Chapter 327: Two people confront each other

Something of an incident occurred in Orbaume on this day.

Fire! someone screamed. Theres a fire in the lower-cla.s.s n.o.bles district! A mansion is burning!

Someone call the firefighting force! shouted someone else. The building thats on fire is an unoccupied house a Cursed Mansion! It doesnt matter if they need to flatten the whole lot, the fire needs to be put out!

A Cursed Mansion that had once belonged to a lower-ranking n.o.ble had suddenly become engulfed in flames.

The mages employed at the nearby mansions conjured water and sand, and a troop of soldiers that was specialized in firefighting rushed to the scene. But despite their best efforts, the Cursed Mansion burned to the ground, leaving behind only a handful of burnt pieces of wood without even singeing the trees in the garden, let alone spreading to the other mansions in the neighborhood.

There were some who found this to be suspicious.

Thats strange The mansion that was built here wasnt that big, but would it really collapse in such a short amount of time?

But n.o.body was interested in investigating it too deeply.

Who knows. The flames were pretty resistant to being put out. Maybe its the curse of a vengeful spirit or the wrath of an evil spirit or something?

In any case, the real estate agents and carpenters will be delighted, since theyll be able to build a new mansion here. The Church of Alda might be less pleased, though, since theyve missed out on donations.

The Church probably already received the donations as an advance payment. The ones who will be less pleased are the n.o.bles who gave them money for nothing.

The Cursed Mansion had been scheduled to be purified in several days time by clerics dispatched by the Church of Alda.

There had also been other incidents with Cursed Mansions. In one incident, the clerics were attacked by Skeletons making groans that sounded something like, OOOOOOOHN, and after a difficult battle, they eventually managed to purify the mansion (or so they were led to believe). There was also an incident where the clerics entered a Cursed Mansion, only to find that there wasnt a single Undead inside, and the head of the Church of Zuruwarn contacted them later saying, Weve been having a tough time lately, so we purified it as a form of stress relief. Sorry we didnt tell you about it.

As for a Cursed Mansion belonging to a n.o.ble who was connected to Duke Alcrem, a request to purify it had apparently been sent to Honorary Countess Darcia Zakkart, who purified it before the Church of Alda could do anything. According to witnesses, she entered the mansion and fierce flashes of light came from the mansion some time later, so it was likely that she had used some very difficult spell.

And so, the Cursed Mansions in Orbaume all vanished, with the exception of Silkie Zakkart Mansion The one that had supposedly burned down had actually been dismantled and reconstructed inside one of Vandalieus Inner Worlds, but only he and his allies were aware of that.

The only paperwork needed to join a party at the Hero Preparatory School was to write the party members names on a form and submit it to the office.

It was similar to the paperwork at the Adventurers Guild, and in the Guilds case, its purpose was to make it easy to determine who was accompanying the applicant when it came to giving credit for accomplishments or imposing penalties for failing commissions.

Of course, the Guild did not mind if adventurers worked with other adventurers without registering their parties, but this sometimes led to cases where credit was not correctly given for completed commissions and accomplishments.

In the Hero Preparatory Schools case, this paperwork was used in the awarding of credits.

With this, you and I are a team now, Elizabeth-sama, said Vandalieu, having submitted the form and returned to his place behind Elizabeth immediately afterwards.

Yes, we are, said Elizabeth. Now that its formal, Ill say it again Lets get along and work well together By the way, why are you always behind me?

At school, whenever Vandalieu met Elizabeth to discuss strategy for practical training or talk about the special training they did after school, he would always stand behind her and follow her at an appropriate distance.

This behavior reminded Elizabeth of that of a duckling, but due to the faintness of Vandalieus presence and the fact that he walked completely silently in a stable way that didnt s.h.i.+ft his center of gravity at all, he looked more like a guiding spirit at a distance.

There was also no rule stipulating that party members must walk behind their leader.

Its because Im one of your lackeys, of course, said Vandalieu.

