I entered the dungeon and took a quick look
around the entrance area.
The tutorial dungeon [Sage's Playground] is a
cave-like structure with a stone floor that leads to the lower floor, and
marble pillars on the left and right sides. The walls are hung with torches, so
there is no need for a light source.
Since 39 classmates have already passed by, the
treasure chests and other items along the way have already been removed. The
only thing that appears is a monster that pops up as time passes.
“Dark magic――Shadow
Edge”
“Pikii!?”
A slime-like monster appears in front of me and I
cast a spell on it. The slime melts into mush and flows on the ground. All that
is left is a small light blue stone - the material item [Slime Nucleus].
“The structure of
the dungeon and the drop items are just like in the game... it's a piece of
cake”
Being a tutorial only, there are no powerful
monsters or traps here. It is a dungeon that can be conquered solo with ease. I
quickly find a staircase that leads to the second floor, and descend to the
next floor.
I encounter a few monsters along the way, but
Zenon is second only to Leon in power. None of the monsters I encounter in this
dungeon is a formidable opponent.
At least ― except for "that monster" at
the lowest floor.
“Mhmm... more and
more of my classmates are getting injured...”
I was calm and composed as I went through the
dungeon, but it seemed to be not so for the other students. As I advanced to
the second and third floors, I saw some of my classmates resting on the edge of
the path.
Most of them seemed to have minor and not
life-threatening injuries, and the ones who were not injured were giving them
first aid with potions and healing spells.
“They're pathetic
against small fry...or maybe it's just because they're amateurs who've never
dived in a dungeon before?”
I know the game, and I'm using the body of a
high-spec character named Zenon Baskerville. But most of the other students are
complete beginners who have never even fought a monster before. They may even
screw up in their first real battle.
“...Come to think
of it, in the game, Leon, Nagisa, and Ciel were the only three who
made it to the lowest floor the first time”
Except for Leon and the heroine, there does not
seem to be anyone of note in this class. It is a pity that they are in the top
A class.
Then, I should probably look a partners outside
of the school. If I work with bad partners, I will be slowed down and my
actions will be hindered instead.
As I proceeded through the game, defeating
monster, I saw Aeris Centrair, one of the three main heroines of the game.
More than ten of her classmates are gathered
around Aeris, a healer, and they are being healed by magic.
“Yes, please line
up in order. I will heal you properly”
“Ah, what wonderful
healing magic...”
“She is the saint
of Centrair. She can heal so many people and not run out of magic...”
Aeris healed her classmates with a calm
expression on her face. The recipients of her healing magic, both men and
women, looked at her with passionate eyes as if they were worshipping a god.
She is a main heroine, and her face as she casts
healing spells on her classmates is indeed beautiful. Her face is as merciful
as an angel's, and her face is so divine that it pulls the soul out of body.
“Kuh... I almost
fell in love with her...”
I find myself fawning over Aeris, and I slap my
cheek in haste.
Oh, no. If I had stared at her just a little
longer, I might have fallen in love with her.
I might have awakened to be a cuckolding hero in
order to win Aeris from Leon. That would have led to a bad ending with the
Demon King's resurrection.
I forcefully tear my eyes away from Aeris and try
to move on.
“Oh...you are
Baskerville-sama, aren't you?”
“Mm...”
I tried to walk past her silently, but Aeris
called out to me.
It was unnatural to ignore her at this point. So,
I turned my head back to Aeris without any choice.
“That's right...
you are Centorea-san, the third place student in grade, aren't you?”
“Yes, that's right.
Baskerville-sama, the runner-up in grade, isn't it?”
Aeris tilts her head with a gentle smile.
And the surrounding classmates around her shrug
their shoulders at the sudden appearance of the villain, but Aeris does not
seem intimidated.
She looks at me from head to toe with the same
benevolent eyes that she has for other classmates.
“I don't think you
need healing magic, Baskerville-sama. It's quite impressive that you've made it
this far on your own”
“It's only a
practice dungeon after all. By the way, have you been doing this since a while
ago?”
“of course. I can't
leave my injured classmates unattended”
Aeris straightens her back and puts her palms on
her chest as if it were natural.
Her huge dicey daisies sway, attracting the
attention of the boys, but she does not seem to be bothered by it.
“...That's very
merciful of you. Don't you have to go on?”
“I have the
permission of my party mates. I thought it would be more worthwhile for
everyone here to move forward one step at a time than for our party to reach
the goal”
“Well... nice
friendship. That's good to hear”
Aeris Centorea is a remarkable woman, the
incarnation of dedication and self-sacrifice.
She is willing to sacrifice herself to help
others. In the game, she sometimes gave up her own life to save someone in need.
Her saintly attitude is admirable... but at the
same time, it made me feel irritated while playing the game.
(She's still an
irritating one. But she's not a bad girl, that's for sure...)
Many people may admire a devoted woman like Aeris.
But for me, people who try to help others at
their own cost are rather irritating.
Every human being has the right to be happy. To
sacrifice oneself for the happiness of others and to give up the right to be
happy is absurd.
“Well... it's not
my job to tell her that. I'll leave it to the hero to lecture the saint”
“Is something the
matter?”
“No, I'm going to
move on. Just don't help people too much, okay?”
With these words of abandon, I turn my back and
walk deeper into the dungeon.
It is not up to me to save the wounded saint
Aeris Centorea. It is Leon's job as the hero to save Aeris and free her from
the chains of self-sacrifice.
At least, it is not the place of a villainous
character.
“Baskerville is
leaving in style... No way”
I parted from Aeris and went on, and soon found a
staircase leading to the lower floor.
This brings me to the fourth floor. The lowest
floor, the 5th floor, is just around the corner.
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