Chapter 5: Noblemen’s Etiquette

Chapter 5:
Noblemen’s Etiquette

 

WHETHER THEY BELONGED to the academy’s high or general class, every student was inducted into the Adventurers’ Guild. This afforded the aristocrats an opportunity to get a taste of the suffering their ancestors had endured. Everyone had to register as an adventurer, regardless of gender, and per custom, had to make their way through a dungeon. And if you were from a poor noble family, adventuring was the perfect way to collect some extra coin.

The guild’s course was popular at the academy. On weekends and long holidays, many of the male students went on adventures to reel in as much money as they could. Apparently, both my dad and Nicks had earned their fair share through adventuring. Although when I thought about how all that money went toward paying for tea parties and the like, I almost wanted to break down in tears.

I wasn’t pressed for cash, but I was still excited about dungeons. It was one of the few features in this otome game that I had enjoyed. Or at least…I had been excited.

It was now the middle of May, and most of the first-year students had gathered to explore the depths of the capital’s famous dungeon.

As I glanced around, I realized I was utterly out of place.

“I can’t believe Raymond and Daniel abandoned me in my time of need,” I muttered to myself. “Jerks. Not that I wouldn’t have run, too, if I were in their positions, but still.”

I was equipped with the gear typical of most adventurers. Beside me, adorned in the exact same style of armor, was Olivia. Thick plating covered our leather clothing, and iron guards protected our arms, chest, and shins. Honestly, it was vaguely stylish, perhaps because of the whole fantasy world aesthetic. However, a worrying number of students wore armor that forsook practicality in favor of chic and flair. As for me? I focused on safety. Compared to everyone else’s, my attire went from “vaguely” stylish to thoroughly unfashionable.

Olivia shot me a guilty look. “I-I’m sorry. Miss Angelica insisted you come with us.”

Grumbling at her wouldn’t get me anywhere, not when she hated this as much as I did. I finally had my chance to explore a dungeon, but I’d landed in a group of elites.

A tall, slender man with light-blue hair, light-blue eyes, and a solemn face stood nearby. His own outfit was the epitome of style, though I had no idea how it was supposed to protect him. In the game, he was the cool love interest with glasses—ostensibly cool. He was actually quite worthless, hence why I liked to call him Sir Four-Eyes the Useless. His real name was Chris Fia Arclight.

A single sword hung at Chris’s waist. As a serious swordsman, he always fought on the frontlines—a Swordmaster, if you wanted to use game terminology. He hailed from one of the court noble families and was the heir of Holfort’s Sword Saint, a man who’d cut his way to the top with his trusty blade.

In the game, Chris had something of a rivalry with another one of the love interests, a delinquent with spiked red hair. Greg Fou Seberg was the rugged type who preferred real battle experience to mere practice; he looked the part with his sleeves rolled up over suntanned, muscular forearms and a spear propped on his shoulder. By the time he enrolled at the academy, he’d already explored numerous dungeons and beat tens of monsters. He made for a splendid frontline fighter, but he was still the rich, pampered child of a regional earl.

If I remembered right, Chris and Greg had a friendship event midway through the game that improved their relationship. The event wasn’t required to clear the game, but it did make things easier if you did. Naturally, I completed this BL-fantasy event over and over again each playthrough.

There were five total potential love interests for the heroine, each with their own signature color per the game: black for the crown prince, Julius Rapha Holfort; green for the prince’s foster brother who was the heir to a viscounty, Jilk Fia Marmoria; purple for the narcissist with a talent for magic who was heir to an earldom, Brad Fou Field; blue for the son of the Sword Saint who was skilled with the blade in his own right and would soon be an earl himself, Chris Fia Arclight; and finally, red for the rough, blunt heir to an earldom who preferred the battlefield, Greg Fou Seberg. (Their middle names signified their status in Holfort Kingdom: Rapha was used for royalty, Fia for court nobles, and Fou for regional lords.)

Even flanked by dozens of followers, the strength of these five commanded the atmosphere of the room.

Actually, there should have been one more character here, a young elf named Kyle. He was a slave the protagonist bought for herself, her own personal servant. In the game, he took care of her needs, supported her in battle, and could update her on her progress with her love interests. But I didn’t see him with us today. As he was a cute little-brother type, I never thought of him as anything more than the protagonist’s minion.