The reason Vandalieu walked behind Elizabeth was because he had a poor idea of what the position of follower or lackey entailed.

I wish youd call us retainers or bodyguards rather than lackeys, said Macht.

But, well, it seems like you get it, said Taurus.

Its important to show our unity to those around us, after all, said Yusef.

It seemed that Vandalieus poor idea of what being a lackey entailed was mostly correct. His three senior lackeys nodded over and over, approving of Vandalieus actions.

Y-you guys Can you stop making it sound like Im some mother duck?! Its not like Im always walking around with you accompanying me, is it?! Elizabeth said angrily.

Mahelia and Zona smiled wryly.

My lady You walk around the school with everyone in your company at least three times every day, Mahelia said.

I suppose that number has gone down lately, since youve stopped trying to get Alex to join us, said Zona.

Elizabeth gave a small gasp in realization. Come to think of it, you may be right but its not like Im dragging you around to flaunt you to everyone! Its only because its inefficient to move around separately after gathering for meetings and things! she said, hastily blurting out an excuse.

She was aware that she had been subconsciously trying to put on an appearance of superiority to those around her, but if she had the kind of personality that could honestly admit that, she wouldnt be trying to put on appearances in the first place.

I dont think any of us mind, said Vandalieu. Adventuring is a profession where its bad for business if youre underestimated by the people around you. I think it would be troublesome if clients undervalue you and try to haggle your commission fees down, or if the Guild doesnt give you the credit you deserve. I think its good to get into the habit of making yourself known.

Vandalieu could understand why she was putting on appearances. He had reasoned that popular people walking around with their followers in tow was a form of demonstration an emphasis of ones influence within their community.

Thus, he didnt feel any discomfort with Elizabeth leading them around the school.

Ugh, when you break it down rationally, its kind of embarra.s.sing. It makes me realize how childish Im being said Elizabeth. But, well, ever since you joined the party, the rumors that I failed to invite Alex to the party stopped Whatever. Make sure you keep on following me!

Yes, Ill haunt Ill follow you, said Vandalieu.

Vandalieu had actually been struggling with deciding whether to have Ghosts follow them around. Perhaps he was being too nervous, but it was certainly possible for unforeseen circ.u.mstances to arise.

For now, he had secretly set up Demon King Familiars in front of and behind their mansions, and along the routes they took to and from school, in order to deal with anything unexpected. But so far, their only achievements were arresting a few petty criminals that were completely unrelated to Elizabeth and the others like bag s.n.a.t.c.hers and pickpockets.

Why did you say it twice? Elizabeth asked, but she didnt think about it too deeply. More importantly, lets get going to our practical training. Mahelia, is there a practical training that seems good for us?

The Hero Preparatory Schools curriculum was credit-based, just like ordinary Adventurers Schools though ordinary Adventurers Schools didnt track students credits particularly accurately. Cla.s.s attendance was almost a non-factor when grades were determined; students were evaluated based on their results in practical training and examinations.

Thus, if one was not confident, it was possible for them to only take examinations without attending a single practical training session though they would receive no grades for practical training, so it would be difficult to earn credits unless their grades were extremely high.

The practical training available for today is alchemy, crafting, and practical cooking, said Mahelia. The alchemy training involves making an improvised staff out in the field. The crafting training involves repairing armor out in the field. The practical cooking training involves preparing food out in the field.

Not that this is new, but theyre all outdoors, arent they Lets go with the alchemy training, then, Elizabeth decided. I dont think any of us have earned credits for alchemy yet

And so, it was decided that Vandalieus first practical training with Elizabeths party would be making an improvised staff that functioned as a magical medium which involved carving a magic circle into a tree branch and combining it with a Magic Stone taken from a monster.

But

Elizabeth-sama! I think the practical cooking one would be better! said Zona, suddenly strongly pus.h.i.+ng for a different practical training.

Huh? Really? said Elizabeth, surprised.

Thats right, Elizabeth-sama! The alchemy training has a lot of people partic.i.p.ating in it, so well end up having to compete for materials! Were better off taking the practical cooking training, which always has less people partic.i.p.ating in it! said Yuzef.

