“Eugy! Take me along to Floor 200’s Deus Discipline!” (Airi)

Airi, my childhood friend, said this with sparkling eyes.

(She’s so persistent once she sets her mind on something…) (Eugene)

I know this well from our long relationship.

However, I couldn’t just casually bring the next Empress of the sacred Grandflare Empire to a dangerous place like Floor 200’s Deus Discipline.

“Airi, you haven’t even cleared Floor 100 yet, have you?” (Sara)

Sara pointed out an important fact.

“In that case, I’ll challenge Floor 100 with the student council members soon, and I’ll have it cleared within seven days! You know that, Sara. Plus, I’ve fought a Divine Beast with the Legendary Hero Department before, so I’ll be fine!” (Airi)

Airi’s tone was optimistic.

It was true she had fought the Byakko with her classmates before.

However…

“Hey, Airi. The Divine Beast you fought on Floor 1 was likely heavily restricted in power. If you think it’ll be the same, you’ll regret it.” (Eugene)

I tried persuading Airi to reconsider, knowing it was probably futile.

“No way! You’re going to clear Floor 200 this time, right, Eugy? I can’t let you get that far ahead of me!” (Airi)

“It’s not about competing in personal strength, Airi.” (Eugene)

I am just an ordinary magic swordsman, but Airi is in a position to lead the citizens of the Empire.

I’d rather she stayed behind the lines with confidence…

“Well, I understand your feelings.” (Sara)

“Right?!” (Airi)

“Sara?” (Eugene)

Surprisingly, Sara sided with Airi.

“I, too, only have a few more years to attempt conquering the Zenith Tower. Once I return to the Holy Nation’s mainland, I won’t even be able to swing a sword freely anymore…” (Sara)

“Exactly. That’s how it is for the next Holy Maiden, right?” (Airi)

“Not as much as for the next Empress.” (Sara)

“”Haah…””

Both Sara and Airi sighed wistfully.

“The Magic Academy life is free and enjoyable. Airi won’t be here much longer either, right? Then why not let her try?” (Sara)

“…I see.” (Eugene)

Perhaps I underestimated the positions of the next Holy Maiden and the next Empress.

Their freedom was limited to such a short time…

“Hey, Eugy, please?” (Airi)

Airi grabbed my hand with teary eyes, looking at me pleadingly.

It was overly dramatic and blatantly calculated.

(…Since when did she start acting like this?) (Eugene)

This wasn’t like Airi.

Camilla, her friend in the intelligence department, flashed through my mind.

She must have taught Airi something unnecessary…

Though I couldn’t be sure it was Camilla’s doing.

With Airi begging me so earnestly, I couldn’t refuse.

“Fine. I’ll help you with Floor 100’s Deus Discipline then…” (Eugene)

“Absolutely not!!” (Airi)

This time, Airi rejected my offer.

“Why not?” (Eugene)

“Because you’ve already defeated four Divine Beasts, right? If you help, the trial will be too easy.” (Airi)

“There wasn’t a single Divine Beast that was easy…” (Eugene)

Just facing Cerberus, the watchdog of Hades, made my body tremble.

I only managed to defeat the Hydra thanks to Principal Uther, and the First Knight.

As for Byakko… It was somewhat easier since the Legendary Hero Department concentrated their forces, but even then, its power seemed heavily restrained since it appeared on the first floor.

Erinyes wasn’t even trying seriously.

And technically, Eri wasn’t a Divine Beast.

“In.any.case! I’ll clear Floor 100 without you, Eugy, and then you’ll let me join Floor 200’s Deus Discipline! Got it?!” (Airi)

She was back to her usual haughty self.

At least she dropped the sly way of asking for favors. This was more like the Airi I knew.

“Can’t I come along just as insurance? I promise not to interfere…” (Eugene)

Although the team accompanying Airi was probably competent, I still felt uneasy about not being there.

If something happened, I’d regret it forever.

“No way! I’d just end up relying on you, Eugy.” (Airi)

“At least as a healer…” (Eugene)

I tried to push further, but…

“Eugene, you don’t have to worry so much. This time, the Floor 100 Deus Discipline will be tackled by a joint team consisting of the Student Council Enforcement Division, the White Magic Research Association, and the Second Team of the Martial Arts Club. There are plenty of skilled healers and frontliners in the group.” (Sara)

“Is that so? That’s quite an unusual lineup.” (Eugene)

The Student Council Enforcement Division often supported other exploration teams to fill gaps but hadn’t typically formed joint teams to aim for higher floors themselves.

“Lately, the Dungeon Master Anemoi Babel has been pressuring exploration teams to aim for the upper floors. The Dungeon Alliance has also issued notices to all explorers to comply, fearing a potential rampage by the Dungeon Master.” (Sara)

“I see.” (Eugene)

I didn’t know about this.

But I had personal experience with the Dungeon Master’s rampages.

The Hydra incident had been a nightmare.

Also, the addition of the Divine Beast Appearance Rules on the first floor and changes to the dungeon elevator specifications.

Recently, the nature of the Zenith Tower has undergone significant changes.

Up until now, faction disputes among the exploration teams were common, but the emergence of a common enemy, the Dungeon Master, seems to have strengthened their unity.

If this is something that the Dungeon Master, Anemoi-san, intentionally orchestrated, it’s quite impressive.

…Though she’s probably not thinking about it at all.

That said, the teams like the Enforcement Division, Martial Arts Club, and White Magic Research Association are quite large.

I wonder if I might know someone in one of them, I thought as…

“By the way, both Leona and I will be participating in the same Deus Discipline.” 

Teresia-san from General Affairs mentioned this from the side.