You might be wondering why Olivia and I were here with this group. I’m sorry to say we had attracted their attention.

Olivia was a scholarship student, and therefore unusual, and I was an accomplished adventurer. The academy wanted me to act as an escort for Prince Julius. The nobles considered it gauche—an abuse of status, really—to bring soldiers or knights from your territory to the dungeon. But I was the same age, had already made a name for myself, and was part of the student body. The academy didn’t want to see any harm come to the kingdom’s future monarch, and evidently Angelica had personally recommended me.

Still, we were only venturing to the first level of the beginner floors. The level of protection was overkill. Prince Julius realized it, too, if his disgruntled look was any indication. I recalled him telling the protagonist in the game that he hated this kind of thing.

Angelica and her group also joined us, of course. Custom—and our grades—compelled everyone to enter the dungeon regardless of gender. It was one of the few traditions that afforded women no preferential treatment.

We were a group of about thirty. It felt like too many, but we were basically going to sightsee. We’d probably be fine.

“The elites recruited us, but they haven’t even bothered to say hi,” I noted.

Olivia looked apprehensive. “Should we say it first?”

“Is it worth it? They’d just think we were butting in. Best keep our heads down and follow their lead.”

I still couldn’t help wondering which guy she was going to end up with, but I was hoping to find out from more of a distance.

Isn’t it about time one of you got over here and started feeding her your cheesy romance lines? I thought, glancing at the five noblemen. Yet even as I had the idea, it bothered me. Why did I have to watch a decent woman like Olivia get it on with another dude?

I would just have to stomach it for the sake of all our futures. If she didn’t hook up with one of them, who knew what could happen? We might all be screwed.

A professor stood in front of us. “All right, break off into teams. Once you reach the third underground floor, we’ll have you come back. Do not proceed any farther.”

We split up into five teams of six, but we nevertheless moved as one huge group into the dungeon. Prince Julius got stuck in the center since we couldn’t risk him getting hurt, and my team played vanguard.

Eh, this is fine.

“I’m telling you, learn your place!” Angelica shrieked. Her voice seethed with anger as it echoed through caverns.

Everyone glanced over to see Angelica confronting Marie, apparently fussing over the team breakdown. Our professor was flustered, too young and intimidated by Angelica’s ducal lineage to intervene.

Marie, meanwhile, ducked behind the prince’s back as if for protection.

Now this one? She is calculating.

“Angelica, enough,” Prince Julius said.

Angelica turned to him. “Your Highness, are you truly going to indulge her?”

Marie stayed behind the prince, her eyes cast down at her feet. She pinched the fabric of his sleeve between her fingers, playing up the cute and innocent angle.

“Your Highness, I…” She hesitated. “I just wanted to be with you. You can refuse me if it inconveniences you. I don’t mind.”

“Don’t push your luck!” Angelica snarled. “His status far overshadows yours. I’ve forgiven your behavior until now, but if you’re going to have that attitude…”

Angelica was as quick to anger as she had been in the game. She flew off the handle at the drop of a hat. Well, she was the protagonist’s rival, essentially the villainess of the game. The developers probably designed her to be a short-tempered beauty who brandished the power of her family when it suited her.

But something was wrong with this scene…

The woman the prince was supposed to protect was Olivia…but she stood next to me.

“Wh-what’s happening?” Olivia asked, panicked. Okay, she actually did look adorable.

More importantly, I could think of only one reason why the game could be going so far off track.

“That girl, Marie. Doesn’t something seem strange about her?” I asked.

Olivia gave the question some thought. “Well, she’s been getting bullied worse than me lately. Everyone’s been whispering about how she’s the daughter of a viscount but dreadfully poor.”

Viscounts were a step above barons, but as with barons, their higher status didn’t necessarily equate to wealth. The size of a lord’s holdings wasn’t always proportionate to the title they held. Many viscounts had formerly held larger territories and greater riches only to have it stolen away by taxation. Nevertheless, they retained their nobility even when they lacked the regional strength necessary to replenish their riches.

Even now, the other nobles with us sympathized with Angelica.

“It’s crazy that she’d cling to the prince like that in front of his fiancée.”

“I’ve seen her getting cozy with other guys, too.”