Yuzef was a mage with the second-best grades in the party for magic-related cla.s.ses after Elizabeth; he was surely interested in alchemy. But even he was supporting Zonas suggestion.

I see. Then I suppose well go with practical cooking, then. If I recall, none of us have earned credits for practical cooking, and we should be able to get a good result since we have Vandalieu with us, said Elizabeth. Vandalieu, youre fine with practical cooking, arent you?

I dont mind, but I havent brought my houses cooks with me today. Is that alright? Vandalieu asked.

No, rather than practical cooking, those cooks are more suited to cooking the things that they fight, arent they? said Elizabeth.

Depending on what the practical training involves, they could be very useful, but

The cooks armed with enormous kitchen knives and meat mallets were meeting the newcomers at Silkie Zakkart Mansion today.

The teachers had been worried about whether Vandalieu would take practical training normally, like the other students. With their concerns in mind, Meorilith had asked Dandolip Randolf, to temporarily be in charge of the practical cooking training.

The topic for todays practical training is: Cooking when youre guarding scholars on extended field trips or n.o.bles traveling through uninhabited areas and they selfishly request the occasional delicious meal rather than preserved foods, he said, reading the topic out loud with eyes that resembled those of a dead fish.

Rather than going outside Orbaume they were on a wasteland floor of the practical training Dungeon. It was labeled as outdoors practical training, but it was impractical to travel for several days just to reach a place where conducting this training would be possible. Thus, certain floors of the practical training Dungeon were often used for occasions like this.

Dandolip-sensei, I know its a popular saying that every day is an emergency situation for adventurers, but is this topic really going to be useful? asked Alex, one of the students taking this training, with a dubious expression.

Dandolip gave a weak smile. Alex. You might be thinking that there arent any n.o.bles who are stupid enough to make such a request. However, such stupid n.o.bles do indeed exist. Well, I cant reveal their names, but Ive had n.o.bles who make such stupid requests as clients on more than ten occasions. And Im sure Princ.i.p.al Meorilith has had a similar number of such experiences.

Are you serious?! Alex exclaimed, stiffening in astonishment.

With the exception of one student, the others all showed varying degrees of surprise as well.

But Randolf was telling the truth.

He had once been on a mission to protect a client who, out of boredom, asked to see him destroy a group of bandits effectively ordering Randolf to charge into danger, despite it being Randolfs job to protect him. Another client of his had tried to make different adventurers hed hired fight each other like they were p.a.w.ns in a game. Hed had his fair share of experiences of being hired by foolish n.o.bles.

Hed even seriously contemplated murdering some of those clients and simply accepting the penalties that would come with failing to complete the commission.

Incidentally, he wasnt naming these foolish n.o.bles houses because the descendants of those foolish n.o.bles were innocent, and because if one were to look up those names in the Adventurers Guilds records or investigate those families, they would learn that the name of the adventurer who had accepted those commissions was not Dandolip, but Randolf.

And dont misunderstand. Im not saying that there are fools among n.o.bles. Im saying there are fools among n.o.bles

as well

. There are those who are intelligent and those who are foolish among commoners, n.o.bles, royalty, adventurers any group of people. You can go to the library and read up as many examples of foolish people and their failures as you want, said Randolf, emphasizing that there were fools everywhere, so that the students who were from commoner or merchant backgrounds wouldnt get too conceited.

Indeed, from Randolfs own life experience, there wasnt a single profession or race without a single fool in it including the race of Elves.

Well, I cant say that Im terribly intelligent, either,

he thought.

However, you people are not such fools, and I expect you to refrain from becoming such fools in the future. Now then, if there are no more questions, I shall have you begin your task. You have two hours, Randolf said.

I do have a question, sir, said Vandalieu.

I can guess what it might be, but what is it, Vandalieu?

May I use the ingredients that Ive brought with me?

