I hear that people can earn lots of money in the dungeon. Hey, if we find super rare loot in the dungeon, let’s sell it to make some quick cash and add that to our allowance!”

“Hmm... That’s an excellent idea, oink.”

“Master Slowe! Watch what you’re saying!”

“Oh, oops.” I paused, minding my words so that I didn’t oink again. “Well, that is an excellent idea...so let’s do that!”

“Yay!!!”

Her words were encouraging, and when I was with her, I couldn’t help but cheer too.

That wasn’t all. Whenever I saw Charlotte’s elated face... How should I put it? Her happiness was contagious, and that happiness filled me to the brim. Charlotte had been drowning in sadness when I first met her, and she’d been a completely different person from the girl before me now. Just being by her side made me happy. It was a little embarrassing to think this, but it was the truth, so it couldn’t be helped.

Oh, yes. So this was what they meant when people bragged about the people they love. There were a lot of reasons why I liked her, but if I had to choose the top reason...I suppose it would have been how earnest she was and how she faced everything with all she had. It wasn’t something visible; you could only feel it when you were near her.

“Ah, are you also reading a monster encyclopedia, Lord Denning?! Whoa! That’s the one real adventurers use, isn’t it?! It’s super expensive!” Somebody was talking in the background excitedly. “Um, I...I want to become someone strong like you! So I will try my best in the upcoming dungeon expedition!”

I didn’t reply, assuming they were talking to someone else.

“Master Slowe! He’s talking to you, Master Slowe!” Charlotte prodded me.

“Huh?” I was shocked. There was a noble student with slightly curly brown hair there. “Oh, me? I-I see. Just do your best.”

“I will! See you again!” The unnamed student darted off with sparkles in his eyes.

“Ah, hey!” I hastily called out to him. “You, over there! Wait!”

“Huh?”

“Exploring dungeons is something dangerous, and your life’s constantly on the line in there. If you sense that something is out of your depth, even just a little bit, retreat immediately!” I yelled.

“Y-Yes! Understood!”

It was surely all thanks to the girl next to me that students had started talking to me like this. I didn’t want to lose her like I would in the anime, and that was why I’d chosen to take everything back into my own hands.

Rays of the evening sun shone down onto the school campus. Before I knew it, the encyclopedia I’d been holding ended up in Charlotte’s hands.

“Have you heard that rumor? Apparently, the princess is going to explore the dungeon before us, and with those Royal Knights at that!” I couldn’t help but overhear some students gossiping around me.

“You think they’ll be looking for loot? But someone as influential as the princess could probably get anything she wanted if she asked for it...”

The dungeon was a world of monsters that had been created by a certain ore named the dungeon core. When asked about whether she wanted to join a party to explore the dungeon, Charlotte had agreed immediately. She’d done the same thing back when she’d said she wanted to go to the theater in Yoram. It seemed that Charlotte was working towards realizing her ideal self.

The plan was that the Royal Knights would split off to search the dungeon for the hatchling dragon, apparently. A dragon hatchling was a valuable, special monster. If one were sent off to the market, it would fetch a hundred gold coins... No, at least three hundred gold coins. As far as I could tell, it was the Cardinal’s dearest wish to find one, but surprisingly, Princess Carina seemed pretty eager to find it too.

Professor Loco Moco, on the other hand, had objected to the princess and her knights going into the dungeon up until the very last minute. I sort of got why. If the Royal Knights went wild in the dungeon, in response, the dungeon would temporarily spawn many monsters to protect itself accordingly. That had to be why he’d protested so much.

Charlotte stared intently down at the page we’d turned to.

“What’s wrong, Charlotte? Did one of the monsters catch your eye?”

“Ah, no, um...”

The page in question featured a dragon, the king of the skies. The entry spanned several pages; the famous anecdotes that lined the pages had piqued her interest.

I peered over. “That’s—” Depicted on the page was a woman standing in a grassy field leaning into an enormous black dragon. When I squinted to get a better look, I noticed a small black cat near the woman’s foot.

“If I remember right, that’s...” I trailed off.

Among all the stories I’d heard about the intelligent dragons, one of the most famous was the legend of the Guardian Dragon of Huzak.

Long before Huzak had been destroyed, monsters from the north would occasionally try to invade the country. The monsters in the north fought with Dustour over territory day and night, every single day.

The monsters had decided that Huzak was an easier target than the Country of Knights and the Metropolis of Water. Huzak’s people led simple lives, working away diligently in the agricultural industry; if powerful monsters from the north invaded, they would fall immediately. And thus the central nation fell under the monsters’ attention. Little did they know that Huzak had a powerful protector.

“That’s...Sekhmet, the Guardian Dragon of Huzak,” I finished.

Whenever Huzak was under attack by monsters, this black dragon would appear out of nowhere. Over time, it became known as the Guardian Dragon of Huzak, and it was worshipped with a reverence akin to the land’s guardian deity. But that protection came at a price; in exchange for decimating the monsters, the Guardian Dragon snatched away each generation’s princesses.

Though Huzak had been a target of monsters, its savior had also been a monster, and so it’d had a twisted relationship with them. Its people had continued to strengthen their own military power while under the dragon’s protection so that they could defend themselves one day without needing to rely on it.

If the Cardinal got his hands on a dragon hatchling, he’d likely aim to rear it into a Guardian Dragon that would protect our country without any payment in return.

“Master Slowe...do you think that the Guardian Dragon really existed?” Charlotte asked.

“Yeah, I think it did exist,” I said. “Dragons are prideful beings, and because of that, they keep their promises. Once upon a time, Princess Lily wished for the destruction of the monsters that had attacked her country, and she gave up her own future in exchange. The black dragon kept that promise; it was probably still bound to that oath even after she died.”

