Langard, the Adventurers' Guild.
Clink!
Two coin purses were placed onto a table in the guild's tavern.
“How about we split today's rewards like this?” Shulim said.
“No problem! I'll take my share!” Arthur nodded, grabbing the coin purse closer to him and tucking it away.
“Hey, did you guys hear? I heard that Chivalrous Thief paid another visit to some corrupt wealthy merchant's house.”
“Again? Must be nice. I wonder if that Chivalrous Thief could come and bail me out too... I'm almost out of money for booze...”
“What are the details? Do tell...”
At a nearby table, several adventurers who had been drinking since broad daylight gossiped about a certain topic.
Shulim had also heard rumors of this. It seemed to be spreading through Downtown, but she didn't know the specifics.
“Ah, that Chivalrous Thief? That guy is pretty amazing!” Arthur chimed in, voicing his approval of the person in their conversation.
“Do you know them?”
“No.” Arthur shook his head. “How would I know? Probably nobody knows his true identity. He just suddenly appeared a few months ago, targeting merchants, wealthy people, and gangs with terrible reputations. Every time he gets money, he distributes it all to the slums. Even the orphanage I grew up in received a donation from him.”
“So yeah, that guy is really impressive!”
Stealing from the rich to give to the poor?
Langard really had all sorts of people. Shulim wondered who this Chivalrous Thief actually was...
...
After returning to the academy, Shulim headed to the Great Library as usual. She entered the inner area, borrowed a Fourth-Tier magic book, and began studying.
By the time she returned the book and left the Great Library, the sky had turned completely dark.
“Mico... still isn't back?”
Returning to her dormitory, her white-furred cat-eared roommate, Mico, was still nowhere to be seen.
“Lately, it feels like she's been leaving earlier and returning later more and more often.”
“So mysterious. Hopefully, she hasn't gone down some bad path...”
Shulim poured herself a cup of refreshing juice, took out the desserts she had bought on her way back, and began recalling the Fourth-Tier magic she had learned today, attempting to construct its mana circuit inside her body.
After an unknown amount of time passed...
Creak!
The dormitory door was quietly opened.
“Huh?”
Seeing the lights still on inside, Mico, who was slipping in stealthily, let out a soft exclamation of surprise.
Shulim paused her magic practice and walked out of her bedroom.
“Mico, you're back? What kept you so late?”
“Uh... well, I had a little something to take care of...” Mico said awkwardly, her eyes darting around. “Oh, right, why isn't Shulim asleep yet when it's this late?”
...Change the subject, much?
“I was reviewing the magic I learned today. I have some sweets here. Want some?”
“Really? Yes, please! I want some!” Mico's eyes lit up the moment she heard the word “sweets.”
“Here. Remember to brush your teeth after you eat.”
“Mmph~ I will~ Mmph~ got it,” Mico mumbled half-heartedly as she stuffed her face with the dessert.
Shulim could only smile helplessly at this, turning to go back to her bedroom.
...
...
Glimmer Dungeon.
“【ᛓᚠᛏᚱוᚠᛃᛖᛜᛁᛄᚾᛒᛜᚢᚪᛖᛡᛞᚠᛟᛃᛜᛣᚠᚱᛈᛜᛃᛏᚠᛞᚲᛜᚹᛚᛖᛗᛜᛉᚱᚠᛄᛓᛖᛚᛜᛖᛗᛃᛞᛋ】”
“Great Fireball!”
A massive ball of fire erupted from the tip of Alicia's wand, blasting down a swarm of small bats along its path. It finally struck a significantly larger sonic bat, detonating violently.
Screeech!
Amid the sonic bat's burning shrieks, its body plummeted straight out of the air onto the ground.
“Whew!”
Having dealt with the enemy, Alicia let out a breath.
Shulim watched quietly from the side.
“Alicia, you've gotten quite proficient at using Third-Tier magic.”
“Really?”
“But it's all thanks to you. If Shulim hadn't entered the dungeon with me these past few months, my strength wouldn't have improved so quickly.”
“I didn't really do much. Your magic improved mainly because of your own hard work, Alicia. Still, if that's the case...”
Shulim thought for a moment before continuing, “Starting tomorrow, we can try venturing into the deeper floors. The areas here don't give us much of a challenge anymore.”
“The deeper floors...” Alicia seriously considered the suggestion. “I wonder if we can conquer this dungeon before our academy term ends...”
Although it was a relatively low-difficulty dungeon, defeating the Dungeon Boss to conquer it required a team with strength close to B-Class.
“Alicia, it's time to head back.”
While Alicia was still lost in thought, Shulim had already retrieved the magic stones and was ready to return.
“Okay, I'm coming!”
The two quickly returned to the surface and bid each other farewell near the dungeon entrance.
“See you tomorrow, Shulim!”
“See you tomorrow.”
Shulim watched as Alicia boarded a luxurious carriage drawn by an earth dragon under the protection of her guards.
“Hmm... Next, let's head over to Ilus's shop. It's about time to service my equipment. While I'm at it, I might as well stop by Zargin's Forge.”
Having decided on her destinations, Shulim set off toward the district where Ilus's apothecary was located.
The shortest path from Glimmer Dungeon to the apothecary went through an older, rundown residential block in Downtown. Shulim didn't plan on taking a detour, choosing instead to head straight through the area.
Before long, Shulim arrived at this old district. Obvious signs of decline were everywhere—very few shops were open for business, there were fewer pedestrians on the streets, and suspicious-looking characters had noticeably increased.
“Hmm? That person...”
Her eyes caught the back of a certain figure.
Although the person was completely shrouded in a long robe, Shulim still felt a faint sense of familiarity.
“...Why is she here? And what is she planning to do?”
The person's actions were extremely suspicious, and she was heading deeper and deeper into a shady-looking alleyway.
...
Confronted with this situation, Shulim remained silent for two seconds. Then, she retrieved a spare black robe from her bag, changed out of her academy uniform, and silently followed behind.
...
The streets grew more and more remote. The number of pedestrians dwindled to none, and hostile gazes from the dark corners multiplied.
“Just where is she going?”
Looking at the cloaked back that had clearly entered lawless territory, Shulim grew increasingly curious.
“Hey, hiding your head but exposing your tail, huh? Do you know whose territory this is—”
A heavily bearded, burly man stood up from a dark corner nearby, looking with annoyance at Shulim, who was hiding behind a wooden barrel to observe the figure.
Thud!
“Please be quiet.”
Following a dull thud, the burly man rolled his eyes and collapsed unconscious onto the ground, fast asleep...
“Hmm?”
Sensing some kind of disturbance, the figure ahead turned around.
Yet she saw nothing but a leg being dragged into an alley around a nearby corner.
“?”
Slide, slide.
The figure tilted her head in confusion. But thinking that this was simply the kind of neighborhood where such things happened, she discarded any thoughts of going over to investigate.
Rate on N.U.