Im afraid I have to say no to that in most cases. The topic is as I have just explained. You are in the middle of a commission to guard your client over an extended period of time in a remote area. a.s.sume that youve already eaten the food that cant be preserved. Youll be provided with water, seasonings like salt and sugar, dried meat, bread, and equipment to cook with.

Randolf refused to let down his guard, even when asked such a simple and reasonable-sounding question by Vandalieu. He was fully aware that Vandalieus real question was still lying in wait because the familiar hed brought with him today was Eisen.

Then may I use ingredients that are a part of my familiars? Vandalieu asked.

Theyre more delicious than preserved fooods, Eisen said proudly, her abundantly-growing fruits shaking as she moved.

Im sure they are, said Randolf, eyeing not the melons on her chest, but the real fruits growing on her branches.

Tamers normally didnt use their familiars for food, even if they were of edible races of monsters. But Eisen, a plant-type monster, could have her fruit and sap harvested without harming her.

Even in Randolfs eyes, these were high-quality ingredients that would satisfy even the most selfish n.o.ble.

I will allow it. Familiars can follow you on long journeys, after all, Randolf said.

Several of the other students immediately showed their despair in various ways; some sighed and others looked helplessly up towards the sky.

There was no way for them to win over Eisens fruit and sap.

Knowing that, Elizabeth looked triumphant. As for the other party members For some reason, Zona had a gloomy expression on her face.

Now then, begin your task, said Randolf.

The students sprang into action. Randolf approved of the way they didnt simply give up just because they knew it was impossible to achieve the top grade in the cla.s.s.

Alex left with his party members to find ingredients.

We just need to prepare Eisen-sans fruit and sap, dont we? Elizabeth said happily.

Meanwhile, Zona was in despair that things werent going as she had hoped.

I thought that this lesson would provide me an opportunity to be alone with Vandalieu, but to think that we dont even need to move from where we started. What a failure! I should have checked which of his familiars he had with him today!

Zona had insisted on taking the practical cooking training so that she could try and seduce Vandalieu, just as she had told Macht and the others she would the previous day.

This would require the two of them to be alone, but the chances of that happening in alchemy and crafting training were slim. Zona had thought that if they took the practical cooking training, they would need to split up in order to find ingredients to use.

The training would take place inside a Dungeon, but with their current strength, neither they nor Vandalieu would have any trouble dealing with monsters. Thus, if Elizabeth were to suggest that they move as a group, Zona had intended to suggest that they split up instead to improve efficiency, citing the time limit as a reason.

But at this rate, she would be forced to try to seduce Vandalieu under the watch of Elizabeth and Mahelia and worst of all, Eisen.

h.e.l.l is the only way to describe this situation. Ive always considered myself to be thick-skinned, but even I cant handle this. I mean

Zona looked down at her own chest. She was wearing her armor, of course, as they were currently in a practical training session, but beneath it was plenty of proof that she was growing well for her age.

Zona was quite confident in her appearance and figure, not just her chest. Her face had a somewhat childish look, but it was fitting for the short stature of a Dwarf. If she were to secretly moisten her eyes with water and look up with her puppy-like eyes, most boys would be done for.

But she glanced at Eisen, who had two very impressive mounds that far outcla.s.sed her own. The difference in their strength was clear, and it seemed foolish to even try to compete. In addition to that, she even had the allure of an adult, something that Zona lacked.

Of course, regardless of how her attempt to seduce Vandalieu during this practical training went, she could always gamble on the next lesson, lunch break, the afternoon cla.s.ses, or even after school.

But Eisen was a familiar, and she would always be with Vandalieu during practical training. During lunch break, Pauvina and the others would come to eat lunch together with him. And there was no after-school special training scheduled for today though even if there was, Zona had the feeling that there wouldnt be a good time to seduce him anyway.

Nows my only chance after all!

Elizabeth-sama, I think we should challenge ourselves more, by looking for other ingredients and defeating monsters, said Zona.

The first one to respond to Zonas suggestion was Eisen.

Mine are more delicious. Give it a tryyy.