“I know that the dragon was infatuated with her, but would it really continue to protect the country after the person it loved had died? And would a monster really protect the country? I’m just wondering because...if it really did exist, then...back then—”

“Charlotte, dragons may have a long lifespan, but Sekhmet last appeared over a hundred years ago,” I reminded her.

“Ah, that’s right.” Charlotte snapped out of it. “What in the world am I saying?”

Charlotte remained deep in thought for a long while after that, a tormented look twisting her features. Up until now, she had avoided mentioning Huzak, cutting off the conversation just like this. To my recollection, she’d never started a conversation with me about her home country.

Sekhmet and Huzak... Charlotte’s ancestor had offered her own existence to the dragon and protected her country. But Huzak had been destroyed by monsters nearly a decade ago. Everyone in Huzak had probably hoped the Guardian Dragon would appear to save them, but in the end, it never did. I suppose even a monster that strong can’t win against its own lifespan, huh?

“Do you want to keep that, Charlotte? You can have it.” I gestured to the book.

“It looks really expensive, though. Is it really okay for me to have it?”

“I already finished reading it anyway. I should be getting a new one sometime soon too.”

“Wow!” Charlotte looked elated. “Thank you very much, Master Slowe! I will treasure it!”

Knowing her past, I honestly could never have imagined that Charlotte would be happy to receive a book about monsters. This was the girl who, back in the day, would cower in fear from a single glance at art that depicted them.

“I’ll head off to help out in the dining hall, then! By the way, the dessert today is really extravagant, Master Slowe, so please look forward to it!” Charlotte said, and she left, clutching the encyclopedia to her chest.

Hmm. Is she really okay? Charlotte said she’s not a kid anymore, but when it comes to monsters... I feel that she’d have a harder time facing them than those bandits at the theater. After all, her homeland was destroyed by monsters. She must’ve faced some awful things during her journey from Huzak to my family’s lands. She had nightmares every single night when we first met. I contemplated in silence by myself.

Before I knew it, somebody stood in front of me. “Hey,” she called out to me. She was backlit by the sun, and I was blinded by the light. I still realized who it was, though, both her and the person standing next to her.

Shuya hesitated before he spoke up. “Do you need to talk to Denning or something?”

“Shuya, you can go on ahead,” Alicia said.

“You’ve been acting a little different ever since you came back from Yoram, Alicia.” Shuya shrugged. “Well, all’s fine by me, I suppose.”

It was Alicia, and the boy with flaming-red hair next to her was Shuya; together, they were the protagonist and his heroine. Shuya was the world’s savior who fought the empire in the anime, and he was currently looking at Alicia with a quizzical look. But, in the next moment...

“Ah, right, Denning,” Shuya said. “There’s something I wanted your help with.”

On instinct, my guard went up. In the anime, we’d always been at odds with each other, and right now was no different. Ever since I enrolled in this school, we’d been at each other’s throats.

I’d already forgotten what started it all. But he used to get on my nerves in the past, no matter what he did. So I’d mess with him, and we’d end up fighting every day. No, I don’t have to remember all the details. I stopped that train of thought.

Most of the time, it had been my fault that we ended up arguing. Had I not antagonized him, we probably could’ve been civil with each other. Still, I had no plans of making nice with him after all that...

“I’m going to participate in the dungeon expedition event the army is holding soon. I wanted your help with that, actually... Well, I want to get into the dungeon before anyone else! Would you be able to use your influence to do something about that? You’re from House Denning, right? So, well... You know what I mean!” He gestured vaguely.

“Huh?” I let out an incredulous noise. “Uh, I’m pretty sure that’d be impossible...”

“Oh, pretty please! Can’t you do something about it? I really want to join the army after I graduate! These are some unsettling times, you know? Someone dangerous snuck into the school, then a dungeon appeared near here... I want to join the army so that I can protect this country! That’s why I want to play an active role in the dungeon. I want your father to remember me! Please, Denning, please!”

“O-Okay...I get it,” I said, taken aback.

“Yahoo! Awesome! Thanks a bunch!” Shuya cheered. “I’ll go on ahead then, Alicia! Don’t fight with Denning anymore, okay? Oh, and something definitely happened between the two of you in Yoram, right?!”

“Jeez, Shuya! Just go already!” Alicia groaned.

The exchange showed just how close of friends the two of them were. They didn’t seem like they were romantically interested in each other at all, not like they were in the anime. Alicia was using Shuya as an errand boy because of his debt to her and only saw him as a convenient servant.

I shook that thought away. Nah. I have nothing to do with their relationship.

Shuya laughed heartily. “Don’t get so angry, Alicia! See ya!”

Shuya was a more important topic right now. The guy had talked to me without any reservations, as if nothing had happened between us up to this point. Was I the only one out of us two that was really wary of the other? He’s... Ugh, it’s like I made a fuss for nothing.

After a pause, I spoke up, turning to Alicia. “Are you really fine with him leaving like that?”

“I’m fine!” she exclaimed. “More importantly, Piggy Slowe, you seem to be doing a pretty good job at babysitting the Little Daryth. I have to be honest, I was very surprised.” Alicia sat down on the bench, in the same spot Charlotte had sat just a few moments ago.

“Surprised?” I asked, puzzled. “Why?”

“I thought you’d give up on the first day. I’m surprised that the princess would come out to attend classes.”

“Wait...” I trailed off. “You know about Princess Carina’s...that?”

“The Little Daryth always found some reason to excuse herself from royal events, so...” Alicia shrugged. “Well, the princess is special, so nobody would deny her that. So I thought she’d only try hard on the first day, then find some excuse or other to hole herself up somewhere like she has in the past. And yet, she didn’t. What kind of special technique did you use?”

“I didn’t really do anything. Anyway, I get it. So you wanted to talk to me about Princess Carina, then?”

“I heard rumors that you were going down into the dungeon with the Little Daryth.” Alicia paused. “Is that true?”

“You heard the news pretty quickly, huh?” I said hesitantly.