“Unbelievable.”

I gaped. Holy shit. Marie was trying to supplant the protagonist!

“Enough!” Prince Julius bellowed.

Everyone stopped talking at once.

Angelica was shocked. “Y-Your Highness?”

Jilk, who normally looked gentle and kind, suddenly stepped forward. He placed himself in front of the prince, holding out his right arm as if to block the prince and Marie from Angelica. “Please don’t trouble the prince any further.”

“Trouble him?” Angelica echoed in disbelief. “You’re accusing me of troubling him? I’m doing this for him!”

Greg stood nearby with his spear cocked on his shoulder as always. His eyes narrowed in annoyance as he snapped, “That attitude, that’s the problem. Don’t drag your outside relationship with him into the academy. Seeing you flaunt it just pisses me off.”

Ironically, as they were the heirs of powerful nobles, no one else could voice a word of protest.

After a beat of silence, the prince turned to the professor. “I apologize. We’ll be teaming up with Marie. I don’t care how you pair up everyone else.”

Frazzled, the professor just nodded several times as they said, “Y-yes, of course!”

Angelica simply gawked at the exchange, dumbfounded.

I was the only one who thought to glance at Marie. She was smirking.

 

***

 

The capital’s dungeon was basically an abandoned mine. Wooden pillars and beams supported wide passageways, and here and there, minerals jutted out of the cavern walls. Occasionally, treasure boxes would suddenly appear out of nowhere. The professor had informed us that the cause of their abrupt appearance was still under investigation.

For my part, I knew it was just part of the game and thinking too deeply about it was pointless.

Olivia yanked out a mineral embedded into the wall. It seemed to be iron. Odd how these things popped out of the walls already refined.

“Found one!” Olivia beamed. She brushed sweat from her face, leaving streaks of dirt on her nose and forehead.

“Good job,” I said. “This’ll put us at one hundred dia.”

Dia and dil were the in-game currency. One dia was about the equivalent of one hundred yen in my old world. Other forms of currency existed, too, such as gold and silver, but I hadn’t really seen much of them since this world already used bills and coins.

Olivia scanned the area.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“No, it’s just…I wonder why things like this happen in dungeons. It seems a bit strange, doesn’t it? Treasure chests appearing out of nowhere and so on. It’s almost like someone prepared them and left them here.”

Couldn’t say I minded having someone else questioning these ever-flippant game mechanics, but looking for intricate logical explanations wasn’t going to get her anywhere.

“Strange, indeed,” I muttered. “Let’s get going.”

“H-hold on a minute! Aren’t you a little curious, Leon?”

I sighed. “Not really, no.”

She deflated at my lack of interest. “So cold…”

The two of us had wound up taking the lead for our group. Perhaps unsurprising—I was an upstart and she was a scholarship student. We didn’t really jive with the other teams. As a result, we’d grown rather comfortable with each other.

Unfortunately, she was still a commoner, too low to seriously consider marriageable for either of our sakes. And when she eventually became a saint, as she was destined, she would be well beyond my reach. It really was too bad. If she’d been a noble, I’d have gone to great lengths to be able to profess feelings for her. Part of it was her personality, but more practically, she checked off every item on my list for an ideal partner.

Olivia had been raised on an island in the countryside, and she didn’t plan to stay in the capital when she graduated, which meant she could make it living out in the middle of nowhere with me.

It really was a shame. If only she weren’t a commoner, not to mention the protagonist of the story, I’d have already proposed.

“Quit moping,” I told her. “Hurry up and—actually, belay that, you’d best not move.” I motioned for her to stay back and slipped my sword from the sheath at my waist. It resembled a katana more than a wide blade. Luxion claimed that since I was Japanese, I should be fine with it. Probably his idea of a challenge: If you’re really Japanese, then let’s see you use this! It wasn’t like I had practiced kendo or anything in my previous life, but I accepted it nonetheless.

Behind me, Olivia trembled. “So those are monsters.”

Five giant ants blocked the path in front of us. They stood at about seventy to eighty centimeters tall, and as innocuous as regular ants might seem, you’d be in for some trouble if you got snapped up in those huge jaws. Their hives made them the “janitors” of the dungeons; rumor had it that they dragged off any adventurer they defeated.