Eisens pride as a food provider seemed to have been wounded; she tore a fruit off one of her branches and pushed it towards Zonas mouth.

Wait! I know that youre delicious! Zona said hastily. I know your fruit is delicious, Eisen-san, but

It was none other than Vandalieu himself who understood the true intent behind Zonas words.

I see, he said. If we use Eisens fruit and sap, were certain to get first place. But with that said, its a waste to spend two whole hours just cooking with it. In order to gain more experience, we should find our own ingredients. Thats what youre trying to say, right?

Of course, Vandalieu hadnt said this because he wanted to back Zona up. He had simply voiced what he thought Zona was thinking. There were no thoughts in his head other than,

As expected of an uppercla.s.sman. Her desire to improve herself is admirable.

Th-thats right, Elizabeth-sama! Macht said, adding his own support to Zona. We dont want people mistakenly believing that were completely reliant on our undercla.s.sman!

Lets get even more ahead of Alex and his friends! said Taurus.

Mahelia found their behavior somewhat strange, but before she could voice that thought, Elizabeth began speaking first.

I suppose youre right. Then lets split up and look for ingredients. Eisen-san, youll be fine staying here on your own, wont you? said Elizabeth.

People would mistakenly believe that they were completely reliant on their undercla.s.sman in other words, Vandalieu. This thought, planted in Elizabeths mind by Macht, was very effective on Elizabeth, who was very concerned about keeping up appearances.

That might be beeest, said Eisen, accepting this reasoning and returning to her original position.

Eisen was a high-Rank monster; she was far more powerful than the monsters of this floor or the monsters of any floor in this practical training Dungeon.

Elizabeth and the others werent yet aware of Eisens true strength, but they seemed to have sensed that she wouldnt need someone to protect her inside this Dungeon.

Well then Elizabeth began.

I think it would be best if Elizabeth-sama went with Mahelia. The three of us can go together, and Zona can go with Vandalieu, suggested Yuzef. This creates a good balance of frontline and backline fighters, too.

Then lets do that, said Elizabeth, not thinking about it too deeply. Lets go, Mahelia.

Mahelia found Yuzefs behavior strange as well, but didnt sense any danger, so she decided to simply follow after Elizabeth.

Then lets go this way, said Vandalieu. Eisen, please gather your sap in this pot.

You got iiit, said Eisen.

Alright. Ill leave the rest to you! Zona said to Eisen and to Macht and the others who had supported her in making this happen.

And with that, she walked off with Vandalieu.

She was determined to get her hands on a lead whether it was useful information about Vandalieu, or whether it was proof that she and the others could entrust their safety to him.

Incidentally, Zona was under the belief that it was just the two of them now, but there were a countless number of spirits and powerful Ghosts around Vandalieu.

Princess Levia gave a happy giggle. It seems that youre having fun today, too, Your Majesty.

If Zona were to learn that Princess Levia was here as a reward for setting the fake Cursed Mansion on fire this morning, she might have fainted in embarra.s.sment.

After all, she was just as voluptuous as Eisen.

On the other hand, Zonas target, Vandalieu, didnt regard her as a member of the opposite s.e.x. Or to be more precise, he didnt consider her to be a potential romantic partner.

There arent any monsters. We might have to get a little further away from Eisen, Vandalieu said.

Vandalieu was a healthy young boy though some might disagree with that. But still, this was the third time he was undergoing p.u.b.erty. It wasnt that he was entirely disinterested with members of the opposite s.e.x.

However, he already had multiple fiances far too many for a single person, unless they were the emperor of a nation. He was even the father of a child. Thus, he didnt see women other than his fiances as romantic partners though if Zona had overflowing physical beauty in the muscular sense, then he might have been stumbling towards her like an insect attracted to a bug zapper.

Because they had gotten further away from Eisen, they were also far from any other students as well, and Zona used that to make her move.

Hey, the two of us are alone now, arent we? she said.

Vandalieu gave her a confused look. Yes, we are.

