The corner of her eye began to twitch. Cracks ran across her previously blank expression. Rebecca softly asked again,
“...What?”
She’d likely never heard such words in her life.
Don’t act like a brat.
“Show some respect to your professor.”
I don’t like fighting. But I’m also not the type to avoid it when necessary.
“...Professor Dante Hiakapo. You’re starting to cross the line. Since we entered into a contract, we’re no longer in a student–professor relationship, are we?”
“Hmm. This is still the academy. That relationship hasn’t changed.”
“Professor.”
“Let’s re-establish the terms. When you’re in front of me, you match your line to mine.”
“Are you still not understanding the situation?”
Arrogant—and yet, interesting.
“Professor, get a grip. From now on, you’ll have to match my line. Can you refuse? I’m the one holding your leash now.”
Rebecca held up the contract paper of 「Eternity∞」.
“And why would that be my leash?”
“Listen carefully, Professor. Blocking the department opening isn’t something you can do alone. We’ve reached a point where it’ll open even without my help. If you care about your life, you’ll cooperate—and beg for my help.”
Rebecca bared her fangs and growled.
So that’s what made her feel triumphant.
Typical of her.
Exactly the kind of person you’d want to betray.
From the start, I could’ve insisted we go with a verbal contract. Even so, I’d offered the stigma pact as a gesture of good will—but now {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Rebecca flipped her attitude like turning over a coin.
People only long for the fish before it’s caught. How many leave it to rot once they have it? She was that type.
At that moment, I considered.
I had two options.
Option 1: Suck up to Rebecca.
Pretend to treat her well until she eventually betrays me anyway. Stroking her ego wouldn’t be too hard.
Option 2: Put Rebecca in her place.
Even if betrayal’s inevitable, being pushed around until then isn’t fun. Better to clamp down now.
But... were those really the only two options?
Thinking a bit more, I found myself laughing.
“...Are you laughing?”
Rebecca’s eye twitched.
“Do you find this funny right now?”
“It’s amusing.”
“No, I don’t think so. I know more about you than you think. You have a lot. And people with a lot to lose usually value their lives, don’t they?”
“......”
“I’m different, Professor. I’m not that afraid of dying.”
Not interested.
What I do know for sure is—she doesn’t know nearly enough.
She doesn’t understand just how vastly superior my grasp of this world’s rules is.
She doesn’t know that I have a way to break that contract.
She has no idea how far I can go when I’m someone with zero risk.
Several ways to put her in her place came to mind.
Rebecca is a tyrant. A lioness. But I’ve decided to become a dinosaur. If I stomp her down, what could a lioness possibly do?
Still... just then.
Suddenly.
A far more interesting option came to mind.
“...Alright.”
“...You agree?”
She sounded surprised. Looks like she really expected a fight.
Fighting feels good. But it’s not always the best choice.
“I’ll abide by your terms. But for that to happen, there’s something I need from you as well.”
“...What is it?”
Rebecca asked, her voice slightly subdued.
“If you become someone honest with me, I’ll follow your terms.”
“......”
Something in my words made her frown slightly.
At the time, I was seated across from her. I now moved to sit beside her.
“What do you mean by ‘honest’?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. If we’re going to be on the same boat, you need to open up to me a bit more.”
As I moved closer, her eyes subtly began to avoid mine.
“There you go again, Professor.”
“Yes.”
“I’m asking you. Don’t come any closer.”
“That’s unfortunate. Once you’re on this boat, you don’t get to decide the distance.”
I sat beside her anyway. Her face turned away. Avoiding proximity. But I was a bit more persistent.
Leaning in, I asked again.
“Why are you like this?”
“...Like what.”
“So angry today. Why?”
“None of your business.”
“If you tell me, it becomes our business. Go ahead. Tell me about your day.”
“...Don’t know.”
“No, you need to let me into your thoughts. This relationship isn’t fair right now. We’re in the same boat, and I’m willing to abide by your terms—so you should show me some sincerity too, don’t you think?”
Just now, Princess Rebecca made a mistake. A grave one.
“I’m different, Professor. I’m not that afraid of dying.” ...she said.
That was a huge slip.
“...Why should I be fair?”
“Because you’re wrong. I’m not that afraid of dying either.”
“......”
“We both have little to lose. If there’s no fairness, we can’t move forward together. So go ahead. What happened today, Princess?”
“......”
She furrowed her brow.
Perfect. That’s what I wanted.
“......”
If she truly isn’t afraid of dying—
Then I’ll be the one to make her afraid.
“Tell me. What happened? Who said what to you? Why’s your cute little toe hurt?”
Even I had to admit—my voice just now was unusually gentle. The kind of voice I hadn’t used since inhabiting this body.
“......”
Rebecca still wouldn’t meet my gaze. A continuation of what I’d already deduced—characters with her kind of background in this world were weak to personal intimacy.
“If it’s hard, take your time. I’ll be here.”
“......”
She stayed silent.
She might speak from here. Or not.
But I had a Plan B. If this didn’t work, I’d revert to what I initially imagined—force, discipline, domination.
Frankly, I’d prefer that.
Because I really hate Rebecca.
“......”
Seconds passed.
