Chapter 72

[The Next Day]

“Good morning, Esteemed Otherworlders. It’s wonderful to see each of you in good health."

At that moment, Rey and his classmates stood in the open fields of their training ground.

All twenty-eight of them were facing Grandmaster Conrad, who had Brutus and Lucielle to his right and left respectively.

Conrad had a calm smile on his face as his long hair swayed gently in the wind.

As usual, he was adorned in expensive jewelry and elegant clothing. No one would doubt that this man was royalty.

"I appreciate your patience and understanding during these trying times," Conrad continued, his voice carrying across the field. "You've faced numerous restrictions, and I am truly grateful for your cooperation."

Truthfully, if it hadn’t been for Adonis calming the students down, there would have been a lot more resistance to the actions of the Royal Council.

After Adam’s demise, it was clear that there had been a change in the power balance.

The desperation of the United Human Alliance began to show, while the students grew a lot more uneasy about their place in the Estate.

This ultimately led to a shift in the status quo.

Right now, it was clear that the United Human Alliance had more to lose by letting the students go, prompting them to take a more proactive role in managing their champions.

That was why Conrad—Grandmaster that he was—was standing out in the open to address the Otherworlders.

“All of that changes today. We will dismantle the barriers, and we will even grant you the freedom to explore beyond the confines of the Royal Estate as you wish.”

As Conrad spoke, the once-annoyed expressions on many students' faces transformed into happy ones.

Frowns melted into smiles, and chuckles echoed in the air, breaking through the somber atmosphere.

It felt like a miracle.

As the students murmured in excitement, one of them was also grinning like an idiot, though his thoughts were drastically different from the expression on his face.

‘What a farce…’ Rey thought with annoyance, and for good reason.

‘He’s making it sound like he’s doing us a favor when, in fact, he has no other option.’

Rey’s classmates—that is, the Esteemed Otherworlders—were nearing the limits of what they could take from the Royal Council.

With their power weakening, they had no choice but to make some compromises.

‘Speaking of compromises, I’m sure they’ve run out of Mana Crystals to power the Grand Barrier, or they’re pretty low on their supply. That’s why they’re disabling the barrier.’

Yet, the way Conrad made it sound, one would think it was a voluntary decision.

‘I can see through you guys. It’s almost sad how desperate these people are once you look beyond the surface…’

Underneath all that finesse was a nation desperately in need of saving.

‘And I’m sure Adonis realizes it too. That’s why he’s still on their side despite how crafty they think they’re being.’

In the end, these people were in desperate need of help.

‘It’s not just Conrad and the people here that will suffer if the Dragons aren’t stopped. Millions of people, if not more, will perish.’

For that reason alone, Rey's sense of responsibility outweighed his self-interests and he felt moved to help them.

‘I’ve pretty much gotten all I can get from these people right now…’

Rey had used [Doppel] on the strongest people around him and obtained their useful Skills, so he now had access to the abilities of all his classmates as well.

He had learned enough about this world that he was fairly confident he could survive with the current knowledge at his disposal.

Logically speaking, they had nothing else to offer.

‘I guess if I take account of future events, then I can benefit a thing or two…’

However, compared to the abstract future benefits he still wasn’t certain about, there were other solid prospects he could pursue now.

‘I could get my own place and operate on my schedule…’

That meant he could live his life free from the prying eyes and condescending gazes of his comrades.

More importantly, though, he would finally have more time on his hands.

‘Training has become pretty useless to me at this point… and honestly, I could better spend my time grinding in the Dungeon.’ Rey found himself thinking.

If he spent more time, fighting Monsters, he was guaranteed to get stronger and more skilled.

And this wasn’t even a selfish decision.

‘The stronger I am, the more useful I can be to this world.’

In essence, it was for their own good.

‘But… not yet.’

There were two major reasons why Rey had yet to cut off ties with the Royal Estate and his classmates.

The first and most important reason to him was to figure out the true mastermind of the recent incidents that had ensued.

‘My trial, Adam’s death, and now this…?’

It all felt so unnatural and calculated that Rey couldn’t shake off the feeling that someone was behind all of it.

‘The one that framed me wasn’t Adam. It couldn’t have been him. There’s a good chance that they manipulated Adam and made him take the fall so they could cover their tracks.’

How convenient was it that they were able to nab Adam for everything and solve the mystery of the malefactor so easily?

Something was fishy, and Rey couldn’t get it out of his head.

‘I can’t just leave everyone with the malefactor among them.’

Rey didn’t care much for his classmates, but that didn’t mean he was comfortable with them being manipulated by an unknown enemy.

Besides, he had managed to form some sort of relationship with a few people during the time he had spent in this world.

Noah, Adonis, Trisha… and then… Alicia.

This brought him to the second, more sentimental reason, why he was hesitant to leave.

‘I don’t… feel comfortable leaving her behind.’

Even though Rey knew Alicia was unaware of his true abilities and that she wanted to return home if she could, he couldn’t help but feel an irrational attachment to her.

‘I just…’ He found himself glancing in her direction, and much to his dismay, she was also looking at him.

She smiled at him, and he found himself breaking into one as well.

‘I’m happy she’s feeling much better after witnessing that gory… hold on, what am I thinking?’

He sighed heavily and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Rey knew he was being stupid.

‘You’re not her type, Rey. It’s better to focus on improving yourself and maybe… maybe you can come back when you’re good enough!’

Even though he had told himself this many times, Rey couldn’t still bring himself to numb his feelings.

That’s right!

Rey was in love.

… Or at least, he felt like he was.

‘Our connection is real! I can feel it! If we weren’t interrupted that night, then maybe…’

Those emotional thoughts were stopped by Rey’s negative line of reasoning.

‘You would have embarrassed yourself by admitting your feelings, Rey. The best thing you can do now is focus on the grind!’

At the moment, he was at war with himself.

Perhaps that was why he didn’t pay attention to any other thing Conrad said until three words reverberated in his ears.

“… Royal Dungeon Expedition!”

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

What do you think Rey should do, fellas?