It's just a simple chicken sandwich... why does it cost so much?
"They sure are giving these sandwiches for free. Are you sure they're safe to eat? Are they still good?" Fran said as she looked closely at the sandwich, her sense of money completely altered because of her royal upbringing.
At first, I thought my meetings with Franchesca were going to be sporadic.
But right after she walked away, she turned back and asked me to take her to the cafeteria.
"We sure have different views on money..." I mentioned as I felt that the money I spent this last year won't be enough to last me more than a month.
"But of course, a peasant doesn't understand money like a true noble does." She sounded so confident in herself—it was honestly kind of endearing.
"Maybe by spending time with me, you'll actually learn how to deal with money."
"I do wonder if that'll work." I was still suspicious of her. She was acting way too nice to me compared to how she treated the main character.
"Of course it'll work. Anyone associated with the Von Themys family will experience great success in life." Even though she was walking in front of me, I could already imagine the expression she was making, a confident smile.
"Tell me, peasant..." she abruptly stopped walking, "Do you perhaps know what kinds of books we need for this year?" She sounded reluctant to ask.
"I know the ones needed for the required classes... Can't tell you about the ones used in your special classes, though."
"That's good enough... Ahem. Take me to the library to buy those books." She pointed ahead.
"Actually, it's a bookstore..." She turned around to look at me. "...in the city."
"Oh... I-I mean... yes, of course. I was just testing you to see if you were paying attention."
"Ha. Yeah, whatever. Just follow me." I started heading in the opposite direction. Now I was the one walking in front.
"Wait. Did you laugh?" I didn't stop despite her raising her tone. "Stop! I was telling you the truth!"
She grabbed my arm and tried justifying herself.
I already liked her character before, but seeing this new flustered side of hers was honestly really fun.
She usually played the mean "ice queen" type of character—constantly hating on the main character.
---
We made our way outside of Aurum Academy and into the city built around it.
We got distracted by the various shops and restaurants.
I expected Franchesca to be less excited about all this. As a noble, she should've been used to better things.
But no...
She was just as excited to explore the city as I was—which was rather cute.
In the end, we were able to buy our books.
"As expected of me. A Themys must know who to associate with." I'm guessing this was her convoluted way of saying thank you.
"If you ever need help in the future, just tell me. I don't know if I'll be able to solve it, but I can try."
Now that we were back inside the academy, I stopped—planning to head to my dorm.
"You will help me regardless of the issue," she said, looking away. "And I may also help you..." she paused, "if, and only if, you prove to be useful." She stormed off.
...
The gap is too big.
If only she'd kept this attitude, maybe she wouldn't have turned into a villainess.
It's better if I keep an eye on her—her family and the entire Montanev kingdom are the main bad guys of the story, after all.
---
It's already the second day, and my first two classes were math and geography.
Now though, it's time for my dungeon class.
It's held far away from where the famous classes take place, which shows just how unpopular this subject is.
However, it's thanks to that unpopularity that this class will earn me lots of easy points.
Huh?
There are only four other students. The maximum number of students in special classes tends to be around fifty or sixty...
And the teacher...
He's just sitting at his desk...
"Well, five students in total, which means..." The green-haired elf teacher stood up. "Class can now start."
Enyoll Iave—an S-tier character for dungeon exploration. Thanks to his archer class and his unique passive [Handy Man], which lets him open chests and deactivate traps with his bare hands, he completely negates the need for any character that belongs to the thief class like me.
"Now, in this class, you'll learn everything about dungeons—floors, hidden walls, and traps of every kind." He started writing on the blackboard. "If everything goes as planned... we'll even explore low-level dungeons."
He paused, expecting a reaction from us.
...
There was none.
"Ahem... Do any of you have experience exploring a dungeon?"
I raised my hand.
"As expected, no—" He stopped when he noticed I was the only one with my hand raised. "Student..." He checked a book. "Alen?"
"Yes, teacher."
I heard a couple of gasps from the other four students.
"While I was told that you're the only student with experience in my field..." He looked at me through his glasses. "I didn't expect you to take on this subject in particular."
He walked over to my desk. "What kinds of dungeons have you already explored?"
"Goblin dungeons, with orc bosses."
"How many dungeons have you explored?"
"I don't know..." Why would I keep count? "I went twice a week last year, so..."
"One hundred and four..." He did the math so fast! "Do you... like exploring dungeons?"
"..."
"I don't like how taxing it is to explore everything—every floor, every room—constantly watching for hidden chambers. I don't like the excessive fighting. My life's at risk every time, and killing is something I'll never get used to. Exploring a dungeon is a horrible experience."
...
"But... the feeling of fully exploring one, making a mental map of it, figuring out its patterns, finding that hidden room or treasure chest, the walk back after hours of being inside..."
No matter how horrible it feels...
"I do. Even if I had the worst time of my life inside one," I looked directly into Enyoll's eyes, "I truly like exploring dungeons."
He walked back to the front of the class.
"Then it's decided." He wrote my name in the center of the blackboard. "Alen will now be both my assistant and the leader of the group whenever we explore dungeons."
Wha—
"Is anyone against that?"
I looked at my classmates.
They all shook their heads.
"Heh. That's right!" He slammed his hand on his desk. "Dungeons are an absolute chore—but that's what makes them so appealing!"
He pointed in our general direction.
"I'll teach every single one of you how to conquer any dungeon you may face!"
He really does love what he does.
"Now then..." he calmed down again. "Why don't you start introducing yourselves?"
...
"Anyone?"
...
"Alen, please go first."
sigh I stood up.
"I'm Alen. When exploring dungeons, I prefer a stealthy approach—surprise killing monsters, and one-on-one fights if that fails. I'm proud of my sight and dexterity." I'd rather not say everything I'm capable of.
"Next... uuuh... oh." It took him a few long seconds to choose the next student.
sigh And I still have one special class left.