Claude Family Estate.
This family that held control over the Empire’s military industry naturally valued strength above all.
With access to top-tier equipment and the backing of imperial titles, forming their own private force was a simple matter.
And as the most beloved young lady of the Claude family, she naturally had her own personal guard — namely, the Adelina Guard Corps.
Adelina had always tried to stop them from using such a straightforward name — it was far too lacking in elegance. But the older nobleman that was Claude merely chuckled and insisted on keeping it.
“The young lady has sent a message!”
Elo, captain of the guard corps, was usually clad in brilliant white steel armor.
It was he who had stepped in during the dungeon incident to save Adelina from the seventh-tier sigil that Viloti had hurled.
He was tall and imposing — someone who brought a sense of reassurance just by standing there.
“She wants us to stand by at the dungeon entrance this weekend?”
“The young lady wants to go to the dungeon?! It's been so long since we’ve had a mission. I’ll slaughter every single monster in there!”
The guard corps numbered 117 in total, though only around 20 were stationed permanently.
These 20 were usually the ones responsible for Adelina’s personal security, while the rest had other duties elsewhere.
But this time, the command Adelina issued was: [All Members Assemble]
Elo was fired up. Could this finally be a demon king subjugation mission?
“Captain Elo, should we report this to Lord Claude?”
Elo thought for a moment. “No need. Lady Adelina might be planning a surprise for Lord Claude. As her subordinates, we must be attentive to her intentions.”
“Understood!”
…
Friday.
St. Andros Academy, Dedicated Classroom for the Study Support Group
Sunlight poured in through the tall, arched windows, casting warm, golden patches across the wooden floor.
Several pots of plants sat on the windowsill, their leaves swaying gently in the breeze.
“Felyn, I don’t know how to cook.”
Viloti spread out her hands, showing Felyn her soft, fair, and flawless palms.
She had intended to show off her cooking injuries.
But each time she got cut, the healing sigil systems in the estate would automatically heal her wounds.
Even those traces of her effort were erased. For the first time ever, Viloti found herself resenting sigils.
Cooking was the one thing this young lady had absolutely no talent for. After several attempts, she finally gave up on her promise, for the safety of herself, Felyn, and Bernice.
“That’s okay. Not everyone has to be good at everything.”
Felyn offered comfort as he diligently took notes in his notebook.
His body had fully absorbed Viloti’s gifts these past few days!
Being around her made him feel smarter, like his mind had sharpened.
This must be the charm of a genius.
He wanted to pass the upcoming joint exam next week. He couldn’t even remember what passing felt like.
And only if he passed would Sophia return the crowns of school subsidies back to him.
Knowledge could be reviewed bit by bit, but Magical Beast Behavior Analysis remained a subject he couldn’t grasp at all.
So this weekend, he planned to risk it and go down into the dungeon himself.
But he had a bad feeling it wouldn’t go smoothly.
Finding the exact beasts mentioned in the textbook in a massive dungeon? The odds were never in his favor.
The course was meant to span four years for a reason to give everyone enough time.
And magical beasts weren’t exactly known for staying put to be observed either. The academy’s guards usually had to suppress them into one area for students to study.
But Felyn only had two days.
Two days to catch up on a four-year curriculum, and without guards or companions. Was that even possible?
Still, Felyn wanted to try. After everything everyone around him had done for him lately, he couldn’t just give up now.
If he was lucky enough to observe even a single magical beast, maybe he could score some points.
“Felyn, don’t frown.”
Viloti noticed the tight crease in his brow and followed his gaze down to the test paper in his hand. A miserable score of 13.
“Hey, you didn’t get zero. That’s impressive already.”
Viloti, sometimes your comfort hurts more than the problem itself.
“Even with notes and textbooks, I still don’t really understand it.”
Viloti took her pen and neatly jotted down a few elegant lines.
“This is the scope of the Magical Beast Behavior Analysis portion of the joint exam.”
Lady Viloti, please have mercy on me!
That’s what Felyn thought, but he still didn’t recognize any of these six beasts.
He couldn’t comprehend their attack patterns, habits, or even their appearances.
If only he could just see them once, see them with his own eyes.
“I can go to the dungeon with you.”
“No need. I can go alone.”
“Felyn, you’re an idiot. You’ll die.”
“I’m not an idiot!”
Felyn’s pride took a hit, though he really had no chance of winning in an argument against Viloti.
“There are always teams looking to form parties at the dungeon entrance, right? I’ll just tag along with one of them. I’m not trying to fight anything, just observe how they behave.”
The beasts on the exam were all high-tier. There was no way he could solo one.
“You really don’t want me to come?”
“Really, no need.”
“You really, really don’t want me to come?”
“Really, really no need!”
Viloti glanced down at her own feet and shook her head slightly.
“Got it.”
Felyn had a sinking feeling that Viloti was plotting something. She was getting too clever lately.
Tutoring resumed as usual.
Viloti sat beside Felyn, and throughout the session, she secretly nudged her chair closer to his four separate times.
Strands of her pink hair drifted over the pages, swaying gently with her every word.
From time to time, she would pause to glance sideways at Felyn, quietly checking if he understood, her eyes filled with a subtle, nearly invisible concern.
Her breath brushed against the back of his hand, cool and soft.
The school bell rang to signal the end of class.
“Viloti, thank you again for tutoring me today.”
Viloti shook her head and looked up at Felyn as he stood and packed his things.
“I’ll head off first then.”
Felyn gave the young lady a glance. Over the past few days, she always offered to walk out the school gate with him.
But today, she remained quietly seated, showing no intention of joining him.
She was actually quiet today?
That was suspicious.
Still, Felyn didn’t question it. He waved to her and turned to leave.
Viloti watched his figure disappear out the door, and immediately activated her communication sigil.
All the guards assigned to the Silafiel family received a message from their most beloved young lady at nearly the same time:
[All Members Assemble. Dungeon. This Weekend.]
Though the Silafiels didn’t have the military background of the Claudes, her father still spoiled her no less.
Silafiel had money and connections. Every halfway-decent adventurer in Seiwa? Bought out.
And the guards assigned to Viloti? Hand-picked from the elite, even better than the ones guarding her father.
“The young lady has sent a message!”
“Understood. All hands, mobilize! Get everyone who can move!”
(End of Chapter)