A large group of students talking about the dungeon passed us by as we were talking.

“Don’t use a sword! Use a knife!” one argued.

“No, I’m taking a sword! A trip to the dungeon is like going to the playground for me.”

The students were all fired up about the expedition; Alicia watched them with a chilly expression.

“They’re just repeating the word ‘dungeon’ like mindless parrots,” she muttered coldly. “And to think that the army refused to let the Adventurers’ Guild take care of the dungeon. They just left it sitting there in the forest...” Alicia shook her head. “I can’t imagine what the duke is thinking.”

Every country dealt with dungeons in their own unique ways, either by leaving it under the jurisdiction of the Adventurers’ Guild the moment it was discovered or by sending in soldiers to destroy it.

In Daryth, the latter was more common. Handing over the dungeon to the Adventurers’ Guild would mean a lot of tax revenue, but in my opinion, the risks taken weren’t worth the coin. It was better to let the soldiers take care of it.

“I understand your worry since there’s that Great Dungeon in Cirquista, but...”

“Listen here, I’m saying this for the sake of this school!” Alicia snapped. “What are they going to do if the worst-case scenario happens? What if some monster from outside the dungeon sneaks in and steals the dungeon core?”

“Well, there are all those soldiers standing guard at the entrance to make sure that random monsters don’t make it inside,” I reasoned.

“I am saying that such measures are subpar. The Adventurers’ Guild would be thorough and eliminate all monsters in the vicinity, for example.”

The dungeon core enshrined in the deepest, darkest depths of the dungeon constantly spawned monsters. The dungeon’s survival was dependent on it, and because of that, the core was valuable to both humans and monsters alike. Where adventurers explored the dungeon in search of riches, monsters aimed to control dungeons that spawned. If a human obtained the dungeon core, the dungeon would be completely destroyed; if a monster obtained the dungeon core, it would gain everything in the dungeon.

But clearing a dungeon was not an easy feat, even for monsters. The dungeon-spawned monsters risked life and limb to eliminate infiltrating foreign monsters.

“What are they going to do if an outside monster obtains the dungeon core and causes a horde invasion? If something like that happened here... Just the thought of it sends shivers down my spine.”

“A horde invasion? You’re making mountains out of molehills here,” I said.

When an outsider monster became the dungeon master and marched outside with an army of dungeon spawn at their disposal, it was a catastrophe known as a horde invasion. In reality, though, such a disaster rarely ever happened. Monsters strong enough to become dungeon masters knew that they couldn’t win against human armies, even with the power of a dungeon at their back. Most of them would lurk in the lowest depths of the dungeon and accumulate power there instead.

“You should go and speak to your father. You should tell him that such a thing should be destroyed as soon as possible.”

“Me? I can’t do anything about it,” I said, incredulous. “My father was the one who ordered for the dungeon to remain untouched for as long as possible.”

“If you’re the one saying it...Duke Denning will listen.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked at length.

I had seen a horde invasion like Alicia was worried about in the anime once. The Traitor Knight, Sepith Pendragon, had perfume in his possession that sent a dragon into a fit of madness. It then brought forth an army of dungeon monsters and advanced upon the surface.

“Even now, the duke is your greatest supporter. Am I wrong?”

“My father probably wouldn’t object to what I say, but... It’ll be fine. The dungeon will be destroyed next week, after all. Plus, we’re in such a remote area. It’s impossible for there to be an outside monster powerful enough to reach the dungeon core anywhere near here.”

Alicia held her tongue for a long moment before she finally said, “Anything is possible.”

“What are you so scared of? Like I said, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“What are you going to do if something does happen, though? Remember the mercenary and the Royal Knight? The worst has happened to me twice now! And now there’s a dungeon here! There’s no way this is heading in a good direction!” Alicia yelled, raising her voice as her emotions spilled forth.

I hesitated. “If anything happens, I’ll save you again.”

Alicia was stunned. “Huh?”

I knew why she had such an extreme hatred of dungeons. There was a Great Dungeon in Alicia’s country known as The Demon’s Prison, or Demon Land.

For context, Dungeon City was an adventurer’s paradise, and it was one of the cities in the Freedom Union. Even if you combined all the dungeons located there, they wouldn’t even reach close to the level of the Great Dungeon in Cirquista, which had been created by a monster that came from the north.

The dungeon master in Demon Land was known as Hannibal, the Demon Lord of the South. Alicia had lived with this very real threat for a long time. She knew better than anyone else in this whole school how fearsome a dungeon could be. She probably couldn’t sit still knowing that there was a dungeon so close to campus grounds.

But Alicia didn’t have the power to destroy a dungeon all on her own. Neither did Shuya, for that matter, not as he currently was. That was why she’d thought about what she could do, and she’d come to me since I had clout within the army.

“I saved you twice, and I’ll save you again a third time if I have to. It doesn’t matter how many times you get into trouble. If you’re certain that something is going to happen, then I will save you.”

I’d had deep regrets all this time. One question had always been stuck at the back of my mind: if I caused someone misfortune to grant my selfish wish to be together with Charlotte, was there really happiness waiting for them down the line?

And who suffered the most because of me? Was it House Denning? Was it Daryth? Or was it Charlotte?

No.

“Charlotte said that the first person I should apologize to...is you.”

It was surely the girl sitting next to me, Alicia.

“I’ve caused you a lot of grief up until now. I’m sorry about that. But I don’t think you can trust my words after having been through all that, so I’ll prove myself through my actions from now on.”

This was part of the prologue of my story; this was me declaring my resolution to my former fiancée so that I could be the person I wanted to be. I’d already made myself clear to Charlotte, but I hadn’t yet done the same for Alicia. Even when we’d shared a room in Yoram, there had been an insurmountable wall between this anime heroine and me.

