Chapter 222 – Ronye (2)

“Hey A.B.”

At the conclusion of the English national event, A.B approached Bell, and they exchanged high fives.

“I got the gist of it. They gave me food after clearing the dungeon.”

Being able to meet on the first day was nothing short of a great blessing. In this vast dungeon, where magical detection didn’t function properly, gathering team members was an incredibly slim chance.

“There are artifacts as well.”

Only after clearing the dungeon and loosening the grip on the artifacts was it possible to assemble team members. Bell took out various types of food, such as biscuits and cheese, from their backpack.

“Looks good.”

A.B nodded while inspecting the items.

With this kind of progress, a week will fly by in no time.

[Jiing]

“Hey C, do you see this? These are the things I obtained from this dungeon.”
“C? What’s that?”
“That’s the name of this artifact.”

A camera hovered beside Belle, playfully tilting its head like a puppy.

Belle embraced the camera as if putting it in a headlock, giggling while she caressed the top of the lens. Her refreshing face was perfectly captured by the broadcasting camera’s lens.

“Now, we just need to find Marronnier.”

A.B muttered while adjusting his backpack.

“What’s that little guy doing and where is he?”
“It might be difficult to meet if the distance is too great. If things go wrong, the two of us might have to endure on our own.”
“Does that mean he’s surviving alone in this marshy forest area?”

Belle chuckled at A.B’s words, already envisioning a tearful Marronnier in her mind.

“…Well, on the other hand, it might be tough if we become the targets instead.”

As if to calm her down, A.B disrupted Belle’s fantasy. Regardless of what anyone says, the Forest Guardian Selection is a competition among the great trees. If they failed to reunite with Marronnier promptly, the consequences would fall squarely upon their shoulders.

“Khehehe. I can’t stand getting mud on my clothes, and it’s so obvious how she whines about her legs hurting.”

Bell chuckled, bringing her hands together behind her head. The forest creatures were converging all around.

-Whiririririk.

A faint whistle reverberated from her mouth.

“It’s such an addictive tune.”

Bell thought to herself how wonderful Marronnier’s flute playing was, if nothing else.

Everything else might be crude, and her magical skills lacking, but she longed to hear the song again.

-Thud.

Red magical energy gathered in her clenched fists.

* * * * * * * *

“My legs hurt.”
“… Seriously, how far have we walked?”

Marronnier followed behind, using her staff to clack against the pebbles on the dirt path. The girl panted as she trudged along the forest trail.

I’m the one clearing a path through the tall grass and branches, yet why are you struggling more than me?
Though I want to protest, I admit I am skilled at using magic.

‘From the beginning, I couldn’t reverse the situation… It’s like an S-class hunter’s level.’

If asked whether my skills reach the S-class level, I cannot conclude as it’s still uncertain.
However, observing her proficiency in casting spells and her enigmatic techniques, it becomes clear why this woman is treated as a national treasure.
And the unique abilities possessed by each national treasure are dangerous.

“…Haa! Haa!”

Of course, she’s like this now.
Marronnier is on the verge of collapsing, barely able to catch her breath. She doesn’t even use the common body-strengthening magic in order to conserve her magical power.

A mage without magic is no more than an ordinary person.
Marronnier, a small woman even when viewed above her clothes, has a critically low level of stamina.

“Why don’t you just use magic?”
“…Ugh.”

My advice causes Marronnier’s gaze to waver.

Although they conserve mana, what use is it when their stamina is so severely depleted? It seems to be a self-defeating approach.

“We need to move faster.”
“Oh…goodness.”
“What will you do if your dungeon is stolen?”
“Whew. Fine. I suppose we must.”

Reluctantly, Marronnier gathered mana in her staff and pointed it at the ground beneath her.

“Golem. Bisou.”

A massive stone golem emerged from the ground at her feet.
It stood approximately 2 meters and 50 centimeters tall, resembling a statue of King Kong carved from stone, its back hunched. Her face appeared even more radiant as she climbed onto its shoulder.