His response to Zona was dull, as he could see a countless number of spirits as well as Princess Levia, Daroak, and Berkert around him.

Hey, can you hold my hand? said Zona.

Its dangerous to make one of your hands unusable during practical training, said Vandalieu.

Ive always thought you were so reliable, and different from the other boys

Thank you. It makes me proud that an uppercla.s.sman thinks that of me.

V-Vandalieu-kun, what kind of girls do you like? Do you not like Dwarf girls?

I think girls with muscles are desirable. Due to their short stature, Dwarves have a higher muscle density than humans, so I think they are amazing.

As Vandalieu answered her questions, he sensed that something was strange about Zonas behavior. Despite his exceedingly poor ability for judging people, he was still able to notice that Zona was behaving differently from normal and bringing up topics that would normally never be brought up.

Could it be that shes concerned about what kind of feelings I have towards her and the others?

he realized.

But his thoughts immediately after this realization were completely off the mark.

Im always expressionless, after all If I consciously put effort into always smiling, then I can smile, but everything other than smiling would become more difficult.

Vandalieu had mistakenly a.s.sumed that his expressionlessness had caused a problem in his relations.h.i.+p with the party. And so, he first sought to clear up the misunderstanding.

M-muscles? Zona repeated. Then Im

A precious companion to me. Ill never forget the consideration you showed by speaking to me, back when Id only just joined you, said Vandalieu.

Zona blinked in surprise at Vandalieus sudden talkativeness.

Your technique with the axe is quite sharp, and if you keep training yourself, I have no doubt that youll find great success as an adventurer. Of course, that is true for the others as well, but its not just your fighting strength that I am drawn to. Im grateful to all of you and I think you are wonderful. For example, you

Vandalieu continued speaking to remove any doubts and misunderstandings. Misunderstandings should be cleared up as soon as they are discovered. On some occasions, deciding that now wasnt the time and leaving it for later would make things more troublesome later on. In some cases, it could even lead to tragic or comical situations.

You relieve peoples tension when theyre too nervous, and you calm them down when they become too heated. You act as a mediator between Elizabeth-sama, Macht-senpai and the others Hmm?

Vandalieu stopped mid-sentence as he saw something strange float into his field of vision.

It was someones Status. Given the Statuss contents, it was clear that it wasnt Vandalieus own. Of course, It wasnt the Status of his Undead or his companions, either.

The Name section read Alex.

Whats the matter? asked Zona.

Why was he suddenly seeing what appeared to be Alexs Status? Zona seemed to be unable to see it, so it wasnt an illusion that had been projected onto the air in front of him.

But he quickly realized why he could see it. In the Unique Skills section of his Status was Demon Eyes of Great Appraisal.

Emergency! Alex is reading my Status from somewhere! Please find him, Vandalieu ordered his companions through telepathy.

He had realized that he was seeing Alexs Status due to the effects of his Root Source Skill, which had awakened from Abyss, which reflected the effects of Demon Eyes. His usual calm demeanor evaporated.

Princess Levia and the others flew off in a frenzy to find out where Alex was watching Vandalieu from.

Huh? What? What is it?! shouted a bewildered Zona.

But there was no time to explain things to her. Vandalieu cast the Detect Life spell, which revealed the students and monsters on this floor, but this didnt distinguish Alex from the others. He needed to determine that on his own, based on positions and numbers.

Your Majesty, Gufadgarn-san has found him! Princess Levia reported swiftly. He is to your right! It seems that he is using light-attribute magic to look this way from behind a boulder!

Understood, said Vandalieu.

Because it was dangerous to leave Zona alone in case there was an ambush, he lifted her into his arms.

Y-youre being so bold all of a sudden?! Zona exclaimed. Wait! I know Im the one who started this, but my heart isnt ready

Please excuse my rude behavior. But its an emergency. Ill apologize later, so please forgive me for now, said Vandalieu as he telepathically commanded Princess Levia and the rest of the Ghosts to go and protect Elizabeth and the others.

