CHAPTER 3
CLASS IS IN SESSION
“How is it here after three years, Lefiya?”
“It’s nostalgic…However, the situation being what it is, I’m more disoriented than anything.”
“Ha-ha, an honest answer, I see.”
After a night spent in a room set aside for visitors, Lefiya was starting her morning with a walk through the halls alongside an instructor.
He had hair the color of a lion’s mane and long enough to cover the back of his neck. This teacher was tall, probably 180 celches at least. At a glance, he seemed slender, but Lefiya knew that his body was like tempered steel. She had not noticed as a student, but now that she had been an adventurer for several years, she could tell how extraordinary his sense of balance was from a single step. Even though he wore no armor and carried no weapon, he still evoked the image of a knight.
His back was always perfectly straight as if his spine were a sword.
His eyes were the same color as his hair and were as imposing and dignified as a lion’s.
Many girls would blush bright red in misunderstanding if he looked into their eyes or smiled carelessly at them, just like her old friend Alisa.
He was the top professor in the School District and the captain of Balder Class, Leon Verdenberg.
“Of course, accepting whatever situation you find yourself in and responding accordingly is crucial for all people in every walk of life. Those who are fastest to adapt will broaden their horizons the most.”
“Society is a never-ending process of turning confusion into comprehension.”
“I am pleased you remember. If my lessons have enriched your life even a little, I can ask for nothing more.”
Leon glanced at her with a soft look in his eyes. Those were the eyes of a teacher pleased with their student’s growth.
True to his reputation as the top professor, he was fairer and more honest than anyone else aboard the School District. His lessons were easy to comprehend, and if he was ever unsure of something, he would discuss it with students. He hoped to grow with his students while explaining that he was anything but an infalliable teacher. Because he never forgot his roots, children who were not yet mature, either, could empathize with him and look up to him.
Righteous and without arrogance. Admonishing and guiding.
Lefiya did not know anyone worthier of the title of teacher than he. When she came to him with her worries as a student, he thoughtfully discussed them with her, thinking through things with her.
Lefiya’s story was far from uncommon. The students’ nickname for him was Ultra Page due to the way he responded to his students’ problems and stuck with them to the end. Even if it meant going five days without sleep, he wouldn’t bat an eye.
He was, without a doubt, the most popular teacher among all students, male and female.
Indeed, it would be more correct to say he was popular worldwide.
It feels like he’s gotten even cooler than before.
I know what you mean, Lefiya! He’s a paragon of style that just keeps improving!!!
Please don’t break into my thoughts telepathically, Alisa…
Lefiya was already feeling weary as she made eye contact with Alisa, who was walking behind them like an aide as Leon explained the plan for her going forward.
“I touched on it yesterday during guidance, but your seminar will be scheduled later. We would like you to focus on instruction first, Lefiya.”
“That isn’t a problem for me, but…is there a reason I haven’t been given the students’ files and grades? I think it would be easier if I learn a little about them first.”
“I would like you to see them without any preconceptions and ask you to share your impressions and general thoughts.”
They were on their way as they spoke. The elites who Balder had told her about yesterday were waiting.
Lefiya peered up at Leon as he spoke. Suddenly, her feet stopped.
“Teaching these students…is that something I’m really capable of?”
Leon and Alisa stopped and looked at her.
It was not humility but genuine doubt.
“Are you concerned?”
“No, it’s not that…I have always been a student here, even after joining Loki Familia. I can’t quite picture myself teaching… I find myself questioning whether this will really be of any use to the students I’m about to meet.”
She calmly expressed her doubts while meeting Leon’s gaze. Alisa watched quietly as if trying to gauge what her old friend had experienced these past three years and assess her mental state now.
Leon smiled.
“I see. Having experience is certainly an important thing. It helps build confidence, and likewise, confidence not founded in experience can lead only to arrogance. That you are aware of this means that you have an aptitude for teaching,” Leon reassured her and then continued as if giving her advice. “Therefore, you can simply remember the faces of those who guided you.”
“Hm?”
“What did they say, or what did they communicate through their presence and actions? Your teachers remain in your heart and can be both a guide to follow and the ultimate teaching resource.”
“!”
“‘Projection of others is the first step toward realization.’ Precisely because you have always been the student, you possess enormous potential as a teacher. Please don’t forget that.”
Lefiya’s eyes widened.
Alisa looked moved and proud.
Leon, wearing the black instructor’s uniform that naturally contrasted with the white student uniform, smiled kindly. He was the very model of a teacher.
I see.
It was as if the fog closing in around her had completely dispersed. At that moment, Lefiya thought of Leon, Riveria, Aiz…and the pure elf no longer in this world who had stood at her side like an older sister.
Pushing the loneliness and grief away in the back of her heart, Lefiya realized once more that she was still a student in Leon’s eyes and had much, much more to learn.
Joining one of the top familias was difficult, even for students who were in such great demand among midsize and minor familias.
It was obvious that the higher the rank of a familia, the more difficult it was to enter, but individual familia members or the patron deities could also be extremely demanding.
Goibniu Familia, with its single-minded focus on smithing, was a prime example.
Unlike Hephaistos Familia, Goibniu Familia tended to not be as widely known, but many students were charmed by Goibniu’s pure devotion to plain old craftsmanship. The last time the School District returned to Orario, all the students in the Smithing Department wanted to join. But when they challenged the old god’s test, every single student failed. It was a well-known story of how all those hopeful boys and girl had been left in tears.
Loki Familia was also one of the factions that was exceedingly difficult to join.
But the reason for that was a little different. Loki despised Balder so much that she threw out all the School District’s recommendations.
As someone who had actually managed to join, Lefiya could not help thinking that any girl Loki happened to like could probably get in, but there was a strict examination involved, too. Finn and the other leaders were also present, so students needed to demonstrate some level of ability.
Lefiya had managed to meet their standards. That thought made her proud—indeed, she had been brimming with pride at the time—but ever since joining, she had experienced a long string of setbacks and disappointments. The other members of the familia were so incredible that she spent many nights muffling herself with her pillow while venting her regret and disappointment at how useless and pathetic she was.
“Uwaaaah…! Loki Familia’s Thousand Elf! I-it’s an honor! I-I’ll be in your care, Lefiya!”
When she saw the students who had come up behind her staring at her with such glimmering eyes, she felt a little out of sorts.
They were in an empty classroom inside one of the academic layer’s many multipurpose buildings.
The students waiting there as Lefiya entered alongside Leon and Alisa were in high spirits.
“I joined the Combat Studies Department because I wanted to become a mage like you! It is an honor to meet you!”
“Ah, that’s not fair, Mimi! It’s an honor for me, too!!!”
“Your fame has reached far beyond Orario! I’ve decided I’m going to join Loki Familia for sure!!!”
A pampered, high-class-looking elf girl, a human girl who seemed almost childish, and an androgynous werewolf boy had come up to passionately greet Lefiya. Her response was neither shock nor bewilderment but a smile.
When she saw their excited, bright-eyed determination to join Loki Familia, she felt like she was seeing herself from three years ago. She politely coughed rather than express her less-than-enthusiastic inner thoughts.
It is not nearly as glamorous as you think.
They all cocked their head at the hollow smile the alum they looked up to had on her lips.