She didn’t have to believe me. I just wanted my actions to speak for me from now on. And bit by bit, my relationship with Alicia would repair, and...this was a selfish hope on my part, but I hoped that one day she would forgive me.

To be frank, I could see signs of that day coming. After the incident with Sepith, Alicia had changed. Occasionally, very occasionally, she would start a conversation with me. Though the exchanges between us were like those of distant friends, the fact that she talked to me at all sent me over the moon.

“Y-Yeah, all right...” she muttered.

But... Huh? Alicia wasn’t acting like her usual self right now with how she was fidgeting next to me. When she’d first enrolled here, she would brush off male students who came up to her, brutally declaring that they were in the way. The girl next to me didn’t seem like the same girl at all.

“Y-You...aren’t going to be angry?” I asked cautiously.

She stared straight ahead in silence for a long moment. “Who do you think I am?”

“I mean, well, until just a little while ago, whenever you came face to face with me, you... A lot has happened, you know what I mean?”

“Would you prefer it if I were mad at you?”

“No! Not at all!”

“Then I’m not.”

“O-Okay. Thank you... Ah, well, it’s a bit weird to be thanking you, but still... Thank you.”

What’s with this...awkwardness? How do I put it? It reminded me of how innocent and naive we’d been when we first met.

She was...close. Huh? Even though our bodies had been touching each other for a while, she didn’t seem to have any intentions of moving away from me. I couldn’t believe it. And wait, why was she getting so red all of a sudden?! Usually, this was where she would explode on me and scream, “Don’t touch meee!”

What was this softness between us? ...I want to run away right now.

Before I could, however, she reached her limit first.

“It’s a promise!” she suddenly yelled, and she continued without stopping for a breath. “I will never forget what you said just now. I-I’ll see you around! Shuya’s waiting for me!” With that, she scurried off, her skirt flapping in the wind and allowing me a brief glimpse of her snow-white legs. I watched her delicate form shrink in my vision, waiting for my thumping heart to calm down.

I heard a not-so-hushed whisper. “Hey, did you see that?!”

“Yeah! That’s what they call ‘hitting on girls’ on the street, right?! The Piggy Duke’s surprisingly a man of action, huh?!”

Wait, wait, wait, hey! Me, hitting on Alicia, of all people?! Wait a hot minute! That’s impossible! I’d thought everyone was oddly quiet around us in the middle of our conversation, but they were actually looking at us the whole time?! This is not good!

I decided to start sprinting, and I fled from the scene.

●

Beneath the canopy of leaves, there was only darkness in the depths of the woods. Even if I looked up at the sky, I couldn’t see the sun.

It was said that if anyone were to lose their way in the Lost Woods, they would have a hard time finding their way out. In this forest, sound was the ruler of everything: the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves and the sound of the crystal-clear water flowing along a small stream. On top of that, at times there was also the sound of something groaning.

“Oink, oink!” I muttered. Alicia had been very insistent that the dungeon be destroyed, so I’d come all the way here into the forest to check on things and to cool my head while I was at it.

Normally, I’d need to fill out a permission form to leave the school. In my case, however, if I made a light request to the guards, they’d let me out the moment they recognized me. This was probably one of the reasons why Alicia had come to me for help.

“It’s all Alicia’s fault. She looked so worried that it rubbed off on me,” I muttered. “There’s no way that a horde invasion would happen so easily. It’s not like we’ve got Sepith’s perfume or anything...”

I’d left behind the peaceful chatter of the school and plunged into the extraordinary world beyond. From behind the greenery, a pair of ruby eyes watched me with rapt attention; they were the eyes of a monster. The further I walked into the forest, the more numerous the monsters around me became. At the same time, I started to see soldiers rushing about in a tither chasing monsters that had gotten too close to campus further into the depths of the woods. Most of these monsters had probably come out of the dungeon by mistake. They had nowhere to go and, sensing the presence of humans, they had approached out of curiosity.

“Still, Alicia had a good point... A bunch of weird stuff has happened ever since I learned of the future, like with No Face and Sepith. Both of them were key characters in the anime, though...” I broke off that thought and barked, “Hey, you! You there! Don’t get closer to the Baron Orc than you have to! When that monster’s agitated, it becomes very aggressive! It’ll tear your throat out!”

“Young Master!” a soldier exclaimed. “May I ask why you’ve come here?”

“I got a little worried about you all... Hey, you! Yeah, you over there! Don’t chase more than you have to! With all these people around here, the monsters should flee if they see you being threatening!” I yelled.

“Understood!” they replied.

“About that, how many openings of the dungeon have been discovered at the moment?” I asked, turning back to the first soldier.

“We have found three! We have left one, which will be used for the dungeon expedition, and have destroyed the rest!”

“It’s a relatively new dungeon, so that sounds about right...” I muttered. “Don’t let your guard down, though, and make sure to remain vigilant. The bigger a dungeon gets, the more openings it will spawn!”

“Understood!”

But clear up to the time the expedition started, not one new opening was reported as discovered.

●

The dungeon’s entrance lay beyond a dense thicket of trees and was heavily guarded. It made sense; if an outside monster managed to sneak in and get its grubby paws on the dungeon’s core, it would be a disaster. The dungeon had to remain untouched until someone destroyed the dungeon core, be it my father or someone from the school.

“Please be careful, Your Highness.” Captain Heinz knelt on one knee and started to bow his head, but the princess stopped him with a gesture of her hand.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’ll get going now, then.”

As expected, soldiers were well-trained in manners. They were a completely different lot compared to the students, who often acted without restraint.

“Young Master, I wish you the best of luck on the battlefield. Though the dungeon may be new, it is still a perilous place. Nobody knows what could happen in there,” Heinz warned. I’d become familiar with the old soldier by now, though I couldn’t help but notice the gray that peppered his black hair. I nodded gravely at his warning.

“I’m leaving the school in your care in my absence, Heinz,” I said.

“Understood!”