A cat on the shoulder? It had that sort of vibe.

“Is the golem’s name Kiss?”
“…What? What is that?”

Marronnier fired back at my question, her words like sharp thorns.
Bisou’s translation is ‘kiss.’ That’s what my translator conveyed.

She must have a fondness for cute things.
With that thought, I diligently moved my arm.

As we continued forward, Marronnier, who had been cautiously eyeing me since earlier, posed a question.

“Should I create the path now? I’ve also summoned Bijou.”
“It’s not that difficult, but go ahead.”
“…Are you a mage?”

Mage.

Marronnier asked me with a quivering voice.
It seemed to bring back the memory of our previous battle.

“Even mages who focus on close combat don’t have such impressive physical abilities.”

I halted my movement and stared intently at her.
At my forthright gaze, Marronnier averted her eyes.

“I-I didn’t mean to belittle you. I’m not doubting you, either…”
“Fine.”
“…Could it be a national secret?”
“I’m a cadet at El Academy.”

At my words, Marronnier swallowed hard.

“What about you?”
“You don’t know me?”
“I don’t.”
“Uh, hmm, really? Huh… I, I’m from Menheton Academy.”

Is mentioning the national tree a blow to one’s pride? Marronnier whistled, referring to the second-ranked academy. There would be no reason to lie needlessly. She seemed rather stubborn.

“What’s your name?”

“Normally… don’t you tell me yours first?”

“Lee Si-heon.”

“Ma… Ronye, Ronye.”

– Hwi Hwi~

She whistled again. Surprisingly, the sound of the whistle was pleasant to hear. Perhaps it was because her voice had a beautiful timbre. If one were to upload it to an internet video, it would likely garner many views. I continued to make my way through the forest, moving quickly in the direction ahead.

– Huung!

As I bent the last long blade of grass, my stifling view suddenly expanded.

At last, a refreshing breeze met me. A large waterfall and a vast lake filled my vision. The scent of the water was slightly fishy yet cold. Fine droplets of mist fell like snow.

– Shuaaaa.

And, of course, the faint traces of magical power could be felt within the waterfall.

“I found it.”

It’s a dungeon.

The reason I had to bring Marronnier along.

My own magical power isn’t much different from that of the country’s elite mages, so I, too, needed to conserve my energy. In any case, once we clear the dungeon, we’ll receive some sort of reward. It has long been taught at the El Academy that the bounties offered by dungeons in places like this are quite generous.

It should be more than enough for the two of us to share.

[Whining]
[Sad]

As we approached the dungeon, cameras began to gather around us.

Marronnier’s face flushed with embarrassment. It could be shameful for a renowned mage to be seen with a mere cadet. Perhaps a news article has been published by now. It’s amusing to think about. France will be excited for its own reasons, as will Korea.

“Are we… going in right away?”

Instead of responding to Marronnier’s question, I pointed at the waterfall’s interior with the staff I held.

“…You said just this once, right? Just this one time, once we clear the dungeon together, it’s over.”
“Yes.”
“Phew, fine.”

Marronnier raised her staff to conjure magic.
As her body lifted, my body floated into the air as well.

A sphere of air enveloped us, soaring through the sky like a soap bubble and slowly approaching the waterfall.
The sound of the thunderous waterfall grew louder. Cameras were heading our way, hurriedly capturing the two of us within their lenses.

-Shuaaaaaa!

The water parted, and we entered the waterfall.

Fortunately, the cameras didn’t follow us all the way into the dungeon.
This meant that no matter what happened inside the dungeon, it wouldn’t be filmed.

– Tock.

The interior of the waterfall was quiet. Only the sound of water dripping from the stalactites echoed leisurely.

The dungeon was a massive cave, a hidden place with its entrance sealed by a small magical circle.