“As you know, Lefiya, those who choose combat disciplines are arranged into four-man cells in addition to their individual classes. You will be instructing Seventh Squad.”
Leon smoothly explained the situation as she met the students for the first time.
She looked with genuine nostalgia at the 7th Squad wearing their accustomed white uniforms. She had always struggled with fighting, but the massive amount of magical power she could call upon drew attention, and thanks to her rowdy friends, she and Alisa got pulled into a combat squad. They regularly fought monsters and clashed with rough characters. She couldn’t even begin to list all the incidents she had faced as a student.
As she fondly remembered those times, Alisa added, “These children have all leveled up. And two of them are Level Three.”
“Two Level Threes?”
Lefiya’s deep blue eyes widened.
She was genuinely surprised.
There were many second-tier adventurers in Orario, but only a handful could be found beyond its walls. For the rest of the world, Level 3 was a clear dividing line separating the strong from the ordinary. Such people were desperately sought after by every organization across the entire world, not just familias in Orario.
That was why Balder had been so confident they could be useful in combat right away.
If they had the strength of second-tier adventurers, then they could get by in Loki Familia as well.
“Why don’t you introduce yourselves to Instructor Lefiya? Nano, Luke, as Level Threes, you can take the lead.”
“Y-yes, Professor!”
At Alisa’s direction, the human girl answered with a squeaky voice, and the human boy who had not joined the welcome earlier stood up from his seat as well.
“I am Natalinoe Cladfield. Please, call me Nano!”
She was smaller than Lefiya and sported soft, strawberry-blond hair that was a more vibrant color than Misha’s, who was a receptionist at the Guild. Her self-introduction was nervous but cheerful.
“…I’m Luke Fowl.”
The ashen-haired boy’s introduction could not be more different. He exuded a tough, dauntless air, even as he appeared to be a handsome, almost pretty, young boy.
Lefiya could tell by the way they carried themselves that the girl had a backline role while he was a vanguard fighter.
It was not what Lefiya had expected.
Between Nano’s garbled speech and how young she appeared, she did not seem like a Level 3. Given the nature of falna, there was an iron rule among adventurers to never judge a book by its cover, but given Nano’s general demeanor, Lefiya had assumed she wasn’t Level 3.
The remaining two were the elf Miliria and the werewolf Cole.
“Level Three as a student…that’s incredible. How long have you been enrolled?”
From Orario’s perspective, the options for leveling up in the outside world were extremely limited—all the more so when trying to reach Level 3. Lefiya had leveled up before joining Loki Familia, but Level 2 was her limit.
Even as she wholeheartedly praised it, she suspected it was not something that could have been achieved in a mere year or two.
“I’ve been here for five years. In fact, I’m older than you, ‘Instructor.’” The student straddling the line between boyhood and manhood answered her curtly.
“L-Luke!”
Even as Nano warned him he was being rude, he looked straight at Lefiya and continued.
“You may not have known about us, but we sure knew you, Ms. Model Student.”
“…My apologies. However, I would prefer it if you do not call me that.”
Even Lefiya grimaced at having her embarrassing school-era nickname brought up. Alisa, who had hung back thus far, could not keep from interjecting:
“Luke, Lefiya is most certainly your senior by virtue of her accomplishments, and she has taken time away from her familia in order to provide instruction here. That attitude is unreasonable.”
“I’m sorry. I simply was unsure how I should interact with an instructor who is younger than me.”
“You…!”
Alisa’s eyes flared as an argument brewed between her and Luke.
Nano, the other students, and Lefiya tried to stop it, but he refused to budge. Leon watched without comment.
Before the mood could grow any tenser, Lefiya quickly changed tack and finished the introductions before calling their brief meeting to a close.
The whole time, Luke watched her with cold eyes.
“That is Balder Class’s Seventh Squad! The current elites!”
After returning to Leon’s private office, Alisa’s voice rose sharply.
“Seventh Squad…even with students coming and going so often, it’s always a collection of impressive Combat Studies students.”
Of course, there were only as many classes in the School District as there were patron deities, and students were divided into squads within those classes. Due to the nature of the curriculum, there were always openings and new students. Squads were formed by deities and teachers picking students they thought fit best together—though on occasion, students who were wildly unbalanced in some regard were grouped together in hopes of a catalytic interaction.
The 7th Squad of the Balder Class was known for being particularly elite.
Lefiya had, for better or worse, been part of the 7th Squad as well during her time as a student.
“We don’t make any assignment decisions with that kind of intent, though. Regardless, students who belong to the squad invariably get worked up about its supposed history. As a result, it has unfortunately acquired a reputation as an elite group,” Leon said with a wry smile.
“It isn’t the elite squad part that bothers me! It’s an attitude problem!” Alisa erupted in annoyance. “Specifically that Luke Fowl! Really, he’s the only one who’s an issue! Even if he is older than you, Lefiya, I’m his senior in age and school year! If that’s the attitude he’s going to take, then he should be especially polite with me!”
Lefiya smiled awkwardly, able to tell Alisa had clashed with him many times now as prefect.
“But he…isn’t a problem child, is he?”
“Oh? Why do you say that?”
“Natalinoe…Nano and the others’ trust in him is impossible to miss. He is the leader of the squad, isn’t he?”
Alisa looked surprised, while Leon smiled.
Perhaps pleased to see how much keener Lefiya’s perception was now, he nodded in satisfaction and handed her the records and grades of the members of the 7th Squad.
“That is correct. Luke’s marks are excellent. I have no complaints about his work in written or practical courses, and it would be safe to say he is the best student with a sword. And above all, he is a hard worker. His chemistry with Alisa is poor, but he is trusted not only by his squadmates but by other students and teachers as well.”
Of course.
Even if there were an issue with his personality, Level 3 was not a realm that could be reached by superficial routes.
Even if Luke was cold, he appeared to be a respectable person…At the very least, he was better than some of the troublesome members of Loki Familia. Particularly Bete, and Bete, and Bete…
Though she could not understand why he looked at her like that.
“What did you think of them, Lefiya?”
“…There didn’t appear to be any discord in the squad. At least, I did not sense anything in their current state that would demand an outsider’s instruction. Nor any sort of problem that you might be concerned about.”
Thinking back to what had happened earlier, she gave her honest opinion.
Putting her hand to her chin, she decided to continue, even though it was nothing more than intuition.
“However, Luke came across to me as irritated…impatient.”
Perhaps he was disgruntled seeing everyone make such a big deal about an alum?
At the same time, it didn’t feel like such pointless envy was lurking in his eyes…
As Lefiya mulled over it, Leon didn’t indicate whether she was right or wrong.
That said, she suspected the smile on his lips was his answer.
“You are correct; it’s not something that rises to the level of a problem. But there is a latent powder keg that cannot help but explode at some point. And they are—or rather Luke is—harboring something that, while absolutely not mistaken, is also the reason he has become intractable.”
“Not mistaken?”
“Yes. Something that we teachers would ordinarily praise.”
Is that why they have their hands full with the Seventh Squad?
But…
“Couldn’t you reach out to these students, Professor Leon?”
If this was really a problem that even a teacher as capable as Leon could not handle, then what chance did Lefiya have?
As a troubled look crossed her face for the first time, Leon looked out the window. Outside was a bright blue sky and wide open sea that knew nothing of anguish or turmoil.