Maybe dozens of seconds.
A long time.
“......”
She kept showing me only her profile.
Then, after a sigh starting from her toes...
“...It’s nothing...”
She finally spoke.
“...It’s nothing much.”
“So not nothing, but something did happen.”
“...It’s just... when I go around acting like a saint, I tend to get bruised up everywhere...”
“Can I take a guess? Maybe a convent or a temple gathering? Something like that?”
“......”
Rebecca sharply turned her head toward me. Her glare was sharp.
But when our eyes met, she again looked slightly away.
“...You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You. Professor. You’re trying to dig for my weaknesses on purpose... aren’t you?”
“I already know more than enough of your weaknesses. One of the reasons you keep coming back to me is because of my information network, isn’t it?”
“Then if not for that... why are you doing this?”
“When someone on my boat is upset, I want to comfort them.”
“......”
She abruptly stood. Walked away, sat elsewhere, and hugged her legs up on the chair.
“Princess Rebecca?”
“......”
The voice that came next—I’d never heard Rebecca speak like that before.
“...I’m not telling you.”
The first time this witch ever felt her age.
Still, I asked again.
Because honesty was the next step forward. And Rebecca still wasn’t being honest with me.
“...Was it a hard day?”
She fell silent again. For a long time.
Then finally,
Her lips barely moved.
“......”
But no words came out.
She quickly changed the subject.
“...Let’s just talk about the Competitiveness Dungeon. No more weird talk...”
That’s enough. For now. It feels like enough. Just seeing Rebecca soften was progress. It meant she was warming to me.
“I can’t accept your request not to send them. The application already went to the Imperial Management Bureau, and I submitted it under the department’s name. Can’t cancel now.”
“But... you know what kind of fallout this could cause...”
“Make your proposal. I’ll listen and judge.”
Rebecca didn’t argue further. She could’ve dug in, but she accepted it.
“Then I’ll propose this.”
She offered three conditions.
Register Dante’s squad anonymously. Don’t give them dungeon intel. No training—just throw them straight in.“This way we can keep our kids out of the Empire’s eye...”
In the end, Rebecca was only half right.
She’d overlooked something.
The genius of the Dormant Dragon Cadets.
***
< ↑ Team [Anonymous] is entering. >
< ↑ Entry Age Group: Teens Server >
< ↑ Dungeon Type: Maze Escape >
< ↑ Mission: Escape the maze. Failure to do so or dying results in forced recall from the subspace. >
Before Balmung stretched a winding maze interior. Dim stone floors. High walls. Black sky.
“...Isn’t this too much?”
Gray grumbled beside him.
“What is?”
“Our first dungeon ever, and no training? No dungeon layout briefing? Just throwing us in? Come on.”
Maybe so.
Balmung nodded. It was disappointing. Professor Dante surely knew the layout and trial mechanics. But he insisted they enter raw.
“Hmph. Still—it’s Professor. He must have his reasons.”
“...You think?”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. Alright, alright!”
Balmung raised a hand.
Gray and Kendreik looked over.
“I actually know a little about this teens-server dungeon. Studied it back with the clan. Just follow me and—”
Just then—
“Mmh!”
Elize, who’d been sniffing the air, suddenly bolted forward.
“Hey! Elize! Where are you going!”
“Come on, Balmung, everyone! I think it’s this way!”
So sudden? Balmung was confused.
Still, they followed her.
Elize sprinted like the wind. The others gritted their teeth and gave chase.
After crossing about seven maze junctions,
A massive plaza opened up—
—KWRRAAAAGH!!
The midboss, ‘Troll Ogre’, raised a giant club and let out a roar.
A beast three times a human’s height.
—KRRRRAAAGH!!
It swung at Elize. Slammed the earth.
BOOOOOM!!
The space detonated. A thunderous boom echoed off plaza walls and ceiling.
“Kh! We’ve found it...! Elize! Everyone!”
Balmung shouted,
“Be careful! That thing’s tough! Huge defense! First, draw its attention—then strike the back of its head—”
But just then, Elize closed her eyes and crouched.
⋮
『Dawn Wilderness Path』
⋮
She launched from the ground like a bullet.
Swish―――
As 「Invisible Sword○」 grazed past, the ogre’s pillar-like neck fell away diagonally and crashed to the ground.
THUD!!
The four-meter troll-ogre’s massive corpse slammed into the stone and went still.
“Gotcha~!”
Elize smiled brightly, sword still in hand. Gray and Kendreik shouted “Whoaa!” “Whoa!” in excitement. Balmung was also thrilled they got the kill.
“Let’s keep going. This way.”
They dashed deeper into the maze.
And then—
「Competitiveness↑」 status window appeared.
< ↑ First Sector Cleared. >
And just then—
‘...Huh?’
A strange feeling crept into Balmung.
He checked the crystal orb. What was the record time for this server’s First Sector again? He remembered—about 4 minutes, early range.
‘Wait.’
That was a hundred years ago. Thinking more—yes, exactly 4 minutes and 12 seconds.
No one had beaten it since. That mercenary team’s leader became world rank #1.
And now—
< 00 hours 03 minutes 57 seconds 34 >