“Charlotte, stick close to me,” I ordered.

“U-Understood!”

The first thing I felt in the dungeon was the chilly air brushing against my cheek. The chill was completely different from the cool breeze in the woods, and there was a distinct stench in here. There was also something echoing out from the cave tunnels that barely constituted a path. Burning torches lined the walls as they ventured forth, the flickering flames further fanning the fear creeping into the group’s hearts. From there, we went deep underground to a world where light couldn’t reach, the scenery around us completely transforming with every step we took.

A dungeon was a world of darkness created by a core floating silently in the heart of its depths. Here, corpses came to life and monsters walked around as if they owned the place. This was an alien world where humankind’s common knowledge didn’t apply at all. Sometimes weapons or monsters would suddenly appear from the walls.

When a monster died in the dungeon, they returned to the earth and would only be revived by respawning. If a human died within a dungeon, rumors said that they could revive in the exact same state as they were in during their last moments and become a living corpse. There were even legends that ghosts unable to move beyond this world would be revived in dungeons.

As long as the dungeon core continued to exist, the cycle of life in this underworld would never end. As someone once said, “A dungeon is a dangerous, alien world where the boundary between life and death blurs and fades.”

Anything was possible in this underground world full of mysteries. Consisting of a maze of narrow passages, a dungeon got darker the lower you went. People who explored such dungeons were called adventurers, and they continued to enter these places in search of rare loot or the dungeon core in order to destroy it.

I definitely wasn’t fit for such a career.

“Master Slowe, when does loot appear during an expedition?” Charlotte asked.

“In the case of loot... Look carefully over there, Charlotte. It’s probably going to drop any minute now.”

With excitement written all over her face, Charlotte looked at the thing that was spawning from the wall. Peeling down from the wall like a layer of paint, the loot fell to the ground as it spawned seemingly out of nowhere.

“Wow!” Charlotte approached to take a closer look. “What is it? Huh? It’s a shovel?”

I hesitated. “That’s junk, Charlotte. Loot that spawns this early in a dungeon usually isn’t worth much.”

Dungeon cores didn’t just spawn monsters; they sometimes dropped useful weapons or tools as loot. According to one theory, the dungeon core lured humans in with the promise of loot that way.

“Master Slowe, another one! Ah... It’s a shovel again. Why are only shovels appearing?”

“Rumors say that monsters dig their own homes out of the dungeon tunnels with those, but there are a lot of other theories too. Nobody has ever seen a monster using a shovel, though. If we go further down, some rare stuff might drop, but we’re not in very deep yet. It can’t be helped.”

Charlotte thought for a moment. “Are shovels worth any money?”

“Do you think they are?”

Charlotte’s silence was answer enough to show that she’d come to the right conclusion.

Charlotte seemed eager to explore and find cool stuff in the dungeon, so I didn’t want to dash her hopes, but I couldn’t do anything about it. It was really rare to find decent loot in the uppermost levels.

If we were exploring the top levels of Demon Land, that would be a different story. In the anime, Shuya’s former master, a highly ranked adventurer known as the Archflare, found his sword in the middle levels there. The sword was called Flamberge, a legendary blade.

“Quiet down, girl,” Sir Dalton said. “If you get in our way, we’ll leave you behind.”

Charlotte yelped. “Sorry!”

Demon Land was located near the border that ran between Cirquista and Daryth. People said that if the dungeon master there chose to start a horde invasion, Cirquista would be utterly destroyed. Fortunately, Hannibal didn’t seem intent on starting a horde invasion so far, and Demon Land was currently an excellent hunting ground for highly ranked adventurers.

In these past few decades, famous adventurers had formed factions with the aid of Cirquista to work tirelessly to seize the dungeon core there. But so far, no one had ever been able to so much as catch a glimpse of the dungeon master.

“Your Highness, there is a pack of orcs coming this way! I shall lure them here!” Sir Kushner exclaimed.

The knights moved with practiced ease. They’d probably conducted extensive studies on the dungeon before coming in. They disarmed traps set up by monsters, they avoided the rooms that would result in being swarmed by a mob of monsters, and they were able to accurately predict the dungeon’s layout. Thanks to them, our exploration of the dungeon went without much trouble.

“Thank you, Kushner. If you lead them this way, I shall destroy them all,” one of the knights replied.

“Everything is going well so far, Your Highness,” Sir Dalton said.

“Indeed, Dalton,” the princess affirmed with a nod.

Still, the way Princess Carina carried herself and the things she focused her gaze on... It was clear that she was a way more powerful mage compared to the students at school. One of the reasons for that was due to the special education from the Cardinal and his associates since she was royalty, but above all, the spirits adored her.

She mainly used light magic to destroy the monsters, but from the looks of the spirits flying around her, she probably was able to use water and wind magic as well. The princess took out the monsters with light magic in the blink of an eye; she was likely taking out her pent-up stress from spending all her time dealing with the students on them.

Charlotte stared hard at the princess as she did that. Even so, Charlotte wouldn’t gain much just by watching the princess. To be frank, there was too much of a difference in skill between the two of them.

“Dalton. Was this the place in the soldier’s report?” the princess asked.

“Yes, it was,” Sir Dalton nodded. “As such, we shall search this area thoroughly. Kushner, Delbane, Heine, spread out. I shall stay with the princess.”

“Roger that!” the three knights said in unison.

And with that, the Royal Knights scattered. From what I knew, their goal was to find the dragon hatchling, but...

Monsters who were highly independent like dragons would immediately leave the dungeon once they developed a clear sense of self. Once that happened, they wouldn’t become attached to humans. The Cardinal’s reaching for quite the absurd dream, I thought wryly.

“Dennin’. Were these guys like this the whole time?” Professor Loco Moco asked at length.

“Yes, they are quite the sight. It’s all very one-sided,” I replied.