“Let us set aside the question of whether I could resolve this myself or not. There are two reasons why we thought to ask you to handle this instruction, Lefiya.”
“Two reasons?”
“Yes. The first is because we judged that, as an adventurer, your words would have more of an effect on them than us teachers.” Looking back, he met Lefiya’s gaze. “And as for the second, I was told that this would be for your own sake by none other than Lord Balder.”
“Me?”
“Yes. And I thought so as well. That you could become a guidepost for them, and they could be a light that can hold you back.” When Leon said that, he was clearly speaking not as a teacher, but as the individual, Leon Verdenberg.
Lefiya was visibly surprised, unable to understand what those words meant. But she could tell that he trusted her and cared about her future.
“In other words, just go smack that cocky Luke upside the head and give him a bloody nose, Lefiya!”
“That’s a little too much, Alisa…”
Lefiya could not quite manage a wry smile as her old friend leaned forward heatedly to offer her suggestion.
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know!” she said, letting her student council president persona shine through, even as Lefiya looked down at the profiles in her hand.
There were four sheets of paper with four student portraits. She stared into the eyes of the ashen-haired boy, who was listed as sixteen years old.
“I understand. I shall do as much as I can.”
Leon and Alisa both smiled at that.
The next day, Lefiya’s instruction began in earnest.
Though it was not as if they would be going straight to Orario.
Even if she were instructing students who wanted to become adventurers, it would be beyond thoughtless to go straight to the Dungeon. She was responsible for their instruction, but she was also responsible for their lives, and she couldn’t let anything happen to them. Leaping right into a den of monsters without confirming the students’ true strengths first would be nonsensical from a safety standpoint.
The official Dungeon practical would begin in two days’ time. It wouldn’t be too late to take them then.
That was why the first order of business was training at school.
Nano fights from the rear as a mage, as expected. Miliria is an archer who covers the center, Cole is a knife-wielding scout, and Luke is an overwhelming frontliner…
They were in an arena hewn from valmars ore, a practice ground in one corner of the academic layer also used for interclass competitions. Lefiya was sitting in the stands while watching the 7th Squad go to work.
This was a Combat Studies lesson in the form of mock battles. The squads of Balder Class and Vár Class were taking turns fighting all around the field.
And the 7th Squad was dominating.
Wielding a longsword with a dulled blade, Luke tore into the enemy formation while a half beat later, Miliria and Cole, and then Nano wreaked havoc. The opposing squad could not hold out against a Level 3’s charge followed by waves of attacks.
“Drop back, Cole! You’re getting in the line of fire! Milly, come quickly! Plan Element! Nano, you give the signal with your magic!”
“Got it, Luke!”
Luke’s abilities, including his ability to give directions even from the front, were certainly impressive. He had good battlefield awareness, and the keenness of his attacks was head and shoulders above the rest of the students.
Meanwhile, just when it seemed they were a little too reliant on his ability to break through, Nano showed that she was a powerful cannon in her own right.
Their opponents were used to them from all their training sessions, so they had come up with several different strategies for dealing with 7th Squad, but even so, they couldn’t be stopped. In the blink of an eye, their defenses had been defeated.
Luke and Nano are certainly Level 3, but Miliria and Cole are skilled, too, coordinating closely while providing cover and support. It’s thanks to them that the squad doesn’t get split apart during combat. They clearly all trust each other. They make a fine party.
This was the current generation’s elite squad.
They could achieve far greater results in their four-man cell than split up among various Dungeon-diving familias. But as she came to that thought, Lefiya’s spirits flagged.
She could not help wondering where she got off analyzing them like that. As if she was so superior.
She was just middle of the pack in Loki Familia, if even that. Unable to endure the self-loathing, she again felt the urge to complain about Loki sending her here.
However, she also felt that she needed to adjust her perception of herself as a teacher.
“It’s difficult being an instructor…”
Realizing it again, she left the stands as the training came to an end.
First, a teacher had to work on communication to establish a better connection with her students.
“How were we, Instructor? I was nervous thinking of you watching us, but thanks to Luke and everyone, I managed to move like normal! And we all decided we wanted to blow away the high-and-mighty Thousand Elf—wait, what?! Never mind! Pretend you didn’t hear that!!!”
Nano was a talkative student.
She ran her mouth like a young girl, saying things that need not be said (and Lefiya was a little bit disheartened to hear that she came across as pretentious). She leaped around energetically, emoting with her entire body. It was charming. She appeared well loved by her fellow girls, even outside the squad. Their explanations went along the lines of “She’s sort of like a little sister. At first, the way she talked was too pushy, and we didn’t think we would ever like her, but she was so stupid that we were worried about what might happen if we didn’t look after her.”
She, like Luke, was older than Lefiya, but there were not many people who better fit the image of an impressionable younger student than her.
Apparently, she was an old friend of Luke’s, who hailed from the same hometown, and she had come along when he tried to enroll—without telling her parents. Lefiya could guess she was a noble of some sort by her last name, but she appeared to be quite the tomboy.
“Also, um, Lefiya…d-don’t seduce Luke!”
And it was—to be blunt—plain to see that she thought of Luke as more than just a friend since she had put Lefiya on the spot and constantly glanced over at him.
“Luke is reliable, but once something is decided, Nano only looks at him, so we correct her course as needed since her head is normally empty.”
“M-Milly…that’s a little harsh…”
Miliria and Cole had a good eye for people.
Miliria did not have the distinctive elven prickliness—as with other elf students, it had been worn away by the School District’s communal living—and she had even given Lefiya permission to call her Milly.
Cole was a humble, frank boy. So much so that it was hard to believe he was a werewolf like Bete. Lefiya could also tell that he was in the same position as Raul, well versed in the difficulty of dealing with the strong personalities of the squad.
The two of them were clearly the glue that held the party together.
“…Rather than just watching, could you demonstrate some of your magic, Instructor? I can’t obey someone who hasn’t proven their strength.”
Luke was still sharp and prickly.
He smiled in front of Nano and the others, but his tone stiffened whenever Lefiya came into view. As Milly took every opportunity to warn her, they were a bit on edge.
So Lefiya fired off her magic in a corner of the arena, which made Nano and Milly even more attached to her.
“Please teach us magic!!!”
Taken aback, she remembered how she had been the same with Riveria, and with a wry smile, she agreed to give a little lecture. Many more students swarmed them, wanting to join, and it turned into a much bigger event.
And seeing all that, Luke looked annoyed.
But still…it’s not just the Seventh Squad. The other students seem to be on edge as well.
In the personal room provided to her, Lefiya ran her quill pen across the parchment like a true teaching-in-training, and she organized her observations.
The Level 3s stood out, for sure, but the students’ overall abilities had unmistakably gone up in all measures.
The School District was an island of study and diligent training. Abilities were always to be improved, and it was a welcome sight, but it felt like something more than just that.
At least, that was what Lefiya felt.
They travel all around the world, so they have plenty of experience. It would be fair to say they are almost full-fledged fighters. What I can teach them as an adventurer is…
Reflecting on what Leon had said, Lefiya firmed up the stance she should take with them while improving their individual abilities and connections as a squad.
Two days passed in no time, and the main event came.
The Dungeon practical was a core part of the school’s curriculum.
It occurred only in the years when the School District returned to Orario, and those who expressed interest were permitted to advance to a floor appropriate to their status.
