Chapter 43.
I stepped onto the teleportation magic circle. Ridmore stood to my left, while Claude and Felicia stood together in front of me.
“Activate!”
An academy staff member shouted energetically. Mages surrounding the circle began channeling mana into it.
From the magic circle below, a blue light glowed and a low hum of vibration echoed.
The head mage called out.
“Teleport!”
Flash! A brilliant light burst forth. Instinctively, I raised my arm to shield my face and shut my eyes. Ridmore stepped in front of me, shielding my view.
A strange sensation followed, like being trapped in a narrow tube, the pressure closing in from all sides, and my limbs stretching long like strings.
After a moment, the light faded, and my feet landed firmly on the ground. I straightened my shoulders and cautiously opened my eyes.
The scent of the wind was different. The mixed noise of countless people speaking all at once, shouting and yelling from various directions, echoed around us.
“If you’ve arrived, please step outside!”
A mage in a worn robe shouted at us and the other students standing on the circle.
“Follow me.”
Another mage gestured for us to follow. I lowered my arms and began walking after him.
Claude’s blond hair fluttered ahead in the breeze.
In front of us spread a wide plain dotted with people, tents serving as temporary shelters, knights already arrived for the preliminary inspection, fully armed with military gear, tethered horses, mages, and priests all moving around in their own business.
Wherever you looked, the towering Medina Mountains stood in the background.
The mage guiding us suddenly turned around and said with a sigh:
“Welcome to the Aldeb Plains.”
His eyes were full of boredom—likely the result of repeating this exact same line dozens of times.
***
“I’m jealous. I wish I were in your group.”
The first day of the three-day field training was spent teleporting from the academy to the Aldeb Plains, then gathering in groups to listen to important dungeon-entry instructions and prepare accordingly.
After the briefing, Pogos found us during our free time and spoke with envy.
“Told you. You should’ve had a better attitude. You said it wouldn’t happen, but look—it did.”
“I don’t think my attitude was particularly bad, though…”
Felicia brushed off Pogos’ muttering casually.
She glanced around at us, gathered around the campfire in the middle of the tent.
“Two swordsmen and two spirit users. Not bad.”
Then she muttered with a bit of regret.
“Well, if we had a mage, it would’ve been even better…”
“Debuffs and control spells would make things easier,” Ridmore nodded. I agreed.
Having a mage in combat is extremely helpful.
Besides high-powered offensive magic, they can use hypnosis or sleep-type spells to incapacitate enemies, paralyzing or binding spells to restrict movement. If we had someone with that skill set, our battles would be much easier.
While our team was decent, it wasn’t the most efficient combination.
“No, we don’t even need a mage! Ridmore’s already a great swordsman, and we’ve got Kalia, right? With Undine, we can just sweep them away!”
Felicia declared enthusiastically. Ridmore looked slightly embarrassed, but also proud.
I looked at Claude sitting across from me. As he had been all day, he wore an ambiguous smile and said nothing.
Felicia’s efforts to spark conversation—even with silly remarks like these—were clearly connected to his strange behavior.
He had been completely silent the entire time. Even during the brief introduction among team members, he only said a few words and remained quiet afterward, keeping a passive distance.
Anyone would think he was upset about something.
Given that Felicia had always seen him as easygoing and cheeky, it made sense she was feeling awkward.
Ridmore also kept glancing between Claude and me, reading the atmosphere.
Unlike Felicia, Ridmore knew I had chased after Claude for some time, and that something unusual had happened between us.
He now looked between the silent Claude and me, his expression caught in awkwardness.
This is getting ridiculous…
I couldn’t help but feel my mood sink. The initial excitement I felt upon seeing our team list had completely vanished.
Is it really necessary for him to act like this?
We hadn’t even entered the dungeon yet. His attitude was draining.
Every time I think we part on decent terms, he acts like a different person the next time we meet. Such a strange guy…
I grumbled inwardly. He must be a truly difficult prince.
Did he think I’d give up just because of this?
Once we enter the dungeon, he won’t be able to keep acting like this anyway.
Still, I didn’t want to make the mood worse.
“Where are you going?”
As I abruptly stood up, Ridmore asked.