In the middle of our expedition, Professor Loco Moco met up with us and joined us. Apparently, the original plan had been for him to protect the princess in the Royal Knights’ stead while they searched for the dragon hatchling, but by the looks of Princess Carina right now, she probably didn’t need any guards at all, let alone a former adventurer-turned-professor.

“From the looks of it, I probably didn’t need ta come here, eh?” the professor muttered.

“I have to be honest; I didn’t realize that Princess Carina was this good at magic,” I said.

“The princess is stronger than an average Royal Knight. When I joined the Order and first saw her skills, it really put me in my place...” The professor trailed off before taking a sharp breath of realization. “Dennin’, forget I just said that.”

The Order had an abundance of military prowess despite rarely needing to use it, and the professor had started questioning the ways of the Order. As a result of that, he’d left.

I knew that the professor had always regretted running away from the person he’d sworn to protect. That was why the professor always felt guilt towards the royal family of Daryth. In the anime, he ended up interacting with the Order through Shuya and his pals, and he was able to hold his head up high again after that.

“Ah, Loco Moco Highland. You came,” the princess chimed.

“Y-Your Highness! I-It has been a very long time since last we met... You have my deepest apologies for being unable to greet you properly up until now...” The professor was very reserved in front of the princess, and he was completely different from his usual, cheery self.

Seeing the professor like that, the princess stopped in her tracks. Sir Dalton took over the monsters she’d been dealing with. They were a dream team; they didn’t even have to exchange words to cover each other.

“Greet?” The princess paused for a moment. “Oh, you’re also talking about back when you quit the Order, right? If you’re worried about that, then don’t be. I don’t mind at all. I’m not someone who would mind either. You know that, don’t you?” The princess continued on without waiting for a reply. “Anyway, you were what surprised me the most when I came to this school, Sir Highland.”

“...M-Me?”

“Yeah. You always looked so gloomy during your time in the Order, but you were really lively here. The students seem to look up to you too, so I think that you made the right choice.”

The professor was at a loss for words.

“Right now, you aren’t a Royal Knight, so please continue to protect this school from now on. Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-Yes! Please leave it to me!!!” The professor looked as if someone had just turned his entire world upside down.

Back when he was in the Order, the professor had been seen as a failure of a Royal Knight. He’d never been able to awaken light magic, despite it being an essential skill for a Royal Knight.

The person who’d now saved the professor from his internal strife...was none other than the Little Daryth herself. I hadn’t expected such meaningful words from the princess who had holed herself away in her bedroom to hide from the kids her age.

Moved, Professor Loco Moco almost seemed like he would hug the princess at any moment, but Sir Dalton pushed him away immediately.

However, through all this, I managed to realize one thing. The Royal Knights who’d come along to the school with the princess all poked their nose into the professor’s affairs whenever they had the opportunity. But that was their way of showing their concern for him, if I had to guess.

“Highland!” Sir Dalton barked. “Being moved by the princess’s compassion is your own business, but I have my doubts about your attitude in class!”

“What did you just say, Dalton?! You wanna start a fight?! You start complainin’ the moment you see my face! You ain’t my superior or anythin’ anymore, y’know?!”

Now that the professor looked as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, I realized something. The professor’s guilty conscience from quitting the Order was now resolved, which brought his arc to a close. Wow, I didn’t think that the professor’s problem would be solved this quickly. Was this because of me in a way, since I’d changed the future?

A horrified scream broke the air, bringing this beautiful moment to an abrupt halt.

“Master Slowe! Mo-Mo-Mo...!!!”

“What?”

“Monsters! There’s a lot of them coming from that direction!”

Yelling inside a dungeon was a breach of etiquette. But Charlotte threw that rule right out the window with her loud scream.

I followed the line of Charlotte’s sight, and there was... Ah, jeez, there really is a big group of monsters. They probably gathered their comrades sometime during all that.

“That! That! That thing! Master Slowe, monsters! Aaah! They’re coming! Aaah!!!”

“Charlotte, it’s dangerous if you swing your knife around like that! Calm down!” I pleaded.

Charlotte seized one of the Royal Knights by the arm, begging them to do something about the horde.

She was having a panic attack, and a severe one at that.

The Royal Knights looked at Charlotte oddly while Princess Carina destroyed the monsters one-sidedly with her own abilities, chuckling to herself quietly all the while.

Even after that, the Royal Knights eyed Charlotte with curious looks from time to time.

In other words...

“Aaah! Th-That thing! That wriggly thing is coming! A slithering...thing!”

Though they said nothing, their gazes spoke volumes, silently asking, “Is that girl really a Denning retainer?”

They had the same questioning look Sepith had worn towards Charlotte at first during our time in Yoram. It was nearly a tradition at this point.

Under the inky canvas of the starless night sky, I spent a long time with my arm propped on the ledge of the window, staring out at the dense forest.

I felt the breeze flowing in. There was complete silence at this time of day, almost unbelievable in comparison to the ruckus on campus during the day. It was a perfect time to indulge myself in the world of thoughts and contemplation.

“Oiiink! Oiiink!”

Just saying, that wasn’t me. Snorting echoed out from the woods in all directions. It was actual orcs making the noise, orcs that had probably crawled out of the dungeon somewhere and decided to live out in nature instead.

In Kirsch, I could sometimes hear the sounds of beasts and monsters coming from the surrounding forest at night. Some students found these sounds frightening, and thought that the monsters in the forest making them must be eliminated. But these monsters were best left alone because killing them might disrupt the ecosystem.

Several long, insistent snorts rang out again.

“Jeez, they’re so loud...” I muttered. “They’re louder than Charlotte when she’s in the dungeon.”

Charlotte had humiliated herself during our expedition in the dungeon, and the experience had crushed her morale. Before we’d embarked on our journey, she had been very motivated, but she was the complete opposite now.