In order to graduate, a certain number of credits were required. During the Dungeon practical, credits could be gained by gathering drop items from designated monsters. Students were also required to provide written reports, so anyone not exploring the Dungeon properly would be caught.
The Dungeon practical was required training for every student in the Combat Studies Department.
“Looks like everyone is here. Let’s head to Orario.”
Once the 7th Squad had gathered, Lefiya set out from Meren.
After providing the entry permission slip, they passed through the southwest gate and the giant city walls of Orario.
While Nano and the others were in high spirits about seeing the Labyrinth City again after three years, Lefiya deftly guided them around adventurers eager to mess with the well-behaved little students. They filled out some necessary paperwork at the Guild and promptly entered the Dungeon.
The 7th Squad was indeed skilled, reaching the middle levels without issue.
“We’ll focus our activities on the fifteenth floor today.”
After several encounters with monsters, Lefiya stopped in an open chamber and turned around.
The members of the 7th Squad were wearing their gear atop the combat uniform provided by the school.
Nano wore a long, hooded robe and carried a long staff.
Milly had a partial breastplate that covered the right side of her chest, and carried a long bow.
Cole carried two daggers and wore a pair of goggles.
And Luke was wearing light armor, the combat uniform, which he had customized himself, and carried a longsword.
They spoke far less upon entering the Dungeon.
Now, as ever, standing in the Dungeon was a unique experience. Even students who had been in secluded, unexplored, and wild lands all over the world could not hide their nervousness.
Nano peered all around uneasily, wondering if a monster might crawl out of a wall at any moment. Milly and Cole moved only their eyes while paying close attention to their surroundings.
Most of the squad was noticeably tense.
“Let’s go to the twenty-fifth floor.”
Luke was different.
The others were taken aback, and even Lefiya’s eyes widened slightly.
All the other students were not allowed to go any farther than the fifteenth floor, and Lefiya had intended to have them eventually proceed to the eighteenth floor over the course of her time with them—with the permission of Balder, Leon, and the other School District staff, of course.
All of that had been decided with consideration for the strength of the 7th Squad, but…
“…No, I cannot permit that.”
“Why? We’ve been to the Dungeon so many times already. We’ve finished exploring the Cave Labyrinth already.”
“That was three years ago. You mustn’t make light of a gap like that. And more than anything, it is too soon for you to be going to the lower levels.”
Lefiya shook her head, not mincing words as she rejected the proposal.
Luke’s face twisted. The defiance that he had restrained thus far was coming to the surface.
“Nano and I are Level Three! We easily meet the Guild’s guidelines! We should be able to handle the lower levels!”
“No matter how high your level, the first time you challenge a new floor is always risky. Even if I’m simply accompanying you, I do not want to have to leave my safety in your hands.”
“…Gh!”
She said it out of earnest concern for Nano and the others, but Luke did not take it that way. Indeed, it had probably felt like she was looking down on him.
His ashen hair quivered, and he bit his lip while raising his voice.
“You went all the way to the deep levels as a Level Three, didn’t you?! All the way to unexplored territory that no one other than Zeus and Hera have seen! We’ve heard plenty about it even outside Orario!”
“…Yes. You are not wrong.”
She understood what Luke wanted to say. Even though it was a major expedition mounted by her familia, ignoring all guidelines, she had been brought to the deep levels and the Dragon’s Urn. They should be allowed to do this much if Lefiya had thrown herself into far more extreme situations already. That was what he wanted to say.
“But that was because I was a mage of Loki Familia.”
That was the answer to it all.
Lefiya was still alive today because Finn and everyone else had been there with her. She had been able to survive a tremendous series of deadly encounters because they’d protected her. And right now, Lefiya and the 7th Squad did not have Loki Familia. She was just a lone instructor, and they were students.
Luke’s brow furrowed deeply at Lefiya’s concise answer.
“None of you know the Dungeon as well as I do, and I am not so great an adventurer that I feel confident about protecting you no matter what happens. I’m not particularly happy about admitting my lack of skill, but… please give up on that.”
She finished with a quiet voice.
Nano, Milly, and Cole said nothing, watching with bated breath.
Luke looked down, and his fists trembled.
“You… Because you adventurers are like this!!!” He looked up, his emotions bursting out. “Why do you not even try to realize there’s no time to be taking things slowly?!”
“Slowly…?”
For the first time, Lefiya’s eyes arched dubiously.
As if even that annoyed him, Luke shouted back.
“Do you even know what’s happening outside Orario…all around the world?!”
With that, Lefiya finally grasped what he wanted to say.
“The suffering caused by monsters is increasing everywhere! Accelerating year by year! Humans who have lost their homes, animal people whose towns are ruins, elves whose homelands have been erased from the map! We’ve seen it over and over!”
“…”
“It’s the valley of dragons! More and more vicious dragons appear, making countless people suffer! The entire mortal realm is falling apart!”
The School District was a place of learning and one of the most powerful forces in the world, supported by Orario. One aspect of that was their role as a volunteer army, or even a mercenary group, taking requests from countries and towns it visited and sending its teachers and students who volunteered into battle.
They intervened in monster attacks, natural disasters, and even regional conflicts from time to time. On his many missions, Luke had surely seen tragedy play out time and time again across the world.
“Do you know how many people are crying out? Can you imagine the people weeping for joy just because we came? We aren’t adventurers from Orario! We’re just a bunch of students!”
His eyes were burning with anger, but sadness and a deep sense of powerlessness were behind it.
Luke had been shaken by the things he had seen.
“The world has always been waiting for adventurers…for you!”
The Three Great Quests.
The wish of everyone in the mortal realm.
The final one, slaying the black dragon, was the duty the Labyrinth City was expected to fulfill.
His heart ached after seeing the tragic state of the world.
He felt the danger more clearly and intimately than Lefiya or any of the adventurers in Orario.
Lefiya finally understood the source of his discontent.
He was angry at all the adventurers in Orario who still could not save the world.
“Something that we teachers would ordinarily praise.”
She also understood what Leon had meant.
Luke’s righteous anger was just and noble.
“If you are going to waste time, then I’ll become a hero! We’ll get stronger and save all the people suffering even now! So don’t get in my way!”
Luke Fowl was surely a kind boy.
His heroic ambition was not for his own sake or out of a desire for fame and fortune. It was selflessness, a desire to wipe away the sadness of others.
Lefiya thought it noble even.
But…
“In that case, all the more reason I cannot allow you to do that.”
“What?!”
“I think it is wonderful that you care about others like that. But you are rushing to your own grave for the sake of the people you want to save.”
She did not change her stance.
The difference between his resolve and suicidal self-sacrifice was paper-thin. Though she did not think of herself as an adult, Lefiya could see it clearly. Luke was hurrying to his death.
It was a safe bet that if he became an adventurer at this rate, he would absolutely lose his life. People like him were the most likely to die. It had been only a few years since she had become an adventurer, but Lefiya knew that much.
With all the questions she had felt about the 7th Squad answered, her eyes flared.
“Even if, just for the sake of argument, I accept the proposition that it would be fine for you to die, given that you have made up your mind, I cannot allow you to bring your comrades down with you in your self-righteousness.”
Luke stopped moving, taken aback.