With Zona in his arms, he began running towards Alex and his party, causing Zona to scream in confusion.

Pretending to look for ingredients, Alexs party split up into two groups. One would look for ingredients, but the other, including Alex, had the objective of checking Vandalieus Status.

Master, is it no good after all? said Towa, a rabbit-type Beast-kin girl, looking worriedly at her master.

Alex was silent as he used light-attribute magic to bend light and look at Vandalieu.

Towa wasnt a student at the Hero Preparatory School, but she was able to partic.i.p.ate in the training, as she was Alexs property. Her current role was to protect Alex while he looked at Vandalieus Status.

Yeah, its no good, said Alex, realizing that he was drenched in cold sweat.

As he had expected, Vandalieus Status had been entirely censored, and he had been unable to read even a single character just like his adopted younger sister Pauvina, and his familiars Eisen and the Vampires though hed been able to read the Status of the Undead that called themselves cooks.

He wasnt bothered by that. He knew that the Demon Eyes of Great Appraisal couldnt read the Statuses of those that far surpa.s.sed him in strength.

Given that Pauvina and Vandalieus familiars fell into that category, hed expected that Vandalieu would as well.

Its possible that hes someone I shouldnt ever mess with, he concluded.

What he hadnt expected was the sheer volume of censored content.

The Demon Eyes of Great Appraisal didnt allow Alex to read the Statuses of those whose strength far surpa.s.sed his own. The characters and numbers appeared censored to him.

But he could guess how many Skills the target had based on the amount of censored text.

The number of digits in his Attribute Values His Mana is clearly crazy. And the number of Pa.s.sive Skills and Active Skills

and

Unique Skills that he has, that just isnt normal, Alex muttered, speaking rapidly in an attempt to suppress his cold sweat and his growing sense of fear. I knew he was probably at least as powerful as an A-cla.s.s adventurer, but even that might be an understatement

In the next moment, he groaned as he suddenly felt his entire body being pressed down on.

What is this?! I cant move! My whole body is being pressed down on by something I cant see!

The only part of his body he could move was his eyeb.a.l.l.s; he turned them towards Towa to see that she seemed to be in a similar state. She was desperately straining to escape from this something that was immobilizing them, but it seemed that she still couldnt move.

Baring your fangs at the great Vandalieu while not even having the ability to resist my magic. Such impudence. So foolish, small, and feeble.

The something that was immobilizing Alex was s.p.a.ce itself, manipulated by Gufadgarn.

Although it was not one of her own creation, this place was a Dungeon. And Gufadgarn was the Evil G.o.d of Labyrinths. No matter how talented Alex and Towa were, there was no way they could match her.

It would have been simple for her to strengthen the pressure and crush them to death. But she did not do that.

Alex and the one who called him master, Towa, were nothing more than vermin to Gufadgarn. They had mocked the great Vandalieu and his friends, cast a damper on his enjoyable school life, and even tried to look at his Status.

She believed that they should disappear from the world where the great Vandalieu existed.

But because Vandalieu did not wish for that to happen, Gufadgarn kept them captive without killing them.

Now, all she needed to do was wait a few seconds for Vandalieu to get here though he could get here in an instant if it werent for the need to keep his Labyrinth Creation Skill a secret.

My apologies. Someone is interfering,

Gufadgarn informed Vandalieu.

In the next moment, Vandalieu suddenly appeared in front of Alex and Towa, holding Zona in his arms, who was looking around in complete confusion.

Behind Alex, the one who had forcibly broken Gufadgarns s.p.a.ce-attribute spell appeared a red-haired Elf man with an unshaved stubble, wearing a grim expression Dandolip, also known as Randolf.

Alex, I have some questions for you, said Vandalieu.

Answer Vandalieus questions as honestly and accurately as you can, said Randolf.

With the immobilized Alex and Towa between them, Vandalieu and Randolf glared at each other.

If you dont, I will have to fight my teacher in order to eliminate you, said Vandalieu.

If you dont, Ill be forced to fight my student in order to protect you, said Randolf.