“This passage is a real pain,” I groused. “It’s too narrow to use my rifle.”

Fortunately, my countryside dad had taught me how to fight country style. No doubt he’d had his fair share of troubles in these caverns as well.

Giant ants were a nuisance, to be sure. Their heads and torsos were fairly sturdy, but their necks were relatively easy to cut through. I darted around the first one’s side and slashed my sword through the air. I hacked off the head. Black smoke billowed out of the narrow neck, and the ant’s body disappeared. I moved on to the next.

“Two down!” I crowed. “Three to go!”

I dodged their intimidating jaws and whipped nimbly around them to chop through their necks one by one. I used my faux katana to slice through the last one, and the battle was over.

The game had a turn-based system that forced you to wait for your enemies to attack, but here, I could just dash around them and avoid taking damage. Of course, the same stood true for my opponent; if they surrounded me, I’d have trouble handling them. More honestly, I’d end up some monster’s lunch.

I rested my weapon on my shoulder, pleased with my work.

Olivia crept up behind me, taking in the dissipating smoke of ex-monsters. “You must be really strong, Leon, to just plow through terrifying enemies like that without even blinking.”

I could see how a giant ant would look terrifying to an amateur, but once you knew how to handle them, they were pretty easy to deal with. You could take them down with a single bullet. If you didn’t miss, at least.

“I’m sure once you get used to fighting, you won’t have any trouble with them either,” I said, noticing the anxious expression on her face. I slipped my sword back into its sheath. “We should go.”

“It’s reassuring to have you with me.”

“Eh, this level is no big deal. Only small fry. Oh, but you should be careful of traps. Now, let’s march!”

Olivia looked unconvinced. “I don’t think that’s the issue—”

I yanked my sword from its sheath, shoved her backward, and threw up my left arm to shield us. A monkey-type monster came flying at me, sinking its teeth into my wrist guard.

“Tsk. I let my guard down.” I drove my blade through the creature, and it clamped down on my arm until its body disappeared completely. When the black smoke faded, I glanced at my wrist to find that its teeth had pierced my armor. Blood trickled from the wound.

Olivia, who’d fallen onto her butt, jolted upright to inspect my arm anxiously.

“I’m so sorry! This only happened because you were protecting me.” Tears formed in her eyes.

I can totally see how a guy would jump in front of a girl like this to cover for her. In the game, I’d thought the protagonist was just deceiving all the guys and using them like meat shields…but this actually wasn’t so bad.

“Nah, I let my guard down. It’s not your fault. This kind of wound is no big deal, really.”

“I-It absolutely is a big deal! I’ll get you healed up right away.” Olivia slipped off my wrist guard and folded my sleeve back so she could hold her hand over the wound. Her palm emitted a faint white light that felt like a warm caress against my skin.

That’s right, I remembered, the protagonist is special because she can use healing magic.

Magic came in various types, but few people could use the healing kind. Olivia smiled down at my arm. “Good, your wound closed up.”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”

She grinned up at me. “I’m quite good at healing magic. I’ve been studying on my own ever since a traveling scholar stopped in my town and taught me the basics.”

“That’s incredible.”

Was that part of the game’s story? I couldn’t remember.

“I’m just glad I was able to be of use to you,” she said with true happiness on her face.

She…really is special.

 

***

 

Julius’s crew was guarded by other teams at the front and the back, but the winding passageways connected to the main hall meant that monsters could occasionally attack from the side. Dangerous traps littered the floor as well.

The dungeon’s tunnels wound deeper and deeper underground, and Julius was starting to realize that letting down your guard anywhere in here, even on the first or second floor, could result in death.

A cold sweat beaded his brow. This was his first dungeon, and he was nervous. Even Jilk, guarding Julius’s side, seemed on edge. Brad, who normally always had something sarcastic to say, was mostly silent. Chris’s nerves kept his hand glued to the hilt of his sword. Greg was the only one accustomed to dungeoning; given they were on a beginner level, he looked utterly bored.

Julius turned to the girl behind him. “Marie, we’re not going too fast for you, are we?”

His words came out a bit awkward, but she smiled at him nonetheless. “I’m doing fine, Your Highness.”

She was a breath of fresh air, completely different from the girls Julius had encountered in the palace. He’d heard all about her struggles up until now, and it made him desperate to protect her.

