โAlright!โ
โNothing is alright!!โ
Fran-chan, the noisy toy, is spouting off something again, but I ignore her and slap the whiteboard in the Aurora Shopping Mallโs meeting room.
โSo, as of now, all major members of the Proxia Republicโs parliament have either fled or committed suicide! Our victory!โ
โโฆ Youโve finally done it. You really destroyed a country! Youโre insane!โ
โHaha.โ
โWhy are you laughing?! Whatโs there to laugh about?!โ
โAnyway, moving on. You guys really screwed up. What makes it worse is that you ate the food in enemy territory, got drugged, and knocked out.โ
โTh-thatโs true, butโฆโ
โSo from now on, Iโll teach you how to defend yourselves as top executives!โ
โโฆ And whatโs your real reason?โ
โI thought maybe Iโd take this chance to bully you guys a little?โ
โHelp me! My husbandโs going to kill me!!โ
Haha, is she a domestic violence victim or something?
Now, after sending the top brass off to the re-education center and cleaning up the mess in the collapsed capital of the Proxia Republicโฆ
Oh, itโs already the end of the first yearโs third term.
It looks like thereโs a test, so I decided to return to the academy.
The academy.
The moment I returned to the academy, I was immediately summoned to the royal palace and questioned about the collapse of the Proxia Republic.
โNom nomโฆ I destroyed Proxia because they pissed me off. Got a problem with that?โ
โAre you joking?โ
The king asked.
โShut up, youโre being annoying. They got on my nerves, so of course they were going to get destroyed. And, honestly, Iโd love to kill you too, but Iโm sparing you out of respect for my friend, the second prince, Gilbert.โ
โI-I see.โ
This king is a real clown.
Heโs like a foolish, boar-headed idiot straight out of a shonen manga.
To be honest, I canโt stand being in the same room as this buffoon, but since my friend, the second prince Gilbert, is involved, I have no choice but to tolerate it.
Frankly, this guyโs stupidity is the reason my life has been such a mess.
Unlike the politicians of Earthโs more sensible countries, this idiot canโt even centralize his power, let alone govern effectively. What a jokeโฆ
It seems heโs starting to grasp the power difference, so he doesnโt make any direct moves anymore. But if I ever show any weakness, thereโs no doubt heโd try something. Heโs not an ally, not by a long shot.
Itโs rare for me to keep non-allies around.
Still, I do have a conscience, and thereโs Fran-chan to considerโฆ
โฆ Well, whatever.
For now, I was told to explain myself, so I replied, โI did it because I was pissed off, no regrets,โ and then returned to the academy to face the test.
So, the academy.
When I returned, the reactions were split into two groups.
Around 30% looked at me with awe and fear, like I was a hero for destroying what was once an enemy nation, the Proxia Republic (though no country in this era is truly friendly with each other).
The remaining 70% looked at me like I was some incomprehensible monster.
But, as usual, thatโs fine.
โWhat on earth are you doing, Exus?โ
The academy headmaster, an old lady, scolded me.
By common sense, destroying a country is a bad thingโฆ
I couldnโt argue with that, but still.
โCome on, granny. Itโs not like I destroyed a whole country over a tantrumโฆโ
โHow many people do you think died because of your fit of anger?!โ
โBased on my observations, 5,411 people died. 64% of them were men, and 1,220 were minors under the age of 15.โ
โYou knew that and still did it?! Thatโs the worst!โ
โBut granny, they were the enemy.โ
โSure, they were enemies. But kids shouldnโt be getting their hands dirty!โ
Hmm.
โโฆI get it, granny. Youโre saying that since Iโm a kid, I should act like one and nurture my emotional growth, right?โ
This old lady is a model educator.
On this point, sheโs 100% right, and I have no objections.
So, I apologized honestly and promised her that after the finals, Iโd spend some time acting like a kid.
Hmmm?
Iโm aware that Iโm pretty much a scumbag, but for some reason, there are still a lot of people who care about me.
Iโm lucky, but instead of wasting time trying to reform me, wouldnโt it be more meaningful to focus on something else?
And now, the test.
At the academy, thereโs a test at the end of every term, and the third termโs test, in particular, is a final exam that determines whether or not you advance.
The content? Dungeon Conquest.
Itโs a well-known fact that this country has a fondness for โwar,โ and while you might think that training wizards in dungeon exploration sounds more like an adventurerโs jobโฆ
In reality, wars donโt happen every day, and during peacetime, wizards are primarily tasked with โdealing with monsters that regular soldiers canโt handle.โ
For instance, โA horde of orcs has settled in the nearby forest!โ or โAn ogre has taken over an abandoned fortress!โ or โSorry to interrupt, but a stray wyvern is on the loose!โ Those are the kinds of things they deal with.
As I always say, in this world, regular soldiers have about the same capabilities as ordinary humans on Earth.
At best, they can barely take down a goblin. If a wolf shows up, things get pretty dicey.
Honestly, even with a sword, a regular human canโt beat a wolf. The difference in biological capability is just too great. Itโs only common sense, really. Itโs not very dreamlike, butโฆ
However, soldiers or knights who have undergone sufficient training can unconsciously cloak themselves in magic power, strengthening their bodies.
Once that happens, even if they canโt fully control magic, a well-trained knight can likely take down an orc in a one-on-one fight.
Orcs are basically like grizzly bears. If you can kill a bear with a sword, youโre already superhuman.
โฆ And wizards can easily wipe out orcs with no effort.
A โmid-level magicโ spell, which is standard for military use, can easily deal the damage of a rifle or cannon shell, depending on the type. And they can attack from a distance.
Thatโs why wizards are usually treated as a โtrump cardโ in this country.
Even this dumb country doesnโt send wizards into battle with spears, telling them to charge to their deaths.
So, the dungeonโconquering a monsterโs nestโis essential experience.
Now, weโre heading into the academyโs dungeon to defeat a set number of monsters.