Though Charlotte’s spell had been effective on the pebble, it didn’t do a thing against monsters. Not only that, but Charlotte and I’d had to leave the dungeon before everyone else under the instructions of Princess Carina, who’d said that we might negatively affect the expedition.

“She doesn’t have to be so depressed about it though...” I sighed.

On our way back to school, Charlotte had profusely apologized to me. It seemed that she thought she had caused me to lose face. But I hadn’t ever sought fighting prowess from Charlotte before this point, so it was asking too much for her to suddenly become useful in a dungeon.

Since we’d left the dungeon pretty early on, we had nothing to do. I’d thought about loitering on campus, but I didn’t want people to think that I was skipping class, so I’d ended up spending my day lazing around in my room. I’d also thought about holding a debriefing about our trip in the dungeon since we had the time, but Charlotte was disheartened, and she’d locked herself up in her room.

Princess Carina and Charlotte had swapped places. The second hermit princess was born.

“Still... Princess Carina seemed to cheer up a little.”

After returning from the dungeon safe and sound, Princess Carina had been bombarded by a swarm of students wanting to hear about what had happened. Princess Carina had answered them willingly, and she’d gotten to interact more with the students at school, just as the Cardinal wished.

Princess Carina had spotted me from within the swarm of students, and she’d shaken her head somewhat wryly. So they hadn’t managed to find a dragon hatchling after all.

Watching the princess had reminded me of what Charlotte had said to me a while back. “After all, Master Slowe,” she’d said, “you were the one who got me to go outside!”

I had thought about the meaning of those words afterward. Back when the two of us had only just met, Charlotte had detested going outside in any way, and I only managed to bring her outside after a lot of hard work. She’d probably been referring to that.

“Oiiink...” A snort sounded out yet again, this time a little more distant.

Back then, I had been desperate. In House Denning, we needed to have a good reason for taking a traumatized child into our custody. I relied on trial and error for days on end to make Charlotte go outside, even though she didn’t like the outside world. I did it all so that I could cheer Charlotte up, even just a little, and also so that everyone would think she had the potential to be useful in our house.

The snorting grew quiet, and there was silence again.

“The orcs have gone quiet, so I suppose I’ll sleep now.” I shut my window.

Right at that moment, there was a knock on my door behind me. I had an unexpected guest. For one moment, I thought it might be Princess Carina, but there was no way that the princess would come this late at night. The Royal Knights wouldn’t ever allow it. On top of that, I recognized the specific way this visitor knocked.

“Charlotte, what’s wrong?” I asked.

The girl who’d become the second hermit princess made her appearance.

Her hair was a mess, and her face was haggard. Her eyes were slightly puffy and lifeless. I hadn’t seen her in such a state in a long time, not since the time when my father banned her from using a wand.

I watched over Charlotte in silence. She sank down onto the chair and stared down at the floor in dejection, lamenting. I wasn’t able to see her expression beyond the curtain of her dangling hair.

After a while, Charlotte finally opened her mouth to break the silence. “I haven’t changed at all from before.”

“That’s not true. You’ve gotten way better at magic since then.”

“But none of my spells worked against the monsters. Not only that, but to think that I lost my composure... I thought that I would be okay with them now, and yet... I was such a pathetic sight, and even the princess saw me like that... I am so sorry.”

“A lot of people aren’t good with monsters. On top of that, growing older doesn’t mean that your fear of monsters would disappear overnight.”

“Are there things that you also have a hard time dealing with, Master Slowe?” Charlotte asked after a long moment.

“There are.”

“Please tell me.”

“Your pet, Charlotte,” I answered immediately. “Whenever something happened, that guy would try to intimidate me. I’ll be honest; I’m actually being bullied by that guy.”

Charlotte laughed. She seemed to think I was joking.

This was the truth, though. If Shuya could be said to be Alicia’s slave, then the Great Spirit was walking all over me. Whenever Charlotte gave them awful food, I needed to prepare a first-class meal to please them. If anyone suspicious approached Charlotte, the Great Spirit would become grumpy, so I would make those people leave, sometimes with brute force.

Charlotte sighed. “Just because my spell started to stabilize a bit, I let it get to my head... And I panicked, seeing monsters in a dark place...” Charlotte groaned. “I’m such a no-good retainer... I’m absolutely pathetic...”

“That’s not true, Charlotte.”

“The only monster that I’m not afraid of would be that earthworm at best. I can’t use magic, I’m a scaredy-cat, and the only thing I can do is the work of a maid...” Charlotte trailed off. “Ah, but I shattered a plate a while back... Haaah. I’m a no-good retainer...and I still end up asking for something selfish.”

“Something selfish?”

Charlotte hesitated. “Master Slowe, may I sleep together with you in here tonight?”

“Oink?!” I blurted out.

“Seeing so many monsters really scared me. I slept with you in Yoram, and...even though it was only on the very first day, I was able to sleep soundly that night.”

“Sure. Then, I’ll take the sofa over here—”

“I have one more selfish request to make.” Charlotte paused. “I want you to be with me, Master Slowe, just like when we were kids... Is that asking too much?”

Back in the day, Charlotte had asked this of me every single day. As a child, she wasn’t just scared of monsters; she was terrified of the dark, especially the dark of night. She’d probably experienced a horrific time during her journey from Huzak to my family’s lands before finally making it to safety. From what I knew, she had even stayed up until dawn all by herself. These were all experiences too cruel for a young child to endure.

“Sure, Charlotte. It’s been a while since we last shared a bed. Let’s do that.”

And besides...there was no way I’d be opposed to that, even without all those reasons.

“Hmm. Let’s start again from the beginning, then. Orc,” I said.

“Then I’ll go with...the wriggly thing I saw for the first time today, that Curly Worm,” Charlotte replied.

