Chapter 260 – #259 People Who Dream of a Rosy Future and Cheer

Quiet forest. The entrance to the dungeon scheduled to be conquered by the academy’s graduating class.

‘The sword is in good condition, and the dagger…’

Check the condition of the two swords tied to one waist and the daggers hung above the thighs.

After confirming that there was no problem with them, Sarah Violet stood up and looked around.

Then, a short sigh came out of his mouth.

“Whoa.”

Girls were fixing their faces and hair as if they were attending a social gathering. The boys were busy playing and running around.

It was an atmosphere where you couldn’t tell if you were here to conquer a dungeon or on a picnic.

While I was quite concerned about that, I heard a voice next to me.

“Don’t worry too much. If you just follow our instructions, there won’t be any major problems.”

“Who…?”

“This is Kate, the leader of this dungeon raid. You are a swordsman, right?”

A person who introduced herself as Kate held out her hand. Sarah closed her eyes as she held those hands together.

“Ah, yes. But… You are a woman?”

With her short red hair, she was quite a lively person. Although she had the air of a mercenary, her eyes had a very calm look.

“It’s probably the only one among Umothern’s dungeon raid teams. The female leader is. Hehe. Anyway, don’t worry too much. There’s a set framework for intermediate dungeons, so if you follow the manual, it’s not dangerous at all.”

“I see.”

“If there’s anything dangerous, it’s probably a golem. Even that can be easily defeated with your firepower.”

From what she heard, it seems like she doesn’t have to be so nervous.
In particular, Kate was seventeen when she came here. I was even more reassured when I heard that her rolling career was in its 12th year.

“Then we will go in now. Everyone, get ready.”

35 academy students and 20 guards and dungeon raid team. A total of 55 people began entering the dungeon.

The 29 non-combat administrative members remained outside with other soldiers.

Their job was to prepare meals and make lunch boxes, and when the attack team returned in the evening, receive their reports and fill out documents.

They were students who received graduation training tailored to their individual characteristics.

“Then we’ll go back. Make the food delicious!”

“Oh, yes!”

Academy students, half knight and half wizard, entered the dungeon.

Someone smiled in the darkness.

‘Ah. It’s finally coming.’

***

It was a huge oyster.

It was a cave roughly 12 meters wide.

It had a round shape overall, as if it had been eaten by a caterpillar.

As they entered, a dark shadow greeted them, and several children in the wizard class used magic as if they had been waiting.

A sphere of light was formed and the darkness was driven out.

“As expected, there are many wizards, so there are many advantages. It’s difficult to see with a torch… But it also smells.”

Annette Cleers, a fourth-year representative from the academy, responded to Kate’s compliment by waving her fan.

“Heh. If you need to use magic, please let us know at any time. We’re not here to play, so we’ll try our best to help.”

“Haha. Just your words are reassuring, Lady Clearus.”

However, despite what they said, those who created the sphere of light were all commoners.

Among the nobles, no one was willing to step forward.

“So I am. To that bitch…”

“What will really happen if Florian’s hero becomes a marquis this time? Ah, I should have conveyed my feelings in advance.”

All they did was chat and talk about society and Florian’s heroes.

Among the 4th graders, seven were commoners. Among them, four wizards had to take turns creating spheres of light.

All other magic used whenever necessary was the responsibility of commoners.

It was frustrating, but Sarah had no choice but to watch this situation.

‘… I miss Professor Aslan today. Why do I think of the professor every time I encounter this kind of discrimination?’

If I were a professor, I would never have let this situation go.

He would have scolded the noisy children and made them concentrate on conquering the dungeon without discrimination.

‘It would have been really nice if the professor were alive.’

But he has already left this world.

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment and paid tribute to the soul of the deceased. Phew. It was time to let out a short breath and open her eyes again.

-Sarah.

Suddenly, a man appeared in her mind.

Sarah’s eyes widened significantly.

‘Oh. Why, why does it appear in my head again!’

Lately, a man has appeared in her mind from time to time.

He always smiled his charming eyes at her, and she couldn’t calm her racing heart every time she saw it.
The smiling black-haired man moved his mouth.

-Of course I touch it because it’s your asshole. I don’t want to touch every woman’s back hole in the world. Sarah, I’m interested because it’s you.

‘Ugh… Okay, stop. Hurry and get out of my head!’

-Put my things in and out of my mouth. Yes. Squeeze it with your lips. The tongue keeps moving without stopping.

‘No, now is not the time to think about this! I’m conquering a dungeon… !’

-Good job, our Sarah.

Even though I shook my head back and forth and tried to think of other things, it was no use.

What happened in the carriage in the past… At that time, his hand movements and his own embarrassing reactions and actions came to mind one by one, complicating his mind.
And these flashbacks were getting worse day by day. It was repeated over and over again, regardless of her will.

The man stroked her hair with his hand and smiled warmly.

