77 – The Unqualified Person -1-
The peaceful mansion courtyard today
The young lady was staring at the parked Ferrari 1 with tense eyes.
One week after her birthday.
After completing the verification of the protective magic’s performance, the historic moment of the young lady’s test-drive had arrived.
From the back of the butler.
The young lady became the owner of the Ferrari.
I was worried that she might become a reckless driver, but fortunately, I could see the nervousness of a beginner driver in her eyes.
“Hmm…”
Looking at the Ferrari 1, which had been modified from black to red to reflect the rapidly changing trends of the Empire, the young lady widened her eyes and spoke.
“Oh… Oh… My God…”
Smooth body.
An impressive wheelchair with a luxurious red color and a high-quality memory foam seat.
Although there were complex buttons on the footrest or the backrest and handles, thanks to the astronomical amount of money involved, the wheelchair didn’t look messy.
I gently carried the young lady in my arms and carefully sat her in the Ferrari 1.
The young lady opened her eyes wide, feeling the soft cushion.
“Oh…”
The young lady couldn’t stop exclaiming in admiration.
She wiggled her bottom and felt the cushion, then leaned back on the backrest to test its sturdiness and raised her thumbs up.
“Pass…!”
I nodded in approval at the satisfied smile on the young lady’s face and put a helmet on her head.
“Is it good?”
“Mm.”
“I’m glad.”
“Well then, let me go over some precautions. I told you yesterday, but it seems like you don’t remember.”
“Mm. I forgot everything.”
As expected, the young lady was avoiding the expected.
I spread out three fingers and started explaining.
“One. No drinking and driving.”
“Okay.”
“Two. No hitting people.”
“What about people who make me angry?”
“Well… should we allow that?”
“Okay.”
I nodded in agreement to the lady’s reasonable suggestion.
“Lastly, third rule.”
I said as I fastened the seatbelt around the lady’s waist.
“No speeding. Especially when you see a flame drawing next to the lever, okay?”
The lady glanced towards the armrest.
“This?”
The lady questioned, with a question mark forming in her head as she looked at the button with a flame shape.
I nodded and gave a positive answer to the curious look in the lady’s eyes.
“Yes, that’s it. That is…”
“Oops!”
-Brrrooom.
Before I could finish speaking, the lady pressed the button, looking at me with a face that said, “Did I do well?”
I smiled awkwardly.
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“Uh… you’re not supposed to press that.”
Realizing that something went wrong with the trembling ferry No. 1, the lady looked at me with a bewildered gaze.
“We’re not supposed to press it?”
I nodded.
“Yes…”
“But I pressed it…”
“Uh… um… good luck?”
I shook my hand towards the ferry No. 1, which was making the sound of a roaring bull. As long as the protective magic is properly in place, it should be fine to touch anywhere. With that belief in mind, I bid farewell to the startled lady.
“Drive safely.”
-Whoaaa!!!
“Heeit…”
The lady flew away into the distance.
“Kyaaah!!!”
The lady in the wheelchair runs through the yard.
I nodded with a satisfying smile.
“Well done…!”
It was a heartwarming moment.
Finally revealing itself to the world, the magnificent figure of Fairy No.1 brought tears to my eyes as I followed behind the lady.
“Kkiyaaah!!! Huh… Hweheheheh!”
Listening to the lady’s cheer, I got lost in thought.
“Now… the other episodes will slowly begin.”
Towards the end of my second year at the academy, I smiled bitterly while thinking about Yuriya, who would soon clash with the cult.
“Well, they’ll figure it out.”
It’s an episode that will be stepped on ruthlessly.
Defeat to Mihail.
Shock to Yuriya.
Helplessness to Ruin.
Hoping for their growth through this episode, I followed behind the lady.
“How is it? Fairy No.1!”
“Kkiyaaahhh!!!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Huit… Hoeeeh!”
I’m glad you like it.
*
Dungeon in the underground capital.
Three people tread on the humid dungeon floor and descend into the underground.
“It’s dark, so be careful, Yuriya.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Mihail, be careful too.”
“…Yeah.”
Yuriya with pink hair.
Mihail, who has awakened Ora.
And Luen, with his hand in his pocket, was descending into the darkness of the underground dungeon.
With his hand in his pocket, Luen muttered to himself. His irritated mutterings, perhaps filled with anger, resonated loudly throughout the dungeon.
“Why is he bringing something that could be solved by the Magic Department to the palace?”
“You’re being loud, Luen. Maybe the Student Council President has her reasons.”
“That’s not the point. Ignorant fool who only knows how to swing a sword.”
