Raised in Dungeon

That morning, Allen and Felicia set off for the academy city, their departure being accompanied by a group of house residents. In front of the prestigious Boldenville Manor House, several maids and soldiers diligently carried the luggage that was destined to accompany them to the academy.

"Are you sure you only brought that?" asked Felicia, who saw that Allen's luggage was only one bag.

"Yeah, I didn't have much to begin with," Allen said. 'Most of the things I use, like clothes and pants, can be created by relying on Reig, so I only brought the essential things,' he thought.

"You're such a minimalist; how can you live with only a few things?" Felicia said.

"I think I am still normal compared to you, who brought that much."

Whether it was mirrors, cabinets, or other tertiary items, all of them were Felicia's stuff and all put into the carriage.

A crow then flew onto Allen's shoulder.

"Are you going to bring this bird to the academy too?" Felicia asked,

"I didn't really mean to."

"It's really attached to you. Maybe you can actually start keeping it."

"I don't think I can do that. My Master said that bird always wants to fly free. So I'll let her do whatever she likes. If she wants to come with me, then that's fine."

"Is everything done? Are you sure you'll be okay for the exam?" Ayde asked Felicia.

"Take it easy Mother; I have the privilege of being the Maiden of Eden Garden!"

"How can you say that out loud when you said you were ashamed of that title yesterday?" said Allen.

"Shut up; I just wanted to give a convincing sentence. I still think it's embarrassing."

Seeing Allen and Felicia exchange sentences, Ayde felt relieved and smiled. "Good Luck, Felicia, Allen."

Felicia directed her gaze towards Michael, who timidly took refuge behind Ayde's legs.

'Oh yeah, I haven't talked to him much these past few days,' she thought.

With a gentle push from Ayde, Michael was encouraged to step forward and bid his sister farewell. Squatting down in front of him, Felicia patiently awaited his greeting, eager to hear what he had to say.

"B-big sis, see you soon; good luck with your study," Michael said shyly.

Felicia couldn't help but smile when she saw Michael act shy. She hugged him, exclaiming, "My brother is so cute."

"Big sis?!" cried Michael as he suddenly got a hug.

Felicia gently stroked Michael's head in her embrace, then murmured. "Michael, you'll have to practice and study many things in the future to meet our stupid father's expectations. But, if you're fed up, you can leave the house and come to me, and I'll be sure to do something for you."

"A-alright?"

Felicia glanced up at the window in the room where her father was working. Reynold was looking at her through the window. And as their eyes met, Reynold turned himself away from the window.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry," Felicia murmured again to Michael.

She felt guilty for feeling relieved at Michael's birth. She was relieved that the duties and burdens she had been feeling would be passed on to her brother. That was why she intended to return home if her brother was not able to be the head of the family. And if she was to replace her brother, it meant that she would have to marry someone else worthy of being the head of the Boldenville family in the future. Surely that person's status would have to be equal to or above hers.

"Lady, it's time," Rachel called behind her.

"Eh? Already? What about you? I don't see much of your stuff.

"My one backpack is enough. The stuff I use is mostly just stuff to serve the lady."

"I-I see..." replied Felicia hesitantly, 'but there's no way she can live with just one piece of clothing,' Felicia thought. 'Well... we can buy other things once we get to the academy city.

"Maybe we should increase the number of soldiers? Isn't ten too few?" asked Ayde.

"Don't worry about that; I am here with her. I'll never leave Felicia forever," said Allen with a confident and calm face.

Embarrassed, Felicia also said, "Y-yes... that's it; as you know, Allen has the strength of more than 100 silver-ranked soldiers, and if anything happens, there's Rachel, who can hide me from danger."

'Since Reynold has already thought of this, probably everything should be fine,' Ayde thought.

Felicia waved her hand to them and walked to the carriage, followed by Allen and Rachel.

Before getting in, Felicia stopped in front of the carriage door, silent and with a sad look on her face.

"What's wrong, Lady?" asked Rachel.

Felicia turned her head to the left, looking at the residential town of Boldenville in the lowlands.

'Does she miss the city?' thought Allen, as did Rachel.