“Just going for a little walk around the area.”
I thought maybe if even one of us left, the awkward tension would lift. But Ridmore got up too.
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll just walk around nearby.”
“Kalia. You promised last time, remember?”
He said sternly, reminding me of the promise I made at Felicia’s engagement party—not to wander off alone.
“But…”
“Miss Estelle.”
Just as I was struggling to come up with a way to politely decline, I heard someone call me.
When I turned around—it was someone unexpected.
“Father?”
Everyone stood up awkwardly to greet him.
It was Adrian, one of the priests accompanying us for healing. He gave a gentle smile.
“I hope I’m not interrupting your evening.”
“Not at all. But… what brings you here?”
Ridmore asked on behalf of the group.
“I need to speak with Miss Estelle. May I borrow a moment of her time?”
He offered his hand to me politely as he spoke.
“…Of course.”
I placed my hand on his. I didn’t know what he wanted to talk about, but it worked out well.
“I’ll be back soon,” I whispered to Ridmore. He nodded with a complicated look and sat down.
If the side of a priest blessed by God isn’t safe, then nowhere in the world is.
With Adrian escorting me, I slowly walked away. The last glimpse I caught of Claude showed an unreadable expression.
It was still too early to sleep.
Students were gathered around their tents chatting, or walking in small groups like us.
Even in the dark, several people recognized Adrian and greeted him.
“What did you want to see me about?”
We had walked through the crowd and reached a quiet area.
“I have something to give you.”
He released my arm and unstrapped a simple travel bag from his shoulder, handing it to me.
“Please take this.”
“What is it?”
I took it and asked. He smiled faintly and gestured toward the bag, indicating I should check for myself.
I opened it and found a slightly oversized glass bottle filled with a white liquid.
“A blessed potion. Just in case—please take it.”
“But, Father… why are you giving this to me?”
I looked up in surprise. He just smiled silently.
All students were already issued two potions to treat minor wounds and aid in recovery.
A potion blessed by a high priest—especially someone like Adrian—was absurdly expensive and excessive for a low-level dungeon like this.
I closed the bag and held it out to return it.
“I can’t accept this.”
But Adrian took a step back. Just that movement opened a noticeable distance between us.
He spoke from there.
“Just consider it the concern of someone a little older than you. You probably won’t need it. I only wanted to give you peace of mind—since it’s your first field training.”
“Still… why give it to me? There are many second-year students for whom this is also their first time. I just… don’t understand, Father.”
I was confused. Since last time, he’d been… strangely kind to me.
But why would Adrian do that?
He was a man favored by the gods. Aside from a brief one-on-one lesson, we barely interacted. Why was he being so generous?
I couldn’t understand it.
“Just think of it as the favor of someone who hopes you’ll be strong.”
“You’re a theology professor and one of the leaders of the priest group. Is it really okay to treat only one person this way? I… I’m not sure.”
I was so nervous my words didn’t come out right. I didn’t know how to respond to him.
“If someone is being treated unfairly, then someone else must show kindness in return—so balance is restored.”
Twilight had fallen. In the fading light, his smile looked as beautiful as ever.
“You are a special person, Miss Kalia.”
He gently took my outstretched hand and pushed the bag back into my arms. I felt the bottle bump lightly against my chest.
“It’s getting late. Let me walk you back.”
As if in a trance, I slung the bag over my shoulder and walked back with him.
Pogos had already left. Adrian said good night to everyone and departed.
Claude glanced at me for a moment and then immediately went into the tent.
Ridmore and Felicia bombarded me with questions—what did you talk about, what’s in that bag—but I dodged them by claiming I was too tired.
Lying on my cot, I hugged the bag he had given me. I could feel the round shape of the glass bottle.
Adrian Kier—what kind of man is he, really? Why is he doing this for me?
I couldn’t sleep. The more time passed, the clearer my mind became.
Tomorrow morning, our group enters the dungeon.
I forced my eyes shut, trying to sleep.
Only after counting countless stars did I finally drift off.
“Wake up! Wake up!”
The voices of several attendants shouting outside stirred me from sleep.
The day to enter the dungeon had arrived.