Mihael and Luen quarreled as they clashed against each other.
Yuulia, who stood between the two mismatched individuals, awkwardly laughed and tried to stop the fight.
“Stop fighting, everyone… Let’s get along.”
“What did you say?”
“Why would I hit you?”
They didn’t get along well.
*
The beginning of the incident started at the student council meeting.
This morning, Student Council President, Sartia, gathered her executives and brought up the rumor circulating around the Academy.
“Have you all heard the rumor? It appears that second-year students from the Magic Department have gone missing in the underground dungeon.”
“Is it not a lie? Maybe they played hooky because they didn’t want to study.”
“Sigh… I wish I could do the same… There was a witness who saw them entering the dungeon just before it happened.”
Sartia, with dark circles under her eyes, uttered to the executives.
“It seems almost certain. Weird things have also been found in that guy’s dorm room… No, for now, let’s do a good job of keeping the strange rumor from spreading. The atmosphere in the academy isn’t good because of the previous incident.”
“Especially you, Luen.”
“Why?”
“Don’t go around saying you’re from the Magic Department like you did last time. Just wait. They said they’re sending a search party from the palace.”
Sartia had urged Luen. ‘You don’t know what might happen.’ Just stay put.
However, Luen, a fellow student from the Magic Department and a friend from the Matop clan, was not a person to sit still upon hearing news of disappearances.
After the meeting, Luen went to find Yuulia. He asked if she wanted to go find ‘Hans’ with him.
“But didn’t the Student Council President tell us to stay put?”
“Who knows when the search party will arrive? And you know, Yuulia, Hans is not the type to skip class. He must have discovered an undiscovered area in the dungeon or something.”
“But still…”
“Let’s go. I’ll buy you something delicious.”
“Hans,” the second-year student of the disappeared Magic Department.
He was a graduate of the same Matop as Ruien.
He was also a second-year student with few friends due to his shy personality.
Ruien, who had been friends since childhood, brought him along, and Yuria followed Ruien’s suggestion because they had a close relationship.
Yuria had a broad-minded personality.
And she had confidence in her skills.
Although her skills were inferior compared to Ricardo, her fellow classmate, Yuria knew that they were better than the average search party during the Golden Age of the Academy.
Thus, the search party was formed.
Ruien, the chief of the Magic Department.
Yuria, the talented student of the Healing Department.
And Mihail, who came along because Yuria was worried.
The party leading the Golden Age of the Academy was formed.
*
– Squish.
Yuria’s shoes, descending into the damp underground, were covered in sticky mud.
“Sigh… It’s fine, it’s been over a year.”
In this place, where they had fallen behind their trusted friends, there were terrible memories. Descending into the dungeon’s underground, Yuria clenched and unclenched her fists due to the tension.
“It’s fine…”
Until now, Yuria vividly remembered the horror of that day, even after a year had passed.
– Hey, guys…?
– Where did they go…?
As the memories of being left behind in the dungeon alone didn’t easily fade, Yuria shook her shoulders and tried to erase the negative thoughts.
“Are you cold?”
Ruien, who was standing next to her, spoke while watching Yuria trembling. He tried to take off his own clothes for her. Yuria shook her head and refused Ruien’s touch.
“No, it’s a bit chilly, but I can handle it.”
“Really? Let me know if you’re cold. I can create a fireball for you.”
“Yeah, I will.”
An awkward atmosphere filled the air again.
They had come to the dungeon with great enthusiasm, but they hadn’t heard any information.
As they descended into the dungeon with heavy steps, Ruin spoke up to break the awkward atmosphere.
“Oh, right. Did we meet that guy last week?”
“That guy?”
“Ricardo, I mean.”
-Twitch.
At Ruin’s sudden remark, Uriah and Mikhail flinched. They mentioned the name of the man who had helped them recently and whom they had heard complaining.
It was a difficult name to say casually.
And at the same time, it was also awkward.
He had definitely been someone who had helped them.
But at the same time, hearing the name of the person who had tormented them in a place filled with terrible memories did not feel pleasant.
Not seeing Uriah’s cold expression, Ruin rambled on about what had occurred just before.
“It was because of the Matop incident that I went to Hamel. On the way back to the Academy, I saw a nice bracelet and wanted to buy it. And there he was.”
Ruin talked about what had happened in Hamel.
He had heard harsh words from Ricardo and couldn’t buy it because of the tense relationship between the store owner and Ricardo.
He grumbled about not being able to give the gift and told the story.
“I will never go there again. I’ll spread rumors about the Magic Department.”