“I thought it strange. How did Nano, who isn’t especially enthusiastic about fighting, reach Level Three? The answer is because she was dragged along in your rashness.”
The rebuke in her eyes shook not only Luke but also Nano standing beside him.
Her shoulders and strawberry blond hair trembled.
Because she loved the boy who was her childhood friend, she had desperately chased after him as he fought for the sake of the helpless and suffering masses, supporting him throughout. Her magic had undoubtedly saved Luke countless times, and she had surely put herself in harm’s way. If not, there was no way a backline mage, who would struggle to get excelia as easily as a vanguard, could have gotten to Level 3. Even in ways that Luke had never realized, Nano had continued to cover for him and sacrifice herself for him.
Even if they did not acknowledge what she said, the way Miliria and Cole pursed their lips said all that needed to be said.
Luke was speechless as he turned to Nano, and she immediately looked down at the ground.
“Others will die because of you. Have you ever once considered that possibility?”
“…Gh! I can do it alone! I don’t need them; I’ll do it myself!”
“That is out of the question. The Dungeon is not something that can be faced alone.”
Desperation crept into his voice as Lefiya calmly rejected him, but Nano raised her voice, unable to bear what he was saying.
“Just stop it, Luke! Lefiya is saying she’s worried about you, too! I don’t want you to become an adventurer all by yourself, either!”
“Gh…!”
“Let’s calm down. If we work together, all of us, without getting flustered…with Mimi and Cole, I’m sure we can realize your dream, Luke!”
It was not hard to imagine that the rest of the squad had long since realized that Luke was rushing and were worried about him.
A faint sheen of tears filled her eyes as Nano clung tightly to his sleeve.
Luke, who had been at a loss for words, jerked his hand away.
“Stop it! No one told you to chase after me! You’re just a clumsy screwup, so leave me alone! You don’t have to get dragged along behind me!”
Nano winced in obvious pain at the rejection.
Milly raised her eyebrows, and Cole’s expression sank, too.
As they tried to draw closer to Luke—Lefiya glimpsed an old memory as she watched Luke and Nano.
…Did she feel that way, too?
Lefiya was trying to do something rash, and Filvis was trying to stop her.
The failures of her past and forlorn regret transformed into a pale mist eating away at her heart.
“—You should listen to your comrade’s advice. Especially when you’re mistaking childish selfishness for independence.”
“What’d you say?!”
So she became aggressive.
Her voice was so cold and overbearing. She could hardly believe it had come from her. She shot back before Milly and the others, stunned by the sudden change, could reach Luke.
“You are pathetic, whining like a child. You cannot see yourself objectively because of your stubborn determination. Don’t speak of heroes while demonstrating such unsightly behavior.”
Lefiya’s anger at her past self seeped in, and then she caught her breath.
“Gh…!!!”
Luke’s face was redder than she had ever seen it.
His eyes stared at her with open animosity.
It was too late, even as she realized what had happened. The antagonism had become decisive.
Lefiya had gotten worked up and added a new regret to her growing collection.
And there was also that to consider.
She had, somewhat intentionally, tried not to think about it, but…Luke’s hair color resembled that of a particular rabbit.
Even if Luke himself was blameless, she could see traces of her rival in him, and each time she did, it sparked her annoyance. It was entirely unreasonable from Luke’s perspective, of course. And being targeted with an animosity she did not have any reason to expect, Lefiya’s annoyance was amplified.
Though, I guess Luke is far more handsome, at least? Maybe it would be unfair to compare him to that rabbit. But their naiveté is the same. That rabbit is far more reckless and good-natured, and there are aspects I wouldn’t say I don’t sympathize with. But anyway, his foolhardy heroic ambition certainly overlaps with that white-haired boy’s. And it’s…annoying.
Either way, it would be difficult to resolve this with words after escalating so much.
It’s not impossible, but it’s a hassle. That was what she thought, unfortunately.
The time spent on him alone like this was not worth it. At the very least, it would not help Nano and the others, who were nervously looking back and forth.
More precisely, if she had been able to make herself understood through words, it might have been worthwhile, but it was not something that should have been done here. Discussion and debates were for a classroom, not the Dungeon.
Restraining the urge to sigh, Lefiya made up her mind.
This was the Dungeon, so they would have to settle it like adventurers.
“Very well. Luke, let’s fight.”
“!”
“A one-on-one match. If you win, I will allow you to progress into the lower floors.”
If he wanted to hold his claim, he would have to prove his strength.
She could not turn a blind eye to determination that wasn’t backed up by strength, but if he demonstrated a strength that matched his resolve, she wouldn’t stop him. Without saying as much, that was what she was offering him.
All of them, Luke included, looked stunned.
“A duel in the Dungeon? Are you mocking me?!”
The thought of a duel in the Dungeon where monsters infinitely spawned sounded absurd from their perspective. The instructors in the School District would never teach them something so ill-conceived.
But an outlaw’s feast did not care about time and place. For most, the Adventurers’ Baptism happened here, in the Dungeon.
Though it would be a bit much to call this “prep” for the test to come.
Aware that she was picking up more of the traits of an adventurer than a student, she continued:
“I’ve decided it is too dangerous to continue exploring with you holding all that pent-up frustration.”
“…!”
“If you’re going to break down somewhere I can’t see you, then just self-destruct here and now in front of me. At least I can do some damage control that way.”
Without realizing it, she was speaking like a certain high elf.
Facing her furious student, Lefiya delivered the clincher.
“If I win, you will stop trying to fight me on this topic going forward… You can obey someone who has proven their strength, can’t you, Luke?”
Faced with his own words, he clenched his fists.
“Don’t regret this…”
“I won’t. Let’s wrap this up this quickly. As you said, this is the Dungeon.”
While Luke trembled with rage and determination to fight, Lefiya spoke to the others.
“You three, keep watch, please. Take care of any monsters that come near.”
“L-Lefiya…!”
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt him… Sorry for getting you involved in something strange like this.”
Nano looked unsure what to do as Lefiya apologetically gave her instructions.
She looked like she wanted to say something, but Milly quietly took her arm, and Cole said, “We should do what she said.”
Grateful that they trusted her even though they had just met her, Lefiya faced Luke in the center of the room.
“The first person to land a blow on the other wins. That should be sufficient.”
“Yes…I won’t hold back just because you’re a mage.”
“I’m Level Four. My status is higher than yours. On paper, you are the one at a disadvantage, you know?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
Luke smiled almost derisively as he pulled the sword from the sheath at his hip.
“Even if your level is higher, there’s no way I’ll lose to a mage at this range.”
He had no doubt he would win.
Holding his weapon in both hands, he lowered his hips, erasing any opening.
Lefiya nodded to herself, accepting his determination, and then drew her sword and wand.
“Let’s begin… If you can’t defeat me, then you are far from becoming a hero.”
That was the signal.
“Haaaaaaaaaah!”
Luke blurred as he advanced.
The first attack came from over his right shoulder.
Unable to perfectly match the speed of the slash, Lefiya chose to evade.
She stepped back, letting the silver sword slash through the space she had been standing in not a second earlier. Luke followed up immediately.
“Hiiiiyah!”
He launched a string of attacks without pause.
It was fast and sharp. The sound of the air splitting right beside her evoked a chill. His swordsmanship was built on a foundation of extreme training, and his attacks were keen enough to easily deal a mortal blow even to a second-tier adventurer like Lefiya.