As I reached out to the large, rusted iron door, I felt a pushing force coming through.

“…It seems we’ll need quite a bit of magic to break this. What do you think? Are you going to do it? Or should we split it in half?”

Marronnier approached me from behind and asked.

Indeed.

I never expected such a formidable magic circle to be guarding the dungeon door.

If we don’t dispel this magic circle, the door won’t open. The spell is incredibly potent, making it difficult to unravel without channeling a significant amount of magic for an extended period.

“You handle it, Ronye.”

I told her. Marronnier asked, taken aback.

“Uh, what?”
“Don’t like it?”
“O-of course I don’t! Are you an idiot? We have to survive for another week, and you want me to use about 20% of my magic here?”
“Then will you starve? You looked hungry. I’ll take care of the clearing.”
“Looking hungry, you say…!”

– Grrrumble.

Marronnier covered her stomach with a flushed face.

“See?”

“Ah, anyway. It’s a waste to use this much magic just for one dungeon.”
“It must be worth it, that’s why they placed such an elaborate spell. Haven’t you heard of ‘Gojin Gamrae’?”
“No matter how good the weather is after the rain (Apres la pluie, le beau temps)… But this is a bit much. Why don’t we share the task with fellow academy students? What will you do if you meet Gookmok?”

Marronnier seemed desperate to conserve her magic power.
I silently gazed at her and sighed.

“…”

Her shoulders trembled at my unexpected reaction.

“Should I just do it…?”

No, it’s fine.

She clearly doesn’t want to use that much magic.

“Then I’ll break through this. Do you want to handle the clearing?”

As we discussed swapping roles, life returned to Marronnier’s face. Her expression said it all, making any verbal response unnecessary.

I turned my head and presented my back to Marronnier. I tightened my grip on the staff.

‘With this level of magic.’

There are no cameras watching this place, anyway.

– Smoothly.

Black magical power slithered out from my shoulder. Its own distinct color snaked upward, a pitch-black energy tinged with a hint of red.

“If you do it for me, I’ll be happy. Leave the dungeon clearing to me, I can do it really well… Wait, wait a moment. What… what are you trying to do?”

I raised the staff and brought it down forcefully on the door.

– Kwa-a-aang!

A screw popped out and hit my cheek.

“Hi-yak!”

Startled, Marronnier extended her legs like a cat.

The sound of the door’s screams echoed in the cave.

– Kii-i-iik~, kii-iik.

As if pleading for help, a wailing sound poured out from the hole in the door. I slammed the staff down once more.

– Kwa-aang! Kwa-a-aang!!

I struck the staff down like a pickaxe five times. With each blow, the twisted door finally shattered.

I kicked the half-destroyed door.

*Kwadang tangtang!*

A dense, ominous energy emerged from the broken door. The magical circle on the door gradually lost its power, and soon its protective purpose faded away.

“…Father, Father.”

Marronnier blinked, her round eyes opening and closing.

As I stepped over the threshold, I spoke to her.

“Come in. You said you would awaken, right?”

Marronnier sat dazed for a moment before my words brought her to her senses. Hastily grabbing her staff, she entered the dungeon.

The entrance of the dungeon was made of green, moss-covered stone bricks. Water droplets fell from the ceiling, and the torches on the walls flickered, their light struggling to stay alive.

“…A musty smell.”

Marronnier, who led the way, surveyed the surroundings and wrinkled her nose.

Calcareous substances. Alcohol. Water and the stench of blood. An array of noxious scents entwined, creating a repulsive atmosphere.

We took a step forward.

– Clatter.

A sign suddenly sprung up from below.

“Te, temperament?”

Marronnier tilted her head after reading the words on the sign. What was written that elicited such a reaction? I followed her gaze and read the sign from behind her. As I finished reading, a wry smile spread across my face.

[Temperament and unique characteristics are strengthened.]

Temperament.

The unexpected effect sent shivers down my spine.