But what really triggered his interest was their first encounter.

Julius had been by himself. His relationship with Angelica had been weighing on his mind, and he’d been in a foul mood. When he got sharp with Marie, a stranger at the time, she slapped him. He was dumbfounded. No other girl had ever shown her temper toward him, not like that—almost like a mother reprimanding a child. The novelty of it left an impression. He’d been obsessed with her ever since.

“If you need anything, just let us know,” he said gallantly.

“I will,” she promised.

Her smiling face gave him life.

Greg clicked his tongue. “I’m more worried about the prince than I am Marie,” he said, in what he probably thought was a quiet tone. “For a noble lady, she’s much stronger than she looks. Our palace born-and-bred prince looks pretty feeble in comparison.”

Chris glowered at him. “You have some nerve for an uncivilized barbarian from the countryside. I won’t let such a slight against the prince slide.”

Jilk intervened. “Chris, I know you’re being earnest, but right now we’re only students. There’s no need to get upset.”

“How rude of me,” Greg said with a chuckle. “I guess the one I should really be worried about is the countryside lord who wastes too much time thinking instead of reacting. My bad.”

It was obvious who he was referring to. A vein popped up on Brad’s forehead. “Meatheads like you do all their thinking with their muscles. Marie, you’ll be in for trouble if you marry a man like him.”

She gave an awkward chuckle.

“Hey, don’t lie!” Greg protested. “Marie, any woman who marries me will have an easy life; I’ll make sure of it. You don’t want to get hitched to a sarcastic jerk like Brad. His nitpicking will drive you nuts. If you marry me, you’ll get to do whatever you want. You must be sick of the stifling noble life anyway, right?”

He was rambling, Julius thought with mild annoyance. Clearly desperate to correct any misunderstandings Marie might have about him.

It was obvious that the two teams to the front and back of them could overhear the conversation as well, and they were all visibly uncomfortable. Julius sighed to himself. Worst of all, Angelica was somewhere in their midst.

Suddenly Greg brandished his spear with both hands. “On your guard, everyone! We’ve got company—giant ants.”

Everyone scrambled to whip out weapons. The girls carried handguns for personal protection, but for the most part no one else had permission to carry firearms—too much risk of friendly fire.

“There’s six of them.” Greg swallowed hard. “They’re coming out of the side passage.”

Brad was flustered. “Why didn’t the team scouting ahead take care of them?!”

Chris silently unsheathed his sword, his form elegant as he braced for battle. “If they’re coming from the side passage, the scouting team wouldn’t have noticed them. Still, six is an awful lot. Your Highness, please stay behind us.”

Despite his friend’s words of caution, Julius took one look at Marie and stepped in front of her, sword raised. I can’t embarrass myself by looking weak in front of her.

Greg whistled. “You’ve got guts, Your Highness. You’re not part of the royal family for nothing.”

Jilk, on the other hand, appeared slightly exasperated and slipped out his handgun. Due to his skill with firearms, he was the only man who had been granted permission to carry a gun in the close quarters of the dungeon.

Behind them, Angelica barked, “What are you standing around for?! Protect your prince!”

But before the other two teams of six could even move into position around them, Greg bellowed, “Stand back!”

With his hair and his eyes and his spear, he was a crimson blur as he flew toward the monsters. He slammed the blunt end of his spear into one of the giant ants, and its body erupted in a puff of smoke, crushed under the weight of his onslaught. Two others charged at him from either side.

Greg raised his weapon and swung it down, slicing clean through one of the ants. On the other side was Chris, neatly halving another.

“Your movement is inefficient,” Chris remarked.

Yet another ant was swallowed up in flames, and Brad lowered his magical staff. “You really are meatheads. If you hadn’t gotten in my way, I could have taken all three at the same time.”

A couple of gun blasts echoed, and suddenly two ants were sporting holes in their heads. Their bodies dissolved into black vapor.

A thread of white smoke spilled from the barrel of Jilk’s gun. “You need to keep a better eye on your surroundings, my prince.”

The last monster charged at Julius.

“What are you lot doing?!” Angelica shrieked. “Protect His Highness!”

“Just watch for a moment, Miss Angelica,” Jilk said calmly. “The prince can take care of himself.”