Despite what he said, Luke Fowl was not foolish enough to underestimate a superior adventurer. He attacked without holding back.
He was threatening Lefiya not with a practice sword but with a weapon meant for killing.
“Gh!”
Lefiya responded by mixing in parries with her dodges.
She knocked aside Luke’s slash with her friend’s Tear Pain.
There was a sharp sound, and sparks flew as his sword’s course was deflected, but he just sneered.
“Is that all you’ve got?!”
The sword dance accelerated.
Lefiya couldn’t match his skill with the sword, and he was using it to corner her.
Lefiya’s sword arm undoubtedly looked shoddy to him.
She knew it herself, now that she had begun seriously studying how to use a sword in her training with Bete. Even if she called herself a magic swordswoman, she was still green. Meanwhile, Luke was a dedicated frontline swordsman. Given how much he had polished his swordplay since enrolling, he was far superior to her in hand-to-hand combat. Luke had accepted this match because he was sure he could defeat a mage at close range, even if she had a superior status.
However…
“H-he isn’t hitting her…!”
“Even though he’s been attacking the whole time!”
Cole and Milly murmured in disbelief, forgetting to watch for monsters.
Luke had been on the offensive from the start, yet his sword couldn’t reach Lefiya. Tilting her head, bending over, crouching, she dodged everything and even deflected his attacks with the sword in her right hand without issue.
“Luke…!”
Nano could not cheer for either of them as impatience crept into Luke’s expression.
“Damn it…! Why?!”
It was simple. He was lacking in speed and strength. He was lacking in tricks and techniques. And more than anything, he simply wasn’t a threat.
He was indeed superior in melee skill. But compared to Aiz or Bete, the way he fought was like a child. The people Lefiya had trained with were first-tier adventurers, true beasts who stood at the summit.
Even if she was inferior in hand-to-hand combat, Luke’s flurry of attacks paled in comparison to the intensity of those world-class adventurers.
Lefiya’s eyes easily picked up on where his eyes were looking, where he was exerting his strength, and even his emotional state.
If I couldn’t manage this much, Bete would kick me right into the heavens…
Her situational awareness was much better than when she was a dedicated mage. Her heart was also terribly calm. That she could keep up with this high-speed combat was perfect proof. Lefiya’s body was being molded into something new.
Quietly demonstrating the fruits of her training, she had the wherewithal to even imagine a certain werewolf’s face as she bantered a bit with herself.
That she could be so at ease was proof that she was in control of this fight.
And after staying on the defensive this whole time, she spun the wand in her left hand.
“Unleashed pillar of light, limbs of the holy tree. You are the master archer.”
Shock consumed Luke in that moment.
Even as they were fighting, Lefiya began to sing.
“Concurrent Casting!”
As Nano and the others watched on with stunned faces, the magic circle that unfurled across the ground swelled with an amber glow of magic power.
The pinnacle of a magic swordswoman. The ultimate technique that set them apart. The speed and precision far surpassed anything the 7th Squad had ever seen before, and the sheer volume of magic power was on a completely different level.
Nano and Milly, who were well versed in magic, were both speechless.
“Loose your arrows, fairy archers.”
“D-damn it…!”
Sparks flew as the longsword and the shortsword clashed several times, but Lefiya’s chanting never faltered even once.
Countering, defense, evasion, casting. As he watched her handle all four of those simultaneously without delay, impatience engulfed everything in Luke’s eyes.
The magic power was far too enormous. There was no way a single attacker could block it. If the spell were completed, Luke would lose. He pushed his body to the limit to try to stop her chant.
And Lefiya carefully took note of his impatience.
Channeling magic power ostentatiously, she laid out a bomb before his eyes. It was a feint to evoke impatience and unbalance her opponent. Manipulating the enemy’s actions and luring them out was the true essence of the decoy tactic Riveria had taught her.
It was easy to read Luke’s agitation. She also knew exactly what he was going to try next.
“Ugh, uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
A reckless charge when he could hold on no longer.
As expected, he stepped in from the right.
I got you.
With that murmur beneath her breath, she also rushed forward, right where Luke was going.
“?!”
She stepped into his range, into the dead zone where his sword could not hit her, and slashed.
Her sword knocked his weapon aside as she thrust her wand right into his face.
“Pierce, arrow of accuracy.”
She had reached the final line. Easily completing her chant, Lefiya finished the fight.
“Arcs Ray.”
The knockout blow…did not erupt from the wand.
She dispersed it just before activation—scattering the magic power gathered in the shining wand as countless light particles. The accompanying magic circle disappeared from around her feet. A second later, the sword she had knocked aside slipped from Luke’s hands.
She canceled her magic the moment it was clear that she could have landed her blow if she wanted to.
Luke froze like a statue, staring at the wand right before his nose. The others, watching with bated breath, stood in shock.
“This is my win, Luke. I will have you obey my instructions now.”
Lowering her wand, Luke staggered one and then two steps backward.
It might have been closer if they had been at the same level, but Lefiya would still have won. Their experience levels were different. The carnage they had made it through was different.
Luke and the rest of the squad, too, had not yet experienced true, overwhelming absurdity.
That was the decisive difference.
“…That’s…”
Luke mumbled in vacant disbelief.
Lefiya was concerned she may have overdone it. She had intended to persuade him, but she might have shattered his pride in the process. Ditching her attempt to come off as cool and collected, she wanted to see if she could comfort him somehow—when her ears perked up.
“This sound…agh, come on. What awful timing.”
Even while fighting Luke, Lefiya had been watchful for swarms of monsters or the early signs of an irregularity. As she grumbled, she spun suddenly in a different direction.
It was one of the entrances leading into the room.
Moments later, she saw a certain band of adventurers rush through.
“Mord! This is bad! There’s a ton of them!”
“I know already! We’re gonna git while we still can…oh-ho-ho!”
At the head of the pack was the spitting image of a scoundrel, and seeing the five of them, he smirked nastily.
“Hey, brats! Here’s a present from us to you!”
With that, they cut past the 7th Squad and Lefiya’s reproachful glare. The students looked confused, not understanding what was going on. Lefiya was the only one who grasped the situation.
“Luke, pick up your sword! Everyone, form up!”
“Huh…?”
“Now!”
She shouted when they did not move immediately.
Raising her sword and wand again, Lefiya stared down the path the adventurers had come from.
“We’ve been tagged!”
The next moment, a massive swarm of monsters poured into the room.
“Y-you don’t mean…?!
“A pass parade?!”
Finally understanding the situation, they gasped.
It was a common practice among adventurers to escape danger. Realizing they had been used as decoys, the top students paled in the face of so many monsters.
“Attack!”
The only active adventurer among them, Lefiya, was calm even as she led them into battle.
That was right. This was normal in the Dungeon.
Nothing special, just an everyday occurence.
Back-to-back fights were no big deal.
“Form up! Standard four-person cell!”
Lefiya quickly barked orders.
Luke leaped to grab his sword sticking out of the ground and quickly linked up with Nano and the others as a procession of monsters befitting the term parade swelled before them.
A long, winding line of monsters of all types shifted their target from Lefiya to the 7th Squad and roared in anticipation of a feast. Faced with an absurd number to even begin to count—the sort of swarm that even School District students rarely had the chance to see—Nano recoiled and whimpered, “Uuuugh…!”