“Leona is part of the third team in the Martial Arts Club… No, come to think of it, I heard from Sumire that she has been promoted.” (Eugene)

I vaguely remember that she was on lower floors before. So she managed to reach Floor 99 at some point in time, huh.

“We can’t let Claude move forward alone forever, you know.” (Teresia)

Teresia-san said with a gentle smile.

It seems Leona and Teresia-san, who are Claude’s girlfriends,  are also aiming for the upper floors.

The memory of striving toward Floor 20’s Floor Boss together with Leona and the Martial Arts Club came back to me.

At that moment, Sara patted me lightly on the shoulder.

“Also, I’m coming along, so don’t worry too much, Eugene.” (Sara)

“Sara too…? Oh, right, as the Student Council President, that makes sense.” (Eugene)

Sara is the head of the Enforcement Division.

Even though she has already surpassed Floor 100, she’s probably participating as a supervisory role.

The Enforcement Division is already composed of highly capable students.

If the Martial Arts Club takes the front lines and the White Magic Research Association covers the rear, they’ll have a solid team.

With the addition of students from the Legendary Hero Department like Sara and Airi, it’s a formidable lineup.

(Being overly protective isn’t good either.) (Eugene)

I revised my thoughts.

“Airi, don’t overdo it, okay?” (Eugene)

“I’ll bring you news of victory with ease, so just wait for it!” (Airi)

She said confidently.

“Well, Sara, I’ll leave Airi to you.” (Eugene)

“Of course. Though, honestly, Airi is one of the main ace fighters in the Enforcement Division. She’s more likely to be helping others than needing help herself.” (Sara)

“Heh!” (Airi)

Airi, my childhood friend, looked smug at Sara’s words.

…Hopefully, she doesn’t get too carried away.

“Well then, good luck.” (Eugene)

With that, I left the Student Council office.

Just before exiting the Student Council building…

“Airi-san! There’s an emergency rescue request for Floor 51 of the Zenith Tower! Can you head out?!”

“Leave it to me! Anyone free, follow me!” (Airi)

““”Yes!!”””

I could hear their energetic voices.

(She’s fitting in perfectly.) (Eugene)

She’s doing remarkably well despite having only recently joined the Lykeion Magic Academy.

I left the Student Council building with light steps.

◇◇

“Now then, what should I do?”

I already reached out to the exploration team members.

Sumire was training in magic with Eri.

Sara was tackling Student Council tasks with Airi while also challenging Floor 100.

As for me, I had no specific plans until the Deus Discipline in seven days aside from attending classes.

In the Legendary Hero Department, mandatory classes were almost nonexistent, and participation was mostly optional.

That’s because most of the students in that class have higher exploration records than the instructors.

(In that case, I’ll train in the Last Dungeon.) (Eugene)

I headed toward the Zenith Tower.

On the way, I passed by the Dungeon Alliance headquarters.

Usually, I just walk past this building, but today, I felt curious about the Mad Dragon investigation that Media, the head of the Animal Club, had mentioned.

It turned out not to be the work of the Dungeon Master, nor did she understand the situation.

The investigation was facing difficulties.

Perhaps the Dungeon Alliance might have some new information.

It’s the largest organization in the Dungeon City, receiving reports from thousands of explorers daily.

I decided to gather some information and opened the door to the Dungeon Alliance’s building.

Inside, it was bustling with activity, and there were long lines at every counter.

Even Amarillis-san, my designated contact, had over ten people waiting in line.

If I spoke to her, she’d likely prioritize me, but it wouldn’t feel right to inconvenience the waiting explorers.

(I’ll kill some time at the training grounds.) (Eugene)

I headed to the training grounds behind the Dungeon Alliance.

Though I rarely visited them because the training grounds at the Lykeion Magic Academy were much larger.

Explorers were scattered throughout the training grounds, practicing swordsmanship or magic.

I found an open spot and began practicing swings.

The white Heaven Sword and the black God Katana.

As I checked the feel of each weapon…

“Oh, isn’t that Eugene-kun?”

A voice called out from behind, sending a chill down my spine.

The beautiful voice caused the mana in the atmosphere to stir.

Only a few people can make such significant mana fluctuations just by speaking.

Neither Sumire, the Ifrit, nor Principal Uther can achieve this.

It’s different, though somewhat similar, to the Demon Lord Eri or the Angel Rita-san.

—Kyakya!

—Fufufu…

—Yay!

Faint, cheerful voices reached my ears along with the mana.

Even without seeing them, I could tell there were Fairies present.

There’s only one person who could elicit such a response from Fairies.

“First Knight, Claire-sama. It’s been a while.” (Eugene)

“No need for such formalities, Eugene-kun. We fought the Hydra together, didn’t we?” (Claire)

The person who called out to me was Claire Lancelot-sama, the First Knight, and the King’s Sword of the Dungeon City.

■Comment Response: 

>This question suddenly popped in my mind, but just how strong is Sumire physically?

>Could it be that she can murder a monster from Floor 100…with a raw punch?

-Sumire has average strength. 

Her usual strength is questionable, but she would be able to one-hit a dragon if she were to snap. 

Her strength is proportional to her emotions, but the person herself is unaware of this. 

>Eugene, look at yourself in the mirror. Isn’t Resurrection a Saint Rank spell?

-Eugene runs out of mana with one use of that spell.

Also, it is not chantless. He does have to do the incantation. It activates fast though. 

Sumire can use Saint Rank magic several times, but it takes minutes to activate. 

It is impractical in battle.

■Author’s Comment:

Illustration of the 4th Volume. 

This is Airi. Cute, isn’t she?

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