Ruin was playing a childish prank.
As they continued to chat for a while.
“Haa… haa…”
Ruin was taken aback when he saw Uriah’s complexion turning pale as they descended further into the depths.
“Why are you like this, Uriah!?”
“Just… not feeling well, that’s all.”
Uriah, who had heard hurtful words from a friend inside the dungeon.
-From the beginning, things were unlucky.
-Why are you criticizing the common people like this?
-Friend? Who is your friend?
She felt her stomach churn with unpleasant memories.
Friends who spoke hurtful words and disappeared.
And she was left alone.
She remembered fleeing to the underground to escape the suddenly overwhelming monsters, but she couldn’t remember anything that happened after that.
I heard that I was saved by Ricardo, but I had no memories left.
Resentment towards ‘you’ and resentment towards everything being Ricardo’s doing gradually brushed Yuria’s head.
“Please, just stop! I trusted you…”
“I thought you were different…!”
“Go away… never appear in front of me again.”
It was a past that she didn’t want to think about.
She was angry and scared.
Yuria, whose insides turned bitter at the thought of being left alone in a dark dungeon.
Seeing Yuria’s pale face, Ruin gnashed his teeth.
“That bastard Ricardo…”
Muttering, Ruin expressed his concern for the struggling Yuria, but Yuria shook her head and walked deeper.
“…It’s okay. I just feel sick. It’s nothing.”
“Sigh…”
Ruin became even more disliked by Ricardo.
The three of them descended further into the depths. Occasionally, undead knights or ghoul-like monsters appeared, but they were able to pass by without much danger thanks to Yuria’s simple gestures that made the monsters disappear.
“Sigh…sigh…”
Mikhail, after observing Yuria’s complexion, spoke with concern.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah… I’m a little tired.”
“This won’t do. Let’s go back.”
Mikhail glanced at Ruin beside him and spoke with a gaze that suggested giving up a little because of Yuria’s condition.
Ruin nodded as well. Finding the missing person was important, but Yuria’s health came first. He took out his hand from his pocket and began to support Yuria.
Yuria lowered her head.
“No, I’m fine. I’m just a little frustrated… I’ll be fine as I keep walking.”
“Still…”
Yuria brushed off the uneasy feeling and energetically moved forward.
“I’m telling you, I’m fine.”
“If it gets difficult, just tell us.”
“Yeah.”
Unpleasant memories kept flashing faintly in Yuria’s mind.
Yuria tried to shake off her daydreams with a puzzled expression on her face.
“Let’s find it quickly. Hans must be waiting for us.”
That was when it happened.
– Ahhhhh!!!
A man’s scream echoed from nearby.
Yuria turned her head.
She saw the end of a dark corridor that continued from the dimly lit dungeon.
Unlike the dungeon corridor illuminated by torches, there was a hole in the wall of the dungeon that didn’t let any light in, catching Yuria’s eye.
It was where the man’s scream came from.
Yuria looked at the dark hole with a bewildered expression.
“Why… does it feel familiar?”
It seemed like a place she had never seen before.
Yet, it strangely felt familiar.
As if she had been here before.
Although she hadn’t visited the dungeon since the day of her defeat, Yuria had a rough understanding of the dungeon’s geography from her countless quests.
And.
She was certain that she had never seen the hole in front of her before.
Mikhail and Run, who had explored numerous dungeons for training purposes, would have been well-informed about this dungeon.
They would have said that they had never seen such a dark hole before.
But Yuria had a strangely familiar feeling.
As if she had been here before.
Suddenly, a hazy memory flashed through Yuria’s mind.
– Run!
-…
– Run!
When the image of the red-haired man briefly brushed past Yuria’s mind.
“Was there such a place?”
Mikhail’s question snapped Yuria out of her complex thoughts.
“What? You don’t know either?”
“Huh. It’s my first time seeing this place too.”
“Wow… sh*t.”
Lurin smiled faintly as she looked at the black space. Lurin was excited, thinking that there would be a good artifact in the undiscovered area.
At the same time, the three of them had a feeling.
Hans must be here.
With an instinctive intuition and a strong conviction, Lurin’s face turned pale.
“Let’s go.”
Lurin swallowed her saliva and looked at the black space.
“There’s nowhere else to go.”
Though nervous, the three of them couldn’t ignore the man’s scream and nodded their heads as they looked at the black hole.
Mikhail, supporting Uria, said:
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“Can you go Uria?”
Uria nodded with great effort.
And then,
-A quest has occurred.
A blue window appeared in front of them.