-Come when you’re mentally ready. Because I’m waiting for you.

“Sword Demon?”

Hwadeukjak.

“Oh, yesnet?”

“Oh my. Why are you so surprised? Her face turned red… Did she have a strange idea?”

Sarah waved her hand at Kate, who covered her mouth with her hand and smiled.
She couldn’t hide her embarrassed expression at being embarrassed by someone she met for the first time today.

“Well, it’s not like that.”

“Hehe. Then you were thinking of a man?”

“Ugh…”

She was not good at lying.

Unlike her sly older sister, Sarah was always the type to show her emotions.
When she didn’t know what to do, Kate smiled brightly and immediately brightened her mood.

“I was just joking around. Don’t worry about it. And please get ready soon. Usually, when it comes in like this, something comes out.”

“Oh, yes.”

It was Kate who asked Sarah to give her instructions, as if it were more convenient for her than Annette, her fourth grade representative.
Sarah, who shook her head to shake off her thoughts, said she knew and spread the truth.
The chaotic atmosphere has calmed down somewhat.

There she organized her thoughts.

‘Now I have to find it soon.’

-Kale. I’m really sorry, but… Could you please give me a little more time to mentally prepare? Just a few days. Please do me a favor.

She had once had sex right under her nose and wanted Sarah to think. It wasn’t much, it was just a few days of delay.

But already half a year has passed.

Even if she hadn’t made up her mind yet, she had to go for it at least once.
It wasn’t something she would continue to avoid just because it was uncomfortable.

‘Anyway, me and my family… Because you are the master of all.’

Feeling a little depressed, she grabbed the hilt of her sword.
How good he would have been if he were only my master, a master just for me. If that were the case, he wouldn’t have worried so much.
She let out a short sigh and raised her head. Soon, a large space appeared in front of the expedition.

***

“That… Seems like a magic tool, right?”

A huge space in the shape of a semicircle.

A magic circle was formed on the floor, and an object was placed on the central platform.

It was shaped like a sword and radiated magical power, so anyone could tell that it was an enchanted weapon.

Kate, who was glaring at it with her eyes focused, stroked her chin.

“First of all, if you look at the energy, it’s a high-quality product.”

“Expedition leader. Is that true?”

“Yes. You guys hit the jackpot. If it’s that level from the start… This is definitely a mage’s tomb.”

Having high magic power is not necessarily good, but in general, things with high magic power have a reason.

It is safe to say that it has that high level of magic and performance.

“The problem is… It’s a trap.”

The gaze of the entire expedition team followed Kate to the floor.

A strange, unknown magic circle had a subtle blue glow.

“I’ve been to numerous dungeons, but this is my first time seeing a magic circle like this.”

Forms and characters that even the academy students had never seen before, or even in old books, were shining.

Kate took one of her books out of her backpack and opened it. Everyone’s eyes focused on that place.

“What is it?”

“It is a collection of rune words that were used in ancient times. If you can find similar rune words, you can infer who created it even if you do not know the identity of this magic circle.”

“Does that have any meaning?”

What can you do knowing the person who created it? I can’t even go to him and ask him.

She raised her index finger in response to the nobles’ questions.

“Hmm. It’s roughly like this. Now, do you see it here? This rune word and this rune word here are similar, right? Apart from that, many similar forms are found on both sides.”

Some of the letters in the book and the letters engraved on the floor had the same shape.

Kate opened the book for everyone to see and pointed to the top.

It said ‘demons’.

“What we can know from this is that this magic circle is related to demons. Then, we just need to think about what traps they often use.”

“Indeed…! So, even if you can’t see through the trap’s identity, you can guess the number of cases?”

“Yes. That’s it.”

It was quite a persuasive approach, considering he was a veteran dungeon expert.

Kate and her wizard began to analyze the magic circle to see if it was a known trap.

That’s the conclusion we came to.

“This is a barrier.”

A barrier is generally a formation created to protect something.

From physically blocking access to a fantasy magic circle that shows transcendental illusions…

“Activated when certain conditions are met. It is a trap barrier that prevents those trapped inside from escaping to the outside.”

The students’ gaze is the center of the magic circle. I reached for a sword-shaped weapon.

“Then the condition is… That’s it, right?”

“Yes. I guess it activates the moment you pick it up.”

This is a widely used method.

This is the trigger that activates the trap the moment you take the treasure.

“No.”

But their predictions were wrong.

Kate pointed to the opposite side of the passageway they entered, that is, across the street.

“It has nothing to do with that weapon. The power of the barrier is directed beyond.”

“It can’t be.”

“Expedition leader. Aren’t you misjudgment?”

Kate added with a smile that she felt bad for people 7 years younger than her who spoke informally and were suspicious, but the time spent here was not going anywhere.

“Once you get there, you’ll know.”

One member of the expedition group who received Kate’s instructions began to pass over the magic circle holding a torch.

