Raised in Dungeon

"Each of you will incur a deduction of 50 points," announced Hussain with a stern gaze that swept across the room.

"Huh?!" exclaimed Francis in genuine surprise, his brows furrowing.

"I'm also deducted?!" gasped Geirhild, her eyes widening in shock.

"Of course, you're the one who applied more pressure. Even if the desk can be returned to its original state, you've still attempted to cause damage to the academy," Hussain explained.

Francis then protested "What about me?! I didn't do anything!"

"What about me?! I didn't do anything!" shouted Francis.

"Where's the proof that you didn't do anything? It's evident that you led the group," asserted Loukia, her eyes narrowing in suspicion

Loukia, with her eight eyes, surveyed the students and issued a stern warning, "Here at the academy, the rules differ from the human world. If you wish to persist in playing your noble games, perhaps you should consider leaving school."

Felicia stepped forward, breaking the tension in the room, and calmly interjected, "I think you all misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?" Loukia questioned with intense gaze.

"There's no fighting here at all. We're merely greeting each other by showcasing our skills," Felicia explained, her words causing a collective shock among the others. In denying the perceived reality that everyone had accepted.

Loukia vehemently argued, "That's impossible; it's obvious that you were fighting. You even tried to use your weapons."

Felicia, undeterred, calmly explained, "It was just a little misunderstanding between us. I am the Earl of Boldenville, and this man here is Prince Francis. Our relationship is quite amicable; a few years ago, we even danced together. It just so happened that he wanted to invite me to lunch, but I had a prior appointment with my friends. You're familiar with the dynamics between nobles and peasants in human places, aren't you? There's a significant gap between them.

Felicia lifted her hand and gestured toward Francis, then continued her narrative, "The two subordinates of Prince Francis over there insulted my knight, Allen, simply because he's a commoner sitting on the same level as me. Insulting a peasant or commoner might be deemed normal in noble circles—I have no issue with it, and Allen doesn't either. It's just that Geirhild couldn't accept it."

"Huh?" Geirhild looked genuinely confused, her expression reflecting she didn't know anything about it.

"Geirhild is a dwarf, and Allen is her friend. Do you know how dwarves treat their friends? She suddenly became angry because she took it as an insult. That's why she hit the table till it broke, but after I explained it to her, she immediately understood, and now they want to try their skill."

"That's a lie," declared Hussain. "I've actually been in this room for a while now, and I see that the events don't match up with what you're telling me."

Allen quickly retorted, "No, you only came into this room after our side started holding the sword."

'How did he realise where we were?' Loukia thought.

Felicia continued her explanation, addressing Loukia directly, "Miss Loukia, earlier, you held Francis accountable as the head of the group, implying he is responsible for the actions of his members." She then turned to Francis, questioning him, "Prince Francis, you didn't deny anything that I said, did you? And, in fact, nothing bad occurred between our friend, right?"

Francis nodded vigorously, affirming, "Right! That's absolutely right! You guys also agree, right?" He looked at his friends, who immediately nodded in agreement.

"Since there is clearly no problem, can Mr. Hussain and Miss Loukia leave this matter alone? Although, will the disciplinary commission still take action even if there is no problem?" Felicia posed the question.

Hussain flashed a broad smile at Felicia, then he leaned closer to her face and whispered.

"You know… I don't really care for your game. What are you guys doing and what happened here. It seems like you're attempting to attack us with society, but it's useless."

Allen grabbed Hussain's shoulders and pushed him forward.

"Stay away from her," Allen said.

Hussain, still smiling, taunted, "Make me."

Allen, determined, gripped Hussain's shoulder while exerting all his strength to push him. However, Hussain remained unyielding, his smile undiminished, showing no signs of exertion.

"Allen, stop. If you do anything more than that, what I've done will be in vain," Felicia interjected, urging restraint. Allen reluctantly weakened his grip and pushed him slightly. As Allen push him, Hussain gracefully moved away from Felicia.

"But yeah... your efforts will not be in vain. With this, we have an excuse to turn a blind eye to your problems," Hussain declared

Felicia sighed quietly "Then you will-"

Hussain cut her off, his tone sly, "It's only two rosenoble coins."

'This guy, really is as rumored,' thought Felicia, surprised by Hussain's threat. 'Two rosenoble coins, that's a significant sum of money. He must be well-versed in the contents of a noble's pocket.'

Hussain shifted his gaze to Allen, pointing at him, and proposed, "Or... you, be one of us."

"Eh?" Allen was taken aback by the unexpected suggestion.

Felicia, equally surprised at the abrupt shift in the conversation, questioned, "Pardon me?"

Hussain leaned in, whispering discreetly so others wouldn't overhear, "This incident happened because of a feud between students. If, for example, one of the disciplinary committees had been keeping an eye on the situation from the start, then the incident would not have been an issue to be brought up at all."

Hussain took a step back and inquired, "How about it, Allen? Are you willing to join the disciplinary committee?"

"WHAT?!"

"A first-year student into the SDC?"

Francis chimed in, his initial amusement giving way to surprise. He suddenly felt left behind and defeated by Allen.

"Chairman! He's still in the first grade, and we still don't know his strength," Loukia protested.

"No worries; I already know. I saw his duel this morning. He's probably stronger than me," Hussain calmly asserted.

"Are you...serious?" Loukia asked again, searching for confirmation.

Hussain offered no reply

Allen looked confaused, he wanted to answer "no" immediately, but he couldn't ignore the weight of Felicia's financial sacrifice to resolve the situation.

However, Felicia walked straight up to Hussain and whispered, "Two rosenoble is enough, right?"

Hussain chuckled, playing along, "Hahaha, okay." To avoid any suspicion of bribery, he added, "You can answer that tomorrow in my office; you might change your mind."

As Hussain exited, Francis expressed his gratitude to Felicia and extended an invitation to lunch in the near future. Allen, however, remained contemplative, realizing that the complexity of the recent events hinted at a situation that wouldn't resolve itself so easily.

After Hussain left, Francis expressed his gratitude to Felicia and extended an invitation to lunch in the near future. Allen remained lost in thought, recognizing that the recent situation could not be easily concluded.

'If he saw my duel this morning, then he's been after me since then,' Allen thought, his mind racing with possibilities. 'Hopefully giving him money will really stop him. But I've seen someone like him before. He's similar, a loan shark. People who will do anything to get what they want. It wouldn't be surprising for someone like him to keep trapping us and continuously asking for money in return from Felicia until I became his property. He is cunning, clever, and has power.'

"What's wrong, Allen?" Felicia inquired as she noticed his contemplative state. "If you're thinking about that money, you don't have to worry; it's only 1/10th of my allowance for the yers.

Geirhild gasped, "You're... really rich!" having overheard their conversation.

"Of course I am, so... do you want to be my friend now?" Felicia offered, her gaze turning toward Geirhild.

Sharik, startled, asked, "Eh? Are you sure you'd let someone be friends with you just because of money?"

"Geirhild is fine, because she's Allen's friend," Felicia responded. In the end, Geirhild became friends with Felicia and Shark.