“Ah, so you’ve memorized its name already, huh? A monster that starts with the letter M... Then, I’ll go with—”

We were playing a name chain game on the bed, entertaining ourselves while reviewing monster names. Charlotte must’ve studied the monster encyclopedia I had given to her because she was able to hold her own against me. Me, the one who had a glorious, undefeated record at this game.

Still, saying all these monster names reminds me of that time in the anime, whether I like it or not. That time Sepith’s secret perfume had caused a horde invasion. He’d used it to summon the dungeon master, an earth dragon. This incident was one of the biggest catalysts that triggered Shuya’s powers to awaken in the anime.

“Charlotte, it’s your turn.”

Charlotte paused for a moment. “Ah, by the way, I just remembered that I wanted to ask you something, Master Slowe.”

“Me?”

“I’ll get right to the point! How far have you gotten with Lady Alicia?”

I nearly snorted, but I held it in. “Wait a minute! Why would you mention Alicia right now?!”

“I mean, it’s the talk of the school these days! Everyone says that you’re both absolutely smitten with each other!”

“Tell me the details, Charlotte!”

According to Charlotte, the school’s rumor mill was making a fuss about a supposedly intimate conversation I’d had with Alicia a while back.

It took me a moment to process that. Oh, that! That time Alicia told me to destroy the dungeon. True, there was a weird vibe between us, but... Nothing we talked about was material enough to fuel rumors. I only told her that I was going to prove my repentance for everything through my actions! That was all!

Plus, Alicia probably wouldn’t be pleased with the rumors unearthing a relationship that had long since ended. I desperately tried to clear up the misunderstanding, insisting that nothing was going on between Alicia and me.

But Charlotte wouldn’t let the topic go. I showed Charlotte the latest monster encyclopedia to direct her attention elsewhere. Even though she didn’t look it, Charlotte was addicted to following the latest trends as much as she was addicted to gossip. It wasn’t long before she lost herself in a page describing famous adventurers.

I watched her in silence, a little exasperated. I peered at the book in her hands and saw she’d come to a page illustrating a charismatic adventurer by the name of the Eye of the Crimson Lotus. The man was kind-looking and had recently achieved the status of S-rank in the Adventurers’ Guild. A young, charismatic hero with a mysterious past, he’d also played a big role in the anime. Everything about him was shrouded in mystery, from his true name to his personal history.

While Charlotte was reading the page introducing him, she suddenly lifted her head and whispered, “Master Slowe... If I were to tell you that I’m hiding a secret like this person, what would you do?”

“Huh? You, hiding a secret?”

“On this page, it says that this guild member keeps a lot of secrets. What if I were keeping some really important secret, just like this person is? Not a small secret either. A big, biiig secret.”

I mulled on it for a moment. “I’d...punish you by making you skip lunch or something, I guess?”

“Master Slowe! You might think I look at the world through rose-colored lenses, but please answer my questions seriously even if that’s the case!” Charlotte exclaimed.

“You still remember that? But, well... If you’re hiding a secret, of course I’d want to know about it, but... I think I’d probably be okay waiting until the day you’re ready to bring it up, Charlotte.”

Something in my answer seemed to click with her, and Charlotte crawled under the blankets and went to sleep after I’d said it. I, on the other hand, was deep in thought. My answer just now was perfect. It was an answer that didn’t rush her, and had a lot of compassion and understanding to boot. I’m honestly impressed at myself for being able to come up with it. But, at the same time...I couldn’t help but question myself internally too. Was that really the best way to do it?

I turned off the lamp and was about to head to bed as well, but at that moment, the Great Spirit of Wind appeared. “Meeeeow.”

I hadn’t even heard the door open, but I’d get nowhere if I put too much thought into matters concerning this spirit. I looked carefully at the cat; there were bits of food left on the corner of its mouth. Where were they, and what were they doing, I wonder?

“Hey, Great Spirit of Wind. Why was Charlotte suddenly successful at magic?” I asked.

“I don’t know what goes on in the minds of light spirits, meow.”

Even though Charlotte was tossed about due to the war between the Dustour Empire and the nations in the south, she never awakened her magic properly in the anime, not even once. But now her skill in magic was awakening, albeit slightly. Watching her, I could only come to one conclusion.

“The light spirits reacted to how Charlotte had a change of heart... That’s what I think. Am I wrong?”

The Great Spirit of Wind said nothing.

The Great Spirits were the bosses of spirits. At least, that was how I interpreted it, and I didn’t think I was too far off. Sometimes, the Great Spirit of Wind and wind spirits would chase each other around. There was clearly a hierarchy or something like it at play. I didn’t know more than that though.

Meanwhile, Altanger continued to keep their silence. Maybe they didn’t plan on going into detail about the matter with a human. As far as I was concerned, their lack of an answer was answer enough.

“Then, I’ll change the question. Great Spirit, do you think that Charlotte will ever reveal her secret in the future?” I asked.

After a pause, the spirit answered. “I don’t think such a day will come, meow. But—”

●

—if we’re just referring to her telling you alone, then such a future might be possible.

The Great Spirit of Wind swallowed these words before they could be voiced, and the spirit leapt onto the bed. And then, they slept, snoring softly from their spot between the boy and his retainer.

●

“Seriously? How could anyone just go to sleep with the way that was going?” I couldn’t help but ask out loud.

Whoever said that “the opposite of love was indifference” was right on the mark. The Great Spirit of Wind was invested in Charlotte, but they didn’t care about me at all. They’d always been like that. No matter how much I suffered, this spirit wouldn’t ever lift a finger to help me.

But Altanger wasn’t exactly a special case. In the anime, the other Great Spirits reacted in the same way. They were all self-centered beings who only acted on their own behalf, a fact I knew very well.

I heaved a heavy sigh. “I thought it would just be the two of us, Charlotte and me... Oh well.”

The Great Spirit of Wind curled up right against Charlotte. Compared to the past, seeing the two of them like this was very peaceful. I felt a small spark of joy light up within me.