But that wasn't it; she wasn't looking at the city but trying to look far straight into the northern region.

"If I enter the academy, the chances of us meeting will decrease. I'll probably be even busier while he'll be busy organizing his own region," Felicia said.

At first, the two of them did not understand what Felicia was talking about, but their blood rushed to their hearts once they understood a moment later.

"Mr. Waldo... It's been three years since he left to dungeon raid; I heard four years is common to complete the dungeon, so I hope he's doing well."

Lies were painful, and when one decided to lie, another lie appeared to cover up the previous one.

"Don't worry, Lady." Rachel said. "Mr. Waldo will be fine," she said that as she gently touched Felicia's shoulder.

As for Allen, "It's so hot here; I'll wait inside the carriage," he said, turning away while refraining from hitting himself.

During these three years, Felicia rarely talked about her fiancé, and Rachel and Allen never thought that keeping a lie would be so painful for them.

Felicia turned around and walked into the carriage.

"You're right; Mr. Waldo is strong after all. It's impossible for someone like him to just die. He'll definitely come back."

"..."

Because Felicia didn't hear Rachel's footsteps following her, she looked back and saw Rachel's sad face.

"What kind of face is that?! I won't forgive you if you're sad because I longed for my fiancé."

"Fo-forgive me, my lady," she said while trying her best to hold back her tears.

"Don't think too much about it; I've got you and Allen by my side this time. I won't be sad just because Mr. Waldo left in just a few years; it doesn't mean he will leave me forever."

With a heavy heart, Rachel replied her with a smile.

...

...

...

In the hallway of Oxwade Academy

An adult but quite short woman with a round witch hat was walking with a tired-looking face. She then stopped at one of the large doors in the academy hallway, took a breath, and went inside.

"Excuse me," she said as she opened the door. "I came as you wished. So what matters do you want me to do, Principal Eliphas?"

While not resembling a typical principal's office, the room exudes a unique charm that sets it apart. Its interior is adorned with a fascinating array of antique equipment, reminiscent of the old world. Adding to its allure, the room boasts a captivating feature—an elegant staircase that leads to a small room above. From below, one can still catch a glimpse of the enchanting roof above. With its distinctive and meticulously curated decor, this room embodies antiquity's essence. It stands as a testament to its unrivaled uniqueness.

"Uweeek Petronella... you really came just because of that thing, huh? How disgusting." A small, white-haired girl was sitting on the stairs, feeding a strange-looking fish in a small aquarium. The girl's eyes were red, and inside her eyes there was a strange symbol, indicating that she was an adfeqtus reliqua.

"After being offered that thing, how could I not come? By the way, it's nice to meet you, Horivaid."

"I told you many times to call me Hori; I disgust that name. Are you doing that on purpose?"

"Oya oya… You girls are as close as ever," said Principal Eliphas, sitting behind his wooden desk.

"Where did you get that from? It looks like your brain's contents run to your beard's growth."

Ignoring Hori's words, Eliphas put his quill into the ink place and said, "Welcome back, Petronella. How was the adventuring life? Was it fun?"

"More or less, than that, is there a particular reason you called me here? If possible, please do it quickly; I want to leave the academy immediately."

"Why is that? Do you have any important things to do after this?"

"Not really; I just don't like staying in this place for long."

"It's good that you have nothing to do. Because I will need your help soon."

"A favor?"

"Two new students will be entering the praeterea class this week, and I want you to be one of their examiner."

"Examiner? Do I have the right to do that?"

"I'll do something about it. What's important is that I want you to judge them honestly."

"Transfer students at a time like this; they must have gotten in with bribes, right? There's no way the secundari counselors can accept them. Then you want me to cheat by getting them accepted into the academy? I refuse, I don't like being associated with such political things. That's also the reason I threw away my noble name; don't you remember that?"

"You misunderstand my word, Petronella; I want your fair judgment. At least I want a neutral party on the examiner's side to examine that child."

"Then, if I don't acknowledge them, can I thwart them from the academy?"

"Of course, do as you please. If they weren't good enough to be admitted even after defying the academy system, then they didn't deserve to be here."

"Then it's an easy job. I'll excuse myself then; please prepare that thing you promised me."