Lefiya had considered just running away with the adventurers earlier, but she had just concluded her fight with Luke, and if all they did was run, nothing would be resolved, so she chose to meet the monster parade head-on here.
If the alternative was putting parties of third-tier adventurers in danger, then she and the 7th Squad would just have to exterminate the monsters themselves.
That was her decision after gauging the strength her party could bring to bear.
A pack of liger fangs in front! And behind, minotaurs, hellhounds, and tomahawk-wielding al-miraj!
Her eyes narrowed as she quickly grasped the makeup of the parade. The larger ones were dangerous, but the small al-miraj and medium hellhounds in the back could not be ignored, either. Or more precisely, their ranged attacks and fire breath deserved caution. The 7th Squad wasn’t lacking in raw power, but mistakes could happen with longer-range attacks.
And so Lefiya immediately decided to erase the enemy’s back lines.
“I’ll hit the monsters in the back! You focus on the head of the parade!”
Without waiting for acknowledgment from the students, she immediately leaped into the air.
“I beseech the name of Wishe.”
Floating high overhead, stealing the attention of the stunned students and the monsters looking up, she began to cast her spell.
The verses of an incantation rang out as she traced a gentle arc through the air, dismembering an al-miraj and hellhound upon landing, just as she had announced.
“Giiii?!”
“Guaaa?!”
Wielding Tear Pain like a conductor’s wand, she slashed three times in quick succession, drawing a chorus of death cries.
She immediately continued her charge.
Rushing through the middle of the swarm, she struck down hellhounds before they could unleash their deadly breath attacks and batted away all the tomahawks the al-miraj had hastily thrown her way. Their rabbit eyes widened, seeing their weapons shatter, only for a silver flash of metal to claim multiple heads in a single sweep.
“Ancestors of the forest, proud brethren. Answer my call and descend upon the plains!”
Scattering the end of the procession, she hunted down her next prey while Concurrent Casting.
Her powerful voice and the violent eruption of magic power forced the monsters to focus on her. She kept the back and center of the parade busy all alone with her flashy display, entrusting the students to handle the monsters at the front while she performed a beautiful and sublime dance.
It was a complete rampage.
“I-is she really a backline fighter?!”
Consumed by awe ever since the fight with Luke, Miliria shouted even as Lefiya, without worrying about the particulars, cut a crystal mantis in half. Its crystalline body shattered into countless shards as she finished off enemy monsters without even resorting to magic.
“Come, ring of fairies. Please—give me strength!”
With her unbroken chanting, she prepared the spell Fairy Ring and then placed it on standby. Due to the effect of her skill, Double Canon, the magic circle became a ring around the wrist of her left hand.
“Unleashed pillar of light, limbs of the holy tree.”
As she proceeded to load up the next spell to deal with the unexpected, a hellhound slipped out from behind a minotaur and leaped at her from the left.
“!”
“Gaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
Enraged by the one-sided domination, it hugged the ground as it charged, eager to tear into Lefiya’s soft flesh.
Her right hand wouldn’t make it in time to stop the monster since she had just cut down another enemy moments earlier. Somewhere in the corner of her mind, she felt it was improper even as she mercilessly kicked the hellhound in the face.
“Ghhhg?!”
She had taken inspiration from Bete’s wild kicks, which she had experienced firsthand countless times in training.
It was nothing more than a pale imitation, but that was enough to turn her Level 4 legs into deadly weapons. The hellhound’s jaw and head shattered in a spray of gore as her skirt fluttered, revealing her pale, slender thighs.
It is poor manners, but screw manners. That Lefiya Viridis is long dead.
As she said farewell to her past self, a single image burned itself into Lefiya’s mind. She traced it, copied it, and projected it onto herself.
She was steadily getting closer to Maenad’s movements.
She was resurrecting the form that lived on inside her with her own body.
“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
As she sought her ideal movements, minotaurs boldly charged toward her with massive stone axes, intent on crushing her with size and numbers.
Lefiya’s response was simple.
“Canon.”
She gracefully thrust the wand in her left hand forward.
“Purge, cleansing lightning. —Dio Thyrsos!”
With her skill’s trigger, the magic circle ring around her wrist transformed into the mouth of a cannon.
She called upon Maenad’s iconic magic, unleashing a white flash.
“ ?!”
A mighty bolt of lightning reduced the herd of minotaurs to ashes. And not just the minotaurs. Even the monsters behind them in the path of the spell were obliterated, magic stones and all.
A wave of destruction stretched to the wall of the room, making the students fighting in the distance jump and the monsters cower in terror, even as Lefiya pushed on.
She continued to fight, wielding blade and spell, relishing the opportunity to gain live combat experience as a magic swordswoman.
I can still increase my reaction speed. And my decision-making can use more work… But I can do it. I can become a magic swordswoman.
It wasn’t arrogance.
It was the almost palpable feeling of pushing against the door that stood before her and forcing it open.
The old Lefiya had been a mess of assumptions.
It was a given that she would use summon burst—but because of its extended cast time and the enormous amount of Mind it consumed, the magic she chose to summon had to be both large in scale and high power. Or more precisely, she believed it would be a waste to do anything less.
However, that assumption was mistaken.
That was not the best application of the spell that was the origin of her alias. It provided flexibility with infinite options for attack, defense, buffs, and recovery, making it capable of dealing with every situation. By keeping it on standby, she could evaluate the state of the battle and select the most appropriate spell. It was an all-purpose counter. So long as she could grasp the situation and filter her choices in time, she could deal with any target at any range at any time, just like how she had used Dio Thyrsos just now.
It was not only for ultra-long chant bombardment. It could be used for rapid-fire ultrafast spells as well.
She had learned with great pain that, as her options grew, the value she could provide in battle skyrocketed as well.
Up until now, it had been Lefiya herself who had stifled her own potential.
While she regretted narrowing her the possibilities of her growth in the past, she was also thrilled that she finally realized something.
I can still grow stronger.
She was able to assure herself of that.
“Luke!!!”
“!”
Lefiya was whittling down the number of enemies in the blink of an eye, but hearing Nano’s cry of concern, she immediately focused her attention toward the students. Past the wall of monsters surrounding her, the 7th Squad was in a brutal fight with the group of monsters that had been at the head of the parade.
“Luke, fall back! Switch out!”
“What are you hesitating for?!”
“Gh?!”
Cole’s and Miliria’s panicked voices rang out as a liger fang put Luke on the backfoot.
It was one of the more powerful monsters in the Cave Labyrinth and certainly deserved caution, but it was an opponent a party with a Level 3 should have no difficulty with. Even if there were many in the swarm, they would have been able to handle it without issue.
Or rather, because Lefiya was keeping most of the monsters busy, they should have been able to handle the rest.
However, their brilliance on the training field was badly lacking in the current 7th Squad.
Luke’s movements are off, and it’s disrupting the party’s coordination!
The effects of him losing to Lefiya were showing. Luke was not displaying even a tenth of his true strength. He was failing to manage even a single monster.
He was the core of the 7th Squad. When he was fired up, they would be, and when he was off-balance, so were they.
And now that he was busy dealing with himself, he couldn’t muster the leadership he ordinarily would have provided.