Gulp. People swallow their dry saliva and watch the scene.

However, despite the tension, no surprises occurred. The person who crossed over was holding a torch and announced that he had arrived safely.

“Then let’s go next.”

I started to fall for them one by one.

After being confident that it was safe enough, the academy students also crossed, and the expedition team that arrived at the other side immediately turned on the darkness and looked at the place that Kate suspected.

There was something written there.

“Huh? This is…”

“I guess it’s an ancient language?”

“That’s right. It’s clear that the ends of each letter are slightly curved upward. I remember seeing it.”

“Is there anyone who knows how to read ancient languages?”

The noble children look at each other and shake their heads.

“There won’t be any among us.”

“Is there anyone who knows how to read that?”

“Hey, let’s order commoner number 2.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Uh, you should read it. You’ve been paying attention to the ancient language class.”

The student who was pointed out swallowed his saliva.

In fact, students in wizard classes are required to take ancient language classes. For a wizard who studies the order of the world, records of the past are very important.

However, learning one additional language is very troublesome. Especially in a situation like now where the entire continent is unified under one language.

So these days, nobles only took classes in ancient languages ​​and did not know them.

Kate let out a bitter smile after witnessing this first-hand after hearing about it over drinks from her seniors in the industry.
She felt that it was me who went as far as the imperial nobles went.

“Well, then… I don’t have any skills, but I’ll try to interpret it.”

“It’s enough for you to just tell me what you know, so I’ll ask.”

The student, confident in Kate’s words, approached the wall.

He looked at it for a while and then turned around.

“What?”

“Luckily there were no words I didn’t know. But…”

“Ok! Don’t hesitate and just say it, Sasha! I’m sure you’ll be curious.”

A noble child raises his fist, hehe! A commoner student covered his head with both hands.

Sarah, who was no better, stepped forward and stopped him.

“Hey. You. Take it easy. Or would you like to spar with me for the first time in a while?”

“… Tsk.”

When he took a step back, the child who interpreted the ancient language raised his head again.

“Sera… Thank you.”

After expressing his gratitude lightly, he hesitated and then explained his interpretation.

『The items there would have been enough of a benefit. I hope you go back satisfied with that, uninvited visitors. 』

“As expected… It had nothing to do with that object and the barrier.”

Kate’s head bobbed up and down.

In fact, even though one of the expedition members brought the sword, there was still no change there.

As expected, the barrier was protecting a different part.

While the expedition’s wizard was analyzing the value of the item, people’s eyes naturally turned to the wall.

There was still an uninterpreted phrase left there.

“Commoner No. 2, let’s go again!”

The commoner student stood in front of him and began to decipher it again.

But this time it took quite some time.

Gulp. Suddenly, he seemed to swallow dry saliva and his eyes gradually opened wide. It didn’t seem like the interpretation simply took a long time.

“Hey. What’s with that look on your face? Don’t just keep it to yourself, tell me quickly.”

“Uh… That’s…”

“Why? Was there some kind of scary warning written on it?”

He took a deep breath and moved his mouth, tracing the line with his index finger.
Everyone’s eyes widened when they heard that story.

『But you who try to break my warning and come in here. Good night. I salute your spirit of exploration and adventure. But with every reward comes risk. It’s a bet. No, a duel would be more appropriate. 』

“Bet? Duel?”

『If even one person reaches the end of this dungeon, I will hand each person one magical tool identical to that one. 』

Just in time to finish analyzing the item, the wizard hurriedly summoned Kate.

“Great, captain. This is amazing! Among the best products, this is the best product! With just this one, you can buy five mansions… No, even the mansions in the capital!”

“What?! Is that true?!”

The students who heard the story were very excited.

Regardless of whether they were nobles or commoners, they hugged each other and screamed.

This is a generation where even nobles, except for a few nobles, are suffering from financial difficulties due to the long war. Everyone gathered here should cheer loudly.

“Wow, sir. As soon as I return, I will become independent and buy a mansion in Florian.”

“Hey, let’s go together. While we’re at it, let’s buy some female slaves.”

“Oh, shit. You’re starting to get used to it right away. Hehe. Right now, buy about 100 people and form a harem. This guy gives you permission.”

“What do you say? Kkeukkk.”

“If you get tired of it, why don’t we exchange it? Call?”

The children have already started thinking about what to do with the money.

A rosy future quickly took over people’s minds.

“Children, children.”

In it, only the child who interpreted the ancient language spoke with narrowed eyebrows.

“Kids. Hey… Can you listen to me?”

“What? Why?”

“No, that… You have to listen to the back part too.”

However, even after hearing one line later, the mood of the expedition team did not change.

A child who simply interpreted the sword spirit and ancient language. Only the two of them can’t assimilate with them and only feel a sense of discomfort on one side.

Sarah placed her hand on the wall and pondered that last phrase.

『If you fail, you will not be able to get out of here. 』