Julius met the monster with his double-edged sword held high. “Humph!” His blade whistled through the air and cleaved through the creature’s neck, slamming into the ground. Sharp rocks flew into the air.

The giant ant’s body crumbled into smoke and disappeared.

Julius didn’t even realize he was trembling until he lifted a hand to wipe away the sweat trickling down his cheek. He looked at it—a thin cut striped the back of his hand.

Marie rushed to him and grasped his hand. “Your Highness, are you all right?!”

The warmth from her delicate fingers soothed his nerves. I’m so relieved. Is this what having a crush on someone feels like? No, is this love?

He was drawn from his thoughts when he noticed a faint light emanating from Marie’s hand. When she pulled away, his wound was gone. “Marie, you—!”

She pressed a finger against his lips. “Shh.”

He clamped his mouth shut. She didn’t want the others to know?

“I’m glad you’re all right,” she said. “And I’m relieved everyone else is, too.”

Julius much preferred the way Marie fussed over him after a battle to the way Angelica tried to prevent him from ever fighting at all.

Angelica walked over, shooing Marie away. “Your Highness, I’ve brought you a towel.”

Julius scowled. “I don’t need one. More importantly, we need to keep moving.” He reached for Marie’s hand and started forward.

 

***

 

Olivia and I finally arrived at the entrance to the third floor—our final destination for today’s class. Our professor was already there, ensuring no students tried to venture farther. We couldn’t leave until the rest of the teams caught up, and so we were left to stand around and wait.

I took the opportunity to look through the cache of items Olivia and I had collected along the way.

“The capital’s dungeon sure lived up to its reputation.” I grinned. “Those spoiled nobles probably thought we’d be exhausted, being forced to scout ahead, but that just meant we secured a ton of ore for ourselves.”

We had iron, copper, and more, all perfectly refined right out of the cavern walls. It was so convenient I could almost cry.

Olivia held a beautiful crystal in her hand. “This almost looks like a jewel. It’s so pretty. What are these used for?”

“Magic stones? They’re an energy source. When you’re tempering metal, throw one of those in the forge, and the metal will come out better quality. I don’t know a whole lot about them, but they’re pretty incredible. The only thing I care about is getting a good price for them. Maybe about two hundred dia for that one…?”

If we sold the whole lot, we could make that five hundred. This haul was inarguably ours, since we were the ones who scouted ahead. Not that those rich brats would even give our winnings a second glance.

“With this much, we can split it and I’ll still have enough for one more tea part—nope, no I won’t.” I re-estimated. “Dammit. I need to make more money.”

I had the tea set I’d bought last time, but I would need new leaves and hors d’oeuvres. A couple hundred dia wouldn’t last me very long. My shoulders sank in defeat.

Olivia didn’t seem to notice. “How does the cave produce these magic stones? I can understand metal, but no mine I know of has minerals like these. And I heard they only appear in dungeons. Something about that just seems odd.”

Distracted, I answered without thinking. “Eh, you know how it is. When you kill monsters, their mana gets released into the soil. Builds up. Eventually, it coalesces into magic stones.”

“Really?” she said, surprised. “I’ve never heard that before. That’s not in our textbooks.”

“I think I remember reading it somewhere,” I said absentmindedly. “Wait. Would that mean the treasure boxes operate on the same principle? Huh. Magic and mana are pretty cool.”

For my next tea party, should I try to match everything to the preferences of the girl I invite? But that could mean buying a whole new tea set. Of course, there’s no point in having a quality set if the tea itself isn’t up to par. Ugh! Why is tea so difficult?! I can kind of see why the Japanese commanders in the Warring States Period collected sets. The tea parties in this world do kind of resemble the tea ceremony in a way…

I noticed Olivia peering at me. “What?”

“You’re quite knowledgeable,” she said. “I’m surprised.”

Knowledgeable? That wasn’t right. This was my second life and I’d still only managed to land in the middle of the pack with my entrance test scores at the academy. Far more exceptional students littered the school.

But I liked getting the compliment; I was pretty simpleminded like that. Not always a bad thing. “You think so? Well, if you want, I can help you learn anything you want to know.”

A smile stretched across her face. “Yes, I’d like that!”

It couldn’t hurt to help her a little with her studies on the side while I continued searching for a marriage partner actually within my reach.