This is my fault!
“Luke…!”
More than anything, Luke’s poor condition affected Nano.
She had become so distracted that she wasn’t even casting magic anymore.
Miliria and Cole had their hands full just keeping her and Luke covered.
The 7th Squad’s standard battle plan was to push in fast and hard, relying on their powerful Level 3 vanguard and mage to obliterate their enemies. In the worst case, if Nano could not act for some reason, Luke could figure something out, but the reverse was simply not possible. If Luke collapsed, the party would fall like dominos. Miliria and Cole took up the center of their formation and acted as facilitators for Nano and Luke, ensuring they could do their jobs unmolested. But they lacked the decisive power needed to break the party out of sticky situations. They had focused too much on support, and the downsides of that were showing.
It was out of place, but Lefiya could not help thinking they resembled Loki Familia.
The familia members were gathered around the ultra-capable Finn, and if he ever fell, it would spell disaster. In Knossos, they had come close to total annihilation as a result of that weakness.
That was why Finn always paid close attention to his condition, but it would be cruel to demand a first-tier adventurer’s steely heart from a student like Luke.
“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“Ghhh?!”
And just as a liger fang was about to slam into Luke…
Before the students could even shout, Lefiya unleashed the magic she had already finished casting.
“Arcs Ray!”
The beam deftly avoided the students and tore through the liger fang it had homed in on.
“…L-Lefiya…”
“I beseech the name of Wishe. Ancestors of the forest, proud brethren. Answer my call and descend upon the plains!”
Lefiya continued Concurrent Casting as they watched dumbfounded.
Cutting through the enemies before her, she raced to relieve the squad, taking on the swarm of liger fangs while quickly weaving her next spell.
The malice of people and monsters.
The absurdity of the Dungeon.
She originally wanted them to overcome it on their strength alone, but plans had changed.
Annihilating the enemy fell to her now.
“Frozen skies, heaven’s rain. Forest-adorning white ice, drive out the wretched barbarians.”
Using Elf Ring, she borrowed the spell she had learned from her fellow elf in Loki Familia, Alicia Forestlight.
The ice magic was the specialty of the woman who hailed from the Frozen Woods of Fanache in the north of the continent.
“Freeze, chains of winter!”
When she completed the chant, a blue-and-white sphere appeared over her head.
The hail gleamed, casting light on the students and monsters alike. An instant later, those fragments showered the entire room.
“Hail Dust!”
Countless chunks of ice rained down.
The magic missiles fell from every angle, unleashing a dreadful chill as they accurately tore into only the monsters. Like a furious storm sent by the heavens, it shook the battlefield even as it froze the air.
“ ?!”
It blew away every remaining monster in the room. Minotaurs and liger fangs froze without even getting out a roar before shattering into glittering dust and ice shards.
Hail Dust. It was a wide-area attack spell like Lefiya’s Fusillade Fallarica. One was imbued with the ice element and the other fire, but they were similar in that they both launched a massive number of magical projectiles at once. However, Fusillade Fallarica could only fire forward in a cone. At the same time, Alicia’s Hail Dust could target everything within its range, unleashing its hail from the sphere above her head in a full three hundred and sixty degrees in whatever direction she chose.
Just like Lefiya had demonstrated, moving to the center of the battlefield and eliminating every single enemy was possible.
Its range and raw power were lower than Fusillade Fallarica, but it was far more versatile. It was a highly valued spell even within the Fairy Force led by Riveria.
Both spells had their merits and drawbacks, but Lefiya could use whichever the situation called for. Thousand Elf was allowed to cheat like that.
“Whoa?!”
They were not hit by the magic, but Luke fell backward to the ground, still swallowed up by the blast of cold air.
Miliria managed to remain standing somehow, but Nano, who was also a mage, slumped to the ground, seeing the elf mage turn the large room into a frozen plain.
“…Unexpectedly, it seems I’ve found homework to assign.”
Lefiya confirmed that the fight was over in the chilled, frozen room and then turned around. Her bright blond hair swayed, and fragments of ice danced through the air as she walked over to the 7th Squad.
“Luke, you have to always remain calm. If you’re in command, then you are the party’s lifeline. You can never let yourself fall, and you must always keep in mind the responsibility you have toward your party members as a leader.”
“…”
“And the rest of you, work on keeping your party functioning even without Luke. You have become a little too dependent on him. You should, of course, address your individual abilities, but you should also focus on developing the flexibility to change positions as needed.”
“““O-okay!”””
Luke, who could not manage a reply, and the other three, who answered in unison, all looked at Lefiya with different eyes.
Meanwhile, without changing expression or stance, she stopped in front of the boy sitting on the ground.
“Luke, I believe that it’s too soon for you to join the ranks of the dead. Your loss would put this party in danger. And above all, they would be sad.”
“…I…”
Luke looked up as Lefiya peered down at him.
She couldn’t get through to him before, but her words were certainly reaching him now.
Now that he had been shown what his actions might lead to, he bit his lip in shame.
Shouldn’t be impatient, huh…?
As she mulled over what she said to Luke, Lefiya lowered her gaze as well.
Thinking carefully about what she should say now and what answer she could give now, she added, “So…let’s get stronger as fast as we can. You and me both.”
“Huh?”
Meeting his widened eyes, she smiled.
“People around the world are suffering… Honestly, until you mentioned it, I didn’t think much of it. My own concerns took everything I had.”
“…Instructor…”
“I shall strive to become stronger, too. So that you won’t have to be angry anymore. And I’ll teach you as much as I can so that you’ll be able to achieve whatever your heart desires.”
Her words were sincere.
After she survived a terrible battle and lost something precious, she had become obsessed with becoming stronger. Now, for the first time, Lefiya acknowledged that her heart had changed.
She could not say if everything had gone exactly as Loki had intended. But by instructing these students, she had gained a new outlook on life, and she felt like she still had room to grow.
“Luke, if there’s something that is bothering you, then don’t hold it in. Just say it. You seem depressed, but the way you are able to state your opinion without fear is part of your charm.”
“Wh-what?!”
Luke let out a wild shout.
Lefiya had always been a people pleaser.
When Anakity and Alicia came to recruit, she had never once thought to disagree with anything they said. She had just nodded happily like a puppy. And it was the same after entering Loki Familia, which made it something of an extension of her time as a student.
Luke was different. He was willing to stand by his beliefs, and if he didn’t agree with his superiors, he wouldn’t hesitate to challenge them. And on top of that, he could acknowledge his own mistakes, like now.
Lefiya was genuinely jealous and thought it was incredible.
So even if he was depressed about looking so pathetic, Lefiya respected him.
“I-isn’t that the opposite of what you just said?! You didn’t want me going against you…!”
“I did not say never argue. If you have a question or something feels wrong, then please say so. I will always answer to the best of my ability.”
In doing so, we students of the School District can grow even stronger.
Leaving that bit unsaid, Lefiya put away her sword and wand. Crouching down, she reached out her hand to the boy who peered up at her in bewilderment.
And remembering an old memory that fit the moment perfectly, she put her feelings into words.
“It’s all right. I will advise you and correct you as much as you need.”
Lefiya smiled as she held out her hand.
It was the unclouded smile of a kind, caring senior.
And seeing that, the boy…suddenly turned incredibly red, as if he had fallen ill.
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